Skyrim 1.7 beta now available

If you'd like to try out the latest bug fixes for The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim before everyone else, you can now grab the 1.7 beta update on Steam. The update will eventually be made available on all platforms, but for now it's only on PC--and even then only as a test version.

According to the Bethesda Blog, the patch includes fixes to water shader crashes, a dragon landing crash, and optimization improvements. It also includes several 360-specific fixes, like a logic error with loading screens, a swimming animation error, and several languages for the Kinect-enabled Dragon shouts. PlayStation 3 will get these fixes, along with Mounted Combat from the 1.6 update, in its 1.7 update. That probably means the developer is laying the groundwork for the Dawnguard DLC, though a formal date hasn't been given.

If you participate in the beta, leave feedback on the forums and be careful with your save files to make sure you don't lose your progress when the full update goes live.