11 years later, Skyrim player learns you can zoom out

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Not all features are obvious

A dragon blasts a man with a shield in Skyrim
(Image credit: Bethesda)

It took a Skyrim veteran 11 years to figure out there's a third-person zoom feature right there in Bethesda's modern classic.

Earlier this week, the post just below popped up on the subreddit dedicated to all things Skyrim. The post's author revealed they'd first played Skyrim way back when it launched in 2011, but have only just now figured out, in the year of our lord 2023, that you can zoom out when playing Bethesda's game in the third-person mode.

How does one pull this off, you ask? On PC, it's a simple case of using the mouse wheel, but on controller it's still relatively simply, albeit admittedly easy to miss. If you hold down the right analog stick on your controller, you can then use the left analog stick to change the zoom distance on your character while playing Skyrim in third-person, giving you a new perspective on your immediate surroundings.

This is actually a really good method for pinpointing hidden bodies to loot when they're in tall grass, one commenter points out in response to the subreddit post. Simply zoom out from your character from a birds-eye view, and you'll be able to see the ground surrounding your character far easier.

"Never too old to be a dumbass," writes one less-than-sympathetic user in response to the discovery. "I recently found Aarvak for the first time and was ridiculed by my friends for missing out for all these years," they continue. Another commenter admitted to only just realizing that the Proudspire Manor area has a patio.

In fact, this is also a feature of Fallout 76, Bethesda's slightly more recent game. You can zoom out on your character in the MMO using the exact same button combination, and it again offers all the benefits pointed out here with Skyrim. 

Hey, you're never too old to admit you completely missed an obvious feature in a game. If it makes you feel any better about having something go over your head after years of playing, one Final Fantasy 14 veteran discovered an 11-year-old feature after 6,500 hours, stunning the game's community. 

Check out our new games 2023 guide if you're looking for something fresh to delve into in the coming weeks and months. 

Hirun Cryer
Hirun Cryer

Hirun Cryer is a freelance reporter and writer with Gamesradar+ based out of U.K. After earning a degree in American History specializing in journalism, cinema, literature, and history, he stepped into the games writing world, with a focus on shooters, indie games, and RPGs, and has since been the recipient of the MCV 30 Under 30 award for 2021. In his spare time he freelances with other outlets around the industry, practices Japanese, and enjoys contemporary manga and anime.