10 Video Games That Secretly REWARD You For Cheating

For longtime fans of The Elder Scrolls, breaking the games in your favor is practically as much a feature as it is a consequence of a janky, old game engine. And while the range of these exploits has narrowed over the years, it's hard to imagine a TES game without them.

Take the "soultrap glitch" in Morrowind, for example. By creating a spell that fortifies an attribute and targets an NPC, and casting it on themselves, the player can create constant-effect spells that, effectively, permanently increase their stats.

Just stand in place, cast a "Fortify Mercantile - 10 Points" on yourself 20 times, and never pay more than 1 gold for anything ever again.

Oblivion, meanwhile, has one of the more ridiculous exploits in the form of the "paintbrush glitch." For some reason, paintbrushes are unaffected by the game's physics engine, allowing the player to place them in mid-air. With enough paintbrushes, you can, essentially, create a staircase to scale any wall or mountain in the game.

Skyrim features one of the more famous examples in the "enchanting and alchemy loop." Basically, enchant an item to fortify your alchemy skill. Then, create a potion that fortifies your enchanting skill.

Rinse and repeat several times, and you can make a weapon that will easily one-shot just about anything in the game.