I had a rather cool moment last night, that even after 70 hours, made me go.. that's really nice:

I was in the far east of the map, getting towards the eastern-most Dwemer ruin, and Stony Creek Cave.
I was heading North from there to start checking out some quests that have been sat there for a while on that side of the map. (I might even have a look at this wizards college).

Anyhow, it was early hours of the morning in game terms, foggy, and I was splashing through the hot springs, (on my first horse I might add that I bought at 10 hours in. Sometimes he's hard to track down after a big outdoor fight, but I love that nag now. I wish you could name them).

Because of the mist and fog, I almost walked blindly into a giant, who was standing on the rough area of path through some rocks back to higher ground. I nearly [censored], as normally they do that threatening back-off/rock on! pose if you get to close and grunt at you... But this one was just stood there.

I quicksaved, and moved a bit closer, he seemed thoroughly disinterested in me - and I saw that in front of him, lying half submerged in the spring water was his mammoth. Dead...


It was actually really quite powerful. There was this enormous humanoid, who could crush me to a pulp, and send bears into orbit over a mountain.. I could walk right up to his legs.. (and appreciate just how tall they are up close).
He would look at me a bit, then just look back to the mammoth, the only noise being the giants heavy breathing.

I quicksaved again, and actually checked out the mammoths body, as I thought, maybe there's something here that will start a quest. But it was just the snout, and mammoth meat.
I stopped myself from taking them as it didn't seem right. I tried to talk to the giant, but there's no option too. So I got on my horse and rode on.
But I actually stopped and turned around again, and looked at the scene once more through the fog, before I carried on North.


There was no words, not even a grunt. The whole encounter was maybe 90 seconds - and I was struck by it. This immensely powerful, simple minded creature, just standing there, not sure what to do, with his pet lying dead in the hot spring - barely acknowledging the steel clad ant coming over to have a look, when on any other day he would have smushed me like mudcrab pate.


2-3am on a foggy morning in eastern skyrim. I thought it was one of the nicest, and coolest moments in the game so far. Props to whichever Bethesda dev put that in, sincerely.