We may earn a commission when you buy through links in our articles. Learn more.

Skyrim patch 1.8 beta hits Steam, improves general stability

Skyrim

Start up Steam now – not necessarily right now, if you’re in the car or office, but when you get the chance – and you’ll get early access to the next Skyrim update’s beta, should you desire it. That update is Skyrim patch 1.8, and this is what it does.

1.8 sees the arrival of welcome fixes for duplicate NPCs and sticking exterior doors, but the most significant bullet point in the missive we’ve received from Bethesda is the one marked ‘General memory and stability improvements’. Complaints of crashing issues still plague forums from the Reddit ruins to the crypts of the Nexus; only time will tell whether Bethesda’s have managed to tarpaulin the most damning holes in its world.

More specific bugs have also been reported sorted – namely a crash when using vampiric grip, and a rare circumstance whereby Markarth’s Arnleif and Sons Trading Company could be permanently locked. See the Bethesda Blog for more details on accessing the patch beta.

Yesterday we heard that Skyrim’s next DLC release is to be named ‘Dragonborn’, and is to include mountable dragons and Morrowind locations. Isn’t that nice?