One of The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim's most recognizable landmarks is the 7,000 Steps, the long mountain path leading to High Hrothgar, where the Greybeards reside. Players encounter the challenge early in their journey, with a messenger named Klimmek warning them about the demanding climb from the village of Ivarstead.

However, despite the famous name, the mountain doesn't actually contain 7,000 visible steps. Some are buried beneath the snow, making an accurate count difficult, but estimates put the number of carved steps closer to 700. Even counting every footstep taken during the climb only brings the total to approximately 2,400.

As part of Bethesda's 40th anniversary celebrations, the studio shared some behind-the-scenes stories about its games. One particularly entertaining revelation came from Dan Lee, associate art director at Bethesda, who explained that the team genuinely attempted to fit all 7,000 steps into Skyrim's mountain landscape.

Lee was responsible for refining the shape of High Hrothgar and the surrounding Throat of the World. His work included sculpting the mountain, adding environmental details, and placing visual elements such as plants, objects, and effects.

Because of his appreciation for the game's lore and real-world accuracy, Lee wanted to make the legendary staircase live up to its name.

"Now, I love trying to be as faithful to lore or real-life as possible and I did my darndest to find a way to fit all 7,000 steps into the storied path," Lee explained.

His solution, however, quickly became impractical. The best attempt required extending the staircase far beyond Ivarstead, wrapping it around the mountain before eventually ending near Whiterun in the frozen tundra.

"It turns out, 7,000 is quite a lot!" Lee joked.

He also made it clear that he wasn't responsible for the enemies players encounter along the way, adding: "I take no responsibility for the Frost Troll that was the woe of many players."

The ambitious staircase also highlights an important aspect of open-world game design: geographical scale doesn't always translate directly to real-world distances.

If Skyrim accurately represented every mountain, settlement, and city, traveling across the province would take considerably longer. Even major locations such as Solitude would feel much smaller in terms of population than their lore suggests.

Instead, the developers compressed distances to keep exploration enjoyable and ensure players could travel between locations without spending days on every journey.

The same principle applies to the 7,000 Steps. While players only see a fraction of the journey, the remaining steps can be imagined as part of the world beyond what appears on screen.

And considering the Frost Troll waiting along the way, perhaps a shorter staircase was a blessing after all.