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Description
Skyrim Killcam
(Works only in single-player mode)
This is Skyrim's archery kill camera, rebuilt for Minecraft.
It only fires on a kill
This is the part that makes it feel earned rather than random.
Before the arrow leaves the bow, the mod replays vanilla projectile physics forward in time — drag, gravity, the works — traces the path against blocks and mobs, and works out what the hit would actually do after armour. The camera only commits if the shot is going to kill.
It also leads moving targets, so a walking mob doesn't wander out of a shot that was aimed where it used to be. Not perfectly, though — some shots still whiff after the camera has already committed, which is both true to Skyrim and funnier than a killcam that is never wrong.
Skyrim's own numbers
The trigger rates are lifted straight out of Skyrim.ini, not invented:
| Situation | Chance |
|---|---|
| Normal killing shot | 50% |
| While sneaking | 20% |
| Against a passive mob | 10% |
Skyrim also suppresses the killcam entirely while several enemies are fighting you, and so does this — otherwise 50% turns a battle into a slideshow. You can switch that off if you want more of them.
Everything slows, not just the camera
The slowdown runs through Minecraft's own tick rate, the same machinery behind the /tick rate command. Mobs, physics, falling blocks, the arrow, the clouds — the entire simulation drops to 40% speed while rendering carries on at full framerate. It is real bullet time, not a camera trick.
This is also why the mod is singleplayer only. Slowing the world down for everyone else on a server is not a thing anyone wants, so the mod checks and simply does not fire in multiplayer or on an open LAN world.
Thirteen camera angles
Every killcam picks a fresh opening shot, split evenly between two families:
- In front — head-on over the bow, three-quarter, side profile, a low heroic angle, and a slow push into your face
- Behind — over either shoulder, wide sweeps, a high angle looking down, a low one looking up
The camera parks on its opening angle for a beat before it starts moving, so you actually get to see the shot rather than a blur. Then it hands off to the arrow.
Every preset is editable, and you can add your own.
Weapons
- Bow — the full sequence, including the held beat at full draw. Reads the Power enchantment off your bow when working out whether the shot is lethal.
- Crossbow — the bolt is already gone by the time the mod can react, so it opens from your shoulder and swoops onto the bolt instead.
- Trident — supported, with the flat damage a trident actually deals rather than arrow maths.
Configuration
Settings live in Mod Menu if you have it, or in config/skyrimkillcam.json if you don't. The in-game panel covers slow-motion strength, how long the camera lingers on you and on the kill, the front/behind balance, camera distance, minimum shot distance and a few switches. The JSON has everything else, including the trigger rates and the full camera preset list.
Handy commands while you tune:
/killcam reload— re-read the config without restarting/killcam shots— list the camera presets/killcam shot <name>— lock one preset so you can compare them/killcam force— guarantee the next lethal shot triggers
Requirements
- Fabric API
- Mod Menu — optional, only for the settings screen
Known limitations
Being upfront about these:
- No letterbox bars yet; the HUD is simply hidden during the shot.
- Audio does not slow down with the picture.
- The camera can clip through walls in tight spaces.
- Modded bows are not detected yet, only vanilla ones.
- Protection enchantments and Resistance are not part of the lethality maths, so the mod slightly under-estimates and skips a few shots it could have taken. It errs that way on purpose — a killcam that plays and then fails to kill is worse than one that doesn't play.
Notes
Not affiliated with, endorsed by, or connected to Bethesda Softworks or ZeniMax. The Elder Scrolls and Skyrim are their trademarks. This is a fan mod for Minecraft that borrows an idea.
Bug reports are welcome.
The Skyrim Killcam Team
