Thugs Not Assassins
⚪ Last updated 2020⚠️ Install Order · 5 steps
Install in this order, then this mod last — most mods fail to load without their framework and dependencies in place.
🖼️ Gallery (4 images)
🔍 Analysis
- 👍 0.1% endorsement rate
- 🏆 #26 of 91 Quests and Adventures mods in this game by downloads
📋 About This Mod
Overview
If you've ever thieved much in Skyrim, chances are you're familiar with the thugs who occasionally get hired to track you down and kill you. This isn't exactly very fun, nor does it even make much sense that regular mercenaries are conducting assassinations. The way this event works, you are forced to either kill the thugs, or run away far enough that they disappear. Doing either of these things can be difficult, but you just can't continue playing your game until you do.
Well, what if the thugs didn't outright kill you? What if there were more options to play around it as a character with a stealth-focused build? That's where this mod comes in. Now you have more opportunities to use your persuasion, sneak, or illusion skills to get out of these hairy situations. You will also have an incentive to stash away your stolen items so that you don't get caught and have them taken from you.
In a nutshell
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[]You can now have a conversation with the thug leader before fighting.
[
]The conversation includes options to fight, surrender, bribe, or persuade the thugs. Or you can just run away.[]If you still get into a fight with the thugs, they do not kill you. However, they will take some of your stolen items and gold instead.
[]If you escape the fight by hiding from them or calming them, they will leave you alone.
[]If you hid or disposed of the stolen items beforehand, it is much easier to persuade them that you didn't do it.
[]After the event unfolds, the original victim will have a worse opinion of you, unless you bribe or persuade the thugs, or get beaten up but they don't find anything.
You can install this mod while the quest is already running, but the thugs won't be able to tell if you have any of the stolen items on you.
Thugs Not Assassins is a small quest mod for Skyrim that changes hired thugs so they no longer kill the player, reserving lethal intent for the Dark Brotherhood. With 3,820 endorsements and 2.9 million downloads, it's a popular tweak for players who find random thug attacks too punishing.
✨ Key Features
📊 Pros & Cons
✅ Pros
- Huge community trust (3,820 endorsements, 2.9M downloads) — this is a proven fix
- Solves a common annoyance without overhauling combat or AI
- Simple concept, clean execution — no bloat, just the tweak you wanted
⚠️ Cons
- Last updated in 2020 — may need compatibility checks with newer Skyrim versions or mods
- Only affects hired thugs, so other random encounters remain unchanged
- No detailed documentation provided, so you're on your own for load order placement
For Skyrim players who hate getting one-shot by random thugs and want a more lore-friendly difficulty curve. Also great for roleplayers who want to survive long enough to actually face the Dark Brotherhood. Skip if you want more combat challenge or overhauled encounters — this only tweaks one specific event.
💡 Beginner Tips
- Place this mod early in your load order to avoid conflicts with other quest or encounter mods.
- If you use a mod manager, enable it after installing to ensure the script changes take effect.
- Test by getting a bounty and waiting for thugs — if they still kill you, check for mod conflicts.
📊 Mod Details
- Game
- Skyrim Mods
- Author
- Parapets
- Version
- 1.1.1
- Downloads
- 2,944,885
- Endorsements
- 3,820
- Category
- Quests and Adventures
- Created
- 3/27/2020
- Updated
- 4/25/2020
🔧 How to Install Skyrim Mods
Download from Nexus.
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Visit the official mod page for specific installation instructions for this mod.
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