Skyrim and modding are nearly synonymous at this point. Something about Bethesda’s massive fantasy RPG appeals to the modding community, most likely its popularity mixed with its easy to rework game code. The most common mods added to any game including Skyrim, are either increased damage or increased health, but this power quickly gets out of hand if granted to anyone but the player character.

Skyrim was a massively popular game, selling over 30 million copies over the years through numerous re-releases, and still having an active player base today. There are thousands of mods made for Skyrim, from in-depth quest lines to single asset changes.

Modded damage spells in Skyrim come in a wide variety; the game is famed for its diverse range of weapons and magic for players to wield in both hands, increasing the deadliness of these spells is a case of increasing the damage output in the games code. The problem arose for Reddit user u/Daruku is when they installed a mod that distributes these modded weapons, spells, and perks to all NPCs to make enemies “much more threatening and exciting to fight.”

Posted on Reddit the short clip has a suitably abrupt ending, showing off what happens when the Skyrim player tries to fight their own super-powered creations, one spell from a Thalmor enemy is all it takes to send the player rag-dolling on the ground. Made worse by the fact that Thalmors are the unbearably smug group of High Elf supremists, so of course they follow up the blindsiding attack instantly with a glib remark, “That’ll teach you to mess with me!”

One of the novelties of Skyrim when it first came out was its introduction of a new weapon system that allowed players to equip two one-handed weapons or spells separately in their right and left hands, linked to the right and left triggers on controller. It’s a very versatile system and with the wide range of weapons and spells in Skyrim it promoted experimentation and customization of the players combat style.

This right and left handed weapon system is why modding weapons in Skyrim is so popular; not only equipping one modded weapon or spell that is extremely powerful, modders get to pair up these abilities in unusual combinations. But as this player learned the hard way, its best not to share these powers with enemies.

The Elder Scrolls 5: Skyrim - Anniversary Edition is out now for PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X.