Skyrim Bug Causes Player's Speech Skill to Turn Negative

In an unusual Skyrim glitch, a player has found their Speech skill reduced to a negative value, preventing them from passing even the simplest conversation checks. While Bethesda's sandbox games are known for quirky glitches, Skyrim remains charming because genuinely game-breaking bugs are relatively rare. Since its launch, Skyrim has become more polished and stable, benefiting from years of official updates and unofficial patches.

However, some exploits still exist in Skyrim. One popular exploit lets players permanently apply powerful enchantments to their gear by temporarily boosting their Enchanting skill through Alchemy and then enhancing their Alchemy with Enchanting. Because Skyrim's stats are designed to handle only small values, it's easy to cause an integer overflow, which can make a stat unexpectedly turn negative.

This is what happened to the character of a player named NoAdministration1070, whose Speech skill dropped to an astonishing -999,975. In Skyrim, Speech is primarily used for conversation checks and negotiating better prices with merchants. While a low Speech skill won't stop the Dragonborn from completing quests, it can lead to some amusing scenarios.

Skyrim Player's Negative Speech Skill Hinders Progress

With such a low Speech skill, NoAdministration1070 cannot progress in the Dawnguard storyline. Completing the "Prophet" quest requires either passing a Persuade check or bribing Kibell to disclose the Moth Priest's location. Failing the Persuade check, the player must rely on bribing, but their negative Speech skill means Kibell demands an astronomical 20 million gold.

Although this problem can be resolved using Skyrim's console commands or by reverting to a previous save, some players might find the challenge of continuing with such a cursed playthrough intriguing. With The Elder Scrolls 6 in active development, it remains uncertain whether the Speech system will evolve in the sequel, possibly taking cues from Starfield. Compared to its predecessors, Skyrim was often criticized for simplifying its RPG mechanics in favor of a streamlined experience. While this approach has proven successful, as evidenced by Skyrim's lasting popularity, recent successes like Baldur's Gate 3 might prompt Bethesda to reconsider its design philosophy for The Elder Scrolls 6.