I thought I was finally free from stealth-focused Skyrim builds, then someone modded in the ability to hide in bushes

It’s me, the player who starts Skyrim over and over with different mod loadouts and yet, nine times out of 10, ends up crouching with a bow shooting draugr in slow motion. Every now and then I push myself into another playstyle—like two-handed melee barbarian or summon-focused wizard—but drift back to my old favorite. I haven’t installed the mod that just kills you if you play Stealth Archer again, but I am absolutely part of the reason that mod exists.

Not that I needed it, but now I have another reason to go back to my old favorite next time I fire up Skyrim. Hide in Bushes is a real “does what it says on the tin” mod that makes you 50% harder to detect when you crouch in a bush, with a lower percentage bonus for smaller shrubs, and makes you 10% harder to detect when you crouch near a tree or stump.

The reason this mod didn’t exist until now is that it needed the Object Impact Framework mod first. Object Impact Framework flags a bunch of Skyrim’s objects that previously had limited interaction so they can be activated in new ways. Want to be able to set fire to strong alcohol? Or extinguish torches? First you need Object Impact Framework.

Now those bushes and trees count as objects Skyrim cares about, they can have effects added to them. Like a boost to your stealthiness. Unfortunately grass doesn’t count as an object—it’s just a texture—which means you can’t hide in it no matter how long it grows. Still, I expect my next khajiit to be squatting on his haunches behind a shrub for most of my next playthrough, and I will love every minute.