Install Skyrim From The Elder Scrolls Anthology

Christmas has come and gone, and some lucky gamers found themselves with a brand new copy of The Elder Scrolls Anthology wrapped beneath the tree. If you’re not familiar with the Elder Scrolls Anthology, it’s basically a collector’s set of all five Elder Scrolls games for the PC (Arena, Daggerfall, Morrowind, Oblivion, and Skyrim). You can read more about the Anthology collection here.

The older Elder Scrolls games are fun to play, but Skyrim is the title that generates the most excitement, and rightfully so. Skyrim was first released a little over two years ago, but the game is still as popular as ever and has won over 200 Game of the Year awards. Simply put, the game is flat-out amazing, so it comes as no surprise that Skyrim is the game most players want to install on their PCs first.

How To Install Skyrim From The Elder Scrolls Anthology

Installing the Skyrim disc from the Elder Scrolls Anthology is pretty much straight forward, but the process can cause a bit of confusion. The single Skyrim disc included in the Anthology edition contains the Legendary version of the game and all three DLC expansions. Instead of installing the disc straight to the PC hard drive however, gamers will need to activate the game via Steam — an online client that handles software downloads and updates, as well as manages your games via a personal library. You don’t need to be connected to the internet in order to play Skyrim and the other games in the Elder Scrolls Anthology. With that said, you will need to be able to connect to the internet to download the Steam Client (if you don’t already have it installed on your PC), and you will need to connect to the internet to activate the game with a special code included in the boxed set.

Looking to install Skyrim from the Elder Scrolls Anthology? Follow these steps:

1. 

   Carefully remove the Skyrim disc from the collector’s book jacket and place in your computer’s CD drive.

2. Run the SETUP.EXE file and click “Install The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim”
3. Accept the terms of the license agreement.
4. If you don’t have the Steam Client already installed on your PC, follow the instructions to download the client and setup your Steam account.
5. Once you setup your Steam account, you’ll be asked for your unique 15-digit Steam Code to activate Skyrim.
6. Your Steam code is found on the back of a folded brochure that came packaged in the boxed set. The code is printed in a white text box beneath the “Warranty Information” and “Technical and Customer Support” sections.
7. Type in your 15 digit Steam code, making sure to include the two dashes. For example: 12345-12345-12345; not 123451234512345.

Final Thoughts

Were you successful? Did you install Skyrim from the Elder Scrolls Anthology collection? The process really isn’t too complicated, but the need to activate the game via the Steam Client may come as a surprise to some gamers, and could prove a pain in the backside  if you don’t have internet access. Once you start your Skyrim adventure however, the advantages of Steam will become apparent if you decide to mod the game in any fashion. Applying Skyrim mods via Steam is simple, but that’s a topic for another article. Keep your eyes to the skies, fellow travelers — until next time!