Beyond Reach is a DLC-sized New Lands/Quest mod for The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim that takes the player character to a new region known as the Western Reach, which is the easternmost part of the province High Rock (which could be visited in The Elder Scrolls II: Daggerfall), coming with its own world map and a total area of several Skyrim holds. It was written by the Nexus user razorkid
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The first version was released all the way back in December 2013 by the mod author on Nexus mods, and has been updated and expanded on ever since. Initially a rather buggy, unpolished new lands mod, it has grown into one of the largest and most popular DLC-sized mods on the Nexus, often mentioned in tandem with works like Falskaar, Vigilant or even Beyond Skyrim. As the author intends to expand the mod further and continue its story, and the voice acting is not yet completed, further updates are to be expected.
Despite the similarities in their names, Beyond Reach is not part of the Beyond Skyrim project.
Beyond Reach is available for both the Special Edition and Legendary Edition of Skyrim.
Beyond Reach contains examples of:
- Aristocrats Are Evil: With very few exceptions, most of the nobles encountered in the mod are either completely useless or outright despicable. Notable examples include Mortifayne, although he is corrupted by Namira and King Sigmayne, as well as the nobles in Evermore.
- Bittersweet Ending: The best possible ending for the mod is this. You kill Damian and King Sigmayne, who are responsible for many horrible things happening in the kingdom, help a group of children escape the Decadent Court and save the inhabitants of the last town that hasn't been destroyed yet from certain death. However, the entire cities of Evermore and Arnima were completely destroyed, the kingdom plunged into chaos and anarchy, the Witchmen, Orcs, bandits and even soldiers of Wayrest ravage whatever is left of the land. As the author is working on expanding the questline beyond Iris, this will likely get resolved in the future, although we cannot be sure whether it will get much brighter.
- Dark Fantasy: The mod's entire setting.
- Darker and Edgier: MUCH darker than the base game, its expansions and most other mods. Not only does it portray already dark elements of The Elder Scrolls lore, such as the Daedric Princes, along with related entities and cults in a much more horrific manner, but also features much more realistic themes, such as unforgiving nature of feudalism, especially when run by not-so-noble nobles, as well as psychological trauma. Some players have even said that they could not continue playing with their current character due to role-playing reasons, since it's hard to believe that their character did not get PTSD from their experiences.
- Deadpan Snarker: Ulkarin is a very competent follower and very snarky.
- Decadent Court: Exaggerated with the nobles encountered in Evermore towards the end of the main quest, who are child molesters.
- Downer Ending: If you don't pay enough attention during the later quests, it's quite likely to get one of these. Particularly, if you don't reach the Orc shamans and either persuade or kill them in time, they might cast a curse upon the entire land that kills almost everyone who's still alive at this point, except for you.
- Eldritch Abomination: Namira is portrayed as much more Lovecraftian and inconveivable than in the games. The Wayward entities also qualify as this and Humanoid Abomination.
- Eldritch Location: The Scuttling Void, the Oblivion realm of Namira is a dark, barren desert with rivers and lakes of what is most likely blood, floating rocks connected via strangs of flesh and a deep red sky.
- Fantastic Racism: The Western Reach is a disputed territory, and currently faces regular attacks from Redguard corsairs as well as Orcish warriors. While the first example is rather downplayed, the tension between the Bretons and Orcs is a very straight example, and their actions against each other don't exactly make it any better.
- Final Solution: Damian's plan to deal with the Orcs.
- Humanoid Abomination: The Wayward Entities, and therefore Damian.
- The Wayward Brother is first encountered in Grey Belmor, and appears as a large, deformed skeleton covered in blood. It can teleport near the player without a warning and cannot be killed or even harmed, so the player has to either run away from it or sneak. It's later revealed that it's Damian's brother, whom he had sacrificed in a ritual to change his form and get rid of his traumatic memories.
- The Wayward Ego is a manifestation of Damian's ego without the memories prior to the ritual. Usually, Damian is a handsome Breton man, but reverts into a demonic form when greatly distressed or having flashbacks of his past, such as when he recognized a prostitute in Evermore..
- The Wayward Husk is the most eldritch of these, a manifestation of Damian's memories, trauma and regrets separated from his ego. It wants to see its ego dead, so that it can die as well, and gives the player character an insight into its true nature.
- It should be noted that Damian is not who he claims to be. The real Damian was killed by the Wayward Ego that you freed in an earlier quest while returning from Daggerfall, who then took over his body and identity.
- Humans Are the Real Monsters: The main theme of the second arc. After having defeated the Ayleid King and thus spoiling Namira's plan of taking over Nirn via Mantling, you are knighted and aid the King in restoring the kingdom. Over the course of the arc, you will find out that many, if not most, of the problems of the kingdom come from those who rule it, and the only way to end it is to stab its heart by plunging it into chaos.
- I Am a Humanitarian: Mortifayne, as he is a worshipper of Namira. Furthermore, he is the Ayleid King's tool in returning to Tamriel, and therefore, aids Namira in her plan as well.
- Knight in Shining Armor: You get knighted after defeating the Ayleid King at the end of the first act and seen as a great hero. The armor set you receive looks quite impressive as well.
- Medieval European Fantasy: Fittingly for High Rock, the setting is somewhat reminiscent of medieval England.
- Nothing Is Scarier: Despite Namira being the Greater-Scope Villain, we never get to interact with her.
- Reasonable Authority Figure: Unlike most other aristocrats, Merosa seems rather competent and reasonable, just like several military leaders like Drugo. Subverted with Damian.
- Scenery Gorn: Much of the landscape, especially the boglands between the Divide and Arnima, are gloomy, flooded, almost always shrouded in fog and rainy, although this also qualifies as Scenery Porn at the same time for others.
- The Witchmen like to adorn their hideouts with severed body parts on spikes.
- The Scuttling Void, both figuratively and literally.
- Scenery Porn: The landscape itself is beautifully crafted and quite diverse, including snow-covered mountains, misty swamps, waterfalls, lush forests and wide, green plains. The cities, especially Evermore, looks rather majestic as well.
