The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim

Started by Inkidu, January 11, 2011, 09:06:12 PM

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Tsenta

I'd suggest a rental first, it plays a lot like Oblivion but doesn't in certain aspects.  It's VERY open much like Oblivion was, you'll likely fill your inventory up with stuff.

The leveling is different in Skyrim, some areas are set levels. As in don't go there until appropriate level otherwise You. Will. Die.
There ain't no rest for the wicked.

[Sic Semper Tyrannis - "Thus always to tyrants"] - Marcus Junius Brutus The Younger.

Inkidu

I like my ranger character, and he's really got at cutting throats and all that, but holy crap do I need to go off into the woods and practice my illusion spells (the only school he uses besides that starter heal spell, but who doesn't use that?). I guess I got to go find someone who'll sell me muffle. I need to get the apprentice level reduction.

Part of my main tactic is to use fury or fear to get them to run (I keep holding out for invisibility too) or attack their own teammates.

Also as a ranger, I realize that I'm half the bad ass without my bow. I was dungeon delving and I went up against this astral shade guy who either destroyed my dwarven bow or knocked it from my hands. I couldn't find it. Either way instead of procuring a replacement post haste I decided to kill a clutch of vampires. Well, they were tough and without my bow I had no range. Getting behind vampires for the kill blows. Thankfully I found a magical imperial bow (Fear).

Thinking about making a straight up mage with heavy armor and calling him an aegis-mage. Why? Because I can!
If you're searching the lines for a point, well you've probably missed it; there was never anything there in the first place.

Samael

#227
Quote from: Remiel on November 14, 2011, 09:26:51 PM
So the consensus here seems to be that Skyrim is absolutely worth getting?  I have to admit that I couldn't really get into Oblivion (although I did enjoy playing Morrowind to an extent) because I felt that the world was too open.  I kept getting lost, wandering into strange dungeons, found way more stuff than I could carry back to town and sell, and signing up for quests that seemed to go nowhere.  In that regard, I'm afraid that Skyrim is going to be more of the same.

On the other hand, the other biggest complaint I had about Oblivion--namely, that the critters would level up as you did--fortunately doesn't seem to be an issue in Skyrim.

And Elenwe, that "How to Steal in Skyrim" video was pure awesome.  It made me laugh.  A lot.

If you had a problem with quests, then Skyrim will... well, hm.
Well, let's say it this way: I'm now in my second city in the game, and I have about 50-60 quests in my log, and most of em are part of a quest line.
There are about 6 or so cities ahead.

That said, yes, it is so very much worth it.
It's great fun! And yeah, the world is -big- again, but it really is worth exploring, too. You may stumble upon some ancient chest with some nice weapons, or a sexy new armor, you wouldn't get ahold of any other way. Or may find another dragon shout. Etc.

Also, what Tsenta said.
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Inkidu

I love it. You don't get lost so much anymore like Morrowind because you have the quest arrows and stuff to steer you back on track whenever you feel you need focus, and fast travel will help you sell off stuff quickly.

As for quests. Well... deal with it. It's just what they do. It's very traditional old-school NPC/PC relations but I like it.
However, you can turn off all your quests so they don't track, leaving you to ramble about.

Skyrim is the only game I've ever played where I can be run to the edge of a cliff by a bear, engage it in mortal combat, get paw swiped and knocked over the edge and down a waterfall (in first person) survive get carried down another waterfall by the honest to God current, and end up washing up ten miles off course and half dead from fall damage.

The only thing I was missing was amnesia and a harem full of concerned maidens. :D
If you're searching the lines for a point, well you've probably missed it; there was never anything there in the first place.

mannik

Ding! 100 sneak skill and all the perks that go with it!


Found another easy way to level up sneak skill, even easier than my last method. Basically, you find a quest related NPC that can't die. I used Nelacar, the mage that lives at the Frozen Hearth in Winterhold.


Basically you sneak up behind them and power attack while no one is looking. They'll go down and crawl around for a second then stand back up. Then just hit them again. I was hitting him while he slept so I could be sure he didn't turn around and see me just before I hit...that happened once and I got a bounty. I wasn't really counting, but by my estimation, it takes about ten hits to level up from 99-100 so it goes really fast.

meikle

Skyrim is making me feel like it's Morrowind again, which is something Oblivion failed to deliver on and thusly wound up falling very flat for me.

I kind of want to play Morrowind again now.
Kiss your lover with that filthy mouth, you fuckin' monster.

O and O and Discord
A and A

Remiel

Quote from: meikle on November 15, 2011, 12:24:40 AM
Skyrim is making me feel like it's Morrowind again, which is something Oblivion failed to deliver on and thusly wound up falling very flat for me.

I kind of want to play Morrowind again now.

That's probably the best endorsement I've heard yet.

Cold Heritage

I think just about the only problem you had with Oblivion that's gone is that enemies don't scale in quite the same way. There's a sort of mix to it - some areas are going to be hard no matter what, and some areas get preset for the first level you hit go there on (and thus get easy when you go back leveled up), and some areas kind of mix its own difficulty against your level for scaling. Which still won't save you if you spend your time jacking up speech and not-fighting skills and you end up meeting a wolf on par with you, but then again I have yet to meet bandits who were wearing better shit than I was demanding a sum of gold worth less than their cheapest piece of gear. (glass-clad bandits in Oblivion asking me for 10 GP? my most vivid memory of the game)

But! No more maintaining equipment.

I enjoy Skyrim. It's also been pretty awesome for me. I sometimes get kicked to desktop randomly, but since this is a Bethesda game and some people have been so butthurt they ragequit until a patch comes out, I feel pretty lucky, but my case hardly seems isolated.

Quote from: Hemingway on November 13, 2011, 07:39:42 AM
Yeah, because that's worse than when the Legion sold out Tamriel to the Altmer and tried to kill you! xD

I actually kind of regret picking the legion now, but I think that they make a compelling case: the Empire united is the only thing that stands a chance of opposing the elven genocide that the Justiciars are openly telling me is on its way. And Tamriel soldiers love to tell me "Elven supremacy is the only truth garghghle!" Okay, they don't say the last bit, but I assume it happens when I run them through with my sword or chop their heads off.

Besides, Patrick Stewart was an Emperor, and I like to think I am somehow serving him by joining the legion.
Thank you, fellow Elliquiyan, and have a wonderful day.

Jacqueline

Quote from: Remiel on November 14, 2011, 09:26:51 PM
So the consensus here seems to be that Skyrim is absolutely worth getting?  I have to admit that I couldn't really get into Oblivion (although I did enjoy playing Morrowind to an extent) because I felt that the world was too open.  I kept getting lost, wandering into strange dungeons, found way more stuff than I could carry back to town and sell, and signing up for quests that seemed to go nowhere.  In that regard, I'm afraid that Skyrim is going to be more of the same.

On the other hand, the other biggest complaint I had about Oblivion--namely, that the critters would level up as you did--fortunately doesn't seem to be an issue in Skyrim.

And Elenwe, that "How to Steal in Skyrim" video was pure awesome.  It made me laugh.  A lot.

Yes! The best thing is that it works, the bad thing is that you can't sell what you steal unless you go to a fence or get a skill in the Speech tree, but it's great for laughs.

And... yes it is very open, this is usually bad for me as I'm more used to the Mass Effect games where everything is very streamlined you know. But in Skyrim you can use fast travel to move from place to place and the game itself tells you where to go next in every quest, so it's easy to follow.

Inkidu

Quote from: Remiel on November 15, 2011, 12:57:04 AM
That's probably the best endorsement I've heard yet.
I like to think of it as the best elements of both. You have the highly detailed world of Morrowind with the mystique and variety, but you have the better mechanics of Oblivion where being sneaky won't bore you to tears (Morrowind thief was so boring for me). Plus the new stuff Skyrim throws in the mix. Like they took away weapons upkeep but gave you a whole branch of smithing which can probably end up giving you better arms and armor than you would find normally.
If you're searching the lines for a point, well you've probably missed it; there was never anything there in the first place.

Nadir

I love the architecture in this game, its so surprising and beautiful. And the Aurora is breathtaking. The only thing they missed was the sound of it.


meikle

Quote from: Inkidu on November 15, 2011, 05:30:58 AMYou have the highly detailed world of Morrowind with the mystique and variety, but you have the better mechanics of Oblivion where being sneaky won't bore you to tears (Morrowind thief was so boring for me). Plus the new stuff Skyrim throws in the mix. Like they took away weapons upkeep but gave you a whole branch of smithing which can probably end up giving you better arms and armor than you would find normally.

Naturally I don't mean that the game has Morrowind's mechanics.  It's been a decade; of course it's changed in that realm.

However, it does have a world that is engaging and interesting and regularly surprises me with the little details and makes me want to keep playing, and that is what I meant; like Morrowind, it doesn't feel like Generic Fantasy in Generic Fantasy World the way that Oblivion did.  I want to do the quests and meet the people in the world because they are interesting.
Kiss your lover with that filthy mouth, you fuckin' monster.

O and O and Discord
A and A

Jacqueline

So I finished the main story... and... now what? No ending?

meikle

Kiss your lover with that filthy mouth, you fuckin' monster.

O and O and Discord
A and A

SinXAzgard21

Quote from: mannik on November 14, 2011, 11:28:03 PM
Ding! 100 sneak skill and all the perks that go with it!


Found another easy way to level up sneak skill, even easier than my last method. Basically, you find a quest related NPC that can't die. I used Nelacar, the mage that lives at the Frozen Hearth in Winterhold.


Basically you sneak up behind them and power attack while no one is looking. They'll go down and crawl around for a second then stand back up. Then just hit them again. I was hitting him while he slept so I could be sure he didn't turn around and see me just before I hit...that happened once and I got a bounty. I wasn't really counting, but by my estimation, it takes about ten hits to level up from 99-100 so it goes really fast.

you can do this at the start of the game, go with the imperial guy and have him free you and when you get to the first town just wait in Alvor's house till 8 am and only the soldier should be in there, then sneak and power attack him to your hearts content... Also if you are leveling a thief or Warrior type make sure that you touch the stone that you most want... I'd suggest warrior since sneak attacking this npc will level your sneak quickly with out the 20% increase.
If you know me personally, you know how to contact me.

Shjade

Quote from: SinXAzgard21 on November 15, 2011, 02:57:33 PM
you can do this at the start of the game, go with the imperial guy and have him free you and when you get to the first town just wait in Alvor's house till 8 am and only the soldier should be in there, then sneak and power attack him to your hearts content... Also if you are leveling a thief or Warrior type make sure that you touch the stone that you most want... I'd suggest warrior since sneak attacking this npc will level your sneak quickly with out the 20% increase.

You can do it earlier than that.

Remember the part of the Helgen escape where your rescuer wants you to sneak past a bear?

Yeah, don't do that. Instead, sneak behind him and start sneak-attacking. Sidenote: power-attacks don't level your sneak any faster than regular attacks, so just regular attack if you don't want the guy to stagger all over the place.

I was level 10 with 70 sneak skill before I ever left the cave.

You can also level weapon skills this way, but that takes much longer. Faster weapon skillups to ignore the sneak-attacking and just beat on the guy as fast as you can, since every hit gives you a little weapon skill. I think I had about 32 one-handed skill when I left the cave starting at about 20.

To the people having trouble with wispmothers and ice wraiths as fire mages: shame on you. Spam Fireball right under them, like you'd use grenades/rockets in a shooter, the splash damage is just as good as a direct hit. If you're up to expert-tier casting, use wall of fire + flame cloak instead.

My mage hit 82 destruction not long ago. As long as you keep using the highest-level spells you can reasonably use it'll keep going up at a reasonable pace. If you just use the Novice Flames/Sparks/Frostbite spells it'll be very very slow, so start using Apprentice+ spells as soon as you can.

Also, ways to level non-destruction casting skills quickly:

Restoration - use Healing and Equilibrium (found in the Labyrinthian, not sure where else you can get it) at the same time. Equilibrium drains your health to give you mana, Healing uses your mana to heal you. Just make sure you don't accidentally suicide as EQ drains faster than you'll be healing. Once you get to Adept and can cast Close Wound you'll be able to out-heal Equilibrium by spamming it and skill up even faster.

Conjuration - easiest one to max out. Get Soul Trap, cast it infinitely on any corpse, gain as much skill as you want.

Those are the only two I recall. Might add more caster advice later if I come up with anything useful enough to share.
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Hemingway

Quote from: Cold Heritage on November 15, 2011, 01:04:34 AM
I actually kind of regret picking the legion now, but I think that they make a compelling case: the Empire united is the only thing that stands a chance of opposing the elven genocide that the Justiciars are openly telling me is on its way. And Tamriel soldiers love to tell me "Elven supremacy is the only truth garghghle!" Okay, they don't say the last bit, but I assume it happens when I run them through with my sword or chop their heads off.

Besides, Patrick Stewart was an Emperor, and I like to think I am somehow serving him by joining the legion.

Well, Talos was a Nord. Nords built the Empire. If they did it once, I'm sure they can do it again. It does suck that the Stormcloaks are basically fantasy white supremacists, but ... eh, lesser of two weevils and all that.

Also! I managed to get my hands on Ebony Smithing. Unfortunately, I like the look of my Orcish armor so much that the Ebony set is going to my companion. I am, however, keeping the Ebony Battleaxe. Because unlike some people who like to complicate things, my main strategy involves cutting people to pieces. I especially love the critical insta-kill attack with battleaxes: bash the enemy in the head with the handle followed by a decapitation. Every time I get that, I pull one of these:

DECAPITATION!

Decapitatiooooooooon!

Callie Del Noire

Don't suppose anyone knows where I can get Bound Bow? With conjuring and a high stealth I'm considering ditching my soul reaping bow for one.

Hemingway

Daedric blacksmithing, hoo! I'll be up to Dragon in no time, but ... damn! Gotta love Daedric armor with a little Legendary tag.

Tsenta

Daedric gives higher armor points than dragon, and there's no dragon weapons.  I think Bethy has a plan for future DLC with dragon items though.
There ain't no rest for the wicked.

[Sic Semper Tyrannis - "Thus always to tyrants"] - Marcus Junius Brutus The Younger.

Inkidu

Skyrim does a really good job of making you feel like a bad-ass. Seriously, I was fighting ghosts. The hazy projections of real people. She caught me but since I skimp on things like pick-pocketing and lock pick I get to focus more on one-hand and block. So yeah, I decapitated a ghost. That's how bad-ass my character is. Decap. A. Ghost.

Never has pallet-swapping a human for a blue translucent version ever been so awesome.
If you're searching the lines for a point, well you've probably missed it; there was never anything there in the first place.

Cold Heritage

Quote from: Tsenta on November 15, 2011, 08:20:00 PM
Daedric gives higher armor points than dragon, and there's no dragon weapons.  I think Bethy has a plan for future DLC with dragon items though.

Easier to get stuff to make (and improve) dragon armour, though. I've found all of 1 daedra heart in all my questing.
Thank you, fellow Elliquiyan, and have a wonderful day.

Tsenta

Yeah you're right. But once you make a fully maxed out daedric set you won't need/make anything else really unless you swap to light armor.
There ain't no rest for the wicked.

[Sic Semper Tyrannis - "Thus always to tyrants"] - Marcus Junius Brutus The Younger.

Hemingway

Quote from: Tsenta on November 15, 2011, 08:20:00 PM
Daedric gives higher armor points than dragon, and there's no dragon weapons.  I think Bethy has a plan for future DLC with dragon items though.

Dragon armor fits better with the theme of Skyrim, though. Also, the differences in armor seem to be fairly marginal in some cases.

Tsenta

Just like 10 armor points altogether so no real change, yeah it fits nicely and I hope they release a DLC to improve it further cause tbh I <3 dragon/enemy part made items.
There ain't no rest for the wicked.

[Sic Semper Tyrannis - "Thus always to tyrants"] - Marcus Junius Brutus The Younger.