IMPORTANT: This mod requires a new game, but can be updated safely on existing saves after that.

IMPORTANT: If you use the Unofficial Patch make sure you install The Restless Dead's USSEP Patch, otherwise the Bleak Falls Barrow quest will break. Do this when you install the mod, not after you have played through Bleak Falls Barrow.

Introduction:

Skyrim’s map is dotted with ancient temples, tombs and ruins. In the vanilla game, these dungeons are usually populated by the undead, mainly draugr, occasionally skeletons or ghosts. But encounters with these enemies tend to be a bit underwhelming, due to the lack of variety in appearance and skill between them. All draugr wear the same armor pieces, and their tactics are extremely limited. Fights with “unique” bosses usually feature some interesting mechanic, but even these draugr use the same model as regular enemies. Skeletons are unarmored Level 1 pushovers. Ghosts are just semi-transparent glowing bandits.

“The Restless Dead” breathes new life into these rotting corpses by overhauling pretty much every aspect related to the undead. The design choices applied to the mod are based on these three premisses:

• Not all Nordic ruins are associated with the Dragon Cult.
• Not all draugr are former dragon worshippers.
• Not all undead are reanimated by the same means or for the same purpose.
  

For more a more detailed explanation of these arguments read this article.


Features:

Localized Enemy Spawns:

Dungeons populated by the undead have been grouped into different categories:

• Dragon Cult Temples
• Solstheim Tombs
• Ancient Tombs
• Special Dungeons
  

Each dungeon type spawns specific foes that fit its theme.


Increased Visual Variety:

New draugr and skeleton models have been added, making it easier to deduce an enemy’s class and level:

• Dragon Cultists retain the vanilla draugr look, but they also get new models to differentiate between the diverse warrior types and spellcasters.
• The draugr on Solstheim wear the same armor and clothes as Dragon Cultists, but they have the dark skin and red eyes from OpusGlass’ “Cannibal Draugr on Solstheim” mod, to recreate the look they had in Morrowind.
• Undead in Ancient Tombs are equipped with more “modern” armor and weapons. Their equipment uses lore friendly assets that adhere to the Nordic aesthetic, and has been retextured to look appropriately aged.
• Special Dungeons spawn unique enemies found only in that particular location. For example, undead Royal Guards can be encountered only in the first section of Potema’s Catacombs.
• All named draugr bosses now have a unique model.
• New hair and beard colors have been added. Hair color is chosen randomly for every generic draugr.
• New varieties of skeletons have been added, including headless and crippled variants. Skeletons can be found alongside draugr in the appropriate dungeons.
• Armor has been added to skeletons. The number and type of armor parts a skeleton receives is determined semi-randomly by its level and class.
  

(Note: Some of the models currently in the mod are temporary placeholders. They will be replaced or modified in later updates).


Smarter and Tougher Enemies:

Encounters with the undead have been made more challenging and dangerous by the changes listed below:

• All undead enemies were assigned new classes.
• Stats and levels for undead enemies were revised and modified as necessary.
• New enemy level tiers were introduced, the highest being seven. Tier 7 enemies scale up to Level 100, though at a slower rate than the player.
• Leveled skeleton variants were introduced.
• Leveled lists were modified to ensure that specific enemy types get the right equipment. Ebony items were removed from leveled lists. Ancient Nordic weapons were nerfed slightly. An extra tier was added to equipment lists for enemies in Ancient Tombs.
• Undead enemies’ armor was given an actual armor rating.
• New spells were added to certain enemy classes and bosses.
• Undead enemies received perks that provide bonuses to attack, defense and spellcasting abilities based on their skill levels.
• New combat styles were added to ensure that enemies make the most out of their skills, perks, spells and equipment. Higher level enemies are more skilled at combat.
• Named bosses were given unique skills, perks, spells or equipment that set them apart from regular enemies.
  

New Features:

(Note: All of the following features have been implemented in part, but will be expanded further in later updates).

• New unique bosses were added to dungeons that didn’t have one (still a work in progress, a number of dungeons have a placeholder NPC for now).
• Most named bosses carry unique items (hold on to these items for now, as they will be reviewed and modified at a later date).
• Dragon Priests and dragon worshippers may drop bone charms when they die. Don’t dispose of these bone charms yet, as they will be used to boost and upgrade Dragon Cult artifacts (which will be part of a later update).
  

The Restless Dead:

This section will be updated with information about the different types of enemies found in this mod soon.

The Dragon Cult.


Frequently Asked Questions:

Q. Aren't draugr supposed to be thousands of years old? Why are they wearing steel armor? How is this lore friendly?
A. The Dragon Cult was destroyed thousands of years before the events of Skyrim, so yes, Dragon Cultists shouldn't be (and aren't) using modern equipment. However, not all draugr are former dragon worshippers; many were people who lived and died centuries after the destruction of the Dragon Cult. It makes sense for these undead to wear clothes and armor from later time periods. This argument is explained in more detail here.

Q. How is this different from other Draugr overhauls?
A. If you mean “Haugbui” or “The Dragon Cult”, then I suppose the main difference lies in scope and magnitude. Those are very lightweight overhauls that keep Draugr close to what they were in vanilla. The “Restless Dead” does a lot more, overhauling pretty much everything related to draugr and skeletons.

Q. What about Draugr Upgrades and Improvements?
A. I consider “The Restless Dead” to be the bigger, better version of D.U.I., and recommend that D.U.I. users switch to T.R.D. as soon as is convenient. I will probably continue to support and update D.U.I., though infrequently.

Q. Can I use T.R.D. alongside Haugbui/The Dragon Cult/D.U.I.?
A. No. They all change the same things with different design philosophies in mind. Pick the overhaul you like most and use only that.

Q. What about Skyrim Immersive Creatures?
A. If you want to use T.R.D. with S.I.C. I recommend letting T.R.D. load after S.I.C. so its changes take precedence.

Q. Is T.R.D. compatible with OpusGlass’ Cannibal Draugr on Solstheim?
A. Fully compatible out of the box, and a patch is provided so you can get the full Cannibal Draugr experience alongside T.R.D.

Q. What should I expect from future updates?
A. Several things. In no specific order - overhauling Dragon Priests, ghosts, and the Labyrinthian and Soul Cairn undead. Revising unique bosses and their special loot. Adding unique bosses to dungeons that do not have one yet. Adding a system where bone charms improve Dragon cult artifacts. Adding new classes, models and equipment for undead. Providing patches for CC content and popular mods, if any are needed. And of course, general maintenance and bugfixing.


Acknowledgments:

This mod uses some assets created by other authors, whom I thank heartily for their work:

-    “Steel Nord Plate Bikini Armor v2” by nisetanaka.
-    “Wolf Bikini Armor” by nisetanaka.
-    “KD Circlets Redone” by zzjay.
-    “Ulag’s Legacy” by GuitunScarfin.
-    “Dragon Carved Armor Set” by hideto84.
-    “Warcoat” by 6955.
-    “Guards Armor Replacer” by DanielUA and NordwarUA.
-    “Unplayable Faction Armors” by JDJ3 and NordwarUA.
-    “New Legion” by NordwarUA.
-    “Realistic Armor” by NordwarUA.
-    “Comprehensive Sleeves Pack” by DanielUA.
-    “B-D-Y-E-B Shield Mod” by TheMalfazar.
-    “Weapons of the Third Era” by 747823.
-    “Amsvartner Warhammer” by billyro.
-    “Ancient Orcish Warhammer” by RonnieMagnum.
-    “Elven Blades” by vpulse08.
-    “Zahkrii Do Dovahkinn” by ghosu.
-    “Unique Uniques” by InsanitySorrow.
-    "Heavy Armory" by PrivateEye.
-    “aMidianborn Book of Silence” by Cabal120.
-    “Cannibal Draugr on Solstheim” by OpusGlass.