This nifty new Skyrim mod lets your Dovahkiin just “do the thing”

Well, you are in a hurry trying to defeat all those pesky dragons.

Come on Dovahkiin, do the thing. That’s the premise of a simple but super handy new Skyrim mod that changes the way the RPG game’s hero handles interacting with, well, any and all everyday items they encounter in their travels. Rather than leaving you stuck with the default ‘activation’ prompt you get when a hearty tome, shimmering sword, or mouthwatering sweetroll enters your line of sight, JZBai’s Do The Thing – Activation Enhancements mod gives you a bunch of other, incredibly helpful options.

Inspired by two existing Skyrim mods – Just Do It and Sometimes Pick Up Books – Do The Thing “allows your Dovahkiin to do extra things when hold activating an object”, the modder says. The way it works is by letting you use items immediately by holding down the ‘hold’ or ‘take’ for “one second or longer”, skipping the whole needing to put it into your inventory first part.

For example, “hold activating” weapons, scrolls, staves, shields, and torches will let you just equip them right away – and this also applies to dual-wielding, as long as you’ve got one hand free to take a new one-handed weapon.

Similarly, “hold activating” wearable items like armour, garments, and jewellery will automatically equip them before your inventory even gets a look in.

As you might expect, using the technique on food, potions, and ingredients will let you consume them straight away – and, the modder adds, “you can also consume ingredients still on harvestable flora and even harvestable insects, fish, and hanging rabbits, salmon, and pheasants by hold activating them.” That’s right – you can just chow away on raw fish and poultry right from the rack. Eww.

When you install the mod, you’l get the option to decide whether you want the “alternate method of activation” to apply to books as a default, too, so you can just automate it for when you spot dusty tomes you want to read right away.

If you’re keen to get the Dovahkiin to just “do the thing”, you can find JZBai’s mod on Nexus here. As ever, be sure to follow their instructions to get it running smoothly, and mod at your own risk!