# 14 Years Later, ‘Skyrim’ Fans Can’t Believe Bethesda’s “Diabolical” Default Character Build

- URL: https://talkfuse.com/story/14-years-later-skyrim-fans-cant-believe-bethesdas-diabolical-default-character-build/
- Published: 2026-09-01T18:54:28+00:00
- Updated: 2026-09-02T03:33:36+00:00
- Original publisher: Polygon
- Original article: https://www.polygon.com/skyrim-elder-scrolls-demo-todd-howard-default-build-meme/
- Topics: Entertainment, Gaming

## Key points

- Old Skyrim E3 2011 demo resurfaces, fans spot hidden overpowered build
- Todd Howard's "basic" character secretly had a maxed Destruction skill
- Reaction has been amusement, not anger, over the deceptive demo setup

## Summary

A resurfaced clip from Bethesda's 2011 E3 demo of "The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim" has fans amused to discover that the character Todd Howard played was far more powerful than his shabby starting gear suggested. The 21-minute demo, best remembered for Howard's "see that mountain?" line, has been re-examined 14 years on, with players noticing that his supposedly ordinary Nord was secretly a near-maxed-out battlemage, a detail some are calling "diabolical."

Around four and a half minutes into the demo, Howard briefly opens his character's skill menu, revealing a near-maxed Destruction skill alongside strong Illusion and Sneak abilities, despite appearing dressed in poor armour with weak melee weapons. He goes on to obliterate a tough dragon priest boss in under 30 seconds, sneak past a mammoth undetected, and kill dragons almost instantly, feats normally reserved for high-level players. Fans on forums have reacted with amusement rather than anger, joking that Howard was disguised as "unnamed bandit #3" and noting that the iron armour prominently shown in marketing is actually some of the weakest gear in the game.

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