Dragonborns should steel themselves, as "The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim" will get an official Survival Mode approximately six years after its release.
Bethesda, the developer and publisher of "The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim," has announced that it is currently developing a Survival Mode for the Special Edition (TES V: Skyrim SE) of the game, and it will be available through the developer's paid mod service, Creation Club. "TES V: Skyrim SE" is expected to become more difficult with the inclusion of optional realistic elements of survival like hunger, fatigue, and harsh weather.
Hunger will impact the player character's stamina, which in turn affects the capability of players to wield weapons. The level of hunger will dictate how much available stamina the player character will have. It will be shown as a dark region in the green stamina bar. This dark meter can be reduced by eating food, but not just any food — raw meat will poison the players. This means that players will have to find ways to cook.
Fatigue is a survival element where the player character will lose the ability to recover stamina and magicka (in-game energy for spell casting) should they avoid rest. Sleeping in a bed will reduce fatigue. This may be easier said than done in the province of Skyrim, as a big chunk of it is wilderness.
Finally, the weather mechanic takes advantage of Skyrim's cold climate. Players will need to wear armor and thick clothing to stave off the cold. Otherwise, the total available health of the player will slowly decrease due to exposure to extremely low temperatures. When health reaches zero, they will freeze and die. To gain warmth, players can hold torches or stick close to fires, wear adequate clothing, and eat hot soup in-game.
In addition to the three main mechanics which will hinder players, there will also be no fast travel, no health regeneration, and players will be able to catch diseases from animals in the game.
Right now, Survival Mode for "TES V: Skyrim SE" is still in beta. Players interested in trying out the beta will be able to do so early in October. There is no exact release date for the mode yet, but Bethesda has stated that it will be free on its launch week, and it will cost 800 Creation Club credits after.
