One world, one clock
Everyone in Alduin shares the same sky. The sun rises, sets and rises again for all players at the same moment, and the world keeps turning while you are away. A full day, from midnight to midnight, lasts about two hours of real time.
| Dawn | The sky lightens and the first windows go dark |
| Sunrise and morning | Warm golden light |
| Midday | Bright, clear daylight |
| Sunset | Orange and pink light, long warm evenings |
| Evening and night | Cool blue darkness: street lamps, lanterns and windows glow, fireflies dance over the grass |
Lights in the dark
At dusk the street lamps of Aeven and Hearthhaven light up and cast warm pools onto the roads. Windows of shops, inns and homes light up one by one as people come home, each with its own warm glow that spills onto the wall and the street, and go out again at sunrise. Lanterns by the doors of shops, inns and houses light the way in. Torches and braziers flicker, fireplaces throw firelight across the room, and magic crystals, rune stones and glowing mushrooms shine in their own colours. Light stops at walls: a lamp outside does not light up the room behind it.
You never vanish in the dark: a little light always surrounds your own character, so you, your pet and your path stay easy to see.
Weather
Each region of the world has its own weather, and it changes slowly: clouds gather before the rain, rain grows into a storm and then eases off again.
- Aeven and the Fishing Docks: sunshine, clouds, rain and thunderstorms.
- Hearthhaven: mostly fair, with rain now and then.
- Forests and woodlands: rain and wind that sends leaves drifting.
- Snowfields and mountains: snow and strong wind.
- The desert: hot and dry, with blowing sand on windy days.
- Caves and dungeons have no sky: dripping caves, dust in the Forgotten Crypt, embers and ash in Emberfall Caverns and violet motes in the Abyssal Sanctuary.
Rain and snow never fall indoors. Thunderstorms bring lightning, and the thunder follows a moment later.
Special seasons can bring their own weather, such as snow in the towns for the winter holidays.
Water
Lakes, rivers, the sea and fountains shimmer in the sun, sparkle in the moonlight and take on the colours of the sunset. When it rains, the water fills with little rings.
At home
Inside your house the light follows the time of day: sunlight through the windows by day, a warm glow at night. Lamps, candles, lanterns, fireplaces, stoves and magic lamps from Holt the Carpenter (such as the Brick Hearth, the Brass Floor Lamp and the Arcane Lamp) really light up the room around them. Move a piece and its light moves with it. See the Housing Guide.
Weather and fishing
The weather matters at the Aeven Fishing Docks:
- In the rain (and in storms) Bass and Perch bite more often.
- At night the rare Golden Carp comes out more often.
Your settings
Open Settings › Graphics › World atmosphere to choose how much of this your device draws:
- Quality: Automatic, Low, Medium, High or Ultra (Automatic picks Medium on phones and tablets, High on computers).
- Switch dynamic lighting, weather effects, water effects, environment animations and ambient sounds on or off.
- Lightning flashes: On, Reduced or Off.
If your device asks for reduced motion, the world animates more gently by itself. The volume of rain, wind, birds and crickets follows the ambient volume in the sound settings.