Strange glitches and physics-related oddities in Skyrim are common, as the elaborate physics engine and multiple assets existing in the same physical space are phenomena that are not always in perfect harmony. Also, in a game with so many different characters, enemies, NPCs, and other things based on AI, there are bound to be many instances of bugged code, things not loading in correctly, incorrect pathing, or a myriad of other things.
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Redditor Jimmynaz97K discovers one of these instances as they find a giant that does not attack at all. The clip shows the player shooting arrow after arrow at the giant at point-blank range on horseback, but the giant does nothing in retaliation. The giant’s health bar decreases more and more until it is depleted, and the giant falls, defeated. There appears to be no bugged Skyrim physics here, just a glitch in the giant’s AI that blocked it from attacking the player.
The giant in the clip even keeps walking towards the player as they back up, so it isn’t as if the giant hasn’t noticed the player or there is a problem with enemy aggro. Something in the game’s code is glitching in a way that simply causes the giant to go through its coded behavior of chasing down the attacking player without actually attacking. Skyrim’s giants are an iconic part of the game and have been the cause of many Dragonborns’ initial deaths in the game, but the giant in this clip is bugged into being a pacifist.
The violent nature of Skyrim’s giants is renowned, so much so that many players take advantage of it and lure other enemies nearby for the giants to fight for them - even Skyrim’s dragons aren’t safe. However, every now and then, a giant will refuse to attack the Dragonborn, and the player can take advantage and easily defeat the giant without any worry.
Though a bug like this does not happen very often, it still makes for a fascinating interaction when it does. Skyrim players are used to interesting occurrences like this happening in the game, and they bring a bit of exciting uncertainty to the experience.
The Elder Scrolls 5: Skyrim is available for PC, PS4, PS5, Switch, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.
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