User blog comment:Prolietor Dominus/Skyrim PC update kills third party patch usage/@comment-4625386-20111123104036

So let me get this straight, and please correct me if I misunderstand as this makes no sense to me.

Bethesda's anti-piracy effort is an update that prevents the game from running without Steam (which was already what they claimed). Except anyone pirating the game doesn't get automatic updates, meaning they would have to install this patch manually. This is the equivalent of a home security system that automatically calls the police during a burglary, but has to be intentionally activated by a burglar.

Meanwhile, the change that prohibits modifications to the executable means some patches (such as the very popular one that lets the game run with more than 2GB of RAM for better performance) won't work anymore, on completely legal copies of the game. So they've implemented an anti-piracy measure that will have zero effect on piracy and which also pisses off their modding community, which is and always has been the lifeblood of the TES games' longevity.

Did I get it right? I really hope I didn't, honestly.