Elder Scrolls Skyrim Best Console Commands

Elder Scrolls Skyrim Best Console Commands And How to Use Them

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As someone who plays and writes about video games for a living, I will admit to something here that might get me exiled from the overall community – I prefer to game on a console.

I know it is a horrible confession to make. However, this is a more recent development based on the fact that I cannot be bothered to keep on top of the constant software and driver updates that come along with having a decently specced gaming computer.

Recently, with mod support on consoles for games such as Fallout and Skyrim, the urge to jump back on PC has lessened. However, console commands are still missing from the console gaming experience, which most likely won’t make it to consoles soon.

When I was younger and had free time, I was into PC gaming, entirely investing myself into modding and messing around with Skyrim to milk as much game time out of the title as possible.

After all, back in 2014, I thought a new TES title was soon on the way, and I never saw myself continuing to play and mod Skyrim in 2022. However, God Todd had other ideas and decided to dedicate precious time and resources to Fallout 76.

So, with TES 6 still looking a long way off and new versions of Skyrim still hitting the shelves in 2021, why don’t we take a look at some of the best console commands you can utilize during your Skyrim playthroughs to both to add a little bit of extra fun into the mix and make your life easier when Skyrim, as all Bethesda games do, inevitably bugs out and leaves you half immersed in a wall somewhere north of nowhere. Let’s go!

skyrim console command

What Are Console Commands

While most of you here are already familiar with console commands and what they are, it is always good to include some background for those new to them or PC gaming in general.

Simply put, console commands allow the player to enter cheats or developer-made hacks into the game for various purposes. These console commands are only intended to be used by people who genuinely know what they are doing. Therefore, there is very little in the way of safety rails when playing about with them.

In Skyrim, for example, if you enter the correct console command, the game will execute this command without regard to how it will affect the overall game. Therefore, if you are not careful, these console commands can well and truly ruin your game. So, please be careful.

Console commands have been a big part of Bethesda games for a while now. Therefore, if you have played Oblivion or Fallout before and used console commands, many of the same commands are shared. However, Skyrim does change a couple of things for reasons unbeknownst to me; therefore, if your favorite Oblivion console command does not work, look down this list to find the Skyrim version.

How to Use Console Commands

To enter your console command, you must hit the tilde key: ~. If you struggle to find this key, it is usually located above the Tab key.

Once you have hit this tilde key, you will then need to enter your console command in the correct format. However, these commands are not case-sensitive. If you want to leave this console command window, hit the Esc key.

how to use console commands in skyrim
Image source: Elder Scrolls Fandom Wiki

Useful, Everyday Console Commands

1. God Mode: tgm

One of the best things to do on any PC game is walk around like an actual God, not having to worry about anything the game throws at you or any mortal worries, for that matter. With God mode enabled, the player will take no damage and have infinite stamina and Magika. Also, usable items such as arrows will never run out.

This console command is a toggle switch. Therefore, it will stay on until you enter the command again to turn it off.

skyrim god mode

2. Immortal Mode: tim

If you like the idea of God mode but still want to experience things like resources, stamina, and Magika management, this command is for you. You will have infinite health, never being able to die, but every other metric in the game will behave as expected.

Once again, this command is a toggle switch.

skyrim immortal mode

3. Teleport to Location: coc (location name)

While this console command may seem very helpful, it can be slightly annoying to get right in Skyrim when compared to Fallout or Oblivion console commands, requiring the player to get the exact location name perfectly. However, if you play around with this for a while, you will get the hang of it, allowing you to teleport to very specific locations, not just settlements.

If you were wondering, COC stands for Center Of Cell.

skyrim teleport to location

4. Reveal All Map Locations: tmm 1

One of the most annoying things for players who are simply looking to have a nice little replay of their favorite Skyrim quests is having to discover all of the map locations before fast travel lets you skip all the walking. After all, this isn’t supposed to be a silly walking simulator like that terrible indie game Journey.

If you wish to hide all of these locations again, type tmm 0.

5. Unlock Anything: unlock

To use this console command, click on the locked door or chest and ensure the item’s name appears at the top of your screen; this will tell the console which element you are trying to affect. When this is done, type ‘unlock,’ and you will be good to go.

skyrim unlock anything

6. Resurrect: resurrect

Once again, to use this CC effectively, make sure you click on the body you wish to resurrect before entering the command. This will tell Skyrim which particular entity to resurrect.

This CC is one of the things I miss most about gaming on a PC. I cannot tell you how many times I have accidentally swung my sword and killed my companion, never being able to bring them back without saving scumming.

skyrim resurrect

7. Move the Player to the Next Quest Target: movetoqt

One of the most annoying things in any game like Skyrim is finding the next quest location when you are stuck in a maze of a building. This CC will automatically teleport the player to the next stage. This CC should work on whatever quest you currently have selected. If not, type in your quest ID after the movetoqt command.

However, make sure to use this console command sparingly, as it can sometimes mess up the game.

8. Quit the Game and Return to Windows: qqq

This one is an absolute favorite of mine. After you type ‘qqq’ and hit enter, you won’t be asked, ‘are you sure’ or anything else; the game will simply close, allowing you to save some precious time.

9. No-Clip or No-Collision Mode: tcl

If you are struggling to get to your next quest location, I would advise using this CC over #7, as this one is far less likely to cause bugs.

Otherwise, use this CC when you want to take a trip through the preset boundaries of the game or if you manage to get stuck in a wall while exploring, as is bound to happen numerous times throughout a Skyrim playthrough.

skyrim no-clip or no-collision mode

10. Free Camera: tfc

This CC is perfect for Skyrim content creators or people who want to take an excellent picture in the game. This CC allows the player to move the game camera and perspective without moving the player’s character.

11. Control the Weather: sw (Weather ID)

If you play as a vampire in Skyrim and do not yet have Auriel’s Bow, this CC could save you a lot of time waiting around. However, it will also work for those players who like a specific weather type when out exploring.

skyrim control the weather

12. Kill All NPC in the Loaded Area: killall

If you have been annoyed by one too many bystanders or cannot find that last enemy preventing you from fast traveling, this CC will come in handy.

Character Modification Commands

1. Change Player Carry Weight: modav carryweight (#)

To use this console command, type the command as shown, then enter the specific carry weight amount you desire. This will set the carry weight value for your character going forward.

This CC can change your carry weight value at any time; however, if you want to reset your carry weight back to default, you will have to use this CC and the correct value; there is no reset command.

2. Gain Dragon Shout Ability: Addshout (Shout ID)

Each dragon shout in Skyrim has its unique ID and a set ID for each of the three phases of completion. Therefore, you can add a dragon shout to your skill list with only two words of power earned or all three if you want. Why you would do this, I do not know.

3. Add a Specific Perk: player.addperk (Perk ID)

As you might be able to guess, this CC adds a specific perk to your skill list. For example, if the player wanted the Master illusion perk, they would type – player.addperk 000C44C6.

skyrim addperk

4. Increase Player Skill Amount: advskill (skill name) (#)

This CC will be hard to get right the first time you do it, as it has many elements. First, type the base command, then add the skill name you wish to advance and the amount you want to advance it beyond. Play around with this to get the desired effect. An example of this looks like – advskill alchemy 87.

This CC is far superior to the set skill command as this places the player’s skill at the desired level without granting any of the bonuses. However, this CC will give you the skill points as if gained naturally, causing level progression.

5. Change Your Character’s Race after Character Creation: setplayerrace (Race ID)

This console command is handy for those of us who tend to change our minds regarding the character build we want in the first hour of a playthrough. This command allows the player to change from any race to another in Skyrim. Therefore, if you decide that you identify more as a cat than an orc, you can do this.

6. Unlock All Shouts and Spells: psb

One of the places that Skyrim falls down on is the magic system. I have played this game so many times, and I am yet to find the interest to play as a Mage. Therefore, to get all of the best spells in the game without going to all that unnecessary effort, enter this command, and you will also get all dragon shouts.

However, remember that this CC also adds shouts and spells that did not make it to the finished game. Therefore, some of them are without names or categorized under codes. For me, this made my shout-and-spell inventory look messy.

skyrim psb

7. Set Your Movement Speed: player.setav speedmult (#)

If walking or running in Skyrim is too intolerable for you, this is your CC. the number you enter at the end of this CC is a percentage value.

8. Change Your Field of View: fov (#)

As someone who can feel quite sick while playing some games, depending on their FOV, this CC is essential. Insert your preferred FOV value at the end of the CC.

Item-Specific Console Commands

1. Add any Item in the Game: additem (Item ID) (#)

To add an item to your inventory, type in this ‘additem’ command, followed by the code of the item you desire and then the amount of said item you require.

For example, if you want to add two Blade of Woe daggers to your inventory, type – additem 0009CCDC 2.

2. Drop any Item on the Ground: player.drop (Item ID) (#)

This CC works the same way as adding an item to your inventory. However, it places said item at the player’s feet. This can be good for heavy items. However, please ensure you do not spawn in too many large items like plates of armor; this can overload your computer’s RAM and graphics guard, resulting in a crash.

3. Add Lockpicks to Your Inventory: player.additem a (#)

This CC will add as many lockpicks as required to your inventory. For me, this one CC removes so much hassle from the game, allowing you to focus on gameplay much more.

4. Add Gold to Your Inventory: player.additem f (#)

The CC to end all CCs. This is probably the first ever CC code I ever looked up for Skyrim or Oblivion. Effectively giving the player infinite money is one of the best commands in the game, giving you access to every purchasable item at once.

skyrim add gold

5. Add Key Weapons to Your Inventory

  • Daedric Sword: player.additem 000139B9 1
  • Mehrunes’ Razor: player.additem 000240D2 1
  • Auriel’s Bow: player.additem 00000800 1
  • Nightingale Bow: player.additem 000F652C

6. Add Key Armor to Your Inventory

  • Daedric Armor: player.additem 0001396D 1
  • Ancient Shrouded Armor: player.additem 000E1F15 1
  • Nightingale Armor: player.additem 000FCC0F 1

7. Add Key Artifacts to Your Inventory

  • Skeleton Key: player.additem 0003a070 1
  • Oghma Infinium: player.additem 0001A332 1
  • Azura’s Star: player.additem 00063B27 1

Commands That May Break Your Game

While a lot of these commands can be used properly with minimal risk of damaging your playthrough, I have found through many hours of gameplay and messing around that this next group of CCs does tend to break your game from time to time, resulting in crashes or complete destruction of your playthrough.

It is also important to note that many of the CCs in this list can break your game should they be entered at the wrong time. However, this is all just trial and error.

1. Testing Hall Access: coc qasmoke

When the developers are finishing up with a game, they tend to leave a test cell behind, just in case they need to go back and see how certain elements or items play together at a later date. Of course, with every release, players manage to find these areas.

Complete with chests full of armor, unique weapons, and some bizarre rooms, these areas are always worth exploring once or twice. However, as these are developer testing suites, some things tend to go wrong, resulting in numerous crashes.

2. Begin Every Quest in the Game: saq

Any CC which deals with every quest in the game is one I recommend you avoid. While this CC may start all quests, it will still well and truly ruin your playthrough, resulting in quests and events being activated long before they were supposed to, messing up the flow and the scripted events in the game.

Essentially, if this CC does not break your game, you will wish it did.

3. Complete All Quests: caqs

This CC takes the cake when it comes to breaking Skyrim. For testing reasons, I tried it out once and lost an entire playthrough to its results. I cannot describe how many subsequent CCs had to be entered to reign this playthrough back in, making it playable again after I entered the caqs command.

So, I strongly recommend that you don’t try this CC unless you wish to see how many times you can crash, boot, and then crash Skyrim again in one hour.

4. Make any NPC Mortal/Immortal: setessential (Base ID) (#)

Skyrim and most Bethesda-made games require certain characters to be alive for their quests to take place, preferring to set these characters as essential and, therefore, unkillable to ensure this happens. Therefore, if you start turning these essential characters into killable NPCs, you risk breaking entire quests and, therefore, the whole game.

However, this CC is useful for followers who you may accidentally kill with a swing of your sword, so if you want to make a character mortal, type 0; for immortal, type 1.

5. Change the Gender of NPCs: sexchange

After selecting the NPC in question and entering this command, the game will not break to the same scale as with the previously listed CCs. However, suppose you change the gender of many characters in this game. In that case, you will throw off the voice acting and the scripted lines of dialogue that goes with it, resulting in these characters misgendering themselves or others.

While this is not a big deal in a video game, it will greatly break your immersion.

Elder Scrolls Skyrim Best Console Commands: FAQs

Question: How do console commands work in Skyrim?

Answer: To start using console commands in Skyrim, hit the tilde key to open the menu. This key is often placed above the tab key on most keyboards.

Question: Can console commands break my game or PC?

Answer: While a console command will not break your entire game or your PC, it can ruin a specific save or playthrough if you are not careful with your saves.

Question: Will consoles ever get console commands?

Answer: Console commands as we know them today on PC will never make it to consoles. This is because it would be too much effort to type the required commands using a controller instead of a keyboard. However, games such as Minecraft Console Edition have shown that you can simplify the console command feature into something that could work with controllers.
So, there you have it, a comprehensive guide to the best console commands you can currently play around with in TES 5: Skyrim. These commands add so much to the base game and have become an important aspect to PC gamers over the years. They certainly added numerous hours of enjoyment to games I would have moved away from long before.
I really hope you enjoyed this guide and found the console command you were searching for as well as how to use it. Regardless, I look forward to seeing you again soon and wish you the best of luck in your adventures throughout Skyrim.

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