Skyrim: Here Is How To Change Your Walking Speed

Despite the numerous methods of transportation we have at our disposal in Skyrim, most players still prefer walking or running everywhere. It makes the trip longer, but it allows us to explore every nook and cranny scattered around the world. We have walking, running, sprinting, and even sneaking at our disposal. In some situations, walking is adequate, and in some, for example, when we’re running from something, it’s far easier to simply sprint away. Let’s see how to change our walking speed in Skyrim. 

How to toggle between walking and running in Skyrim? 

Most players move by running in Skyrim by default. The walking speed in the game is a bit too slow for my personal liking, and I barely use it. The only exception is when I’m supposed to follow someone or I need to approach something slowly. In any other instance, I’m going to run or even sprint if I have enough stamina. The controls to shift between various movement speeds in Skyrim can be confusing, so we’re going to bring you a brief overview of what each key associated with movement does. Here’s how to toggle between walking, running, and sprinting in Skyrim.

1. If you want to change your movement from walking to running or vice versa, press Caps Lock. Pressing Caps Lock will cause your character to walk or run permanently. 
2. If you want to walk or run momentarily, you need to hold the Shift key. While the Shift key is pressed, you will either walk or run, depending on your current movement speed. 
3. If you want to sprint, you will need to press the Alt key. While you’re sprinting, your stamina depletes rapidly. Sprinting cannot be your default movement speed unless you’re using console commands. 

Now that we’ve covered default movement speeds, it’s time to see if there’s a way to increase those by using console commands. 

How do you change your movement speed in Skyrim by using console commands? 

To modify your movement speed in Skyrim via console commands, you’re going to have to use player. setav speedmult x. In the previous installments of the game, such as Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion, the player was able to modify movement speed and greatly increase it by simply maxing out speed attributes and athletics skills. 

In Skyrim, you cannot directly affect the movement speed in such a way. Yes, you will move slower if you wear heavy armor and weapons. You will also be significantly slower when you’re over-encumbered or sneaking. But there is no way to drastically increase your movement speed except by using console commands. To do that, follow these steps. 

1. Open the console command by pressing “~.” 
2. Type player. setav speedmult x. Replace the “x” with your desired movement speed. The default number is 100. Choosing a number above 100 will result in you moving faster than the default, and choosing a number below 100 will result in your moving slower. 

You can adjust your speed reasonably to move faster than usual, but keep in mind the higher you go, the possibility of you practically breaking your game is greater. 

How do you increase the movement speed of your horse? 

You can increase the movement speed of a horse much in the same way as you would increase yours. All you need to do is click on a horse and type forceav speedmult x. X is once again replaced by your desired movement speed, with 100 being the default. Like with your own movement speed, increasing the movement speed of a horse too much can result in many glitches. 

Can you modify your movement speed with mods? 

There are plenty of mods that allow you to modify your movement speed, but only a few do so realistically. There are two mods for Skyrim: Special Edition, which will allow you to move at a reasonable speed. 

1. Simply Better Movement Speed (SSE) 

This mod only adjusts your walking and running speeds while leaving sprinting the same. Walking speed is increased while you’re both walking normally and sneaking and likewise, running speed has been decreased. You can download the mod from this link.

2. Immersive Movement Speed 

This mod has immersion in mind, and that’s why it modifies several modes of movement speed. Like with the previous mod, this author decided to decrease the running speeds but increase walking speeds. Several changes have been made to sprinting, sneak walking, sneak running, swimming, and running while your weapons or spells are unsheathed. You can check out the mod by following this link.

Summary 

And that’s pretty much it. As you can see, you’re not stuck with the default Skyrim speeds by any means. All you need to do is use the provided console command or recommended mods. If you don’t want to change your movement speeds drastically and you simply want to toggle between walking and running, in that case, press Caps Lock.

If you want to sprint, you’re going to have to hold the Shift key. Keep in mind that sprinting cannot be your default movement speed as it drains your stamina drastically, and sooner or later, you will revert to walking/running. If you’re moving much slower than usual, keep in mind that you might be encumbered. In that case, running and sprinting will be impossible.

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