Sometimes, when fighting an enemy, your character will do a special move, with a third person view animation, instantly killing the enemy. But these types of moves seem to be random, sometimes being used on enemies with nearly full health, other times not having a finishing move at all during a whole fight.
What are the parameters determining when a finishing move is used?
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14 Answers
If you are within about 1-4 blows of killing an opponent, a 'finishing move' animation may appear, depicting one or several fatal strikes from either a first-person view or third-person 'KillCam'. If the Savage Strike (One-handed) or Devastating Blow (Two-handed) perks are unlocked, there's a chance that this will be a decapitation. Note that under the right circumstances, NPCs and Dragons will also be able to perform finishing moves, both against each other and against you.
Source: UESP wiki, 'Skyrim: Combat' article
Finishing / Kill moves are not completely random. Finishing moves are affected by the in-game variables, 'KillMoveRandom' (default: 50%), and 'DecapitationChance' (default: 40%) and various factors, some of which are:
Finishing / Kill moves are not completely random. Finishing moves are affected by the in-game variables, 'KillMoveRandom' (default: 50%), and 'DecapitationChance' (default: 40%) and various factors, some of which are:
- Kill Cameras will only be performed if killing the enemy will take the player out of the combat mode. Due to this, killing the last active/aggressive enemy will often trigger a finishing move / kill cam. But this does not mean that only killing the last active/aggressive enemy will trigger a kill cam, e.g. killing an enemy while sneaking and remaining undetected will allow a Kill Camera, even if there are more enemies present.
- The opponent being killed. Some enemies in the game seem to have no finishing moves associated with them.
- Your position relative to the enemy. For example, there is a one-handed sword stab-through-the-middle execution that will only play if you're standing behind a humanoid opponent. There are also finishing moves which require your enemy to have surrendered and fallen down to their hands and knees.
- It should be noted that your steath state has an affect as well. Eg, you can cut throats with a dagger.
- The terrain: finishing moves appear to depend on relative elevation. While it's possible to enter into a finishing move animation on uneven terrain, it's far more likely to happen if both you and the enemy are standing on a flat, level surface.
- Other nearby obstacles: If the enemy NPC is too close to an object like a table, it may interrupt the animation and leaving you standing there until enough time has passed and the game gives you back control of your character.
- Chance: Some animations seem to play more often than others.
- Slow Time: Finishing moves will not trigger while under the effects of the dragon shout Slow Time.
Source: UESP wiki, 'Skyrim: Combat' talk page (edited to take into account the comments in reply to the original post) | TES wiki, 'Kill Camera' article (edited to explain further)
You can modify the finishing move-related variables using the console commands,
galacticninjagalacticninjaYou can modify the finishing move-related variables using the console commands,
set killmoverandom to <0-100>
and set decapitationchance to <0-100>
. Or, use mods like SkyTweak (configuration page screenshot), The Dance of Death - A Killmove Mod (configuration page screenshot) or Killmove Control which have UIs to help configure those settings. 'The Dance of Death' mod can even remove the 'last active enemy' restriction.31.4k6868 gold badges228228 silver badges426426 bronze badges
The official strategy guide confirms that they are random, and that they do no extra damage: they're pure aesthetics. It suggests that you can increase your chances by executing a power attack on the last enemy in a group.
user3389
Well, based on my experience (255 Hours of Gameplay) Skyrim those above, seem to be true for me, with every character.
Stealth Assassination Finishing Moves
- Happens most of the time when the
target is a human and is standing up
. Any direction will work here, from sides, behind or even in the belly. - Will only happen if you have enough damage to
one hit kill the target
on your sneak atack. If you damage is not able to one shot the enemy, no animation will be shown, just a normal bonus sneak atack.As it is aFinishing move
, the enemy won't stay alive after the hit.
Close Ranged Finishing Moves ( Both One handed and Two Handed Weapons )
- Holding the sprint button and running towards a enemy from a close range (Not running the entire map, it has to be close) and power atacking happens to proc the animation more offen. Even without perks in those trees.
- Again, the damage must be high enough to kill the enemy. As it is a
Finishing move
, the enemy won't stay alive after the hit.
More Skills or Critical Strike Chance Mean More Finishing Moves:
Since the damage must be high enough to kill the target for the finishing move to happen, if you have a higher one handed skill level for instance, your damage output will be higher, allowing you to execute enemies more frequently.
Same applies for critical, since critical helps the damage output, with a higher damage, you will be able to kill enemies that you wouldn't be able to without a critical strike.
Needs Testing Here:
I am not sure if the enchantings and potions bonuses apply after or before the sneak atack multiplier. But if the damage calculated for the multiplier involves the extra damage from enchantings and potions, it would also help you to get more animations.
If Nothing Works..You can try these:
- Have an Ice Day: B, F, D, F, BK (Sweep)
- Spinal Smash: D, B, D, F, BP (Sweep)
- Spine Rip: F, D, F, BP (Close) Requires Klassic Unlock Stage Fatality: F, D, F, F, BP (Varies)
OH wait, those are Sub-zero Fatalities. My Bad !
Marcello Grechi LinsMarcello Grechi Lins3,1261212 gold badges4747 silver badges6666 bronze badges
After a lot of testing, I can say that I always do a finisher against the last agressive enemy on the radar. As long as there's more than one red dot, there will be no finisher. By reducing the number of red dots to 1 only through calm and similar spells, you could theoretically do a finisher against every enemy. When resurrecting a dead enemy and then turning it agressive after 4 hits, I always kill them with a finisher. There's no finisher if the resurrected enemy is killed before becoming agressive.
DavidDavid
I've noticed that when using weapons with Absorb Health enchantments, I get very few finishing move sequences. (swapped out to a vanilla weapon and got way more finishing moves)
I suspect that perhaps if the target dies from the enchantment and not from weapon damage, it won't even have a chance to trigger.
UberhamsterUberhamster
I've noticed that when I sneak behind an enemy and just hit the attack button once, it doesn't seem to do the sneaky finishing move/stealth kill, but I just did it twice in a row to two enemies when I snuck behind them and tapped the attack button twice and I got the aesthetic kill. It may be a double tap as drained stamina doesn't seem to be a factor.
AnonymousAnonymous
Like Pyrodante said, if you want to do a finisher on command (not randomly), all you have to do is move forward with the left analog stick while at the same time pressing the right trigger (xbox360). It works better if it is a flick rather than a power attack.
Derp.Derp.
I figured out if you flick the left stick forward, while at the same time tapping R1 (Ps3) then I almost always do a finishing move. I think there are some stipulations to it though. Like having the health down low enough, and I've noticed if I'm a lot higher level than my opponent I can do a finishing move right from the get go. I read allot online that it was random but I've tried it quite a few times now and it never fails (maybe I'm wrong?). Try and see if it works for you.
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BeredinBeredin
(9 times out of 10) When the last enemy has less than an inch of health left, you need to aim your crosshair at the enemy for 2 seconds.(seriously. Two whole seconds!) Then 'pull your left joystick downward/backward and quickly hold your RT attack button to execute your power move'. This WILL ignitiate the cinematic death blow manually and not randomly. This works even better if you successfully counter block & stagger the dying enemy's last power attack.
One Hit Kill Moves
John the Green13.1k2222 gold badges7777 silver badges143143 bronze badges
lxclxc
Kill moves occur at a set rate, similar to critical hits. As previously mentioned they're pure aesthetics, so you actually have to do enough damage to finish off an enemy to trigger one. This is why power attacks tend to yield kill moves more often. I'm not sure about whether you take damage during them, but I assume it's at least weakened. Also, I have PC version and am fairly certain they can occur mid-battle, but probably at a smaller rate. Obviously, ranged weapons have no kill moves (they should, in my opinion) and I've heard that sometimes being really close to your target or killing a particularly weak mob works better, as the chance may increase the more damage past 0HP is dealt.
That's pretty much all the info I've scraped up. Most of it should be reliable.
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StrikingBeatStrikingBeat
From the Elder Scrolls wikia:
360 To perform a finishing move on command is done by tapping RT and moving the left stick forward at the same time. PS3 Performing a finishing move can happen randomly in a fight but can be done on command by tapping R1 and flicking the left analog stick forward. A finisher factors in how strong the player is against its enemy and how the player's character is positioned. PC To perform finishing move press forward button and Mouse button corresponding to the character's weapon-hand when enemy is at low health.
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AshterothiAshterothi
How I get my finishers is when the enemy is near death i quickly move forward and backward while tapping the attack button.
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SamSam
Not sure if this applies but I was testing different spellsword combinations and found I did A LOT of finishing move kills even from >80% health if I was healing in left hand while spamming attack after they power swing.
I would slash, move back, cast heal (wait for their attack), dodge, spam attack (while still healing) and move forward or to the side towards the enemy. Hotel transylvania 3.
Seemed that out of 8 enemies (Whiterun guards) I did 6 in this way. an impressive stat as they are normally on the tougher side.
Note: you can cast heal while attacking if you don't move or power attack.
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rawraw
The finishing moves simply happen when you have a melee weapon, click to attack someone when no other enemy is nearby, you and your target are on flat ground and you are able to kill them with your next attack.
It is not at random. If you used a finisher move on an enemy that is at full health, thats because that enemy is weak like a regular bandit and you can kill them in one hit without doing a finisher move anyway.
The having no other enemies rule doesnt apply for them for they can deal finisher moves to one another and even you when you have a companion by your side.
Two handed weapons seem to be able to do finisher moves to many enemies such as giants, bears, dwemor centrions, falmers, drougars(undead things), dragons and trolls however weapons such as daggers can only deal finisher moves to humans and spiders.
You can also do finisher moves from behind standing up or sneaking.
Werewolves.. It seems that they can do finisher attacks to enemies even when other enemies are nearby.
Correct me if im wrong.
ZDFZDF
protected by bwarnerApr 14 '12 at 0:35
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Posted by2 years ago
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Lately I've found that when fighting enemies in melee, enemies often perform kill moves on my out of nowhere that prevent me from having any chance to dodge/block hits (and timed blocks are reasonably important in Wildcat so I don't want to put my shield up until an enemy has already begun the attack animation).
Additionally, I often enter into a killmove when trying to hit people with arrows, only to find said arrows missing their target as melee and ranged attacks obliterate my of screen body.
I've seen some mods on Oldrim that claim to fix this, but they appear to require SKSE, so my question is, are there any mods for SE that allow me to disable at least enemy kill moves, if not killmoves as a whole? (Bonus points if can somehow leave dragon killing kill moves in, as those usually are not disruptive and are kind of cool to watch)
8 comments
After having so many years to potter around Tamriel, you may be looking for some Skyrim cheats to spice up your adventuring, or just to visit that area of the map you were never able to get to through legitimate means. Fancy turning yourself into a giant towering over Skyrim? Or learning every spell, perk, and skill with a few simple commands? Well if you're a PC player then you're in luck, as we've got all the Skyrim console codes you could need to become the ultimate Dragonborn and keep you occupied until Elder Scrolls 6 arrives. Sadly for console players, there are no Skyrim cheats available to you, but if you visit these Skyrim hidden chest locations then you can at least stock up on some decent loot to help you on your way.
How to use Skyrim console commands
As with many other PC games, entering Skyrim console commands is simply a case of pressing the tilde (~) key to open up the developer console, then typing in the command code in the correct format. You can enter multiple codes to stack up various different effects, then hit tilde once again to return to the game and reap the ill-gotten rewards you've given yourself. Unless otherwise stated, entering the same code a second time should turn it off again.
This may sound obvious, but it's worth reinforcing that using some of these codes (especially in combination with others) can cause glitches, mess up ongoing storylines, or crash your game entirely, so make sure you create a back up save and keep it separate before you start playing around - otherwise you may find you've permanently broken your progress, and nobody wants to deal with that in a game the size of Skyrim. Also, achievements will be disabled as soon as you start entering these codes, so unfortunately you won't be able to cheat your way to completing any challenges.
Player Skyrim console commands
tgm
God mode: Full invincibility, infinite stamina and magicka
God mode: Full invincibility, infinite stamina and magicka
tim
Immortal mode: Similar to God mode, you can take damage but can't be killed
Immortal mode: Similar to God mode, you can take damage but can't be killed
tcl
No-clip mode: Walk through walls, fly
No-clip mode: Walk through walls, fly
showracemenu
Access the character creator to change appearance (this will reset your level and skill progress)
Access the character creator to change appearance (this will reset your level and skill progress)
player.resethealth
Immediately refills your health
Immediately refills your health
psb
Learn every magic spell
Learn every magic spell
player.advlevel
Increase player level by one, though you won't get a perk point
Increase player level by one, though you won't get a perk point
Kill Moves Everybody Hates Chris
player.setlevel #
Replace # with the level to set your player to
Replace # with the level to set your player to
player.setscale #
Replace # with the height for your character, between 0.1 and 10
Replace # with the height for your character, between 0.1 and 10
advskill SkillID #
Replace SkillID with the skill you're modifying and # with the amount you are modifying it by. A list of SkillIDs is here
Replace SkillID with the skill you're modifying and # with the amount you are modifying it by. A list of SkillIDs is here
addshout ShoutID
Replace ShoutID with the shout you want to add. A list of ShoutIDs is here
Replace ShoutID with the shout you want to add. A list of ShoutIDs is here
player.addperk PerkID
Replace PerkID with the perk you want to add. A list of PerkIDs is here
Replace PerkID with the perk you want to add. A list of PerkIDs is here
player.additem ItemID #
Replace ItemID with the item you want to add to your inventory, and # with the amount of that item to add. A list of ItemIDs is here
Replace ItemID with the item you want to add to your inventory, and # with the amount of that item to add. A list of ItemIDs is here
Skyrim Se Disable Kill Moves
unlock
Point at a door or chest then use this code to unlock it
Point at a door or chest then use this code to unlock it
World Skyrim console commands
tm
Turns off all GUI display
Turns off all GUI display
tmm #
Toggle map markers, replace # with 0 to disable all or 1 to enable all
Toggle map markers, replace # with 0 to disable all or 1 to enable all
tfc
Free camera mode, add 1 to pause the game
Free camera mode, add 1 to pause the game
sucsm #
Replace # to change the speed of the free camera i.e. 0.5 for half speed or 2 for double speed
Replace # to change the speed of the free camera i.e. 0.5 for half speed or 2 for double speed
tfow
Remove fog from the world map
Remove fog from the world map
tg
Turn off grass
Turn off grass
ts
Turn off skybox and fog
Turn off skybox and fog
tt
Turn off trees
Turn off trees
tws
Turn off water (when not underwater)
Turn off water (when not underwater)
set timescale to #
Replace # to set the rate time passes at, 1 is realtime and 20 is default
Replace # to set the rate time passes at, 1 is realtime and 20 is default
sgtm #
Replace # to set the game speed i.e. 0.5 for half speed or 2 for double speed
Replace # to set the game speed i.e. 0.5 for half speed or 2 for double speed
fw WeatherID
Replace WeatherID with the type of weather you want to instantly activate. A list of WeatherIDs is here
Replace WeatherID with the type of weather you want to instantly activate. A list of WeatherIDs is here
sw WeatherID
Replace WeatherID with the type of weather you want to gradually activate
Replace WeatherID with the type of weather you want to gradually activate
Quest Skyrim console commands
caqs
Completes all primary quest stages (may cause crashes)
Completes all primary quest stages (may cause crashes)
saq
Starts all quests (may cause crashes)
Starts all quests (may cause crashes)
sqo
Shows all objectives for ongoing quests
Shows all objectives for ongoing quests
sqt
Shows all targets for ongoing quests
Shows all targets for ongoing quests
showquesttargets
Displays the QuestID for all current quests
Displays the QuestID for all current quests
player.sqs QuestID
Shows all stages for the entered QuestID
Shows all stages for the entered QuestID
movetoqt QuestID
Move to the target of the entered QuestID
Move to the target of the entered QuestID
completequest QuestID
Completes quest with the entered QuestID
Completes quest with the entered QuestID
resetquest QuestID
Resets quest with the entered QuestID
Resets quest with the entered QuestID
NPC Skyrim console commands
tdetect
Turn off AI detection while stealing, doesn't work for pickpocketing
Turn off AI detection while stealing, doesn't work for pickpocketing
tai
Turns off non-combat AI for NPCs
Turns off non-combat AI for NPCs
tcai
Turns off combat AI for NPCs
Turns off combat AI for NPCs
sexchange
Changes gender of targeted NPC (or yourself if not targeting)
Changes gender of targeted NPC (or yourself if not targeting)
tc
Allows you to take control of the targeted NPC
Allows you to take control of the targeted NPC
kill
Kill the targeted NPC
Kill the targeted NPC
killall
Kills all non-essential NPCs in the area
Kills all non-essential NPCs in the area
resurrect
Bring a dead targeted NPC back to life, add 1 to keep their current items intact
Bring a dead targeted NPC back to life, add 1 to keep their current items intact
player.placeatme NPCID
Places the stated NPC next to you. A list of NPCIDs is here
Places the stated NPC next to you. A list of NPCIDs is here
And there you have it, more Skyrim console commands than you can shake a stick at! If you're having trouble with using any of them, or want to investigate even more options, then simply type help in the console command screen and follow the instructions.
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