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

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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.

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