There are many Gods worshiped throughout Skyrim, and they go by many names. Some are benevolent, and some less so. Some represent order and stasis; others, chaos and change. Aedra and Daedra, Aetherius and Oblivion...these are matters us mortals can only scarcely comprehend, bringing ruin to the unwary...and greatness to a lucky few.

~Brother Hetchfeld
Associate Scribe at the Imperial University

In vanilla Skyrim, there is very little sense that the Aedra and Daedra have any impact on the world or their followers, outside of specific quests. Players who want to roleplay as a paladin or priest largely have to rely on their imagination. Shrines are only useful for getting small temporary bonuses and curing diseases, and Arkay will still bless you even if you are a cannibalistic necromancer. In short, there is no immersion to worship in Skyrim.

With Gods and Worship, the Divines and Daedra have a much greater presence in skyrim, and worshiping them devoutly leads to real rewards for the player.     

All Divines and Daedra have unique personalities, and the player can win or lose favor with them in a variety of ways. Praying at shrines, completing certain quests, stealing or committing murder, etc, are all actions which affect how much the 9 Divines and 16 Daedra like you, either positively or negatively. As you gain affinity with a god, you are blessed with new abilities, powers, and ethereal guardians. When your affinity is high enough, you will be sent on a pilgrimage quest, and even be able to establish your own temple to your god and recruit acolytes as followers.

In short, Gods and Worship (GnW) is a large overhaul of religion in Skyrim - one which sits quietly in the background, waiting for you to discover its secrets, and allowing you to immerse yourself as deeply or shallowly as you wish in its roleplaying experience. Casually toss an offering or two at temple shrines to gain their boons, explore the wilds looking for hidden holy sites, join one of Skyrim's established temples as a novice acolyte, or blaze your own path towards becoming High Priest and found a new temple of your own. It's all up to you.




Requirements:

• Latest version of Skyrim SE or AE - This includes the 4 Creation Club mods added to the base game for free: SurvivalMode, Curios, Fishing, and Saints & Seducers. (You don't need to worry about this requirement unless you have specifically down-graded your game or manually removed CC content. Otherwise, you will have these 4 files already installed)
• Unofficial Skyrim Special Edition Patch (USSEP)
• Skyrim Script Extender (SKSE)
  

Installation:

• Download manually or via your mod manager of choice
• Install using a mod manager, or drop the contents of the zip file into your Data folder
• Start a new game for the best experience!
• GnW will initialize itself after leaving Helgen (or, if using an Alternate Start mod, after you are dropped into Skyrim)
  

Uninstallation:

• To uninstall, remove the mod files and start a new game. Yes, you must start a new game after uninstalling. May the Divines have pity on any fool who thinks that they know better than the mod author and tries to play on the same save after uninstalling GnW.
  

Gods and Worship touches many parts of the game. I tried to avoid unnecessary edits where possible to improve mod compatibility, but some things will just conflict.

See below for a list of known conflicts and notes on patching - some mods already have a patch available!


Need help testing? Here are some useful console commands:



To begin your journey in Gods and Worship, simply activate any shrine. You will then have the option to offer gold or an item, or else simply pray.

If you choose to merely pray at the shrine, you will be granted the shrine's blessing and nothing more. But if you choose to sacrifice an offering, the shrine's god will become your "chosen" god. You will gain the starting Devotional Rank of "Believer" and gain the ability to Meditate and commune with your god, refreshing their blessing.

Your chosen god will grant you many different benefits depending on your affinity with them - but to start with, you must work on increasing your affinity with your new god in order to gain their favor and rise through the Devotional Ranks.

From there, Gods and Worship unfolds as you naturally play the game. Most aspects of GnW are best discovered organically for the most immersive experience, but if you want some tips to get you started, look for the book "Gods and Worship, Vol. 2" in the temples around Skyrim, or seek out Willow Far-Seeing to ask her advice on the various gods.



Your actions in the world now have an affect on how the gods view you, and whether they will give you their favor. Taking actions they approve of, such as giving to charity or completing certain quests, will raise your affinity with that god. Taking actions they hate, such as murder or stealing, will lower your affinity.

Different gods will love or hate different actions - all the Divines despise murder, for instance, while some Daedra love murder. 

Praying at a shrine dedicates you to that god, marking them as your “chosen” god. Gaining affinity with your chosen god gradually unlocks new abilities, powers, and benefits. Losing affinity with your god removes those benefits. You can only gain the abilities and powers of 1 god at a time - you must switch your chosen god by praying at a different shrine in order to change which abilities and powers are active.    

If you lose enough affinity with your chosen god, you will enter a Pariah state where that god shuns you for 3 in-game days. During that time, you will not receive a blessing for praying at their shrine and cannot gain affinity with them. After the 3-day period ends, the god will become neutral towards you again, and you will have to start earning their favor all over again.

Gaining and Losing Affinity
In order to increase your affinity with your chosen god and unlock the benefits that come with high affinity, you will need to take actions your god likes and avoid actions that they hate. Not all gods respond the same way to various actions.

Always Increase Affinity:

• Praying at a shrine or making an offering at a shrine
• Meditating
• Completing the main quest to defeat Alduin
• Completing the Dragonborn main quest to defeat MIraak
• Completing the Dawnguard main quest to defeat Harkon
  

Always Decrease Affinity:

• Neglect - You will lose a small amount of affinity every day if you haven't prayed or meditated that day
• Praying to your chosen god's enemies
  

Other actions that can affect Affinity:

• Completing various quests
• Giving charity
• Stealing/pick-pocketing
• Brawling
• Murder
• Killing undead, daedra, dragons, mammoths/giants, and/or werebeasts
• Cannibalism
• Casting necromancy spells or daedra-summoning spells
• Soul-trapping black souls
• Becoming a vampire, feeding as a vampire, and/or transforming into a Vampire Lord
• Becoming a werewolf, feeding as a werewolf, and/or transforming into a werewolf
• Getting married, or jilting your fiance
• Adopting children
• Persuading, intimidating, or bribing people
• Using the god's artifact item
  

Detailed info on each God's affinity reactions, plus their valid shrine offerings and a list of other gods they consider enemies, can be found in this spreadsheet here.

As you gain affinity with your chosen god by performing actions and completing quests, you will rise through a series of devotional ranks. Each rank builds on the ones that came before it, granting new powers and abilities, and unlocking new gameplay options.

On the other side of the coin, losing affinity can cause your rank to drop, removing the bonuses of the ranks you lost; commit crimes heinous enough, and your god may shun you entirely for a period of time...

0 - Believer - Your god has heard your prayer.

• Starting rank, gain the "Meditate" spell for communing with your god to refresh their blessing.
  

1 - Initiate - Your god has taken notice of you.

• Robes and amulets unique to your god can be crafted at the forge and tanning rack.
  

2 - Acolyte - Your god has welcomed you into the fold.

• Gain a "Grace" passive ability unique to your god.
  

3 - Disciple - Your god smiles upon you.

• Gain a "Boon" lesser power unique to your god that can be used once every 8 in-game hours. Praying or meditating recharges the power.
  

4 - Priest/Priestess - Your god favors you.

• A special guardian unique to your god will appear to defend you during combat, if you are wearing your god's amulet.
• People can be converted to your religion by giving them an amulet. Chance of success depends on their personality, morality, and relationship to you.
  

5 - High Priest/High Priestess - You are the chosen one of your god.

• Upon reaching this rank, you are sent on a pilgrimage quest to visit the holy places of your god hidden in the world. Completing the pilgrimage grants you a vision of a new temple you can claim for your own.
  

And finally, if you enrage your chosen god enough, you can become a Pariah:

Pariah - This god has shunned you, for now...

• Can't use shrines for this god for 3 days
  

Below is a list of all all the different gods included in Gods and Worship and their effects for shrines, amulets, "Grace" abilities, "Boon" powers, and god guardians. All shrines - except for Molag Bal and Namira - cure diseases when praying or leaving an offering. Some shrines also have additional special effects. (With Survival Mode enabled, you must always make an offering to get a blessing, except at shrines in your home or temple)

Akatosh:

• Shrine - Time between shouts is reduced by 20%.
• Amulet - Time between shouts is reduced by 15%.
• Grace Ability - Dragon shouts are 30% stronger or last 30% longer. Take 25% less damage from dragons.
• Boon Power - Stop time for 20 seconds.
• Guardian - An ancient king in dragonbone armor who wields a greatsword and bow, and shouts with fire and frost breath like a dragon.
• Special - N/A
  

Arkay:

• Shrine - Increases your health by 25 points.
• Amulet - Increases your health by 10 points.
• Grace Ability - You take 25% less damage from undead and regenerate health 50% faster. Corpses can be sanctified to prevent them from being resurrected by necromancers.
• Boon Power - Sanctify the area as holy ground for 120 seconds. While on holy ground, you and your allies are strengthened and undead are weakened; corpses cannot be resurrected on holy ground.
• Guardian - A monk in robes and armor who wields a holy mace and casts sunfire spells.
• Special - N/A
  

Dibella:

• Shrine - +15 speechcraft
• Amulet - +10 speechcraft
• Grace Ability - If wearing fancy or provocative clothing, prices are 10% better, calm and courage spells are 25% more effective, and you take 25% less damage from people. (Fine, Jarl, Emperor, Archmage, Wench, Wedding clothes, Dibella robes).
• Boon Power - Seduce a person for 300 seconds. While under your spell, they will follow you and fight for you. (Does not count as a hostile attack)
• Guardian - A lovely barmaid who wields a bow that paralyzes your foes.
• Special - N/A
  

Julianos:

• Shrine - All spells cost 10% less to cast.
• Amulet - All spells cost 5% less to cast.
• Grace Ability - All spells you cast are 10% more effective. Scrolls are 25% more effective.
• Boon Power - Restores all magicka. For 120 seconds, magicka regeneration is increased by 200% and getting hit by an attack spawns a magical wisp. (Max 3 at once)
• Guardian - An ancient member of the Psiijic order, returned from Aetherius to aid you with elemental spells and atronach summons.
• Special - N/A
  

Kynareth:

• Shrine - Healing spells restore 25% more health.
• Amulet - Healing spells restore 15% more health.
• Grace Ability - Animals and spriggans will neither attack nor flee from you. Harvest 1 additional ingredient from plants and crops.
• Boon Power - Choose an animal aspect: Wolf, Sabrecat, Bear, or Mammoth. Each aspect confers different abilities. Effect lasts 120 seconds. (Wolf: +15% move/attack speed, +200% stamina regen. Sabrecat: +30% magic resist, 70% critical hit chance. Bear: +200 armor, +150 HP. Mammoth: Cannot be staggered; power attacks deal 2x damage and knock down the target)
• Guardian - Spriggan Queen that summons animals, torments foes with swarms of locusts, and slashes with poisonous claws.
• Special - N/A
  

Mara:

• Shrine - Restoration spells cost 15% less to cast.
• Amulet - Restoration spells cost 10% less to cast.
• Grace Ability - +50 carry weight when traveling with a companion. For each familial relationship, resist +5% of incoming damage and deal 5% more damage with attacks and spells.
• Boon Power - Grants a magical shield to you and the 5 nearest allies and civilians for 180 seconds. Each shield will negate one fatal blow, restoring 300 health.
• Guardian - Spirit of the hearth and home who wields a sunfire staff and casts fire spells and healing spells.
• Special - N/A
  

Stendarr:

• Shrine - Block 15% more damage with your shield.
• Amulet - Block 10% more damage with your shield.
• Grace Ability - Every 3 werebeasts, vampires, or daedra you kill adds +1 damage to your weapon strikes. (Up to 50) *NOTE: Does not count summoned daedra*
• Boon Power - For 60 seconds, nearby enemies that fall below 15% health are slain. For werebeasts, vampires, and daedra, the threshold is increased to 25%.
• Guardian - Honored Dawnguard warrior of old who fights with a waraxe and shield and casts sunfire spells.
• Special - N/A
  

Talos:

• Shrine - Armor is 15% more effective.
• Amulet - Armor is 10% more effective.
• Grace Ability - Gain +30 stamina and regenerate stamina 50% faster. While fighting a powerful foe, all warrior skills are increased by 15 points.
• Boon Power - Restores all stamina. For 120 seconds, stamina regeneration is increased by 200% and your attacks are 15% faster.
• Guardian - Ancient Nord warrior returned from Sovngarde who wields a battleaxe and Shouts with the fury to crumble mountains.
• Special - N/A
  

Zenithar:

• Shrine - Prices are 15% better.
• Amulet - Prices are 10% better.
• Grace Ability - Potions, poisons, and enchantments you create are 10% stronger. Weapons and armor can be improved 10% more.
• Boon Power - Create a duplicate copy of an item in your inventory. (Max 3 times per day)
• Guardian - Spirit of a caravan guard in ebony armor that attacks in a whirlwind of ebony blades and arrows.
• Special - N/A
  

Azura:

• Shrine - Resist 15% of magic.
• Amulet - Resist 10% of magic.
• Grace Ability - Gain soul gem fragments when breaking a soul gem to enchant an item; fragments can be fused together into new soul gems at the smelter. Once a day, the highest non-black soul gem in your inventory is automatically filled.
• Boon Power - For 120 seconds you absorb 100% of the magicka from incoming spells and your enchanted weapons and staves gradually recharge.
• Guardian - Winged Twilight that absorbs magic, casts lighting spells, wields a blade that saps magicka, and attacks with a powerful shriek.
• Special - N/A
  

Boethiah:

• Shrine - One-handed weapons do 15% more damage
• Amulet - One-handed weapons do 10% more damage
• Grace Ability - Your weapon strikes deal more damage the closer you are to death. Reflect 10% of incoming physical damage back at the attacker.
• Boon Power - Transport you and the target to an arena in Boethiah's realm for a one-on-one battle to the death. (NOTE: Does not work on dragons, giants/mammoths, or essential NPCs)
• Guardian - Slavering Hunger whose claws paralyze its victims so it can absorb the life from them.
• Special - N/A
  

Clavicus Vile:

• Shrine - Increases speechcraft by 15%.
• Amulet - Increases speechcraft by 10%.
• Grace Ability - Can bribe guards to ignore crimes, or pay them to follow you and fight for you. You can hire up to 3 guards at a time, and they do not replace other followers.
• Boon Power - For 60 seconds, almost everyone and everything that sees you will think you their ally and not attack. Effect breaks if you initiate combat. (No effect on dragons; does not work during scripted or quest-mandated fights)
• Guardian - Pair of mischievous Scamps, one of which torments your foes with fire spells while the other picks them off with spears.
• Special - N/A
  

Hermaeous Mora:

• Shrine - All skills increase 10% faster.
• Amulet - All skills increase 5% faster.
• Grace Ability - For every 10 books you have read, your magicka is increased by 1 point and your magicka regeneration by 2%. ("Books" also includes notes and journals)
• Boon Power - Teleport to a pocket realm of Apocrypha that contains an alchemy lab, enchanting table, and staff enchanter, plus a bed, chests and bookshelves. (Cannot be used in combat)
• Guardian - Unique Lurker from Apocrypha that spits black bile and summons deadly tentacles.
• Special - At rank Acolyte and above, when you make an offering at a shrine there is a chance Hermaeous Mora will grant you knowledge of a powerful lost artifact hidden somewhere in the world.
  

Hircine:

• Shrine - Deal 15% more damage to animals.
• Amulet - Deal 10% more damage to animals.
• Grace Ability - Gain the instincts of a predator. 33% chance to slow time when an enemy power attacks. While sneaking, you can see in the dark and smell the living and undead through walls.
• Boon Power - Summon a wild hunt. 3-4 predators will come to fight with you for 120 seconds.
• Guardian - Ghostly hunter wielding dragonbone weapons and bow who transforms into a werebear at low health.
• Special - Chance to be infected with lycanthropy when making an offering at a shrine; chance increases with rank.
  

Malacath:

• Shrine - Two-handed weapons deal 15% more damage.
• Amulet - Two-handed weapons deal 10% more damage.
• Grace Ability - You dig up more ore when mining and can sense nearby ore veins at will. Weapons and armor can be improved 30% more.
• Boon Power - Call upon Malacath's realm of the Ashpit to immobilize all nearby enemies in fiery ash for 40 seconds. Enemies trapped in ash take 4 fire damage per second.
• Guardian - Ancestral Orc Chieftain, returned from the Ashpit to wield a daedric warhammer against your foes with mighty blows.
• Special - N/A
  

Mehrunes:

• Shrine - Destruction spells deal 15% more damage.
• Amulet - Destruction spells deal 10% more damage.
• Grace Ability - Atronach and dremora conjuring spells cost 30% less to cast and last 30% longer. Your summon limit is increased by 1 for atronachs and dremora.
• Boon Power - Unleash a powerful shockwave at your location, flinging away all nearby enemies and dealing massive damage.
• Guardian - Massive Daedroth Lord that breathes fire and attacks with wickedly sharp claws.
• Special - N/A
  

Mephala:

• Shrine - Prices are 15% better
• Amulet - Prices are 10% better
• Grace Ability - You can flirt with people to attempt to seduce them into giving you a small gift. Seduced people will also offer 10% better prices and take +30% sneak attack damage for 1 hour. (Each person can only be seduced once per day)
• Boon Power - Silently mark a target for death for 120 seconds. Sneak attacks against that target deal 5x damage; if killed while marked for death, a large sum of gold can be found on their body.
• Guardian - Alluring Spider Daedra that summons spiderlings, spits poison, casts shock spells, and savagely attacks with dual daggers.
• Special - N/A
  

Meridia:

• Shrine - Take 20% less damage from undead.
• Amulet - Take 15% less damage from undead.
• Grace Ability - Fire and sun spells are 25% more powerful. Turn undead spells are twice as powerful. Sun spells now deal damage to all enemy types, not just undead. (Also affects enchantments and Dawnbreaker)
• Boon Power - Summon a blazing miniature sun for 120 seconds. Living allies touched by its light are rallied and fortified; undead touched by its light take 5 damage per second and turn to ash below 30% health.
• Guardian - Auroran in shining golden armor who absorbs magicka and attacks with shock spells and a golden axe that deals sun damage.
• Special - N/A
  

Molag Bal:

• Shrine - Soul Trap, Reanimate, and Conjure Undead spells last 15% longer and cost 15% less to cast.
• Amulet - Summons a Shadow Hound to your side when worn. Unequip to banish.
• Grace Ability - Your attacks and spells are more powerful the closer the target is to death. Your Vampire's Drain deals more damage the higher your level; enemies killed with it are fed upon to slake your thirst.
• Boon Power - Turn an enemy person below 15% health into your thrall.  Thralls forget their previous life and obey you as their master. They can be ordered to follow you and fight for you, or to stay and guard a location. You can only have 1 thrall at a time - enthralling another enemy breaks the chains on the first, causing them to die.
• Guardian - Demonic Alpha gargoyle that absorbs health with its claws.
• Special - Chance to be infected with vampirism when making an offering at a shrine; chance increases with rank.
  

Namira:

• Shrine - +15% pickpocket chance.
• Amulet - +10% pickpocket chance.
• Grace Ability - Vermin such as skeevers, spiders, and chaurus will no longer attack you. Negative effects from diseases are greatly decreased; while diseased, you can beg for charity. (No food poisoning with Survival Mode enabled)
• Boon Power - For 120 seconds, nearby opponents take 5 disease damage per second. Damage increases if you are diseased. Infected living creatures will spawn a spiderling when killed.
• Guardian - Apex Chaurus Hunter that has evolved wasp-like features.
• Special - Chance to be infected with a random disease when praying at the shrine; chance increases with rank.
  

Nocturnal:

• Shrine - Sneak is increased by 15 points.
• Amulet - Sneak is increased by 10 points.
• Grace Ability - You are extremely lucky: +15% critical hit chance, +5% chance of avoiding an attack or spell, and you find extra loot in containers.
• Boon Power - Pass unrecognized for 30 seconds, accumulating no bounty.
• Guardian - Shade of an ancient Nightingale, returned from the Evergloam to aid you with sword and bow.
• Special - Nocturnal is difficult to please, and cares not for empty worship... You cannot rise above rank Disciple until the quest "Trinity Restored" is completed.
  

Peryite:

• Shrine - +50% disease resistance
• Amulet - +30% disease resistance
• Grace Ability - Your created potions and poisons are 20% more powerful. You can spit corrosive acid at will.
• Boon Power - Infect a living target with a virulent plague that saps their health and stamina for 60 seconds. The plague will spread to others nearby, who also have a chance to spread it.
• Guardian - A pack of ghostly green skeevers with poisonous bites.
• Special - N/A
  

Sanguine:

• Shrine - Eating and drinking restores 3x health and stamina.
• Amulet - Eating and drinking restores 2x health and stamina.
• Grace Ability - No negative effects from drinking alcohol and take 15% less damage while affected by an alcoholic drink. Skooma can be brewed from Moon Sugar at the cooking pot.
• Boon Power - Calms nearby people and creatures for 60 seconds. The three nearest hostile people will begin to dance uncontrollably, slowly losing health and stamina. Effect breaks if hit.
• Guardian - Dremora sorceress who casts powerful fire spells and summons flame atronachs.
• Special - N/A
  

Sheogorath:

• Shrine - Boost 3 random skills by 10 points and lower 1 random skill by 10 points.
• Amulet - Summons Cluck-Cluck the chicken to your side when worn. Unequip to banish. (Chicken cannot be killed)
• Grace Ability - Small chance for enemies below 15% health to explode in a shower of gold. Butterflies will occasionally appear and congregate around you.
• Boon Power - Trigger a bout of mania for 180 seconds: +20% movement speed, +15% weapon speed, +10% weapon and spell damage, magicka and stamina regen 100% faster, but you randomly lose control of your actions outside of combat. If in combat, you randomly take damage.
• Guardian - A shining Golden Saint wielding a greatsword and bow.
• Special - Occasionally, the player is equipped with a random hat after making an offering at a shrine. (Small chance of getting a unique unenchanted jester outfit instead, one time only)
  

Vaermina:

• Shrine - Illusion spells are 15% more powerful.
• Amulet - Illusion spells are 10% more powerful.
• Grace Ability - Sleeping improves all of your skills by 10 points for 1 hour. Dreamstride elixirs can be crafted at an alchemy lab. Dreamstride: Venture into the spirit world, invisible and undetectable, for 30 seconds before teleporting back to your starting location. (Cannot attack or interact with the world)
• Boon Power - All nearby enemies are attacked by a manifestation of their worst nightmare for 30 seconds. Low level enemies have a chance to flee in terror.
• Guardian - Nightmare wraith that casts arcane bolts and sends enemies fleeing in fear.
• Special - N/A
  

Gods and Worship adds a large, lore-friendly player home that also doubles as a working temple that can be dedicated to the god of your choosing. Et'Ada temple starts in a ruined, run-down state after having been abandoned for thousands of years - it will be up to you to restore it to its former glory and dedicate it to your chosen god.

Et'Ada temple is fully compatible with spouses and adoption, and includes all crafting stations once fully renovated (including a unique Hearthfire oven).

Pilgrims:

• After building the temple shrine, pilgrims will begin visiting the temple and leave offerings in the Offering Box.
  

Acolytes:

• After building the temple shrine and renovating the Kitchen and Acolyte Barracks, you will occasionally be approached by pilgrims who wish to serve at the temple. If you accept, they will become permanent acolytes at et'Ada temple and can be recruited as followers. Acolytes will wear the robes and amulets of your chosen god, conduct prayers at the shrine, and keep the temple neat and tidy. (A maximum of 3 acolytes can inhabit the temple)
  

How to acquire:
Upon reaching the rank of High Priest/High Priestess, your god will send you on a pilgrimage quest to visit their holy places throughout Skyrim and Solsetheim. After completing your pilgrimage, you will be sent a vision of et'Ada temple, kicking off a short quest to acquire the temple for your own use.

After gaining ownership of the temple, you will need to find a caretaker in order to complete renovations - similar to Hearthfire stewards, this requires bringing a follower to the temple and asking them to be the caretaker.

Spoilers: "Where the heck is it??"




Gods and Worship adds 5 new NPCs to the game, 2 of which can become followers. Every NPC is fully voiced using sweat, tears, and the magic of xVASynth.

Willow Far-Seeing
Willow is a retired Imperial Legion captain who lost an eye in a massacre that made her question the very foundation of her faith. Since then, Willow has dedicated herself to wandering Tamriel learning all she can about the various Divines and Daedra. Willow has grown wise through her travels, and has much knowledge to share about the gods and their natures. Now, she can be found traveling between the various shrines and temples of Skyrim.

• To gain Willow Far-Seeing as a companion on your adventure, you must first earn her trust by helping her reconcile with her past... and an old friend.
  

Saafa the Red (Coming soon!)
Saafa is strong, fierce, and power-hungry. She doesn't have any friends and she likes it that way - the red on her armor and her blades should tell you all you need to know about her. Saafa has been searching for a Daedric patron for most of her life, and has now come to the Sacellum of Boethiah in Skyrim seeking eternal glory. If only she could find a way to get the Daedric Prince to speak to her...

• To gain Saafa the Red as a companion on your adventure, you must first beat her in a fight and then help her kill her past by confronting an old adversary...
  

Gaedric
Gaedric is an interesting character (some would say "charlatan", although he disdains the term himself) who travels to the various temples of Skyrim to sell "relics" and "divine amulets" to worshipers visiting the temples. He has no idea why the priests keep trying to chase him off when they find him outside advertising his wares, truly he doesn't! When you meet him, you will be able to expose him as a fraud...or get a cut of the deal.

The remaining NPCs are hidden, and will be revealed through quests.





You can join most of the established temples in Skyrim by speaking with the head priest or priestess. Some temples have quests that must be completed before they will take you on as a acolyte. (NOTE: You must speak to the head priest inside the temple to get the dialog to join)

• Temple of Kynareth (Whiterun) - The quest "The Blessings of Nature" must be completed.
• (Coming Soon!) Temple of the Divines (Solitude) - No requirements.
• (Coming Soon!) Temple of Dibella (Markarth) - The quest "Heart of Dibella" must be completed.
• Temple of Mara (Riften) - No requirements.
• Temple of Talos (Windhelm) - No requirements.
• (Coming Soon!) Reclamations Temple (Raven Rock) - The quest "Clean Sweep" must be completed.
  

Benefits:
Joining a temple will reward you with an appropriate holy amulet and set of robes, plus a bed and chest inside the temple that only you can use. The chest is safe storage.

New quests and interactions:
Each temple has one medium quest and several radiant errand quests you can complete after joining, which will earn you gold, gifts, and favor with the temple god. The priests and acolytes that inhabit the temple will also have new interactions and conversations to give them life - talk to the priests about why they joined the temple, ask Acolyte Jenssen for a lesson on healing spells, convince Ahlam to follow her dreams of being a healer and join the temple full-time.... and much more. (All new dialog is fully voiced!)

Enhanced temple interiors:
The interior of every temple (including the House of Arkay in Falkreath) has been given a facelift. The Temple of Kynareth now has a cooking area and an alchemy lab area; in the Temple of Talos, the priests now have their own quarters attached to the main temple; in the Temple of Dibella, the priestesses finally have a place to sleep. In addition to functional improvements, each temple has been given a gentle overhaul to its interior decorations and appearance - lore-friendly and realistic to the location and economic situation of the temple, but still better than vanilla Skyrim. 



New shrines and holy sites for the Divines and Daedra are scattered throughout the world of Skyrim and Solstheim. Some are small and pitiful, erected by the mad and desperate in the dark corners of the world. Others are elaborate altars frequented by worshipers leaving gifts.

Spoilers: View a list of all new shrine locations here.



There are those in Skyrim who will take issue with a devotee of the Divines or Daedra gaining power... As you rise through the devotional ranks, you will occasionally be ambushed by either Vigilants of Stendarr or Daedric Cultists (depending upon the Divine or Daedra you worship). The higher your rank and level, the more likely you are to be ambushed, and the stronger the forces sent to eliminate you will be.



Lore Books - New books, notes, and journals concerning the the Divines and Daedra have been scattered across Skyrim and added to leveled lists. Some of these books are pulled from other Elder Scrolls games; others are brand new.

Spread the Good Word - Once you reach the rank of Priest/Priestess, the people of Skyrim can be converted to your faith by speaking with them and giving them a holy amulet. Some people will be easier to persuade than others, based on their personality, morality, and relationship with you. Others will reject you in disgust, depending on which god you are proselytizing for...

Giving Charity - Most temple priests in Skyrim will now accept charity. Giving them some gold will grant you the "Gift of Charity" bonus for a short time. Some gods will also look favorably upon giving charity to temples. But thieves beware...stealing from the Temple offering chest will always be a crime, even if you are a member of the temple.

Household Shrines - A shrine to the god of your choosing can now be built for free in all of the vanilla player homes, including Hearthfire homes. A shrine base or platform will appear after upgrading the home, and can be activated to place a shrine of your choice. For Hearthfire homes, the shrine base will appear after building the vanilla shrine holder in the basement.

Temple Map Markers - Every major temple in Skyrim and Solstheim now has its own dedicated map marker, to allow for easy fast travel.

Priest Outfits - Priests for the various Divines across Skyrim will now wear the correct robes for their god. And there's a certain fellow who challenges you to a drinking contest who wears a unique set of robes as well... 

Sanctified Cleansing Basin - Special cleaning basins can be used to wash away your association with your current chosen god. Doing so will not offend any god; you may use a Sanctified Cleansing Basin at will without fear. Sanctified Cleansing Basins can be found in the Temple of the Divines in Solitude, and in et'Ada temple once a shrine is constructed.

• Implement the ability to join the rest of the temples around Skyrim - most of this is actually already completed, I just need to carry it over the finish line and record dialog lines.
• Finish implementing Saafa the Red - generating her voice lines is proving tricky
• (DONE!) Ambushes - Chance to get ambushed by Daedra Worshippers or Vigilants of Stendarr, depending on your chosen god and your current rank
• More vanilla NPC interaction around religion - ex. ask the Companions about Hircine, proudly announced to Ondolemar that you worship Talos, etc.
• Create original art assets for all Daedric amulets (Currently only Hircine, Sanguine, and Namira are my artwork  - the rest are from Amulets of Skyrim)
• Give Willow Far-Seeing and Saafa the Red unique commentary dialog for Daedric quests
• New loading screens
  

Q: Wintersun exists. Why this?
A: This mod has been in development on and off for YEARS - well before Wintersun came out. I haven't looked at Wintersun in any detail (or even downloaded it), so frankly I have no idea what it contains or doesn't contain. But regardless, variety is the spice of life, and I feel certain there are things in this mod that are not included in Wintersun. Pick the one you like more.

Q: Can you make a compatibility patch for Wintersun?
A: No. That would be like asking me to make a compatibility patch to let you use both Light Mode and Dark Mode on your phone at the same time. There's no point, and attempting to do so would mean making a whole new mod that picks and chooses the elements you want from both and somehow making them work together.

Q: Is this mod compatible with X?
A: Check the compatibility section - it lists known mod compatibilities AND has an extensive list of what types of mods would need a patch (along with instructions for how to make said patch). If you read that list and are still unsure, ask the author of that mod if anything on the list applies to their mod. I don't know someone else's mod well enough to know.

Q: Can you make a patch for X?
A: I only make patches for mods I use, because to make a patch you have to be familiar with how both mods are intended to work. I may create more patches in the future, but generally, if you want a patch for a mod that doesn't already have one, you will need to do it yourself or get someone else to do it. I can't and won't make patches for every mod that might need one.

Q: Why is Auriel not included as part of this mod?
A: Auriel was the previous incarnation of Akatosh, before he was transformed during a Dragon Break into the Akatosh of the ES5 era. So Auriel is an old aspect of Akatosh, not a separate god. Also, there just isn't enough material on his lore to do anything with him even if it made sense.

Q: Can you add X god not already included in GnW?
A: No. There will never be more than the 9 Divines and 16 Daedra already included in GnW. Don't bother to ask, it's not going to happen. It's way, waaay too much work to add another god, and those gods already included are the "vanilla" gods for Skyrim.

Q: Can I worship multiple gods?
A: Yes! While you can only have 1 "chosen" god at a time, and you only gain affinity with your chosen god, you can swap between various gods at will. Ex) You can roleplay a priest of the Divines and choose a different Divine each day, it will just take a lot longer to build up your affinity with all of the Divines (as opposed to just picking 1 god and sticking with them, which is the fastest way to level affinity).

Q: Can I pray to a god to get their blessing without making them my "chosen god"?
A: Yes! Just choose the "Pray" option at the shrine instead of making an offering. If Survival Mode is enabled, offerings will be more expensive and praying will cost gold.

Q: Can you make a version without the USSEP requirement?
A: No. USSEP should be considered a must-have for playing the game at this point - that's how many broken things it fixes. GnW is built on top of a lot of those fixes. I'm not going to rip them out to remove the USSEP requirement.

Q: Can you remove the requirements for CC Fishing, Survival Mode, Curios, and Saints & Seducers?
A: No. The changes made in GnW incorporating these are too extensive, and moving them to a separate patch would require patches for other mods to have multiple versions to support all the different patches. That is entirely too many patches. Also, those 4 CC projects came F R E E with the SE update. They are part of the base game now, like it or not.

Q: Can I use this mod without starting a new game?
A: Technically yes, the game will run just fine even if you install GnW after beating Alduin. HOWEVER, GnW monitors a lot of player progress and quest statuses, and if you're already well into the game, you're not going to get a good experience.

Q: Can I uninstall without starting a new game?
A: No. If you try to continue playing with a save that had GnW installed, everything will break. Yes, even with a "clean" save. There is no such thing as a "clean" save, and it won't help you here. GnW is simply too large and makes too many changes to be able to yank it out of your load order without ripping out your save's internal organs along with it. Your save may technically load up, but that doesn't mean the game will be okay. At the very, very least, you will suddenly notice that all the priests are naked. That will just be the start of your problems.

• Daedric Shrines by Mandragorasprouts
  

• Creature models by 4thUnknown (Daedroth, Hunger, Scamp)
• OpenBooks Resource by Blary
• Northborn Fur Hoods by Northborn
• Amulets of Skyrim by UNI00SL
• xVASynth2 by DanRuta