If there’s one thing Bethesda succeeded in withThe Elder Scrolls 5: Skyrim, it’s giving the player proper choice in how to play the game. There simply aren’t that many rules or limitations, especially when mods or console commands come into play. This is what has keptSkyrimso fresh all these years.
RELATED:Skyrim: Steam Workshop Mods To Keep You Playing
However, this isn’t just about character builds. It’s about custom rules and limitations that are so crazy and impossible that it’s a miracle some players have even managed to make them work. And yet, there’s proof that they do work, as seen in these insane challenge runs.
Updated on July 12, 2025, by Ritwik Mitra:The Elder Scrolls 5: Skyrim is one of the greatest RPGs of all time, there’s no doubt about that. There’s a reason why so many people are still playing this title even now, with re-releases and the like extending this title’s longevity for quite some time. Players who want a different experience with this familiar title can try out some of the ludicrous and entertaining challenges to keep them busy, with the best of the bunch being mentioned below.
15Purchased Items Only - BADCompanySarge
Sometimes, it’s the simplest challenges inSkyrimthat end up being quite memorable. Such is the case withthe Purchased Items Only challenge, which states what players need to do from the get-go.
Aside from starting gear, the only equipment, items, and other things that players can use need to be purchased. Players need to loot and sell many items to gather the gold they need to keep their equipment on par with their enemies.
14Flames Spell Only - Nerbit
The Flames spell isone of the most basic spells in the Destruction treethat players can use in the game. Suffice it to say, most players would move on from this spell the very moment they find different avenues to explore.
However,this challengeforces players to only use this single spell for the entirety of their playthrough. It’s a bold challenge that ends up being a unique — if slightly boring — way to power through the game.
13Conjured Equipment Only - Mah Dry Bread
Conjuration is a spell tree that more players need to check out, simply because of how fun this school of magic is. Conjuration allows players to summon monsters and gain magical equipment for a brief period, which is a pretty unique power on its own.
In fact, some people love Conjuration so much that they used it for a pretty bold and fun challenge!Using only Conjured Equipmentcan be a struggle early on but becomes easier and more enjoyable when players get a ton of perks for this particular spell tree.
12Level 1 Run - The Spiffing Brit
Sometimes, it’s the simplest challenge runs that end up being the best ones. Such is the case withthe Level 1 Run challengethat has become a staple of most RPGs that don’t feature any kind of forced leveling.
RELATED:Skyrim: Amazing Weapon Mods That Are Lore Friendly
Players need to be wary about leveling up any of their skills and must power through the game without being remarkable in any way. This is easier said than done, and it’s the constant need to not do anything to level up a skill that makes a Level 1 Run so enjoyable in its own twisted way!
11Crafted Items Only - BADCompanySarge
Crafted Items Onlyis a great run that forces players to interact with one of the most underutilized systems in the game. Given the wealth of things that players can accomplish inSkyrim, it’s easy to see why crafting might take a back seat for many players.
So, players who just don’t end up interacting with this system all that much no matter how many times they playSkyrimwill have a ton of things to enjoy about this challenge. The fact thatcrafted items scale with the playermeans that players won’t be overpowered by enemies regardless of how far they go into this run.
10Pure Combat Run - MajorSlackAttack
Starting off fairly tame yet surprisingly difficult when it gets down to the nitty-gritty, there’sMajorSlackAttack’s Pure Combat run. This is a great challenge for those who have experience with the game itself but are new to the whole challenge run scene and might be intimidated by the more hardcore runs.
This run includes no crafting or buying of any sort, meaning all items must be found in the wild or loot to be used. Additionally, the player adds two finishing conditions: the armor cap needs to be reached, and he has to have level 80 one-handed. This is definitely no easy task, especially as the game is on Legendary difficulty.
9Illusion Magic Only - G00SE_IT
In general, magic-only builds tend to be quite challenging, since magic is so underpowered in the game. But that’s what makes the schools of magic such great challenges for players to try out in a pure mage build, especially the schools that tend to see little to no use, like Illusion.
G00SE_IT actually has a pretty ingenious way of tackling this challenge in his own run. The first thing he does is create a High Elf, which gives him access to a starting Illusion spell called Fury. He then uses that to pit enemies against each other, or lure enemies to traps and the like.
8Stolen Items Only - DangerBen
Some challenges focus more on what kinds of items the player can use, rather than specific skills. This is another fantastic way to limit gameplay to only a few select items or make the player work twice as hard to actually find usable stuff.
RELATED:Skyrim: Things About The Thieves Guild That Make Absolutely No Sense
The stolen items only challenge is just as the title implies: only objects that have been stolen can be used by the player. With legendary difficulty on as well, this really is a tough one to crack, butDangerBendoes it beautifully in his completed challenge run. For anyone wanting to make a true thief build, this is a wonderful challenge.
7Tools Only - G00SE_IT
There are a bunch of side activities inSkyrimthat can earn the player a bit of money, as well as just increase the immersion with the game’s world. From mining to chopping wood, these are just a few of the cool little things that the Dragonborn can focus on in between dungeon quests.
G00SE_IT, inspired by these features, decided to try his luck at a tool-only challenge run, which basically narrows down available weapons to tools like the Woodcutter’s Axe and Pickaxe. Although these items are easy to come by, they’re not exactly high on damage, which makes this run devastatingly hard on Legendary.
6Fists Only - Senza
Melee is just one of the many aspects of the game that nobody ever uses. Ever. And for good reason: it does so little damage that there’s really no point in it. EvenKhajiit and their race power, a damage boost to their unarmed hits, deal such minimal damage that it just doesn’t make sense to build a character around melee and fists only.
However, Senza decided to make the impossible possible. His challenge run is not only fun and comedic to watch, but it’s also quite intelligently executed. The only rule is not to have any special gauntlets equipped for damage boost. And yes, it does take a long time to kill enemies in this run, meaning most of the fights will actually just push the player to run away.
