Mod author Zorkanne33 released the Delirium mod for The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim, focusing on overhauling the original ragdoll and hit reaction systems. The mod uses the Delirium open physics engine to handle humanoid character body behavior, replacing preset stagger animations with procedural reactions, drawing inspiration from the Euphoria technology used in Grand Theft Auto IV.
When NPCs are hit by melee weapons, arrows, or spells, they will lose balance, stagger, clutch their wounds, or try to steady themselves based on the hit location and impact direction. Different Destruction school elements also have unique reactions: fire causes enemies to struggle on the ground, electricity triggers convulsions, and frost makes their movements stiff.
Shouts like "Unrelenting Force" can launch enemies into the air, with flight behavior varying based on the number of words uttered. Downed characters still react physically to ongoing damage and can get up on their own. The author also disables cinematic finishers, allowing fatal attacks to be dynamically calculated by the system.
To bypass engine limitations, the mod temporarily locks character health at 1 point until the fall physics process ends before determining death. Early versions sparked balance controversies as frequent staggers left enemies almost unable to fight back. Version 1.4.0 later added a settings menu based on SKSE Menu Framework, difficulty presets, and physics intensity adjustments, while version 1.4.4 introduced stagger feedback for running collisions.
The Delirium mod supports The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim Special Edition and Anniversary Edition, requiring XPMSSE skeletons and a processor that supports AVX2 instructions.