Unlucky Skyrim Courier Shows Up at Exactly the Wrong Time

Highlights

• Skyrim’s open world creates unique player-driven experiences.
• One player had a strange encounter in which a dragon interrupted their conversation with the Courier.
• NPCs play crucial roles, from sending assassins to guiding players toward important quests

The Courier takes flight in a Skyrim playthrough via the unlikeliest of methods, as a dragon interrupts the conversation between him and the Dragonborn. Skyrim took the gaming world by storm when it launched 12 years ago, and has since established itself as one of the most successful RPGs of all time. Its thriving modding community saw unprecedented growth and brought Skyrim longevity beyond the timeless charm that the base game already possesses.

The open-world experience of Skyrim is the key component of its charm, as emergent gameplay – such as stumbling upon a cave or ruin, or fighting off a dragon attack – effectively makes every playthrough unique. NPCs in Skyrim can send assassins to kill the Dragonborn and settle a grievance committed against them, vampires and bandits can lurk ready to ambush on the road, and the Civil War rages on across the wilderness of Skyrim. Many mods have tried to enhance these features, but the foundation established by Bethesda in Skyrim plays a role in creating memorable player-driven moments.

A perfect example of one such moment happened to lukeylukesters, who shared a video clip of their playthrough on the main Skyrim subreddit. In it, the Courier is seen talking to the player in an attempt to hand them an inheritance letter, an event that can trigger when an NPC dies in Skyrim. However, just before entering a conversation, a dragon lands behind the Courier and is courteous enough to allow him to finish his dialogue with the Dragonborn. The clip ends with the Courier departing the scene in dramatic fashion, simply because he happened to be standing on the dragon’s tail.

The Courier’s Role in Skyrim

While many players find the Courier annoying, he plays a significant role in a long list of Skyrim quests. In addition to handing out inheritance letters and letters that point towards an undiscovered Word Wall, the Courier is there to make sure the Dragonborn is pointed in the right direction when it comes to important quests and features. For example, he can inform players of the Orphanage in Riften, which eventually opens up the path to adoption in Skyrim.

Ultimately, it remains to be seen if the Courier will also make an appearance in the sequel, as The Elder Scrolls 6 remains in active development. Though Bethesda has been frustratingly tight-lipped about the project ever since it debuted the announcement trailer six years ago, rumors point towards the sequel to Skyrim taking place in the province of Hammerfell. Despite its age, Skyrim continues to have a stable and thriving playerbase, as many of them patiently await further news about The Elder Scrolls 6.