# Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim



## Vicissitude27

ELDER SCROLLS HAS FINALLY RETURNED!!!!!!!   
Release date is 11/11/11! How awesome haha.
I didn't see a thread on this, but I thought I would share this info with my ss.org friends! 
Get pumped!

Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim Announcement Trailer & Release Date - Game Rant


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## Stealthdjentstic

HOLY FUCK YES


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## aiur55

Not so pumped  I found the last elder scrolls to not live up to morrow wind.

But still worth a play to get a peak at those graphics!


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## Bobo

That may be the best thing I saw from the VGA's. I am pumped!


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## JPhoenix19

YES!


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## Daemoniac

I just hope they make the dungeons/exploration aspect way more interesting. I absolutely loved Oblivion, but after 20 hours of searching, the underground/ruined castle/elvish ruins all start to look _identical_.

Can't wait for this though, if Fallout is anything to go by, they're definitely getting there with the less samey looks


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## ScottyB724

omg omg my inner game nerd is exploding with joy right now. oblivion is in my top 3 for sure and I love it more than fallout even. I CANNOT WAIT FOR THIS SHIT !!


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## Scar Symmetry

I was just about to say it's an unfortunate release date as it will be competing with MW3 but then I realised the Elder Scrolls target audience is a lot different!

Looks cool, I hope that Bethesda Softworks finally decide to upscale their graphics.


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## Guitarman700

Day 1, Bitches!


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## SirMyghin

Hopefully they redeem themselves after the terrible dissappointment of Oblivion, I also loved Morrowind though. The whole level scaling, lack of treasure hunting and everything being terribly generic was far too dull. It didn't have the oh wtf is this at the bottom of this random cave, a note describing something then OMG boss and super item in the next room. The fallout games then proceeded to be oblivion with guns.. Bethseda has a lot to make up for in my eyes.

The beauty that oblivion lacked was the drive to explore every nook and cranny looking for that elusive random awesome item/mythos. That is what kept me going with morrowind a few times through and many many hours.


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## harkonnen8

dragons - fuck noooooooooooooo


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## Stealthdjentstic

SirMyghin said:


> Hopefully they redeem themselves after the terrible dissappointment of Oblivion, I also loved Morrowind though. The whole level scaling, lack of treasure hunting and everything being terribly generic was far too dull. It didn't have the oh wtf is this at the bottom of this random cave, a note describing something then OMG boss and super item in the next room. The fallout games then proceeded to be oblivion with guns.. Bethseda has a lot to make up for in my eyes.
> 
> The beauty that oblivion lacked was the drive to explore every nook and cranny looking for that elusive random awesome item/mythos. That is what kept me going with morrowind a few times through and many many hours.



Exactly, I wouldn't mind if they re-did morrowind with Oblivions gameplay minus the level scaling. That just got really annoying 

That being said, I still loved Oblivion; although Morrowind was much better.


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## SirMyghin

Stealth, I would say oblivion was a decent game , where morrowind was an equisite one. They just haven't redeemed themselves since they started on the graphical focus that began with oblivion. No better time than the present however.

The main campaign just needs the huge epic adventure feel back, I would settle for that.


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## pink freud

Goddamn it. I already have Dragon Age 2, Mass Effect 3 and The Witcher 2 to contend with. This is too much!


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## ShreddingDragon

I'm going to get so slain for this, but... 

I think they did well with Oblivion. I tried Morrowind several times, and I realized the game IS something awesome, but I simply couldn't get over the graphics. I *love* old graphics, 8/16 bit, old school adventure game style pixel drawing etc...but Morrowind just looked too awful no matter what I did. Even tried graphics mods.

So I missed the game, but I am loving Oblivion a lot and the level scaling was easy to mod away. Just like almost every other annoyance in the game. And I actually prefer the fairytale-like "generic" setting  Morrowind's fantastic, weird sceneries weren't for my tastes so much.

Definetly waiting for Skyrim now.


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## Infamous Impact

Anthony said:


> BY AZURA BY AZURA BY AZURA


 +1


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## cwhitey2

This will win the Game of the Year 2011, I'm calling it now!


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## Daggorath

I am obsessed with TES. That is all.


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## Stealthdjentstic

SirMyghin said:


> Stealth, I would say oblivion was a decent game , where morrowind was an equisite one. They just haven't redeemed themselves since they started on the graphical focus that began with oblivion. No better time than the present however.
> 
> The main campaign just needs the huge epic adventure feel back, I would settle for that.



Yeah I know right, I remember playing Morrowind for hours and hours before realizing there's anything close to a main quest


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## ittoa666

Stealthtastic said:


> Exactly, I wouldn't mind if they re-did morrowind with Oblivions gameplay minus the level scaling. That just got really annoying
> 
> That being said, I still loved Oblivion; although Morrowind was much better.



That's the announcement planned for december 12 2011.  That would never happen, even though it's my dream.


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## Soubi7string




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## Grand Moff Tim

Bump for new trailer goodness:


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## Grand Moff Tim

I gotta admit, I wasn't really sold on Skyrim as the location until I watched that trailer.


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## potatohead

Shit, this is all I need. Oblivion took up about 300 hours of my life. Is this going to be a launch title with a new console or is that 2012?


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## Vicissitude27

potatohead said:


> Shit, this is all I need. Oblivion took up about 300 hours of my life. Is this going to be a launch title with a new console or is that 2012?



To my knowledge its just going be on the 360 and PC again, just like Oblivion.


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## potatohead

Vicissitude27 said:


> To my knowledge its just going be on the 360 and PC again, just like Oblivion.


 
Sweet


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## BrainArt

I am so stoked for this. I loved Oblivion, and have never really played Morrowind.


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## heavy7-665

Im gonna buy 2 copies of this game. One to play and one to make love to while I play the other. 






JK
























































I dont "make love"


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## Daemoniac

Vicissitude27 said:


> To my knowledge its just going be on the 360 and PC again, just like Oblivion.



... except that Oblivion is also on PS3 

EDIT: And Gamespot has it listed on PS3, PC and 360... (Skyrim that is)


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## Vicissitude27

Daemoniac said:


> ... except that Oblivion is also on PS3
> 
> EDIT: And Gamespot has it listed on PS3, PC and 360... (Skyrim that is)



 I never knew it came out for PS3, but that shows how much I keep up on the Sony franchise. 

Sry bout the bad info. Thanks for clearing it up tho!


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## Humanoid

Can't wait  Luckily I just started the free mod/addon Nehrim. Just few hours played but it sure looks nice.


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## Xaios

Oblivion's immense potential, for me anyway, was hamstrung by a few bad decisions in key design choices. For example, fighting through Oblivion gates was a boring chore that I wouldn't have done if the main storyline hadn't required me to do it. I hated the look and feel of the zones, and they were all the same.


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## pink freud

Xaios said:


> Oblivion's immense potential, for me anyway, was hamstrung by a few bad decisions in key design choices. For example, fighting through Oblivion gates was a boring chore that I wouldn't have done if the main storyline hadn't required me to do it. I hated the look and feel of the zones, and they were all the same.



You only _had_ to do three.

Did that stop me from trying to do all forty? No.


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## Daemoniac

Yeah the one thing that kind of kills Oblivion for me (after a while, at least) is how similar every single one of the dungeons starts looking the same after a while... The open world is fine and fantastic, but yeah...a touch too repetitive after a while.

Fallout 3 made it better to a large extent, so I'm hoping Skyrim fixes it even further


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## heavy7-665

pink freud said:


> You only _had_ to do three.
> 
> Did that stop me from trying to do all forty? No.



I love getting a ton of them and then drop them all in my house and listen to the chaos.


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## sentagoda

Xaios said:


> Oblivion's immense potential, for me anyway, was hamstrung by a few bad decisions in key design choices. For example, fighting through Oblivion gates was a boring chore that I wouldn't have done if the main storyline hadn't required me to do it. I hated the look and feel of the zones, and they were all the same.



agreed


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## AcousticMinja

Mega stoked for this whole thing.
I'm going to stay up for at least 2 nights in a row playing this game till either my hands freeze up or my eyeballs dry out and fall out of my head.
Either way, this is going to be awesome. Watched that gameplay trailer again and fuck, its orgasmic.


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## Humanoid

Damn this Nehrim is quite difficult. You really can't handle some beasts at the start, so it's not very wise to go explore the deep woods  More realistic when the enemies does not level up with you.


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## Grand Moff Tim

Humanoid said:


> Damn this Nehrim is quite difficult. You really can't handle some beasts at the start, so it's not very wise to go explore the deep woods  More realistic when the enemies does not level up with you.


 
Sounds like the OOO (Oscuro's Oblivion Overhaul) mod, which is awesome.


When it isn't corrupting my save files, that is.


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## XEN

Holy crap that looks great!
I've been an Elder Scrolls fanatic since 2001. I must have played Morrowind for 9 months straight, and Oblivion, let's just say that I stopped playing WoW for 6 months to play it.
I guess I know what I'll be doing in my free time in 2012.


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## BigBaldIan

Daemoniac said:


> Yeah the one thing that kind of kills Oblivion for me (after a while, at least) is how similar every single one of the dungeons starts looking the same after a while... The open world is fine and fantastic, but yeah...a touch too repetitive after a while.
> 
> Fallout 3 made it better to a large extent, so I'm hoping Skyrim fixes it even further


 
 plus it's my favourite part of the game world. Partly stoked, partly crying as my social life nosedives.


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## Daemoniac

Yeah I don't have a social life as it is... as long as work isn't affected, it's fair game (pun intended  )


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## Dubber

Can not wait for this game.


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## lookralphsbak

I will make sure I own a PS3 by 11/11/11...


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## Faine




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## ittoa666

Faine said:


>



That reminds me of my mudcrab merchant story. I was playing the xbox GotY and he started floating into the air. I still have the save.


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## stevo1

hopefully they havent fixed the voices for peopl in skyrim. I massively enjoy when the voice for a character changes, then goes back. like the male beggars... there voice changes when they say "thank you kind sir1". it makes the game more enjoyable


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## Dubber

Grand Moff Tim said:


> Bump for new trailer goodness:





That trailer was sick !!!


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## Murmel




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## SirMyghin

Dubber said:


> That trailer was sick !!!



There was more story telling in that trailer than the entirety of Oblivion. 

Colour me interested.


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## JPMDan

most definitely looking forward to this!


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## jaredowty

Faine said:


>



"Such nasty creatures"


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## Nuke

Hopefully the game will look as good as the trailer.

I always hated when they put out a trailer so far ahead that looks awesome, but then the actual game gets dumbed down in the graphics department for the final release. It's like seeing Death Dealer on the cover of Molly Hatchett albums and going "fuck yeah! this is gonna be brutal!" and you get Country Rock. :/


Oblivion did get repetitious with the design after a while, but that was done to save time. I mean, there's over 250 locations to explore not counting the cities. Hell I'm just glad you could actually go into all the houses! I HATED that limiting crap in Silent Hill, and that "hunt for it" crap in general where you go into a town full of houses and go up and down the street checking doors: "will this one open? nope. how about this one? nope. this one? no. this? no. here? no. fuck, this one? no. this sucks - HEY! I finally found a door that will open, what's inside? not jack shit. 2 dead bodies, a weaker weapon than what I've got, and a fat guy in heavy plate with a 6-foot chainsaw that you can't defeat, and can't take his weapon if you do win."

And someone will really have to explain in great detail what made Morrowind such a smash hit. Granted I tried it on XB only after having been through Oblivion several dozen times, so I'm spoiled a bit on the graphics, but really, go total-geek and explain why it's infinitely better than Oblivion, cuz I don't see it.
The graphics were weak even for the time it came out!


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## Murmel

^
Oblivion and Morrowind on Xbox... 
I'd totally not recommend playing these games on console. Having tried both, I can say that the experience on PC is much better.


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## powergroover

i looved morrowind, blew my mind when i first played that
sadly never got the chance to play oblivion

guess i'll check this one then


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## Grand Moff Tim

Bump because I preordered the Collector's Edition for PC yesterday and I'm totally friggin' stoked. November can't come quickly enough.

Cloth map, dragon statue, book and DVD.


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## Lagtastic

Between Skyrim and the new Zelda game coming out my Nov/Dec is booked.


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## Bobo

I have a poo laptop, I'll pick this up on PS3 or Xbox (maybe PS3 has better graphics?). I think it'll still rock my balls off. My buddy wants to play it too since he's never played a game like this...I assured him his balls will be rocked off too.


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## ScottyB724

Im totally nerding out and getting the Collector's Edition for xbox.

11/11/11 is going to be the most epic day of my life. Skyrim, and the BTBAM/AAL/TesseracT show in Chicago !!


Edit: 111th post hahah

Fucking elevens everywhere!!!11!1!!one


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## SirMyghin

I am not geek enough to buy the CE, but I will likely buy the game itself. 150$ is just too much.


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## MFB

I WANT the Collector's Edition for the stuff, but I really can't justify it enough since it's just a map that'll get hung up and an art book that'll get looked at every now and then.

Regardless, I'll still be buying the regular edition or if there's one between the standard and CE, one that might include some DLC and such then I'll grab that.


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## Grand Moff Tim

I've been kicking myself for years for not getting the Oblivion Collector's Edition because that Imperial Septim replica was friggin' bitchin'. I know the Skyrim CS is pricey as fuck, but this is pretty much the _one_ game series for which I'm okay with dropping that kind of coin. I played Oblivion to 100% completion (so far as that can actually be done) on 360, PS3 and PC, so the price tag here didn't really phase me.



Yes, I actually am that lame.


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## The Reverend

Grand Moff Tim said:


> Yes, I actually am that _boss_.



Fixed.


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## Pooluke41

I hope the Cities are actually Big, unlike Oblivion where the imperial city was tiny...

Seriously, 30 odd homes = City? WTF?


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## Lagtastic

Pooluke41 said:


> I hope the Cities are actually Big, unlike Oblivion where the imperial city was tiny...
> 
> Seriously, 30 odd homes = City? WTF?




Best part of Oblivion was running through that city and laying waste to everything.


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## Pooluke41

Lagtastic said:


> Best part of Oblivion was running through that city and laying waste to everything.



Nah, it was destroying Weynon Priory's sheep.


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## Jake

since oblivion took my life away before skyrim will most likely do the same, between this gow3, bf3, and mw3 im gonna fail my first year of college! hahah


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## Bobo

717ctsjz said:


> since oblivion took my life away before skyrim will most likely do the same, between this gow3, bf3, and mw3 im gonna fail my first year of college! hahah



I'm lusting over all those too. Of course the major fucking problem here is they will all release around the same time. I hate that. When I really get into a good game, whether it be a rpg like Elder Scrolls or multiplayer like GOW, I like to spend months on just that game. I'm gonna be torn as to how to schedule my gaming


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## Scar Symmetry

My friend who works at GameStation says apparently the main story is 100 hours long and to complete it 100% it's going to be close to 300 hours


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## SirMyghin

Scar Symmetry said:


> My friend who works at GameStation says apparently the main story is 100 hours long and to complete it 100% it's going to be close to 300 hours



So 60 hour main story (I am sorry devs, but whenever you tell me it is an 80 hour story I finish in 50, and so on ). Either way, that is a hell of a lot bigger than oblivion. Anyone know what they quoted on Oblivion, I know I had done most everything I wanted to and got bored in 30 hours. Morrowind I don't want to think of how long I played for.



I agree about the cities too, we need another Vivec, that at least felt bit walking around it.


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## Prydogga

Graphically I've heard it really does look as good as it's made out to be, and that it's really pushing the 360 hard, and that at this stage, there are some signs that make that obvious, so it's a bit choppy at times.


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## Daggorath

Murmel said:


> ^
> Oblivion and Morrowind on Xbox...
> I'd totally not recommend playing these games on console. Having tried both, I can say that the experience on PC is much better.



+ the graphical mods make it look ever so pretty. Honestly, nothing will ever better Morrowind in terms of sheer immersion and detail.

Check this out:


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## danieluber1337

Daggorath said:


> + the graphical mods make it look ever so pretty. Honestly, nothing will ever better Morrowind in terms of sheer immersion and detail.
> 
> Check this out:










That is beautiful!!

The ONLY two reason why I don't play Morrowind, though, is the fatigue and magicka systems. Fatigue plays too big of a role, and magicka doesn't come back unless you sleep or drink potions. And I refuse to use the stunted magicka birthsign.

EDIT: There are mods that try to help this, but they're either too overpowered or are glitchy. I may just have to make a fighter class.


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## SirMyghin

Daggorath said:


> + the graphical mods make it look ever so pretty. Honestly, nothing will ever better Morrowind in terms of sheer immersion and detail.
> 
> Check this out:




Wow, someone did a whole lot of work there (or many someones). Makes me want to break that out and play it again with the mods.


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## Grand Moff Tim

Is there a decent mod manager for Morrowind that's like Oblivion Mod Manager? There are too many annoying things about Morrowind for me to get too in to it, but I imagine there are mods that take care of them. However, I haven't found a way to make installing Morrowind mods quick and easy like the OMM. I don't really want to have to go into the game script and insert lines of code myself.


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## AxeHappy

Yes:

Morrowind Mod Manager at The Elder Scrolls Nexus - Mods and community

I may have to install Morrowind and give it a run again.


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## Grand Moff Tim

Oh snap.


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## the fuhrer

Never played morrowind but after that video it's looking pretty good. may have to check it out.


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## Grand Moff Tim

the fuhrer said:


> Never played morrowind but after that video it's looking pretty good. may have to check it out.


 
Just keep in mind that it only looks like that when it's *heavily* modded.


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## SirMyghin

Grand Moff Tim said:


> Just keep in mind that it only looks like that when it's *heavily* modded.



Tim is right, but even without the mods it is a rock solid game that is exceptionally rich. The unfortunate trend of TES series is every game seems to have less and less than the previous. I am really hoping Skyrim breaks that.


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## Grand Moff Tim

I kinda wish I had gotten into TES starting with Morrowind instead of Oblivion. I appreciate the added depth of Morrowind and everything, but it's really hard to get over the shittier graphics and awkward gameplay and menus. I need to reload it and find mods for graphics, magicka use, and that terrible, terrible journal. I do hope they bring back some things from Morrowind in Skyrim, like greater weapon variety (long vs short blade, spears, crossbows, etc) and more pieces of armor (left and right gloves, pauldrons, etc). Stuff like that is a wet dream for loot whores like me. It was especially nice being able to stumble across a kick-ass weapon at an early level, instead of rusty iron daggers all over the damned place. In an odd way, it was also nice being able to come across enemies that could totally hand my ass to me at an early level, but then return later after leveling up and get my revenge. Of course, there are Oblivion mods (like OOO) that make the loot and creature levelling more like Morrowind. The first time I played after installing OOO, I was walking along the northern road from Chorrol to Bruma and was attacked by _five_ Minotaur Lords. At level _three_, mind you. I ran like the littlest of little girls.


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## BigPhi84

So, I have a PS3, an X-Box 360, and a latop with an i5-2410M with an AMD HD6770M graphics card. Should I still get this for the PC?


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## Daggorath

danieluber1337 said:


> That is beautiful!!
> 
> The ONLY two reason why I don't play Morrowind, though, is the fatigue and magicka systems. Fatigue plays too big of a role, and magicka doesn't come back unless you sleep or drink potions. And I refuse to use the stunted magicka birthsign.
> 
> EDIT: There are mods that try to help this, but they're either too overpowered or are glitchy. I may just have to make a fighter class.



Alchemy is your best friend on Morrowind. Either that or spell absorption. Also, there are plenty of varying magicka mods. Also for fatigue. And I reccomend "combat enhanced", as you can then do combos that allow for special moves that decapitate, AoE etc.

I have very few mods that affect gameplay or alter content dramatically. I just like the graphical and audio mods mainly.



BigPhi84 said:


> So, I have a PS3, an X-Box 360, and a latop with an i5-2410M with an AMD HD6770M graphics card. Should I still get this for the PC?



Yes.



Grand Moff Tim said:


> Is there a decent mod manager for Morrowind that's like Oblivion Mod Manager? There are too many annoying things about Morrowind for me to get too in to it, but I imagine there are mods that take care of them. However, I haven't found a way to make installing Morrowind mods quick and easy like the OMM. I don't really want to have to go into the game script and insert lines of code myself.



You never have to do this. Either just get Wyre Mash, look through the official TES: Morrowind Mods forum and pick out anything that sounds interesting. It's pretty much a case of downloading a file and extracting to the data files folder. Remember The Elder Scrolls series were MADE to be moddable, infact Bethesda recruits from the modding community; it comes with a purpose made editor, an launch interface for applying mods etc. Save for something called MGE (Morrowind Graphics Extender), which takes a little tweaking to your system for best performance.

Also I would like to suggest this: http://morrowindoverhaul.net/blog/

Comes with some of the very best graphics and audio mods, clear step-by-step guides and just makes everything a lot easier.

Please note that Morrowind is a very GPU intensive game, especially the mods. If you havn't got a semi-decent graphics card then don't even bother. I just wish I had the hardware to play with everything on full =[

Either way though, I adored the game with no mods. It's a game that given enough attention, will change your entire outlook on gaming. Just the open-ness, never being prodded along a main questline (unlike Oblivion), the politics and religious themes contained within the law are unparalleled imho.


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## Scar Symmetry

Prydogga said:


> Graphically I've heard it really does look as good as it's made out to be, and that it's really pushing the 360 hard, and that at this stage, there are some signs that make that obvious, so it's a bit choppy at times.



I'm pretty confident that as what we've seen so far will be PC footage, the 360 won't be able to keep up. That aside, I'm still going to enjoy the fuck out of this game.


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## Mexi

can this game be played in 3rd person? cause for some reason, I can't get into a 1st person fantasy game


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## the fuhrer

Anybody here play oblivion on ps3? I hated how the controls were so jerky and uneven. Like when you would look left or right it would either barely move or it would jerk suddenly. Idk maybe it's just me.


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## Grand Moff Tim

Daggorath said:


> Also I would like to suggest this: http://morrowindoverhaul.net/blog/
> 
> Comes with some of the very best graphics and audio mods, clear step-by-step guides and just makes everything a lot easier.
> 
> Please note that Morrowind is a very GPU intensive game, especially the mods. If you havn't got a semi-decent graphics card then don't even bother. I just wish I had the hardware to play with everything on full =[


 
Nice. Hopefully I'll be able to install it without problems. My laptop can handle Fallout 3 with the highest graphics settings, is this mod much more graphics-intensive than that?


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## st2012

Daggorath said:


> + the graphical mods make it look ever so pretty. Honestly, nothing will ever better Morrowind in terms of sheer immersion and detail.
> 
> Check this out:




Holy shit. Any idea which mods I should DL to make my copy look like this?

EDIT: Just saw Daggorath's last post. Downloading now...


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## Daggorath

Grand Moff Tim said:


> Nice. Hopefully I'll be able to install it without problems. My laptop can handle Fallout 3 with the highest graphics settings, is this mod much more graphics-intensive than that?



You'll be able to run it with plenty of mods no doubt. Maybe have to sacrifice on the draw distance of MGE or dynamic shadows; but it'll still look fucking awesome. And besides, the game is win on the lowest of settings. Oblivion was rather disappointing compared.

Morrowind is a much more difficult game, I hated that all you had to do on Oblivion was follow your fucking compass, teleport to closest marker and then run in. It doesn't hold your hand, and because of this the entire atmosphere of the game is different. 

I'll shut up now before everyone realises how in love with this game I am.


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## SirMyghin

Daggorath said:


> I'll shut up now before everyone realises how in love with this game I am.



It's alright dude, I share your love. I remember the first 10-20 hours of that game thinking "what the hell do they want me to do?" Yet I really wanted to figure out.


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## Pooluke41

SirMyghin said:


> It's alright dude, I share your love. I remember the first 10-20 hours of that game thinking "what the hell do they want me to do?" Yet I really wanted to figure out.



I never delivered the package the first time I played....

I sold it...


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## Daggorath

Pooluke41 said:


> I never delivered the package the first time I played....
> 
> I sold it...



Lmao yeah, think I did the same thing. After first launching the game and strolling around Seyda Neen, I managed to get killed by a Scrib or something before I'd saved. I think most Morrowind players have a story like this though lol.

And just let me say this:

Cliff Racers will haunt my dreams forever! They are perhaps the most annoying enemy of any video game.


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## Grand Moff Tim

I like using the cheat console to toggle god mode, set my strength and acrobatics to 1000, and Hulk out all over the place. It was especially appropriate when I was playing as an Orc and found a pair of enchanted purple pants.


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## Grand Moff Tim

I can't get .Net Framework to install, so it looks like I don't get to try the Morrowind graphics enhancements until I figure that shit out.


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## ittoa666

Daggorath said:


> You'll be able to run it with plenty of mods no doubt. Maybe have to sacrifice on the draw distance of MGE or dynamic shadows; but it'll still look fucking awesome. And besides, the game is win on the lowest of settings. Oblivion was rather disappointing compared.
> 
> Morrowind is a much more difficult game, I hated that all you had to do on Oblivion was follow your fucking compass, teleport to closest marker and then run in. It doesn't hold your hand, and because of this the entire atmosphere of the game is different.
> 
> I'll shut up now before everyone realises how in love with this game I am.



I share your love for morrowind.


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## Pooluke41

Grand Moff Tim said:


> I like using the cheat console to toggle god mode, set my strength and acrobatics to 1000, and Hulk out all over the place. It was especially appropriate when I was playing as an Orc and found a pair of enchanted purple pants.



With the boots of blinding speed.



Insta-Awesome.


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## Daggorath

Grand Moff Tim said:


> I can't get .Net Framework to install, so it looks like I don't get to try the Morrowind graphics enhancements until I figure that shit out.



What is .Net needed for? MGE? Everything else should work fine.

Also, what problem are you having with installation?


----------



## AxeHappy

Mexi said:


> can this game be played in 3rd person? cause for some reason, I can't get into a 1st person fantasy game



All Elder Scrolls games since Morrowind on have had the option to play from 3rd person. 


It's never been particularly well implemented though.


----------



## Murmel

Grand Moff Tim said:


> I kinda wish I had gotten into TES starting with Morrowind instead of Oblivion. I appreciate the added depth of Morrowind and everything, but it's really hard to get over the shittier graphics and awkward gameplay and menus.


Pretty much this. I was too little and retarded to be able to play Morrowind when it was relevant. I've watched my dad play it a ton though, he played the fuck out of that game.
He didn't get into Oblivion as I did though, I don't want to know how many hours I've spent on that game, absolutely fantastic. Can't wait for Skyrim. 

And someone PLEASE make a mod that turns the big spiders into kittens. Because I'm gonna fucking crawl through the game at the slowest possible pace if I have to worry about huge ass horrors popping out from every corner


----------



## Grand Moff Tim

Daggorath said:


> What is .Net needed for? MGE? Everything else should work fine.
> 
> Also, what problem are you having with installation?


 
I honestly don't know what it's needed for, but the instructions given at that blog say it's one of the things required. I suppose I could try without it, but I'm iffy on experimenting with anything computer related.

After DLing it, the installation window pops up with two bars. The first one (for DLin/unpacking it, i think) went smoothly and filled quickly enough, but the second one (representing installation) never even _started_ to fill. I sat on it for over an hour, and _nothing_ happened. I eventually tired of waiting and clicked cancel, and then it said "backrolling" or something like that, and sat there doing nothing for _another_ hour. I'm obviously no computer whiz, so I don't know wtf the problem is. I ended up shutting it down with Task Manager (which of course told me .Net wasn't responding).

I'd like to get this shit to work, but I don't really have the patience for frustrations like that, or the know-how to work around them.


----------



## pink freud

SirMyghin said:


> Tim is right, but even without the mods it is a rock solid game that is exceptionally rich.



All you need to know about Morrowind:


----------



## SirMyghin

pink freud said:


> All you need to know about Morrowind:







That destroyed me, amazing.


----------



## AxeHappy

Grand Moff Tim said:


> _Trouble Installing_



This:


is supposed to be a guide to installing it. I haven't watched it yet, as I don't have Morrowind installed again yet but It should help, I hope.


----------



## Grand Moff Tim

AxeHappy said:


> This:
> 
> 
> is supposed to be a guide to installing it. I haven't watched it yet, as I don't have Morrowind installed again yet but It should help, I hope.




I'm not having trouble installing the mod, i'm having trouble installing one of the programs necessary to install/run the mod. Unfortunately, the instructions only say that I need it, not anything about any potential hurdles to obtaining or installing it


----------



## Slunk Dragon

I absolutely cannot wait to play this game! I got Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion, along with the Nights of the Nine and the Shivering Isles packs. I easily have over 220 hours logged into that game. I love the way it played, the environments were gorgeous, the characters were very three-dimensional and all the races had unique personalities to them, and the fighting and leveling in the game were awesome. Easily it's one of my most favorite games. I can't wait to see what they do with the new one, I will hopefully save up enough money to get the deluxe package for this!


----------



## Pooluke41

Slunk Dragon said:


> I absolutely cannot wait to play this game! I got Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion, along with the Nights of the Nine and the Shivering Isles packs. I easily have over 220 hours logged into that game. I love the way it played, the environments were gorgeous, the characters were very three-dimensional and all the races had unique personalities to them, and the fighting and leveling in the game were awesome. Easily it's one of my most favorite games. I can't wait to see what they do with the new one, I will hopefully save up enough money to get the deluxe package for this!




You sir have not played Morrowind, have you?


----------



## gilsontsang

SWEETTTTTTTTTTTTT


----------



## Grand Moff Tim

Epic gameplay demo is epic:








As if I wasn't dying from anticipation enough already.


----------



## ittoa666

That looks fucking great. What else can I say?


----------



## Krauthammer

Pooluke41 said:


> You sir have not played Morrowind, have you?



I have only played Oblivion, and I loved that game. I always wanted to check out the morrowind. I know the obvious answer is to get the PC edition, those mods do look tasty. However, can anyone back up the quality of Morrowind for Xbox? Or is that just not an option, you know, for the sake of quality? 

I am really looking forward to Skyrim in the meantime


----------



## The Reverend

If you're gonna play Morrowind, it needs to be on PC. There's no other way to do it.


----------



## Murmel

The Reverend said:


> If you're gonna play The Elder Scrolls series, it needs to be on PC. There's no other way to do it.



Fixed.


----------



## Pooluke41

Krauthammer said:


> I have only played Oblivion, and I loved that game. I always wanted to check out the morrowind. I know the obvious answer is to get the PC edition, those mods do look tasty. However, can anyone back up the quality of Morrowind for Xbox? Or is that just not an option, you know, for the sake of quality?
> 
> I am really looking forward to Skyrim in the meantime




PLAY DAT SHIT.


----------



## XEN

Man I played Morrowind for 9 months straight. I ended up adding back in the missing master trainers wit the construction set just so I could max out all of the skills. I killed Vivec at one point but felt bad so I brought him back. I loved that game.

Oblivion was great for a while. I started mapping out all of the dungeons I had yet to visit, but the rewards weren't worth the effort so I stopped. I ended up going full vampire. That was fun as hell.

Looking forward to V but my PC is about dead. Grr.


----------



## Krauthammer

The Reverend said:


> If you're gonna play Morrowind, it needs to be on PC. There's no other way to do it.



I figured as much. PC tends to beat the console, quite severely at times. The xbox is alot more convenient for me, but if there is no other way, so be it.


----------



## Scar Symmetry

Every time I open this thread I expect to see news about Skyrim and every time I leave the thread very disappointed.


----------



## Murmel

Grand Moff Tim said:


>



NOO THE SPIDERS OH THE SPIDERS!! 



Well.. fuck. My illusion skills are gonna be SO HIGH because I'm gonna go around with sense creature all the fucking time 

Anyway, if my computer can't handle this then I'm afraid I have to kill myself.


----------



## Oceans

I'm never leaving my house when this comes out. I had already skipped a day of school for oblivion.


----------



## AxeHappy

That was...really disappointing. 

Sure it looks pretty but that seems to be about all it has going on. 

One Handed? Really? They've boiled weapon skills down to 2 things? That's terrible. 

The UI needs to die. I'm tired of every game having a UI that is a web of menu's to compensate for the inferior controls of consoles. It's annoying.

Stop making me take magic skills (or making mage types take fighting) skills if we don't want too. Seriously. It's annoying. Let me be Conan the damn Barbarian if I want. Also: Don't let me become the head of the Mage's Guild in that case...bloody Oblivion.

And the dragon battles looked lame. Really lame. Oh Let me call a storm to kill you whilst I run around DOING FUCKING NOTHING until the storm brings you to the ground. Brutal. 

Also the lack of dismemberment at this level of graphical prowess and with the "Executioner" type moves is just...terrible. Truly terrible. You're games rated M for christ's sake. And it's going to get re-called and re-rated AO after some jerk releases a nude mod for it and some bitching cunt gets all up in arms about it so just go balls out already. Fuck.

Clipping issues were apparent as well. And the whole doors opening without your character actually touching them thing annoyed me for some reason. Normally that doesn't bother me. 

I'm also willing to bet I can't smash open locked doors and chest with a big ass Great Hammer either. Sure I can use it to smash a Dragon to pieces (or gathering from the Demo I can't...but some other big monstrous creature...a giant or something) but I can't bash down 2 inches of wood? 

Combat also looked clunkly. Same fare as Oblivion and Fallout. It's wasn't a huge deal in Oblivion as it was a huge step up from previous Elder Scrolls games) but it's been quite a while since Oblivion and everybody complained about Fallout 3's combat. Again it looks better (a lot more dynamic with motion and whatnot) but I'm talking about actually gameplay. 


Bah:
Somebody needs to hit Beth up side the head with Daggerfall.


----------



## pink freud

Yeah, the hand thing really limits some things unless we can quick-switch things.

Doing two X10 magic damage spells and then a fireball was a great combo (X100 fireball, essentially).


----------



## SirMyghin

I don't mind the changes to the skill systenm, it looks like you will have a free reign class from these demos, which I like. Opposed to the older major/minor skills. The ability system is an interesting addition also.

I don't like the scripted 'execution' style kill and whatnot. Never did care for the sort of nonsense. As far a dismemberment goes, can't say I care. That doesn't add anything to a game, why bother.

The fleshed out combat system looks great, and the mixing magic/weapon is a nice addition. I am sure even though it all looks a touch easy in the demo the character was level 34 (which in most TES games is bloody huge) so that likely explains the cakewalk it was having. I am sure on PC we will be able to hotkey left and right hand commands pretty readily.


Aside from that, none of the features are what draw me to the game. I want a huge epic tale.


----------



## danieluber1337

the fuhrer said:


> Anybody here play oblivion on ps3? I hated how the controls were so jerky and uneven. Like when you would look left or right it would either barely move or it would jerk suddenly. Idk maybe it's just me.



Playstation controllers suck. I absolutely hate the analog sticks.




AxeHappy said:


> That was...really disappointing.
> 
> Sure it looks pretty but that seems to be about all it has going on.
> 
> One Handed? Really? They've boiled weapon skills down to 2 things? That's terrible.
> 
> The UI needs to die. I'm tired of every game having a UI that is a web of menu's to compensate for the inferior controls of consoles. It's annoying.
> 
> Stop making me take magic skills (or making mage types take fighting) skills if we don't want too. Seriously. It's annoying. Let me be Conan the damn Barbarian if I want. Also: Don't let me become the head of the Mage's Guild in that case...bloody Oblivion.
> 
> And the dragon battles looked lame. Really lame. Oh Let me call a storm to kill you whilst I run around DOING FUCKING NOTHING until the storm brings you to the ground. Brutal.
> 
> Also the lack of dismemberment at this level of graphical prowess and with the "Executioner" type moves is just...terrible. Truly terrible. You're games rated M for christ's sake. And it's going to get re-called and re-rated AO after some jerk releases a nude mod for it and some bitching cunt gets all up in arms about it so just go balls out already. Fuck.
> 
> Clipping issues were apparent as well. And the whole doors opening without your character actually touching them thing annoyed me for some reason. Normally that doesn't bother me.
> 
> I'm also willing to bet I can't smash open locked doors and chest with a big ass Great Hammer either. Sure I can use it to smash a Dragon to pieces (or gathering from the Demo I can't...but some other big monstrous creature...a giant or something) but I can't bash down 2 inches of wood?
> 
> Combat also looked clunkly. Same fare as Oblivion and Fallout. It's wasn't a huge deal in Oblivion as it was a huge step up from previous Elder Scrolls games) but it's been quite a while since Oblivion and everybody complained about Fallout 3's combat. Again it looks better (a lot more dynamic with motion and whatnot) but I'm talking about actually gameplay.
> 
> 
> Bah:
> Somebody needs to hit Beth up side the head with Daggerfall.



Well, there's always going to be that one guy...


----------



## The Reverend

AxeHappy said:


> That was...really disappointing.
> 
> Sure it looks pretty but that seems to be about all it has going on.
> 
> One Handed? Really? They've boiled weapon skills down to 2 things? That's terrible.
> 
> The UI needs to die. I'm tired of every game having a UI that is a web of menu's to compensate for the inferior controls of consoles. It's annoying.
> 
> Stop making me take magic skills (or making mage types take fighting) skills if we don't want too. Seriously. It's annoying. Let me be Conan the damn Barbarian if I want. Also: Don't let me become the head of the Mage's Guild in that case...bloody Oblivion.
> 
> And the dragon battles looked lame. Really lame. Oh Let me call a storm to kill you whilst I run around DOING FUCKING NOTHING until the storm brings you to the ground. Brutal.
> 
> Also the lack of dismemberment at this level of graphical prowess and with the "Executioner" type moves is just...terrible. Truly terrible. You're games rated M for christ's sake. And it's going to get re-called and re-rated AO after some jerk releases a nude mod for it and some bitching cunt gets all up in arms about it so just go balls out already. Fuck.
> 
> Clipping issues were apparent as well. And the whole doors opening without your character actually touching them thing annoyed me for some reason. Normally that doesn't bother me.
> 
> I'm also willing to bet I can't smash open locked doors and chest with a big ass Great Hammer either. Sure I can use it to smash a Dragon to pieces (or gathering from the Demo I can't...but some other big monstrous creature...a giant or something) but I can't bash down 2 inches of wood?
> 
> Combat also looked clunkly. Same fare as Oblivion and Fallout. It's wasn't a huge deal in Oblivion as it was a huge step up from previous Elder Scrolls games) but it's been quite a while since Oblivion and everybody complained about Fallout 3's combat. Again it looks better (a lot more dynamic with motion and whatnot) but I'm talking about actually gameplay.
> 
> 
> Bah:
> Somebody needs to hit Beth up side the head with Daggerfall.



I could see a different combat system working better, but in games with stat-based gameplay, any sort of real-time combat is going to be kind of shitty. For the combat to feel really visceral, you'd have to to make heavy changes in the stats that govern those, making the whole stat system sort of uneven. I remember fighting a cliff racer in Morrowind for the first time, wondering why my sword was hitting it to no effect. It was a huge disconnect for a moment.

I know a lot of hardcore RPG'ers dislike where Todd Howard is taking the series in terms of character development, but it makes sense to me, TBH. This series is all about the choices you make, and how the game molds itself around you. It makes sense to remove things like medium armor and spears when they can be grouped into a more logical, well, group. Sometimes they need to be taken out to balance the game more, as well.

As for the rest, making a game to that level of detail will take another generation or two. We'll always be conscious that we're playing a game and not a virtual reality simulator for a few more years, but have faith, friend. Those days are coming!


----------



## Vicissitude27

A little humor for us while we wait.


----------



## Xaios

This is just too awesome not to post about:

GameSpy: Crime Reporting Chicken Bug Discovered in The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim - Page 1



> *Crime Reporting Chicken Bug Discovered in The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim*
> 
> *Exec Producer Todd Howard reveals hilarious Skyrim bug.*
> 
> Beware the domesticated fowl of Skyrim. In testing the upcoming fifth installment in The Elder Scrolls series, executive producer Todd Howard revealed that his team discovered a unique and hilarious bug: chickens that report crimes.
> 
> In an interview with PC Gamer, Howard was asked if Skyrim's new Radiant Story technology -- which makes NPCs interact with your character and their environments in a more realistic manner -- produced any surprises. Howard's response: neighborhood watch-like chickens.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> "Something that was good lately&#8230; but this was a bug &#8211; lately we realised that chickens were reporting crimes. I found that very funny. That was just last week: 'Why are we getting caught? Oh, the CHICKENS are reporting the crimes!'"
> 
> Howard said it took time to figure out what was happening, but the dime-dropping chicken bug has been removed from the game.


----------



## Grand Moff Tim




----------



## The Reverend

I want that bug in my game. They better not take that shit from me, if it doesn't show up as some DLC or something, I'm going to return my copy.

Okay, so I don't want it that badly, but still, I would love to have like a 3-hour quest involving a small village of tattletales and a pissed off wizard resulting in chickens reporting crimes.


----------



## Pengu

awwhhh yeaahhh dragons!
hopefully it will be as good as morrowind though, oblivion was kinda mehh..


----------



## Xaios

Someone will totally have to make a mod that restores that functionality, as well as adding a sort of police chicken who's cluck sounds like a police siren. And wears a set of flashing police lights.


----------



## Grand Moff Tim

An Imperial armor for chickens mod will be necessary as well.


----------



## Bobo

I heard talk of MP for Skyrim. Any word on that? I'd love to somehow play this game on-line with friends. But if not, it'll still rule my life for months anyway haha.


----------



## Grand Moff Tim

Bobo said:


> I heard talk of MP for Skyrim.


 
I would be unspeakably angry.


----------



## wayward

Pre-ordered it the second it was available to pre-order. Still play Morrowind on PC every now and then, and play Oblivion regularly. I have 9 characters on oblivion, on 3 separate profiles; All on my first original Oblivion xbox 360 disc. My total logged time playing Oblivion is 1,437 hours.

Literally can't wait for Skyrim. Might kill somebody...


----------



## Vicissitude27

Grand Moff Tim said:


> I would be unspeakably angry.



THIS.


----------



## Bobo

Why would anyone be mad a MP for Skyrim? Assuming it took nothing away from single player, an added dimension could be cool.


----------



## The Reverend

Bobo said:


> Why would anyone be mad a MP for Skyrim? Assuming it took nothing away from single player, an added dimension could be cool.



That's how I feel. I liked the MP on Borderlands. It was co-op, and the more players you had, up to four, the harder the enemies get, and the better the loot. In a game like Skyrim, it'd be interesting as fuck to see the dynamics of how that would work. It'd be like WoW, but better in every way.


----------



## ScottyB724

Agreed. Of course I wouldn't want skyrim to be an MMO, but that isn't happening. Some simple online co-op would really open up some exciting doors.


----------



## Rock4ever

If they made this game more linear I'd totally be into it. I played the shit out of Icewind Dale, Planescape Torment and Baldur's Gate 2, but I haven't been able to get into Morrowind or Oblivion.


----------



## Bobo

Me and some friends talked about how cool it would be to do some co-op for a game like this. Just to join each other's games and help with missions or just goofing off would surely be fun.


----------



## Daiephir

Rock4ever said:


> If they made this game more linear I'd totally be into it. I played the shit out of Icewind Dale, Planescape Torment and Baldur's Gate 2, but I haven't been able to get into Morrowind or Oblivion.



That would uterly ruin it IMO


----------



## Spaceman_Spiff

There will be no MP in SKYRIM...I've read that in several articles including PTOM and GameInformer.

I am sooo excited for this game though, I have 18 characters on oblivion with a total play time of almost 700 hours...(Marksmen FTW)


----------



## The Reverend

One month and a day until it comes out. On the agenda for me:

Buy at least a 46-inch, quality TV.
Buy another PS3 (had to sell mine to pay for tuition before my financial came).
Send all my professors emails telling them that I have gone to the hospital to have my asshole put back to together after I blew it up shitting myself in excitement.


----------



## Grand Moff Tim

The Elder Scrolls is a single player only game. That's just how it is. There are legion multiplayer games out there for you multiplayer fans, but it just doesn't belong in the Elder Scrolls. At least not in the main series, that is. If they did a separate multiplayer-focused game, fine. I wouldn't buy it, problem solved. If they shoehorn it into a future game in the main series, though, I'd feel... betrayed. I don't _like_ multiplayer, and the Betheda games like TES and FO3/NV are more or less the last bastion of awesome single-player games. I'd feel like they were selling out if they changed that.


----------



## The Reverend

Grand Moff Tim said:


> The Elder Scrolls is a single player only game. That's just how it is. There are legion multiplayer games out there for you multiplayer fans, but it just doesn't belong in the Elder Scrolls. At least not in the main series, that is. If they did a separate multiplayer-focused game, fine. I wouldn't buy it, problem solved. If they shoehorn it into a future game in the main series, though, I'd feel... betrayed. I don't _like_ multiplayer, and the Betheda games like TES and FO3/NV are more or less the last bastion of awesome single-player games. I'd feel like they were selling out if they changed that.



You must not have played a well-done co-op campaign, then. Nothing is more fun, to me at least. It fits with the genre perfectly. RPGs were party-based at first, because that's what the table-top games were designed around. Implementing an option to play co-op would work fantastically. It doesn't have to take over the game, and it wouldn't be necessary to completing it 100%, but it would make it fun for you and a few buddies to blaze around Skyrim attacking guards and finishing quests.

Also, with the insane level of character customization, you could put together some awesome teams that work better than anything in games where character development is incredibly limited. Games like Borderlands and Demon's Souls are great examples of online co-op done in a great way.


----------



## SirMyghin

Bobo said:


> Why would anyone be mad a MP for Skyrim? Assuming it took nothing away from single player, an added dimension could be cool.



Because putting dev time into making multi-player work out takes away from all other facets in some way shape or form. That is why the damn near requirement of games to have multi-player nowadays had led to a slew of extremely mediocre games, and the practical extinction of a worthwhile single player game. Multi-player is very developer time intensive too, there is no surprise that the best RPGs are single player. Most game publishers make it very difficult to create single player games for release, demanding multi-player also, and too many games become vessels for it in consequence. Bioware and Bethseda are pretty much all that is left of the genre, where you don't have to worry about BS continuity to help accomodate any consideration other than you.


----------



## Grand Moff Tim

The Reverend said:


> You must not have played a well-done co-op campaign, then.


 
That type of reasoning bothers me to no end, and I see it _everywhere._ Nobody's allowed to just not like something anymore, because surely they just haven't tried the right version of whatever thing it is they don't like. Don't like tequila? You haven't tried the right brand! Don't like country music? You just haven't heard the right band! Don't like soccer? You've been watching the wrong games!

I don't like multiplayer gaming. Period. It doesn't matter how well done it is. I'm a loner, a sore loser, and an asshole. Playing with others just has never been my thing. Going by an example you already used, I love Borderlands. _Alot_. I've put hundreds of hours into it, the lion's share being singleplayer. I played a bit of splitscreen coop, and didn't enjoy it anywhere near as much. I had to share the loot, I got pissed when my kills were stolen, people would dawdle when I wanted to move on or I'd dawdle when they were moving on... it's just *not for me. *

Also, as SirMyghin pointed out, it detracts from the developement. We've seen it countless times where a game has either critically acclaimed multiplayer but a shit singleplayer campaign, or an awesome campaign but a shitty multiplayer mode shoehorned in where it doesn't belong.

Keep in mind I'm not bagging multiplayer here. I fully recognize it's my fault I don't like it, not because there's some inherent fault in multiplayer itself. I like my epic badass singleplayer games, and I don't want multiplayer getting its sticky fingers all over them.


----------



## Bobo

SirMyghin said:


> Because putting dev time into making multi-player work out takes away from all other facets in some way shape or form. That is why the damn near requirement of games to have multi-player nowadays had led to a slew of extremely mediocre games, and the practical extinction of a worthwhile single player game. Multi-player is very developer time intensive too, there is no surprise that the best RPGs are single player. Most game publishers make it very difficult to create single player games for release, demanding multi-player also, and too many games become vessels for it in consequence. Bioware and Bethseda are pretty much all that is left of the genre, where you don't have to worry about BS continuity to help accomodate any consideration other than you.



I don't think simple co-op would be that big a deal. Now vs would be something entirely different, but that's not what I'd look for in an Elder Scrolls game.


----------



## SirMyghin

Bobo said:


> I don't think simple co-op would be that big a deal. Now vs would be something entirely different, but that's not what I'd look for in an Elder Scrolls game.



It is a lot more work than you would like to believe, as it goes right back to the engine used, and needs to be built for multiplayer from the ground up. Back when Dragon Age was in developement the developers explained in a lot of detail how much work it actually is to the many 'is there mutliplayer' folks. It is not as simple as put up a server and have everyone run around, it effectively doubles developement man hours.


----------



## The Reverend

Tim, don't wanna offend you but...generally people should try stuff before coming to a conclusion, yes? Although I'm more at fault for just _assuming_ you hadn't. It's a shame you don't like co-op. I'm actually a lot like you in the fact that I hate multiplayer games like COD, Halo, etc. They don't add anything to the experience for me. However, I still stand by the rest of my post. Skyrim would make an excellent co-op game. SirMyghin, you're also correct. I'm currently going to school for video game design, and my school actually has partnership with Bioware, since it's in Austin, and in one of my classes we watched a lecture given by one of the guys there about that exact topic. 

I genuinely feel like Bethesda may possibly be missing out on improving what looks to be an already great game. I'm sure the development costs would've been recouped, but I for one would rather play the game as is than wait for another 18 months just to kill scamps with a friend. Perhaps I'll just use that idea myself, should I ever be in the position to do so. No matter cliches like tanks, controllers, and healers...imagine a world where your team can be anything! Ah! 

Maybe the PC mod community could make something. Half those guys are good enough to be professional developers themselves, shit. I doubt they would, as it would require a lot of cooperation, and I'm not sure they could actually do it with the tools Bethesda will release with that version of the game, in fact I'm sure they couldn't. Lame. One can hope, though.


----------



## Grand Moff Tim

The Reverend said:


> Tim, don't wanna offend you but...generally people should try stuff before coming to a conclusion, yes?


 
Yes, but how much of something is a person supposed to have tried before he's allowed to say he doesn't like something? If I don't like the vast majority of the multiplayer experiences I've had, am I not supposed to say "I don't liker multiplayer" because there might be one out there that I do like? That can apply to _anything_, and it's equally silly in each instance. Sure, I can't say unequivocally that I wouldn't enjoy an Elder Scrolls multiplayer, but is it unreasonable based on my past experiences and displeasure with multiplayer that I wouldn't look forward to it, or give it a pass if given the choice? 

I need to stop trying to make a point by asking questions. I'm starting to feel like Explorer .


----------



## Grand Moff Tim

It's important to differentiate between a general statement, like "I don't like multiplayer games," and a specific statement, like "I don't like the multiplayer in such-and-such game." If Skyrim did have a multiplayer and I said I didn't like it without even trying it, that'd be unreasonable. However, making the general statement and getting the "you just haven't tried the right one" response is just... irritating . Find any music genre hate thread and you'll see the same thing.


----------



## SirMyghin

You should get into contact with Bioware daily to ask if ME3 is done yet  

Mod communities given full tools for the engine are indeed scary things.


----------



## F0rte

Someone should make a video full of different clips of skyrim and then have the backing track be "Make Total Destroy!" By Bulb.

Epic.

But anyway, I already have this preordered and have my 5 bottles, 247 song playlist, facebook start/end dates, minifridge stacked with monsters redbulls and rockstars as well as a mini microwave and another fridge full of food in my room. Barricades are ready to be deployed on my door, and my window is boarded up.


I think i'm just about ready for Skyrim.


----------



## Bobo

SirMyghin said:


> It is a lot more work than you would like to believe, as it goes right back to the engine used, and needs to be built for multiplayer from the ground up. Back when Dragon Age was in developement the developers explained in a lot of detail how much work it actually is to the many 'is there mutliplayer' folks. It is not as simple as put up a server and have everyone run around, it effectively doubles developement man hours.



Well if it would really double man hrs, I guess fuck MP, the 5 year wait is enough lol. Not a huge deal, but in this day and age I'm just used to sharing many of these gaming experiences. This game is going to be so big, it's natural many people will want to play it together.


----------



## Dead Undead

danieluber1337 said:


> Playstation controllers suck. I absolutely hate the analog sticks.



And the buttons feel like marshmallows.


Skyrim looked terrible on paper to me, but then I saw a demo and all that went out the window. I ordered the special edition because I'm absolutely gay for dragons and the statue deal was just too enticing.

I really need to get a PC for gaming. This thing I'm on now barely runs Doom II.


----------



## Xaios

As much as the idea of multiplayer in Skyrim appeals to me, I just can't conceive of a way to pull it off convincingly.


----------



## Grand Moff Tim

I think one problem apart from implementation that I would have with multiplayer on an Elder Scrolls game is that it would break immersion. One of the best things about the series is being immersed in a new world and discovering awesome new things, and to me that immersion would be broken a bit if I knew the Orc I was questing with was actually a real-world friend at home in his boxer shorts with dorito dust on his fingers. 

The series has pretty much always been more about content than gameplay (hence people saying III is better than IV because it had more content, despite having clunkier gameplay), and adding something like MP would only really affect the gameplay aspect of the game. It wouldn't do anything to add more to the story or the lore, unless they worked it in as a mandatory part of the story, which would piss ALOT of fans off. They've been building that lore since games ran on DOS, so it'd be a bit strange to take the focus away from that now.






Oh, who am I kidding. I'm just an Elder Scrolls fanboy who hates multiplayer. Trying to justify it is just silly .


----------



## SirMyghin

Pre-orderred today. 

And yes Tim, as I have said several times, III was better than IV . You are right in that it was mostly content, and depth of what was going on. It did look pretty though. I don't dig the imersion argument though as that is something you have to choose to do either way (but I still hate multi-player too, don't worry).


----------



## Grand Moff Tim

SirMyghin said:


> And yes Tim, as I have said several times, III was better than IV . You are right in that it was mostly content, and depth of what was going on. It did look pretty though. I don't dig the imersion argument though as that is something you have to choose to do either way (but I still hate multi-player too, don't worry).


 


Believe me, I fully understand the reasoning behind saying III is better than IV for those that make that claim. For me, though, because immersion is one of the selling points to me and I played the graphically superior IV first, the comparitively terrible graphics of III were just too immersion-breaking for me to enjoy it as much. 

Incidentally, III did have one feature that I disliked at first because it wasn't like IV but eventually came to like _more_ because it was more immersive: The travel system. At first I was like "What is the silt strider nonsense? Boats? Mage teleports? Pffft!" I was used to just fast-travelling anywhere I had already been because it was more conevenient, but the more I used the travel system in III, the more it helped me feel like I was actually part of a living, breathing world. A world with... dare I say... infrastructure .


----------



## Grand Moff Tim

Or there was my aforementioned cheat-boosting my acrobatics to 1000 and Hulk-leaping all over the map .


----------



## The Reverend

I played Morrowind before Oblivion came out, and I loved it, but I really do feel as if Oblivion is the better game. The faction quests are certainly much more fleshed out, although there isn't quite as many factions to join. I feel like Morrowind was exactly what it had to be: a continent full of weird shit. Oblivion is definitely more traditionally fantasy, but I don't believe that there was really a lack of content in it.

I suspect you guys may possibly be a bit older than me, (23) because it appears we approach games in different ways? It's like you guys seek that table-top style immersion, and I just want to play games because they're fun. I always become immersed in the world to a certain degree, but not one where the option to fast-travel makes me unhappy. There was nothing worse than having to run out into the middle of nowhere with a pack of cliff racers at your back in Morrowind. Yeah, I"ll take fast travel .

What do you guys think the series needs to do to increase the feel of immersion, in your opinion? Is it through actual infrastructure in-game, as Tim said? Or is it in the depth of the world they've built, i.e. lore, geography, history. Is it a combination of both?


----------



## AxeHappy

Stop pretending that using an Axe is the same thing as using a Hammer is the same thing as using a sword.


That would help.

Also:
Bring back time sensitive quests.


----------



## Trespass

Looking forward to it.


----------



## Stealthdjentstic

The Reverend said:


> I played Morrowind before Oblivion came out, and I loved it, but I really do feel as if Oblivion is the better game. The faction quests are certainly much more fleshed out, although there isn't quite as many factions to join. I feel like Morrowind was exactly what it had to be: a continent full of weird shit. Oblivion is definitely more traditionally fantasy, but I don't believe that there was really a lack of content in it.
> 
> I suspect you guys may possibly be a bit older than me, (23) because it appears we approach games in different ways? It's like you guys seek that table-top style immersion, and I just want to play games because they're fun. I always become immersed in the world to a certain degree, but not one where the option to fast-travel makes me unhappy. There was nothing worse than having to run out into the middle of nowhere with a pack of cliff racers at your back in Morrowind. Yeah, I"ll take fast travel .
> 
> What do you guys think the series needs to do to increase the feel of immersion, in your opinion? Is it through actual infrastructure in-game, as Tim said? Or is it in the depth of the world they've built, i.e. lore, geography, history. Is it a combination of both?



Two things.

1. Fuck cliffracers
2. Fuck Mudcrabs.


----------



## Trespass

> I played Morrowind before Oblivion came out, and I loved it, but I really do feel as if Oblivion is the better game. The faction quests are certainly much more fleshed out, although there isn't quite as many factions to join. I feel like Morrowind was exactly what it had to be: a continent full of weird shit. Oblivion is definitely more traditionally fantasy, but I don't believe that there was really a lack of content in it.
> 
> I suspect you guys may possibly be a bit older than me, (23) because it appears we approach games in different ways? It's like you guys seek that table-top style immersion, and I just want to play games because they're fun. I always become immersed in the world to a certain degree, but not one where the option to fast-travel makes me unhappy. *There was nothing worse than having to run out into the middle of nowhere with a pack of cliff racers at your back in Morrowind. Yeah, I"ll take fast travel .*
> 
> What do you guys think the series needs to do to increase the feel of immersion, in your opinion? Is it through actual infrastructure in-game, as Tim said? Or is it in the depth of the world they've built, i.e. lore, geography, history. Is it a combination of both?



Mark and Recall, Almsivi and Divine Intervention were all built into the game for moments like that.


----------



## SirMyghin

Grand Moff Tim said:


> Believe me, I fully understand the reasoning behind saying III is better than IV for those that make that claim. For me, though, because immersion is one of the selling points to me and I played the graphically superior IV first, the comparitively terrible graphics of III were just too immersion-breaking for me to enjoy it as much.
> 
> Incidentally, III did have one feature that I disliked at first because it wasn't like IV but eventually came to like _more_ because it was more immersive: The travel system. At first I was like "What is the silt strider nonsense? Boats? Mage teleports? Pffft!" I was used to just fast-travelling anywhere I had already been because it was more conevenient, but the more I used the travel system in III, the more it helped me feel like I was actually part of a living, breathing world. A world with... dare I say... infrastructure .



I played atari even around the time SNES came out, graphics have never been an issue for me  SNES still stands as the best console to date btw. 

Fast travel was something I avoided using, heck in Morrowind I made habit of running to new places and not using travel just to see what I could find. The graphics really weren't that bad either way. They got shit done.


----------



## Ishan

I didn't read all the argument but IMO a simple co-op MP with a party of 4 or more would be awesome!


----------



## Konfyouzd

So I've never played any of these games but the more I hear about them the more I want to get into them. Is this one of those series when it's best to start at the beginning and play through them all? I know that's obviously what I probably *should* do anyway, but I also know a lot of games where it doesn't really matter which one you pick up as the stories aren't as heavily coupled as say a Mass Effect or similar titles.


----------



## Pooluke41

Konfyouzd said:


> So I've never played any of these games but the more I hear about them the more I want to get into them. Is this one of those series when it's best to start at the beginning and play through them all? I know that's obviously what I probably *should* do anyway, but I also know a lot of games where it doesn't really matter which one you pick up as the stories aren't as heavily coupled as say a Mass Effect or similar titles.



Nope, Start on III and skip IV then play Skyrim when it's out.


----------



## SirMyghin

Konfyouzd said:


> So I've never played any of these games but the more I hear about them the more I want to get into them. Is this one of those series when it's best to start at the beginning and play through them all? I know that's obviously what I probably *should* do anyway, but I also know a lot of games where it doesn't really matter which one you pick up as the stories aren't as heavily coupled as say a Mass Effect or similar titles.



It is a series as it all exists within a world. Every game is the self contained story of you, a mysterious stranger of unknown past being freed from prison for who knows why to do great (as in big) things ( Oblivion ruined this in a way). I agree with the skip 4 sentiment, it was very... lean. It got acclaim through graphics, F03 then followed up as oblivion with guns (also not impressive to me).


----------



## Konfyouzd

So Oblivion is 4? I heard a lot of really good things about that game. And the only other game I know of from this series is Morrowind. Which number is that?

EDIT: Wikipedia ftw... Morrowind is 3... Damn. I have some work to do. But Wikipedia also says 1 and 2 are primitive and/or buggy. Truth or speculation?


----------



## Grand Moff Tim

Ignore those dudes. Play 4.

EDIT: In fact, I'd say play 4 before 3. Everyone I know that doesn't like 4 doesn't like it because it isn't 3 and they played 3 first, wheras I don't think playing 4 first will cause anyone to seriously dislike 3. There's no reason you can't enjoy both.


----------



## SirMyghin

Grand Moff Tim said:


> Ignore those dudes. Play 4.



Ignore Tim he does things like whine about how not pretty a game might look


----------



## Grand Moff Tim

You could just be a complete weirdo and play the games for yourself and decide whether or not you like them, I suppose. That's a bit of the crazy talk, though.


----------



## SirMyghin

Grand Moff Tim said:


> You could just be a complete weirdo and play the games for yourself and decide whether or not you like them, I suppose. That's a bit of the crazy talk, though.



Woah there, let's not get crazy and encourage independent thought.


----------



## Grand Moff Tim

SirMyghin said:


> Woah there, let's not get crazy and encourage independent thought.


 

Sorry sorry. I don't know what came over me.


----------



## AxeHappy

I'd go with Morrowind first but I wouldn't skip Oblivion. It's not a terrible game. Especially when you get close to 200 mods running on it.


----------



## The Reverend

Tim has a great point. Play Oblivion first, that way you won't be let down. You've got nothing to lose, right? Just do it. It'll be quick and easy. No one has to know, it's okay. 

Do it...do it.....do it....


----------



## SirMyghin

The Reverend said:


> Tim has a great point. Play Oblivion first, that way you won't be let down. You've got nothing to lose, right? Just do it. It'll be quick and easy. No one has to know, it's okay.
> 
> Do it...do it.....do it....



That is actually a sufficient argument I will concede. If I hadn't gone into Oblivion expecting Morrowind I may have enjoyed it a lot more.


----------



## The Reverend

I sort of have a problem, guys, and I need your advice.

Clearly, the PC version will be better, as well as, you know, modifiable, which is a big thing to me. I went ahead and got an adequate TV and a PS3 with better memory, but I'm wondering if for about $850 give or take a few hundred I could either buy or build a decent gaming rig? I'd like to get the most out of this game, and I think arguably playing it on PC would provide that, as well as a host of other games I'll play down the road.

Tips? Suggestions?


----------



## AxeHappy

850 will build you a gaming rig capable of running most games on quite good setting. All games if you're not obsessed with maxing out the graphics settings.

You'll definitely want to build it yourself. Way cheaper that way. 

Tips, for gaming don't skimp on the ram or video card. 

Get a power supply that is more powerful than you'll think you need.


----------



## SirMyghin

I'm still running a Radeon 4870 from it's release (when I built this system) and games still don't really have issues. I don't play FPS though, they are generally, but could run SC2 maxed out. It is coming down to how well they optimize the games for a lot of engines nowadays.


----------



## pink freud

The Escapist : News : Skyrim Beaten In Just Over Two Hours

Estimated 30 hours for purely the central quest.

I never even finished Oblivion's central quest


----------



## Pooluke41

SirMyghin said:


> Ignore Tim he does things like whine about how not pretty a game might look






(Barrel O' Laughs)

Hahahaha!


----------



## SirMyghin

pink freud said:


> The Escapist : News : Skyrim Beaten In Just Over Two Hours
> 
> Estimated 30 hours for purely the central quest.
> 
> I never even finished Oblivion's central quest



You didn't miss much 

75 minutes for FO3 too, yeah this man is hax.


----------



## AxeHappy

SirMyghin said:


> I'm still running a Radeon 4870 from it's release (when I built this system) and games still don't really have issues. I don't play FPS though, they are generally, but could run SC2 maxed out. It is coming down to how well they optimize the games for a lot of engines nowadays.



I've got an 5850 and It destroyed Crysis 2 on max. And you can get superior cards for under $100 nowadays. 



Oblivion's main quest summed up:
Somebody else is the main character.


----------



## Dead Undead

Grand Moff Tim said:


> Ignore those dudes. Play 4.
> 
> EDIT: In fact, I'd say play 4 before 3. Everyone I know that doesn't like 4 doesn't like it because it isn't 3 and they played 3 first, wheras I don't think playing 4 first will cause anyone to seriously dislike 3. There's no reason you can't enjoy both.




Seconded. I enjoyed Oblivion (to an extent. I liked it better then FO3/NV). I still have yet to really get into Morrowind (because I don't have a PC to run it) but I've watched walkthroughs and such and I can still tell you that's the best way to not disappoint yourself.


----------



## Maniacal

Just purchased 3 24 inch monitors for an eyefinity setup. Main reason for buying? Skyrim


----------



## TheDivineWing22

Gamesradar - 63 Amazing things we saw and did in Skyrim.

Didn't get to read the whole article, but what I read was pretty awesome. Can't wait!


----------



## SirMyghin

Not going to read the article as it is spoilerific to an extent but that is at least 63 more amazing things than Oblivion had . 



Spoiler



Like in Morrowind when the guy falls randomly out of the sky, that was amazing


----------



## niffnoff

I might be slow on this, but have they specified a scale of the map? I was a bit let down with oblivion (in terms of story and exploration, especially with the loading screens every 5 seconds)


----------



## TheDivineWing22

niffnoff said:


> I might be slow on this, but have they specified a scale of the map? I was a bit let down with oblivion (in terms of story and exploration, especially with the loading screens every 5 seconds)




From what I read, its roughly the size of oblivion, but more "stuff" in it.


----------



## Lagtastic

TheDivineWing22 said:


> From what I read, its roughly the size of oblivion, but more "stuff" in it.




Yes I read the same. There are quite a few more dungeons, and many more things to do, but general size is about the same. 

Also, here's the map:

http://cache.gawkerassets.com/assets/images/9/2011/10/skyrimmap.jpg


----------



## Murmel

More dungeons? Sweet.
I did have trouble in Oblivion though, I was like "oh a new dungeon, BUT I MUST FINISH THIS QUEST FIRST! *remembers location on map*"

I always ended with me having like 34 dungeons/ruins I had to go to after a long quest


----------



## Pooluke41

I love Dungeon Crawling, Hopefully they don't all look the same....


----------



## niffnoff

Pooluke41 said:


> I love Dungeon Crawling, Hopefully they don't all look the same....



Dark, Traps, Rocky?

I can't see a reason for them to be linear 

It's all about the spoils!


----------



## niffnoff

Lagtastic said:


> Yes I read the same. There are quite a few more dungeons, and many more things to do, but general size is about the same.
> 
> Also, here's the map:
> 
> http://cache.gawkerassets.com/assets/images/9/2011/10/skyrimmap.jpg



Thank you kindly!


----------



## Pooluke41

niffnoff said:


> Dark, Traps, Rocky?
> 
> I can't see a reason for them to be linear
> 
> It's all about the spoils!



Well, Not 3572356165431 Ayleid Ruins that all look the same,

and 3153525 Caves and Mines that also look the same as each other.

I want Unique Dungeons.


----------



## Pooluke41

So, What is everyones Classes gonna be?

I must make Technoviking.


----------



## niffnoff

Pooluke41 said:


> Well, Not 3572356165431 Ayleid Ruins that all look the same,
> 
> and 3153525 Caves and Mines that also look the same as each other.
> 
> I want Unique Dungeons.



I heard quote unquote, there are several different types, even named ones. But I think there will be a certain few times of the same dragon, it's expected. But I look forward to the adventure. I will not fast travel on my first playthrough. Fallout 3 has taught me that much haha. 

Source: Some gameshow special on Skyrim on SpikeTv, cannot remember the name of it though. Sorry!

and I know brah I was just kidding


----------



## The Reverend

Pooluke41 said:


> Well, Not 3572356165431 Ayleid Ruins that all look the same,
> 
> and 3153525 Caves and Mines that also look the same as each other.
> 
> I want Unique Dungeons.



You can't really make unique dungeons. They only have so many textures and constructs for caves, mines, ruins, etc, and it's not like Dragon Age II where they literally have the same layout. In fact, I'm willing to bet that caves IRL from a small region would all look the same!


----------



## SirMyghin

The real question is why is skyrim released on a Friday? I seem to recall games consistently being released on Tuesdays (In North America). I think what people want in a unique dungeon is not Oblivion or Mass Effect 1 (or apparently Dragon Age 2, which I skipped, thankfully)


----------



## The Reverend

SirMyghin said:


> The real question is why is skyrim released on a Friday? I seem to recall games consistently being released on Tuesdays (In North America). I think what people want in a unique dungeon is not Oblivion or Mass Effect 1 (or apparently Dragon Age 2, which I skipped, thankfully)



The industry is maturing, I guess? Big games can expect to make as much as a modest movie premiere on release day, and putting that day close to the weekend or holidays makes sense for the same reasons as movies are generally released then. 

I've never played an RPG where dungeons didn't look the same, so I don't understand the concept. Unless you literally design each one to look different in terms of architecture, layout, and textures/elements used, you're going to have them looking the same.


----------



## SirMyghin

Or other corporations threatened them to reduce the amount of sick days that week


----------



## Wingchunwarrior

I fucking *HATE* dungeons!


----------



## SpaceDock

Just per ordered mine. 

I'm really glad the skills aren't leveling in the major/minor way anymore. I always found it difficult to choose skills and be stuck with them. Especially annoying if you got caught up in quests that weren't geared toward you're character early on.


----------



## AxeHappy

You realise that you could....level up the other skills too right?

I prefer the 3 levels of skills to 2 though. We'll see how it works for Skyrim.


----------



## SpaceDock

^ yeah, but the skills you choose as major or minor skills would level at a much faster rate. In Skyrim, supposedly they all level depending on how much you use them independent of class, race, ect. Races still get bonuses to certain skills I think.


----------



## SirMyghin

SpaceDock said:


> ^ yeah, but the skills you choose as major or minor skills would level at a much faster rate. In Skyrim, supposedly they all level depending on how much you use them independent of class, race, ect. Races still get bonuses to certain skills I think.



Yeah the whole classless system looks great. Right up my alley.


----------



## The Reverend

It seems really organic to me. That should be a huge plus for the immersion guys, eh? I'm really glad TES don't use the same system that other games do, where you pick your class at the beginning and have to live with that. I hate finding out halfway through the game that my class isn't nearly as fun to play as I thought it'd be.


----------



## Grand Moff Tim

I usually chose a class/skillset that seems the most practical for my first playthrough of a game, then once I've got a handle on the levelling system and my own playstyle's strengths and weaknesses, I start a new character tailored to them.

Of course, I eventually also end up making completely impractical characters either for shits and giggles or for added challenge, like my pacifist in FO3 who refuses to kill unless the mission specifically requires it, or my hand-to-hand specialist in oblivion who never wears anything above the waist .


----------



## AxeHappy

Now that's!!! Role playing.


----------



## TheDivineWing22

The Reverend said:


> I've never played an RPG where dungeons didn't look the same, so I don't understand the concept. Unless you literally design each one to look different in terms of architecture, layout, and textures/elements used, you're going to have them looking the same.



I believe I read somewhere, can't remember where, that the difference between the dungeons in Oblivion and Skyrim is that Skyrim's dungeons are being "hand built". For the most part, In Oblivion dungeon path could either go forward, 90 degree left or right, or big/small room.

Sorry I can't cite my sources in that info, but I just can't remember where I read it.


----------



## cwhitey2

TheDivineWing22 said:


> I believe I read somewhere, can't remember where, that the difference between the dungeons in Oblivion and Skyrim is that Skyrim's dungeons are being "hand built". For the most part, In Oblivion dungeon path could either go forward, 90 degree left or right, or big/small room.
> 
> Sorry I can't cite my sources in that info, but I just can't remember where I read it.



Yeah i cant remember either, but from what i have gathered they are a going to be a complete upgrade from the ones in Oblivion.


----------



## Pooluke41

TheDivineWing22 said:


> I believe I read somewhere, can't remember where, that the difference between the dungeons in Oblivion and Skyrim is that Skyrim's dungeons are being "hand built". For the most part, In Oblivion dungeon path could either go forward, 90 degree left or right, or big/small room.
> 
> Sorry I can't cite my sources in that info, but I just can't remember where I read it.




PRAISE THE LORD!



(Todd Howard)


----------



## SirMyghin

cwhitey2 said:


> Yeah i cant remember either, but from what i have gathered they are a going to be a complete upgrade from the ones in Oblivion.



I read that in Oblivion 1 person made all the dungeons, but in Skyrim a team of 8 was given the job. So they must be at least 8 times better (or we will get 8 different dungeons ).


----------



## inaudio

I'll just leave this here and go change my pants..


----------



## Trespass

I really don't like the way Cyrodiil felt flat in Oblivion. Like there was no real sense of height going on, due to the way the ground was created. I have a feeling that Skyrim is really going to let me down in that regard, especially in such a rocky and craggy environment. There is never any sense of drama in relation to height.


----------



## MrMcSick

ahhhhhhhhhhhhhh I can't take the wait anymore. I'm about to do a Cartman and freeze myself until release day.


----------



## SirMyghin

That trailer is so over the top, and yet, it makes me want the game more.


----------



## The Reverend

SirMyghin said:


> That trailer is so over the top, and yet, it makes me want the game more.



I kind of wondered if I was the only one who thought that. I'm down with hyping the game up, but there's a line, you know?

Although I'm not sure anything in this world could make me not look forward to this game. If Skyrim coming out meant that the world would end, I'd try to see if I could at least get a couple hours out of it before I died with the rest of humanity.


----------



## SirMyghin

I just don't understand why they would film it, when they could likely generate as much hype with another game generated trailer. Not to mention I swear I have seen pieces of it before (or it is just that generic). 

I am really interested in the 2 hand mechanic they have going, I haven't been much into using magic in the other games but am intrigued. 

Also Axehappy I did some reading, you will be happy to know the 'perks' or level up abilities are often weapon specific (ignore armor with maces was an example, as was bleeding wounds with a blade, and such). So it is not entirely 'using a sword or an axe of a mace is all the same, woe is the world'.


----------



## Grand Moff Tim

I use the _shit_ out of some magic in Oblivion, so the two-hand mechanic intrigues me. My highest level, most powerful characters have all been straight up mages.


----------



## The Reverend

I'd always been biased towards magic using types until I played Morrowind and died constantly because I couldn't figure out just what the fuck I was doing. I switched to burly-ass warriors for a bit.

I think they may be on to something here. I think I read somewhere that there were like 200 perks? I'm going to be putting a lot of time into getting all the fun/good ones with different characters, for sure.


----------



## ittoa666

I never got into spells in morrowind.My main class was always a custom lockpick/longsword user. I called it spy or something.


----------



## TheDivineWing22

According to what I've read they have improved bows in skyrim. Which is great because they were worthless in oblivion. Time to bust out my sneaky dagger/bow wielding thief!


----------



## SirMyghin

TheDivineWing22 said:


> According to what I've read they have improved bows in skyrim. Which is great because they were worthless in oblivion. Time to bust out my sneaky dagger/bow wielding thief!



I am playing one of those in morrowind right now , bows were pretty solid in Morrowind. I love sneaking around with a bound longbow 1 shotting cliff racers.


----------



## cwhitey2

SirMyghin said:


> I read that in Oblivion 1 person made all the dungeons, but in Skyrim a team of 8 was given the job. So they must be at least 8 times better (or we will get 8 different dungeons ).






Wow that explains everything, from the dungons i have seen in Skyrim they are 100% better.


----------



## AxeHappy

SirMyghin said:


> am intrigued.
> 
> Also Axehappy I did some reading, you will be happy to know the 'perks' or level up abilities are often weapon specific (ignore armor with maces was an example, as was bleeding wounds with a blade, and such). So it is not entirely 'using a sword or an axe of a mace is all the same, woe is *this game*'.



Fixed.

But that's good to hear. Probably still going to be a downloader or discount on steam for me, but we'll see.


----------



## SirMyghin

I wait for lots of games to hit discount bin, given Oblivion I am not sure why I bought this one outright. Still need to get my copy of Portal 2 now that it is cheap.


----------



## AxeHappy

Given Oblivion and Fallout 3 is exactly why I don't see this as a must purchase. The ES series has just been going in a direction I don't like.


----------



## SirMyghin

AxeHappy said:


> Given Oblivion and Fallout 3 is exactly why I don't see this as a must purchase. The ES series has just been going in a direction I don't like.



Fallout 3 I didn't even finish, I got about 1/2 way and quit. Not finishing a game at that stage says a lot about how much I enjoyed it (I did finish oblivion, but I am certain I did not replay it). I have consequently not played New Vegas either. I am not sure why I am so excited about Skyrim, honestly, but something just look 'right'.


----------



## AxeHappy

I didn't even finish Oblivion.


----------



## Grand Moff Tim

I finished Oblivion on every platform on which it was available.


----------



## SirMyghin

AxeHappy said:


> I didn't even finish Oblivion.



Can't really say you missed much in my mind. The ending sequence made your character feel terribly useless, always a mistake.


----------



## Grand Moff Tim

I'd have felt extra ripped of by the "ending" if it was actually an end-all, be-all sort of ending. It just felt like the end of that particular questline, and though it was technically the "main" questline, I didn't spend any more time on it than I did any anything else in the game. I was a bit disappointed that I didn't get to fight dagon myself, I'm fine admitting, but I was able to carry on playing the game afterwards, so the disappointment was shortlived. I was _much_ more disasppointed with the pre-DLC ending of FO3 and the ending of FO:NV for not allowing me to keep playing.


----------



## SirMyghin

^^^

You think they would have learned the first time in their games people expect to be able to keep playing


----------



## Grand Moff Tim

No kidding. 

"Well, the fans of Oblivion and Morrowind seem to have enjoyed being able to keep playing after completing the main quest. Shall we not allow them to in the new Fallout games?"
"Oh, let's not!"
"Tee-hee, okay!"


----------



## SirMyghin

I mean the outrage was so huge they DLC'd it into FO3, then didn't keep it in for New Vegas? I can understand doing it once, but twice?


----------



## The Reverend

Word alive, us internet folk are to please. TBH, I haven't seen a single thing about Skyrim I haven't liked. The reason I'm buying this when it comes out is simple:

That view you get when first coming out of a dungeon. Yum. I'll be damned if I see that shit on Facebook or Youtube by some unhappy accident. It may even ruin the game for me. I don't really have a choice.

Axe and the kind Sir M, I know I'm being lazy by asking this, but what were your main gripes with Oblivion? I'm only semi-trolling; when I play Skyrim, I want to play it minus my obvious fanboyism, and keeping some of the major issues you guys had will help keep me honest, a skill I have to develop if I'm going to be in the industry. Think of it as "critical gaming" I guess.


----------



## Guitarman700

I saw ten Skyrim ads on taxis tonight in Chicago. Didn't help my excitement.


----------



## Grand Moff Tim

The Reverend said:


> That view you get when first coming out of a dungeon. Yum.


 
That's a big part of how Oblivion initially sunk its claws into me. Starting out doing that prison/dungeon/sewer level had me thinking "Okay, this is alright... I could take it or leave it..." but the first time I walked out of that sewer grate and into the open world, I had an eyegasm. No joke, I went and bought my first HDTV specifically because I wanted to see Oblivion in HD after playing on my shitty old TV. Luckily for me, it ended up being much more than just eye candy (in _my_ opinion, anyway, Sir M ).


----------



## Ishan

The thing that'll make me buy it first day out : Chickens vigilante glitch!! (google it  )


----------



## BigBaldIan

Anyone else counting down the days?


----------



## SirMyghin

The Reverend said:


> Axe and the kind Sir M, I know I'm being lazy by asking this, but what were your main gripes with Oblivion?



Alright, I'll get out the full list 

-As mentioned they took the culmination of the story out of the players hand, you weren't really the big hero, you were more like the squire.

-They borrowed a bit much from MMOs, the whole 'go close 5 oblivion gates', 'go closer 3 great gates', etc, was not present in the main story lines and although you had the odd gather an item quest previously you would go to some random dungeon of your choosing and get it all in one place, none of this run all over and grind crap. All storyline dungeons were also unique beyond the differences in standard dungeons, which was not the case.

- No treasure hunting. There were no random awesome pieces of super smite gear hidden at the bottom of certain caves/ruins/shrines due to the world levelling mechanics. Many dungeons in Morrowind had awesome secret treasures hidden outside the scope of the main game, seemingly randomly.

- Fast travel, I preferred the cohesive infrastructured world presented previous. This felt too disjoint.

- It just seemed easier overall.

-Using a simplified version of the skill system in morrowind, if you are going to cut that close, keep it the same (or overhaul completely, which I am also okay with)

That is what I have off the top of my head.


----------



## AxeHappy

SirMyghin said:


> Alright, I'll get out the full list
> 
> -As mentioned they took the culmination of the story out of the players hand, you weren't really the big hero, you were more like the squire.
> 
> -They borrowed a bit much from MMOs, the whole 'go close 5 oblivion gates', 'go closer 3 great gates', etc, was not present in the main story lines and although you had the odd gather an item quest previously you would go to some random dungeon of your choosing and get it all in one place, none of this run all over and grind crap. All storyline dungeons were also unique beyond the differences in standard dungeons, which was not the case.
> 
> - No treasure hunting. There were no random awesome pieces of super smite gear hidden at the bottom of certain caves/ruins/shrines due to the world levelling mechanics. Many dungeons in Morrowind had awesome secret treasures hidden outside the scope of the main game, seemingly randomly.
> 
> - Fast travel, I preferred the cohesive infrastructured world presented previous. This felt too disjoint.
> 
> - It just seemed easier overall.
> 
> -Using a simplified version of the skill system in morrowind, if you are going to cut that close, keep it the same (or overhaul completely, which I am also okay with)
> 
> That is what I have off the top of my head.



I'll add:
To much FEDEX questing. Almost the entire main storyline was Fedex. Go get Martin some shit. A lot of the guild quests too. 

The Guilds themselves. There was way less of them. You're going to tell my the Imperial Temple is less powerful in Cryodil than Morrowind? Why couldn't I join them? I also found the questlines shorter and less memorable than in Morrowind which would be fine if it had the infinite random quests of Daggerfall...but it didn't.

I have to visit someplace before I could fast travel to it? They took the flavourful part of Fast Travel out (Silt Striders etc...) but didn't put the convenient part back in. 

Not enough RPG. And what I mean by this is:
Your skills meant very little. You could become the Archmage without the ability to cast a spell. You could become the Leader of the Fighters Guild without being able to use a weapon blah blah blah. Weapon skills no longer served to control hitting...only having a slight effect on how much damage you do, etc etc. They also cut a huge amount of lore specific content that was in older games. Where do bonemold go? Why don't crossbow or throwing weapons exists, etc. Not to mention randomly hacking out a bunch of skills for absolutely no reason. If you're upset that not enough people used Medium armour than FUCKING BALANCE THE ARMOURS BETTER! Don't just get rid of it.

Why isn't the thieves guild a real guild? They were a real guild in the previous games. Also why did the entire theives guild questline boil down to: Go to city, Talk to Beggar (Either bribe or do that mind numbing fucking mini-game), do what the beggar told you (in a different voice than the one he said, "Hello," in).

What kind of numbnuts gets off his horse to use a sword?

Why is that highway man wearing Daedric armour?

Why did you make that game so that I have to finish all quests with good artifacts after hitting level 20 or shaft myself?

The changing of the dialog from written to voice overs. Take a lesson from Bioware. Hire many good voice actors instead of 1 or 2 A list celebrities. If you're going to make a big deal (and they did) how everything is voice acted then It'd better not be shitty. And it was shitty. Terrible even. It was better in Fallout 3 though so they may have fixed this problem. But it's still terribly annoying in Oblivion. 

I could go on for quite a bit but I think I'm done for now.


----------



## Pooluke41

AxeHappy said:


> I'll add:
> To much FEDEX questing. Almost the entire main storyline was Fedex. Go get Martin some shit. A lot of the guild quests too.
> 
> The Guilds themselves. There was way less of them. You're going to tell my the Imperial Temple is less powerful in Cryodil than Morrowind? Why couldn't I join them? I also found the questlines shorter and less memorable than in Morrowind which would be fine if it had the infinite random quests of Daggerfall...but it didn't.
> 
> I have to visit someplace before I could fast travel to it? They took the flavourful part of Fast Travel out (Silt Striders etc...) but didn't put the convenient part back in.
> 
> Not enough RPG. And what I mean by this is:
> Your skills meant very little. You could become the Archmage without the ability to cast a spell. You could become the Leader of the Fighters Guild without being able to use a weapon blah blah blah. Weapon skills no longer served to control hitting...only having a slight effect on how much damage you do, etc etc. They also cut a huge amount of lore specific content that was in older games. Where do bonemold go? Why don't crossbow or throwing weapons exists, etc. Not to mention randomly hacking out a bunch of skills for absolutely no reason. If you're upset that not enough people used Medium armour than FUCKING BALANCE THE ARMOURS BETTER! Don't just get rid of it.
> 
> Why isn't the thieves guild a real guild? They were a real guild in the previous games. Also why did the entire theives guild questline boil down to: Go to city, Talk to Beggar (Either bribe or do that mind numbing fucking mini-game), do what the beggar told you (in a different voice than the one he said, "Hello," in).
> 
> What kind of numbnuts gets off his horse to use a sword?
> 
> Why is that highway man wearing Daedric armour?
> 
> Why did you make that game so that I have to finish all quests with good artifacts after hitting level 20 or shaft myself?
> 
> The changing of the dialog from written to voice overs. Take a lesson from Bioware. Hire many good voice actors instead of 1 or 2 A list celebrities. If you're going to make a big deal (and they did) how everything is voice acted then It'd better not be shitty. And it was shitty. Terrible even. It was better in Fallout 3 though so they may have fixed this problem. But it's still terribly annoying in Oblivion.
> 
> I could go on for quite a bit but I think I'm done for now.



I'll also add.


Mudcrabs, the slightly more annoying version of cliff racers.


----------



## SirMyghin

Have to hand it to Bethesda, they have given us surprisingly little to work with here. And nothing of substance. Most companies spill way too much crap about the game on the way. ... 11 days.


----------



## niffnoff

SirMyghin said:


> Have to hand it to Bethesda, they have given us surprisingly little to work with here. And nothing of substance. Most companies spill way too much crap about the game on the way. ... 11 days.



I'm expecting the usual Bethesda trait..... patch day 1. I remember in Fallout 3 on release, one of the NPC's deciding to go on a little walk in Megaton... only to fall to his death... I am of course speaking of the "plumber"


----------



## AxeHappy

I'm more expecting the usual Bethesda trait of ending up releasing a bunch of patches and still not fixing half the issues in the game so the modding community ends up actually finishing the game 2-3 years after it's released.


----------



## Pooluke41

AxeHappy said:


> I'm more expecting the usual Bethesda trait of ending up releasing a bunch of patches and still not fixing half the issues in the game so the modding community ends up actually finishing the game 2-3 years after it's released.



Bethesda just do a big -->  every year.


----------



## Xaios

AxeHappy said:


> The changing of the dialog from written to voice overs. Take a lesson from Bioware. Hire many good voice actors instead of 1 or 2 A list celebrities. If you're going to make a big deal (and they did) how everything is voice acted then It'd better not be shitty. And it was shitty. Terrible even. It was better in Fallout 3 though so they may have fixed this problem. But it's still terribly annoying in Oblivion.



Oh Lord, absolutely agreed with this. I mean, I would go gay for either Patrick Stewart or Sean Bean, but they both sounded unbelievably bored in Oblivion. The rest of the voice acting was garbage as well. Plus, it didn't help that Bethesda had advertised a free-flowing world in which random NPCs would have conversations with each other in order to make it feel natural and lived in, only to have said conversations sound like a dialogue between two robots.


----------



## SirMyghin

Pooluke41 said:


> Bethesda just do a big -->  every year.



You mean by releasing everything after Morrowind? . This is probably their last shot in my books. 


On a side note, I have been watching the trailer way too much. Love what they did with the elder scrolls theme for it, with the vocal part and all.


----------



## Pooluke41

SirMyghin said:


> You mean by releasing everything after Morrowind? . This is probably their last shot in my books.
> 
> 
> On a side note, I have been watching the trailer way too much. Love what they did with the elder scrolls theme for it, with the vocal part and all.



Yep.


Morrowind =


----------



## niffnoff

SirMyghin said:


> You mean by releasing everything after Morrowind? . This is probably their last shot in my books.
> 
> .



Eh I don't think this is the last shot.  the question is what's more awesome than Dragons? = sequel


----------



## SirMyghin

niffnoff said:


> Eh I don't think this is the last shot.  the question is what's more awesome than Dragons? = sequel



I mean if this one doesn't grab me, I will likely not look at any more of their games. We have 9 provinces in Tamriel, and only 5 games so far, I doubt they would go back and make the next one in the same place (not that I know the setting of daggerfall or arena well). 

It is neat they are going to attempt something close to an epic battle, as these games have never really had much in terms of combat (combat is always there but never the focus, and often lackluster).


----------



## Pooluke41

SirMyghin said:


> I mean if this one doesn't grab me, I will likely not look at any more of their games. We have 9 provinces in Tamriel, and only 5 games so far, I doubt they would go back and make the next one in the same place (not that I know the setting of daggerfall or arena well).
> 
> It is neat they are going to attempt something close to an epic battle, as these games have never really had much in terms of combat (combat is always there but never the focus, and often lackluster).





Next year, COD but In tamriel with swords.


----------



## SirMyghin

They are making a new fallout?


----------



## Captain Shoggoth

Been a casual ES fan for many years with a few fond memories of both Morrowind and Oblivion, ('stop right there, criminal scum!' will always hold a special place in my heart) but never owned an ES title. 

This changes with Skyrim. I am excited.



SirMyghin said:


> They are making a new fallout?


----------



## Pooluke41

SirMyghin said:


> They are making a new fallout?




Fantasy Fallout Reloaded 3


----------



## Alimination

Totally counting down the days for skyrim as well. Pre ordered it as soon as I saw the damn first trailer =)

Man, they totally shoulda went with a different engine though, instead of the one they made. Just sayin!


----------



## inaudio

Alimination said:


> Totally counting down the days for skyrim as well. Pre ordered it as soon as I saw the damn first trailer =)
> 
> Man, they totally shoulda went with a different engine though, instead of the one they made. Just sayin!






this vid is really cool too


----------



## Captain Axx

should be going to the midnight launch this week, seriously can't wait.

what's the best time to go? i'm really not sure what's the best time to get to the game store.


----------



## Captain Axx

First review is up! (well, the scans from a magazine)

Gaming Everything » Blog Archive » First review of The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim is in

(sorry for double post)


----------



## TheHandOfStone

Finally preordered today. *boner get*


----------



## AxeHappy

And...it begins...

Skyrim to Get Day One Patch - PC News at IGN


----------



## SirMyghin

Well there goes any drive to go to the midnight release. 

Why the hell do companies continually release incomplete, inadequately tested games.


----------



## The Reverend

SirMyghin said:


> Well there goes any drive to go to the midnight release.
> 
> Why the hell do companies continually release incomplete, inadequately tested games.





Hundreds of people working on hundreds of thousands of lines of code...MAYBE two dozen testers, most only contract employees. Thousands of hours of simulated play-time and permutations, and you still won't catch all the bugs. 

Expecting perfection from software is a bit ridiculous while it's still humans writing it, Mr. Myghin. Go to the midnight release, it's not like every game ever hasn't gotten a patch at some point.


----------



## Grand Moff Tim

The Reverend said:


> it's not like every game ever hasn't gotten a patch at some point.


 
Maybe every current-gen game. I miss being able to buy a _complete_ game on day one, which was the way things were for... well... my _entire friggin' childhood._ I know it's increasingly implausible to find _all_ of the bugs before release day, but being able to use the internet to release post-release patches just seems like an excuse to release sub-par games on time instead of delaying to release a game that, you know, actually works.

On the other hand, back in the "good old days," if you got a glitchy game, you were stuck with a glitchy game. If developers didn't catch it before release, well, tough shit for consumers .

Also, while Bethesda has a reputation for releasing buggy games, a number of those bugs have been hilariously exploitable (and subsequently ruined by later patches that fixed them).


----------



## Grand Moff Tim

Random thought:

I had a bit of an epiphany today where I think I can almost feel where you Morrowind fanboy/Oblivion haters are coming from. I was playing GTA: San Andreas earlier, and I couldn't help but remember that despite it looking a fair bit shittier than GTAIV, there was just so much more variety and facets of gameplay that were dropped between GTA:SA and GTAIV. I played the ever-living shit out of San Andreas back when it was new, and I enjoyed everything about it so much that it was essentially inevitable that GTAIV would dissapoint me tremendously. Sure, it was prettier, but the game itself was actually _worse_. As all this was occurring to me, I thought "Waaaaaiiiiit a minute... I'm describing Morrowind vs Oblivion here..."


----------



## The Reverend

Grand Moff Tim said:


> Maybe every current-gen game. I miss being able to buy a _complete_ game on day one, which was the way things were for... well... my _entire friggin' childhood._ I know it's increasingly implausible to find _all_ of the bugs before release day, but being able to use the internet to release post-release patches just seems like an excuse to release sub-par games on time instead of delaying to release a game that, you know, actually works.
> 
> On the other hand, back in the "good old days," if you got a glitchy game, you were stuck with a glitchy game. If developers didn't catch it before release, well, tough shit for consumers .
> 
> Also, while Bethesda has a reputation for releasing buggy games, a number of those bugs have been hilariously exploitable (and subsequently ruined by later patches that fixed them).



No major PC game I've ever played was patch-free, and this goes back a decade (holy shit I'm now old enough to have had a decade of experience with something!). I can't tell you how many PS2, N64, and Dreamcast games have had me stuck in walls/boxes/people or wouldn't let me finish missions or what-have-you. 

Bethesda isn't any more bug-ridden than Valve or Gearbox or insert-big-name-here, are they?


----------



## Grand Moff Tim

The Reverend said:


> No major PC game I've ever played was patch-free, and this goes back a decade (holy shit I'm now old enough to have had a decade of experience with something!). I can't tell you how many PS2, N64, and Dreamcast games have had me stuck in walls/boxes/people or wouldn't let me finish missions or what-have-you.
> 
> Bethesda isn't any more bug-ridden than Valve or Gearbox or insert-big-name-here, are they?


 
See, I started as a wee lad playing Mario 1 on the NES back in 1987, so between then and the current gen with omnipresent patches, every single game I played was a finished product the moment I took it out of the box. As I said, there may have been bugs, but they were rarely anything that a reset wouldn't take care of. Certainly nothing that needed a manufacturer fix. The early PC games I played (on Commodore 64 and Apple IIC, lol) weren't even complex enough to have serious bugs . 

I don't know if Bethesda is any buggier than any other company, but its fanboys sure do complain about it alot more vocally .


----------



## SirMyghin

The Reverend said:


> Hundreds of people working on hundreds of thousands of lines of code...MAYBE two dozen testers, most only contract employees. Thousands of hours of simulated play-time and permutations, and you still won't catch all the bugs.
> 
> Expecting perfection from software is a bit ridiculous while it's still humans writing it, Mr. Myghin. Go to the midnight release, it's not like every game ever hasn't gotten a patch at some point.



It is the notion that needing to patch it right the hell now, on day one, suggests something a little more serious than something that should escape dev. Patches are fine, but nothing that important should escape.

Best thing I read however was Bethesda wanted to make it 1.1 to have more 1's on release


----------



## AxeHappy

The Reverend said:


> Expecting perfection from software is a bit ridiculous while it's still humans writing it, Mr. Myghin. Go to the midnight release, it's not like every game ever hasn't gotten a patch at some point.



No...but expecting a game not to need serious errors fixed on release day seems pretty fucking reasonable to me.

There was also a time when patches used to do stuff like...adjust game balance, add additional content and prepare for Expansion packs (which also seem to have died).

Now patches (and DLC) seem to be an excuse to release unfinished, buggy (and not buggy as in, "Oh that's quaint you can jump off the map if you work at it," but buggy as in, "Hunh the game CTD if I try to finish the 1st main quest...") games, with a huge lack of content for full price.


----------



## Prydogga

Xaios said:


> Oh Lord, absolutely agreed with this. I mean, I would go gay for either Patrick Stewart or Sean Bean, but they both sounded unbelievably bored in Oblivion. The rest of the voice acting was garbage as well. Plus, it didn't help that Bethesda had advertised a free-flowing world in which random NPCs would have conversations with each other in order to make it feel natural and lived in, only to have said conversations sound like a dialogue between two robots.



It was always the same old lady from an inn talking to a guard, no matter what the body model was. Same voices, all the time.  

Very excited for Friday


----------



## The Reverend

It's not a game-breaker, I can tell you that much. It's probably a loophole in a quest line, or some kind of exploit someone found. I don't have an internet connection my PS3 can use, so I guess I'll find out the hard way if this bug just ruins the game in every way, making it a waste of time and money to play, or even think about. It's strange to me that someone can devalue an entire game because of a single error. 

It'd be like dismissing Beethoven entirely because a recently discovered symphony of his had a movement that wasn't related to the others at all.


----------



## Rock4ever

What classes are you guys going to play?

I want to play as a real rogue, and will be disappointed if I have to rely on a damn bow. Would also be nice if there was a stealth mechanic too.


----------



## SirMyghin

Nope, TES never has stealth, you just have to hope you get lucky. As far as classes I am going to play the ever popular imba bitch class. (Skyrim has no class system, btw).


@Axe, those were the good old days, when patches did more than just fix the game.


----------



## Grand Moff Tim

I'll probably do my first playthrough as a battlemage of some sort, so I can get a handle on the combat and the magic before I try a playthrough as a balls-to-the-wall mage, which is my preferred class.


----------



## SirMyghin

Grand Moff Tim said:


> I'll probably do my first playthrough as a battlemage of some sort, so I can get a handle on the combat and the magic before I try a playthrough as a balls-to-the-wall mage, which is my preferred class.



Then you cna play a Warlock named Richard and dual wield fire an ice! (Don't lie, you have though the same thing at some point in time). 

FWOOSH! (fuck I am bored today )


----------



## Grand Moff Tim

If that was referencing something, I don't get it.


----------



## Captain Shoggoth

@SirMyghin: Looking For Group?


----------



## ibanezRG1527

got mine fully paid off. woo!


----------



## heavy7-665

Im going Arcane Archer.


----------



## AxeHappy

The Reverend said:


> It's not a game-breaker, I can tell you that much. It's probably a loophole in a quest line, or some kind of exploit someone found. I don't have an internet connection my PS3 can use, so I guess I'll find out the hard way if this bug just ruins the game in every way, making it a waste of time and money to play, or even think about. It's strange to me that someone can devalue an entire game because of a single error.
> 
> It'd be like dismissing Beethoven entirely because a recently discovered symphony of his had a movement that wasn't related to the others at all.




Uh...except that every Bethesda game ever made ever still has game-breaking bugs many years later? Let alone the un-patched/1st day patched game.

Like I said, I'll give it a chance because I love the idea of the Elder Scrolls series (I actually own both Morrowind and Oblivion which is rare with games nowadays. And I have the free copy of Daggerfall and Arena you can download from Beth) but they (including Fallout 3) just keep disappointing me. For many reasons. The Terrible polishing is just one factor.


Also:
Blizzard polishes the hell out of their games. No CTD bugs in them. No Game-Breaking errors. Just potentially balancing issues.


----------



## Daiephir

I'm ready for it, even if it has bugs, and a girl friend of mine is too, now my dilema is either buying it for the PS3 or my laptop (she's gonna buy it for Xbox if anyone wanted to know)

Also, Blizzard do have the polish award of the decade, but good lord, sometimes you wish they could still get them out a tad faster (I'm looking at you D3 and HotS! )


----------



## SirMyghin

Daiephir said:


> I'm ready for it, even if it has bugs, and a girl friend of mine is too, now my dilema is either buying it for the PS3 or my laptop (she's gonna buy it for Xbox if anyone wanted to know)
> 
> Also, Blizzard do have the polish award of the decade, but good lord, sometimes you wish they could still get them out a tad faster (I'm looking at you D3 and HotS! )



Blizzard releases the game when it is ready, and none sooner. They are also the last PC developer in existance, so don't try to get them to 'fix' anything. Pretty much every other company designs with consoles in mind, or just on console and ports to PC.


----------



## Daiephir

So true


----------



## Rock4ever

In the melee system do you just click the mouse for regular attacks and thats it or are there specials?


----------



## Rock4ever

SirMyghin said:


> Blizzard releases the game when it is ready, and none sooner.



I believed that until Diablo 2 came out.


----------



## SirMyghin

^^ I played Diablo 2 from release til when immunities started getting too stupid. I don't recall any significant problems aside from balancing (which I think they took too far).




Rock4ever said:


> In the melee system do you just click the mouse for regular attacks and thats it or are there specials?




There are some specials this time around but Elder Scrolls games, while they contain a lot of combat, are not hack and slash games parsay. The environment is generally what makes the game, not an engaging combat system.


----------



## Rock4ever

SirMyghin said:


> ^^ I played Diablo 2 from release til when immunities started getting too stupid. I don't recall any significant problems aside from balancing (which I think they took too far).
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> There are some specials this time around but Elder Scrolls games, while they contain a lot of combat, are not hack and slash games parsay. The environment is generally what makes the game, not an engaging combat system.



My biggest gripe about diablo 2 was the inordinate amount of time I spent managing inventory prior to the LoD expansion. I remember Icewind Dale 2 came out about the same month, and I had a much more satisfying that despite the increased difficulty. I also thought the graphics in diablo 2 were lacking, but I understand Blizz's intent to make the game playable by a large audience.

I was worried about the combat for skyrim. I remembered trying a rogue in Morrowind and everything was kinda hack and slash. It was my 1st game I played in the TES series, and overall it was disappointing. Tried a caster class in Oblivion, and it was more satisfying but the amount of kiting one could do was ridiculous. Will be interesting to see how I go I guess.


----------



## AxeHappy

Rock4ever said:


> My biggest gripe about diablo 2 was the inordinate amount of time I spent managing inventory prior to the LoD expansion. I remember Icewind Dale 2 came out about the same month, and I had a much more satisfying that _*BECAUSE OF*_ the increased difficulty. I also thought the graphics in diablo 2 were lacking, but I understand Blizz's intent to make the game playable by a large audience.
> 
> I was worried about the combat for skyrim. I remembered trying a rogue in Morrowind and everything was kinda hack and slash. It was my 1st game I played in the TES series, and overall it was disappointing. Tried a caster class in Oblivion, and it was more satisfying but the amount of kiting one could do was ridiculous. Will be interesting to see how I go I guess.



Fixed. 

But combat always has and always will, "suck" in the Elder Scrolls series. 

That said the combat has never bothered me. I'd like if they could get the stats more involved in it again, but I did like actually controlling block in Oblivion. Still think their should have been a block skill that controls how well I can do it but meh.


----------



## SirMyghin

Rock4ever said:


> My biggest gripe about diablo 2 was the inordinate amount of time I spent managing inventory prior to the LoD expansion. I remember Icewind Dale 2 came out about the same month, and I had a much more satisfying that despite the increased difficulty. I also thought the graphics in diablo 2 were lacking, but I understand Blizz's intent to make the game playable by a large audience.
> 
> I was worried about the combat for skyrim. I remembered trying a rogue in Morrowind and everything was kinda hack and slash. It was my 1st game I played in the TES series, and overall it was disappointing. Tried a caster class in Oblivion, and it was more satisfying but the amount of kiting one could do was ridiculous. Will be interesting to see how I go I guess.



You must of been a bad rogue, I go around sneak attacking the hell out of people. Using a Bound Bow helps too. Bound items = king of the world equipment. 

That said if you want combat, you are barking up the wrong tree, no games have managed to capture what was done with the infinity engine in terms of involvement and difficulty. Even Dragon Age, which was supposed to be trying to capture that was not surprisingly too easy. To clarify my position, the IE games were the greatest computer RPGs ever made. Period. Planescape fronting it imo (the none combat option focus was nice).


----------



## Grand Moff Tim

AxeHappy said:


> Still think their should have been a block skill that controls how well I can do it but meh.


 
Uh... there was...


----------



## The Reverend

Haters gon' hate. 

It would take a miracle to make at least my first six hours with this game not feel incredibly happy, lost, and in awe of what I'm looking at. I'm sure I can take a bug in stride, and see the forest for the trees. Too bad some people can't do that . 

After the novelty wears off though, we'll see how the game holds up, or at least I will, because I don't trust any of you guys's judgment.


----------



## SirMyghin

The Reverend said:


> Haters gon' hate.
> 
> It would take a miracle to make at least my first six hours with this game not feel incredibly happy, lost, and in awe of what I'm looking at. I'm sure I can take a bug in stride, and see the forest for the trees. Too bad some people can't do that .
> 
> After the novelty wears off though, we'll see how the game holds up, or at least I will, because I don't trust any of you guys's judgment.



Shame on that last bit, because I am, you know, always right. . 

I have high hopes for it as the setting looks a lot more interesting than Cyrodil was.


----------



## Grand Moff Tim

Since all the disc I'm getting will likely be is a Steam download disc, I imagine any game-day patches will be downloaded right along with it the first time I try to load it, so it'll be all the same to me.

On the other hand, that also means I'm going to have to wait like three fucking hours to play it even after I have it in my damned hands. I guess I'll spend that time reading the book and gazing intently at the dragon statue... or something...


----------



## Prydogga

Just got the special edition 360 copy a couple of hours ago. Very surprised that it's only one disc.

So far, it's amazing.


----------



## Guitarman700

Prydogga said:


> Just got the special edition 360 copy a couple of hours ago. Very surprised that it's only one disc.
> 
> So far, it's amazing.



:| .....YOU HAVE IT ALREADY!?


----------



## Prydogga

Came out on the 10th here, for some reason.


----------



## Tomo009

EVERYTHING is breaking release date in Aus recently. Too bad I ordered a bunch of games online a while back so I doubt I'll be seeing this until next week.


----------



## Varcolac

As I bought a PS3 especially for this title, I have it sitting under my TV like an expensive paperweight. I have no other games to play on it. Amazon still haven't dispatched my damn disc, and so I'm refreshing constantly instead of actually working. 

When it gets here, I anticipate a lot of wasted time. My girlfriend and I are pretty major Bethesda fangirls, so we'll be spending most of the weekend on the sofa punching dragons. Seriously can't wait. I haven't been this excited for a new game since Mass Effect 2.


----------



## AxeHappy

Grand Moff Tim said:


> Uh... there was...




WELL FUCK ME!!!! 


I actually had to look it up as I didn't believe you. Been that long since I played it I guess. Ha!


----------



## Scar Symmetry

I hate Prydogga


----------



## Prydogga

I have to be up early tomorrow for exams, so I can't play for another 12 hours. Trust me, it's good


----------



## SirMyghin

Lets all gang up and kill this Prydogga fellow.


----------



## JamesM

Alex, you're a fucking whore.


----------



## BigBaldIan

1 more day before my social life goes down the crapper.


----------



## Anonymous

I'm either going to pick this up tonight or after school tomorrow!!!


----------



## Tomo009

SirMyghin said:


> Lets all gang up and kill this Prydogga fellow.



You are going to have trouble pinpointing the correct commodore...

Hope this game holds out better than Oblivion.


----------



## GhostsofAcid

Taking tomorrow off for this.


----------



## Black_Sheep

How much does it matter that you haven't played the previous ones? Cause i haven't, and this game intrest me A LOT. 

My friend says it doesn't matter, that the story is not related, only the world is the same. But... 

?


----------



## SirMyghin

There are references to the other games, but generally they are contained in the history books and give you the gist of it anyway. The games are individual, not sequels. Good to know you value our opinion more than your friends though.


----------



## Prydogga

Teehee. First dragon you see if a fucking badass.


----------



## Varcolac

The stories in Elder Scrolls games are almost completely unrelated. The gameplay mechanics and background world are similar though. 

Skyrim, for instance, takes place centuries after the previous two Elder Scrolls outings, and in a different region of the world. It's absolutely not necessary to have played them. However, the experience of having played Morrowind and Oblivion would, I guess, give a deeper sense of history to a Skyrim playthrough, with events such as the Oblivion crisis and Dagoth Ur's schemings probably being referenced in lore and prophecies.


----------



## Prydogga

Yeah, I'm instantly immersed in Skyrim because I've played both morrowind and oblivion, but I don't think I'd be at a loss after 20+ hours having only played Skyrim.

Oh, and the water and stream visuals are amazing. As is the 3rd person combat (thank fucking god.) been playing in 3rd person mostly.


----------



## AxeHappy

First Reveiw?

The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim Review - PC Review at IGN


Apparently character creation is a waste of time though? That's one of my favourite parts of RPGing.


----------



## Xaios

I'm really torn on this. I own an Xbox 360, but I really want to experience this on PC. Alas, my PC is just too old at this point to play it, at least to the point that I'd like. So I'm debating as to whether or not to pick it up for Xbox or wait (probably a good long while) to upgrade my PC and buy it then.


----------



## guitarister7321

Went to Gamestop on Tuesday to pay mine off. Was there for a half hour because there was a line (because of Modern Warfare 3 ). I actually had to wait outside for a few minutes, and MW3 had already been out for 18 hours.

But I'm going to midnight madness tonight and picking it up. So fucking excited!



Xaios said:


> I'm really torn on this. I own an Xbox 360, but I really want to experience this on PC. Alas, my PC is just too old at this point to play it, at least to the point that I'd like. So I'm debating as to whether or not to pick it up for Xbox or wait (probably a good long while) to upgrade my PC and buy it then.



I was in the same exact dilemma, but I've been waiting for a new Elder Scrolls game for a few years and had to get it on 11-11-11, so just got it for 360. The 360 graphics are still stunning.


----------



## Rock4ever

I ordered the pc version cuz I'm all about the cheat codez!


----------



## Captain Shoggoth

UK 360 player, Game delivered my copy today. You guys jelly?


----------



## Alimination

AxeHappy said:


> First Reveiw?
> 
> The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim Review - PC Review at IGN
> 
> 
> Apparently character creation is a waste of time though? That's one of my favourite parts of RPGing.




Doesn't seem that bad, It reminds me of Dragon Age's character creation which doesn't seem that bad. I actually hated Oblivions system, took way too long to create one, thought it was an improvement. 

oh and don't watch this if you don't wana ruin the beginning for yourself =p


(Around 15:00)


----------



## ScottyB724

SOOOO STOKED!!! Gaaahh I wish it was midnight now.

Here is an extremely well written review from G4, it's making my excitement unbearable: The Elder Scrolls 5: Skyrim Review for Xbox 360 - G4tv


----------



## Skin Coffin

Captain Shoggoth said:


> UK 360 player, Game delivered my copy today. You guys jelly?



I ordered mine from Amazon.co.uk and it says the release day is tomorrow. How do you have it today?


----------



## SirMyghin

guitarister7321 said:


> Went to Gamestop on Tuesday to pay mine off. Was there for a half hour because there was a line (because of Modern Warfare 3 ). I actually had to wait outside for a few minutes, and MW3 had already been out for 18 hours.
> 
> But I'm going to midnight madness tonight and picking it up. So fucking excited!
> 
> 
> 
> I was in the same exact dilemma, but I've been waiting for a new Elder Scrolls game for a few years and had to get it on 11-11-11, so just got it for 360. The 360 graphics are still stunning.



I don't think people want to play it on PC so much for graphic superiority, as better controls overall. Morrowind was painful on xbox for inventory stuff. 

I may be wrong though, as modern players are far too obsessed with graphics.


----------



## Grand Moff Tim

SirMyghin said:


> I don't think people want to play it on PC so much for graphic superiority, as better controls overall. Morrowind was painful on xbox for inventory stuff.
> 
> I may be wrong though, as modern players are far too obsessed with graphics.


 
I played Oblivion on 360 for a looong time before I finally got a PC that could do it justice, and I'm with you. The improvement wasn't the graphics, it was the gameplay. Now I've gotten so used to playing Bethesda games on PC that I can't even imagine getting it on console before PC for any reason other than not having a PC that could handle it. I don't just mean handle the graphics, though, but also the physics and multitasking. Having multiple people fighting on screen was a friggin' mess in Oblivion on a sub-par system, especially if there were some high-powered spellcasters involved. Potential for better graphics and console command hilarity are just icing on the cake for playing it on PC. Oh, and mods. Can't forget the mods.


I was actually considering waiting until tomorrow during the day to pick up my copy because I don't really feel like driving the 30 miles into town in the middle of the night, but I don't think I'll be able to resist. I want that shit NOW. I told myself I'd finish all of my assignments for my TEFL cert before release, but even the _anticipation_ of it has been enough to distract me from my work .


----------



## SirMyghin

^^I'd wait til the patch personally, the IGN review seems to hint it is so buggy you will very likely encounter more than the odd glitch. Does not really sound like it should have went gold. Hopefully the mod community digs in and fixes up the game well, and quickly.



> As tends to be the case with games as large and complex as Skyrim, there are bugs. Some are minor, like dead bodies jittering madly or poking through walls. Your hands may momentarily disappear, equipping an armored face mask may actually turn you into an invisible man, and mammoths may soar into the air for no apparent reason. More serious glitches exist as well, such as those that prevent you from completing quests. How widespread these issues are is tough to say, maybe you'll have a glitch-free experience, but chances are you'll at least run into a few. Along with the occasional game crash, these issues can be periodically irritating, but given the overwhelming number of things Skyrim gets right, putting up with them is a small price to pay.


----------



## Grand Moff Tim

New Vegas had the same sort of complaints on release day, and I still played the shit out of it from day one. I'm a trooper. Hell, I played Oblivion unpatched for _months_ before finally borrowing a cable to hook it up to the internet and DL the first DLC and finding out there were patches.


----------



## metal_sam14

Right: I have never played an RPG beyond fallout 3, but am interested in this game and on the fence about buying it. worried that between work, girlfriend and music that I wont have time to appreciate it. thoughts? convince me guys


----------



## Cheap Poison

Bethesda's games always have bug.

Some that will never go away, it's just the price you pay for an open world. There are too many variables.
Fact is it never stops people from enjoying the games. There is some dodgy stuff but far from unplayably broken.


----------



## Tomo009

Cheap Poison said:


> Bethesda's games always have bug.
> 
> Some that will never go away, it's just the price you pay for an open world. There are too many variables.
> Fact is it never stops people from enjoying the games. There is some dodgy stuff but far from unplayably broken.



Every piece of software ever has bugs.


----------



## Xaios

SirMyghin said:


> I don't think people want to play it on PC so much for graphic superiority, as better controls overall. Morrowind was painful on xbox for inventory stuff.



That's exactly it. I'm a PC gamer to my very core. The only reason I own an Xbox was to play Red Dead Redemption (which was fantastic). Otherwise, give me a PC game any day of the week. While I was too young to be a serious gamer when Morrowind came out, I bought Oblivion on the day it was released (sadly to say, it didn't quite live up to my expectations). I've also played through Mass Effect 1 and 2, Dragon Age, Diablo (first, not second), Fallout 1 and 2, Knights of the Old Republic 1 & 2 and Baldur's Gate 2, all on PC (in addition to a whackload of twitch shooters). Still need to try The Witcher games.


----------



## Grand Moff Tim

Xaios said:


> That's exactly it. I'm a PC gamer to my very core. The only reason I own an Xbox was to play Red Dead Redemption (which was fantastic).


 
It still irks me that RDR hasn't seen a PC release yet. All of the GTA games have, so there's hope, but I sure wish it'd come sooner rather than later.


----------



## guitarister7321

Has anyone been watching IGN's live gameplay stream? Gives you a good idea what the environment and gameplay is like.

Check it:
Watch Skyrim Live - PC News at IGN

EDIT:
Another link. Mine's not loading, I think they're still doing the stream?

IGN Live Presents: The Elder Scrolls V Skyrim Video - PC - IGN


----------



## Tomo009

Installing, I realised I haven't even thought about what my first character will be... Argonians look awesome this time instead of goofy so I might make one of them. Dunno what archetype I'm gonna aim for though.


----------



## GhostsofAcid

Xaios said:


> Diablo (first, not second)



I guess you'd be a little late to the party but if you have time you should check out diablo 2. It's one of my favorite rpg's of all time and i spent at least as much time on it as oblivion. The online community is still active the last time i checked (a few months ago), which isn't something a lot of 10+ year old games can say.

On topic: Getting skyrim in 4 hours. Going to the midnight release 

My poor guitars aren't going to be touched for a while


----------



## niffnoff

guitarister7321 said:


> Has anyone been watching IGN's live gameplay stream? Gives you a good idea what the environment and gameplay is like.
> 
> Check it:
> Watch Skyrim Live - PC News at IGN
> 
> EDIT:
> Another link. Mine's not loading, I think they're still doing the stream?
> 
> IGN Live Presents: The Elder Scrolls V Skyrim Video - PC - IGN



Was tempted, but I don't want any spoilers leading up the game. lol. the 20 minute demo was enough for me :')


----------



## Michael T

Let the adventure begin


----------



## Grand Moff Tim

I got the special edition, and I thought I'd take some shitty ipod touch pictures to let you know how friggin' gigantic this damned thing is.

First, the box it all came in. Notice Lego Tarkin standing on the corner there, to give a sense of scale:

EDIT TO CLARIFY: Tarkin's on the _left_ corner. The Lego guy on the right is actually an oversized Lego Anakin alarm clock. 






Next, it came with a faux-leather-bound art book that looks way better in person than in this shitty pic. Again, Tarkin stuck around for scale:







Lastly, the huge ass dragon statue it came with. Tarkin makes one last appearance to let y'all know what's up:







Alright. Now to wait forever for this shit to load onto Steam...


----------



## Captain Shoggoth

Skin Coffin said:


> I ordered mine from Amazon.co.uk and it says the release day is tomorrow. How do you have it today?



Game has a tendency to deliver pre-orders early if you order early enough, my and my best friend both pre-ordered on Tuesday, me from Game and him from Amazon. I got mine yesterday and he gets his today


----------



## Grand Moff Tim

Lycanthropy is back. Just so you know.


----------



## Maniacal

Has anyone tried playing this with an Eyefinity setup?


----------



## The Reverend

Yup.

I can think of a few responsibilities that are getting temporarily ignored for a week or so. There's a lot of details in this game that weren't hyped up pre-release, but add so much to the experience. I love the new crafting system, the return of semi-independent enchanting, and the interesting way they re-vamped enchanting, specifically. I'm very impressed with my first six hours with the game, we'll see how I feel later today about it after the buzz wears off.


----------



## Scar Symmetry

I fucking want this game. I can't trade in without getting ripped off yet so I'll have to wait.


----------



## BigBaldIan

Grand Moff Tim said:


> Lycanthropy is back. Just so you know.


 
Rep for you sir, Nord plus werewolf, oh I am sooooooo there.


----------



## Prydogga

Fuck, the duel wield system is amazing. Especially since so far, there have actually been some challenging battles, where having a heal spel on my left hand really comes in handy.

Another cool thing I've noticed, is enemy humans and some creatures won't attack you for no god damn reason anymore, they will show aggression and humans will say 'fuck off, cunt' or something to that accord, without attacking you before you get too close. I think it's a nice change.

Didn't really get to play too much on the 10th, but I got quite a lot in today, and I'm only liking it more and more.


----------



## SirMyghin

going to pick it up in 1 hr 20 minutes.... When my store opens.


PC guys, they aren't pushing a half install finished with Steam are they? I hate that crap.

Pryd, that aggression thing sounds good, opposed to my Morrowind system of "I'll sneak up, then either just sneak attack, or stop sneaking and see what happens."

Edit: I popped in the disc and it installed from it instead of being retarded and trying to download like some have experienced. See you guys next month


----------



## Tomo009

The game is a lot more difficult then I was expecting, even on the default moderate setting, I find myself dying in the same place a few times in every dungeon and dragons take multiple attempts as well. Though it may be partly my fault for trying to really stick to a Necromancer archetype using cold spells, zombies and daggers primarily and barring myself from using the heal spell. The dragons are brutal, that's for sure. I like how all the AI actually feels different this time, though some of it is extremely exploitable (trolls seem insane at first, but if you run up, hit once, step back, spell once repeat, you will never get hit and they will die quite easily, won't even notice their health regeneration). A few creatures I simply can't face yet, giants that send me 500m into the air for one.


----------



## AxeHappy

These reviews are making me wish I wasn't an old-school, jaded, cynical PC gamer asshole. 


You Jerks.


----------



## Cyntex

Yeah, I am getting my ass handed to me quite often. I really like how the favorite menu works though. Makes switching between spells and weapons very easy.


----------



## guitarister7321

I kept getting my ass stomped by the Forst Troll on High Hrothgar. Had to sneak past the bastard. Anyone else have trouble with him?


----------



## Daiephir

Day9 is streaming Skyrim for 8 hours today: Day9tv


----------



## Pooluke41

Look at the strings?

Tosin?


----------



## Infamous Impact

Really kicking myself for not going to the midnight release, or owning a good gaming PC. I've yet to play it.


----------



## ittoa666

I got it, and I await greatness.


----------



## Sepultorture

heck even if i had a better paying job, a good gaming PC, i still wouldn't have time to play this, damn babies and them needing full attention


----------



## SirMyghin

AxeHappy said:


> These reviews are making me wish I wasn't an old-school, jaded, cynical PC gamer asshole.
> 
> 
> You Jerks.




I hear you, but in a similar boat as you this one has me impressed so far. I really like the dual weild system, and find myself using sword and magic, blasting with 2 spells, or sword and shield depending on the fight, but rarely only one. Blast out my magic, pull out my sword+shield, then run and cry trying to heal or something. I turned up the difficulty 1 past normal and get my ass handed to me by anytime I end up fighting a 'boss' and such. Or too many wee ones or the like. 

I like the magic system a lot, the regenerating magicka makes all the difference in how enjoyable magic users are. 

The voice acting doesn't suck, I almost wouldn't believe it is Bethesda. The environments look great, and the sound is cool. The first 'dungeon' after you get the game rolling was freaking excellent imo.

So far so good, seems pretty solid. It does occasionally CTD though.... twice in 5 hours or so. Not terribly frequent but annoying. I need to take a break anyway though .

The only thing that is really annoying is the shitty console port list inventory. A bit of a pain in the ass to get around, fortunately you don't really need to dick around in the inventory much what with the favourite menu and such.


----------



## Rock4ever

Is there a way to swap weapon on the fly without having to go into the inventory?

Switching from 2xmelee to bow is a nuisance. Other than that and the occasional encounter(like one of the last nord dead in Bleak Falls Barrow- only way I was getting through him was with 2 spell scrolls I had on me) that's hard as hell, I've really been enjoying this.

Another thing I like- The shit you find in dungeons seems worth a damn this time around. I've played oblivion over the last few weeks and the occasions where I opened chests to find 16 coins was annoying.

And the graphics- God fuck the lighting and water effects are awesome.


----------



## Grand Moff Tim

Rock4ever said:


> Is there a way to swap weapon on the fly without having to go into the inventory?


 
Add it to your favorite list, then you can hotkey it. There should be a "Favorite" option when you have an item selected in the menu.


----------



## Grand Moff Tim

Man, I'm REALLY digging this so far. I especially like being able to take random materials and use it to make stuff, like using the leather station to change a pelt into leather, which I can then turn into leather strips, then taking an iron ingot and those leather strips and using a forge to make an iron helmet or something, _then_ taking the helmet to the workbench and using another ingot to upgrade it to a _fine_ iron helmet. All that with only stuff I found, and without spending a single septim. I've also done a bit of mining and woodchopping, which are both good ways to make a quick buck.

I haven't tried dual wielding weapons yet because I'm playing as a battle mage, but dual wielding a spell is pretty fucking cool. I two-hand-toasted that undead boss dude in Bleak Falls Barrow until my magicka ran out, but that got his health so low that it only took a quick whack or two with my trusty mace to finish the job.

I'm _slightly_ annoyed by not being able to have a shield, a weapon _and_ magic at the ready at all times without needing to use hotkeys (a la the "cast" button in Oblivion), but that's a minor quibble that I'm sure will be a non-issue once I have a handle on the combat system.

Were any of you old Morrowind fuddy-duddies glad to see the character models going back to a more Morrowind-esque appearance? It's a bit weird seeing the old school khajit since I'm so used to Oblivion, but it's nice to have increased variety in the different races.

Man, I'm kinda _glad_ I'm unemployed for once. I've got all the time in the world to play.


----------



## Grand Moff Tim

OH, speaking of the Morrowind fuddy-duddies, how 'bout that carriage system, so you can pay to travel between the major cities without using fast travel? Eh? Eh?


----------



## Grand Moff Tim

Oh, one more random musing: It's odd that of all the races to choose from, the one most suited for my playstyle concept was the friggin' _Imperial_. In Oblivion, Imperials weren't good for anything but speechcraft and barter, but this time around they seem to be the only race with a decent balance of combat _and_ magic, which had been Dark Elf territory in the last two games. Redguards also have a decent blend in V, but their armor bonus is for light armor, whereas Imperials get theirs in heavy armor. Since I can't have a shield, weapon and magic selected all at the same time anymore, having that heavy armor is a definite plus. Baddies aren't going to stop attacking me just because I don't have anything equipped that I can block with.


----------



## rectifryer

I waitied in line last night at gamestop for a pc copy. The cashier gave me both a ps3 and pc copy. I thought the second disk was just a steam promo or something. I didnt look immediately since there was around 40 people stuffed inside a small store. 

I havent opened up either. I'm gonna go take it back once I get off work. Some kid probably didnt get his copy last night.


----------



## Captain Shoggoth

>Playing through, dungeoning, killing shit in Shimmermist Cave with Lydia (my Housecarl (bodyguard thing))
>Repeatedly ass-destroyed in a final boss room of sorts, even with my enchanted weapons and healing magick
>The only way to make it through alive is by running through it and escaping, leaving Lydia to die fighting
>Before entering room last time, tell her to go home 
>She leaves back the way we came
>I run through and out shitting my pants 
>Emerge in a rainy night, feel shitty that I failed the dungeon and lost my Housecarl
>Return to Whiterun
>Lydia is in the Jarl's Hall and I can recruit her again whenever
>mfw


----------



## guitarister7321

Captain Shoggoth said:


> >Repeatedly ass-destroyed in a final boss room of sorts, even with my enchanted weapons and healing magick
> >The only way to make it through alive is by running through it and escaping, leaving Lydia to die fighting



Yeah some of the dungeon have bosses that are hard as shit to kill. I came across the most pain in the ass dungeon today. Had to kill maybe 10 bandits. Then a bunch of Dwarven Spheres and Dwarven Spiders (who were battling the bandits) They are mechanical things that roll around and fuck your shit up. After that, I had to go through an entire underground Falmer civilization. Then after maybe 2 hours of that shit, I got to the end and was greeted by one last Dwarven Sphere and a giant ass robotic mechanical boss. I couldn't beat them, not even when I tried with difficulty all the way down. I had to run past him and escape. Damn, this game is hard.


----------



## SirMyghin

guitarister7321 said:


> Yeah some of the dungeon have bosses that are hard as shit to kill. I came across the most pain in the ass dungeon today. Had to kill maybe 10 bandits. Then a bunch of Dwarven Spheres and Dwarven Spiders (who were battling the bandits) They are mechanical things that roll around and fuck your shit up. After that, I had to go through an entire underground Falmer civilization. Then after maybe 2 hours of that shit, I got to the end and was greeted by one last Dwarven Sphere and a giant ass robotic mechanical boss. I couldn't beat them, not even when I tried with difficulty all the way down. I had to run past him and escape. Damn, this game is hard.




Yeah bosses really hand you your ass on a regular basis. Vampires are near fucking impossible, you need to blast them to the stone age immediately as they seem to constantly syphon life from you.


Tim, I really like the models they used for the races, they all look freaking awesome. Currently I am doing a redguard spell sword, abusing the hell out of Bound Sword and destruction. I wear light boots and bracers, and mage robe hat and robes. Abuse the hell out of alteration as that is pretty much all the armor I get with oakskin/stoneskin. No adept level spells yet for me.

The advancements in crafting are great, cooking/smithing/tanning the hides it a great touch. 

The dungeons feel so big, compared to oblivion, and even Morrowind. They take me over 1 hr to get through, opposed to the 15-20 minutes in and out, no hastle crap even Morrowind had. 

I really like how sacking bandits you find notes about treasure, or even better, a fucking obscure as shit treasure map. What the hell is the map trying to point at? No damned clue. 

The return of placed loot is very very nice.


----------



## Rock4ever

^^ I've had massive issues dealing with trolls too. 

Also, general question- is chest loot random, or fixed? 1st time in the Bleak Falls Barrow guardian room, I opened a chest and it had 3-4 pieces of gear with +stats. I was like AWESOME! as most of the stuff had values of several hundred gold each. Unfortunatly I had to reload it, and I tried it 3x and all that was in it aside from the ordinary crap was some amulet with +15speech.


----------



## Captain Shoggoth

guitarister7321 said:


> Yeah some of the dungeon have bosses that are hard as shit to kill. I came across the most pain in the ass dungeon today. Had to kill maybe 10 bandits. Then a bunch of Dwarven Spheres and Dwarven Spiders (who were battling the bandits) They are mechanical things that roll around and fuck your shit up. After that, I had to go through an entire underground Falmer civilization. Then after maybe 2 hours of that shit, I got to the end and was greeted by one last Dwarven Sphere and a giant ass robotic mechanical boss. I couldn't beat them, not even when I tried with difficulty all the way down. I had to run past him and escape. Damn, this game is hard.



It was a Falmer Gloomlurker and a Dwarven Centurion. I died within about 20-30 seconds of fighting each time. I'll try again when I'm not Level 7 maybe 



SirMyghin said:


> The dungeons feel so big, compared to oblivion, and even Morrowind. They take me over 1 hr to get through, opposed to the 15-20 minutes in and out, no hastle crap even Morrowind had.



This. This is the first game I've EVER played where I actually enjoy fighting through dungeons. They are magnificent.



Rock4ever said:


> ^^ I've had massive issues dealing with trolls too.
> 
> Also, general question- is chest loot random, or fixed? 1st time in the Bleak Falls Barrow guardian room, I opened a chest and it had 3-4 pieces of gear with +stats. I was like AWESOME! as most of the stuff had values of several hundred gold each. Unfortunatly I had to reload it, and I tried it 3x and all that was in it aside from the ordinary crap was some amulet with +15speech.



In my experience it's more or less fixed.


----------



## Murmel

Fuck, I also want this now  I didn't pre-order. 

Anyone made a mod that turns the spiders into something less terrifying yet..?


----------



## SirMyghin

An Anectdote about cats, which I forgot to mention.

There are fucking tigers in Skyrim (A TIGER... IN SKYRIM!), saber toothed ones at that. As annoying as it is, it felt kind of awesome to get my ass handed to me repeated, at night, by a tiger I never saw coming. I had to change my path, I never did see it. 

Then I saw a tiger outside, in daylight, afar, laying down. So I thought 'Now, you are mine'. So I double cast blast it and guess what. The thing charges me, pounces, I die. One shot.. Tigers are badass. Mages, apparently not so much. 

Bears can also tear you 3 new ones if you let them close. I recommend talking to a giant at some point though, friendly fellows that they are.



Murmel said:


> Fuck, I also want this now  I didn't pre-order.
> 
> Anyone made a mod that turns the spiders into something less terrifying yet..?



Not sure, I am certain there are other people in your boat, at least one that knows how to mod though. There really aren't that many spiders, I may have fought 10 so far, after playing waay too much yesterday.


----------



## Murmel

^
10 spiders are 10 spiders too many.



No but seriously, I COULD deal with them, I just don't feel like cringing when fighting or having my heart jump every time I come across one


----------



## Prydogga

Yeah, Giants are great. They're way friendlier than dragons that interrupt your day by spewing fire into your face (which is epic, by the way ).

Giants are great because they don't give a fuck, and are civil enough to cut the middleman out and just kill you in one hit. 

Also, I've been told I may now continue on to the highest part of the mountain with the greybeards, but the gate is blocked, and I thought using the fully upgraded gravity blast-like shout by holding in RB would open it, but no dice. Am I missing something?


----------



## SirMyghin

Not that far yet Pry, I've been dicking around exploring and haven't even seen the grey beards yet. 

Yeah I was fighting a giant (when checking if they were friendly ) and I was doing good for about 15 seconds. I started thinking wow, these giants are really wimpy. Then I guess it landed an actually hit, instant death.  It must of been accidentally walking into me before or something.


----------



## Prydogga

Also. Buckets, the new best tool for Skyrim:


----------



## Captain Shoggoth

GLORIOUS


----------



## Murmel

Who the fuck needs sneak when there are pots? I will be carrying them with me wherever I go


----------



## HighGain510

Prydogga said:


> Also. Buckets, the new best tool for Skyrim:




Holy shit I LOL'd so hard!


----------



## leandroab

I AM T HE BUCKET!


----------



## Captain Shoggoth

Sklulu?


----------



## SirMyghin

Prydogga said:


> Also. Buckets, the new best tool for Skyrim:



Holy shit, they did a really good job on the crime detection system this time . I mean it used to be are you sneaking, yes/no, are you detected at all, even when behind someone, yes/no, report. They might should have put a touch of listening into that though...hahah


----------



## The Reverend

I've chosen not to post about how I feel about this game anymore, because it will completely ruin my credibility on this board. The whole "critical playing" thing went out the damn window, which I suppose a great game should do, right?


----------



## ScottyB724

Got all excited when I saw those bucket videos, but I think you can only do it on PC is that correct? I can't figure out how to pick up certain items so they are just hovering in front of you like you could in Oblivion. Stupid Xbox.


----------



## Pooluke41

I think you just hold the "Activate" Button.


----------



## leftyguitarjoe

I have about 20 hours of gameplay in already 

This game is great. I'm an Imperial battle mage, focusing on heavy armor, destruction, and one-handed blades.


----------



## The Reverend

I decided to eschew conventional RPG archetypes and take advantage of the incredibly open system they're using. I'm sort of like a heavy magic-using archer assassin, and it works! I like how I didn't have to sit down and plot which race to be, and which skills to pick for major and minor and all that jazz. You can still pick a race, I guess, but the onus is really on the player to develop their character in whichever way they see best.

Also, has anyone started into the Dark Brotherhood quests? Fucking mint, so far.


----------



## ScottyB724

Pooluke41 said:


> I think you just hold the "Activate" Button.



Ah yea that seems to do the trick, thanks. Now time to go pillage the land.


----------



## Pooluke41

ScottyB724 said:


> Ah yea that seems to do the trick, thanks. Now time to go pillage the land.




Bucket on a Dragon?


----------



## ScottyB724

Pooluke41 said:


> Bucket on a Dragon?



Somehow I don't think it would have the same effect haha


----------



## SirMyghin

Have a nasty bug on quest 'Blood on the ice" I did something out of order apparently, and it let me, but now I can't complete it. Wasted a lot of time trying too, boo hiss.


----------



## HighGain510

Pooluke41 said:


> Bucket on a Dragon?





ScottyB724 said:


> Somehow I don't think it would have the same effect haha



Yeah, but how funny would that be?!  "Who turned the lights out? Where am I?!"


----------



## Grand Moff Tim

I joined the Legion today, which had me pretty stoked because I always wished I could in Oblivion, but then I was let down when the armor they gave me had worse stats than the armor I already had. I sold it right back to the guy that gave it to me, haha.

I had my first "got my ass handed to me" experiences today. First, I was doing a quest where I had to clear out a cave, and it was full of Necromancers. Word to the wise: Necromancers do _not_ fuck around, especially not when you're fighting three or four of them at once. My poor companion died. Next, I saw a sabre tooth tiger from a distance, and, not heeding SirMyghin's warnings, I decided to take a pot shot at it with my bow. That pissed him off, obviously, but it also pissed off another tiger that I hadn't seen like ten feet behind me. I think I _might_ have been able to take one of them alone, but not two.


----------



## pink freud

So, how is the sneaky stealthy thief gameplay? That's always my first character.

I'm waiting for the Steam price to go down. Have 40$ in my account and don't feel like putting more in


----------



## The Reverend

pink freud said:


> So, how is the sneaky stealthy thief gameplay? That's always my first character.
> 
> I'm waiting for the Steam price to go down. Have 40$ in my account and don't feel like putting more in



I'm ending up more as an assassin type, and it's slow, but largely conflict free. It's the standard bow/dagger to the fucking back combo, but several perks and item bonuses make stealth kills nearly one hit kills in all cases. Handy in caves, less handy in the open world. 

Bows have been revamped. They do a nice bit of damage before perks and bonuses, but they shoot more slowly than before, and movement speed is hampered when one is drawn, so at lower levels when you can't snipe multiple enenmies while hidden, make sure to put some time into strengthening your sword arm or destructive magic skills.


----------



## Grand Moff Tim

Came across my first quest-halting glitch. Hopefully I'll find a workaround.


----------



## Prydogga

Grand Moff Tim said:


> I joined the Legion today, which had me pretty stoked because I always wished I could in Oblivion, but then I was let down when the armor they gave me had worse stats than the armor I already had. I sold it right back to the guy that gave it to me, haha.
> 
> I had my first "got my ass handed to me" experiences today. First, I was doing a quest where I had to clear out a cave, and it was full of Necromancers. Word to the wise: Necromancers do _not_ fuck around, especially not when you're fighting three or four of them at once. My poor companion died. Next, I saw a sabre tooth tiger from a distance, and, not heeding SirMyghin's warnings, I decided to take a pot shot at it with my bow. That pissed him off, obviously, but it also pissed off another tiger that I hadn't seen like ten feet behind me. I think I _might_ have been able to take one of them alone, but not two.



Yeah, on my first day of playing, I took on a castle full of Necromancers. God they're cunts, I din't understand how to beat them at first. 'THEY'RE REVIVING EACH OTHER, FUCK THIS LAST STAND BULLSHIT' etc etc, but after clearing them all out I got myself my own 'raise zombie' spell, which at the time was like a huge breakthrough.

This is the first Elder Scrolls game I've played where I'm using magic, the old fireball spell just made me laugh. 

Oh, if you get asked by a servant to retrieve his master at the Blue Palace, DO THAT QUEST. It's awesome.


----------



## Grand Moff Tim

Prydogga said:


> Oh, if you get asked by a servant to retrieve his master at the Blue Palace, DO THAT QUEST. It's awesome.


 
Hahaha, yeah, and the reward is a blast from the past.


----------



## Captain Shoggoth

SirMyghin said:


> An Anectdote about cats, which I forgot to mention.
> 
> There are fucking tigers in Skyrim (A TIGER... IN SKYRIM!), saber toothed ones at that. As annoying as it is, it felt kind of awesome to get my ass handed to me repeated, at night, by a tiger I never saw coming. I had to change my path, I never did see it.
> 
> Then I saw a tiger outside, in daylight, afar, laying down. So I thought 'Now, you are mine'. So I double cast blast it and guess what. The thing charges me, pounces, I die. One shot.. Tigers are badass. Mages, apparently not so much.



After reading this i was terrified of sabre cats, but when I actually found some I had no trouble killing them in a few hits. Weird.



Prydogga said:


> Oh, if you get asked by a servant to retrieve his master at the Blue Palace, DO THAT QUEST. It's awesome.



Duly noted.


----------



## Prydogga

Grand Moff Tim said:


> Hahaha, yeah, and the reward is a blast from the past.



Even has the same 'wushgh' sound. I like wacky quests like that.


----------



## Joose

I was watching someone play this earlier. Pretty epic!

And it was pretty funny when the dragon he killed way out in some forest and left only the skeleton, appeared about 20 minutes later in the middle of a town, just a skeleton lol.


----------



## SirMyghin

Captain Shoggoth said:


> After reading this i was terrified of sabre cats, but when I actually found some I had no trouble killing them in a few hits. Weird.



The only armor my guy wears is boots and bracers, rest is robes. Might have something to do with it. I was getting ahead of the game yesterday, so have turned the difficulty back to expert now too.

The big boss in the forsaken cave was an absolute cunt to beat though. Shouted my sword off my and everything. Luckily I found it after 10 minutes.


----------



## Grand Moff Tim

SirMyghin said:


> The only armor my guy wears is boots and bracers, rest is robes. Might have something to do with it.


 
I was wearing a full set of friggin' heavy armor and still got my ass handed to me. I was trying to take on two at once, which didn't help, but they were still taking like a quarter of my health with each swipe of the paw.


----------



## The Reverend

Markarth is a beautiful fucking city. Holy shit. It's also home to fucking Molag Bal, who has one of the most fucked up item quests I've ever experienced. I suggest everyone go spend some time in that place.


----------



## TheHandOfStone

Hurry up Amazon.com!!!!!!!!     

Gaaah why did I have to see this thread FFFFFFUUUUUUUUUUUUU....


----------



## guitarister7321

Just snapped on Skyrim for 4 hours, was up until 7am last night playing, and the game was released 2 days ago and I'm level 17. I feel as though I have no life. 

Anyone else spending massive amounts of time on this game?


----------



## Grand Moff Tim

One effect of Skyrim's levelling system may turn out to be a mixed blessing. It's nice that levelling doesn't depend on only levelling the skills you specialized in, so you just end up a pro in all the skills you use the most without having to plan ahead of time. On the other hand, I actually kinda _liked_ the planning ahead aspect of Oblivion, and I feel like I won't be as driven to create multiple characters this time around because I won't necessarily need to create a new character every time I want to try a different playthrough. I can anyways, obviously, but the impetus seems like it may not be as strong.

As it stands, I'm doing a bit of everything. I had planned on being an offensive battlemage (destruction, one-handed, heavy armor, restoration), but I also find myself doing alot of sneaking and archery whenever I'm indoors. I suppose having this jack-of-all-trades mindset on my first playthrough will help me acclimatize to all the different aspects of the game and infleunce what kind of "pure" playstyle I'll try with any characters I create in the future.


----------



## Captain Shoggoth

SirMyghin said:


> The only armor my guy wears is boots and bracers, rest is robes. Might have something to do with it. I was getting ahead of the game yesterday, so have turned the difficulty back to expert now too.






Grand Moff Tim said:


> I was wearing a full set of friggin' heavy armor and still got my ass handed to me. I was trying to take on two at once, which didn't help, but they were still taking like a quarter of my health with each swipe of the paw.



Ah, I have a decent set of steel armor at the moment, and my elven battleaxe has 34 damage. That said, I've yet to attempt tackling two at once-I presume that'd be a trifle trickier.


----------



## Grand Moff Tim

YES. FINALLY saved up enough for a house. Of course, I thought the house costed 8000 septims, and it turns out it was only 5000. That means not only did I get the house, but I had the money to buy all of the upgrades right then and there. I now have a place to store all the damned heavy ass dragon bones and scales I've been lugging around (and forcing my follower to lug around, haha). Now to save up the 25k for the manor in Solitude...

Oh, I was doing the quest that allows me to join the Companions, and as a heads up for anyone considering, there's a chamber at the end with _seventeen_ Draugrs, probably at least half of which where Restless Draugrs. So...  yeah. Bring some potions.

What followers have you guys used so far? My first was the Dunmer archer Faendal, but he died in the cave with all the necromancers I mentioned earlier. My current follower is the Dunmer mage Erandur, and let me tell you, his destruction skills are nothing to be trifled with. I've got him decked out in fine steel armor right now, because he goes down pretty quickly when he's surrounded. I have access to Lydia, but for now she just chills out at my house.


----------



## SpaceDock

Level 10 and living it!

Why do the trolls need to be so f'ing difficult? I'm using fire!


----------



## Rock4ever

Ugh my miscellaneous quests journal is already a fucking mess. And there's few details to those quests so I've little idea as to what I do or where I go. Would have been nice if those were organized in some fashion.


----------



## leftyguitarjoe

22 hours of gameplay since 5pm on the 11th. And I worked today.

This game is going to shatter my social life and I'm totally cool with it.


----------



## Grand Moff Tim

Woohoo, got a doggie.


----------



## Xaios

Well, I caved. Picked it up for Xbox.

I'm not very far in, only level 7. But I've got almost enough gold to buy a house, which will be a godsend, as I'm constantly on the verge of being overloaded.

I noticed an interesting trick. A lot of the time when you do a quest for someone, they'll basically let you loot any items in their houses so long as the item is under a certain value. I think the threshold is items with value less than 50 are open season. And this includes... yup, gold Septims, just sitting on the counter. "Don't mind if I do." 

So far I also seem to be heading down the Battlemage route. I've typically got a spell at the ready in one hand and a sword in the other. The beginner fire spell you get at the start of the game comes in quite handy for toasting wolves that try to hassle you while you're exploring, and the spell that shows you the path to your mission objective is a gift from heaven.

One other funny thing happened. I was attacked by a dragon just as I entered Falkreath, so practically the whole town got in the action of trying to kill it. I accidentally hit a town guard with a fireball, so another one of the guards confronted me mid-fight and demanded I pay recompense. So, I shell out 40 gold, find myself suddenly in the middle of town, run back to the gate while the fight is going on, and continue to kill the dragon.


----------



## SirMyghin

Grand Moff Tim said:


> Oh, I was doing the quest that allows me to join the Companions, and as a heads up for anyone considering, there's a chamber at the end with _seventeen_ Draugrs, probably at least half of which where Restless Draugrs. So... yeah. Bring some potions.
> 
> What followers have you guys used so far? My first was the Dunmer archer Faendal, but he died in the cave with all the necromancers I mentioned earlier. My current follower is the Dunmer mage Erandur, and let me tell you, his destruction skills are nothing to be trifled with. I've got him decked out in fine steel armor right now, because he goes down pretty quickly when he's surrounded. I have access to Lydia, but for now she just chills out at my house.



That last chamber was a riot, there was another one similar where you help a guy with a necromancer in a tomb. Lots and lots of Draugr. 

I haven't used a follower, been going through it solo. Finished up the mage college quest line. That had some ace dungeons in it, especially Labyrinthia. I had to drop the difficulty on the last boss as on adept he was 2 shotting me... With lightning from accross the room. While not nearly as long as the guild quests of morrowind or oblivion (in magnitude of quests), the steps it did take were excellent, never felt like fluff, and drawn together into a story. Not random stuff. I'll take that over killing a few rats and menial tasks. 

I think I had a bug with mana regen the other day, but it isn't there today. Only way to explain how I was able to cast continuously (same spells) the day before. I dropped a dragon priest lich thing like that easily, this time however, without what I assume was bugged regen, not so lucky .

Impact is the best destruction skill in the world btw, if you want to rely on magic it is absolutely necessary.


----------



## Prydogga

With the help of my trusty Flame Atronarch, I managed to take down 2 giants and 3 Mammoths yesterday. Very rewarding winning battles with such strong opponents.

Has anyone moved far through the Mage's College enough to know if you can buy/earn better robes there? I've had different sets of the novice robes with magic attributes, but I'd love some actual armour value to my clothes and/or better stat improvements.


----------



## Grand Moff Tim

Alright, my destruction is boosted enough that I can at least take on tigers and bears without too much worry. Next stop: Giants and mammots.


----------



## pink freud

Grand Moff Tim said:


> Alright, my destruction is boosted enough that I can at least take on tigers and bears without too much worry. Next stop: Giants and mammots.



I'm going to assume you mean mammoths, and not marmots


----------



## ittoa666

Every step I take in this game blows me away. They outdid themselves BY FAR for this release. I absolutely love it.

Also, look who's back again...

http://elderscrolls.wikia.com/wiki/M'aiq_The_Liar_(Skyrim)


----------



## Scar Symmetry

I want this game so much but I feel greedy for wanting it because I'm enjoying MW3 so much.

[/First World Problems]


----------



## Prydogga

I actually feel like I'm missing out on a bit of MW3, I think I'm going to have to buy it now and keep some balance between the two.


----------



## Fiction

I hate having no money


----------



## Grand Moff Tim

pink freud said:


> I'm going to assume you mean mammoths, and not marmots


 
Oh, you haven't seen the ultra-deadly frost marmots of Frost Marmot Cove?


----------



## Varcolac

I wasted so much of the weekend on this. No regrets.



Spoiler



First dragon battle was the most epic thing imaginable. Ruined tower, soldiers firing arrows at the dragon. Sun goes down. Dragon lands. I sprint up with two axes and wail on its face, as the music swells. The Fallout 3-style killshot cutscene kicks in as the barbarian choir reaches the chorus. Camera pans around my Nord beating seven hells out of a flying lizard, and I find that the sky is ablaze with the Northern Lights. Oh. My. Odin. This game is well worth the price of admission.


----------



## cwhitey2

I hate you all.













Im so jelly right now... :/


----------



## Maniacal

Played all weekend until 3am last night. I had to get this game on the xbox due to no eyefinity support which was a huge disappointment. The main reason for me buying 3 monitors was so I could play Skyrim on it. 

I have also noticed the game is ridiculously easy, playing on hardest mode as a mage and I have only died a handful of times. 

Other than that, this game is amazing.


----------



## HighGain510

This game is rather epic!  I beat MW3 campaign and got up to like the 20's for multiplayer so I decided to grab this for PC on Saturday night and am LOVING it!  I've completed a couple quests and sidequests and killed the first dragon as well. REALLY digging this game, I wasn't able to sleep on Saturday and rather than lay in bed and struggle to sleep for a few hours I ended up playing Skyrim until 3am-ish on Sunday morning.  I can't see this helping my already odd sleeping schedule!  SO GOOD!


----------



## Captain Axx

i love this game! just spent 2 hours wandering around exploring.


----------



## SirMyghin

Grand Moff Tim said:


> Alright, my destruction is boosted enough that I can at least take on tigers and bears without too much worry. Next stop: Giants and mammots.




I tried a mammoth yesterday, didn't go so well, especially when I didn't notice the second one


----------



## HighGain510

SirMyghin said:


> I tried a mammoth yesterday, didn't go so well, especially when I didn't notice the second one



I found a single mammoth roaming by himself... technique to kill without getting destroyed? I jumped up on the rocks that were high enough that he couldn't climb them, fired an arrow, moved up so he would charge and then back so he couldn't get up. As soon as he turned around to leave I repeated the process!  Out in the open... not so much, at least at my currently level.


----------



## Prydogga

I just sit behind a tree and shock them in the face while they fail to understand my supeb tactic lol.


----------



## SirMyghin

Prydogga said:


> With the help of my trusty Flame Atronarch, I managed to take down 2 giants and 3 Mammoths yesterday. Very rewarding winning battles with such strong opponents.
> 
> Has anyone moved far through the Mage's College enough to know if you can buy/earn better robes there? I've had different sets of the novice robes with magic attributes, but I'd love some actual armour value to my clothes and/or better stat improvements.




Buy better robes from the college, no. Some of the court mages of the Jarls have better robes. 



Spoiler



Upon completion of the mage college you do get a very, very nice set of robes though.


----------



## vampiregenocide

Just bought it.  Made my character look like Steve Von Till with black eyes. I intend on being a werewolf.


----------



## Tomo009

Maniacal said:


> Played all weekend until 3am last night. I had to get this game on the xbox due to no eyefinity support which was a huge disappointment. The main reason for me buying 3 monitors was so I could play Skyrim on it.
> 
> I have also noticed the game is ridiculously easy, playing on hardest mode as a mage and I have only died a handful of times.
> 
> Other than that, this game is amazing.



Seriously? The sheer amount of things that can 1 or 2 shot you on the normal difficulty and later quests where you can easily fight up to 20 enemies, some of them with like 100 hits of health didn't seem easy to me. I wouldn't consider myself bad at games either. Unless you like massively over-levelled somehow I don't see how the game could actually seem easy.

My first character is up to level 25 and there are still plenty of challenges to be found, blood dragons are beginning to be manageable but dungeon encounters are still difficult.


----------



## SirMyghin

Tomo009 said:


> Seriously? The sheer amount of things that can 1 or 2 shot you on the normal difficulty and later quests where you can easily fight up to 20 enemies, some of them with like 100 hits of health didn't seem easy to me. I wouldn't consider myself bad at games either. Unless you like massively over-levelled somehow I don't see how the game could actually seem easy.
> 
> My first character is up to level 25 and there are still plenty of challenges to be found, blood dragons are beginning to be manageable but dungeon encounters are still difficult.



Same, a lot of the Upper level Draugrs are tough, deathlords namely. I can'ts let them hit me more than 2x or I drop . Not to mention even though I have a lot of magicka, still not nearly enough to drop them before they reach me.


----------



## Maniacal

Im only level 18. 
I die in 1 or 2 hits but its very easy to avoid being hit. 

Sneak, attack with bow, summon flame atronach, hit with dual wield fire balls with the knock back perk. 

Sounds like I need to go and try kill a mammoth.


----------



## GhostsofAcid

Got about 32 hours in so far. I haven't really gotten alot done though, cause i started a new character about halfway through and i've just been doing random stuff instead of focusing on questlines. 

The smithing skill is awesome. you can make boatloads of cash using transmute + iron ore to make gold jewelry. I'm level 17 and i'm only 2k away from the nicest house, and i also have full orcish armor, because with smithing you can make armor well before you would naturally begin to find it.



Spoiler



One thing i'm dissapointed in is that in werewolf form you derive damage from the one handed skill. Since i use two handed, i don't do squat for damage in werewolf form, so its just kind of useless.


----------



## Grand Moff Tim

GhostsofAcid said:


> transmute [/Spoiler]


 
?!?!

How do I acquire that ability?

EDIT: Nevermind. Strategy guide to the rescue. Guess I'd better get working on my alteration skills....


----------



## Pooluke41

Whoever is one of those scaredy cats that don't like Spiders,

I am your Saviour, Look what I found,

No Spiders at Skyrim Nexus - Skyrim Mods and community


Let the Green Rep Roll in! (Someone will Neg Me now....)


----------



## Rock4ever

Ok I cheated like hell. I used the infinite gold code, bought about 20-30 skill ups in sneak, and currently right now I have a level 23 thief assassin. Got the badass perk that lets daggers do 15x damage in sneak attacks.

The cutscene that occurs when sneaking up and executing a power attack behind some unexpecting caster and reaching around to slash his throat is all kinds of awesome.

You see the expression when he figures out he's been had, and hear it when his windpipe and critical blood vessels have ruptured.

I also like how offhand melee attacks can be used to put a foe off balance.

AWESOME.


----------



## Prydogga

Anyone tried seeing the bossman at high hrothgar yet? WHY WON'T THE GATE UNLOCK!?

Gah!


----------



## JPhoenix19

My first character is a Breton. Conjuring two bound swords at the same time is pretty bad ass.


----------



## Rock4ever

Prydogga said:


> Anyone tried seeing the bossman at high hrothgar yet? WHY WON'T THE GATE UNLOCK!?
> 
> Gah!



I was able to go to it by going through a small village on the east side of the mountain, might have been Ivarstar or w/e it is but I can't remember the name. I dont recall any gate being in my way.


----------



## Captain Shoggoth

I think he means the leader of the Greybeards who's on the other side of the lethal blizzard at High Hrothgar. Must be some kind of shout you have to get that gets you through.


----------



## Grand Moff Tim

My doggie died, and I almost hate to say it, but good riddance. That damned mut was always charging off like a retard when I was trying to be sneaky-sneaky, and I can't TELL you how irritating it is having that damned dog between me and every enemy I'm trying to turn to cinders. The damned thing was lucky _I_ didn't kill it. Textbook example of why I prefer my followers to be spellcasters or archers.


----------



## Xaios

Grand Moff Tim said:


> My doggie died, and I almost hate to say it, but good riddance. That damned mut was always charging off like a retard when I was trying to be sneaky-sneaky, and I can't TELL you how irritating it is having that damned dog between me and every enemy I'm trying to turn to cinders. The damned thing was lucky _I_ didn't kill it. Textbook example of why I prefer my followers to be spellcasters or archers.



Agreed. While Skyrim is overall a better game, it could definitey take some cues from Dragon Age regarding combat mechanics, aggro and party members. That would be icing on the cake.

(I'm referring to Dragon Age: Origins, not Dragon Age II, which I haven't played.)


----------



## Grand Moff Tim

My friend posted a facebook status saying how awesome it is to play Skyrim while listening to Summoning, to which I replied that Amon Amarth and older Borknagar would also be appropriate. That got me thinking, though: there's _alot_ of metal that makes a great companion for the game. That can only be indicative of one thing:

Skyrim is metal as _fuck_.


----------



## Sicarius

I hate you all.

I'm going to have to wait until it's released for Game of the Year with the expansions (if it happens) like I did with Oblivion.



Really, though, Mammoths?

...can I ride one?


----------



## Grand Moff Tim

Sicarius said:


> Really, though, Mammoths?
> 
> ...can I ride one?


 
You could try, but it probably wouldn't be very happy about it.


----------



## Scar Symmetry

I want


----------



## Captain Shoggoth

Sicarius said:


> I hate you all.
> 
> I'm going to have to wait until it's released for Game of the Year with the expansions (if it happens) like I did with Oblivion.
> 
> 
> 
> Really, though, Mammoths?
> 
> ...can I ride one?





Grand Moff Tim said:


> You could try, but it probably wouldn't be very happy about it.




*insert inappropriate joke here*


----------



## Sicarius

Grand Moff Tim said:


> You could try, but it probably wouldn't be very happy about it.


Would it be similar to trying to ride a Vegetarian Wumpa?


----------



## Xaios

One thing that I'm REALLY glad for is that your character isn't some ridiculous ladies' man like every playable character from every Bioware game EVER, where the game isn't really over until you've banged every party member of the opposite gender. And sometimes of the same gender. It would always just make me hang my head and say "Really? This is what RPGs have turned into? Sexual gratification simulators for nerds? Humanity is fucked."

I understand that you have the option in this game to court a significant other, but it's not shoved in your face. And for that, I am eternally grateful.


----------



## Grand Moff Tim

I love that there's _so much shit_ you can do that has nothing to do with anything, and isn't necessary at all for the quests. If I wanted, I could just roleplay a craftsman. Screw questing, I could just try to see how much money I could make without spending a dime. Hunt, tan, mine, smelt, forge, improve, enchant, BAM! Money. It's certainly a step above Oblivion, where the closest thing there was was dungeon crawling for loot to sell or picking flowers like a sissy to turn into potions and sell. I suppose the increased roleplay possibilities in that regard might make up for taking away my ability to get my nerd on by crunching the numbers and planning out a character based on the increased variables Oblivion had.

I am gonna miss hand to hand, though. It won't be the same without being able to make Bruce Leroy, my afro'd Redguard brawler .


----------



## SirMyghin

Grand Moff Tim said:


> I love that there's _so much shit_ you can do that has nothing to do with anything, and isn't necessary at all for the quests. If I wanted, I could just roleplay a craftsman. Screw questing, I could just try to see how much money I could make without spending a dime. Hunt, tan, mine, smelt, forge, improve, enchant, BAM! Money. It's certainly a step above Oblivion, where the closest thing there was was dungeon crawling for loot to sell or picking flowers like a sissy to turn into potions and sell. I suppose the increased roleplay possibilities in that regard might make up for taking away my ability to get my nerd on by crunching the numbers and planning out a character based on the increased variables Oblivion had.
> 
> I am gonna miss hand to hand, though. It won't be the same without being able to make Bruce Leroy, my afro'd Redguard brawler .



Agreed, we shall pretend the game after Morrowin was Skyrim, that is a logical and pleasing succession. I occasional make forays into scouring the land for everything and clearing it of all life. Good fun as you find a lot of random cool shit, and it feels like every dungeon has SOMETHING that happened or is happening in it. 

Dwemer ruins are also freaking ace in this one. I was very impressed.


----------



## Mordacain

Xaios said:


> One thing that I'm REALLY glad for is that your character isn't some ridiculous ladies' man like every playable character from every Bioware game EVER, where the game isn't really over until you've banged every party member of the opposite gender. And sometimes of the same gender. It would always just make me hang my head and say "Really? This is what RPGs have turned into? Sexual gratification simulators for nerds? Humanity is fucked."
> 
> I understand that you have the option in this game to court a significant other, but it's not shoved in your face. And for that, I am eternally grateful.



"Sexual gratification simulators for nerds?" Really? I can't say that my wife or I ever played with ourselves with a controller in one hand while the other was....occupied... We both loved Dragon Age (and Mass Effect) without feeling that particular desire.

How is having relationship options being part of the game and having alternate storylines derive from those options possibly a bad thing?

I for one am happy that sexual relationships are finally starting to be portrayed in games. Its really the one area where game storylines were truly lagging behind other story-telling mediums and its nice to see it catch-up.

That being said, the open-ended gameplay structure of Elder Scrolls would not support the same kind of tight, interwoven story options as Dragon Age or Mass Effect so I don't really see there being much of a comparison. You can either have open-ended gameplay with a looser story or more linear gameplay with a tighter story. I enjoy both respectively.


----------



## Grand Moff Tim

AAAAAAAAAAAWWWWWWWWWWWW YYYEEEEEEEEEEAAAAAAAAAAAH!!!

Just acquired lycanthropy, bitches! Suh-weeeeet!


----------



## Grand Moff Tim

Holy shit.

Story time, children.

The first quest after acquiring lycanthropy caused my current follower (Erandur) to be replaced by one of the Companions for the duration of the mission. Once the quest was over, I travelled back to the fort where Erandur hangs out when he's been dismissed for whatever reason, no big deal. However, upon exiting the fort to continue on my merry way...

..._THREE MOTHERFUCKING SNOWY SABER CATS RIGHT-THE-FUCK OUTSIDE._

My ass was promptly handed to me.

*reload quicksave from inside the fort*

Conjure flame atronach, use stoneskin, ready my most powerful lightning spell, run out the door bolts-a-blazing...

My ass was promptly handed to me.

*reload*

Run out the door, try to use that windsprint call to gtfo before getting slaughtered...

My ass was promptly handed to me.

I tried reloading and using a number of strategies more times than I'm comfortable admitting, then I realized "Hey, wait a minute... I'm a lycanthrope now. Let's see how that works out."

*reload*

Turn into a werewolf, run outside...

The snowy saber cats ran away with their tails between their legs like little _bitches_, son! I had increased wolf-speed and revenge on the brain, though, so I chased them down individually and clawed 'em to shreds *just because I could. *A quick trip back to my newfound hometown (Winterun) and I was selling three snowy saber cat pelts to my local merchant, smug as smug can be.

Man. This fuckin' game.


----------



## Sicarius

I hate you.

so damn much.

-_- who needs some computer work done? Will work for Skyrim.


----------



## Xaios

Mordacain said:


> "Sexual gratification simulators for nerds?" Really? I can't say that my wife or I ever played with ourselves with a controller in one hand while the other was....occupied... We both loved Dragon Age (and Mass Effect) without feeling that particular desire.



Good for you. I know many people who's gameplay goals were divergent from your own.



Mordacain said:


> How is having relationship options being part of the game and having alternate storylines derive from those options possibly a bad thing?



I've got no problem with having a relationship in various games, but it has to be done with refinement and taste. Mass Effect 1 had it right, at least between Shepherd and Ashley (only played through once). They develop feelings for each other that not only seem natural but are forged in the conflict, and you really get the sense that they care for each other.

Mass Effect 2, on the other hand, was ridiculous. All you had to do was throw out every crude double entendre in the book and the female characters in the game would eventually fall head over heels for you. It was just... bizarre. And to make it worse, the only way you could avoid entering into a relationship was to act like an asshole. Basically, the moral of the story is "don't be a jerk, and you'll get some, because you're Commander Shepherd, dammit."

Dragon Age was somewhere in between. I liked Leliana as a character, and found her to be incredible endearing. However, it still didn't feel natural. It was basically "do anything remotely chivalrous or charitable and I will come to love you." Of course, I'm a "Light Side For Life" kinda roleplayer, so this eventually came to pass. The problem is that it's a terribly simplistic way to develop a character, which highlights definite shortcomings in storytelling ability.

Morrigan's bent, on the other hand, was hilarious, what with the fact that she would only hate-fuck you. 

(I bought the Prima strategy guide for Dragon Age, that's how I know. )



Mordacain said:


> I for one am happy that sexual relationships are finally starting to be portrayed in games. Its really the one area where game storylines were truly lagging behind other story-telling mediums and its nice to see it catch-up.



I'm going to simply have to disagree with you on that one. Not on the fact that they're lagging behind, but for the most part, their inclusion just seems crass. At least to me. On the other hand, I'm of the opinion that most sexual relationships in all the various mediums are poorly conceived.



Mordacain said:


> That being said, the open-ended gameplay structure of Elder Scrolls would not support the same kind of tight, interwoven story options as Dragon Age or Mass Effect so I don't really see there being much of a comparison. You can either have open-ended gameplay with a looser story or more linear gameplay with a tighter story. I enjoy both respectively.



Agreed.


----------



## Grand Moff Tim

Random Pro-Tip: Do _NOT_ use lycanthropy to beat the last stage of Azura's quest. You think it will work, but it won't.

Random Reverse-Pro-Tip: Save beforehand and try it once anyways, because it was actually pretty funny.


----------



## Vicissitude27

Anyone else have random dragons attack the College of Winterhold, all the time?


----------



## ittoa666

Just to let you guys know...



Spoiler



The master of the greybeards is a dragon



For the people who haven't been to the top of the throat of the world.

Epic is all I can say.


----------



## Tomo009

Vicissitude27 said:


> Anyone else have random dragons attack the College of Winterhold, all the time?



Yes, it makes them very easy to kill with all the cover and the likelihood that there are multiple people around to help.



ittoa666 said:


> Just to let you guys know...
> 
> SPOILERS.



Hahah yes it was quite interesting, a further question on from that (spoilers from even further in btw, you have been WARNED)



Spoiler



Has anyone killed him? What does it actually do? I don't want to do it XD


----------



## Grand Moff Tim

Vicissitude27 said:


> Anyone else have random dragons attack the College of Winterhold, all the time?


 
One attacked when I was in the middle of the tour at the beginning of the college quests, which caused the chick giving the tour to glitch and stop talking to me. I had to load an earlier save. A _much_ earlier save, unfortunately.

Speaking of glitches, during a fight with an Ascendant Necromancer (who do NOT fuck around, btw), I was struck with some of those ice bolt spike spell blast... things. No biggie, I survived and everything, but then I noticed something odd. A while later, I went into 3rd person view for whatever reason and noticed that two of the spikes were stuck in my body and visible jutting out of my back. I tried replacing my armor, wearing new armor, loading, reloading, selecting it with the PC Console, all with no results. It's pretty lame, and I hope something can be done. My dude looked pretty bad ass all decked out in a complete seet of Dwarven armor, and now I've got those ridiculous glitchspikes. Weak.


----------



## Grand Moff Tim

Hahaha, Lycanthropy to the rescue again. I turned into a werewolf (in the privacy of my own home, so as not to attract unwanted attention), and when I turned back, no more glitchspikes. So... there you go, I guess. If you're having trouble with a character model glitch, just turn into a werewolf.


----------



## Grand Moff Tim

Me and Erandur, chillin' at the crib. Gangsta, yo.


----------



## ittoa666

Tomo009 said:


> Spoiler
> 
> 
> 
> Has anyone killed him? What does it actually do? I don't want to do it XD





Spoiler



I imagine you'd get smashed. He is as old as Alduin.


----------



## guitarister7321

ittoa666 said:


> Spoiler
> 
> 
> 
> I imagine yo'd get smashed. He is as old as Alduin.





Tomo009 said:


> Spoiler
> 
> 
> 
> Has anyone killed him? What does it actually do? I don't want to do it XD





Spoiler



Actually, the first time I went up there I was like "Oh fuck, a dragon. time to fight!" So I began to fight him. He became hostile and fought back. I depleted all of his health, I thought I won, then his health went back to full almost as soon as I depleted it. I had to go back to the autosave when I realized he was the greybeard master. So yes I guess you do get smashed.


----------



## Tomo009

ittoa666 said:


> Spoiler
> 
> 
> 
> I imagine yo'd get smashed. He is as old as Alduin.





guitarister7321 said:


> Spoiler
> 
> 
> 
> Actually, the first time I went up there I was like "Oh fuck, a dragon. time to fight!" So I began to fight him. He became hostile and fought back. I depleted all of his health, I thought I won, then his health went back to full almost as soon as I depleted it. I had to go back to the autosave when I realized he was the greybeard master. So yes I guess you do get smashed.



Like I said, spoiler from even further in lol, well it kinda is, not really I guess

EDIT: Not sure why I spoilered that one though lol


----------



## Aevolve

This game... 

So far I've got a Wood Elf archer and a Dark Elf Stealth Assassin.


Random question- If I already joined the Companions.. Is the Dark Brotherhood out of the question?


AND DAMMIT THIS IS TAKING AWAY ALL MY GUITAR TIME


----------



## Aevolve

Oh and random story-

Was sitting in my Astronomy class yesterday, and I had a sweatshirt on. I put my hood up and looked at my friend and said "Novice Hood. Plus 30 magicka."


We laughed for like 10 minutes at how pathetic I am.


----------



## MFB

Don't worry Peaches, I have a Symphony X hoodie where I pulled the drawstring from so now the hood is just HUGE; and whenever I put it on, I have to pull it down and it fans out on the sides like the assassin's creed cloaks


----------



## Prydogga

Captain Shoggoth said:


> I think he means the leader of the Greybeards who's on the other side of the lethal blizzard at High Hrothgar. Must be some kind of shout you have to get that gets you through.



Yeah, that's the one I meant. One of them said I can now continue to meet the boss man, because my voice is strong enough, but the fully learnt shout doesn't do anything to the forcefield.


----------



## Prydogga

Captain Shoggoth said:


> I think he means the leader of the Greybeards who's on the other side of the lethal blizzard at High Hrothgar. Must be some kind of shout you have to get that gets you through.



Yeah, that's the one I meant. One of them said I can now continue to meet the boss man, because my voice is strong enough, but the fully learnt shout doesn't do anything to the forcefield. 

Also, where at the mage's college do I buy robes?




ittoa666 said:


> Just to let you guys know...
> 
> 
> For the people who haven't been to the top of the throat of the world.
> 
> Epic is all I can say.



HOW DID YOU GET UP THERE~?


----------



## JamesM

Okay so... While I'm INCREDIBLY satisfied by this game...

SPOILER:


Spoiler



What the fuck after you kill Alduin? I get a couple of NPCs cheering me on and a shout? No fucking gear? No loot AT ALL?! What the fuck? I understand I still have like 160 hours of gameplay time left in the game, but for that being the end of the "main story chain" that was really weak. 

That's incredibly foolish. I'm actually kind of mad about this. GIVE ME A BIG FUCKING AXE CALLED *ALDUIN'S BANE* OR SOME SHIT. JESUS.




 Nerd rage.


----------



## Tomo009

The Armada said:


> Okay so... While I'm INCREDIBLY satisfied by this game...
> 
> SPOILER:
> 
> 
> Spoiler
> 
> 
> 
> What the fuck after you kill Alduin? I get a couple of NPCs cheering me on and a shout? No fucking gear? No loot AT ALL?! What the fuck? I understand I still have like 160 hours of gameplay time left in the game, but for that being the end of the "main story chain" that was really weak.
> 
> That's incredibly foolish. I'm actually kind of mad about this. GIVE ME A BIG FUCKING AXE CALLED *ALDUIN'S BANE* OR SOME SHIT. JESUS.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Nerd rage.


 This spoiler involves stuff from THE END, WARNING! 


Spoiler



Go around, people know about it, they just didn't all gather around the base of the mountain for you haha, so did you kill Parthurnax?


----------



## JamesM

Tomo009 said:


> This spoiler involves stuff from THE END, WARNING!
> 
> 
> Spoiler
> 
> 
> 
> Go around, people know about it, they just didn't all gather around the base of the mountain for you haha, so did you kill Parthurnax?



I get that they know it. 

BUT THEY DON'T GIVE ME ANYTHING.

And no, I also don't intend to.


Spoiler



I like him.


----------



## Xaios

I've never had an issue knowing the plot of videogames before I play them, so I've been reading all the spoiler tags.



Spoiler



Isn't there a mission that The Blades send you on to kill Paarthurnax, because he's suposedly allied with Alduin?


----------



## Grand Moff Tim

PeachesMcKenzie said:


> Random question- If I already joined the Companions.. Is the Dark Brotherhood out of the question?


 
Nope. I'm a member of both.


----------



## The Reverend

Any OFWGKTA fans here? If so you'll appreciate this little story about Transylvania and hunting werewolf hunters...

Anyways, I was sneaking around this fort doing a Companions quest, and of course the Companion I'm with sucks at pretty much everything, so a Silver Hand member turns around and says, "What's that?"

My friend, being the overly hip Odd Future nerd that he is, immediately launches into a line from the song Transylvania that starts off with "What's that?" and continues like this: "The cock of a black dude, mad 'cause his daughter's got the swag of a vacuum." 

Being an OF-lover myself, I immediately caught the reference, laughed, then kicked him in the back for disrupting my playing. It was kind of hard too, the kind where you feel bad for a second, but then justify it to yourself as them getting what they deserved. Or maybe I'm just a shitty friend.


----------



## Captain Shoggoth

Prydogga said:


> Yeah, that's the one I meant. One of them said I can now continue to meet the boss man, because my voice is strong enough, but the fully learnt shout doesn't do anything to the forcefield.



Which shout is it, if I may ask?


----------



## HighGain510

Two questions:

1) Snow Troll - Is there any EASY way to beat them? I've tried backpedaling and side-stepping as best I can alternating with hitting, shouting and bashing with the shield to push him back but he still rapes me before I can get him completely dead! 

2) Vampire cave - I'm only Level 14 but I walked into a cave that apparently is inhabited by very strong vampires!  I killed off the lesser vampires but this chick came at me full bore and every time I'd get her down to like half health she'd drain me and end up with all my health!  Any tips on how to take them on? It's entirely possible that I'm just too weak to fight them yet, but I'm wondering why I got spanked almost instantly when I've had zero problem in the other dungeons and have killed two dragons already.


----------



## Grand Moff Tim

HighGain510 said:


> Two questions:
> 
> 1) Snow Troll - Is there any EASY way to beat them? I've tried backpedaling and side-stepping as best I can alternating with hitting, shouting and bashing with the shield to push him back but he still rapes me before I can get him completely dead!
> 
> 2) Vampire cave - I'm only Level 14 but I walked into a cave that apparently is inhabited by very strong vampires!  I killed off the lesser vampires but this chick came at me full bore and every time I'd get her down to like half health she'd drain me and end up with all my health!


 
1) Lycanthropy

2) Lycanthropy.


----------



## JamesM

Xaios said:


> I've never had an issue knowing the plot of videogames before I play them, so I've been reading all the spoiler tags.
> 
> 
> 
> Spoiler
> 
> 
> 
> Isn't there a mission that The Blades send you on to kill Paarthurnax, because he's suposedly allied with Alduin?



Yes. They just hate all things Dov.



HighGain510 said:


> Two questions:
> 
> 1) Snow Troll - Is there any EASY way to beat them? I've tried backpedaling and side-stepping as best I can alternating with hitting, shouting and bashing with the shield to push him back but he still rapes me before I can get him completely dead!
> 
> 2) Vampire cave - I'm only Level 14 but I walked into a cave that apparently is inhabited by very strong vampires!  I killed off the lesser vampires but this chick came at me full bore and every time I'd get her down to like half health she'd drain me and end up with all my health!  Any tips on how to take them on? It's entirely possible that I'm just too weak to fight them yet, but I'm wondering why I got spanked almost instantly when I've had zero problem in the other dungeons and have killed two dragons already.



1) Yes, kite it with a bow or spells if you haven't the health or resto for it. I even killed a giant this way. If you haven't put points in resto yet, do it. It makes your survivability skyrocket. If not kiting, what you're doing is a good idea. Instead of a shield, however, I dual-wield one handers and run him in circles, staggering him with a shout when I can. Scoot away to heal and then get back in there. 

2) The Master Vampires are tough, but following the same directions I gave for the frost troll works for me. I cleared a vampire cave at level 12 and I blow at video games. Resto is the key.


----------



## Sicarius

Grand Moff Tim said:


> 1) Lycanthropy
> 
> 2) Lycanthropy.




How to get bitches?

Lycanthropy.

I'm going to get this tomorrow or friday.. or some time in the near future..


----------



## ittoa666

Prydogga said:


> HOW DID YOU GET UP THERE~?



You get it after you get to sky haven temple when you return to the greybeards. The shout is called clear skies.


----------



## Rock4ever

Grand Moff Tim said:


> 1) Lycanthropy
> 
> 2) Lycanthropy.



I used a dwarven bow with a fire enchant along with some poison of fire aversion. That along with a sneak attack did significant.

There's a cave near Whiterun, that has two trolls near the entrance. THAT is hard as fuck. Had to run out each time i went in to investigate.


----------



## Krauthammer

Grand Moff Tim said:


> Hahaha, Lycanthropy to the rescue again. I turned into a werewolf (in the privacy of my own home, so as not to attract unwanted attention), and when I turned back, no more glitchspikes. So... there you go, I guess. If you're having trouble with a character model glitch, just turn into a werewolf.



I believe you are the only other person I can find on the internet about this happening. I had this Ice Spike glitch happen to my character, lvl 15 Imperial. I've reloaded and tried different armor, but I do not possess werewolf ability. Where does one become a werewolf? Or, if there is another way. One of those ice spikes is in my 1st person view and takes up 1/3 of the screen.


----------



## Fiction

I just got it!

The starting was awesome, got out and started shooting the wildlife. Got my archery up a little bit, and just started to head to whiterun now. But I decided to shoot a few travellers, who turned around and killed me in 2 hits haha.


----------



## Grand Moff Tim

Krauthammer said:


> I believe you are the only other person I can find on the internet about this happening. I had this Ice Spike glitch happen to my character, lvl 15 Imperial. I've reloaded and tried different armor, but I do not possess werewolf ability. Where does one become a werewolf? Or, if there is another way. One of those ice spikes is in my 1st person view and takes up 1/3 of the screen.


 
Join the Companions (in that big longhouse in Winterun). You'll get it on about the third mission in.


----------



## Xaios

Bought my house in Whiterun, fully upgraded! 

Not bad for a level 8. 

I encountered one thing that was kind of annoying. In one of the cities, I was charged with eliminating a den of vampires, with the aid of one of the townsfolk. I didn't really feel like doing it at that point, so I figured I'd just dismiss him and come back later.

Wrong. 

I couldn't dismiss him until I finished the quest (which, admittedly, was a lot easier than I thought it would be). Wherever I traveled to, he followed right behind, axe in hand at the ready. So I finally dragged my housecarl along for the ride, and she actually acquitted herself nicely. I think I'll bring her along more often.

Also, one thing I really liked about the house was how the bookshelves worked. I figured I'd have to go through the painstaking task of manually aligning and storing each book in order to make it look proper, but it turns out the bookshelves you get with houses have a function in which you simply store books in them like you would a chest or cabinet, and it automatically populates the shelf, making things all neat and tidy, while maintaining the ability to pick up or read a single book from the shelf. I thought that was a really great touch.


----------



## Vicissitude27

After roaming around for a while, and leveling up a lot because I abuse the smithing skill, I've realized something. 

Fuck Ancient Dragons.

I thought Frost Dragons were tough enough.


----------



## Tomo009

HighGain510 said:


> Two questions:
> 
> 1) Snow Troll - Is there any EASY way to beat them? I've tried backpedaling and side-stepping as best I can alternating with hitting, shouting and bashing with the shield to push him back but he still rapes me before I can get him completely dead!
> 
> 2) Vampire cave - I'm only Level 14 but I walked into a cave that apparently is inhabited by very strong vampires!  I killed off the lesser vampires but this chick came at me full bore and every time I'd get her down to like half health she'd drain me and end up with all my health!  Any tips on how to take them on? It's entirely possible that I'm just too weak to fight them yet, but I'm wondering why I got spanked almost instantly when I've had zero problem in the other dungeons and have killed two dragons already.



1. Yes, very easy in fact, they have the dumbest AI in the game. All you have to do is run in, whack them once, take a few steps back and repeat, seriously. If you don't hit hard you will need a fire spell to use during the step back so they don't heal over the damage you do though. Strange these are the enemies people have trouble with, they are absolutely nothing compared to dragons or even higher level draugr haha.

2. Vampires are just hard, their life drain is brutal in this game, on my main (a necromancer) I just have to get them to attack my zombie while i go to work on them with spells/daggers (though I found an ice sword I've been using on him and feeling a bit guilty about). If you have a shield, shield bash attack attack repeat seems to be an infinite on all humanoid creatures as long as you have stamina. (number of attacks obviously varies per weapon, my unarmed khajiit gets 2 easily though)


----------



## Fiction

I just spent an hour going through all the houses robbing everyone as they slept. Sneaking went up by about 5 levels, lockpicking is at 29 and made 4000 gold + Sweet new gear, and just spent the money on smithing stuff. This game is legendary.

Edit: i just got hit by a giant hundreds of feet in the air, whilst being chase by a mammoth. First Encounters


----------



## Black_Sheep

Damn i really want this game.... i'll try to get it this week.


Speaking of the enemies, how are the spiders? Bad? Easy?

..Just wondering, cause i have a massive fear of them. It's silly i know, but i can't help it, just can't stand them at all


----------



## Tomo009

Black_Sheep said:


> Damn i really want this game.... i'll try to get it this week.
> 
> 
> Speaking of the enemies, how are the spiders? Bad? Easy?
> 
> ..Just wondering, cause i have a massive fear of them. It's silly i know, but i can't help it, just can't stand them at all



Well they are pretty damn easy compared to some enemies, the first boss (you have to fight it) is a giant spider though. They aren't the most common enemy in the wild, but especially in the forests, they can sneak up on you.


----------



## SirMyghin

HighGain510 said:


> 2) Vampire cave - I'm only Level 14 but I walked into a cave that apparently is inhabited by very strong vampires!  I killed off the lesser vampires but this chick came at me full bore and every time I'd get her down to like half health she'd drain me and end up with all my health!  Any tips on how to take them on? It's entirely possible that I'm just too weak to fight them yet, but I'm wondering why I got spanked almost instantly when I've had zero problem in the other dungeons and have killed two dragons already.




My solution to vampires is dual cast fireball, pretty much dead meat (I have 50% more damage fire). Earlier levels they were a bitch though. I remember how happy I was discovering fireball (before I could buy it) in a dwemer ruin (looked like placed loot) . 

Snow trolls suck, one killed my horse. I actually didn't like the horse so I guess it is win win.

Anyone else do the wild bender quest where you have a drink in Whiterun, and wake up in Makarth? Probably my favourite so far. Makarth also has a pretty cool internal plot, albeit I feel they could have wrapped it up a touch more succintly.


----------



## vampiregenocide

I beat a frost troll yesterday, those bastards are tough. Took me a second to realise it's health was degenerating. Luckily, I found a small ledge which I jumped on and it couldn't attack me. I use flames on it until my magic ran out, then chipped away at it's health with my bow until my magic was back, then repeated. The fact it couldn't get me means I was levelling up my bow skills quickly with relative easy. Just shooting him in the face a point blank range for a few minutes. 

Also, my character has an arrow right through the centre of his forehead that won't disappear.


----------



## Tomo009

Seriously trolls are pretty easy, they attack whenever you are close, well sometimes they beat their chest, but you can just walk in again and they will then attack. their attack is so slow it can't hit you, you then get a free attack and they don't seem to learn like the rest of the AI does, they literally loop the same thing over and over.

EDIT: Also my character had an arrow through it's chest, but when I equipped Dwemer armour it disappeared.


----------



## Fiction

61 Smithing, 48 One Hand + 42 Lock picking are the main stats I use, from when I got the game 8 or so hours ago, I've never gamed so damn hard, loving it very much. Encountered 2 dragons in the wild so far and they're really easy, only managed to kill one giant so far, and thats cause someone sent bandits after me cause I robbed them and they helped me kill the giant, then I killed them (the bandits) and went and re-robbed o'gilran or whatever his lame ass name is for sending bandits on me.

Also had the first dragons (from the watchtower) bones drop out of the sky on me just outside whiterun about 4 hours after I killed it? Nice little glitch.


----------



## Tomo009

Fiction said:


> 61 Smithing, 48 One Hand + 42 Lock picking are the main stats I use, from when I got the game 8 or so hours ago, I've never gamed so damn hard, loving it very much. Encountered 2 dragons in the wild so far and they're really easy, only managed to kill one giant so far, and thats cause someone sent bandits after me cause I robbed them and they helped me kill the giant, then I killed them (the bandits) and went and re-robbed o'gilran or whatever his lame ass name is for sending bandits on me.
> 
> Also had the first dragons (from the watchtower) bones drop out of the sky on me just outside whiterun about 4 hours after I killed it? Nice little glitch.



Try master difficulty and you might not feel the same about dragons haha. Breath = death.

I'm not sure whether I love or hate the funny little glitches in this game, had so many. They are often hilarious though a little immersion detracting.


----------



## vampiregenocide

They call me 'Ol' Arrowface'.


----------



## Xaios

<LiamNeeson> I once fought for two days with an arrow through my testicle. </LiamNeeson>


----------



## vampiregenocide

The arrow is now gone.  I put a helmet on and it despawned it.


----------



## Grand Moff Tim




----------



## vampiregenocide

I had that issue.  However, you can control your follower to move to certain areas.

I had that lass Lydia with me, but then I got arrested and never saw her again. She seemed like a cunt anyway.


----------



## Sicarius

I've noticed this in a few games, where a game gets pushed out too early and it has a lot of weird glitches in it.

Fallout New Vegas I heard was filled with them. Mysterious floating heads, bodies missing skin, and what have you. 

I know EA has done a few things that were glitchy (Medal of Honor has maps you can see enemies through the ground, BF3 has it's issues as well), is this the state of game developers now? Just shove a game out as fast as possible instead of taking the time to make it right?


----------



## Pooluke41

Sicarius said:


> I've noticed this in a few games, where a game gets pushed out too early and it has a lot of weird glitches in it.
> 
> Fallout New Vegas I heard was filled with them. Mysterious floating heads, bodies missing skin, and what have you.
> 
> I know EA has done a few things that were glitchy (Medal of Honor has maps you can see enemies through the ground, BF3 has it's issues as well), is this the state of game developers now? Just shove a game out as fast as possible instead of taking the time to make it right?




Money,

that is all.


----------



## The Reverend

vampiregenocide said:


> I had that issue.  However, you can control your follower to move to certain areas.
> 
> I had that lass Lydia with me, but then I got arrested and never saw her again. She seemed like a cunt anyway.



Good riddance. Aside from party based games like Mass Effect, Dragon Age, etc, my favorite computer controlled companions have been in Fallout: New Vegas. The followers in that game are really helpful, and really smart, and I wonder why Bethesda didn't use that matrix in this game. I'd like to have followers in Skyrim, but they just don't work very well with my style of play. 

Also, somebody should've mentioned that it takes a few seconds to wolf-out. I tried it for the first time to save myself from swarming draugr, and they killed me mid-transformation. You guys suck!


----------



## SirMyghin

Sicarius said:


> I know EA has done a few things that were glitchy (Medal of Honor has maps you can see enemies through the ground, BF3 has it's issues as well), is this the state of game developers now? Just shove a game out as fast as possible instead of taking the time to make it right?



Had 2 dragon bugs today, one would 'die', zero health, but not be dead (still have a 0 health bar and sit there doing nothing). It did that 2x, I thought where it was dying was the issue, so I didn't kill/stun it up there and everything worked out fine third time. The other would not absorb after death (fortunately I play on PC, so I corrected that with console). 

There are definitely some big bugs (like Blood on the ice, the find murderrer quest I can't finish even though I have all the parts and evidence/know who it is, as I did a part out of order). 

Then you have the seemingly random CTD's, some days it doesn't happen, others 4-5 times.


----------



## Xaios

Oh man...

Skyrim Fans Name Child Dovahkiin | Botchweed Gaming


----------



## ittoa666

Here's an interesting bug I found. 



Spoiler



When I got the Staff of Magnus for the Mage's College questline, the dragonlord dropped 2 instead of one.


----------



## Grand Moff Tim

One mod I hope to see for PC before too long is the ability to smelt weapons into ingots. We can already smelt dwarven scrap into ingots, it'd make sense to be able to smelt other things into their base metals. It'd be nice to have something to do with all the random armor and weapons I find that aren't worth much and don't suit my playstyle besides sell them for a pittance.

Unrelated to the above: My dude so far has turned into a pretty well-rounded guy. It's been a while since I've come across a mission or a dungeon that I felt my character wasn't suited very well for. There have been situations were being a little more combat-ready (better stamina and melee stats) would've been nice, but it was never prohibitive. It's nice because I feel like I've made a capable dude who can take on all comers, but it's also unfortunate because it makes me care a bit less about starting a new character to experience different playstyles. I'm sure I will anyways (I have a khajiit assassin planned), but the urge wasn't as strong as it was with Oblivion, or even with other games like the Mass Effect series.


----------



## The Reverend

Xaios said:


> Oh man...
> 
> Skyrim Fans Name Child Dovahkiin | Botchweed Gaming



Watch as Todd Howard leaves Bethesda and the company just becomes another faceless, mediocre AAA developer.


----------



## Prydogga

Well Bethesda are bigger than Devs aren't they now? Since they have Rage, Brink and a few other games under their license. So as long as [id] stick with Bethesda and make more wicked games, their will be at least 2 more good Bethesda games in that kid's lifetime.

(I say 2, because I figure since it took the majority of the current console generation for Rage to come out, the same might happen for every new id game.  )


----------



## HighGain510

I had a bug where Lydia up and disappeared on me for FIVE HOURS and then randomly *after* I had completed a major battle and fast traveled to another town, she decided it was time to show up again.  Lazy bitch.


----------



## vampiregenocide

I did the quest in Shimmermist Cave, albeit by being a cowardly cunt.  I fought my way through to get this mace, and I was met by a Falmer leader and his Steam Centurion, both of which killed me quite easily. There was no way I could beat them, but I really wanted to do the quest, so I ran in, stole the shit I needed from the chest, and legged it out again. Lost the Falmer eventually.  Boss fight my ass, fuck dat shit.


----------



## Daiephir

I just bought it, goodbye SC2 skills T_T


----------



## SirMyghin

vampiregenocide said:


> I did the quest in Shimmermist Cave, albeit by being a cowardly cunt.  I fought my way through to get this mace, and I was met by a Falmer leader and his Steam Centurion, both of which killed me quite easily. There was no way I could beat them, but I really wanted to do the quest, so I ran in, stole the shit I needed from the chest, and legged it out again. Lost the Falmer eventually.  Boss fight my ass, fuck dat shit.



Which quest is that? I cleared that bitch ass place yesterday, last fight was a bit tough, I had to potion up with buffs.


----------



## Tomo009

Falmer can be annoying, Centurions aren't too bad, if you strafe to the left there is only one attack they can hit you with and you can move back on reaction to it. If you strafe to far they have a turn around strike though which is really difficult to dodge. Strangely almost all their attacks go their right, I have no idea why, this makes them quite easy, probably the second most abuse-able enemy AI behind trolls. I think it's only the human like enemies and dragons that use the radiant AI, but there's the shield bash infinite for humanoids haha. I think dragons are the hardest enemies to fight. Well, them or mammoths if you don't simply run into water.


----------



## SirMyghin

Dragons are piece of cake for my character, chain stun w/ dual casting destruction and the impact perk. Humans can give me a run for my money as they use wards to block my spells (and I don't use wards as I am busy dual casting) 

I pretty much chain stagger anything that looks difficult, gg. I have enough mana regen that I can pretty much do it indefinitely if I use the apprentice spells.


----------



## vampiregenocide

SirMyghin said:


> Which quest is that? I cleared that bitch ass place yesterday, last fight was a bit tough, I had to potion up with buffs.



You have to retrieve some family's heirloom which is this steel mace in the chest at the end. You get it from one of the companions. I'm only level 9 atm so the centurion was just too much for me. How however, I am a werewolf.


----------



## Sicarius

I want to be a were-lion...

or werebear.

That'd be badass.


----------



## vampiregenocide

Sicarius said:


> I want to be a were-lion...
> 
> or werebear.
> 
> That'd be badass.



Wereshark <3


----------



## Sicarius

vampiregenocide said:


> Wereshark <3


It could be like Street Sharks!

Minus the roller blades and with fucking swords.


----------



## SirMyghin

vampiregenocide said:


> You have to retrieve some family's heirloom which is this steel mace in the chest at the end. You get it from one of the companions. I'm only level 9 atm so the centurion was just too much for me. How however, I am a werewolf.



Yeah the centurion was challenging at level 30ish.. maybe a bit more so. IT's breath weapon/area thing was massive.


----------



## vampiregenocide

SirMyghin said:


> Yeah the centurion was challenging at level 30ish.. maybe a bit more so. IT's breath weapon/area thing was massive.



Yeah I was level 8.  No way I had a hope in hell of beating it.


----------



## SirMyghin

vampiregenocide said:


> Yeah I was level 8.  No way I had a hope in hell of beating it.



To be fair you might have more HP than me, at a whopping 160 hp. about 500 magicka though (so 350ish base I think), and 150 stam


----------



## Adam Of Angels

I don't have a TV or a Playstation/Xbox, but... I'm considering buying all things necessary to play this game. Sounds metal as fuck.


----------



## Grand Moff Tim

SirMyghin said:


> Dragons are piece of cake for my character, chain stun w/ dual casting destruction and the impact perk. Humans can give me a run for my money as they use wards to block my spells (and I don't use wards as I am busy dual casting)


 
That's me, pretty much. I hate it when I face a powerful mage who uses ward, but that's when having my trusty mace comes in handy.


----------



## Captain Shoggoth

vampiregenocide said:


> I did the quest in Shimmermist Cave, albeit by being a cowardly cunt.  I fought my way through to get this mace, and I was met by a Falmer leader and his Steam Centurion, both of which killed me quite easily. There was no way I could beat them, but I really wanted to do the quest, so I ran in, stole the shit I needed from the chest, and legged it out again. Lost the Falmer eventually.  Boss fight my ass, fuck dat shit.



Yeah, I posted about that a wee while ago, I was a level 7 and pussied the fuck out too:



Captain Shoggoth said:


> >Playing through, dungeoning, killing shit in Shimmermist Cave with Lydia (my Housecarl (bodyguard thing))
> >Repeatedly ass-destroyed in a final boss room of sorts, even with my enchanted weapons and healing magick
> >The only way to make it through alive is by running through it and escaping, leaving Lydia to die fighting
> >Before entering room last time, tell her to go home
> >She leaves back the way we came
> >I run through and out shitting my pants
> >Emerge in a rainy night, feel shitty that I failed the dungeon and lost my Housecarl
> >Return to Whiterun
> >Lydia is in the Jarl's Hall and I can recruit her again whenever
> >mfw


----------



## SirMyghin

Adam Of Angels said:


> I don't have a TV or a Playstation/Xbox, but... I'm considering buying all things necessary to play this game. Sounds metal as fuck.



The best is in some higher mountains you get this really soothing ambient 'oooooh' type music going on. Running through what would normally be a calm serene place, except for you running through groups of bandits and punctuating with steel on steel sounds and such. I was thinking, wow, this is fucking awesome.


----------



## Grand Moff Tim

My favorite environment in the game so far is the northern ice fields. All of the environments look good, but the ice fields were the only one that made me go "Whoa, cool" the first time I went. The other ones are more the type that I appreciate them when I stop to pay attention, but the ice fields _commanded_ my attention.


----------



## Xaios

I just want to reiterate, because it can't be overstated...


This game is awesome. WAAAY more fun than Oblivion IMO. More than anything, the game world reminds me a lot of Red Dead Redemption, where you could just head off in any direction and putter around to your heart's content, and then continue with the main plot whenever you damn well felt like it.

About the only thing I don't care for is the writing, or lack thereof, for the main character. I've never really jived with the whole "you are the chosen one" type story that turns you, Mr Joe Average, into the savior of mankind. I prefer to step into someone else's shoes, like I could in RDR, and see the world through their jaded eyes instead, because it gives your actions context. I find playing as John Marston to be a lot more compelling for the narrative than I do playing as myself. I guess I just suck at roleplaying.

I realize that's my particular bent, but that's just how I feel. And don't get me wrong, some of my very favorite games, such as the first 2 Fallout games (haven't played the most recent ones) are stories in which your actions shape your character, but in all those games, your character has SOME backstory (IE you're a vault dweller, or a member of a tribe descended from THE vault dweller). In this game, there's nothing aside from your race, which you also choose, and the only differences it lends to the game are ostensibly cosmetic.

Everything else is spot on, though, and I'm having a blast.


----------



## Grand Moff Tim

Xaios said:


> This game is awesome. WAAAY more fun than Oblivion IMO. More than anything, the game world reminds me a lot of Red Dead Redemption, where you could just head off in any direction and putter around to your heart's content, and then continue with the main plot whenever you damn well felt like it.
> 
> About the only thing I don't care for is the writing, or lack thereof, for the main character. I've never really jived with the whole "you are the chosen one" type story that turns you, Mr Joe Average, into the savior of mankind. I prefer to step into someone else's shoes, like I could in RDR, and see the world through their jaded eyes instead, because it gives your actions context. I find playing as John Marston to be a lot more compelling for the narrative than I do playing as myself. I guess I just suck at roleplaying.
> 
> I realize that's my particular bent, but that's just how I feel. And don't get me wrong, some of my very favorite games, such as the first 2 Fallout games (haven't played the most recent ones) are stories in which your actions shape your character, but in all those games, your character has SOME backstory (IE you're a vault dweller, or a member of a tribe descended from THE vault dweller). In this game, there's nothing aside from your race, which you also choose, and the only differences it lends to the game are ostensibly cosmetic.


 
To be fair, choosing your race _does_ give you a bit of a backstory, but only if you're familiar with the game lore. Then again, alot of the lore that would shape that racial backstory is actually _new _lore in TES:5, so that isn't particularly helpful on the first playthrough .

With this as with Oblivion, I'm playing a generic playthrough first, and once I have an idea of the current political atmosphere in the gameworld (and a handle on the gameplay, of course), I'll really be able to sink my teeth into a new character. Then again, I _am_ the nerdy, create-my-own-backstory role-player type.

Case in point: I finally started a second build last night, and it's a Khajiit assassin named Dro'Skar. My fellow Oblivion nerds might remember J'Skar, from the Bruma Mages Guild. My fellow TES Lore nerds might know that the khajiit prefix J' means "young" and Dro' means "grandfather." Accordingly, my Khajiit is an old, grizzled and grey khajiit who is a descendant of J'Skar. We know now that


Spoiler



the Mages Guild was disbanded between TES4 and TES5,


 so for me, J'Skar's descendants feel like they were abandoned by the Empire, and carry a deep-seated grudge against them and turned to the Cyrodil's seedy underbelly to make a living. Because of that, my dude's a sneaky assassin who joins the Stormcloak rebellion because of his hatred for the Empire, despite the Nords' treatment of the "beast races." EDIT: Also, J'Skar famously used an illusion spell as part of the Bruma Recommendation quest, so it's doubly appropriate that his descendant would be the kind to sneak and hide. I'll probably even pick up some illusion spells, for old time's sake.

I'm such a dork. It's a wonder I never got in to D&D .


----------



## Xaios

Dude, I SALUTE you.


----------



## vampiregenocide

SirMyghin said:


> To be fair you might have more HP than me, at a whopping 160 hp. about 500 magicka though (so 350ish base I think), and 150 stam



I think I'm boosting up my health mostly, but I'm still only just at 160. I think my character is going to be a bit of a tank.  



Xaios said:


> I just want to reiterate, because it can't be overstated...
> 
> 
> This game is awesome. WAAAY more fun than Oblivion IMO. More than anything, the game world reminds me a lot of Red Dead Redemption, where you could just head off in any direction and putter around to your heart's content, and then continue with the main plot whenever you damn well felt like it.
> 
> About the only thing I don't care for is the writing, or lack thereof, for the main character. I've never really jived with the whole "you are the chosen one" type story that turns you, Mr Joe Average, into the savior of mankind. I prefer to step into someone else's shoes, like I could in RDR, and see the world through their jaded eyes instead, because it gives your actions context. I find playing as John Marston to be a lot more compelling for the narrative than I do playing as myself. I guess I just suck at roleplaying.
> 
> I realize that's my particular bent, but that's just how I feel. And don't get me wrong, some of my very favorite games, such as the first 2 Fallout games (haven't played the most recent ones) are stories in which your actions shape your character, but in all those games, your character has SOME backstory (IE you're a vault dweller, or a member of a tribe descended from THE vault dweller). In this game, there's nothing aside from your race, which you also choose, and the only differences it lends to the game are ostensibly cosmetic.
> 
> Everything else is spot on, though, and I'm having a blast.



I agree. What would've been cool is if at the beginning, when on that cart, you're asked questions about your past by the other prisoners, and you answer those to effectively create your backstory. Then when those prisoners go off, they could spread the rumours and throughout the game other NPC's could reference it when you meet them like 'oh I heard you were the last survivor of this battle etc'. It could add to the whole legend of your character. 

My guy is called Jonah and as you can see from the pic, has jet black eyes. I intended to make a character who would become a werewolf so I wanted someone who looked beastly in human form.


----------



## Xaios

^ Exactly. For example, one thing that kinda breaks the continuity is


Spoiler



when the Nord guy in the cart is talking to you, he's all friendly to you, but when he notices Thalmor about, he mentions "damn elves." What if your character is an Altmer or a Bosmer? Why do you get a free pass?


----------



## Grand Moff Tim

It's actually odd that they even got as specific as saying that your character was arrested for trying to cross the border. In previous games you just knew that you were in jail, but not why or the circumstances of your arrest. Statistically, at least one of my Oblivion builds must've been a violent rapist.


----------



## Captain Shoggoth

Grand Moff Tim said:


> My favorite environment in the game so far is the northern ice fields. All of the environments look good, but the ice fields were the only one that made me go "Whoa, cool" the first time I went. The other ones are more the type that I appreciate them when I stop to pay attention, but the ice fields _commanded_ my attention.



Not sure what you mean by ice fields, but at night, the marsh in the north literally made my jaw drop. My last save is at 2am (Tamriel time) in the northern marsh), the entire marsh is in a blue haze with an unbelievable aquamarine aurora borealis in the sky. Breathtaking stuff.


----------



## Grand Moff Tim

Captain Shoggoth said:


> Not sure what you mean by ice fields.


 
I mean... ice fields. Past the northern marshes, along the northern coastline. The shore is packed with broken ice floes and snow covered rocky outcroppings. If you look up "bleak" in the dictionary, it will have a picture of Skyrim's ice fields. Incidentally, it's also where you'll find horkers, which are some of the most hilariously ineffective creatures in the history of the franchise when it comes to combat. Lots of health, but slow and cumbersone.


----------



## Pooluke41

Xaios said:


> ^ Exactly. For example, one thing that kinda breaks the continuity is
> 
> 
> Spoiler
> 
> 
> 
> when the Nord guy in the cart is talking to you, he's all friendly to you, but when he notices Thalmor about, he mentions "damn elves." What if your character is an Altmer or a Bosmer? Why do you get a free pass?



I think it's just because they are guards, so he says "Damn Elves".


----------



## Sicarius

1 Wal-Mart and a Gamestop were sold out.

time to go to a BBY, another Wal-Mart and another Gamestop to get a copy.

SO right now I'm just going to play Oblivion.


----------



## Xaios

Pooluke41 said:


> I think it's just because they are guards, so he says "Damn Elves".



Eh, I don't think so.



Spoiler



While he doesn't state it explicitly, it's suggested quite strongly that he's a Stormcloak, judging by how he reveres Ulfric Stormcloak, who's also sitting in the wagon. And the game goes to GREAT lengths to state that one of the chief reasons behind the rebellion is that, in order to stay the destruction of the Empire at the hands of the Aldmeri Dominion (aka, the Elves), one of the terms that the Empire agreed to was to outlaw the worship of Talos, who was Tiber Septim (a Nord) ascended, as it offended the sensibility of the haughty elves that a mere man could ascend to godhood. The Empire allowed the Thalmor (the leading faction of the Aldmeri Dominion) free reign in the realm to rout all Talos worship, leading to people literally being kidnapped and/or killed as they slept for worshipping Talos. As a result, the Stormcloaks carry a MASSIVE grudge against elves, especially the Thalmor.


----------



## Grand Moff Tim

Xaios said:


> Eh, I don't think so.
> 
> 
> 
> Spoiler
> 
> 
> 
> While he doesn't state it explicitly, it's suggested quite strongly that he's a Stormcloak, judging by how he reveres Ulfric Stormcloak, who's also sitting in the wagon.


 


Spoiler



He _definitely_ is a Stormcloak. He doesn't say so in the wagon, but during the part of the territorial where you choose to follow either a legionaire or a rebel, he's the guy you follow if you choose the latter. Ralof, to be specific.


----------



## Thrashmanzac

i bought this game yesterday and played it till 4am. holy shit it is good. im level 9 atm, i killed 2 giants when i was level 4 that i was pretty happy about  the game is just so epic!


----------



## Prydogga

I'm a motherfucking werewolf now, shit yeah!

Also, I hadn't worn any armour until getting to the point where I find elven and Dwarf armour, it's all the best! Dwarf looks so tanky, even on my small Nord woman.


----------



## Sicarius

brb going to a different Wal-Mart.

Oblivion didn't slake my thrist.


----------



## Grand Moff Tim

Prydogga said:


> I'm a motherfucking werewolf now, shit yeah!


 
Isn't it _awesome_? Go use it to clear out a room full of bandits in a fort somewhere, there are few more gratifying experiences in the game.


----------



## Grand Moff Tim

I'm going to contract lycanthropy with my new khajiit build, because the idea of a cat-man turning into a dog-man makes me giggle.


----------



## Prydogga

Yeah, the celebratory slaughter was glorious! 

Oh, you're a werewolf hunter? Then this will make your death all that more humiliating!

I love the knockdown and maul animation.


----------



## Grand Moff Tim

I've been missing out on the animations by playing as a battlemage/archer who fucks shit up at range. My new khajiit gets off the sneak shot with a bow, then charges in with two blades (double daggers usually, two swords for bosses), and both the double-handed heavy attacks and random kill animations are fucking awesome. I can't wait until I have some higher level daggers (just Steel for now), because as a result of them being so light and having a quick swing speed, I can get a ton of hits in in a short period of time when I dual wield. It'll be even cooler when I have the top-tier sneak perk that makes sneak attacks with daggers deal _fifteen times_ damage.


----------



## chevymeister

I'm about to collect my 8th dragon priest mask and just got 100 smithing <3 Disappointed dragon wasn't the strongest armor, wtf?


----------



## Grand Moff Tim

chevymeister said:


> Disappointed dragon wasn't the strongest armor, wtf?


 
I'd be sorta dissapointed if it _was_. I'm accustomed to Daedric being the uber-loot.


----------



## Sicarius

2nd wal-mart was a bust, but the target a few miles down the road had one last copy.

Holy shit this map is canvas.


----------



## SirMyghin

chevymeister said:


> I'm about to collect my 8th dragon priest mask and just got 100 smithing <3 Disappointed dragon wasn't the strongest armor, wtf?



Any trick to finding those, I have 3 so far (I don't want any spolers though, and I know what to do with them, albeit I am wearing Morokei quite happily).


----------



## Grand Moff Tim

49 hours in, and I haven't found _one_ dragon mask, haha.


----------



## chevymeister

SirMyghin said:


> Any trick to finding those, I have 3 so far (I don't want any spolers though, and I know what to do with them, albeit I am wearing Morokei quite happily).


 Just gotta keep going through ruins and you'll find them  Morokei was a BITCH. I'm a summoner so I struggled till level 30 to kill that asshole since he eats your summons and turns them against you.

Just go through ruins or google locations  That's all I can tell ya!


----------



## The Reverend

Guys...don't laugh, but...

I only just now realized that you have to manually unlock new shouts with Dragon Souls. I was wondering when I'd be able to use the eight or so I'd discovered. I immediately went to town slowing time and freezing people's asses.


----------



## Grand Moff Tim

The Reverend said:


> Guys...don't laugh, but...
> 
> I only just now realized that you have to manually unlock new shouts with Dragon Souls. I was wondering when I'd be able to use the eight or so I'd discovered. I immediately went to town slowing time and freezing people's asses.


 
I won't laugh, because I don't know how to unlock them . The only ones I have that I can actually use are the ones I learned as part of the main quest. I've killed _more _than enough dragons, I'm sure, so... throw me a bone here.


----------



## The Reverend

On the Shouts section of the magic list you'll see all the Shouts you've learned the right words for, and if you look in the bottom left it'll tell you which button to press to unlock it with a Dragon Soul. Each word in a Shout requires an individual Dragon Soul, so choose wisely.

EDIT: 1,000th post, and it couldn't have been on a better topic.


----------



## Prydogga

Wait, dragon masks? I haven't been playing the main quest line, too much fun doing other stuff! Are these masks cool looking and/or wearable?


----------



## Prydogga

Derple post.


----------



## SirMyghin

chevymeister said:


> Just gotta keep going through ruins and you'll find them  Morokei was a BITCH. I'm a summoner so I struggled till level 30 to kill that asshole since he eats your summons and turns them against you.
> 
> Just go through ruins or google locations  That's all I can tell ya!




I actually had to drop the difficulty to beat Morokei, I don't use summons (I have conjuration 70+, all from bound sword ) but he was 2 shotting my level 22 or so character. His helmet is caster sex though. Except right before I got it I put a perk into the alteration 2x armor when armorless thing... Then get a sick light helm...
The fire one you fight with the chick trying to prove her lineage wasn't nearly as bad. Knosis was very easy (although I think I had a magic regen bug that day, as I could never cast that much in a row again ).

I am very curious to see what will happen when you get all 8 and take them to the place, with the thing, and the other thing (cryptic message just to tick people off).


----------



## Sicarius

So, I learned my lesson of attacking a giant at level 4

also while wandering aimlessly, I found some glowy word. something about animals.

am I the Auqaman to land fairing mammals now?


----------



## Thrashmanzac

Sicarius said:


> So, I learned my lesson of attacking a giant at level 4
> 
> also while wandering aimlessly, I found some glowy word. something about animals.
> 
> am I the Auqaman to land fairing mammals now?



i killed two giants when i was level 4, its not impossible, but time consuming haha. it was a combination of arrows and frustratioin that finally killed those poor giants


----------



## ittoa666

chevymeister said:


> Just gotta keep going through ruins and you'll find them  Morokei was a BITCH. I'm a summoner so I struggled till level 30 to kill that asshole since he eats your summons and turns them against you.
> 
> Just go through ruins or google locations  That's all I can tell ya!



Did he drop 2 staffs for you?


----------



## Grand Moff Tim

Man, the caverns of Blackreach are friggin' sweet. At first when I arrived at the door to enter, after already having slogged through dwemer ruins past falmer and automatons for an hour, I thought "Dammit, are you kidding me?" Once I opened the door, though, I said "Ok nevermind, this is pretty fucking cool."

Also, regarding the difficulty of those huge dwemer sentinals, I got in one sneak shot with my bow, conjured a lowly flame atronach, then hid behind a column while the atronach and my follower (still Erandur, haha) kicked his ass. I didn't have to fire another shot. 

Speaking of, I've gotten pretty attached to Erandur, despite his weird annoying fake British(?) accent. It's odd, because he has pretty much the exact same playstyle as I do, for the most part. He stands back and blasts away with destruction until his magicka is down, then he runs in with a mace. That means half the time I don't even have to switch over to melee, because between the two of us blasting away (he with fire and I with shock), by the time our magicka is depleted, the baddies usually only have a sliver of health left, which Erandur happily runs in and whacks out of them. Plus we're both wearing full suits of orcish armor, so we're like a couple of badass twinsies .


----------



## Xaios

I'm going nutso as a heavy armor wearing dual sword wielder. Dual wielding power attacks = ultimate in slice and dice technology.


----------



## Thrashmanzac

holy shit being a werewolf is so awesome


----------



## Aceshighhhh

Grand Moff Tim said:


> It'll be even cooler when I have the top-tier sneak perk that makes sneak attacks with daggers deal _fifteen times_ damage.



Pair that up with some Ancient Shrouded Gloves and it's x30 damage


----------



## Black_Sheep

Noooo......  

my copy didn't arrive for this weekend. Damn.


----------



## SirMyghin

ittoa666 said:


> Did he drop 2 staffs for you?



For me, no, Morokei only dropped 1 staff.


----------



## vampiregenocide

Xaios said:


> ^ Exactly. For example, one thing that kinda breaks the continuity is
> 
> 
> Spoiler
> 
> 
> 
> when the Nord guy in the cart is talking to you, he's all friendly to you, but when he notices Thalmor about, he mentions "damn elves." What if your character is an Altmer or a Bosmer? Why do you get a free pass?



Yeah, it would be cool to have people react to you differently depending on what race you are.


----------



## chevymeister

Prydogga said:


> Wait, dragon masks? I haven't been playing the main quest line, too much fun doing other stuff! Are these masks cool looking and/or wearable?


 
There's 8 dragon priests scattered through caves and stuff, they are super hard at low levels. They have awesome stat'd masks usually and awesome staves. Collect all 8 and something happens.



SirMyghin said:


> I actually had to drop the difficulty to beat Morokei, I don't use summons (I have conjuration 70+, all from bound sword ) but he was 2 shotting my level 22 or so character. His helmet is caster sex though. Except right before I got it I put a perk into the alteration 2x armor when armorless thing... Then get a sick light helm...
> The fire one you fight with the chick trying to prove her lineage wasn't nearly as bad. Knosis was very easy (although I think I had a magic regen bug that day, as I could never cast that much in a row again ).
> 
> I am very curious to see what will happen when you get all 8 and take them to the place, with the thing, and the other thing (cryptic message just to tick people off).


 
I use storm atronachs (Which are super badass.... way better than frost/flame ones) and I'm in light armor with a sword that can kill anybody in one shot. (attribute - has a chance to kill an enemy). Love it.



ittoa666 said:


> Did he drop 2 staffs for you?


 


SirMyghin said:


> For me, no, Morokei only dropped 1 staff.


 
This.


----------



## chevymeister

*Relevant* to my interests.

Parents Name Child After Skyrim Character, Gets Free Bethesda Games for Life | EGMNOW


----------



## Sicarius

so, how do I use the power words? Are they under the spells thing?

also, where can I finds me a Werewolf? I'm the lizard people, so that should be slightly amusing.


----------



## vampiregenocide

Sicarius said:


> so, how do I use the power words? Are they under the spells thing?
> 
> also, where can I finds me a Werewolf? I'm the lizard people, so that should be slightly amusing.



They should be under shouts in the magic/spells menu.

And you mean to be a werewolf?


----------



## Prydogga

Sicarius said:


> so, how do I use the power words? Are they under the spells thing?
> 
> also, where can I finds me a Werewolf? I'm the lizard people, so that should be slightly amusing.



Open up the magic section, and they should be under 'Shouts', also, there will be a button when you select a shout to 'unlock' it using a dragon sould you've collected from killing one.

I don't know if you're on console or PC, but powers and shouts use a different button from an equipped spell.

To become a Werewolf, join the Companions in Whiterun, they're in the johravavkaerker (exaggurated, but you'll know it when you see it. ) which is a hall towards Dragonsreach. It doesn't take long before you get Werewolf powers.


----------



## Grand Moff Tim

vampiregenocide said:


> Yeah, it would be cool to have people react to you differently depending on what race you are.


 
They do. It's subtle, but pedestrians and such will say something different when you walk by depending on your race, and at the very beginning after you create your character, the guy taking names has a race-specific comment depending on what you chose. In that sense, it's like that asshole dunmer prisoner at the beginning of Oblivion who had some asshole thing to say for every race.

EDIT: In one specific case, a drunk dude at a mead hall said "Hey, *hic* you're all fuzzy!" to my khajiit as I walked by. I should've killed him for his audacity, but... you know... witnesses. You kill one witness and you'll have to kill another, and pretty soon everyone in a mead hall is marinating in their own juices on the hearth. I gots ta keep it low-key.


----------



## Grand Moff Tim

I went through Skuldafn last night, and that shit was no joke. I swear, at least 75% of the draugrs were draugr wights, and the rest were a mix of restless draugr and draugr scourge, plus one motherfuckin' draugr deathlord and the dragon priest Nahkriin. If I hadn't been able to get off two sneak shots before he saw me, I don't know that I'd have been able to take Nahkriin without using ALL of my potions.


----------



## Xaios

Grand Moff Tim said:


> They do. It's subtle, but pedestrians and such will say something different when you walk by depending on your race, and at the very beginning after you create your character, the guy taking names has a race-specific comment depending on what you chose. In that sense, it's like that asshole dunmer prisoner at the beginning of Oblivion who had some asshole thing to say for every race.
> 
> EDIT: In one specific case, a drunk dude at a mead hall said "Hey, *hic* you're all fuzzy!" to my khajiit as I walked by. I should've killed him for his audacity, but... you know... witnesses. You kill one witness and you'll have to kill another, and pretty soon everyone in a mead hall is marinating in their own juices on the hearth. I gots ta keep it low-key.



While it's a reaction, it doesn't really change the gameplay experience unless you're hardcore RPing. It would be a more interesting twist if your choice of race had a truly consequential effect on your path of progression through the game.

For example:

*Nord PC talks to an Argonian NPC*

Argonian NPC: Hi there, bye.

On the other hand...

*Argonian PC talks to an Argonian NPC*

Argonian NPC: Always good to see a fellow Argonian in these parts. Hey, could you go on this quest for me? It involves an secret ancient ritual that only us Argonians can be party to, no outsiders allowed. Here's all the details...

That kind of thing would be great. While the game already reacts to your actions, it would be all the more awesome to play where it reacted to your pre-game background as well, in ways that would affect what gameplay options are and aren't available to you.


----------



## Valennic

Grand Moff Tim said:


> I went through Skuldafn last night, and that shit was no joke. I swear, at least 75% of the draugrs were draugr wights, and the rest were a mix of restless draugr and draugr scourge, plus one motherfuckin' draugr deathlord and the dragon priest Nahkriin. If I hadn't been able to get off two sneak shots before he saw me, I don't know that I'd have been able to take Nahkriin without using ALL of my potions.



Christ man, what difficulty do you have that on? 

I've gotten far enough into the main quest that I'm iffy about continuing. Anyone know if dragons still pop up after it? Or has anyone gotten there yet?


----------



## Grand Moff Tim

Xaios said:


> While it's a reaction, it doesn't really change the gameplay experience unless you're hardcore RPing. It would be a more interesting twist if your choice of race had a truly consequential effect on your path of progression through the game.


 
There would be ups and downs to that. On the one hand, yeah, it'd be kind of cool and add an extra level of depth. On the other hand, it would _force_ multiple playthroughs in order to be able to experience the entire game, and I'm not sure how I feel about that. It's enough that Skyrim already forces two playthrough so you can see both sides of the civil war, I'd be kinda miffed if I _had_ to have a playthrough with every single race to experience the whole game.

Then again, I'm sure in time I'll have a playthrough with every race any-damned-ways, but that's because the "hardcore RP" side of me _wants_ to *choose *to do so. In some way, forcing multiple playthroughs for different side quests or achievements just kinda feels like a cheap way for developers to extend the life of a game. Then again, I'm not a developer, so what do I know?


----------



## Grand Moff Tim

Valennic said:


> Christ man, what difficulty do you have that on?
> 
> I've gotten far enough into the main quest that I'm iffy about continuing. Anyone know if dragons still pop up after it? Or has anyone gotten there yet?


 
Default difficulty, but I didn't start the mission until I was level 25.


----------



## Valennic

Grand Moff Tim said:


> Default difficulty, but I didn't start the mission until I was level 25.



Ah that'd do it.


----------



## Grand Moff Tim

I've been thinking (uh-oh!). I can't help but notice that some of the things that Morrowind fans complained about when Oblivion came out have actually only gotten _worse_ with skyrim. There are even fewer skills to specialize in and level up, there are fewer equippable armor types (bye bye, greaves), fewer spells, less weapon and armor variety, and a less varied bestiary. Similarly, it improved on Oblivion's graphics and streamlined the combat system, which were two things Oblivion improved on over Morrowind. It actually only seems like the only things they brought back were the character model types (though the beast races kept their human gait from Oblivion) and a pay-to-travel infrastructure (which itself is dramatically simpler than Morrowind).

So... do those things no longer bother you Morrowind fans? Do the improved dungeons and more interesting main quest make up for them? Were they never really that big a deal in the first place, but people just need something to complain about? 

Just thinking out loud.

In print. Type. Whatever.


----------



## Grand Moff Tim

Dro'Skar, chillin' with the stones.


----------



## vampiregenocide

While I am loving the game I already want to make another character ad try things differently.


----------



## SirMyghin

Grand Moff Tim said:


> I've been thinking (uh-oh!). I can't help but notice that some of the things that Morrowind fans complained about when Oblivion came out have actually only gotten _worse_ with skyrim. There are even fewer skills to specialize in and level up, there are fewer equippable armor types (bye bye, greaves), fewer spells, less weapon and armor variety, and a less varied bestiary. Similarly, it improved on Oblivion's graphics and streamlined the combat system, which were two things Oblivion improved on over Morrowind. It actually only seems like the only things they brought back were the character model types (though the beast races kept their human gait from Oblivion) and a pay-to-travel infrastructure (which itself is dramatically simpler than Morrowind).
> 
> So... do those things no longer bother you Morrowind fans? Do the improved dungeons and more interesting main quest make up for them? Were they never really that big a deal in the first place, but people just need something to complain about?
> 
> Just thinking out loud.
> 
> In print. Type. Whatever.



Skills would be nice, but the system I prefer, combat is better, visuals are great, but always back seat to me. 

Skyrim marks the return of a world that FEELS big, Oblivion felt small, and was flat as a setting. It was not intriguing to run around and do stuff, it was only graphically better. The quests are improved greatly, even from Morrowind. The sweeping epic story returned, and the world is much more dynamic. 

Equipables and such never mattered much to me, I want an epic adventure, Oblivion did not deliver.


Magic is starting to annoy me a bit, mostly as even though I have expert level spells, I still use apprentice stuff to dual cast chain stun and such. The mana cost to damage is not appropriate. I can do 90 damage with incinerate, for something like 66 magicka, 60 with fireball for 30 some magicka, or I can do 37 damage with Firebolt, for 9 magicka. That is 1.4 magicka per damage, roughly 2, and 4.1. The higher level spells just aren't cutting it, and need to be improved ratio wise. 

These are each with 1/2 cost perks too.


----------



## Grand Moff Tim

Yeah, I'm a bit underwhelmed with the spells this time around. I liked playing as a pure mage in Oblivion and using the spellmaking altars to make uber instant death spells that would fuck up almost anything in the game with one touch. It's a bit disappointing that they got rid of spellmaking this time around.


----------



## SirMyghin

Grand Moff Tim said:


> Yeah, I'm a bit underwhelmed with the spells this time around. I liked playing as a pure mage in Oblivion and using the spellmaking altars to make uber instant death spells that would fuck up almost anything in the game with one touch. It's a bit disappointing that they got rid of spellmaking this time around.



They just aren't keeping up through the course of the action. Fireball was acceptable to be less efficient as it is an area spell. Incinerate is effectively firebolt 2, with no efficiency.

I might shelf my spellsword for a bit (more spell than sword), in favour of my argonian meat tank. Wait for a spell damage scaling mod, or cost mod, as while I can just blast away with firebolt near indefinitely and stagger/stun lock, it is far too tedius. The upper tier spells are just not lustrous enough, and enemies have too much HP for the lower level spells to not bore me. Too formulaic.


----------



## vampiregenocide

Any spells worth looking into? At the moment I'm just using flame on everything and it's starting to have trouble dealing with more powerful enemies. Besides, flame is a bit generic I want to try something more cool.


----------



## Xaios

One thing I really appreciate is the level of detail on just about every item in the game. A lot of the armors and weapons in Oblivion were really stylistically bland. Definitely not the case here.


----------



## The Reverend

I haven't touched the main quest outside of unlocking Shouts yet, and I have a little under 40 hours logged already. Only one Faction has been completely done, too. I remember when games were only compelling for ~40 hours. 

On a side note, I think the DLC for this game will be equally intense as the game. I felt like the DLC for Oblivion, or more appropriately put the small expansions, (Horse armor? Really?) were amazing, certainly better than the main quest line. That's were new kinds of armor and weapons will probably come in. I just hope that Bethesda waits a year or so, really getting it right, instead of this six-month thing, or even sooner, that a lot of companies are doing.


----------



## HighGain510

Xaios said:


> One thing I really appreciate is the level of detail on just about every item in the game. A lot of the armors and weapons in Oblivion were really stylistically bland. Definitely not the case here.



Some look a little "meh" still though... you found the Orcish shield yet?  Thing looks like something straight off the original Xbox!


----------



## Grand Moff Tim

Holy shitballs.

Okay. So. After you defeat the main quest,


Spoiler



you get a shout that summons a dragon to fight for you.


 Well, I was out wandering the wilderness in search of my next checkpoint, when a blood dragon decided I was someone to be trifled with. I decided I'd give that new shout a try, and then


Spoiler



HOLY FUCK A DRAGON CAME AND THEY FOUGHT EACHOTHER IN THE GODDAMNED SKY.


 
It was so. Fucking. Cool.


----------



## Sicarius

vids or it didn't happen


----------



## Prydogga

FUS ROH DAH


----------



## Grand Moff Tim

lol


----------



## Prydogga

I miss the days when a funny post got you rep. 

First world problems....

On a related note, can't play the game all week because I'm going on a week long holiday to celebrate finishing school, I'm shattered.


----------



## The Reverend

Prydogga said:


> On a related note, can't play the game all week because I'm going on a week long holiday to celebrate finishing school, I'm shattered.



I hear you man. I'm going on a week-long vacation* to celebrate Thanksgiving* with my family.

* - The American, and thus right, translation of what you said. 

I really am going back to my parent's house for a week, though. I can't bring my PS3 or Skyrim, so I'll have to deal without it. It'll be painful reading this thread, as it almost always gets me to stop dicking around on the internet and start playing the game.


----------



## Grand Moff Tim

The Reverend said:


> I really am going back to my parent's house for a week, though. I can't bring my PS3 or Skyrim, so I'll have to deal without it. It'll be painful reading this thread, as it almost always gets me to stop dicking around on the internet and start playing the game.


 
Ah, yes. Another benefit of having a gaming laptop .


----------



## Thrashmanzac

i had a moment of awe today playing skyrim. i had just finished looting a dwarven supply building and cracked some expert and mater locks to get some nice loot. when i went outside it was night time and stars were out, as i was looking at the stars the sky just lit up. like the nothern lights. it was amazing.


----------



## Grand Moff Tim

Thrashmanzac said:


> i had a moment of awe today playing skyrim. i had just finished looting a dwarven supply building and cracked some expert and mater locks to get some nice loot. when i went outside it was night time and stars were out, as i was looking at the stars the sky just lit up. like the nothern lights. it was amazing.


 
Did you remember to pick up as much dwarven scrap as you could carry to smelt into ingots?


----------



## Sicarius

I have a really bad habit of being over encumbered and end up having to drop decent 2h loot.

I really need to work on that. Just got to the Hrothgar stage, gotta go to some shrine I can't find. Then back to the Companions to get my Lyncanthropy on.


----------



## BrainArt

Sicarius said:


> I have a really bad habit of being over encumbered and end up having to drop decent 2h loot.
> 
> I really need to work on that. Just got to the Hrothgar stage, gotta go to some shrine I can't find. Then back to the Companions to get my Lyncanthropy on.



I got my Lycanthropy aaaaaages ago. Speed up, Clay!


----------



## ittoa666

vampiregenocide said:


> Any spells worth looking into? At the moment I'm just using flame on everything and it's starting to have trouble dealing with more powerful enemies. Besides, flame is a bit generic I want to try something more cool.



*Chain Lightning! *


----------



## Prydogga

The Reverend said:


> I hear you man. I'm going on a week-long vacation* to celebrate Thanksgiving* with my family.
> 
> * - The American, and thus right, translation of what you said.
> 
> I really am going back to my parent's house for a week, though. I can't bring my PS3 or Skyrim, so I'll have to deal without it. It'll be painful reading this thread, as it almost always gets me to stop dicking around on the internet and start playing the game.



Bah, thanksgiving is for crazy non Australians, this is simply a week of binge drinking and nothing more.

Also, Thanks for the reps. I lol'd.


----------



## Thrashmanzac

Grand Moff Tim said:


> Did you remember to pick up as much dwarven scrap as you could carry to smelt into ingots?



nah that shit is too heavy, i may head back there once i buy a house so i can store my loot. also, how the hell do you even buy a house?


----------



## Grand Moff Tim

Thrashmanzac said:


> nah that shit is too heavy, i may head back there once i buy a house so i can store my loot. also, how the hell do you even buy a house?


 
Heavy loot is what followers are for . Erandur is not only my battle buddy, he's also my pack mule.

To buy a house, you have to do a favor for a jarl. Once you've done that and earned a jarl's favor, he/she will allow you to buy a house from his/her advisor. If you've done enough of the early main questline to have killed your first dragon outside of Whiterun, you're already in good enough favor with the Jarl of Whiterun to buy a house there. Luckily, it's also the cheapest house in the game at 5000 septims (up around 7000 with all the upgrades, which you don't need but make it nicer and add more storage options).


----------



## Grand Moff Tim

Speaking of, I just bought the 25k septim house in Solitude today, and bought the ~10k septims' worth of furnishings. Shit's got three floors, and now I have my own enchanting and alchemy tables. Fuckin' pimp, y'all.

Oh, I also hit level 30 this evening. Woot woot.


----------



## Thrashmanzac

Grand Moff Tim said:


> Speaking of, I just bought the 25k septim house in Solitude today, and bought the ~10k septims' worth of furnishings. Shit's got three floors, and now I have my own enchanting and alchemy tables. Fuckin' pimp, y'all.
> 
> Oh, I also hit level 30 this evening. Woot woot.



how do you have so much money? 
i spend alot of mine on smithing i guess


----------



## ittoa666

Just found a Katatonia reference on the final thieve's guild mission.

"*He also mumbled some nonsensical phrases like 'night is the new day' and how he was the 'ghost of the sun.' I have no idea what these cryptic sentiments mean, but hopefully during tomorrow's ritual, Anders and I will put everything we've learned to the test.*" 

I love Bethesda


----------



## vampiregenocide

I know there are some pretty cool armours in this game that I was thinking of tracking down, however should I wait until a higher level? If I get them they're presumably going to be levelled to my current level, and I don't want to track down an awesome armour only to have it be useless when I level up further. The nightingale armour in particular looks badass.


----------



## Grand Moff Tim

Thrashmanzac said:


> how do you have so much money?
> i spend alot of mine on smithing i guess


 
When you get up there in level, you start finding some pretty valuable loot to hawk. I can't stress enough how important it is to get a hang of only picking up stuff with a good value-to-weight ratio. You also start getting like 1250 septims for even the smallest little bullshit side missions.

I've spent a fair bit on smithing too, but remember how I mentioned picking up dwemer scrap in the ruins? From one trip into a single ruin, I came out with enough scrap to make _thirty-two_ dwemer ingots. Thirty-two! That was enough to make like six or seven sets of dwemer armor, _and_ upgrade a few of them. That'll bring in a pretty penny, especially with the right smithing and speech perks.

Also, don't forget to check if you can make any jewelry the next time you're at a forge. I forgot for the longest time that I can make more than just weapons and armor, and since I was always randomly picking up gems and silver ingots (especially during the Companions/Silver Hand missions), I was pretty set once I remembered to make some. A silver ingot and a handful of gems can make a necklace that's worth 380 septims (MSRP ), even more if you find some gold.

EDIT: Hell, I'd wager the only three things I've regularly spent money on were housing, smithing, and arrows. I've picked up the random soul gem or training session here and there, but the lion's share of my money has gone to those three things.


----------



## Grand Moff Tim

vampiregenocide said:


> I know there are some pretty cool armours in this game that I was thinking of tracking down, however should I wait until a higher level? If I get them they're presumably going to be levelled to my current level, and I don't want to track down an awesome armour only to have it be useless when I level up further. The nightingale armour in particular looks badass.


 
I think the trick would be waiting a bit to level, but not waiting _too_ long, because eventually you'll be regularly finding randomly generated loot that's almost as good as the unique stuff. You might also end up with a pocket full of filled grand soul gems, and paired with decent enchanting skills you can make some pretty sweet stuff on your own to hold you over until you find the uber stuff.


----------



## vampiregenocide

Grand Moff Tim said:


> I think the trick would be waiting a bit to level, but not waiting _too_ long, because eventually you'll be regularly finding randomly generated loot that's almost as good as the unique stuff. You might also end up with a pocket full of filled grand soul gems, and paired with decent enchanting skills you can make some pretty sweet stuff on your own to hold you over until you find the uber stuff.



What sort of level would say it's worth waiting to before searching for these armours? I'm level 12 atm.


----------



## SirMyghin

Grand Moff Tim said:


> Speaking of, I just bought the 25k septim house in Solitude today, and bought the ~10k septims' worth of furnishings. Shit's got three floors, and now I have my own enchanting and alchemy tables. Fuckin' pimp, y'all.
> 
> Oh, I also hit level 30 this evening. Woot woot.



The house in Markarth has both those, but only 1 floor, 8k . It is a sweet hosue though. 

I need to buy the manor yet, spent 10k on the expert spells not long ago. I could just sell most of my treasure, but generally I just throw it all in a chest in whiterun and go adventure more  Probably 30k of gold in that chest alone.

Is there a merchant like 'the creeper' in morrowind anyone has found? aka one with enough gold to sell en masse,


----------



## Thrashmanzac

i always find shit thats worth alot (1000-2000 septims) but then when i try to sell it the bastards try to bend me over and give me less than half that


----------



## vampiregenocide

Urgh got my first annoying glitch. Every time I go to Solitude, this guy Jaree-Ra attacks me. He's invincible and won't stop attacking me. I tried shouting him off a cliff to an area he shouldn't be able to get back from, but he keeps getting me.


----------



## Thrashmanzac

where is the best area to sell apparell and misc items? the vendors in windhelm and whitrun have fuck all money


----------



## vampiregenocide

Thrashmanzac said:


> where is the best area to sell apparell and misc items? the vendors in windhelm and whitrun have fuck all money



Move between towns. When you return to the same one, they should have more money again.


----------



## SirMyghin

vampiregenocide said:


> Move between towns. When you return to the same one, they should have more money again.



I think it is more a 24 hour turn over/restock.


----------



## Thrashmanzac

just figured out how to boost my smithing skills pretty fast and cheap  i got up from 72 to 82 in about half an hour.
im currently a level 26 nord, i run one handed swords/maces with a recovery spell in the other hand and heavy recovery enchanted armour. 
dragons and giants are now piss easy


----------



## Tomo009

Thrashmanzac said:


> just figured out how to boost my smithing skills pretty fast and cheap  i got up from 72 to 82 in about half an hour.
> im currently a level 26 nord, i run one handed swords/maces with a recovery spell in the other hand and heavy recovery enchanted armour.
> dragons and giants are now piss easy



Frost Dragon or just Blood Dragons? Weird that you find giants easy with melee haha, I assume you are playing Master?

Still loving this game, some of the AI is abusable, but I still think dragons are probably the most difficult enemies, though some people don't seem to agree. The radiant AI is pretty good, I've had dragons pretty much refuse to land against my melee khajiit and dragons swoop firing against my ranged character relentlessly. I guess they didn't put radiantAI on the trolls and centurions though, so easy to abuse.


----------



## Sicarius

BrainArt said:


> I got my Lycanthropy aaaaaages ago. Speed up, Clay!



 I'm supposed to be doing homework.

not yelling at frost trolls.


----------



## Thrashmanzac

Tomo009 said:


> Frost Dragon or just Blood Dragons? Weird that you find giants easy with melee haha, I assume you are playing Master?
> 
> Still loving this game, some of the AI is abusable, but I still think dragons are probably the most difficult enemies, though some people don't seem to agree. The radiant AI is pretty good, I've had dragons pretty much refuse to land against my melee khajiit and dragons swoop firing against my ranged character relentlessly. I guess they didn't put radiantAI on the trolls and centurions though, so easy to abuse.



both pretty much  what do you mean by playing master?


----------



## Tomo009

Thrashmanzac said:


> both pretty much  what do you mean by playing master?



The difficulty level lol. Frost dragons are no joke, those things 1 shot my level 28 character with their breath and 2 with melee. 

I kinda hope they patch the AI for some enemies, the most imposing looking ones seem to be the easiest haha. Pretty hopeful I know but I want an epic fight with a giant dwarven construct not a hilarious dance with a blundering can. I made a level 1 character for the fun of it, can't even kill an ice wolf but trolls, centurions and giants are cake, seems a bit strange.


----------



## BrainArt

My character is a big badass Nord, who carries a Skyforge greatsword I took off of a dead silver hand. I also have an Imperial Bow of Burning, which is what I used to take down my first dragon. I love that bow, I have gotten so many one hits with it.

I think I'm at level nine, still. I can't remember, because I haven't played in a couple of days.

My main armor is Skor's wolf armor that I picked off of him when I was on a quest for the companions


Spoiler



and he died from a silver hand attack


.


----------



## SirMyghin

Tomo009 said:


> Frost Dragon or just Blood Dragons? Weird that you find giants easy with melee haha, I assume you are playing Master?
> 
> Still loving this game, some of the AI is abusable, but I still think dragons are probably the most difficult enemies, though some people don't seem to agree. The radiant AI is pretty good, I've had dragons pretty much refuse to land against my melee khajiit and dragons swoop firing against my ranged character relentlessly. I guess they didn't put radiantAI on the trolls and centurions though, so easy to abuse.



Wait til you see Elder/Ancient dragons. They can drop my lvl 40, 1 breath if it connects well. That is on adept/expert too (one of the two).


----------



## vampiregenocide

BrainArt said:


> My character is a big badass Nord, who carries a Skyforge greatsword I took off of a dead silver hand. I also have an Imperial Bow of Burning, which is what I used to take down my first dragon. I love that bow, I have gotten so many one hits with it.
> 
> I think I'm at level nine, still. I can't remember, because I haven't played in a couple of days.
> 
> My main armor is Skor's wolf armor that I picked off of him when I was on a quest for the companions
> 
> 
> Spoiler
> 
> 
> 
> and he died from a silver hand attack
> 
> 
> .



I have the same armour.  However I have some light elven armour and sme dwarven armour that look badass. My main weapon is a falmer war axe.


----------



## Murmel

So.. Uhm.. I was hanging out outside this cave entrance. There was a wooden cart a few meters away. I hit M to check the map, then when I close it, I see the cart coming flying at me REALLY FAST, hitting me and almost killing me.

What in the mother of fuck


----------



## Sicarius

It's a trap


----------



## JamesM

Am I still alone here? 



The Armada said:


> Okay so... While I'm INCREDIBLY satisfied by this game...
> 
> SPOILER:
> 
> 
> Spoiler
> 
> 
> 
> What the fuck after you kill Alduin? I get a couple of NPCs cheering me on and a shout? No fucking gear? No loot AT ALL?! What the fuck? I understand I still have like 160 hours of gameplay time left in the game, but for that being the end of the "main story chain" that was really weak.
> 
> That's incredibly foolish. I'm actually kind of mad about this. GIVE ME A BIG FUCKING AXE CALLED *ALDUIN'S BANE* OR SOME SHIT. JESUS.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Nerd rage.


----------



## Grand Moff Tim

The Armada said:


> Am I still alone here?


 


Spoiler



You should get _two_ shouts, if you hang around on throat of the mountain to talk to Parthrunaax (EDIT: Not Parthunaax, but rather the dragon who you rode to Skuldafn) after all the other dragons leave. The two shouts you get are no fucking joke, either. I'd rather have them than any loot, honestly. One summons a spectral hero from Sovngard, and the other summons a friggin' dragon. Who needs a new sword when I can just fight with a _dragon_?


----------



## Grand Moff Tim

vampiregenocide said:


> I have the same armour.  However I have some light elven armour and sme dwarven armour that look badass. My main weapon is a falmer war axe.


 
I tend to rock whatever the highest level armor I can make is. Currently me and Erandur are both decked out in full sets of Orcish armor repaired to be in Flawless condition, and I have two pieces enchanted to fortify destruction, one to fortify magicka, and another to fortify carry weight. I also wear the badass amulet you get from the Forbidden Legend sidequest that adds +30 to magicka, health and stamina. Weapon-wise I usually rock the best bow i can find (currently elven) and destruction magic, but if I run out of magicka before an enemy is dead, I have the Mace of Molag Baal.


----------



## Grand Moff Tim

vampiregenocide said:


> What sort of level would say it's worth waiting to before searching for these armours? I'm level 12 atm.


 
I'm trying to find any solid info on unique item levelling online, but since the game is still young, info is scarce. My strategy guide doesn't say, either. I've found that there are three different levels for the Nightingale stuff, but not at what player level the increases kick in. I'd say wait until you hit 20 to at least be assured the second best one.

EDIT: And for what it's worth, it's only the enchantment that levels. The armor rating will be the same and still depend on your skill level.


----------



## BrainArt

vampiregenocide said:


> I have the same armour.  However I have some light elven armour and sme dwarven armour that look badass. My main weapon is a falmer war axe.



I don't have any elven (stupid phone changing it to woven) armor, because I left it all at northwatch keep, I'll probably go back when I can and pick some up, if the dead bodies are still there.


----------



## Grand Moff Tim

FWIW, wolf armor has the same armor rating as steel armor, and that's _everywhere._ On the other hand, it looks cooler and weighs half as much. You might be able to buy some from the smith at the Skyforge, but I don't know. I never opted to wear it.


----------



## JamesM

Grand Moff Tim said:


> Spoiler
> 
> 
> 
> You should get _two_ shouts, if you hang around on throat of the mountain to talk to Parthrunaax (EDIT: Not Parthunaax, but rather the dragon who you rode to Skuldafn) after all the other dragons leave. The two shouts you get are no fucking joke, either. I'd rather have them than any loot, honestly. One summons a spectral hero from Sovngard, and the other summons a friggin' dragon. Who needs a new sword when I can just fight with a _dragon_?



I have both. It's just very... Un-RPG-like. LOOTZ. WANTZ LOOTZ.


----------



## Sicarius

Grand Moff Tim said:


> FWIW, wolf armor has the same armor rating as steel armor, and that's _everywhere._ On the other hand, it looks cooler and weighs half as much. You might be able to buy some from the smith at the Skyforge, but I don't know. I never opted to wear it.


You can get it from the chick smith at the front of the town, just replaced my steel with wolf, and it looks nice.

I need to get one of the strategy guides, because I had to dumb the difficulty down, so I could get through the last part of the Dairth Cairn or w/e for the piece of the dude's axe.


----------



## Murmel

God I love the bugs in this game, had a giant falling down from the heavens right before me


----------



## Sicarius

That's how I killed my second dragon (random one I came across while treking) Giant killed it for the most part because worthless Lydia is still probably at that Witch's hut somewhere waiting for me.


----------



## Grand Moff Tim

Dragons are annoying. It's been a while since they really presented a challenge (the uber dragons haven't started showing up for me yet), they just sorta... get in the way when I'm trying to do something else. I can't wait until I have 100 smithing, because It'd be nice to do something with the five thousand metric fucktons of dragon bones I have back at my pad in Whiterun.


----------



## Pooluke41

I just won Saviors hide off Hircine.


----------



## Saber_777

SirMyghin said:


> Wait til you see Elder/Ancient dragons. They can drop my lvl 40, 1 breath if it connects well. That is on adept/expert too (one of the two).


 

At the end of the game before you enter Sovngrad or however its spelled. After you fight that weird thing. You can use the shout the causes a lightening storm and you fight an Elder Dragon and a Frost Dragon at the same time if you are in for a dual dragon brawl of fun... See what the highest difficulty you can legit do it on... 
That mask you get there is cool too. Nakran.


----------



## Thrashmanzac

double post


----------



## Thrashmanzac

All_Shall_Rot said:


> A bunch of shit that should have had a spoiler alert/typed in green.




what the fuck man, use the spoiler thing if your gonna post shit like that, not everyone has finished the game.


----------



## Saber_777

Thrashmanzac said:


> what the fuck man, use the spoiler thing if your gonna post shit like that, not everyone has finished the game.


 
Sorry man, but the only thing I said was that "At the end of the game before you go to Savengrad" you shoulda known that already. Sorry if I did spoil that for ya. Didnt mean to.


----------



## guitarister7321

Two of my friends have both found this headless horseman ghost:







Anyone else find him?


----------



## Prydogga

I found him fighting a dragon. Talk about badassery.


----------



## SirMyghin

guitarister7321 said:


> Two of my friends have both found this headless horseman ghost:
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Anyone else find him?



I have seen that, but not close enough to distinguish a rider, was just like wtf, a ghost horse.


Spoiler



it is in the reach somewhere, that small town north of Makarth was where I saw it


----------



## Pooluke41

Now I have the Mace of Molag Bol,

That and Saviours hide = Epic Winassery,

Now to find another weapon to have in my other hand..

Any Ideas? Maybe a Bareknuckle Flame sword?


----------



## leftyguitarjoe

I figured out how to turn ebony items into daedric item with the forge thingy under the mage college.

I now have a daedric sword and armor.


----------



## BrainArt

Leveled up several times, tonight. Well, three times; I'm currently at level 12.

I have also joined the thieves guild.

I stopped playing for two reasons: my little sister was tired and wanted to go to bed (we share a room at my grandmother's until my fam finds a place of our own) and my xbox was starting to warm up a little from having been on for hours.


----------



## Sicarius

I think I take the FF7/FF9 approach to RPGs and grind like a mother fucker.

however, I also have no idea what's up with enchanting, or skills. I'm just picking random crap at this point.


----------



## BrainArt

Sicarius said:


> I think I take the FF7/FF9 approach to RPGs and grind like a mother fucker.
> 
> however, I also have no idea what's up with enchanting, or skills. I'm just picking random crap at this point.



I want to make my character as well rounded as possible.


----------



## Pooluke41

I need another Enchanted Weapon to Go in my Left Hand, My Elven Mace is not cutting it.

I have Molag Bol's Mace of Pure win,

I need another Mace, or an axe, or a sword...


Any Ideas?

Also Has anyone been to Fort Sunder?

Looks beautiful.


----------



## BrainArt

I need to recharge my imperial bow of burning.


----------



## Vinchester

2 seconds after opening this thread I'm already spoiled because the poster RECAP the spoiler sentence 

I'll now cry myself to sleep.


----------



## Sicarius

It appears that my GTX560 likes making Lilac colored trees.

fuck yea, I love purple.


----------



## Pooluke41

Sicarius said:


> It appears that my GTX560 likes making Lilac colored trees.
> 
> fuck yea, I love purple.




Blame it on a wizard.


----------



## Xaios

Pooluke41 said:


> Blame it on a wizard.



Oh sure, blame the wizards.


----------



## philkilla

Not sure if it was a glitch, but I fast traveled to a certain location and a dragon popped up to fight...(like normal)

If that wasn't enough a second dragon decided to join..and then I died.


Tried to replicate but no luck. Anyone else have see this happen?


----------



## Tomo009

philkilla said:


> Not sure if it was a glitch, but I fast traveled to a certain location and a dragon popped up to fight...(like normal)
> 
> If that wasn't enough a second dragon decided to join..and then I died.
> 
> 
> Tried to replicate but no luck. Anyone else have see this happen?



That's not at a glitch at all and yes, multiple times. Later when they are common it isn't even that strange to end up fighting 2 at the same time.


----------



## BrainArt

I helped a giant kill a dragon and then killed the giant. By myself, of course. Like a boss. 


Then a wolf tried to attack me and got set aflame and stabbed to death. 


There have also been times where I've gone on random killing sprees, gone to jail and then reloaded to before the spree. I usually go werewolf on their asses on these sprees.


----------



## Murmel

^
I feel like I've been so nice playing Skyrim. In Oblivion I would murder every ass I could see pretty much. I guess I'm just too afraid to fuck up, even though I could just save beforehand


----------



## guitarister7321

Just recently bought the $25000 home in Solitude. Very nice place. I spent about $30000 total on the house and all the decorations/upgrades, and still have 1 $2500 upgrade to buy. It was weird going from having $31000 to less than $500. 

I am pissed that the 360 version does not have the armor displays in the basement like the PC version. The displays have been replaced with those training target dummies. Now all my armor will have to sit in a chest.


----------



## SirMyghin

philkilla said:


> Not sure if it was a glitch, but I fast traveled to a certain location and a dragon popped up to fight...(like normal)
> 
> If that wasn't enough a second dragon decided to join..and then I died.
> 
> 
> Tried to replicate but no luck. Anyone else have see this happen?



The world isn't entirely static. One time I had bandits try to hustle me (in imperial clothes surrounding by 3 bodies), they killed me, reload, and the old orc was there.

In winterhold after 2-3 fast travel deaths (the area I went to was populated heavily, stupid respawn), an elder dragon started to show up from then on and I had to kill it on reload first, as I could not travel with enemies nearby. 

There are some probability counters on what is in the immediate vacinity I think.


----------



## Sicarius

I need to buy a house.

All my extra shit is laying in a barrel at the whiterun blacksmith shop -_-


----------



## BrainArt

Sicarius said:


> I need to buy a house.
> 
> All my extra shit is laying in a barrel at the whiterun blacksmith shop -_-



I have my spare stuff at Jorvaskr, even though I own breezehome in Whiterun. I don't have any upgrades for it, yet, though.


----------



## vampiregenocide

Just killed my first Blood Dragon


----------



## Tomo009

I hear that leaving stuff in something that isn't a chest in your house gets destroyed after a few in game days, so be careful.


----------



## vampiregenocide

Tomo009 said:


> I hear that leaving stuff in something that isn't a chest in your house gets destroyed after a few in game days, so be careful.



Yeah it gets stolen.


----------



## Michael T

guitarister7321 said:


> I am pissed that the 360 version does not have the armor displays in the basement like the PC version. The displays have been replaced with those training target dummies. Now all my armor will have to sit in a chest.



It does sir. Those "dummies" you can open, give armor to and it displays it on them.


----------



## BrainArt

Tomo009 said:


> I hear that leaving stuff in something that isn't a chest in your house gets destroyed after a few in game days, so be careful.



Not in Jorvaskr, it stays there, because Jorvaskr is a place that you can stay and use as a base until you get a house.


----------



## Grand Moff Tim

I'd definitely be paranoid about leaving my stuff anywhere but in a purchased house, until the internet starts to get a good list going of places that are "safe." I know with past Bethesda games in this style (Elder Scrolls and Fallout games), the vast majority of places wipe the loot containers and refresh once a week or so.

If you have a house but don't have any upgrades, you can actually just drop your stuff right on the floor and it'll be fine. Houses don't refresh. However, even without upgrades, some places still have at least one storage container. I know the uber house in Solitude has a chest in the master bedroom before you even bother with the upgrades. Then again, if you can afford the house in Solitude, you can afford a cheaper house with _all_ of the upgrades in a different town .


----------



## Xaios

The Breezehome in Whiterun comes with a chest beside the master bed, as well as a small cabinet in your housecarl's bedroom, without having to upgrade. Why anyone would throw their stuff on the floor...


----------



## vampiregenocide

Grand Moff Tim said:


> If you have a house but don't have any upgrades, you can actually just drop your stuff right on the floor and it'll be fine. Houses don't refresh. However, even without upgrades, some places still have at least one storage container. I know the uber house in Solitude has a chest in the master bedroom before you even bother with the upgrades. Then again, if you can afford the house in Solitude, you can afford a cheaper house with _all_ of the upgrades in a different town .



Yeah I put an 8 string lute on my bed...

...you know, gotta come home and djent after a hard day of being a werewolf, killing dragons and looting.


----------



## SirMyghin

Xaios said:


> The Breezehome in Whiterun comes with a chest beside the master bed, as well as a small cabinet in your housecarl's bedroom, without having to upgrade. Why anyone would throw their stuff on the floor...



Some people just aren't that organized


----------



## vampiregenocide

Xaios said:


> The Breezehome in Whiterun comes with a chest beside the master bed, as well as a small cabinet in your housecarl's bedroom, without having to upgrade. Why anyone would throw their stuff on the floor...



There's also another chest on top of the bookshelf in the downstairs side-room.


----------



## Grand Moff Tim

vampiregenocide said:


> Yeah I put an 8 string lute on my bed...
> 
> ...you know, gotta come home and djent after a hard day of being a werewolf, killing dragons and looting.


 
Have you gotten the sidequest where


Spoiler



you have to go retrieve the very first 8 string lute, and they tell you that before it was made, everyone played six string lutes?


----------



## Grand Moff Tim

Xaios said:


> Why anyone would throw their stuff on the floor...


 
In Oblivion I owned that shitty little shack in the Waterfront distric of the Imperial City, and I made it a point to pick up any bones I found while I was out adventuring, so I could drop them all over the floor of the shack when I returned. Eventually, you couldn't even see the floor I had so many bones in there. It was fun casting an area effect fireball at the ground and watching it rain bones.


----------



## pink freud

BrainArt said:


> I want to make my character as well rounded as possible.



That's what the character creator is for...


----------



## Grand Moff Tim

Imperials have the roundest faces, so that'd be a good place to start.


----------



## Xaios

SirMyghin said:


> Some people just aren't that organized



Haha yeah, I'm certainly not one to talk about organization in the real world.


----------



## Beowulf Von Thrashmeister

vampiregenocide said:


> Yeah I put an 8 string lute on my bed...
> 
> ...you know, gotta come home and djent after a hard day of being a werewolf, killing dragons and looting.


 

Those lutes in Skyrim would be be pretty cool design for an actual instrument ...

I wonder if one day in Skyrims distant future there will be a website where bards post pictures of their treasured lutes on 8StringLute.com and celebrate NLD`s with lots of pics ? 

The Orcs would definatly have B.C Rich Beast lutes !!!.


----------



## guitarister7321

Michael T said:


> It does sir. Those "dummies" you can open, give armor to and it displays it on them.



I was talking about the training dummies. The ones with buckets on their heads, the one's you see in training areas.


----------



## Sicarius

I started the quests for the magic college and they gave me a room.

or maybe I should just go to Jorvaskar and do what Brandon's doing...

Now, where the hell is Jorvaskar


----------



## Grand Moff Tim

The house in Whiterun is only 5k, man. You should be able to make that in no time.

I know the stuff on the shelves in the room they give you at the mages college refreshes, so I'd be a bit worried that the stuff in the chests does too. Incidentally, the soul gem on top of the low dresser in that room will be back no matter how many times you take it, so...unlimited free soul gems. For now, that is. The first patch is supposed to come out after Thanksgiving.


----------



## Sicarius

I guess I could go back to the Dwarven dungeon thing I found and just collect Felmer weapons and sell those, and shit until I can get my 5k again.

Oh well, I bought the Strat guide off Amazon, and I'll use that for when I restart.

just noticed your Bucholz quote in your sig, Tim. He's my favorite Cracked writer <3


----------



## vampiregenocide

Grand Moff Tim said:


> Have you gotten the sidequest where
> 
> 
> Spoiler
> 
> 
> 
> you have to go retrieve the very first 8 string lute, and they tell you that before it was made, everyone played six string lutes?



Please tell me you're joking. 


Also someone needs to get some video of one of the lute players and put some Meshuggah over it.


----------



## BrainArt

pink freud said:


> That's what the character creator is for...





Grand Moff Tim said:


> Imperials have the roundest faces, so that'd be a good place to start.



 You guys know what I mean! At least, I hope. If not, I mean I want him to be as well rounded in combat styles as possible.


----------



## Grand Moff Tim

Sicarius said:


> I guess I could go back to the Dwarven dungeon thing I found and just collect Felmer weapons and sell those, and shit until I can get my 5k again.


 
Better yet, pick up all of the dwemer scrap you can carry from the ruins, take it to a smelter, and turn it into dwemer ingots. Then you can either sell the ingots, or use them to make dwemer weapons and armor (if you have the skill) and sell _those._ Free money, man.


----------



## BrainArt

Sicarius said:


> I started the quests for the magic college and they gave me a room.
> 
> or maybe I should just go to Jorvaskar and do what Brandon's doing...
> 
> Now, where the hell is Jorvaskar



Jorvaskr is in Whiterun. Head up like you were going to Dragonsreach, then turn right (Heimskr's house should always be on your right) and head up the steps to the big building. That's Jorvaskr.


----------



## Grand Moff Tim

Grand Moff Tim said:


> Better yet, pick up all of the dwemer scrap you can carry from the ruins, take it to a smelter, and turn it into dwemer ingots. Then you can either sell the ingots, or use them to make dwemer weapons and armor (if you have the skill) and sell _those._ Free money, man.


 
Specifically, the following can all be smelted into ingots:

Large Decorative Dwemer strut
Small Dwemer Plate Metal
Bent Dwemer Scrap Metal
Large Dwemer Strut
Large Dwemer Plate Metal
Solid Dwemer Metal

One piece of Solid Dwemer Metal is good for making _five_ dwemer ingots. I've mentioned it here before, but one trip into some dwemer ruins got me enough scrap to make thirty-friggin-two ingots.

EDIT: Not all smiths have smelters, but the one in Whiterun does, so there you go.


----------



## SirMyghin

vampiregenocide said:


> Please tell me you're joking.
> 
> 
> Also someone needs to get some video of one of the lute players and put some Meshuggah over it.



You know gullible isn't in the dictionary Ross.


----------



## Sicarius

Grand Moff Tim said:


> Better yet, pick up all of the dwemer scrap you can carry from the ruins, take it to a smelter, and turn it into dwemer ingots. Then you can either sell the ingots, or use them to make dwemer weapons and armor (if you have the skill) and sell _those._ Free money, man.


Yup, that's the plan.


BrainArt said:


> Jorvaskr is in Whiterun. Head up like you were going to Dragonsreach, then turn right (Heimskr's house should always be on your right) and head up the steps to the big building. That's Jorvaskr.


Horrah. God, I'm retarded. That's the place where the Companions are at, isn't it?


----------



## Grand Moff Tim

vampiregenocide said:


> Please tell me you're joking.
> 
> 
> Also someone needs to get some video of one of the lute players and put some Meshuggah over it.


 
Stone cold serious, man. It's a miscellaneous quest that becomes available once you join the Bard's college.


----------



## Grand Moff Tim

BrainArt said:


> You guys know what I mean! At least, I hope. If not, I mean I want him to be as well rounded in combat styles as possible.


 
It really doesn't make sense to be proficient in multiple _similar_ combat styles. Just as in Oblivion it didn't make much sense to put effort into blade _and_ blunt, in Skyrim it'd be a bit redundant to put effort into one _and_ two handed. Pick one, and level the fuck out of it. Having multiple options is good, of course, but for my well-rounded dude that means using destruction, archery, and one-handed. Those all have different roles, and aren't redundant.


----------



## SirMyghin

Grand Moff Tim said:


> It really doesn't make sense to be proficient in multiple _similar_ combat styles. Just as in Oblivion it didn't make much sense to put effort into blade _and_ blunt, in Skyrim it'd be a bit redundant to put effort into one _and_ two handed. Pick one, and level the fuck out of it. Having multiple options is good, of course, but for my well-rounded dude that means using destruction, archery, and one-handed. Those all have different roles, and aren't redundant.



Not to mention when you hit level 35 ish, and destruction starts to suck, you will have archery and 1h to save your sorry ass.  

I have found a few mods to augment destruction, they have helped a bit. It means I don't require to play on adept only, and waste too much time chain stunning with small spells. Much less tedious, but good mods are scarce as tools still are not available.


----------



## Grand Moff Tim

SirMyghin said:


> You know gullible isn't in the dictionary Ross.


 



Spoiler



Skyrim:Finn's Lute - UESPWiki


 


EDIT: So apparently spoiler tags don't really work on links .


----------



## vampiregenocide

SirMyghin said:


> You know gullible isn't in the dictionary Ross.



WHAT?! SINCE WHEN? It's those damn commies I bet.


----------



## SirMyghin

wow, that is hilarious. I didn't do the bards college on my first guy. Only the mage (wanted to spread them out).


----------



## Grand Moff Tim

SirMyghin said:


> Not to mention when you hit level 35 ish, and destruction starts to suck, you will have archery and 1h to save your sorry ass.
> 
> I have found a few mods to augment destruction, they have helped a bit. It means I don't require to play on adept only, and waste too much time chain stunning with small spells. Much less tedious, but good mods are scarce as tools still are not available.


 
Destruction has become my plan B. I started out planning on a battlemage/spellsword type, but I eventually ended up doing alot of sneaking and "sniping." I try to get off as many shot with the sneak bonus as possible before being noticed (_usually_ two, sometimes more, sometimes less), _then_ I bust out destruction. When I either run out of magicka or face someone with a strong Ward spell, I bust out the ol' Mace of Molag Baal.


----------



## SirMyghin

Grand Moff Tim said:


> Destruction has become my plan B. I started out planning on a battlemage/spellsword type, but I eventually ended up doing alot of sneaking and "sniping." I try to get off as many shot with the sneak bonus as possible before being noticed (_usually_ two, sometimes more, sometimes less), _then_ I bust out destruction. When I either run out of magicka or face someone with a strong Ward spell, I bust out the ol' Mace of Molag Baal.



I focussed too heavily on destruction, 1h is only about 69, and block 38 or something. My fall back was mods . Destruction is like 89 or so. My character is rather screwed from time to time, as 4+ mods will wreck me. The damage efficiency of the high level spells is augmented by my mod, but still not on par with the low level spells (when imo it should be better, as in 1.5 arrows I go down). 

I haven't found the shrine of sheograth yet , if it exists, but I want a certain sword, that has been a long time favourite of mine.. If you know what I mean. Most of the other daedric items that are the staple have been around so I assume it is too. Don't know where I would be without my Wabbajack.


----------



## vampiregenocide

I should probably limit how much I spread my perks, but I like being well rounded. I specialise in one-handed and destruction, but also archery (for dragons mostly), lockpicking and heavy armour. Not really looked into the others.


----------



## Grand Moff Tim

SirMyghin said:


> I haven't found the shrine of sheograth yet , if it exists, but I want a certain sword, that has been a long time favourite of mine.. If you know what I mean. Most of the other daedric items that are the staple have been around so I assume it is too. Don't know where I would be without my Wabbajack.


 


Spoiler



The Sheogorath quest doesn't have a shrine. When you hear rumors about a stranger in the streets of Solitude, look for him and start that quest. You'll get your Wabbajack. It's a staff now, though, not a sword. Has been since Oblivion.


----------



## Grand Moff Tim

vampiregenocide said:


> I should probably limit how much I spread my perks, but I like being well rounded. I specialise in one-handed and destruction, but also archery (for dragons mostly), lockpicking and heavy armour. Not really looked into the others.


 
I've put perks into destruction, restoration, smithing and archery most heavily, and then spread a few into sneak, heavy armor and one-handed. I've never put any perks into lockpicking despite having a fairly high lockpicking skill by now, but that's just because the minigame is pretty easy already (lots of practice with the similar mechanic in FO3 ), so I use the perks elsewhere.


----------



## SirMyghin

Grand Moff Tim said:


> Spoiler
> 
> 
> 
> The Sheogorath quest doesn't have a shrine. When you hear rumors about a stranger in the streets of Solitude, look for him and start that quest. You'll get your Wabbajack. It's a staff now, though, not a sword. Has been since Oblivion.



Sorry wrong Daedra, I am thinking of a certain dealy sword, slightly money coloured, I think Boethia is the daedra it was from in morrowind and oblivion. 



Spoiler



that quest with Sheogorath was fun, but Sanguines was still my favourite thus far. 




Also there is a mod for 'lock picking pro' that shows the sweet spot to destroy that annoying minigame BS. I really hate the lock picking. Morrowind stat based lock picking = much preferable. I hate this one less than oblivions though. I too have never put a perk in it, master locks are bloody annoying even at high skill. PC also has a bug where buying lock picks takes them from the vendor, and doesn't give them to you, at least does for me. So I consoled up like 300 picks a while ago


----------



## Xaios

I've stuck with Heavy Armor and One Handed Swords (I use 2 swords that I've upgraded with smithing) and I'm just beating the living mystical energies out of everything that moves. I'm only a level 15 and I two-shot Dwarven Spheres. The speed perk for using 2 one-handed swords is invaluble. If you've got 2 one handers equipped, you can do a 2 handed non-power attack that a) wrecks shit nicely, and b) doesn't use stamina.

Doesn't hurt that my gauntlets give +20% to one-handed weapon damage.


----------



## Sicarius

I'm pretty much using the sword and shield method, right now. 

Starting to use Flames, but I wish I'd kept with the 2 1h axes instead.


----------



## Sicarius

So... about that update we're supposed to get after Thanksgiving...

Does it fix the stupid random crash of the game on PC?


----------



## ittoa666

Grand Moff Tim said:


> Spoiler
> 
> 
> 
> Skyrim:Finn's Lute - UESPWiki
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> EDIT: So apparently spoiler tags don't really work on links .



Thanks for posting that. I've been carrying that thing around for a while now.


----------



## Sicarius

I found an 8 string lute while doing the book quest for the Arcane College.






Don't think it's related to the Finn's Lute quest, though.

Also fought my first Dragon Lord, Krosis. While fighting a dragon. Took a while but I hid behind a pillar and shot him with arrows and flame breath.


----------



## Thrashmanzac

was fighting a frost dragon before and 2 giants decided they wanted to help the dragon fuck my shit up. about 10 minutes later all three were dead, im such a boss


----------



## Sicarius

strangely enough the last two or three I've fought have been fire dragons, in really snowy areas.


----------



## JamesM

3/? masks. Are there 8..?


----------



## SirMyghin

The Armada said:


> 3/? masks. Are there 8..?



There just might be Armada, there just might be. I need to find a bunch yet too. I found all the easy ones apparently.


----------



## Black_Sheep

Just a quick question: If you use shield and sword, you can't use magic as well? That would be stupid... 

I still haven't gotten my copy in the mail, i have no idea what's taking so damn long. :/


----------



## Grand Moff Tim

Black_Sheep said:


> Just a quick question: If you use shield and sword, you can't use magic as well? That would be stupid...


 
Not like you could in Oblivion, no. You can have any two of the three equipped at a time, including dual wielding weapons and spells, but there isn't a separate button for spellcasting this time around. It annoyed me the first night I played it, but I got used to it. I don't think I've even thought about it since that first night.


----------



## Sicarius

dual wielding flames was like a firey Kamehameha.


----------



## Grand Moff Tim

Sicarius said:


> dual wielding flames was like a firey Kamehameha.


 
I stuck with shock. It costs a bit more to cast, but it does a bit more damage, too. Plus, the top-tier shock perk is better than the ones for flame and frost, IMO.


----------



## Thrashmanzac

does anyone else use restoration alot, instead of destruction spells?


----------



## Grand Moff Tim

Thrashmanzac said:


> does anyone else use restoration alot, instead of destruction spells?


 
For my first build I've used destruction far more than any other school, but restoration comes in (a distant) second. I started a nord two-handed tank this evening, though, so I imagine I'll be using the hell out of some restoration with him.


----------



## BrainArt

Sicarius said:


> Yup, that's the plan.
> Horrah. God, I'm retarded. That's the place where the Companions are at, isn't it?



Yes, it is. I have my shit stored in the living quarters. When you first enter down there, head straight and use the dresser that's there.


----------



## ittoa666

Grand Moff Tim said:


> I stuck with shock. It costs a bit more to cast, but it does a bit more damage, too. Plus, the top-tier shock perk is better than the ones for flame and frost, IMO.



Thunderbolt for the win. 

Also, you guys should go to the throat of the world and listen to this. Epic.


----------



## Grand Moff Tim

Well wouldya look at who I ran into today...


----------



## Grand Moff Tim

Man, being a tank is fun as hell. I'm so used to trying to finesse my way through every mission that it feels weird just charging in headlong and crushing some skulls with a warhammer. I was actually able to take a sabre cat down when I was only level 5 or so, and it only takes _one_ power attack to put a draugr down for the count. I love that nice *THWACK* of steel meeting skull, too. I never thought two-handed would be so great.


----------



## Daiephir

Guys, I have a silly question: _Where_ is all my stuff that I stored in the Mage College? I cant seem to re-find it


----------



## Varcolac

Grand Moff Tim said:


> Well wouldya look at who I ran into today...



Ran into him outside of Windhelm on my first day. "Much snow in Skyrim. Enough snow. M'aiq does not want it any more."

Currently power-leveling smithing: I need 60 for enchanted smithery of awesome. Got Azura's Star last night, so my enchantment's going to skyrocket as well. Time for my sword-slinging Nord to get an enchanted set of Daedric awesome armour.


----------



## MrMcSick

Got my Smith up to 100 last night and made my full dragon light armor. Put on my +20 smith ring and used a blacksmith potion when upgrading them = set for the rest of the game!!!!! Im a lvl 43 arch/sneak elf. Creep around in every dungeon and 1 hit with my Glass Legendary bow with 4 sec paralyze enchant lolololol while hidden equals dead and no one has a clue and keeps walking around waiting for me to pick em off. Love this game. I used the house in riverwood ( think his name is Feldir or some shit, he can teach you arch and will go on missions with you if you want)(I had him tag along for like 2 seconds and opened his inventory and took his house key lolol so it was never considered breaking in) forever for storage then switched over to the box downstairs in the inn since there are alch and ench tables there.


----------



## SirMyghin

Black_Sheep said:


> Just a quick question: If you use shield and sword, you can't use magic as well? That would be stupid...
> 
> I still haven't gotten my copy in the mail, i have no idea what's taking so damn long. :/



Oblivion was the only one that could do that. Think of it like good old fashion D&D and your spells have somatic components, so you need a free hand. Your shouts however, do not.


----------



## TheSixthWheel

I've been away from this site for a while and it's mainly due to this game. A lot of spare time has gone into it, and I'm now a lvl 34 Argonian. I've decided to push all points possible into sneak because it's so damn handy being undetectable just about everywhere. I've also focused on archery/one-handed and am getting closer to being awesome as fuck. I've spent a lot of the game just exploring on foot, and have only JUST started the thieves guild. Still yet to go anywhere near companions or dark brotherhood. Some of the locations I've randomly stumbled across have been the most memorable, like Frostflow Lighthouse, Mzulft, and the ruins under the statue of Meridia to name a few. I'm also glad I chose Argonian, because permanently breathing underwater rules - I'm finding water not only a tactical advantage I have over enemies, but a great source of hidden chests full of gold, enchanted weapons and armour and random valuables.

I had a couple of questions quickly answered on the Skyrim wiki chat, pretty handy resource. Check that shit out if you need something answered and are too awesome to resort to a game guide.



Daiephir said:


> Guys, I have a silly question: _Where_ is all my stuff that I stored in the Mage College? I cant seem to re-find it



I stored all my crap in the wardrobe of the room they give you in the building to your left as you're facing the main tower of the college because it made sense to me. Maybe you did the same?


----------



## Daiephir

Hmmm, I probably did, thing is, I was in the Midden at the moment I stored everything (not being able to run sucks lol) so I didn't actually see where I put it, I'll go give it a look thanks. Also, how are you guys so high level? I'm barely lvl 10 and I have like a 38 destruction, 35-ish one-handed and 29-ish Heavy armor, smithing, enchanting and alchemy are all coming around ... slowly though.


----------



## Sicarius

I'm almost to level 20.

I played on Adept for the most part, but sneaking, lockpicking, archery and everything else I've done has all filled my level bar, same as anyone else.


----------



## Xaios

Thought that was pretty cool.


----------



## SirMyghin

6 dragon masks and counting, all. most.. there!


----------



## SirMyghin

6 dragon masks and counting, all. most.. there!


----------



## Grand Moff Tim

Varcolac said:


> Got Azura's Star last night, so my enchantment's going to skyrocket as well.


 
That's such a badass artifact. I opted to help the mage instead of the cultist, though, so I got the Black Star instead of the Star of Azura. I think I prefer it that way, because I fight alot more humanoid enemies than I do animals/monsters that are large enough to fill a grand soul gem. Plus, even a weak ass human will fill a black soul gem, but you need to fight something like a friggin' bear to fill a grand soul.


----------



## vampiregenocide

I've had a few difficult enemies glitch out when I hide behind an area in front of them. First a blood dragon and now an ascended necromancer. I could see them staring at me, but they didn't attack presumably because I was covered just enough. I just wore them down with my dwarven bow.


----------



## Captain Shoggoth

Finally did shimmermist cave, feel like a boss


----------



## Sicarius

vampiregenocide said:


> I've had a few difficult enemies glitch out when I hide behind an area in front of them. First a blood dragon and now an ascended necromancer. I could see them staring at me, but they didn't attack presumably because I was covered just enough. I just wore them down with my dwarven bow.


I killed a dragon, but it wouldn't dissolve him so I could get his soul.

I was sad.


----------



## Grand Moff Tim

This is Tjorstein, and he is a mofuggin' badass. He'll split your skull as soon as look at you.








It's crazy how fast I breeze through dungeons and level up when I just charge in like I own the place and pulverize anyone who disagrees.


----------



## Alimination

^^^ I agree, especially as a werewolf, I just storm in there, slaughter everything.. turn back to human, grab all the loot and leave. lol


----------



## metal_sam14

I caved, I bought. 

Will probably check back in a few days after playing a bit!


----------



## Taylor2

I'm really on the fence with this game. 

Seems so epic, but I'm not sure it's the type of RPG I'd like.

Someone convince me.

/Diablo player.


----------



## Grand Moff Tim

Protip for any two-handed players: Wuuthrad, the battleaxe you get towards the end of the primary Companions questline, has the same base damage as a _daedric_ battleaxe, but it's available *waaaay* earlier on and weighs two pounds less. In fact, the only weapon in the game with a higher base damage is the daedric warhammer.

Long story short: If you play two-handed, complete the Companions questline ASAP.



Spoiler



OH, and don't forget to take the axe _back_ after you place it on the statue. There's no penalty for doing so. You'll know what I mean when you get there.


----------



## AxeHappy

While I have a ton of gripes with the game (a ton...whoever thought up that UI should be fired... and the graphics are actually pretty shitty) I have to say I am enjoying it greatly. 

I will most certainly be getting the GOTY edition with all the DLC packed on. 

@Tim
My first character was a double fister (A first for me and the Elder Scrolls universe) and I wasn't understanding everybody saying stuff like Sabre Cats were hard. First Sabre Cat I saw I one shot'ed.



I'm level 22(I think) with a strong bent on Two Handed(Flawless Orcish Battle Axe with Lighting Enchantment), Heavy Armour (All Flawless Orcish...which I need to enchant) and Smithing. I wanted Archery(Stupid Dragons!), Enchant(Yay! Magic stuff!) and Alteration (Fuck you water and locks!) to be my, "Minor" skills. And whilst they all have levelled some (Alteration is still in the low 20s...) it seems that Speech, Lock picking (Are there unlock spells? I haven't seen any yet, but I'll admit I haven't been looking very hard) and alchemy (Another First for me in the Elder Scrolls Universe) are all levelling up much faster. 

Although since all you have to do to level up Speech is...sell stuff...I'm not even really sure why it's in the game at all. Could have ditched that and given us separate weapon skills or something...

I'd like to go into why I think it's better than Oblivion in every way (barring the UI...and Oblivion's UI was a HUGE FUCKING STEP DOWN from Morrowind) but instead I'm going to go play Skyrim and drink. I may touch on it later.


----------



## Stealth7

I've thought about getting this but I'm not completely sold on it yet.. How bad and noticeable are the bugs/glitches and are they anywhere near as bad as FO3?


----------



## AxeHappy

I've only had random CTD so far. Well and random people moving funny and other stuff like that. 

Haven't had a glitched quest or item or anything serious. Which is pretty crazy for a Bethesda game. 

Although the only reason I'm typing this instead of playing Skyrim right now is because of a CTD...

I'd highly recommend it and if you have the fortitude to read through most of the early thread I was pretty much the only person bagging/express worry about the game.


----------



## Stealth7

Should've mentioned that I'd be getting it for PS3 if I did buy it so I doubt that I'd get CTDs.


----------



## Grand Moff Tim

I've only had one quest-halting glitch so far (lol, "only"), and it was nothing reverting to an earlier save didn't fix. CTDs are only annoying in that they're wildly inconsistent. I can play for ten hours one day and not have it happen a single time, and then play for an hour the next day and have it happen five or six times. Keep in mind, Stealth, that based on other Bethesda games in the past, where the PC would experience a CTD, the console version would just freeze and require a hard reset. I don't think that's reason to skip this because of everything else that's _right_ with it, but it is what it is. 

@Axe, most of the people complaining about sabre cats where either cranking the difficulty, wearing light/no armor, or using one-handed, or some combination of all three of those. Believe me, without a big ol' hammer or battleaxe, there is _no_ one shotting them at a low level, and they only have to hit someone like a mage two or three times to kill 'em.


----------



## Grand Moff Tim

Spoiler



I like how during the course of the missions for the Stormcloak side of the Civil War questline you earn various nicknames that the other stormcloacks call you. Sure, you don't actually get to pick your own, but hearing people call me "Ice-Veins" or "Bone-Breaker" instead of "Nord" is a step in the right direction. In the _badass_ direction.


----------



## Tomo009

Stealth7 said:


> I've thought about getting this but I'm not completely sold on it yet.. How bad and noticeable are the bugs/glitches and are they anywhere near as bad as FO3?



They are extremely noticeable, it''s a Bethesda game. But it is also an extremely awesome game, I really really doubt you will regret the purchase. Though is there any reason you will get it on console over pc? Not a huge thing for some people i know, just to me, mods are a huge part of the series.


----------



## SirMyghin

Taylor said:


> I'm really on the fence with this game.
> 
> Seems so epic, but I'm not sure it's the type of RPG I'd like.
> 
> Someone convince me.
> 
> /Diablo player.




Well this is a real RPG, not a waterred down hack and slash adventure masquerading as an RPG, so you might want to stick to diablo, guild wars, sacred, etc. I wouldn't call those RPGs parsay.


----------



## SirMyghin

> @Axe, most of the people complaining about sabre cats where either cranking the difficulty, wearing light/no armor, or using one-handed, or some combination of all three of those. Believe me, without a big ol' hammer or battleaxe, there is _no_ one shotting them at a low level, and they only have to hit someone like a mage two or three times to kill 'em.


Yeah if you wear heavy armor and such, you can stand toe to toe with them around lvl 10, it is going to be messy though, you just can't let them get ther first shot. 

My mage kills them easy now, as I always see them first 

@Tim: thanks for eluding to the difference between grand and black soul gems, I never figured that out directly. Also @ PC players, there is a nice bug with soul gems, or was pre patch (not sure haven't tried since that useless patch steam likely installed automatically on me). Drop a soul gem, and when you pick it up again, it is empty. (Don't drop a grand soul on the ground )


----------



## Stealth7

Tomo009 said:


> They are extremely noticeable, it''s a Bethesda game. But it is also an extremely awesome game, I really really doubt you will regret the purchase. Though is there any reason you will get it on console over pc? Not a huge thing for some people i know, just to me, mods are a huge part of the series.



I guess I can get it and see how it is and if I don't like it I can always trade it in towards another game in the future.

I just prefer console to PC, I've played games on both over the years but have always preferred console for some reason.


----------



## ittoa666

Just beat the main quest, and damn was it epic. Time to go bet the priest masks in my suit of daedric armor.


----------



## Grand Moff Tim

SirMyghin said:


> @Tim: thanks for eluding to the difference between grand and black soul gems, I never figured that out directly.


 
The distinction between the two is a pretty big part of the mages guild quest in Oblivion. I never got much use out of black soul gems in Oblvion because acquiring them was a pain in the ass, but having the Black Star artifact in Skyrim is a real time and money saver. Free infinite black soul gem FTW. Enchanting made easy.


----------



## Grand Moff Tim

I had an amusing glitch earlier today while dungeon diving. After making my way through one of those swinging-axe hallways, I turned around to watch my follower try to make his way through it, because that's always good for a laugh. Halfway down the hall, he was hit by one of the axes and it thwacked him _through_ the wall. He literally disappeared into the wall with a bone-crunching schlunk. After a hearty chuckle, I wait for one in-game hour and he was right back by my side, good as new.

In other news, my nord 2H tank isn't levelling up as fast as he was at first. While that's to be expected for the most part, the drop-off was even more radical than usual, because my skill focus has been so narrow. I'm pretty much only improving maybe half of the skills I was using regularly with my archer/spellsword build. On the other hand, the skills I _am_ using regularly are making the tank alot more formidable. I'm only level 10, and I'm doing 60+ damage with each swing of my battleaxe, not counting perk damage bonuses.


----------



## Varcolac

Grand Moff Tim said:


> The distinction between the two is a pretty big part of the mages guild quest in Oblivion. I never got much use out of black soul gems in Oblvion because acquiring them was a pain in the ass, but having the Black Star artifact in Skyrim is a real time and money saver. Free infinite black soul gem FTW. Enchanting made easy.



Yeah, I went with the black star. I've put a soultrap enchantment on a cheap dagger in my left hand; just going around stabbing bandits then recharging the dagger with the star. It's a bit fiddly in terms of menu-hopping, but it's getting me loads of enchanting levels.


----------



## Grand Moff Tim

So, I was walking around a Stormcloak camp earlier...






Uhhh...











I... um...















Hmm. Well okay.











Oh, Bethesda. You so crazy.


----------



## Varcolac

I haven't had any glitches on my playthrough so far (PS3). Well, apart from Clavicus Vile's dog. Stupid mutt took me on a tour around the world looking for his master's vampire-filled temple, stopping every hundred yards to go maul a bandit over the next hill.


----------



## Tomo009

So you would suggest the black start over azura's star? Haven't decided which I want yet haha.


----------



## AxeHappy

I went with Azura's star. Daedra and other high level creatures will be more than enough to fill it up later. 

Also you can take the priestess with you as a companion and if you're playing a Smashy character her ridiculously over-the-top magic skills will fuck shit up.


----------



## SirMyghin

Grand Moff Tim said:


> The distinction between the two is a pretty big part of the mages guild quest in Oblivion. I never got much use out of black soul gems in Oblvion because acquiring them was a pain in the ass, but having the Black Star artifact in Skyrim is a real time and money saver. Free infinite black soul gem FTW. Enchanting made easy.



Yeah, I can't remember much of oblivion, been too long/didn't have the staying power for me.


----------



## Sicarius

Finally hit a bug that I can't fix :/


Spoiler



For the questline that you have to go back to different Nord burial areas, you have to kill the main baddie, and get a necklace fragment. Well, I cleared one of them, before picking up the quest, and now I can't get the necklace fragment, because I may have either sold it, disenchanted it, or lost it in a chest...



balls.


----------



## AxeHappy

Just use the console to add it back in?

Unless you're not playing on the PC. Then you may be buggered. 

But that's not a bug. In any way.


----------



## vampiregenocide

Stealth7 said:


> I've thought about getting this but I'm not completely sold on it yet.. How bad and noticeable are the bugs/glitches and are they anywhere near as bad as FO3?



I've only had one 'bad' glitch and I dealt with that. The rest (though few) are just funny. They're releasing a patch in the next couple of weeks I believe.



Tomo009 said:


> So you would suggest the black start over azura's star? Haven't decided which I want yet haha.



I went for the one from the guy in the inn. It absorbs black souls which are rarer.

However I haven't beaten the quest yet...too difficult. :|


----------



## Sicarius

AxeHappy said:


> Just use the console to add it back in?
> 
> Unless you're not playing on the PC. Then you may be buggered.
> 
> But that's not a bug. In any way.


Never used the console commands lol.

I'll google it.

Has anyone else started collecting random Lutes from the game? I have 3, so far.

Also, Has anyone seen a dragon flying outside of Riften? Looks like a fan on it's tail? I saw it, and it never came down to attack me. Went back into Riften, and came out and it was gone.


----------



## vampiregenocide

Sicarius said:


> Also, Has anyone seen a dragon flying outside of Riften? Looks like a fan on it's tail? I saw it, and it never came down to attack me. Went back into Riften, and came out and it was gone.



I think thats a blood dragon.


----------



## Taylor2

SirMyghin said:


> Well this is a real RPG, not a waterred down hack and slash adventure masquerading as an RPG, so you might want to stick to diablo, guild wars, sacred, etc. I wouldn't call those RPGs parsay.



Ooookay. 
If we can excuse a bit of the genre elitism I'd like to ask another question.


Is it more like an old Final Fantasy game then?

Can you compare it to something?


----------



## Captain Shoggoth

Anyone finished the main questline, could you tell me (maybe in spoiler tags if it's story-relevant for others' sake) if you can still fight dragons after completing the main quest?



Grand Moff Tim said:


> Protip for any two-handed players: Wuuthrad, the battleaxe you get towards the end of the primary Companions questline, has the same base damage as a _daedric_ battleaxe, but it's available *waaaay* earlier on and weighs two pounds less. In fact, the only weapon in the game with a higher base damage is the daedric warhammer.
> 
> Long story short: If you play two-handed, complete the Companions questline ASAP.
> 
> 
> 
> Spoiler
> 
> 
> 
> OH, and don't forget to take the axe _back_ after you place it on the statue. There's no penalty for doing so. You'll know what I mean when you get there.



>level 12
>two-handed combat: 52

noted captain


----------



## guitarister7321

I found an island off the coast near Dawnstar where slaughterfish can swim up on land.


----------



## SirMyghin

Taylor said:


> Ooookay.
> If we can excuse a bit of the genre elitism I'd like to ask another question.
> 
> 
> Is it more like an old Final Fantasy game then?
> 
> Can you compare it to something?



Nothing like Final Fantasy, it is more like D&D in a world where the DM has put a whole lot of thought in, with slightly less freedom and less consequence to action. These games harken much more to pen and paper gaming than standard video game rpg fare. Bethesda has given a rather unique experience as such, given their approach opposed to different developers. Old gold box/infinity engine games (Baldur's Gate, Planescape: Torment, etc) would be a good parallel, with the exception of not having an open world, parsay. 

You can spend near as much time in cities doing stuff as out of cities killing stuff, but it is really your choice. Combat is not a button mash, ala hack and slash games, and although more involved than previously in the Elder Scrolls, and arguably better, is still not the focus of the game. 

The setting is the important bit, the world and what happens in it, as well as interacting in it. Where as Diablo and that genre of game is go kill lots of stuff by clicking a lot of mouse. Pardon me if it takes a bit more than having stats and levelling up to make an RPG, I used to do a lot of table top gaming and had some great times


----------



## Sicarius

guitarister7321 said:


> I found an island off the coast near Dawnstar where slaughterfish can swim up on land.


I found that place, too.

I burned the shit out of one of them.

very satisfied.


----------



## Rock4ever

Speaking of just throwing shit on the floor of your house...

Skyrim Player Collects Trophies of His Victims


----------



## vampiregenocide




----------



## Pooluke41

Just Completed the stormcloak quests,

Fuck the Thalmor, they are bastards,


----------



## Grand Moff Tim

Captain Shoggoth said:


> Anyone finished the main questline, could you tell me (maybe in spoiler tags if it's story-relevant for others' sake) if you can still fight dragons after completing the main quest?


 


Spoiler



Yes, you can.


----------



## Grand Moff Tim

Rock4ever said:


> Speaking of just throwing shit on the floor of your house...
> 
> Skyrim Player Collects Trophies of His Victims


 
Hahahaha. That's pretty much what my waterfront shack in Oblivion looked like, except instead of weapons and armor it was bones.

EDIT: I also covered the floor of the upstairs room of my house in Megaton in FO3 with deathclaw hands, because why not.


----------



## Grand Moff Tim

AxeHappy said:


> I went with Azura's star. Daedra and other high level creatures will be more than enough to fill it up later.
> 
> Also you can take the priestess with you as a companion and if you're playing a Smashy character her ridiculously over-the-top magic skills will fuck shit up.


 
I went with the dark star because I fight alot of humanoid enemies all the time, and the Black Star will _only_ pick up humanoid souls. With Azura's Star (and a little absent-mindedness ) it could end up filled with a skeever soul or some weak nonsense.

FWIW, I think I remember the mage from the Black Star part offering to follow me upon completion, too. My guide doesn't say he's an available follower, though, so I don't know if I'm misremembering or the guide overlooked it. Neither would be a first .


----------



## ImBCRichBitch

I dont have it yet, but all my friends do 
I heard it plays more like Morrowind than Oblivion. Which i perfer Morrowind to Oblivion.


----------



## vampiregenocide

Grand Moff Tim said:


> I went with the dark star because I fight alot of humanoid enemies all the time, and the Black Star will _only_ pick up humanoid souls. With Azura's Star (and a little absent-mindedness ) it could end up filled with a skeever soul or some weak nonsense.
> 
> FWIW, I think I remember the mage from the Black Star part offering to follow me upon completion, too. My guide doesn't say he's an available follower, though, so I don't know if I'm misremembering or the guide overlooked it. Neither would be a first .



How do you beat Malyn Varen? I went inside and just got annihilated.


----------



## Grand Moff Tim

vampiregenocide said:


> How do you beat Malyn Varen? I went inside and just got annihilated.


 
The first time, I went in and got annihilated. The second time, I went in and turned into a werewolf and massacred everybody, but when I was transported out of the gem I was still a werewolf, so everyone in the inn attacked me . The third time I just got lucky and he came for me at the entrance area instead of making me go through all of his minions to get to him at the end, and with a heaping helping of lightning bolt, health potions and the Mace of Molag Baal, I put 'im down.


----------



## Grand Moff Tim

ImBCRichBitch said:


> I dont have it yet, but all my friends do
> I heard it plays more like Morrowind than Oblivion. Which i perfer Morrowind to Oblivion.


 
Nah, the gameplay is definitely more like Oblivion. However, the overall atmosphere and storytelling feel more like Morrowind.


----------



## SirMyghin

Grand Moff Tim said:


> Nah, the gameplay is definitely more like Oblivion. However, the overall atmosphere and storytelling feel more like Morrowind.



I am inclined to agree, everything Oblivion 'bettered' was extended (perks, overall combat, graphical superiority, voice acting +++, overall interactiveness of the world), and its downsides (flat feeling world, repetitive dungeons, poor story and setting, bs quests, etc) were left behind. The Main quest doesn't quite have the giant sweeping feeling of Morrowind, but it is pretty epic, despite being much shorter. The whole having to unite Vanderfell was admitted a large portion of that quest though.


----------



## Sicarius

Oh, Sheogorath. I missed you, you crazy lovable bastard.


----------



## Grand Moff Tim

Finished up the Stormcloak questline, so now I've seen the endings for that, the main quest, the Imperials and the Companions. I'm tempted to mad rush through the mages college quests with my 2H tank, but in the spirit of things I think I'll have my first time through it as a pure mage.


----------



## SirMyghin

was the storm cloak questline better than the imperial Tim?


Spoiler



I found the imperial one to be a tad lackluster, and felt rather disjoint with respect to the game world


----------



## Pooluke41

Just Joined the companions, 

How long till I get my "Reward" if you catch my drift.


----------



## Pooluke41

SirMyghin said:


> was the storm cloak questline better than the imperial Tim?
> 
> 
> Spoiler
> 
> 
> 
> I found the imperial one to be a tad lackluster, and felt rather disjoint with respect to the game world



Man the Stormcloak one is filled with raw energy.

Extremely good.


----------



## Sicarius

Pooluke41 said:


> Just Joined the companions,
> 
> How long till I get my "Reward" if you catch my drift.





Spoiler



3rd or 4th quest


 I think.


----------



## SirMyghin

Pooluke41 said:


> Man the Stormcloak one is filled with raw energy.
> 
> Extremely good.




Good to know, the impereal once just felt so formulaic, do the same thing 3 or 4 times then do one other thing and bam, yer done. A little left behind compared to say the epicness of the mages guild (only other part I have completed).


----------



## Grand Moff Tim

SirMyghin said:


> Good to know, the impereal once just felt so formulaic, do the same thing 3 or 4 times then do one other thing and bam, yer done. A little left behind compared to say the epicness of the mages guild (only other part I have completed).


 
Hate to be the bearer of bad news, but


Spoiler



the stormcloak questline has the same formula the imperial one did.


 It does feel a bit more like it "belongs," if that makes sense, since it's essentially the Nord side of a civil war that takes place in the Nord homeland. 

Personally, I had a hard time sympathizing with them because they're a bunch of racist schmucks, but it made me feel more like I was involved with the game world and its Skyrim-specific politics, not just "Hey, let's quell a rebellion, because that's what Imperials do."

All that aside, I actually really liked the action in the formulaic bits of the questline.


Spoiler



Some of the most fun I've had so far has been when I had to rush into a fort and clear it of all the imperial/stormcloak occupants, because it's caused some of the more outnumbered fights I've gotten into so far. That was annoying when I was an archer/spellsword against the stormcloaks, but as a tank with a huge ass battle axe encircled by imperial guardsmen, it was fuggin' rad.


----------



## Pooluke41

Sicarius said:


> Spoiler
> 
> 
> 
> 3rd or 4th quest
> 
> 
> I think.



I got it now, love the "reward" It's amazingly fun.


----------



## Sicarius

I've actually only used it once. On the quest that you do afterward.

and I'm bad. SO yea.

I've really wanted to build some of these rooms in minecraft. lol some of them are just awesome.


----------



## ittoa666

vampiregenocide said:


> How do you beat Malyn Varen? I went inside and just got annihilated.



I went in (I am a level 41 btw), and just chain lightning'd everything.


----------



## Grand Moff Tim

My Tank finally hit 80 in smithing tonight, and I also happened upon an ebony mine shortly thereafter, so... score. I mined more than enough to make a full suit, a battleaxe and a warhammer, _and_ upgrade them all to Epic. I enchanted two pieces of armor with fortify two-handed, so that plus my stacked and fortified stamina means I'm dealing 104 damage _per strike_ with that ebony warhammer. Power attacks are going to fucking rule.


Oh, and here's Tjorstein in his shiny new armor, with Vilkas in tow wearing his hand-me-down Orcish set.








Man. This game is just too great.

OH, and the ebony mine I found was behind an Orcish longhouse settlement. Anybody else come across one of those yet? It adds an interesting glimpse into orcimer culture, and I think it's a nice touch.


----------



## MrMcSick

Anybody get Sanguine's rose yet. Its pretty ridiculous. I think it might be alittle to powerful. You can just kick back and watch then collect your spoils lol. Im up to 47 arch/sneak and I still haven't gone further than the part in the main quest where you need the greybeards to hold a summit, i didn't even choose sides yet either lolol. Just been doing mad side quest's like all the deadric ones FTW!!!! I wanna leave the main quest till alot later so I don't just quit playing since I would be doing mostly random dungeon diving.


----------



## Black_Sheep

Literally just waiting for my copy to drop from the mailbox any minute now.... 


I've been thinking about starting with a Breton character, as they are supposed to be quite balanced and i'd like to use both, magic and melee. 

The other races seem interesting as well, this game looks like something i'll be playing a bit more than just one playthrough... 


EDIT: now i have a difficulty of choosing between a nord and a breton character, help? 

EDIT2: Nord it is! looks way cooler too!  ...But unfortunately i didn't get the game today either. If not tomorrow, then my weekend is ruined..


----------



## Daiephir

Why didnt you buy it with Steam?


----------



## ScottyB724

Holy shit... What Happens when You Spawn 50 Dragons in Skyrim?

ok now I wish I had a gaming PC haha


----------



## SirMyghin

MrMcSick said:


> Anybody get Sanguine's rose yet. Its pretty ridiculous. I think it might be alittle to powerful. You can just kick back and watch then collect your spoils lol. Im up to 47 arch/sneak and I still haven't gone further than the part in the main quest where you need the greybeards to hold a summit, i didn't even choose sides yet either lolol. Just been doing mad side quest's like all the deadric ones FTW!!!! I wanna leave the main quest till alot later so I don't just quit playing since I would be doing mostly random dungeon diving.



Have it, never used it though. I have an aversion to summons and followers  My favourite quest in the game, still.


----------



## Pooluke41

You Can't Play Skyrim's Lutes, But You Can Play a Skyrim...Electric Guitar
Guys.... Guess what Tosin just bought...


----------



## 22km Tombstone

Grand Moff Tim said:


> So, I was walking around a Stormcloak camp earlier...
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Uhhh...
> 
> 
> 
> 
> I... um...
> 
> 
> 
> Hmm. Well okay.
> 
> 
> [various images of flying horses]
> 
> 
> 
> Oh, Bethesda. You so crazy.


----------



## MrMcSick

Its Pegasus!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Love the song. Was loling the whole time.


----------



## MrMcSick

OMG! found this vid in the comments on the 50 dragon spawn page. Amazing!!!!

!


----------



## Sicarius

wtf was that


----------



## Sofos

This game makes me want to tug on my sin staff and fling my sin milk in the face of the first person I encounter


----------



## Sicarius

buahahaha

Must do homework. Can't spend another 12 hours playing Skyrim..


----------



## metal_sam14

Got the game yesterday, only had a chance to play for a few hours. got monumentally fucked up by a troll and now I can't figure out a puzzle in the golden claw quest.

But my god this game is amazing!


----------



## Sicarius

Those Mask hunting



Spoiler



there're 10 altars


----------



## SirMyghin

^^ This information is just not correct


----------



## AxeHappy

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yDE2VQzghp4

Awesome.


----------



## SirMyghin

If there were final credits that rolled when you finished TES games, that should be it AxeHappy


----------



## Sicarius

SirMyghin said:


> ^^ This information is just not correct


thing I found was wrong.

But I did find a nifty thing when doing the Arcane College quest line.

Have you found the Wooden Mask?


----------



## guitarister7321

Anyone else play tag with the children of Solitude? Just found out you could do that.


----------



## Thrashmanzac

metal_sam14 said:


> Got the game yesterday, only had a chance to play for a few hours. got monumentally fucked up by a troll and now I can't figure out a puzzle in the golden claw quest.
> 
> But my god this game is amazing!



check out the claw in your inventory man, the solution to the puzzle should be imprinted on the palm of the dragon claw


----------



## SirMyghin

Sicarius said:


> thing I found was wrong.
> 
> But I did find a nifty thing when doing the Arcane College quest line.
> 
> Have you found the Wooden Mask?



Yes, and I have all the masks, took some hardcore exploring for that stuff.


Did that lute quest Tim, holy crap the reward is epic.


----------



## metal_sam14

Thrashmanzac said:


> check out the claw in your inventory man, the solution to the puzzle should be imprinted on the palm of the dragon claw



I haven't even got that far  I am stuck at the bit where you pull the lever and it shoots fucking poison at you


----------



## Grand Moff Tim

metal_sam14 said:


> I haven't even got that far  I am stuck at the bit where you pull the lever and it shoots fucking poison at you


 
Pay attention to the symbols on the wall above the gate, then move the columns to your left to match them before pulling the switch. As I recall, the correct order is


Spoiler



snake, snake, whale.


----------



## Grand Moff Tim

Man, seriously, my 2H specialist almost feels like cheating most times. I'm one-hit killing restless draugrs, and that's not even power attacks... just plain old normal attacks. I can kill a bear in two mighty swings of my hammer. If I find an enemy that takes more than three swings to kill, I probably have to take a few swigs of some health potions before it's all said and done, because it'd have to be one powerful baddie.

Despite the badassery of the 2H tank, it does make dragon battles _alot_ more annoying. I do alot of standing there yelling "Land, damn you! LAND!" and taking cheap worthless potshots with whatever bow I have in my inventory. Once it lands, though, I fuck. Shit. *UP.*


----------



## BrainArt

Grand Moff Tim said:


> Man, seriously, my 2H specialist almost feels like cheating most times. I'm one-hit killing restless draugrs, and that's not even power attacks... just plain old normal attacks. I can kill a bear in two mighty swings of my hammer. If I find an enemy that takes more than three swings to kill, I probably have to take a few swigs of some health potions before it's all said and done, because it'd have to be one powerful baddie.
> 
> Despite the badassery of the 2H tank, it does make dragon battles _alot_ more annoying. I do alot of standing there yelling "Land, damn you! LAND!" and taking cheap worthless potshots with whatever bow I have in my inventory. Once it lands, though, I fuck. Shit. *UP.*



I tend to keep to ranged attacks with my Imperial bow of burning (which I recharged) when I fight dragons.

When I'm up close and personal, I like to use a greatsword, Wuuthrad or I wield a sword in my right hand and magic in the other.


----------



## Grand Moff Tim

Wuuthrad is _the_ best weapon to get before you hit level 20. I've killed more dudes with it than you can shake a stick at.


----------



## Daiephir

So, I've just got Were-wolfness (sweet :3) join the Dark Brotherhood (1000 bounty in Dawnstar ), joined the Rebellion and I've been a Mage of the College for a while, I've found myself wondering something, am I going for a too broad set of skills? cause, my characters initially had a heavy steel armor with a ancient nord sword with a cool enchantment on it and a steel shield, so I leveled in Heavy armor, 1 handed, destruction and smithing, but now, upon joining the Rebellion and The brahs, I've been wearing light armor too, should I put some points in there too?


----------



## vampiregenocide

I have full dwarven armour, and two dwarven axes. I look badass.


----------



## SirMyghin

It is a shame unarmed attacks don't seem to build up one-handed skill. Not to mention you can't do more than 2x sneak attack with them. Khajits claws are 15 points of damage base... Put on those 10 points more damage gloves and you can rock a whole lot of stuff barehanded.


----------



## BrainArt

vampiregenocide said:


> I have full dwarven armour, and two dwarven axes. I look badass.



I'm slowly working on building my dwarven armor collection, I only have a couple of pieces that I've gotten from dungeons.


----------



## Sicarius

I've ran into a couple Dragur Deathlords, and gotten some nice Ebony things.
Shield, sword, bow, and some arrows.

dudes don't fuck around, though. They've got the disarm shout, and like to use it.


----------



## vampiregenocide

BrainArt said:


> I'm slowly working on building my dwarven armor collection, I only have a couple of pieces that I've gotten from dungeons.



Often the blacksmiths sell dwarven ingots, so I've been collecting them while on quests and buying them from smiths. I've been making shitty leather armour to boost up my smithing.


----------



## Murmel

Daiephir said:


> So, I've just got Were-wolfness (sweet :3) join the Dark Brotherhood (1000 bounty in Dawnstar ), joined the Rebellion and I've been a Mage of the College for a while, I've found myself wondering something, am I going for a too broad set of skills? cause, my characters initially had a heavy steel armor with a ancient nord sword with a cool enchantment on it and a steel shield, so I leveled in Heavy armor, 1 handed, destruction and smithing, but now, upon joining the Rebellion and The brahs, I've been wearing light armor too, should I put some points in there too?



The brahs?  That's the best nickname for the dark brotherhood I've ever heard


----------



## BrainArt

vampiregenocide said:


> Often the blacksmiths sell dwarven ingots, so I've been collecting them while on quests and buying them from smiths. I've been making shitty leather armour to boost up my smithing.



I've been taking lessons from Eorlund up at Skyforge, I also tend to sell most ingots for some quick cash.


----------



## Sicarius

BrainArt said:


> I've been taking lessons from Eorlund up at Skyforge, I also tend to sell most ingots for some quick cash.



What I've been doing on treks into Dwemer dungeons is only collect the big solid peices that weigh 25lbs, because they'll make 5 ingots.

That's how I've been powerleveling BS.


----------



## Daiephir

Also, to add to my other questions, is there a way to smelt weapons to get the ingots?


----------



## SirMyghin

Man, playing a stealth character needs way too many perks. Good thing I am playing on PC, screw you crafting perks! 

Be careful if you do a lot of thieves guildery, level scaling will eat your soul with respect to weapon skills and damage. I am lvl 20, and had 31 1h and 39 archery. 60 Sneak, 40ish in a bunch of other stuff like speach and pickpocket, picking, etc. I recently trained up my 1h to 41.. haha. Thieves guild is fun stuff too, random jobs are a great source of income.


----------



## Grand Moff Tim

BrainArt said:


> I've been taking lessons from Eorlund up at Skyforge, I also tend to sell most ingots for some quick cash.


 
I've only paid for training on occasions where I levelled up and was like one or two skill points away from a perk I wanted, but at least twice I too did it for smithing, and one of those times was from Eorland . He's just a handy dude to know. It's nice that you can make extra stuff with his forge that you can't with others, too. Not so nice, however, that he doesn't have a bench for repairing armor. It's annoying running between the skyforge and the smith by the town gate just to repair stuff before I can sell it.


----------



## abadonae

I decided once i'd started this game that even though there was magic available, I went for the Nords and decided that, to me, they are a more warrior style race. I went for H Armour, 2H, 1H, Blocking, Smithing, Destruction Magic (very lightly) and Archery, i've dunked pretty much only 4 points in anything else including Destruction Magic, my 2H, 1H and blocking are all in there 70's and im lvl 34, dunno if thats good.
Archery hasn't been done up to much as i tend to leg it in and just twat people with Wuuthrad or my Ebony Greatsword 
I've got full ebony armour, ebony sword, shield, greatsword, mace and war axe. Want to get a few more bits and pieces. And my smithing isn't far off from being able to craft daedric armour either  its been good.

Anyone taken a similar approach?


----------



## Black_Sheep

^ im kinda planning to!  ...Seems to work. And im gonna choose a Nord because i think it fits the world the best, and it was kinda "meant" to be the race you play with, dunno.


----------



## BrainArt

Sicarius said:


> What I've been doing on treks into Dwemer dungeons is only collect the big solid peices that weigh 25lbs, because they'll make 5 ingots.
> 
> That's how I've been powerleveling BS.



I haven't found any Dwemer ruins, yet. But, then again, I haven't been traveling around on foot, much. Carriage and fast travel, every once in a while when I haven't discovered the location, I'll hoof it (on my horse, see what I did there?). I really need to find some, though. I want some more dwarven shit.



Grand Moff Tim said:


> I've only paid for training on occasions where I levelled up and was like one or two skill points away from a perk I wanted, but at least twice I too did it for smithing, and one of those times was from Eorland . He's just a handy dude to know. It's nice that you can make extra stuff with his forge that you can't with others, too. Not so nice, however, that he doesn't have a bench for repairing armor. It's annoying running between the skyforge and the smith by the town gate just to repair stuff before I can sell it.



I'm getting my lockpicking closer to 50 so I can get the master key perk. But, I like the whole crafting part of the game, so I want to get that skill up, as well. I can't remember what my 2H, heavy armor or 1H are, though. Fairly high, though, because I like charging in and fucking shit up.


----------



## Daiephir

Black_Sheep said:


> ^ im kinda planning to!  ...Seems to work. And im gonna choose a Nord because i think it fits the world the best, and it was kinda "meant" to be the race you play with, dunno.



Yeah, thats what I though, but I wanted a Morrowind Elf first, my 2nd character though, 2H pure Heavy Armor Nord it will be


----------



## BryanFTWL

I got this game a week ago and have 36 hours into it. 
Now, I've never played an Elder Scrolls game before, so I had a lot of learning to do when I first started out. I'm just starting to understand the concept of everything. I'm level 26 with my sneak at 72, and archery at 60. My one handed is in the high 40s. So far I'm mainly sneaking around with a blade of woe enchanted to absorb health, an ebony dagger enchanted with fire for my close range, and a glass bow enchanted with fire for my long range. For those moment where I just have to fuck shit up, glass sword and lightning.


----------



## Daiephir

Finally have enough to buy the house in Whiterun :3 gonna transfer all of my hoardings from the college to there soon


----------



## leftyguitarjoe

Have you guys found the HUGE Dwemer riuns? The place where you can find the crimson nirnroots. I literally spant an hour and a half exploring the one big cavern and slaying the big centurions.


----------



## Daiephir

leftyguitarjoe said:


> Have you guys found the HUGE Dwemer riuns? The place where you can find the crimson nirnroots. I literally spant an hour and a half exploring the one big cavern and slaying the big centurions.



Where is it on the map?


----------



## Tomo009

Blackreach? My favorite place in the game. I want to own a house in there....


----------



## Sicarius

After going through the one tied to Markath, fuck 'em.

I'm looking for this Ebony mineshaft that was mentioned earlier.

do they respawn the ores, or are they a one time thing?


----------



## chevymeister

Sicarius said:


> After going through the one tied to Markath, fuck 'em.
> 
> I'm looking for this Ebony mineshaft that was mentioned earlier.
> 
> do they respawn the ores, or are they a one time thing?


 One time, and the ebony one is completely to the right side of the map in the middle. It's near the one city located in the middle right side. Go to the farthest right point of the map and just move around the border in the middle, you'll find it.


----------



## Daiephir

Sicarius said:


> After going through the one tied to Markath, fuck 'em.
> 
> I'm looking for this Ebony mineshaft that was mentioned earlier.
> 
> do they respawn the ores, or are they a one time thing?



I've read on the wikia that the ore respawns either in 10 in-game days or 30 in-game days if it marks cleared on the map


----------



## Sicarius

>Leave Riften to finish Theievs Guild quest chain
>Get attacked by Blood Dragon
>game crashes before I can land the killing blow

FUCK

I keep seeing that picture of the DW Orc on loading screens.

I think I'm going to do that as my next character.


----------



## leftyguitarjoe

Started a new character. Dunmer thief/archer guy.


----------



## Saber_777

Sicarius said:


> I need to buy a house.
> 
> All my extra shit is laying in a barrel at the whiterun blacksmith shop -_-


 
I have taken up a house in the Arch Mages Quarters. woot!


----------



## Saber_777

Ohh, my player doesnt have a face, you can see straight through the hood. Looks amazing with my current armor.


----------



## Sicarius

All_Shall_Rot said:


> Ohh, my player doesnt have a face, you can see straight through the hood. Looks amazing with my current armor.



There's a bug where if you equip the Arch-MAge robes with the Moreki mask, your face disappears some times


----------



## Saber_777

Sicarius said:


> There's a bug where if you equip the Arch-MAge robes with the Moreki mask, your face disappears some times


 
Thats exactly what it is, I didnt want to mention it though, I have a different mask I believe though.


----------



## Sicarius

The M' mask is awesome with the robes.


----------



## Grand Moff Tim

The ebony mine is southeast of Windhelm, behind an orc longhouse/camp.


----------



## Grand Moff Tim

Woot, finally have a set of dragon armor. I wonder if they'll ever patch it to make it harder to power level smithing, because it couldn't have been easier to get it up to 100 once I decided to really focus on it.


----------



## BrainArt

I got the Nightingale armor, tonight. It. Is. Bad. Fucking. Ass.


----------



## Sicarius

BrainArt said:


> I got the Nightingale armor, tonight. It. Is. Bad. Fucking. Ass.


I feel like a fucking super hero!


----------



## Grand Moff Tim

Finally found a daedra heart so I could make a daedric warhammer. Taking into account my armor enchantments, I'm doing 148 damage per swing with that bad boy. Power attacks are _raping_ enemies.


----------



## Daiephir

The thing that bugs me about the high level armor smithing is that you dont need to level up to 100 to make the best armor, daedric > dragon in stats, which is unfortunate and kind of stupid since you need 100 smithing compared to 90


----------



## ZackP3750

Daiephir said:


> The thing that bugs me about the high level armor smithing is that you dont need to level up to 100 to make the best armor, daedric > dragon in stats, which is unfortunate and kind of stupid since you need 100 smithing compared to 90



Yes and no. Granted the Daedric beats the Dragonscale in heavy armor, but you can't make Daedric light armor. I think its just more of a rarity thing, like dragon bones and scales being harder to come by than Daedra hearts.


----------



## Daiephir

ZackP3750 said:


> Yes and no. Granted the Daedric beats the Dragonscale in heavy armor, but you can't make Daedric light armor. I think its just more of a rarity thing, like dragon bones and scales being harder to come by than Daedra hearts.



It's the other way around, I'm barely lvl 17 and I have enough Dragon Bones and Scales to make 2 sets, only have 1 Daedra heart, the only way that it makes sense, from what I've read, is when you upgrade it, the bonus' are better for Dragon, so overall, if you max it, it is gonna be better, and you can make a light set too, compared to the daedric which is heavy only, it's still stupid though cause Ebony is wayyy harder to come by than a 100 ton flying beast  also, Daedric Armor looks way more metal.

EDIT: Also, Dragon Plate is lighter by about 10 pounds


----------



## Grand Moff Tim

Ebony isn't that hard to come by. I just check the misc inventory of the smith in every town I visit and buy whatever ebony he has, and eventually I'll have a decent amount. There are a couple ebony mines, too, and they'll give you more than enough to make everything you need in one trip. The _hard_ thing to come by is friggin' daedra hearts. This isn't Oblivion where there are daedra all over the place anymore. I've only ever seen _one_ as a placed item (downstairs in Jorrvaskr). Otherwise, I'm going to start checking every alchemy peddler whenever I'm in a town, because that's the only other place I've ever seen them.


----------



## Daiephir

Grand Moff Tim said:


> Ebony isn't that hard to come by. I just check the misc inventory of the smith in every town I visit and buy whatever ebony he has, and eventually I'll have a decent amount. There are a couple ebony mines, too, and they'll give you more than enough to make everything you need in one trip. The _hard_ thing to come by is friggin' daedra hearts. This isn't Oblivion where there are daedra all over the place anymore. I've only ever seen _one_ as a placed item (downstairs in Jorrvaskr). Otherwise, I'm going to start checking every alchemy peddler whenever I'm in a town, because that's the only other place I've ever seen them.



Some mages possess some according to the wikia too, so might wanna look into that.

(And what I meant by hard is in a non-spending mode, cause yeah you can buy the ebony ingots, but they cost a ton, and you actually need to find a mine to mine it, compared to doing the main quest and just killing dragons)

Funny thing is, I've had 2 dragons attack me at the college


----------



## Grand Moff Tim

A dragon attacked me at the college and broke the quest I was doing, so I had to load an earlier save.


----------



## Daiephir

Grand Moff Tim said:


> A dragon attacked me at the college and broke the quest I was doing, so I had to load an earlier save.



Damn quests, how do they work


----------



## Grand Moff Tim

I want to have a set of daedric armor because of the better armor rating than the dragonplate I'm currently wearing, but I don't really like helmets that cover the face, and as far as I can tell the daedric helmet does. I also don't like mix-and-match sets, so I'm a bit torn. I'm sure I'll make a set anyways just to have one, but whether I wear it or it just stays on an armor dummy in one of my houses remains to be seen.


----------



## Pooluke41

On my latest Nord,

Who's a smith that will dabble in enchanting as soon as I have enough gems...


I found an awesome spell,

"Transmute mineral ore"

It turns iron ore into silver, which can them be turned into Gold ore.

It's so awesome.


----------



## SirMyghin

Grand Moff Tim said:


> Ebony isn't that hard to come by. I just check the misc inventory of the smith in every town I visit and buy whatever ebony he has, and eventually I'll have a decent amount. There are a couple ebony mines, too, and they'll give you more than enough to make everything you need in one trip. The _hard_ thing to come by is friggin' daedra hearts. This isn't Oblivion where there are daedra all over the place anymore. I've only ever seen _one_ as a placed item (downstairs in Jorrvaskr). Otherwise, I'm going to start checking every alchemy peddler whenever I'm in a town, because that's the only other place I've ever seen them.



I just found 4 daedra hearts in 5 minutes


Spoiler



have you done the quest for Mehrunes Razor? There are some dremoras in his shrine and such, from what I gather they also respawn


----------



## Pooluke41

EDIT: I can't do Spoiler tags for somereason...

I'll found out then edit this...

EDIT:

Here we go....



Spoiler



In the azura's shrine quest there's a part with loads of dremoras


----------



## Grand Moff Tim

Hello. My name is Tim, and I'm a potionaholic.

Seriously. I have like fifty potions in my inventory, and I can't bring myself to part with them. I actually do sell anything that doesn't boost/refill health or stamina, but I've still racked up quite the amount of those. They're taking up vauable inventory space, but I keep thinking "but what if I *need* them on my next quest?" so I don't sell or store them elsewhere.

Sigh.


----------



## Sicarius

Grand Moff Tim said:


> I want to have a set of daedric armor because of the better armor rating than the dragonplate I'm currently wearing, but I don't really like helmets that cover the face, and as far as I can tell the daedric helmet does. I also don't like mix-and-match sets, so I'm a bit torn. I'm sure I'll make a set anyways just to have one, but whether I wear it or it just stays on an armor dummy in one of my houses remains to be seen.



Yeah, I'm using Orcish Armor, and Helmet with Dwarven boots and gloves and it looks retarded.

However, my Argonian looks badass with the Oricish helmet.


----------



## The Reverend

Grand Moff Tim said:


> Hello. My name is Tim, and I'm a potionaholic.
> 
> Seriously. I have like fifty potions in my inventory, and I can't bring myself to part with them. I actually do sell anything that doesn't boost/refill health or stamina, but I've still racked up quite the amount of those. They're taking up vauable inventory space, but I keep thinking "but what if I *need* them on my next quest?" so I don't sell or store them elsewhere.
> 
> Sigh.



I do the exact same thing. It's sad, really. The few times I've died WITHOUT potions I was talking shit to myself, like "That wouldn't have happened if you had more health potions." I never talk shit to myself when I die with my dozens of potions, however.


----------



## SirMyghin

Grand Moff Tim said:


> Hello. My name is Tim, and I'm a potionaholic.
> 
> Seriously. I have like fifty potions in my inventory, and I can't bring myself to part with them. I actually do sell anything that doesn't boost/refill health or stamina, but I've still racked up quite the amount of those. They're taking up vauable inventory space, but I keep thinking "but what if I *need* them on my next quest?" so I don't sell or store them elsewhere.
> 
> Sigh.



My thief has about 540 carry capacity, due to the extra pockets feat . I literally loot entire dungeons and sell stuff off


----------



## Grand Moff Tim

I went ahead and did the Azura quest to try to pick up some daedra hearts (and the Black Star, of course). I ended up getting exactly as many as I needed, _and_ coincidentally ended up drinking like 20 health potions (those dremora kynreaves do *not* fuck around up around level 30). Now I have a full set of Legendary Daedric armor and a sense of justification for being a potion hoarder.


----------



## Sicarius

I didn't see any Daedras when I did that quest


----------



## Grand Moff Tim

Sicarius said:


> I didn't see any Daedras when I did that quest


 


Spoiler



The dudes you fight inside the star at the end of the quest are all daedra.


----------



## Sicarius

god damn it.

-_-

I went in guns (rather lightning) blazing.


----------



## Grand Moff Tim

Ever since starting my 2H tank build, I've felt pretty impotent whenever there's a dragon in the area. When I hear/see one, I try to take pot-shots at it with whatever shitty bow I'm hanging on to for just that reason, but moving long-distance targets are nothing to sneeze at. I swear, at least 60% of the time I come across one in the wild, it just ends up flying away. Hell, there have even been times where combat was actually engaged, it landed a couple times (always too fucking far away from me), only to fly away for good.

That said...

I was wandering the wild today, and a _named_ dragon came out of nowhere, and landed as near as makes no difference to right on top of me. I squealed with delight like a little girl at my wonderful luck, and a mere three (THREE!!!) power attacks later, I had me a new dragon soul.


----------



## BrainArt

Grand Moff Tim said:


> Ever since starting my 2H tank build, I've felt pretty impotent whenever there's a dragon in the area. When I hear/see one, I try to take pot-shots at it with whatever shitty bow I'm hanging on to for just that reason, but moving long-distance targets are nothing to sneeze at. I swear, at least 60% of the time I come across one in the wild, it just ends up flying away. Hell, there have even been times where combat was actually engaged, it landed a couple times (always too fucking far away from me), only to fly away for good.
> 
> That said...
> 
> I was wandering the wild today, and a _named_ dragon came out of nowhere, and landed as near as makes no difference to right on top of me. I squealed with delight like a little girl at my wonderful luck, and a mere three (THREE!!!) power attacks later, I had me a new dragon soul.



I've only encountered two dragons, so far. The first one from the Whiterun battle for the main quest and a second one that was fighting a giant.


----------



## Sicarius

I, too, was landed on today.

while fighting two giants.

Killed all three, like a boss.

also to those that did the Alduin Wall quest:


Spoiler



Did anyone else have a "You're a fuckin' dragon!" moment when talking to Pax or w/e to find out about the Dragonrend shout?


----------



## Grand Moff Tim

Sicarius said:


> to those that did the Alduin Wall quest:
> 
> 
> Spoiler
> 
> 
> 
> Did anyone else have a "You're a fuckin' dragon!" moment when talking to Pax or w/e to find out about the Dragonrend shout?


 
Unfortunately, no. I made the mistake of reading spoilers in this thread .


----------



## hereticemir

I find it funny how everyone says the bow sucks. I created and arcane archer build and find i use the the bow alot more then anything else. I go through the dungeons like solid snake granted it takes about 3-4 hours to do it but its fun as hell. my sneak attack is through the roof. I really never had any problems with the dragons either they always attack me near a town so i run to town have the guards help me out.


----------



## Grand Moff Tim

Where are you posting that has "everyone" saying the bow sucks? That certainly isn't the sentiment here, and several people have mentioned that it's a staple of their arsenal. I did say that my current dude only carries "whatever shitty bow," but that's because I've concentrated 100% on two-handed for my combat, so any bow I pick up _is _shitty. My first build was a spellsword archer, and I used the hell out of bows with him.


----------



## Grand Moff Tim

Finally got around to getting married today. Showed that bitch my amulet. Bitches love amulets.


----------



## Prydogga

After a glorious week, which unfortunately led me away from Skyrim, I've played almost all day.

Got my smithing from 40ish to 90. Made Daedra and Ebony. FUCK YEAH.

Did an epic quest in Markath starting at the 'abandoned house', people who have done it will know it's pretty cool.

Also, Markath is a wicked city, much different aesthetic from the Nord camps etc.

Managed to hunt down and get 2 masks in one day. The one where the woman helps you is an utter cunt, his lightning spell just fucks everything, I had to turn the difficulty down so he wouldn't keep 3/4 shotting me with it.

Lydia died. Hit by a giant, flew up, and never came back down. I'd just given her my last set of Elven armour too. Fuck.

OH!


Spoiler



The storm shout is fucking epic, helped me get Krosis, and kill 2 giants at once without using ranged magic or a bow.


----------



## Varcolac

v2.01 patch just installed on PS3, fixed my lag issues. Now I can knock over pots as much as I like without worrying about increasing my save file size!


----------



## BigBaldIan

Restarted game after I got the strategy guide, currently working on a 2H/Tank/Smithing/Enchant build. Yep he smites shit and makes things to smite shit with. Did the golden claw quest in the first village which netted me quite a lot of nice kit, so eventually ended up in Whiterun with a title to my name and the thick end of 3K.

The below is a bit of a spoiler for those who may not have done the main quest. Yes I know nearly everyone will be further ahead than me, but I'm doing it out of courtesy.



Spoiler



So eventually manure and fan have their inevitable dramatic liason, myself, Lydia, Irileth and three red-shirts decide to go kick draconic posterior at the western tower. Did I mention it was dusk and we were heading on a fucking flood plain, towards the only tower in the vicinity with precisely dick-all in the way of cover. Tower's on fire etc, etc and then cue dragon. The first time I encountered this particular nasty bit of work I was bound, wearing a loin-cloth and was running away screaming like a little girl.

This time I have an Ancient Nordic Bow of "Do you want some of this, well do you want some" and a Firey Battleaxe of "Come and have a go if you think you're hard enough". Seeing old scaley doing low level strafing runs, I came up with a plan. I ran to the top of the tower, quick prepping the bow and made ready to snipe whilst he was distracted by the red-shirts. Well the bugger took one look at this, then proceeded to land in the only place I couldn't get a bead.

Cue invective as I sprint all the way back down the tower, it had just finished taking a pot shot at someone else and was turning to face me as I landed a critical hit to it's noggin. I was still wailing on it when a friend observing this pointed out, that it had in fact stopped moving/trying to burninate me.

Somehow all the red-shirts survived, must try harder next time.


----------



## MrMcSick

I am 1 for the main weapon of a bow. I have a glass bow that is enchanted with paralyze and is smithed up to legendary while wearing a +20% smith ring and drinking either a +20 or 40% blacksmith potion and my damage level is 75 and then you add on whatever your arrows are that your using - mine are deadric arrows = +24. Then take into account that I creep through every dungeon and sneak attack everything which nets a 3x damage equals never having a use for any sword/axe/dagger/magic ect. My sword I carry on me is a Blades sword (forget where I got it) in legendary with the same above smith technique which makes it a 40 damage sword which is pretty brutal but I never use it. I'm at level 51 and I take down ancient/elder/frost dragons with about 6 shots from my bow lol. 

I beat the main quest and it was pretty cool but Im loving the thieves guild story so far.

can't wait to max my arch out to 100, im at like 93 so I can fill a whole constellation and get the added paralysis skill. wooootttt. My sneak and light armor are in the mid 90's as well. When done with all of them I will probably try to switch up to a heavy 2 hand or go do the college quests and build my mage skills up. fun fun.


----------



## Grand Moff Tim

BigBaldIan said:


> Restarted game after I got the strategy guide, currently working on a 2H/Tank/Smithing/Enchant build.


 
That's my current playthtough to a tee. Tip: Once your 2H is up high enough that you're one-hit smiting most dudes you come across, enchant your main weapon with a weak soul trap enchantment. It's fine if the effect only lasts for one second per strike, because you're killing everything in one or two strikes anyways. I did that starting around level 28, and I now have _dozens_ of filled soul gems. I enchant every damned thing I pick up now, since that's the one "main" skill I have that still levels fairly quickly at this point.


----------



## Grand Moff Tim

Prydogga said:


> Also, Markath is a wicked city, much different aesthetic from the Nord camps etc.


 
For sure, man. I recently got the house there, and the view from my front porch is solid as fuck. When I got married, that's the house I chose to send my wife (Aela the Huntress, for all you Companions out there) to.


----------



## Black_Sheep

Finally recieved this game. Been playing the whole day... And i totally love it. At first my reaction was quite "meh" ...but soon it changed. 

My character is a nord, im trying to be a battlemage of some sorts i guess. I just like to use both. I also did some smithing in the first village and plan to do some more (i've heard it's a great way to make cash). Just killed my first dragon (story related). Can't wait to play more, and more...


----------



## Grand Moff Tim

The Escapist : Video Galleries : Jimquisition : How Skyrim Proves The Industry Wrong


----------



## Stealthdjentstic

Are items you recieve from quests still levelled like the last game?

IE.

Finish a quest at level 10 and get a sword that does 10 damage amd is enchanted with fire damage 5 pts.

Finish the same quest at level 34 and get a sword that does 10 damage and is enchanted with fire damage for 22 points.


----------



## Grand Moff Tim

Stealthdjentstic said:


> Are items you recieve from quests still levelled like the last game?
> 
> IE.
> 
> Finish a quest at level 10 and get a sword that does 10 damage amd is enchanted with fire damage 5 pts.
> 
> Finish the same quest at level 34 and get a sword that does 10 damage and is enchanted with fire damage for 22 points.


 
Some, but not all.


----------



## SirMyghin

Ok this has been bugging me for a while. Why does Bethesda not understand conservation of mass? 

I mean a wolf pelt, tanned to leather, becomes 2 weight from 1. I might be able to buy that, but. 

A 2 weight cat pelt makes 3 leather, a 3 weight bear pelt makes 4 leather. That is to say a 3 weight bear pelt makes 8 weight of leather! MAGIC!

Dwarven bow, another fine example, 2 dwarven ingots, 1 iron ingot. BAM 10 weight bow, from 3 weight of materials!

This is getting magically ridiculous.


----------



## Pooluke41

SirMyghin said:


> Ok this has been bugging me for a while. Why does Bethesda not understand conservation of mass?
> 
> I mean a wolf pelt, tanned to leather, becomes 2 weight from 1. I might be able to buy that, but.
> 
> A 2 weight cat pelt makes 3 leather, a 3 weight bear pelt makes 4 leather. That is to say a 3 weight bear pelt makes 8 weight of leather! MAGIC!
> 
> Dwarven bow, another fine example, 2 dwarven ingots, 1 iron ingot. BAM 10 weight bow, from 3 weight of materials!
> 
> This is getting magically ridiculous.





[banana]EE'S A WIZARD MASTER![/banana]


Seriously Bethesda should just blame it all on wizards.


----------



## hereticemir

MrMcSick said:


> I am 1 for the main weapon of a bow. I have a glass bow that is enchanted with paralyze and is smithed up to legendary while wearing a +20% smith ring and drinking either a +20 or 40% blacksmith potion and my damage level is 75 and then you add on whatever your arrows are that your using - mine are deadric arrows = +24. Then take into account that I creep through every dungeon and sneak attack everything which nets a 3x damage equals never having a use for any sword/axe/dagger/magic ect. My sword I carry on me is a Blades sword (forget where I got it) in legendary with the same above smith technique which makes it a 40 damage sword which is pretty brutal but I never use it. I'm at level 51 and I take down ancient/elder/frost dragons with about 6 shots from my bow lol.
> 
> I beat the main quest and it was pretty cool but Im loving the thieves guild story so far.
> 
> can't wait to max my arch out to 100, im at like 93 so I can fill a whole constellation and get the added paralysis skill. wooootttt. My sneak and light armor are in the mid 90's as well. When done with all of them I will probably try to switch up to a heavy 2 hand or go do the college quests and build my mage skills up. fun fun.


 
I haven't even started the main quest and i'm almost a lvl 30. I'm at 26 at the moment. I want to max my lvl out then go ahead and take on the main quest max lvl and in game setting lvl it will be epic


----------



## abadonae

What is the main quest? I mean i've done a few bits and pieces here and there but genuinely i'm not really sure whats meant to be the main quest? Is is the grey beard stuff? The stormcloak/imperial stuff? I'm just confused people haha


----------



## SirMyghin

^^ I would call it the greybeard stuff myself. But the imperial/stormcloak stuff would be a contender, if it had been executed better.


----------



## Sicarius

Fuck Markarth.

fucking confusing ass ruins.


----------



## Grand Moff Tim

I've decided on a frontrunner for the most necessary item to be added to the game in future DLC:











Some mothafuckin' color safe bleach, because every article of clothing in the whole damned game looks like it's been run through the wash a couple hundred times. There isn't anything blue so much as there is faded denim, and by the looks of the "red," there's an angry nord out there whose white socks came out of the wash pink.

I totally understand the color palette for the environment, and for the most part for the architecture as well, but come-the-fuck on. Let me put on a bright red robe with gaudy golden jewelry and feel like Mr. Fancypants, will you? In Oblivion and Morrowind you started out in sackcloth pants and a tunic and could work your way up to extravagant finery with gaudy colors that burned the retinas of every poor person you passed on your way to wherever it is that rich citizens go to laugh at beggars. In Skyrim you start out in cheap brown rags, and work your way up to expensive brown rags. Have you seen their idea of "Fine Clothes?" You look like fucking Santa Claus through a sepia filter.

I don't know why I've become so fixated on this. Perhaps all of the praise I've heaped on the game both here, on facebook and in the real world (the what now?) has caused my normally cynical side to rebel violently and manifest itself through paltry complaints about wanting something shiny in my games.

Come on, Construction Kit... daddy needs a new pair of shoes...


----------



## Captain Shoggoth

Someone'll make a texture pack someday.

I won't be able to enjoy it being a console gamer, but that said I also don't care :/


----------



## Xaios

SirMyghin said:


> ^^ I would call it the greybeard stuff myself. But the imperial/stormcloak stuff would be a contender, if it had been executed better.



Agreed. The war between the Imperials and the Stormcloaks really only affects Skyrim. The war with the dragons effects the whole world.


----------



## Sicarius

Grand Moff Tim said:


> I've decided on a frontrunner for the most necessary item to be added to the game in future DLC:
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Some mothafuckin' color safe bleach, because every article of clothing in the whole damned game looks like it's been run through the wash a couple hundred times. There isn't anything blue so much as there is faded denim, and by the looks of the "red," there's an angry nord out there whose white socks came out of the wash pink.
> 
> I totally understand the color palette for the environment, and for the most part for the architecture as well, but come-the-fuck on. Let me put on a bright red robe with gaudy golden jewelry and feel like Mr. Fancypants, will you? In Oblivion and Morrowind you started out in sackcloth pants and a tunic and could work your way up to extravagant finery with gaudy colors that burned the retinas of every poor person you passed on your way to wherever it is that rich citizens go to laugh at beggars. In Skyrim you start out in cheap brown rags, and work your way up to expensive brown rags. Have you seen their idea of "Fine Clothes?" You look like fucking Santa Claus through a sepia filter.
> 
> I don't know why I've become so fixated on this. Perhaps all of the praise I've heaped on the game both here, on facebook and in the real world (the what now?) has caused my normally cynical side to rebel violently and manifest itself through paltry complaints about wanting something shiny in my games.
> 
> Come on, Construction Kit... daddy needs a new pair of shoes...


there's the FXAA mod out that improves a lot of the colors, and graphics to the game.


----------



## AxeHappy

Yeah, I went and downloaded 10+ mods to make the graphics better right after I installed it. And I'm waiting for more to come.

The stock graphics really are shit if You've gotten used to high end PC graphics over the last year or two.


----------



## ittoa666

Grand Moff Tim said:


> Finally found a daedra heart so I could make a daedric warhammer. Taking into account my armor enchantments, I'm doing 148 damage per swing with that bad boy. Power attacks are _raping_ enemies.



You shouldn't have a problem with finding those if you've beaten Mehrunes Dagon's quest, because the 4 dremora spawn outside (and inside), it, every other day.


----------



## Sicarius

So I think I have a problem....


----------



## Prydogga

ittoa666 said:


> You shouldn't have a problem with finding those if you've beaten Mehrunes Dagon's quest, because the 4 dremora spawn outside (and inside), it, every other day.



Also, the shady looking elf at the Mage's College sells Daedra hearts for about 900ish (depending on speech level of course.)


----------



## Black_Sheep

My schoolday was ruined thanks to low sleep. But damn this game is great, and addictive. 

Btw if you buy a horse, does it come to you whenever you call it or something? Just wondering cause i don't want to pay so much for something i could end up losing right after


----------



## SirMyghin

^^It fast travels with you until a dragon kills it, does not appear much faster than walking, and you cannot fight from horseback. It was pretty annoying overall.


----------



## Prydogga

Mine died from a 5 ft fall, so I reloaded before wasting my money.

Plus as a werewolf, you can outrun the monorail.


----------



## Black_Sheep

I was disapointed to see i couldn't fight from horseback indeed. And it was not really fast either, but enough i guess... faster than walking/running. 

I wonder if you can buy different kinda horses, faster ones... but overall i haven't even seen many of them in the game.


----------



## Sicarius

Nope, From what I've seen from loading screens, the horses of Skyrim are all basically Clydesdales. Gotta be sturdy 'n shit for those fat ass Nords.


----------



## ScottyB724

You can get a slightly better certain horse from the dark brotherhood quest line that seems to have more stamina for sprinting, and has way more health. But I agree that horses are more of an annoyance, especially when they start wildly attacking enemies and stealing your kills hahah


----------



## Sicarius

Yeah, I noticed that. 
Thanks Horse I stole, but I could have 1 shotted that wolf on my own.

Now I fucking have to walk. THANKS.

Beasts of burden indeed.


----------



## BrainArt

ScottyB724 said:


> You can get a slightly better certain horse from the dark brotherhood quest line that seems to have more stamina for sprinting, and has way more health. But I agree that horses are more of an annoyance, especially when they start wildly attacking enemies and stealing your kills hahah



My horse doesn't kill shit. He just runs away after getting hit a few times, leaving me to walk to ky destination, because I can't find him.


----------



## ScottyB724

lol you gotta get Shadowmere. Seriously, he charges in to forts and just starts taking on groups of 5+ bandits, it is ridiculous.


----------



## Grand Moff Tim

ScottyB724 said:


> especially when they start wildly attacking enemies and stealing your kills hahah


 
Luckily kills don't count for shit in Skyrim, so neither does stealing them. You gain levels from using your skills, so if you do some damage and then someone else finished a baddie off, you still get skill points. I like that so much better than the FO3 system.


----------



## BrainArt

Grand Moff Tim said:


> Luckily kills don't count for shit in Skyrim, so neither does stealing them. You gain levels from using your skills, so if you do some damage and then someone else finished a baddie off, you still get skill points. I like that so much better than the FO3 system.



I think most everyone in this thread can agree that TES > Fallout.


----------



## Tomo009

BrainArt said:


> I think most everyone in this thread can agree that TES > Fallout.



I don't know, Fallout 1 and 2 were pretty awesome, but I did spend hundreds of hours in Morrowind and will spend a long time still in Skyrim, so I guess they win. 

Also Fallout's future is pretty much totally nonexistent and people think of Fallout 3 as fallout, when in reality it is an elder scrolls game that took the fallout name, very, VERY vaguely took it's storyline and just changed the whole gameplay of the series and avoided the things that made fallout unique.

So TES future is definitely looking greater, especially after the success of Skyrim.


----------



## Grand Moff Tim

While I do think TES is better than FO, I'm not going to pretend I haven't spent hundreds of hours on FO3 and FONV. While the original FO fanboys (I mean that endearingly... really) were crying foul, saying "It's just Oblivion with guns! Bah!" I was saying "It's Oblivion with guns! Sweet!" FO3 did prompt me to buy 1 and 2, but I never really stuck with them _because _they're so different. I just couldn't get behind the gameplay, which was unfortunate because I really wanted to get some more back story.


----------



## ScottyB724

Grand Moff Tim said:


> Luckily kills don't count for shit in Skyrim, so neither does stealing them. You gain levels from using your skills, so if you do some damage and then someone else finished a baddie off, you still get skill points. I like that so much better than the FO3 system.



Yeah, I know how the systems work, it still annoys me though haha. But it is not quite nearly as annoying as some of my friends who are just idiots at Bethesda titles. There is definitely a learning curve that I'm sure all us die hards have mastered. I have no problem helping my friends learn the finer points of Skyrim, but just last night one was trying to argue telling me that there is indeed XP earned from completing quests and such, when that is obivously not the case. The same friend said this system made him not want to even play the game anymore. 

And I never played fallout 1 or 2, but I absolutely loved fallout 3. I played the living fuck out of that game, and I enjoyed it more than NV too. And I share the same sentiments: "oblivion with guns, fucking awesome!"


----------



## Grand Moff Tim

Agreed on the learning curve. I was _terrible_ at Oblivion for quite some time, and resorted to quite a bit of cheating before long. It becomes easier when a player gets the levelling system all figured out, and honestly the levelling system in Skyrim is alot more transparent than it was in Oblivion or Morrowind. That should make it easier for newcomers to the series, though I suppose there are plenty who would argue that that's not really a good thing. 

I'm honestly still not quite sure how I feel about Skyrim's levelling system. It's nice because it's alot more organic and will adapt to your playing style so you aren't stuck with whatever combat style you chose at the very beginning, but it still seems a bit weird to me that I end up gaining a level because I increased a skill that I don't care at all about. Luckily I don't have to use perk points every time I level, because it's frustrating to level up because I increased my lockpick skill by picking a random chest or something when my main combat skill is like... one skill level away from a really good perk.

When I put it all out in type in front of me like this, it really doesn't seem like I have any good reason to complain about the new levelling system...

I WILL, however, continue to complain about some of the old skills being removed and/or replaced.

And the fewer enchantable wearable items...
And the nonsensical "system" that decides what item you can enchant with what enchantment...
And the cavernous gap between the number of spells in Skyrim and the previous games, and the power of said spells...

I think I need to play go play it, to remind me that the things I love about it _vastly_ outnumber the gripes I have with it .


----------



## BrainArt

Grand Moff Tim said:


> While I do think TES is better than FO, I'm not going to pretend I haven't spent hundreds of hours on FO3 and FONV. While the original FO fanboys (I mean that endearingly... really) were crying foul, saying "It's just Oblivion with guns! Bah!" I was saying "It's Oblivion with guns! Sweet!" FO3 did prompt me to buy 1 and 2, but I never really stuck with them _because _they're so different. I just couldn't get behind the gameplay, which was unfortunate because I really wanted to get some more back story.



Don't get me wrong, the new fallout games are pretty sweet, but I prefer TES. I haven't even finished NV, yet and I've had it for a while. I kind of got bored with it.


----------



## Grand Moff Tim

Because of the similarities between the newer FO and TES games, I like them both for the same reasons. I like the huge open world with all kinds of crazy shit going on in it, and the ability to roleplay a character that I create from scratch. I probably have as much fun sniping a dude in FO3 as I do bludgeoning one in TES, but I give the nod to TES because I like the Lore and stories more.


----------



## SirMyghin

Grand Moff Tim said:


> And the fewer enchantable wearable items...
> And the nonsensical "system" that decides what item you can enchant with what enchantment...
> And the cavernous gap between the number of spells in Skyrim and the previous games, and the power of said spells...
> 
> I think I need to play go play it, to remind me that the things I love about it _vastly_ outnumber the gripes I have with it .



The enchantments are silly, wonder if anyone has modded that yet. I also got angry when I can only wear 1 ring. WTF?


----------



## Grand Moff Tim

SirMyghin said:


> The enchantments are silly, wonder if anyone has modded that yet. I also got angry when I can only wear 1 ring. WTF?


 
Haha, yeah. It was silly enough in the past when you could only wear two.


----------



## SirMyghin

Grand Moff Tim said:


> Haha, yeah. It was silly enough in the past when you could only wear two.



That is just the normal throwback to PnP games. You could never wear more than 2 rings in D&D


----------



## Grand Moff Tim

Well then D&D is silly, too.


----------



## Grand Moff Tim

Patch 1.2 is out for PS3 and will likely be available for 360 and PC my the 30th. Here's what it includes:

Improved occasional performance issues resulting from long term play (PlayStation 3)
Fixed issue where textures would not properly upgrade when installed to drive (Xbox 360)
Fixed crash on startup when audio is set to sample rate other than 44100Hz (PC)
Fixed issue where projectiles did not properly fade away
Fixed occasional issue where a guest would arrive to the player's wedding dead
Dragon corpses now clean up properly
Fixed rare issue where dragons would not attack
Fixed rare NPC sleeping animation bug
Fixed rare issue with dead corpses being cleared up prematurely
Skeleton Key will now work properly if player has no lockpicks in their inventory
Fixed rare issue with renaming enchanted weapons and armor
Fixed rare issue with dragons not properly giving souls after death
ESC button can now be used to exit menus (PC)
Fixed occasional mouse sensitivity issues (PC)
General functionality fixes related to remapping buttons and controls (PC)​


----------



## SirMyghin

^^^ Fixed SHIT THAT NEVER SHOULD HAVE MADE RELEASE DAY


----------



## Grand Moff Tim

Come now. Nobody is surprised when a Bethesda game has glitches on release day.


----------



## SirMyghin

And yet that still doesn't justify them constantly pulling that bullshit. You shape up instead of perpetuating it.


----------



## Sicarius

Grand Moff Tim said:


> Come now. Nobody is surprised when any game has glitches on release day.



>.>


----------



## Xaios

SirMyghin said:


> And yet that still doesn't justify them constantly pulling that bullshit. You shape up instead of perpetuating it.



Normally I would agree with this, but games as ridiculously awesome as Skyrim don't come around very often. I'd rather an amazing gameplay experience with a few bugs than a boring game that runs flawlessly. Not to mention the fact that half the bugs in the game are endearing as fuck. 

Besides, I actually haven't run into any bugs.


----------



## ittoa666

Prydogga said:


> Also, the shady looking elf at the Mage's College sells Daedra hearts for about 900ish (depending on speech level of course.)



That price is a little steep. Too bad you can't take hearts from the ones you summon with sanguines rose.

Also, any game THIS big will have glitches and bugs. At least they are patching them and not just leaving them in the game like infinity ward. You could have a team of testers and never come across some of the smaller things.


----------



## Grand Moff Tim

I buy 'em for only 500 whem I see 'em, but I have one or two speechcraft perks that help in that regard.


----------



## Sicarius

could also pray at the Dibella (+ to Speechcraft) or Zenithar (better prices) shrines


----------



## Prydogga

ittoa666 said:


> That price is a little steep. Too bad you can't take hearts from the ones you summon with sanguines rose.
> 
> Also, any game THIS big will have glitches and bugs. At least they are patching them and not just leaving them in the game like infinity ward. You could have a team of testers and never come across some of the smaller things.



Steep, but if you have ebony on hand, you can always create some very pricey daedra armour to make your money back.


----------



## Grand Moff Tim

Mehrune's Shrine worked like a charm for acquiring them, duders. Thanks for the heads up.


Oh, and by the way...










AAAAAAAAAAWWWWWWWWWWWWWWW YEEEEEEEEEAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!!!!!

And my 2H skill isn't even maxed out yet! I'm just *wrecking. Peoples'. Shit.*

I'll keep going back to the shrine for more hearts as my enchanting skill improves so the level of fortifications I can add will be higher. It'll be ubersweet when I can add two enchantments to one item.


----------



## ittoa666

Grand Moff Tim said:


> Mehrune's Shrine worked like a charm for acquiring them, duders. Thanks for the heads up.



 Glad I could help.

BTW, that hammer is INSANE. I'm gonna rip that off next time I play.


----------



## Daiephir

I'm more of a sword guy, but that hammer is evil, you must most definetly wreck people's days


----------



## Grand Moff Tim

Seriously, I'm three-hitting Frost Dragons. It's ridiculous.


----------



## BigBaldIan

Is it wrong that I'm noting these tips down for future reference?


----------



## Tomo009

Grand Moff Tim said:


> While I do think TES is better than FO, I'm not going to pretend I haven't spent hundreds of hours on FO3 and FONV. While the original FO fanboys (I mean that endearingly... really) were crying foul, saying "It's just Oblivion with guns! Bah!" I was saying "It's Oblivion with guns! Sweet!" FO3 did prompt me to buy 1 and 2, but I never really stuck with them _because _they're so different. I just couldn't get behind the gameplay, which was unfortunate because I really wanted to get some more back story.



That's exactly what I mean though, the original Fallout games aren't at all like TES and should have never been turned into a TES game. Fallout 3 might not be a bad game but it has as much relevance to the Fallout series as Nuts and Bolts does to Banjo Kazooie, it may as well be called a different genre. Also the story and lore is so twisted and altered it may as well be "inspired by" not a sequel... or simultani-al or whatever it is supposed to be. The original games were really hardcore turn based ORPGs where you had to constantly make decisions that really affected what happened to you. Right from the start, one huge difference is that perks also come with negative side effects, it seems small but that is one of my favorite things about the series. Also it wasn't as open in that you actually had goals and a time limit, in most games time limits are frowned upon, but in Fallout it really defined the game and the pace and desperate atmosphere ofthe game and lore. It was frustrating, but the right kind of frustrating, like Battletoads 

I don't object to the new Fallout games but it basically means there will never be any new Fallout games and that is what annoys me, because there is really no other game that is comparable.


----------



## SirMyghin

Grand Moff Tim said:


> Mehrune's Shrine worked like a charm for acquiring them, duders. Thanks for the heads up.
> 
> 
> Oh, and by the way...
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> AAAAAAAAAAWWWWWWWWWWWWWWW YEEEEEEEEEAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!!!!!
> 
> And my 2H skill isn't even maxed out yet! I'm just *wrecking. Peoples'. Shit.*
> 
> I'll keep going back to the shrine for more hearts as my enchanting skill improves so the level of fortifications I can add will be higher. It'll be ubersweet when I can add two enchantments to one item.




Damn, needs Fiery Soul Trap though. Or 2 enchantments. I ran into an elder dragon on my theif the other night, being lvl 38... As my archery is only about 65 didn't go so well. Meleeing a dragon is also pretty perilous. The kill move dragons get rocks though. 

239 is rather absurd damage though, definitely rerolling my heavy armor sword + shield to two hander.


----------



## TheSixthWheel

Jesus, you guys are all doing well in this by the sounds of things. I just hit the 100 hours mark, it looks like I'm gonna get my money's worth outta this. Only completed mages and thieves, will start companions soon. Reached 100 Sneak a while ago, 90 Archery, mid level everything else. Think I'm still using Nightingale Bow too, Got some crazy dagger action going on for 15X damage. Why do people look at me funny when I bring up Skyrim in a conversation about potential GOTY?


----------



## SirMyghin

^^ Thieves guild was the only one that felt like you had to work your ass off to be guild master (that I have done so far). Did you just do the main quest line or did you finish it off after? 

Mages I have done, companions I am saving for my 2h'er, mages guild had a cool story but I felt you got elevated beyond your stature.


----------



## Sicarius

I only did the main questline for the Theives Guild and only two or three extra missions with the Companions before I finished them, and just the main quests for the Arcane College.

So I felt it was a little easier. I'm glad the Dark Brotherhood is making me do a little more.

I rerolled last night, with an Orc, and I'm still playing as a Weapons Master. So I think I'm going to reroll again and go spell sword, or just full on battlemage.


----------



## HighGain510

Grand Moff Tim said:


> Mehrune's Shrine worked like a charm for acquiring them, duders. Thanks for the heads up.
> 
> 
> Oh, and by the way...
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> AAAAAAAAAAWWWWWWWWWWWWWWW YEEEEEEEEEAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!!!!!
> 
> And my 2H skill isn't even maxed out yet! I'm just *wrecking. Peoples'. Shit.*
> 
> I'll keep going back to the shrine for more hearts as my enchanting skill improves so the level of fortifications I can add will be higher. It'll be ubersweet when I can add two enchantments to one item.




That's pretty badass!  I'm just curious, and part of it could be that I haven't been playing it daily, but how are you guys leveled up so high this quickly? Most of my skills are breaking the 40-50 range but a lot of them are still in the 20's. Is it just that you're focusing on certain skills completely and not worrying about others?


----------



## Sicarius

pretty much. I mainly use Dual 1 handed swords on my Argonian.

Just use the shit out of out the skills you like.


----------



## AxeHappy

I think some, "Power-Levelling," might be involved with high level smith/alchemy/etc to an extent.


----------



## HighGain510

AxeHappy said:


> I think some, "Power-Levelling," might be involved with high level smith/alchemy/etc to an extent.



Yeah I thought I had heard of someone being able to find something enchanted with a bonus for smithing, then turning smithed gloves into higher smithed gloves etc. etc. until they had awesome gloves to create ridicu-weapons.  Wondering if that's what happened here, and if so, how do I go about accomplishing that myself? I haven't found anything enchanted for blacksmith stuff yet.


----------



## Daiephir

What I found out for leveling smithing, mine iron, smelt it into ingots, make yourself the same number of ingots you have in leather strips, produce iron daggers, sell, level up, profit. I went from 45 to 73 last night.


----------



## Grand Moff Tim

Yeah, to power level smithing, just make an ass ton of iron daggers. You don't even need to bother with mining if you've got a couple thousand septims in your purse, because you can just buy the components yourself. Iron and leather aren't very expensive at all. That and enchanting are the only skills I've power levelled, and smithing is the only one of those two I have maxed out, because it levels so absurdly quickly even with just making something as shitty as iron daggers. 

Otherwise, yeah, I don't really put much effort into _most_ of the skills. The only combat skill I use is 2H, period. I took potshots at flying dragons with bows for a while, but now I have the dragonrend shout, so fuck that archery nonsense (not hatin', my dude's just not an archer). The only magic skill I've ever used with this guy is restoration, and I'm such a tank now that I don't even have to use that very often. My lockpick skill has bumped up pretty high, but I'm not concentrating on it or anything, and I certainly haven't wasted any perks on it. I've put a few perks into speechcraft to help me out with buying and selling (improved prices, better prices with the opposite sex). Now I have a ton of cash and nothing to do with it except buy more houses, though, so I probably won't put much more effort into that skill tree. I'm gonna keep putting perks into enchanting as they become available and then periodically make a new set of armor, so the enchantments will be better and better. As it stands, I'm wearing three things enchanted with +28% 2H damage a piece, and that's only going to get better. I'm a friggin' Nordic powerhouse.


----------



## Sicarius

scary.

I'm going to reroll as a darkelf theif.

fuck this ugly ass Orc, he ain't Thrall.


----------



## SirMyghin

Not much power levelling, but playing a theif character it seemed like I levelled like the freaking dickins, way fast and such. 

I haven't really power levelled anything but only smithing is really applicable to that, stuff like enchant involves collecting tonnes of gems and grinding it out, takes time. Need to hit 100 and get 2 effects, then make my final gear of awesomesauce doom.


As far as money goes, my Theif got the make 100k achievement... I only bought the whiterun house (as I only ever use one house as a hoard)


----------



## Grand Moff Tim

I started playing my low-level sneaky sneaky khajiit again this afternoon, and man, after running around as my unstoppable juggernaut of a nord for so long, this feels like a completely different ballgame. I'm jumping at shadows, running from danger, circling around to regroup... you know, _strategy_. Not that I didn't use strategy with the nord, but the strategy was a fair bit simpler: Run at baddie > Cave baddie's skull in > Repeat as necessary. I almost feel like I'm playing a completely different game, even though I'm doing quests I've already done.


----------



## Thrashmanzac

HighGain510 said:


> Yeah I thought I had heard of someone being able to find something enchanted with a bonus for smithing, then turning smithed gloves into higher smithed gloves etc. etc. until they had awesome gloves to create ridicu-weapons.  Wondering if that's what happened here, and if so, how do I go about accomplishing that myself? I haven't found anything enchanted for blacksmith stuff yet.



i have a necklace of smithing for 15% better smithing and the forge fingers gauntlets for (i think) 20% smithing. i can tell you how to get the forge fingers if you want


----------



## Fiction

Sicarius said:


> scary.
> 
> I'm going to reroll as a darkelf theif.
> 
> fuck this ugly ass Orc, he ain't *Thall*.





Also, i will second iron daggers. I got to 100 in 1 day doing that, although I spent all my gold from the previous 2 days doing it.


----------



## Grand Moff Tim

Just keep in mind that while you're power levelling smithing, your combat skills will be staying the same. You'll gain a few player levels as a result of the smithing levelling and so will your enemies, but your combat skills won't get any better in the meantime. That's just something to keep in mind and prepare for before running off into the thick of battle.


----------



## Sicarius

I did some quest for some Orcs

Killed a giant or 3

got some badass 2H Mace of awesome.


----------



## Sicarius

Fiction said:


> Also, i will second iron daggers. I got to 100 in 1 day doing that, although I spent all my gold from the previous 2 days doing it.


Thrall - WoWWiki - Your guide to the World of Warcraft

Thrall.

wtf is "thall"?


----------



## Daiephir

Grand Moff Tim said:


> Just keep in mind that while you're power levelling smithing, your combat skills will be staying the same. You'll gain a few player levels as a result of the smithing levelling and so will your enemies, but your combat skills won't get any better in the meantime. That's just something to keep in mind and prepare for before running off into the thick of battle.



Yes! 1000 times yes! Somehow, in my Dwarven exquisite full kit, puny Thalmor elves in light armor in that dungeon so fucking far up north were a problem, I was like WTF? those guys can kill me? since when? 

EDIT: the dungeon where you free one of the grey-manes


----------



## ittoa666

Just thought I'd throw this out there...

I have a necklace that gives me 50% fire resistance, and I'm a Dunmer. Oh yeah.


----------



## yellowv

Man you mothafuckas must play this shit all damn day. I wish I could. Damn work!!!


----------



## Sicarius

I've ignored my A+ and CCNA homework, I wish I could skip work to play.

>.>

Which reminds me. I need to use my vacation time.


----------



## Fiction

Sicarius said:


> wtf is "thall"?



Just another SSO Joke from the whole djent thangy, no biggy


----------



## Sicarius

Fiction said:


> Just another SSO Joke from the whole djent thangy, no biggy


I'm so tired of that crap.

if it's not an "OMG BULB/TOSIN IS GETTING A CUSTOM FROM X" it's an "OMG THERE'S YET ANOTHER DJENT BAND"


----------



## Daiephir

ittoa666 said:


> Just thought I'd throw this out there...
> 
> I have a necklace that gives me 50% fire resistance, and I'm a Dunmer. Oh yeah.



What does that give? when they shoot fire at you,you heal?


----------



## Stealth7

Dragons flying backwards?


----------



## BrainArt

Joined the Dark Brotherhood, today. So now I'm the Harbinger of the Companions (have been for a while), leader of the Thieves Guild and a member of the DB.

I have Shadowmere, but haven't had much time with him, because I stopped playing right after I got him.

The shrouded armor isn't as cool in Skyrim as it was in Oblivion, IMO. I'm still using my Nightingale armor. I haven't even used my wolf armor in a while, unless if I'm going into a battle where the baddies outnumber me, but even then, I have a decent enough ability to get them all in one basic area so I can set them on fire.

Worked on my archery a bit and got the Eagle Eye perk, being able to zoom in to see my target better is so much better than missing a shot.

I also encountered my first blood dragon (third dragon, overall) after finishing a contract for the Dark Brotherhood.


----------



## ittoa666

Daiephir said:


> What does that give? when they shoot fire at you,you heal?



I have 100% resistance, basically nerfing fire.


----------



## Prydogga

My upgraded ebony armour is stronger than Daedra. Pretty chap with that.


----------



## Grand Moff Tim

Wait'l you have some upgraded daedric armor.


----------



## Grand Moff Tim

My sneaky khajiit has joined the DB and the thieves guild, and when you cobble the armor you get from both of them into a mismatched set, it's actually pretty solid, especially for a low-level character. I threw in a fortify health leather armor that I found as random dungeon loot for good measure, though I must admit I'm still a fraidy cat whenever I go... well, anywhere, really. 



Spoiler



I "accidentally" started Hircine's quest. I talked to the dude in the dungeon who said his ring was randomly turning him to a werewolf, and he gave it to me and it auto-equipped. I figured "well shit, I'd better get this quest done in a hurry, because turning into a werewolf in the middle of Markarth or something would be bad news." The quests ends with having to kill a werewolf, though, so I was practically terrified during my final approach. I thought I was going to get thoroughly reamed, but I'll be damned if I didn't just barely manage to take him down without dying. It helped that I had just found a flame-enchanted dwarven sword and I had a fortify one-handed potion in my inventory, of course, but that didn't make the moment any less intense.


 Playing my nordic 2H tank made me forget that the game can actually get pretty damned tense.


----------



## Prydogga

Since I've levelled a ton using smithing, some fights are pretty intense with my Nord mage/blade bitch. 

The Elder Dragon


Spoiler



Outside Alduin's wall


is fucking hard, mainly because I have the Mage's apprentice on, so the Forsworn or whoever they are fuck me up with their ice spells, AND because every time I went to stab him, he just bits me and throws me off a cliff. Stupid dragon. Glad I killed his old ass.


----------



## Varcolac

Stealth7 said:


> Dragons flying backwards?




Ugh. The 1.2 patch apparently broke this dragon pretty hard. I'm on a radiant quest from Windhelm to kill it, but it's gimping its way through the sky backwards and I can't hit it.


----------



## SirMyghin

Prydogga said:


> Since I've levelled a ton using smithing, some fights are pretty intense with my Nord mage/blade bitch.
> 
> The Elder Dragon
> 
> 
> Spoiler
> 
> 
> 
> Outside Alduin's wall
> 
> 
> is fucking hard, mainly because I have the Mage's apprentice on, so the Forsworn or whoever they are fuck me up with their ice spells, AND because every time I went to stab him, he just bits me and throws me off a cliff. Stupid dragon. Glad I killed his old ass.



Elder dragons aren't placed, they just come around when you are high level, like frost dragons and yes, they are beastly. I had one dive bomb me outside pinewatch (as I didn't stick around as it flew over falkreath)


----------



## MrMcSick

I def had some stuck/jacked up dragons last night after the patch. My game also froze on 360 twice last night making me shut off and restart. 

I leveled up quick as hell until the last 2-3 days. I've only went from say 47-53 in that time since I'm in the 90's of my mainly used skills. Taking forever to max my arch (at 96) and light armor (89) but sneak hit 100 last night woot.


----------



## Daiephir

I'm not good at sneak, especially so when I'm wearing my full dwarven kit, somehow, it just makes it harder to not be heard


----------



## SirMyghin

Daiephir said:


> I'm not good at sneak, especially so when I'm wearing my full dwarven kit, somehow, it just makes it harder to not be heard



*clank,clank , clank , clankclankclankity clank* 

Enemy: "Is someone there, I thought I heard something"

Player: "Nope, nothing here"


Having 100 sneak, all the perks in sneak, and muffled boots w/ a ring of 20% better sneak is a riot. Very few opponents can see me coming (except briar hearts, they are uber at detection). Some guys I shoot in the face, and then they start looking around, so I shoot them again, and get more sneak attacks . I love my 30x dagger sneak too, but I am trying to build up archery.


----------



## Grand Moff Tim




----------



## SirMyghin

^^ This is how my rogue feels about dragons.


----------



## SirMyghin

Got enchanting to 100 tonight, after I got fed up with my recording interface...

GG skyrim.










Yes I am somehow wearing two hats, probably as the one is bugged and doesn't show up (the cowl). Granted it only works if I put on the cowl before the dragon helmet . I took my new found treasures and decided to hunt a dragon.. Who then had no life after 3 shots (but did take the 4th shot to drop, despite no visible life). Time to do the main quest I thinks. I could be doing a bit more damage, but had to have sneak enchants somewhere


----------



## BrainArt

Fought yet another blood dragon, today while on my way to Volunruud to pick something up


Spoiler



my pay for assassinating the emperor for Amaund Mottierre's contract to the DB, I killed him, as well


, while I was also fighting off several bandits.

I killed them all, because I'm a boss.



Spoiler



Now I'm just doing quick and easy assassinations for the Night Mother, it's an easy way to build up some decent money, but I'm also wanted in Markarth and I think Riften, now.


----------



## Aevolve

First two 100 skills- Sneak and Smithing.
The smithing is the best decision you'll ever make.
The sneak is absolutely hilarious. With 30x dagger damage + a legendary blade of woe I can pretty much 1-hit anything I come across as long as I get the drop on it.

Oh and seperate news- the video/broadcast teacher at my high school approved our proposal of a Skyrim club- he's sponsoring it.  The president shall be called the Jarl.


----------



## Grand Moff Tim

I'm tempted to muscle my way through the Mages College questline, because it'd be funny if a Nord who sucks ass at almost every aspect of magic (enchanting and a bit of restoration aside) were to become the Archmage. On the other hand, my Warhammer helps me the _least_ against high-level spellcasters, because alot of them can fuck my world up before I can even give them hammer smashed faces (cwutididthar?). I could also channel that orc from the Dark Brotherhood in Oblivion and clobber my way through their quests, but I have a feeling I'd end up with an impossibly high bounty in every hold .


----------



## SirMyghin

Tim, it is more fun just to make more characters.


----------



## Grand Moff Tim

SirMyghin said:


> Tim, it is more fun just to make more characters.


 
I already did. I made a pure mage, a sneaky assassin, and a warrior (the 2H nord) for the College, TG/DB and Companions questlines, respectively. I fully intend to play them, there's just something amusing about a Nord taking over the College, and I'm not sure the other Nords in Skyrim wouldn't feel the same way.


----------



## SirMyghin

brotherhood with a 2h mace would be hilarious.


----------



## vampiregenocide

Fought two dragons at once today. Was badass.


----------



## SirMyghin

One shotted a dragon. Caught Alduin ressing a dragon far west of Whiterun, so I waited until it spawned, and bow sneak attacked its ass. One shot. One Kill.


----------



## Grand Moff Tim

My Skyrim plan for the night seems to have turned into "see how well I do when I'm tanked in real life." My Nord tank makes it a little more forgiving, and I'm not gonna lie, playing my old cranky Nord tank while I'm actually drunk seems to be adding some added roleplay depth .


----------



## BrainArt

My Skyrim plan for the night didn't actually happen, I was too tired after work to even bother setting my xbox up to play it.


----------



## Murmel

SirMyghin said:


> brotherhood with a 2h mace would be hilarious.



I actually recently started a Khajiit that will be using 2H and sneak, and heavy armor. 
Yes I like to make fucked-up characters. I've always been like this in RPG's and MMO's. I take a race that you wouldn't normally see as a tank/wizard/sneak/whatever.

I assume 2H doesn't give any sneak damage in Skyrim? It didn't in Oblivion.


----------



## SirMyghin

Murmel said:


> I actually recently started a Khajiit that will be using 2H and sneak, and heavy armor.
> Yes I like to make fucked-up characters. I've always been like this in RPG's and MMO's. I take a race that you wouldn't normally see as a tank/wizard/sneak/whatever.
> 
> I assume 2H doesn't give any sneak damage in Skyrim? It didn't in Oblivion.



2x, no perks to beef it up.


----------



## AxeHappy

Grand Moff Tim said:


> I'm tempted to muscle my way through the Mages College questline, because it'd be funny if a Nord who sucks ass at almost every aspect of magic (enchanting and a bit of restoration aside) were to become the Archmage. On the other hand, my Warhammer helps me the _least_ against high-level spellcasters, because alot of them can fuck my world up before I can even give them hammer smashed faces (cwutididthar?). I could also channel that orc from the Dark Brotherhood in Oblivion and clobber my way through their quests, but I have a feeling I'd end up with an impossibly high bounty in every hold .




My 2 Hander is going all the way through the Dark Brotherhood. They have a 2-harder Nord so I don't see what the problem is with that? Just only kill people smartly. If you time shit right you can get away with killing most of your targets in broad daylight.


----------



## Captain Shoggoth

Dragons have actually started to become decently hard to fight for me. Before it was harder for me to fight a frost sabre cat than a dragon, but one attacked me yesterday and damn near kicked my ass.


----------



## Daiephir

I found myself rotating my armor sets around  Like when doing dungeons/Compagnions, I'm wearing my Dwarven soon to be Daedric Heavy kit, doing The Brahs wearing the Shrouded Kit, Rebelion wearingthe Stormcloak kit and when I'm in the college I wear the punny robes that I didnt upgrade yet 

So ough luck if I encuonter a dragon and I'm not dungeoneering XD


----------



## SirMyghin

Captain Shoggoth said:


> Dragons have actually started to become decently hard to fight for me. Before it was harder for me to fight a frost sabre cat than a dragon, but one attacked me yesterday and damn near kicked my ass.



I ran into an Ancient dragon shortly before my one shot, he landed and proceded to make me drink as many potions as Tim on dragon priest time . All that hoarding, gone! Made an elder dragon look like a pussy.


----------



## Grand Moff Tim

Ran into an interesting post-patch glitch today.



Spoiler



I stopped by Jorrvaskr to sell some stuff at the sky forge and say 'sup to Farkas, maybe get some heavy armor training, no big deal. Hanging out outside, though...

Skjor.

Wtf? Dude was _long_ dead, since he dies towards the beginning of the questline and I'm the goddamned Harbinger. In fact, there had been an amusing glitch before where his corpse was just permanantly slumped in a corner in a room downstairs, but apparently he was tired of being dead.


 
Oh, Bethesda. Y'all so crazy.


----------



## Sicarius

at least they're not skinless.


----------



## Stealthdjentstic

No spellmaking


----------



## Grand Moff Tim

The spells and magicka use in Skyrim is a pretty significant step back from Oblivion. No spellmaking is just a part of the problem.


----------



## Grand Moff Tim

Hahahahaha, Namira's quest is _fucked up_. Gave me a good chuckle.


----------



## Mordacain

Well, I just started a couple of days ago and am enjoying so far. I had a hard time getting into Oblivion but this one seems to have a bit better pacing. I actually just killed my first dragon and that was pretty exciting.


----------



## Daiephir

Mordacain said:


> Well, I just started a couple of days ago and am enjoying so far. I had a hard time getting into Oblivion but this one seems to have a bit better pacing. I actually just killed my first dragon and that was pretty exciting.



It gets better  What character build are you going for?


----------



## Captain Shoggoth

Grand Moff Tim said:


> Hahahahaha, Namira's quest is _fucked up_. Gave me a good chuckle.



is that the


Spoiler



cannibalism


 one?

Did you?


----------



## Grand Moff Tim

Captain Shoggoth said:


> is that the
> 
> 
> Spoiler
> 
> 
> 
> cannibalism
> 
> 
> one?
> 
> Did you?


 
Yes, yes.


----------



## Mordacain

Daiephir said:


> It gets better  What character build are you going for?



Straight-up Nord Viking, Dual-Hand I think. I've been having too much fun running people through.


----------



## Grand Moff Tim

Haha, best note I've received so far.


----------



## HighGain510

So I found a set of enchanted robes a while back that offer 25% less magicka use for destructive and 125% magicka regen. I'm now able to smith dragon armor... is there any way for me to put that same level (or better) enchantment on my dragon armor so I'm not rocking 0 armor on my body anymore?  I'm not able to break down the robe since I already broke down another that had the same thing but I don't seem to have any soul gems that will get me close enough, I'm thinking it might just be leveling up the perks for enchantment but not sure?


----------



## Stealthdjentstic

HighGain510 said:


> So I found a set of enchanted robes a while back that offer 25% less magicka use for destructive and 125% magicka regen. I'm now able to smith dragon armor... is there any way for me to put that same level (or better) enchantment on my dragon armor so I'm not rocking 0 armor on my body anymore?  I'm not able to break down the robe since I already broke down another that had the same thing but I don't seem to have any soul gems that will get me close enough, I'm thinking it might just be leveling up the perks for enchantment but not sure?



I'll tell you but you have to send me your Thorn, PM for address.


----------



## Grand Moff Tim

HighGain510 said:


> So I found a set of enchanted robes a while back that offer 25% less magicka use for destructive and 125% magicka regen. I'm now able to smith dragon armor... is there any way for me to put that same level (or better) enchantment on my dragon armor so I'm not rocking 0 armor on my body anymore?  I'm not able to break down the robe since I already broke down another that had the same thing but I don't seem to have any soul gems that will get me close enough, I'm thinking it might just be leveling up the perks for enchantment but not sure?


 
Once you've disenchanted something, the degree to which you can use that enchantment to enchant something else depends entirely upon three things: Your enchantment skill, your enchantment perks, and the soul gem you use for the enchantment. If you aren't able to get as close as you'd like, try boosting those three things however you can. Keep in mind that there are some items that have enchantments you won't be able to replicate on your own, like 125% magicka regeneration. However, you can enchant multiple items with a lesser version of that enchantment, probably at about 40% regen or so a piece.

For help with the soul gems, I'd recommend doing the Azura's Shrine quest, and siding with the mage instead of the shrine follower.


Spoiler



You'll essentially end up with an infinitely reusable black soul gem, which is the only kind of gem that can hold a human soul, the highest quality soul in the game.


 
EDIT: For what it's worth, it seems in order to get 100 in enchanting, you'll need to enchant approximately 260 items, at least if my game stats are any indication.


----------



## Tomo009

Grand Moff Tim said:


> Spoiler
> 
> 
> 
> You'll essentially end up with an infinitely reusable black soul gem, which is the only kind of gem that can hold a human soul, the highest quality soul in the game.





Spoiler



Isn't it just equal to a grand soul?


----------



## Varcolac

Tomo009 said:


> Spoiler
> 
> 
> 
> Isn't it just equal to a grand soul?



Yes, but the thing is,


Spoiler



even the lowliest bandit or Forsworn with nothing but rags and an iron dagger to their name has a Grand soul.


And I kill a _lot_ of bandits.


----------



## AxeHappy

You can also use alchemy and enchanted items to boost skills even higher. Make potions that boost enchant, then enchant items that boost enchant. Then equip those items and make more items that boost enchant. 

So on and so forth. 

Then enchant whatever the fuck you want with your basically 200 level enchant skill.


----------



## vampiregenocide

I've not really messed around with enchanting or alchemy to be honest...


----------



## vampiregenocide




----------



## SirMyghin

vampiregenocide said:


> I've not really messed around with enchanting or alchemy to be honest...



Alchemy has been bullshit hard to level in my experience. You need to make way too many potions, and my ingredients never match .

Yes levelling enchanting is a huge pain in the ass. Bigger gems gives slightly better returns on skill ups, but even in the 90s we are talking 6-7 greater/grand souls per skill up, 7-8 common/lesser/petty. 

I just enchant weapons with soul trap, build up a whole huge inventory of soul gems, and go adventuring. Then I level up smithing, enchant it all, and have oodles of money 

Recharging weapons also gives skill in enchanting, probably at about the same rate as enchanting, maybe a touch slower.


----------



## pink freud

I keep running into a Favorites issue.

I run 2 daggers on 1, a shout on 2, bow on 3, another shout on 4 and both hands healing on 5. Whenever I switch from 5 to one, and sometimes 3 to 1 it gives me only one dagger, or sometimes removes 1 entirely.


----------



## vampiregenocide

Completed the main quest storyline.  Pretty epic shit!


----------



## Sicarius

pink freud said:


> I keep running into a Favorites issue.
> 
> I run 2 daggers on 1, a shout on 2, bow on 3, another shout on 4 and both hands healing on 5. Whenever I switch from 5 to one, and sometimes 3 to 1 it gives me only one dagger, or sometimes removes 1 entirely.


you can assign favorites to numbers?!


----------



## pink freud

Sicarius said:


> you can assign favorites to numbers?!



Yep, press Q, hover over the desired favorite and press the number you want.


----------



## Sicarius

I was spellbound by the map that came in my game. 

didn't even bother reading the manual.

lol, thanks


----------



## vampiregenocide

Can someone explain armour improvement to me? I don't understand it.

I finally managed to get my smithing level to 100, so I made some dragonscale armour. I improved it to the next level, but I can't go any higher. Says my skill isn't high enough, yet I'm level 100? How can I improve it further?


----------



## pink freud

vampiregenocide said:


> Can someone explain armour improvement to me? I don't understand it.
> 
> I finally managed to get my smithing level to 100, so I made some dragonscale armour. I improved it to the next level, but I can't go any higher. Says my skill isn't high enough, yet I'm level 100? How can I improve it further?



Do you maybe have to get Armor to 100 as well?


----------



## Sicarius

Try and find the Smithing enchanted items. 

I have a set of Legendary glass armor, that was able to be improved even more.


----------



## Grand Moff Tim

Tomo009 said:


> Spoiler
> 
> 
> 
> Isn't it just equal to a grand soul?


 


Spoiler



Yeah, but as Varcolac pointed out, Human/Elven enemies are all over the place and at all levels, so there's no shortage of grand souls, as long as you have either plenty of black soul gems (good luck...) or the Black Star. The only enemies in the game with grand souls that you _don't _need black soul gems for are ghosts, dragon priests, draugr deathlords, draugr death overlords, and a few unique enemies like King Olaf One-Eye, and all of those are either very rare (or indeed completely unique) or don't appear until higher levels. (EDIT: and Mammoths, but good luck with those at lower levels). So yes, grand souls give you the same charge no matter what type they are, but you're going to run into _alot_ more that only fit in black gems / the Black Star.


----------



## Grand Moff Tim

vampiregenocide said:


> Can someone explain armour improvement to me? I don't understand it.
> 
> I finally managed to get my smithing level to 100, so I made some dragonscale armour. I improved it to the next level, but I can't go any higher. Says my skill isn't high enough, yet I'm level 100? How can I improve it further?


 
When you improve armor, the level to which you repair it depends on your smithing skill and perks. If you improve it once and it won't let you improve it again that would mean either you need a higher skill, or you've already improved it as high as it can be improved. If you've improved it to Legendary, you can't improve it any higher. You don't even need to be 100 to improve to Legendary if you have the appropriate perks (only 91, in fact), EDIT: but you'll have to enchant/enhance your skill to 196 to improve to Legendary if you don't have the right perks, i.e. if you have the Daedric perk you'll be able to repair to Legendary at 91, but if you don't you'll need to use enchantments or potions to increase your smithing to 196.


----------



## vampiregenocide

So basically it's not that I don't have high enough skill, it's that I simply can't improve it more?


----------



## Grand Moff Tim

vampiregenocide said:


> So basically it's not that I don't have high enough skill, it's that I simply can't improve it more?


 
If it's Legendary, then yes, it's as good as it's going to get. If it isn't, then that would mean you don't have the right perk for it, but considering you can't even _make_ dragon scale armor without the right perk, I'll assume you have it .


----------



## vampiregenocide

Grand Moff Tim said:


> If it's Legendary, then yes, it's as good as it's going to get. If it isn't, then that would mean you don't have the right perk for it, but considering you can't even _make_ dragon scale armor without the right perk, I'll assume you have it .



Haha.  Yeah I have all the perks except for the glass one. I've been buffing up my smithing just to get dragon armour. I was hoping it'd be stronger, as I've got a set of dwarven armour that's more powerful. Oh well.


----------



## Xaios

Don't know if anyone posted this earlier back, but it's pretty epic.


----------



## Grand Moff Tim

This one is also good:


----------



## Grand Moff Tim

vampiregenocide said:


> Haha.  Yeah I have all the perks except for the glass one. I've been buffing up my smithing just to get dragon armour. I was hoping it'd be stronger, as I've got a set of dwarven armour that's more powerful. Oh well.


 
Well dragon scale armor is a _light_ armor, so it wouldn't be shocking if dwarven, which is heavy, is stronger. I know that dragon _plate_ armor is stronger by far than dwarven, and Daedric is stronger yet, so that's something to look in to. If you're sticking with light armor for your playthrough, though, Dragon scale is still the best in that category.


----------



## vampiregenocide

Grand Moff Tim said:


> Well dragon scale armor is a _light_ armor, so it wouldn't be shocking if dwarven, which is heavy, is stronger. I know that dragon _plate_ armor is stronger by far than dwarven, and Daedric is stronger yet, so that's something to look in to. If you're sticking with light armor for your playthrough, though, Dragon scale is still the best in that category.



Aaaah fair play. Guess I'll make some plate armour then. God knows I've killed enough dragons to have the resources.


----------



## AxeHappy

You can improve something to legendary then if your smithing skill goes up, or you put some smith boosting items on, you can smith the item up higher. The item title stays at legendary though.


----------



## SirMyghin

pink freud said:


> I keep running into a Favorites issue.
> 
> I run 2 daggers on 1, a shout on 2, bow on 3, another shout on 4 and both hands healing on 5. Whenever I switch from 5 to one, and sometimes 3 to 1 it gives me only one dagger, or sometimes removes 1 entirely.



You can't asside '2 daggers' to a single key. Infact, having an identical duplicate named weapon will often lose the hotkey. Hotkeys put the weapon in your right hand. Spell hot keys put it in your left hand, and right hand also if tapped again. There is no way to assign a weapon to your offhand with the hot keys vanilla, might be a mod for that. 

What I do to get around this is I have a sword and dagger, and a bow. I press 4 for the bow. I press 4 again to unequip the bow, and then bam, my sword and dagger are out. So just set up your L and R hand with weapons, then use 1 key to toggle between bow and not bow. I don't use any magic on my theif. 

I never thought to put shouts on hotkeys though, good idea.


----------



## AxeHappy

I'm reasonably sure that either control+number or shift+number will assign a hotkey to your left hand.


----------



## vampiregenocide

FUS RO DAH!!! - YouTube


----------



## SirMyghin

vampiregenocide said:


> FUS RO DAH!!! - YouTube


----------



## Grand Moff Tim

SirMyghin said:


> What I do to get around this is I have a sword and dagger, and a bow. I press 4 for the bow. I press 4 again to unequip the bow, and then bam, my sword and dagger are out. So just set up your L and R hand with weapons, then use 1 key to toggle between bow and not bow. I don't use any magic on my theif.


 
Yeah, when you have a bow hotkeyed, you'll go back to whatever you had equipped before you equipped the bow whenever you unequip it, no matter what combination of spells/weapons and no matter which hands. I use the same tactic. The rhythm is only disrupted when I want to use a healing spell, but I just use the favorites menu to reequip something in my left hand afterwards. It's been a few levels since I've used two of the same named items, though, because I haven't found two of anything good yet . I'm just using a Blade's sword and an Orcish dagger, both improved as high as I can make them so far (Exquisite, I think). I like using a long blade and a short blade. It makes me feel like Musashi .







...if Musashi was a Khajiit .


----------



## Stealth7

The music in Skyrim sounds amazing! I'm probably picking the game up today along with Uncharted 3.


----------



## -42-

Skyrim comes out.

Get Oblivion on Steam instead.


----------



## Grand Moff Tim

Stealth7 said:


>




This is the best thing I've seen all week. Rep.


----------



## Grand Moff Tim

And now I know the chords to that bard's song and the main theme, thanks to that vid. I'm rockin' that shiz on my uke .


----------



## pink freud

So, doing some Thieves Guild stuff, when I spot a dragon flying around. Amazingly, it lands, and I'm still hidden, so it seems like a perfect time for a WTFPWN dagger strike...



...until a fucking giant steals my dragon kill.


On the plus side Giant Toenails sell for 20 a pop.


----------



## Sicarius

I ran across Alduin doin' his thing on a Dragon mound

shot him with an arrow, and interrupted his whole thing.

came up on a named dragon that didn't fight back, and just layed there. never reformed it's skin, just stayed a bag of bones.

It was pretty easy. Also, does Whirlwind Sprint ever get upgraded?


----------



## Sicarius

I ran across Alduin doin' his thing on a Dragon mound

shot him with an arrow, and interrupted his whole thing.

came up on a named dragon that didn't fight back, and just layed there. never reformed it's skin, just stayed a bag of bones.

It was pretty easy. Also, does Whirlwind Sprint ever get upgraded?


----------



## Grand Moff Tim

Sicarius said:


> Also, does Whirlwind Sprint ever get upgraded?


 
There are three words for every shout, you just have to _find_ them. I don't think I've actually gotten around to getting all three words to any shout that didn't just give me all three at once as part of a quest, but I don't really use shouts all that often, so I'm not exactly in a hurry. The only ones I've gotten real mileage out of are Dragonrend (a melee specialist's delight!) and Call of Valor.


----------



## XEN

I'm enjoying my Khajit sneak. He's my third toon after an Imperial and a Nord which I didn't play for very long. I started him out with the DB right from the start. He's finished with the DB, Thieves Guild, and Winterhold College quest lines so far. Having sneak at 100 is a blast. That and high archery makes for a decent sniping style.

I played Morrowind and Oblivion (also FO3 and FONV) for longer than I'd care to admit. I do miss spell crafting, but so many things have been refined that it's really that much better of a game. I keep thanking my wife for it. She got it for me for my B-day, knowing she wouldn't see me much for the next several months! hehe


----------



## Aevolve

vampiregenocide said:


> *vid*



The Talos one fucking got me.


----------



## SirMyghin

Grand Moff Tim said:


> There are three words for every shout, you just have to _find_ them. I don't think I've actually gotten around to getting all three words to any shout that didn't just give me all three at once as part of a quest, but I don't really use shouts all that often, so I'm not exactly in a hurry. The only ones I've gotten real mileage out of are Dragonrend (a melee specialist's delight!) and Call of Valor.



My mage dungeon dived and had oodles of words and such, but I never went through that again with my thief.


I finally got around to progressing enough through to main quest to enter the black reach. Black reach was freaking awesome. I wanderred around it for 1.5- 2 hours in awes pretty much.

The whole Dwemer, where the fuck did you go? is one of my favourite aspects of the elder scrolls games. Like how in morrowind it is even slightly contradictory


Spoiler



as in the mournhold expansion a dwemer ruin is filled with tones of ash piles, suggesting they went poof to ash, but no other ruins show this


. The contradictory lore in TES games is definitely a huge factor in their awesomeness.


Edit: Fuck me, I made a set of smithing + gear (neck,ring/bracer) and drank a 50% better potion and re-enhanced all my gear. Archery, skill 80, my bow does 361 base damage in my gear


----------



## Sicarius

Grand Moff Tim said:


> There are three words for every shout, you just have to _find_ them. I don't think I've actually gotten around to getting all three words to any shout that didn't just give me all three at once as part of a quest, but I don't really use shouts all that often, so I'm not exactly in a hurry. The only ones I've gotten real mileage out of are Dragonrend (a melee specialist's delight!) and Call of Valor.


I know that much. I just never found the 2nd word.

I'm getting close to the point where I was on my first character. Almost past the Alduin's Wall quest. Got the hand print message.

Thinkin' I'm going to skip the Arcane College this time around. 

This guy is a badass archer, Dark Brother hood quests are going to be fuuun


----------



## Rock4ever

Is there a way for me to make potions that are more powerful than the base version? 

I've skilled my alchemy up to like 60 and the potions I make are still the regular variety. Or is this done with perks?

Having a similar issue with enchanting, but my skill is no where near as high.


----------



## SirMyghin

you need to perks mostly.


----------



## Daiephir

Somehow, I'm having problem with dragons  There's 2 wall with shouts on them near the labyrinthian/Mehrunes Dagon shrine and both of them have blood dragon guarding them and I just die when I used to 3 shot landed dragons before


----------



## Grand Moff Tim

Were the ones you were three-shotting Blood Dragons, or regular dragons? If so, then there you go. If not, then it's entirely possible the latest patch mucked something up, since it's known to have fucked up some dragon behavior in other areas.

Speaking of, I really hope a newer patch isn't too long in coming. It fucked up some shit that wasn't broken to begin with, like backwards dragons and removing resistances. 

Yes, removing resistances. That resist fire you had because you're a dunmer? NOPE! Your breton's resist magic? NOPE! I can personally attest to having lost the disease resistance I'm supposed to have because I'm a lycanthrope, and that is weaksauce of the highest order. I'd never even have known if NPCs hadn't started commenting on how sick I looked, so I checked my stats and sure enough, I had contracted something. 

Lame, Bethesda. Lame.


----------



## SirMyghin

Yeah this last patch broke my game more than anything. I crash more, have more texture issues, and a bunch of other shit.


----------



## Stealthdjentstic

I was planning on starting this weeking after finals but I guess I'll hold off for a bit till they finish patching things.


----------



## AxeHappy

If you hold off until Beth finishes patching things you'll be waiting a long ass time. 


And they you'll be waiting for the modding community to actually finish the job.


----------



## Daiephir

Grand Moff Tim said:


> Were the ones you were three-shotting Blood Dragons, or regular dragons? If so, then there you go. If not, then it's entirely possible the latest patch mucked something up, since it's known to have fucked up some dragon behavior in other areas.
> 
> Speaking of, I really hope a newer patch isn't too long in coming. It fucked up some shit that wasn't broken to begin with, like backwards dragons and removing resistances.
> 
> Yes, removing resistances. That resist fire you had because you're a dunmer? NOPE! Your breton's resist magic? NOPE! I can personally attest to having lost the disease resistance I'm supposed to have because I'm a lycanthrope, and that is weaksauce of the highest order. I'd never even have known if NPCs hadn't started commenting on how sick I looked, so I checked my stats and sure enough, I had contracted something.
> 
> Lame, Bethesda. Lame.



Blood dragons, mind you I'd use up all of my magicka to begin with, but when they'd land, 3 shots were enough to cmpletely remove their lifes, now I had to get Onsmund to help me kill one of them (andthe other kept lyin backwards, not lnding, having an erratic flight pttern, so we left him alone) Also, skeletal dragons are mean


----------



## ScottyB724

This is a snippet from the official BethSoft forums about an upcoming patch next week:



> Continued Game Updates  This week we released update 1.2 across all platforms, and well be releasing an incremental update next week. We anticipate it will be up on PC first, and then hit PS3 and Xbox 360 later in the week. Among other things, the update will fix issues like magic resistance not calculating properly and the rare, amazing backwards flying dragon. Once the update is released, well share the full release notes.



The rest of the post can be read here: Skyrim -- what we&#39;re working on - Bethesda Softworks Forums


----------



## The Reverend

My unpatched game works great. I've got the PS3 version, and no internet connection. I've never had any game-breaking bugs, although I have had glitches such as armor not showing up when it's equipped, and once I was even suckered out of a dragon soul when some stupid Forsworn distracted and killed it.


----------



## Grand Moff Tim

The Reverend said:


> I have had glitches such as armor not showing up when it's equipped


 
I have that intermittantly right now with the Gauntlets of the Gods


Spoiler



that are a reward for breaking out of Cidhna Mine,


 but I don't really care as long as the armor rating and archery fortification are still being applied, which they are. 

Incidentally, for all you people out there who either want to start or have recently started a sneaky-sneaky type, I fully recommend joining the Dark Brotherhood, the Thieves Guild, and doing the Talos Shrine/Cidhna Mine quest ASAP, because the armor sets you get from each of those can be mixed and matched for some truely optimal sneaky-stabby-shooty-thievy goodness that will be extremely helpful early on before you've bumped up the helpful skills and can get high-level light armor and enchant it yourself.

EDIT: You don't even have to go through the DB and TG quests or anything, because you get the armor sets early on, pretty much as soon as you do their "initiation" quests.


----------



## Grand Moff Tim

Why play Skyrim on PC? Because 2500 cheese wheels rolling off a mountain, that's why.


----------



## BrainArt

Grand Moff Tim said:


> Why play Skyrim on PC? Because 2500 cheese wheels rolling off a mountain, that's why.




Fuck swords and magic. Let's use cheese wheels.


----------



## SirMyghin

Stealth7 said:


> The music in Skyrim sounds amazing! I'm probably picking the game up today along with Uncharted 3.




The world needs more musical geek girls.


----------



## Stealth7

I picked it up yesterday for PS3 and played a few hours yesterday and really enjoyed the little bit that I played.

But I was a bit disheartened when I read about this last night. 

Digital Foundry vs. PS3 Skyrim Lag &bull; Articles &bull; Eurogamer.net


----------



## Daiephir

Hey guys, I got the Dragon next to Mehrunes Dagon's shrine, result: 3 word for Frost Breath, fuck yeah!


----------



## Grand Moff Tim

I've decided I need to make a character to play when I'm getting drunk. Someone to not take too seriously, toggle god mode, and just go wreck everything.

*WITH MY FISTS.*

To that end, it'll be a khajiit because they're the only race with an unarmed bonus, and he'll wear heavy armor, since that's the only skill tree with an unarmed perk.

For roleplaying purposes, I'm going to name him Ri'Ghasta, to signify a connection with the unfortunate Speaker of the Black Hand in Oblivion. I'm gonna try to make him look as bengal tiger-y as I can. I'll obviously work on enchanting and smithing, because the higher my enchanting is the higher I can make a fortify hand-to-hand enchantment, and the better the gauntlets, the higher my damage from the Fists of Steel perk will be.

This will be keeping my Elder Scrolls tradition of having a goofy hand-to-hand playthrough alive, but I'm still a little sad that they chose to drop it as a skill this time around. Perhaps someone will mod it in.


----------



## SirMyghin

don't forget the enchant for damage.

They should have just merged unarmed into the 1 hand skill. I wanted to play my Khajit unarmed, until I realized that my skill wasn't increasing.


----------



## Stealthdjentstic

Grand Moff Tim said:


> I've decided I need to make a character to play when I'm getting drunk. Someone to not take too seriously, toggle god mode, and just go wreck everything.
> 
> *WITH MY FISTS.*
> 
> To that end, it'll be a khajiit because they're the only race with an unarmed bonus, and he'll wear heavy armor, since that's the only skill tree with an unarmed perk.
> 
> For roleplaying purposes, I'm going to name him Ri'Ghasta, to signify a connection with the unfortunate Speaker of the Black Hand in Oblivion. I'm gonna try to make him look as bengal tiger-y as I can. I'll obviously work on enchanting and smithing, because the higher my enchanting is the higher I can make a fortify hand-to-hand enchantment, and the better the gauntlets, the higher my damage from the Fists of Steel perk will be.
> 
> This will be keeping my Elder Scrolls tradition of having a goofy hand-to-hand playthrough alive, but I'm still a little sad that they chose to drop it as a skill this time around. Perhaps someone will mod it in.



Name him Mai'qe the Liar.


----------



## Sicarius

my stupid Investigate the Gaulder myth shit is broken again.

this time by the stupid fucking journal. I read it, and now it's telling me I still need to read it.

also, I hate Forsaken Briar hearts. There's one near a shout wall, that kept fucking me up with a frost staff and the frost bolt type spell.

also, jumping down an aqueduct onto ground kind of sucks.


----------



## Grand Moff Tim

You know, I kinda feel for the Forsworn. The whole civil war storyline has the Nords yammering on about "SKYRIM 4 TEH NRODS" and just generally being racist fuckwits, meanwhile the Forsworn were actually there _first_, only to be forced out/in to hiding by the invading Nord. Then the Forsworn set up camps that keep to themselves unless they're bothered, while


Spoiler



their imprisoned king (himself a political puppet) occasionally sends Forsworn agents into Markarth, a land which should rightfully be theirs, to murder people.


 That whole sublplot is very reminiscient of any number of real-world situations.


----------



## Daiephir

Sicarius said:


> my stupid Investigate the Gaulder myth shit is broken again.
> 
> this time by the stupid fucking journal. I read it, and now it's telling me I still need to read it.
> 
> also, I hate Forsaken Briar hearts. There's one near a shout wall, that kept fucking me up with a frost staff and the frost bolt type spell.
> 
> also, jumping down an aqueduct onto ground kind of sucks.



Whats your level? cause I was 1 power-shotting those at level 12


----------



## Grand Moff Tim

Daiephir said:


> Whats your level? cause I was 1 power-shotting those at level 12


 
Wut.

You were one shotting Forsworn, or Forsworn _Briarhearts_? Because my level 38 Nord with the Warhammer of UberDoom can't even one-shot a Briar Heart.


----------



## Daiephir

Grand Moff Tim said:


> Wut.
> 
> You were one shotting Forsworn, or Forsworn _Briarhearts_? Because my level 38 Nord with the Warhammer of UberDoom can't even one-shot a Briar Heart.



Dude, they're fuckng easy, they just die, somehow, might be my game thats broken though


----------



## Grand Moff Tim

Also, I'm having a bitch of a time finding out what governs unarmed damage in the game. I don't know if it uses stamina, health, some other skill... 

I know that it doesn't actually improve anything when used, but surely _some_ stat must be factored into the damage done.


----------



## Grand Moff Tim

Daiephir said:


> Dude, they're fuckng easy, they just die, somehow, might be my game thats broken though


 
Ah, just looked 'em up in the ol' Bestiary section of the strategy guide, and apparently there are different levelled versions. Depending on level, they can have anywhere from 104 to a whopping 623 health, and the high-level ones can have spells like Ironflesh, Chain Lightning and Summon Storm Atronach. So early on, sure, they're no big deal. Later, though, I'm not ashamed to admit I've had my shit handed to me by them on a few occasions.


----------



## SirMyghin

Grand Moff Tim said:


> Wut.
> 
> You were one shotting Forsworn, or Forsworn _Briarhearts_? Because my level 38 Nord with the Warhammer of UberDoom can't even one-shot a Briar Heart.



The only time I died in the last bit was my 42 , 100 sneak rogue BEING DETECTED by a dual wielding briar heart, and him taking at least 2 shots before one shot power attacking away my 250 + life  Briar hearts mean business. 

Edit: stupid board not recognizing a \properly for a command ... (too much LaTeX for me).



Spoiler



Forget the place, but there is a joint you see 2 hagravens by a word wall going through the ritual to bring a briar hear to life, it was pretty freaking cool, there is also the poet's or bard's fall there (or something) and if you jump off it you summon up a spectral bard and get a speech up. It was cool


----------



## Sicarius

Daiephir said:


> Whats your level? cause I was 1 power-shotting those at level 12


upper 20s, I didn't have a problem killing him, after my stam had recovered enough, and he stopped using the staff he had.

Frost magic is a bitch and a half.


----------



## Daiephir

Sicarius said:


> upper 20s, I didn't have a problem killing him, after my stam had recovered enough, and he stopped using the staff he had.
> 
> Frost magic is a bitch and a half.



I dont like frost magic against me  But my 3 word frost T'hunumumum (I dont know the correct way to write it) violates baby fire breathing dragons (MUAHAHAHAHAHA!)


----------



## Sicarius

Yeah, it's a pain in the ass. 

I should have done homework but I played Skyrim instead


----------



## pink freud

Grand Moff Tim said:


> I've decided I need to make a character to play when I'm getting drunk. Someone to not take too seriously, toggle god mode, and just go wreck everything.
> 
> *WITH MY FISTS.*
> 
> To that end, it'll be a khajiit because they're the only race with an unarmed bonus, and he'll wear heavy armor, since that's the only skill tree with an unarmed perk.
> 
> For roleplaying purposes, I'm going to name him Ri'Ghasta, to signify a connection with the unfortunate Speaker of the Black Hand in Oblivion. I'm gonna try to make him look as bengal tiger-y as I can. I'll obviously work on enchanting and smithing, because the higher my enchanting is the higher I can make a fortify hand-to-hand enchantment, and the better the gauntlets, the higher my damage from the Fists of Steel perk will be.
> 
> This will be keeping my Elder Scrolls tradition of having a goofy hand-to-hand playthrough alive, but I'm still a little sad that they chose to drop it as a skill this time around. Perhaps someone will mod it in.



Perhaps somebody can take a Gauntlet model and rename it into a 1h weapon. Easier than inserting a whole new weapon type into the game.


----------



## Grand Moff Tim

pink freud said:


> Perhaps somebody can take a Gauntlet model and rename it into a 1h weapon. Easier than inserting a whole new weapon type into the game.


 
Yeah, sortof like how there are equippable hand-to-hand weapons in the Bethesda Fallout games. I'd be down with that.


----------



## Tomo009

Unarmed is broken strong anyway, you just need to be Khajiit and have the heavy armour perk. My khajiit is playing on master and having less trouble than my mage on normal was having.


----------



## ScottyB724

You can find the "gloves of the pugilist" (+15 un-armed damage) in the Ratway in Riften on some old crazy man. I love using them on my Khajiit when people want to brawl, you beat their ass in like 3 strikes it's awesome hahah.


----------



## Grand Moff Tim

ScottyB724 said:


> You can find the "gloves of the pugilist" (+15 un-armed damage) in the Ratway in Riften on some old crazy man. I love using them on my Khajiit when people want to brawl, you beat their ass in like 3 strikes it's awesome hahah.


 
Yeah, I've already gone and gotten those, hahaha. It's one of the first things I did after escaping Helgen, along with going to Markarth to brawl with that drunk in the pub and take him as a follower . What I'd like to know, though, is how they determine the unarmed value that they're adding that enchanted bonus to.


----------



## ScottyB724

Yea that's definitely one step back they took, even though there is no un-armed skill in Oblivion, they should have added it to Skyrim after it's success in Fallout. I would love to beat some ass with some medieval type shit.


----------



## Grand Moff Tim

ScottyB724 said:


> Yea that's definitely one step back they took, even though there is no un-armed skill in Oblivion, they should have added it to Skyrim after it's success in Fallout. I would love to beat some ass with some medieval type shit.


 
Uh... there was totally a hand-to-hand skill in Oblivion. There weren't any weapons that worked with it like there were in FO3 or FO:NV, but it it was at least a skill you could improve in Oblivion.


----------



## pink freud

Hand to hand has _really _changed since Morrowind. Used to be punches had to knock out the entire stamina bar before actually hitting HP. Actually made it easier to level it up, as mobs took twice as many hits to be put down.


----------



## Grand Moff Tim

I really liked the way the Bethesda Fallout games have approached it, and I'm honestly pretty disappointed that they opted to just totally drop it for Skyrim instead of taking in the direction they took it with Fallout. Even in Oblivion where it was an improveable skill, it was never really compatible with blade or blunt because you could never do as much damage. In FO3, though, you could easily work it out so that you were an unarmed powerhouse, with the right perks and weapons. I feel like the ball was dropped this time around.


----------



## ScottyB724

Grand Moff Tim said:


> Uh... there was totally a hand-to-hand skill in Oblivion. There weren't any weapons that worked with it like there were in FO3 or FO:NV, but it it was at least a skill you could improve in Oblivion.



Wow can't believe I missed that, probably because I never used it and there weren't any weapons. But yea that's a dumb step back for them to take it out of Skyrim instead of improve upon it.


----------



## Stealthdjentstic

So should I not even bother with a mage if I cant make spells? Was planning on doing the good old weakness to magic + wakness to fire + fire damage.


----------



## Black_Sheep

I play on PS3. I've downloaded the latest patch (it was out the same day i got my copy of the game), and my save is over 30 hours. No lag. But im very afraid that it will come at some point and ruin everything.... And that would be horrible, cause i just love this game so much!  


I recently got the Ebony armor for my character, and was a bit annoyed to see how heavy it was compared to the heavy elven armor that i had before. Now im planning to make better elven armor and upgrade it to be as good as possible, but i can't find any of those damn ignots for that.. 

@Tim: Are you able to make dragon scale armor yet?


----------



## Daiephir

Erm, Black Sheep, Elven armor is light armor, of course Ebony is gonna be heavy as shit compared to it


----------



## pink freud

Stealthdjentstic said:


> So should I not even bother with a mage if I cant make spells? Was planning on doing the good old weakness to magic + wakness to fire + fire damage.



I think WtM and WtF can be made from poisons. So it actually works better for Assassin types who dual wield. Poisons on the daggers and Fire Damage enchant on the daggers.


----------



## Murmel

I could've saved them from rape. But I was too late.









Edit: They were actually naked and lying like that when I saw them, but I killed Mr. Rapist, which you can see to the right.


----------



## Tomo009

Grand Moff Tim said:


> I really liked the way the Bethesda Fallout games have approached it, and I'm honestly pretty disappointed that they opted to just totally drop it for Skyrim instead of taking in the direction they took it with Fallout. Even in Oblivion where it was an improveable skill, it was never really compatible with blade or blunt because you could never do as much damage. In FO3, though, you could easily work it out so that you were an unarmed powerhouse, with the right perks and weapons. I feel like the ball was dropped this time around.



I think you are missing something, unarmed is actually pretty broken, with a good heavy gauntlet and enchants for +unarmed %, I think it could be the strongest physical route in the game. Remember you also attack much faster, so hitting for close to the same damage is actually doing more DPS.


----------



## Sicarius

Got the dawnbringer last night before bed.

Quest was easy peasy and all the burned bodies had at least 50 gold.

Although floating in the air talking to a ball of light was freaky.


----------



## Grand Moff Tim

Tomo009 said:


> I think you are missing something, unarmed is actually pretty broken, with a good heavy gauntlet and enchants for +unarmed %, I think it could be the strongest physical route in the game. Remember you also attack much faster, so hitting for close to the same damage is actually doing more DPS.


 
That may be, but you still can't level up by using the "skill."


----------



## Pooluke41

You know something...

The Nerevarine went to Akavir, and since he is infected with Corpus and is Immortal (Age wise) he may bring an army to fight the Aldmeri,

I bet in the next Elder Scrolls that since there was many different things that could happen in Skyrim, eg: Legion winning, Stormcloaks winning, that they will all be canon and Skyrim, Hammerfell and the Empire will all fight the Aldmeri dominion with the Nerevarine bringing men from Akavir.

Inb4 Bethesda steal this.


----------



## Stealthdjentstic

If they set the next one in the Khajit homeland (Elsweyr?) I would be stoked.


----------



## SirMyghin

Pooluke41 said:


> You know something...
> 
> The Nerevarine went to Akavir, and since he is infected with Corpus and is Immortal (Age wise) he may bring an army to fight the Aldmeri,
> 
> I bet in the next Elder Scrolls that since there was many different things that could happen in Skyrim, eg: Legion winning, Stormcloaks winning, that they will all be canon and Skyrim, Hammerfell and the Empire will all fight the Aldmeri dominion with the Nerevarine bringing men from Akavir.
> 
> Inb4 Bethesda steal this.



Where dd you pick up the whole immortal and going to akavir thing?


----------



## Pooluke41

SirMyghin said:


> Where dd you pick up the whole immortal and going to akavir thing?



Well, Corprus makes you "Immortal" to a certain extent, you can live forever but can be killed by damage, IIRC.

And in Oblivion, people talk about the Nerevars recent expedition to Akavir.


----------



## SirMyghin

Pooluke41 said:


> Well, Corprus makes you "Immortal" to a certain extent, you can live forever but can be killed by damage, IIRC.
> 
> And in Oblivion, people talk about the Nerevars recent expedition to Akavir.



Not sure about that and corprus, if you are citing that old dwemer, I thought Elves were ageless in TES anyway. Could be wrong though. I can't remember Oblivion much so fair enough. Oblivion only happens 6 years after Morrowind though. This one is 200 years after Oblivion (which is their way of escaping canon for a lot of things


----------



## Grand Moff Tim

SirMyghin said:


> Where dd you pick up the whole immortal and going to akavir thing?


 
NPC chatter in Oblivion, regarding the Akavir thing, at least.

EDIT: Fuckin' ninjas.


----------



## Stealthdjentstic

You guys know..too much.


----------



## Pooluke41

SirMyghin said:


> Not sure about that and corprus, if you are citing that old dwemer, I thought Elves were ageless in TES anyway. Could be wrong though. I can't remember Oblivion much so fair enough. Oblivion only happens 6 years after Morrowind though. This one is 200 years after Oblivion (which is their way of escaping canon for a lot of things



Well, I only remember a few things in oblivion,


Like it being shit... 

But Elves aren't ageless, they live longer than humans, to about 110 years old or so I think,


----------



## Pooluke41

Also, from UESP, 

"Fyr has a theory that corprus is in fact not a disease, but rather a divine blessing that most mortals can't handle, pointing to the fact that the victims are completely immune to disease and don't age. The Nerevarine became infected with corprus, and Divayth Fyr provided a "cure" for the disease. This "cure" did not actually cure the disease but rather removed the negative effects, such as crippling physical deformities and insanity, while retaining the positive effects, including immunity to all diseases, increased strength and endurance, and possibly also immortality"


----------



## Pooluke41

Stealthdjentstic said:


> You guys know..too much.



We are the Real life Ancestor Moths,

Reading from the Elder Scrolls....... Wiki......


----------



## Grand Moff Tim

I've spent an almost embarrassing amount of time browsing UESP.


----------



## Pooluke41

Grand Moff Tim said:


> I've spent an almost embarrassing amount of time browsing UESP.



I should be sorting out this fretbuzz....


----------



## pink freud

SirMyghin said:


> Not sure about that and corprus, if you are citing that old dwemer, I thought Elves were ageless in TES anyway. Could be wrong though. I can't remember Oblivion much so fair enough. Oblivion only happens 6 years after Morrowind though. This one is 200 years after Oblivion (which is their way of escaping canon for a lot of things



Except you can theoretically run Oblivion into this time period


----------



## Stealthdjentstic

I don't know, I've read a good amount of UESP as well but not really too much lore, more how to build OP characters


----------



## SnowfaLL

I feel like the only person in the whole world who isnt obsessed with this game.. lol


----------



## Captain Shoggoth

Stealthdjentstic said:


> If they set the next one in the Khajit homeland (Elsweyr?) I would be stoked.



This. Been saying it to my friends for a while


----------



## vampiregenocide

I finally got daedric armour, though I'm lacking the helmet. I'm finding I'm getting annihilated by fire attacks though, any tips on dealing with those?


----------



## Grand Moff Tim

Kill them before they can kill you?


----------



## Stealthdjentstic

Captain Shoggoth said:


> This. Been saying it to my friends for a while



So much more interesting than humans right?

Same with the Fallout games, instead of more boring north american cities I was hoping for a chinese city or maybe a cool south american city. How cool would Beijing or some city in Brazil be instead of boring ass Las Vegas.


----------



## Grand Moff Tim

pink freud said:


> Except you can theoretically run Oblivion into this time period


 
Hell, you could theoretically run _Morrowind_ into this time period. It only took place six years before Oblivion, whereas Oblivion is 200 years before Skyrim.


----------



## Grand Moff Tim

Captain Shoggoth said:


> This. Been saying it to my friends for a while


 
I dunno. I was actually shooting for the Summerset Isles for TES5, and wasn't even sold on Skyrim being a good setting until the first trailers were released. I'll return my hopes to TES6 being in the Isles, but I wouldn't exactly complain if it's in Elsweyr, since I have a soft spot for the Khajiit.


----------



## Stealthdjentstic

I just want to eradicate all the filthy khajit from their homeland and use their fur as rugs.


----------



## Pooluke41

Stealthdjentstic said:


> I just want to eradicate all the filthy khajit from their homeland and use their fur as rugs.



Don't mix up your Khajit toilet paper for some of that argonian hide!


----------



## The Reverend

I want a fucking Akavir game. Fuck everywhere else, Akavir would hands down make one of the best video games ever.

DRAGON MEN. MONKEY MEN. VAMPIRIC SNAKE MEN.

Need I say more?


----------



## Stealthdjentstic

you're right, delicious fresh roasted argonians


----------



## pink freud

Does _anybody ever_ play Argonian? Three ES games, and I never have.


----------



## Daiephir

A friend of mine did and I think 1 person on here does, they can breath under water apparently


----------



## stevo1

I just did the companions' questline so I could be a werewolf, And I have to say, I think it sucks. It's a cool idea, but every other kill is a cutscene kill, where as I'm killing one guy, there is some troll shooting me with arrows from one of the corners of the room, and I can't move or anything, because I'm killing someone. Plus the feeding takes too long for what little health it does give you, leaving me In the same situation. 

I would much rather not be one. 

I also raised my smithing and destruction to 100, and that's pretty cool. I am running around with full daedra armor besides the helmet, because I use the dragon lord mask Nahkriin to boost my magicka and stuff. 

The master level destruction spells are ultimate, Making dragons easy to kill. I can kill an elder dragon in about 4 seconds with lightening storm. I LOVE this game!


----------



## pink freud

Holy shit, the best Fus Ro Dah yet!


----------



## Stealthdjentstic

pink freud said:


> Does _anybody ever_ play Argonian? Three ES games, and I never have.



I always go dark elf. Always well balanced and they look cool. I've gone orc once and high elf but main builds are always always always dark elf.


----------



## Sicarius

pink freud said:


> Does _anybody ever_ play Argonian? Three ES games, and I never have.


I did.

Fuckin' love the lizard people.

Now I'm a dunmer, but I'll go back to an Argo eventually.


----------



## Captain Shoggoth

Stealthdjentstic said:


> So much more interesting than humans right?
> 
> Same with the Fallout games, instead of more boring north american cities I was hoping for a chinese city or maybe a cool south american city. How cool would Beijing or some city in Brazil be instead of boring ass Las Vegas.



I dunno, I just run on the basis that grimfrost scandinavian settings are badass and arabian deserts are badass, and Khajiit are cool.


----------



## Black_Sheep

Daiephir said:


> Erm, Black Sheep, Elven armor is light armor, of course Ebony is gonna be heavy as shit compared to it



Is it? Because my heavy armor skill has been going up while using it. And no, i didn't use the one called "LIGHT elven armor", just elven armor (which i upgraded myself to legendary). So.... 


But yeah, anyone got dragon scale armor yet?


----------



## Daiephir

Black_Sheep said:


> Is it? Because my heavy armor skill has been going up while using it. And no, i didn't use the one called "LIGHT elven armor", just elven armor (which i upgraded myself to legendary). So....
> 
> 
> But yeah, anyone got dragon scale armor yet?



Yeah, pretty sure it is, there's no such thing as Heavy Elven armor, by definition elves are pussies (High elves that is, dunmers are badass), I dont think they can actually _wear_ heavy stuff. Besides, you cant make Heavy elven armor, i's either Elven or Gilded Elven and both of them are light according to the smithing skill tree and UESP wki

And regarding Dragon Scale, I'm probably gonna make a set later today for Lydia, why do you ask?


----------



## AxeHappy

Elven Armour is, and always has been, light armour in the Elder Scrolls universe. 

If your heavy amour skill was going up whilst using it your game is bugged.


----------



## Daiephir

Thank you, see, now you cant contradict me, I have sources and 3rd party proof *high fives AxeHappy* also, the Skeleton Dragon in the Labyrithian is easy once you get the proper method of killing him.


----------



## guitarister7321

AxeHappy said:


> Elven Armour is, and always has been, light armour in the Elder Scrolls universe.
> 
> If your heavy amour skill was going up whilst using it your game is bugged.


I thought Skyrim had Elven Armor and Elven Light Armor? I recall having some Elven pieces and Elven Light pieces of armor, unless they're both from the same type of armor.


----------



## SirMyghin

As long as you are wearing heavy in at least 1 spot you can get skill ups in it.


----------



## AxeHappy

guitarister7321 said:


> I thought Skyrim had Elven Armor and Elven Light Armor? I recall having some Elven pieces and Elven Light pieces of armor, unless they're both from the same type of armor.




Elven Armour is the type of armour and Light is the class.


----------



## XEN

Black_Sheep said:


> Elven Armor issue


What type of shield are you wearing?
If it is in the Heavy Armor category you'll see skill points rack up as you block.


----------



## vampiregenocide

Grand Moff Tim said:


> Kill them before they can kill you?



Thanks.


----------



## Grand Moff Tim

I finished up the Dark Brotherhood storyline with my khajiit last night, and I'm not really sure how I feel about it.


----------



## SirMyghin

Grand Moff Tim said:


> I finished up the Dark Brotherhood storyline with my khajiit last night, and I'm not really sure how I feel about it.



I have not completed the companions, as I have kind of lost interest now that I played the main story, but it was by far the weakest of the guild lines. (not counting the bards as that really isn't a guild). It didn't really have the level of intrigue the others did. It was much more cliche.


----------



## vampiregenocide

They need to patch the glitchy dragons. There's one quest where you have to slay this dragon and I can't because when I use dragonrend it flies up into the sky, and it keeps spazzing out so I can't shoot it. 

I got the mask of Clavicus Vile though, which looks epic with my daedric armour. Also met and killed my first elder dragon.


----------



## Stealthdjentstic

Yea that mask has always looked badass, can you get wabbajack?


----------



## ScottyB724

Yes indeed: Skyrim:Wabbajack - UESPWiki
I gotta get my hands on that thing soon hahah


----------



## Sicarius

It's amazing.

I love the quest.

I LOVE SHEOGORATH


----------



## The Reverend

Elven Armor, Gilded Elven Armor, and Elven Light Armor are all classified as light armors. Either your game is bugged, or you're wearing a piece of heavy armor somewhere.


----------



## Pooluke41

I hit 30x Sneak attack with my Daggers. :O


----------



## Thrashmanzac

^ yeah i am leveling my sneaking atm, i went from level 24 to 58 last night haha


----------



## SpaceDock

I've beaten the main quest, Mage guild, dark brotherhood, thieves guild, working on companions; are there any other big quest threads left? I've been burning through misc quests and anything else I can find. I feel like I might have gone through the bulk already. Seems like the game was a little short?


----------



## guitarister7321

AxeHappy said:


> Elven Armour is the type of armour and Light is the class.


Just did some research. There is Elven Light armor (weaker variant), Elven armor, and Gilded Elven armor (stronger variant). But they are all Light armor. For some reason I thought they might have had a heavy armor variant and a light variant because one is called Elven Light armor.


----------



## Daiephir

SpaceDock said:


> I've beaten the main quest, Mage guild, dark brotherhood, thieves guild, working on companions; are there any other big quest threads left? I've been burning through misc quests and anything else I can find. I feel like I might have gone through the bulk already. Seems like the game was a little short?



Hum, Rebellion vs Empire, you missed that. (no way you did all the side quests, apparently it's 900 hours of game)


----------



## SirMyghin

All the side quests, like bandits, and dragons and such respawn over time and get repeated. So the timeline is a bit convoluted.


----------



## The Reverend

900 hours of fresh gameplay? Impossible. 

I've been having fun just plundering. It's genius. I'm really really interested in what the expansions will be, I haven't heard anything about them.


----------



## Daiephir

I cant beat Morokei


----------



## Sicarius

burn him.

get close and cut him up with swords.


Apparently I just bumrush fucking everything and hope for the best :/


----------



## Mordacain

Sicarius said:


> burn him.
> 
> get close and cut him up with swords.
> 
> 
> Apparently I just bumrush fucking everything and hope for the best :/



Bumrushing and hoping for the best is pretty much my over-all video game strategy for everything 9 times out of 10.

If I can't go all Rambo in a game I feel very disappointed


----------



## Vicissitude27

One hit a Blood Dragon today. Fucking heavily enchanted Ebony Greatsword for the win. Hit level 40 because of it.


----------



## Daiephir

Sicarius said:


> burn him.
> 
> get close and cut him up with swords.
> 
> 
> Apparently I just bumrush fucking everything and hope for the best :/



I wish, the guy 1 shots me even and when I get the luck of not instant deathing I land 1 shot with ma swords doesnt cut in his life that much :-S


----------



## Sicarius

Daiephir said:


> I wish, the guy 1 shots me even and when I get the luck of not instant deathing I land 1 shot with ma swords doesnt cut in his life that much :-S



Drop the difficulty. :/

Going against the dragon priests blows on harder difficulties. Krosis nearly killed me the first time.


----------



## Daiephir

the mask is epic, and it looks really nice


----------



## leandroab

I must say that I cry every time I level up and I look at the skill screen with all the nebulae and shit.


----------



## Sicarius

I've switched to using the Dawnbringer in my main hand, and Merhune's Razor in my offhand.

for the fun of the random instadeath that Razor causes.

and it just looks silly together.

I'm at 89 smithing, and about sub 55 Enchanting. So I'm going to make 50 Iron daggers, improve them, and enchant the shit out of all of them, and hopefully that'll powerlevel the shit out of both of the stats. so I can start on Dragon light armor.


----------



## JPhoenix19

Daiephir said:


> I cant beat Morokei


 
PC version?

open console, click on Morokei, type "kill".

Or just find/make some lightning resist potions.


----------



## SirMyghin

^^ 

Morokei was easily the hardest dragon priest, the rest went down with minimal fuss but Morokei made me want to cry. I dropped the difficulty to novice .


----------



## Aevolve

So ended up feeling pretty evil


Spoiler



Ended up doing the Boethiah quest- got the mercenary dunmer slampiece from the Drunken Huntsman and sacrificed her on the stone. Cost me 500 gold for some street cred courtesy of Boethiah.


----------



## leandroab

Anyone has good tips on lvl up smithing besides making a crapload of daggers?


----------



## Daiephir

leandroab said:


> Anyone has good tips on lvl up smithing besides making a crapload of daggers?



Make a crap ton of leather bracers/helmets


----------



## HighGain510

leandroab said:


> Anyone has good tips on lvl up smithing besides making a crapload of daggers?



Yeah honestly I got mine up to 100 in a day by making daggers, no "easier" or less expensive way to do it.


----------



## K-Roll

dear lord i almost shat my pants


----------



## Sicarius

SirMyghin said:


> ^^
> 
> Morokei was easily the hardest dragon priest, the rest went down with minimal fuss but Morokei made me want to cry. I dropped the difficulty to novice .



He made me drink all my health potions (the +25 ones), so I said fuck that noise and found the console command to give me the potions that heal full health.

 I'm such a cheater.


----------



## Daiephir

I just wanna say, pointing this out, fuck bugs, I got into Cidnah mine/prison for the stupid quests in Markarth and I hadn't finihed the Gauldur amulet quest line, so I had all 3 pieces, I just needed to go to the last dungeon, since I had no buisiness there for now I reported that for later. When you do that cidnah quest, all of your stuff gets removed, well lo and behold, dot have the fucking amulets when I get the stuff back at the end of the quest FUUU, luckily my sweet dragon priest mask stayed, still quite pissed though.


----------



## Sicarius

That's the quest that keeps giving me trouble. I'm almost lvl 30 again, I'm not about to reroll.

Really wish there was a delete quest option so you could redo it.


----------



## pink freud

Console command your stuff back.


----------



## XEN

SirMyghin said:


> ^^
> 
> Morokei was easily the hardest dragon priest, the rest went down with minimal fuss but Morokei made me want to cry. I dropped the difficulty to novice .


Having stealth at 100 helped.
Shoot, hide, *save*, repeat. 

I seem to always prefer playing stealthy.

Finally got smithing to 100, but enchanting is lagging behind so my stuff is not as uber as it could be.

Got my house in Solitude though. Had to have a nice place for my wife to live. I married the girl in the market in Whiterun - I forget her name... The one who talks about the caravans and asks for a mammoth tusk to get her started in business. It's cool having her in the house because she's a vendor and gives me profit from her business.


----------



## Sicarius

I must find this BZ


----------



## Grand Moff Tim

urklvt said:


> It's cool having her in the house because she's a vendor and gives me profit from her business.


 
Technically, _anyone_ you marry becomes a vendor and shares profits once they move in with you. I married Aella of the Companions, and she did.


----------



## XEN

Grand Moff Tim said:


> Technically, _anyone_ you marry becomes a vendor and shares profits once they move in with you. I married Aella of the Companions, and she did.


I did not know that. Very cool!
So, uh, what happens if you kill your wife?


----------



## Sicarius

hmm. Can I marry Vex?


----------



## Grand Moff Tim

Sicarius said:


> hmm. Can I marry Vex?


 
Nope.


----------



## Sicarius

Looks like I'm a confirmed bachelor in two lives 

also, made Vokun my biiiitch


----------



## SirMyghin

Sicarius said:


> hmm. Can I marry Vex?



She's busy scuffling with Gunthar.


----------



## Sicarius

I can take him.


----------



## Grand Moff Tim

For the record, you can only get married once. If you kill your spouse, tough titties.


----------



## Sicarius

That makes enough sense that it should be applied in the real world.


----------



## Pooluke41

Sicarius said:


> That makes enough sense that it should be applied in the real world.



What if you got married to a Vegas whore?


----------



## Sicarius

you live with the consequences.

like with Syphilis.


----------



## stevo1

Sicarius said:


> Drop the difficulty. :/
> 
> Going against the dragon priests blows on harder difficulties. Krosis nearly killed me the first time.



Dude, Krosis raped me so hard when I fought him. I had to run all the way back through the dungeon, so I could recharge my magicka. I was like level 10, But he was hard. All the others seem easy.


----------



## Fiction

Sicarius said:


> That makes enough sense that it should be applied in the real world.



Its sort of an unspoken law. Never marry someone who murdered their last husband.. and vice versa if you're a woman.


----------



## Sicarius

tell that to the women who marry guys on death row for just such crimes.


----------



## Fiction

No thanks, don't feel like being victim #2.

OT:

I haven't played skyrim for ages, my game won't let me finish part of the main questline thanks to glitching and I'm really bummed about it and for some reason haven't jumped on to do side quests.. might try get something done tonight.


----------



## Grand Moff Tim

Stupid Thieves Guild... not giving me my cut because I can't follow instructions...



Spoiler



So what if I burned more than three fucking beehives? How was I supposed to remember that shit? I started the quest _ages_ ago! All I knew was my journal said "Burn Beehives 0/3," not "Burn Beehives 0/3 BUT SO HELP ME GOD, IF YOU BURN FOUR..." Dammit.


 
Also, Fishing (pickpocket) missions are no joke when you've been neglecting your pickpocket skill just because in all other aspects of the game it's fucking useless. Good luck pickpocketing a 1200 septim gold diamond necklace with a pickpocket of 20, apparently. On the other hand, running around pickpocketing random people to get my skill up _was_ pretty fun. I may just use my sneaky khajiit as a career criminal and rob everyone in Skyrim blind once I'm done with the Thieves Guild quests, since there's little else for a sneaky guy who's done with the DB and the TG to do.


----------



## Aevolve

Grand Moff Tim said:


> Stupid Thieves Guild... not giving me my cut because I can't follow instructions...
> 
> 
> 
> Spoiler
> 
> 
> 
> So what if I burned more than three fucking beehives? How was I supposed to remember that shit? I started the quest _ages_ ago! All I knew was my journal said "Burn Beehives 0/3," not "Burn Beehives 0/3 BUT SO HELP ME GOD, IF YOU BURN FOUR..." Dammit.
> 
> 
> 
> Also, Fishing (pickpocket) missions are no joke when you've been neglecting your pickpocket skill just because in all other aspects of the game it's fucking useless. Good luck pickpocketing a 1200 septim gold diamond necklace with a pickpocket of 20, apparently. On the other hand, running around pickpocketing random people to get my skill up _was_ pretty fun. I may just use my sneaky khajiit as a career criminal and rob everyone in Skyrim blind once I'm done with the Thieves Guild quests, since there's little else for a sneaky guy who's done with the DB and the TG to do.


 Totally had a dragon


Spoiler



drop by and burn those hives for me while I was sneaking into the manor. Burned exactly three.


Haters gonna hate.


----------



## Grand Moff Tim

PeachesMcKenzie said:


> Totally had a dragon
> 
> 
> Spoiler
> 
> 
> 
> drop by and burn those hives for me while I was sneaking into the manor. Burned exactly three.
> 
> 
> Haters gonna hate.


 

*HATE.*


----------



## pink freud

Grand Moff Tim said:


> *HATE.*



Don't feel bad, I lost a couple hours going back to a save point to do it right


----------



## Fiction

Grand Moff Tim said:


> Also, Fishing (pickpocket) missions are no joke when you've been neglecting your pickpocket skill just because in all other aspects of the game it's fucking useless. Good luck pickpocketing a 1200 septim gold diamond necklace with a pickpocket of 20, apparently. On the other hand, running around pickpocketing random people to get my skill up _was_ pretty fun. I may just use my sneaky khajiit as a career criminal and rob everyone in Skyrim blind once I'm done with the Thieves Guild quests, since there's little else for a sneaky guy who's done with the DB and the TG to do.



First thing I did once I got to white run/dragon reach is steal everything. Spent 3 hours lockpicking and pickpocketing, then when I left o start thieves guild on my walk I had 3 assassins try to kill me and a group of bandits all holding notes with instructions to kill me for thieving


----------



## Daiephir

Somehow, my gauldur amulets came back so I finished the quest asap since I was in Markarth/The Reach anyways and I've encountered something odd, while going to get the hilt of Merhunes Dagon dagger, the first time I saw a Master Vampire fighting 2 Forsworns, I proceeded to get my ass handed to me (somehow they teamed up ) the second time around, I save right next to where I found them and get a couple of buffs going on, get past the crest where they were and instead of having an epic fight, the red dots that were on my compass are sheeps, I was thoroughly disappointed


----------



## Sicarius

Spoiler



Fuck Esbern, fuck the Blades.



Paarthunax is my Nayreah


----------



## vampiregenocide




----------



## Grand Moff Tim

Sicarius said:


> Spoiler
> 
> 
> 
> Fuck Esbern, fuck the Blades.
> 
> 
> 
> Paarthunax is my Nayreah


 
Word. That's a quest I'll never finish.


----------



## vampiregenocide

Grand Moff Tim said:


> Word. That's a quest I'll never finish.



Same.


----------



## Grand Moff Tim

pink freud said:


> Don't feel bad, I lost a couple hours going back to a save point to do it right


 
I would've too if the reward was a unique weapon or armor of some sort. Since it was just gold, I said fuck it and just came here to grumble about it instead . That quest took me FOREVER, because I didn't kill any of the mercenaries guarding the estate (avoided detection entirely, matter of fact ), and I wasn't about to do it again for some lousy septims.


----------



## Grand Moff Tim

Grand Moff Tim said:


> I would've too if the reward was a unique weapon or armor of some sort. Since it was just gold, I said fuck it and just came here to grumble about it instead . That quest took me FOREVER, because I didn't kill any of the mercenaries guarding the estate (avoided detection entirely, matter of fact ), and I wasn't about to do it again for some lousy septims.


 
I actually felt like a mofuggin' bawss because for the first time ever I used my bow to distract a guard instead of killing him .


Spoiler



At the stairway in the basement leading down to the safe, there's that stupid guard sitting in a chair looking RIGHT AT the stairs. I fired an arrow into the wall on the other side of the room, and it worked like a charm. He got up and ran over to the other side to investigate, and I snuck right behind him to get to the stairs.


 I felt like a champ.


----------



## Sicarius

finished the main quest line.

Feels like i should y'know, tell someone.

oh well, time to do the Arcane college, TG, DB, and whatever else I can find.


----------



## pink freud

Grand Moff Tim said:


> I actually felt like a mofuggin' bawss because for the first time ever I used my bow to distract a guard instead of killing him .
> 
> 
> Spoiler
> 
> 
> 
> At the stairway in the basement leading down to the safe, there's that stupid guard sitting in a chair looking RIGHT AT the stairs. I fired an arrow into the wall on the other side of the room, and it worked like a charm. He got up and ran over to the other side to investigate, and I snuck right behind him to get to the stairs.
> 
> 
> I felt like a champ.





Spoiler



My sneak was so good that after I pick pocketed him I just snuck past him with weapons holstered (to go quicker). The eye-thingy only got to half-way before I was out of line of sight.


----------



## stevo1

I don't like the enchantment system in Skyrim as much. It won't let me put any enchantment on anything I want, Like putting a magicka boosting effect on boots and shields. I want magicka galor! 

I fought my first elder dragon today too. That shit was hard!


----------



## BrainArt

I think next few run throughs, I'm going to create a couple of different characters.

A mage, a sneaky assassin thief and a big brute. I love my jack-of-all-trades Nord, but I'm going to go with something more specialized next time around.


----------



## MrMcSick

Hit level 62. Wish I would've thought out my perk choices with each level up. Im pretty much stuck being a stealth archer now since my magic is in like the 40's and using that against enemies that think you are a level 62 all around blows. Its pretty useless. I've been using heavy armor and a hammer for the last say 7 levels and I've got them up into the 70's from the 30's though. I need more perk to distribute damnit. I wonder if you can fill every perk or if you just max out at say level 100 and whatever isn't filled is shit outta luck?


----------



## MrMcSick




----------



## Grand Moff Tim

BrainArt said:


> I think next few run throughs, I'm going to create a couple of different characters.
> 
> A mage, a sneaky assassin thief and a big brute. I love my jack-of-all-trades Nord, but I'm going to go with something more specialized next time around.


 
Sounds exactly like the route I took, except my initial jack of all trades build was an Imperial. You're going to love being a big brute, especially if you go two-handed. It's like being a one man wrecking crew.

I do have a fifth build, though: My "do whatever the hell I want because I'm drunk and cheating like a bastard" character, who so far is concentrating on using his fists for everything .


----------



## Daiephir

My next character is def a 2H Heavy Armor Nord, I'm gonna call him AA-12, cause I'll be the whole strike team by myself


----------



## Grand Moff Tim

I'd watch it.


----------



## SirMyghin

Grand Moff Tim said:


> Word. That's a quest I'll never finish.



Me either, his soothing voice and the initial mystique was by far my favourite part of the game. It was like holy shit


Spoiler



I am having a conversation with a dragon


.


----------



## BrainArt

Grand Moff Tim said:


> Sounds exactly like the route I took, except my initial jack of all trades build was an Imperial. You're going to love being a big brute, especially if you go two-handed. It's like being a one man wrecking crew.
> 
> I do have a fifth build, though: My "do whatever the hell I want because I'm drunk and cheating like a bastard" character, who so far is concentrating on using his fists for everything .



Oh yeah, I tend to go 2h with my jack of all trades Nord, a lot.


----------



## Mukersman

Do you actually get more quests or dialogue from the blades if you do the paarthuunax quest?


----------



## Pooluke41

Skyrim - Unarmed Badass Viking Commentary - YouTube!

OMG.


----------



## pink freud

Man, I remember back in the day it was pretty straight forward to get Daedric artifacts. Find ruin, talk to statue, do quest, get loot.

These days it's all drinking contests and following the advice of crazy people!


----------



## Varcolac

Some of them are "find statue, do quest." 



Spoiler



Meridia, Azura, Boethiah



The rest are a little less cookie-cutter. I like it.


----------



## pink freud

Varcolac said:


> Spoiler
> 
> 
> 
> Meridia



That stupid bitch locked the door when I had more bodies to loot


----------



## SirMyghin

pink freud said:


> That stupid bitch locked the door when I had more bodies to loot



Dang, that place was a gold mine.


----------



## pink freud

Oh dear...


----------



## SirMyghin

Betcha she used to be an adventurer.


----------



## Sicarius

I'd murder every god damn hipster on the planet if I could.


----------



## Black_Sheep

The Elven Armor is indeed light. All of it. Sry, my mistake  

Anyways, im lvl 25 now and i've been taking a small break from the game, haven't played in 3 days now! didn't think that would be possible. Guess i'll continue tomorrow. 

I just wish days would have more hours in them....


----------



## Grand Moff Tim

I wish something on the Nightengale armor had a fortify archery enchantment.


----------



## Pooluke41

Sicarius said:


> I'd murder every god damn hipster on the planet if I could.



I used to hate Hipsters before it was cool.


----------



## pink freud

Pooluke41 said:


> I used to hate Hipsters until I took an arrow in the knee.



Had to be done.


----------



## leftyguitarjoe

Grand Moff Tim said:


> I wish something on the Nightengale armor had a fortify archery enchantment.




I wear Nightingale armor with the Dark Brotherhood hood.


----------



## Grand Moff Tim

leftyguitarjoe said:


> I wear Nightingale armor with the Dark Brotherhood hood.


 
I would, but I found a random glass helm with a higher fortify archery enchantment than the DB hood. I was hoping something on the Nightingale armor would be even higher, since it looks so friggin' slick.


----------



## Sicarius

I'm just going to rock the Krosis mask forever. I don't use Alchemy, but the archery is nice, and whatever the other one is.


----------



## vampiregenocide




----------



## Pooluke41

vampiregenocide said:


>




Great... Now I can't be trusted to not do that...


----------



## Grand Moff Tim

Pooluke41 said:


> Great... Now I can't be trusted to not do that...


 
Go ahead! I don't use the command console for playthroughs that I'm taking seriously (except to fix bugs), but I'm all about easter eggs and exploitables. It's part of the fun of Bethesda games (100% chameleon, fellas?).


----------



## pink freud

leftyguitarjoe said:


> I wear Nightingale armor with the Dark Brotherhood hood.



I rock the cloth DB hood. +25% sneak when I'm at 100 sneak? Yes please!


----------



## pink freud

Grand Moff Tim said:


> Go ahead! I don't use the command console for playthroughs that I'm taking seriously (except to fix bugs), but I'm all about easter eggs and exploitables. It's part of the fun of Bethesda games (100% chameleon, fellas?).



Even better: 100% damage reflect 

"No, I don't mind, keep hitting me all you want!"


----------



## Shi7Disc0

This game consumes my life.


----------



## Sicarius

pink freud said:


> Had to be done.


foiled again!


----------



## Sicarius

My friend's been playing for a couple of days, maybe a week.
And I'm going to assume he hasn't paid a fuck bit of attention to the story:

Sean: what the fuck is this dragon doing
Sean: oh fuck it's talking
Sean: who is alduin and was it a bad idea to shoot him
Motherfucker Jones: and you found a random talking dragon..
Motherfucker Jones: -__________________-
Motherfucker Jones: THAT IS THE MAIN BADGUY
Motherfucker Jones: He was probably rezzing another dragon
Motherfucker Jones: so
Motherfucker Jones: if there's a talking skeleton dragon
Motherfucker Jones: kill it
Sean: What the fuck are the odds of just running into him
Motherfucker Jones: It happens
Motherfucker Jones: -_- he's the one you see at the beginning of the game
Sean: lololol the dragon he rezzed
Sean: is fighting a dog instead of me

-_-


----------



## Daiephir

Rock to the head, now, free the world


----------



## pink freud

There's a main story?


----------



## Grand Moff Tim

The reward at the end of the Thieves Guild questline was pretty weak. The rewards when I "officially" become Guildmaster had better make up for it.


----------



## Varcolac

Grand Moff Tim said:


> The reward at the end of the Thieves Guild questline was pretty weak. The rewards when I "officially" become Guildmaster had better make up for it.





Spoiler



Guildmaster armour with some nice bonuses to thievery skills, looks nice but it's nothing you can't beat with 100 enchanting. You do get an amulet which gives +15 to speechcraft and "persuade checks will always succeed" effect, which is nice. Also a key to a chest which gives you tribute every now and then.



The stuff you have to do in order to be guildmaster is better really: you end up with a fence in every city, a fence in the Ragged Flagon who's got 4,000 gold to trade and who'll buy anything and everything, as well as four other traders in the Flagon (alchemist, smith, two miscellaneous) with a thousand gold apiece.


----------



## AxeHappy

Is it just me or was there only like...4 quests before becoming the leader of the companions?


----------



## SirMyghin

AxeHappy said:


> Is it just me or was there only like...4 quests before becoming the leader of the companions?




That was my only grievance with the factions in Skyrim. Thieves guild aside you just climbed the ladder way too fast. They put a lot more effort into story telling, but that costs a lot of intermittent material.


----------



## AxeHappy

I find climbing the ladder that fast takes away from the story telling. It's bad story telling. I don't think the Companions story was particularly well told either. I can sum it up thusly:

"Hey you want to be a werewolf?" (Must answer, "Yes," to continue...that's bullshit right there as, "No, I do not want to be a werewolf.")
"Dude...werewolves are bad."
"These werewolf hunters killed our leader."
"YAY! You cured him. And are magically the leader of the guild for no reason." I'm pretty sure you could actually finish this story line in 2-3 days game time and be the leader of a guild you joined less than a week ago. 

Bad.

Especially since like 2 of those quests were fucking Fed-Ex quests. 

It's the only guild line I've completed so far (I like doing side quests, but I got bogged down in them and the "Journal" is fucking useless so I can't remember half of what I have to do for half the miscellaneous so I started doing main quests again) and if they're all like this Skyrim is losing tons of points in my eyes.


----------



## SirMyghin

Yeah I didn't do that one yet, but oh well, haven't been playing much since I finished the main story. The journal does indeed suck. 

I feel the guilds were a bit of an afterthought, compared to the radiant system (which doesn't really interest me, given I don't like infinite identical side quests), but the attention to detail and intrigue placed into the dungeons did a lot to make the game a very nice experience. The main quest also felt a little short. 

Solid game, just no Morrowind 

The better:

Combat - significantly improved from previous TES games, some things even had some odd dynamic

Voice acting - pretty good this time

Intrigue - hell of a lot more interesting than Oblivion 

Skill system - I really liked this system, it functions well and wasn't clunky / regret based 

Visuals - they were excellent, and the world felt huge and rocky

Dungeons - were better than Morrowind, the visible traps was really cool, and most had an internal story going on, which was excellent, especially compared to oblivion. They also felt different enough from eachother.

Setting - was just a good setting overall

The bad:
Story Telling - While story arcs are good, it is all rushed. You character can do too much, too quickly

CTD issues, still, seems to be worse than on release now

The Journal - is a worthless sack of crap, I preferred the pre -oblivion style journal

Item placement - still has the signature quest item located in dark corner and you can't see it har har!


----------



## AxeHappy

I'd agree with most of that list except for the Skill system and Visuals. 

While I think the skill system is the easiest to use of an ES game it has no depth to it. I actually find it more restrictive than most RPGs. I put a perk into Speech and that was way more of a wasted point than putting a feat into something you decide you don't need in say a NWN game. Also just way to few choices. Can't customise your character as much as I'd like.

The graphics are easily the best looking of any ES game, but one of the worst if comparing to what other games are out at the time. It looks quite dated compared to games that were out 1-2 years ago even. 2D trees? Seriously? The trees are running the same tech as Daggerfall. Brutal. Everytime I walk by a tree (which is quite often) I get a little annoyed. Also whenever you get close to any texture it just looks like shit. Total shit. 

Chainmail also looks bad. Doesn't look like rings, looks like a single block of whatever with rings through on top. And I could keep going with graphics issues, but I'm lazy so I won't. Fuckers need to get that construction kit out and let people really go to town on texture packs and whatnot.


----------



## SirMyghin

I never noticed any of these graphical issues, then again I generally don't care much about a games appearance.


----------



## pink freud

One graphical bug that should have been a "No Duh!" on their part is if you have daggers holstered and crouch down, you impale yourself through your thigh. Should have put the holster on the leg, not the belt.


----------



## vampiregenocide

Just slayed an elder dragon on the roof of the mage college. Epic.


----------



## Sicarius

I found one elder dragon, killed it
and the game crashed a little later

reloaded and it wasn't there anymore.

fucking Bethesda.


----------



## vampiregenocide

I'm finding them a lot easier than expected. I haven't been killed by one yet, or very close to being killed.


----------



## SirMyghin

^^ Wait til you see an ancient dragon. Can drop my theif char (about400 health) 1 breath, if it hits and sticks.


----------



## Sicarius

I don't wanna


----------



## Grand Moff Tim

My sneaky khajiit is level 20, and I've only seen _one_ dragon. I don't know if that's because I haven't done the quest where it shows


Spoiler



Alduin resurrecting a dragon,


 but it's kindof annoying seeing my list of locked shouts pile up while still having that "0 Dragon souls" in the corner.

Then again, what would I do if I _did _see one? Unlock a chest at him? Pick his pockets to death?


----------



## Pooluke41

Grand Moff Tim said:


> My sneaky khajiit is level 20, and I've only seen _one_ dragon. I don't know if that's because I haven't done the quest where it shows
> 
> 
> Spoiler
> 
> 
> 
> Alduin resurrecting a dragon,
> 
> 
> but it's kindof annoying seeing my list of locked shouts pile up while still having that "0 Dragon souls" in the corner.
> 
> Then again, what would I do if I _did _see one? Unlock a chest at him? Pick his pockets to death?



PUNCH HIM TO DEATH LIKE A VIKING!


----------



## pink freud

So I got Mehrune's Razor. What a disappointment. "Small chance to instantly kill." You mean like _every weapon in the game already?

_Also, for killing dragons: You don't have to be the person to kill it, just be near it when it dies.


----------



## Sicarius

at least it looks neat?


----------



## GhostsofAcid

I've completed the main quest line, the legion, and the thieves guild, as well as a good chunk of all the other stuff across several characters. The thieves guild quest line is the only one that really stood out to me so far as really good. I was pretty dissapointed in the main quest. The Dark Brotherhood is shaping up to be pretty epic, though. I'd have more done, but i'm currently playing my "everything but the quest lines" character and trying to mop up most of the side quests.



pink freud said:


> So I got Mehrune's Razor. What a disappointment. "Small chance to instantly kill." You mean like _every weapon in the game already?
> 
> _Also, for killing dragons: You don't have to be the person to kill it, just be near it when it dies.



I've been using it as my main weapon on my 1h character. If you use smithing you can decrease its suckiness significantly. Anyone know if Umbra is lying around anywhere in skyrim?


----------



## pink freud

GhostsofAcid said:


> I've completed the main quest line, the legion, and the thieves guild, as well as a good chunk of all the other stuff across several characters. The thieves guild quest line is the only one that really stood out to me so far as really good. I was pretty dissapointed in the main quest. The Dark Brotherhood is shaping up to be pretty epic, though. I'd have more done, but i'm currently playing my "everything but the quest lines" character and trying to mop up most of the side quests.
> 
> 
> 
> I've been using it as my main weapon on my 1h character. If you use smithing you can decrease its suckiness significantly. Anyone know if Umbra is lying around anywhere in skyrim?



If you have smithing high enough you can also craft Legendary Ebony daggers, which blow the Razor out of the water.

I checked up on good old Umbra. So far it looks like it got an off-screen lore-death after Oblivion.


----------



## Grand Moff Tim

pink freud said:


> If you have smithing high enough you can also craft Legendary Ebony daggers, which blow the Razor out of the water.


 
Wouldn't Legendary Daedric daggers be even better?


----------



## pink freud

Grand Moff Tim said:


> Wouldn't Legendary Daedric daggers be even better?



What I meant to type, yeah.

Improved Razor is like 34 damage, while the Daedric daggers at Legendary are at least 10 damage higher, plus they are open for enchanting.


----------



## GhostsofAcid

pink freud said:


> What I meant to type, yeah.
> 
> Improved Razor is like 34 damage, while the Daedric daggers at Legendary are at least 10 damage higher, plus they are open for enchanting.



Yeah, i pretty much alternate between mehrunes razor (flawless) and the mace of molag bal (flawless), which AFAIK has the same stats as a daedric mace, so i have a different weapon for pure high damage output. I guess i could get more damage out of a daedric mace, since it has a corresponding perk and could be pushed all the way to legendary, without all the enchanting and alchemy buffs to smithing i'm too lazy to bother with.


----------



## Grand Moff Tim

I used the Mace of Molag Baal alot with my 1H battlemage/jack-of-all-trades dude. With my current sneaky-sneak I mostly use my glass bow, unless I get spotted and they close in before I can shoot 'em down, then I dual wield a glass sword and a glass dagger. I do occasionally use the glass dagger alone, with the Shrouded Gloves (2x backstab, plus the 15x dagger sneak damage perk ftw) when I'm doing some close-range sneaky assassinations. That throat slitting animation is hilarious.

EDIT: None of my main weaons are enchanted yet, because I'm waiting until my enchanting skill is a bit higher.


----------



## Sicarius

*doing quests for the Dark Brotherhood*
*Elder Dragon and Blood Dragon drop in*
"COME AT ME, DOVAH BROS"
*call dragon shout*

Like a boss


----------



## HighGain510

Sicarius said:


> *doing quests for the Dark Brotherhood*
> *Elder Dragon and Blood Dragon drop in*
> "COME AT ME, DOVAH BROS"
> *call dragon shout*
> 
> Like a boss



Haha that happened to me before too. Fortunately my conjuration is at 100 so I can summon TWO dremora and let them handle most of the abuse!


----------



## XEN

HighGain510 said:


> Haha that happened to me before too. Fortunately my conjuration is at 100 so I can summon TWO dremora and let them handle most of the abuse!


lol I think mine's at 16 and my toon is a level 42.


----------



## HighGain510

Yeah my armor levels are relatively low (like in the 40s) as I've been focusing on using conjuration and letting my flame/frost/lightning atronachs and now the dremoras do a lot of the damage as well as TAKING the brunt of the damage the enemies are dealing out!  I just sit back and watch until it is time to finish them off and I typically use the bound sword conjuration which helped me get it to 100 without really "trying" to get there.  Should have focused on a few other things like armor the thief skills but I could always start another character if I want to go heavy or sneaky for the gameplay.


----------



## XEN

HighGain510 said:


> Yeah my armor levels are relatively low (like in the 40s) as I've been focusing on using conjuration and letting my flame/frost/lightning atronachs and now the dremoras do a lot of the damage as well as TAKING the brunt of the damage the enemies are dealing out!  I just sit back and watch until it is time to finish them off and I typically use the bound sword conjuration which helped me get it to 100 without really "trying" to get there.  Should have focused on a few other things like armor the thief skills but I could always start another character if I want to go heavy or sneaky for the gameplay.


I've been meaning to pick up that spell. I miss the bound daggers and bows of the previous versions though.


----------



## maliciousteve

I just started playing this last night and I'm in love with it. At the moment I'm liking it more than Fallout as the scenery is absolutely amazing.

Fought two dragons, got the basic shout thing going on after visiting the greybeards and trying to level up as much as possible (level 8 right now). Fucking hate the giants and trolls.


----------



## vampiregenocide

I'm level 39 now and I beast pretty much everything.  I've gotten caught off guard by a few mages (they rinse me with fire attacks) but otherwise my character has a lot of health and armour, plus I enchanted my dual daedric swords to drain health which helps a bit. Just picked up the mace of molag baal as well, so once I can upgrade that I will probably use that as well. I have a few daedric artefacts now. 

I'm currently going through the thieves guild which is pretty fun.


----------



## Daiephir

The only Daedric Artifacts that I possess are the Razor and the Molag Baal mace, where do I get the others?
EDIT: Also, doing some Brahs quest, I had to kill Nilsine, and now the guars in Windhelm wont let me go to prison


----------



## Grand Moff Tim




----------



## pink freud

In the sociopath's defense, the kid _does_ say she'll fight anyone!


----------



## BrainArt

Daiephir said:


> The only Daedric Artifacts that I possess are the Razor and the Molag Baal mace, where do I get the others?
> EDIT: Also, doing some Brahs quest, I had to kill Nilsine, and now the guars in Windhelm wont let me go to prison



I have a massive bounty in Windhelm, because I went on a rampage as a werewolf. I doubt that I'll be able to yield to do my time in the jail, it's that large.


----------



## Daiephir

BrainArt said:


> I have a massive bounty in Windhelm, because I went on a rampage as a werewolf. I doubt that I'll be able to yield to do my time in the jail, it's that large.



I only killed 1 person, in plain sight, my mah dagger, yet I cant yield


----------



## SirMyghin

Daiephir said:


> I only killed 1 person, in plain sight, my mah dagger, yet I cant yield



Fight back for a hit, then yield.


----------



## Grand Moff Tim

Daiephir said:


> EDIT: Also, doing some Brahs quest, I had to kill Nilsine, and now the guars in Windhelm wont let me go to prison


 
What's the lesson here, children?

Witnesses are bad.


----------



## pink freud

Grand Moff Tim said:


> What's the lesson here, children?
> 
> Witnesses are bad.



So...


kill the witnesses?


----------



## The Reverend

pink freud said:


> So...
> 
> 
> kill the witnesses?



No witnesses, no one to report the crime.


----------



## Grand Moff Tim

pink freud said:


> So...
> 
> 
> kill the witnesses?


 
I've resorted to that once or twice, yes. Better to just avoid detection, but sometimes you just gotta do what you gotta do.


----------



## Daiephir

So you're suggesting that I murder a whole town?  the bitch wouldn't hide in any building so I had to do it in the open, though we were alone when it happened.


----------



## SirMyghin

I spent a long time looking for Nilsine and gave up, it turned out the I missed intercepting the butcher earlier, and got the bonus as she was already dead 

She does go to the shatter-shield house at night though.


----------



## Daiephir

Regarding that quest, how/when do I get it? I'm tired of old ladies telling me to beware of that butcher


----------



## SirMyghin

It seems a bit variant, spend a few days in windhelm and then go near the hall of the dead and you will likely get it.


----------



## Grand Moff Tim

Daiephir said:


> So you're suggesting that I murder a whole town?  the bitch wouldn't hide in any building so I had to do it in the open, though we were alone when it happened.


 
I murdered her outside and in broad daylight and still managed to do it without any witnesses. I just followed her around until she was between houses and in a low-traffic area (the northwestern corner, where the purchasable house is) and put and arrow in the back of her head. Problem solved.



Daiephir said:


> Regarding that quest, how/when do I get it? I'm tired of old ladies telling me to beware of that butcher


 
The surest way to start it is to buy the house there.


----------



## TimSE

I dont play Skyrim: Dis thread !


----------



## vampiregenocide




----------



## Grand Moff Tim

That's pretty cool.


----------



## SirMyghin

^^^ I'm not sure if that is the best, or worst mod ever.


----------



## Guitarman700




----------



## Sicarius

Oh PC version.

U best version.


----------



## Stealth7

Sicarius said:


> Oh PC version.
> 
> U best version.



I'm wishing I got it for PC now.


----------



## pink freud

If you have USB connectivity on your console I'm fairly certain you could mod. I know for a fact that console owners have modded Mass Effect 2.


----------



## The Reverend

pink freud said:


> If you have USB connectivity on your console I'm fairly certain you could mod. I know for a fact that console owners have modded Mass Effect 2.



You know, I think I heard about this, actually. 

Time to do some Googling!


----------



## Stealth7

Talking about mods..

Skyrim iCEnhancer mod confirmed, first Jaw-Dropping Screenshot

 Damn you PCers.


----------



## Captain Shoggoth

pink freud said:


> If you have USB connectivity on your console I'm fairly certain you could mod. I know for a fact that console owners have modded Mass Effect 2.



you serious breh?


----------



## pink freud

Captain Shoggoth said:


> you serious breh?



About people modding console editions of Mass Effect 2? Yes. You download the mod onto a USB stick and then plug it into the console. From there I have no clue because I am a Master Race PC Gamer.


----------



## vampiregenocide

Good way to get your account banned though.


----------



## SirMyghin

banned for what on what? Modding a single player game violates a EULA of some variety?


----------



## vampiregenocide

SirMyghin said:


> banned for what on what? Modding a single player game violates a EULA of some variety?



Microsoft are really aggressive about tampering with shit.


----------



## SirMyghin

vampiregenocide said:


> Microsoft are really aggressive about tampering with shit.



Now if only we could have convinced Betheseda to port from PC to console opposed to the opposite, so I could have a decent UI (the UI is fucking terrible on computer for skyrim, it misclicks and stuff all the time), the world would be a better place.


----------



## Grand Moff Tim

SirMyghin said:


> Now if only we could have convinced Betheseda to port from PC to console opposed to the opposite, so I could have a decent UI (the UI is fucking terrible on computer for skyrim, it misclicks and stuff all the time), the world would be a better place.


 
Yeah, it seems two out of three times I click on "Misc" in a merchant's inventory, it boots me back to the conversation menu. Shit gets old FAST. I'm sure that'll be one of the most common mods, though, so just... be patient, I guess?

You know what mod I want? An Oblivion-style map. I don't fucking need fancy graphical representations of the terrain, i want to know where the fucking _roads_ are. That map is fucking useless. Again, though, I'm sure it'll be modded in.


----------



## Grand Moff Tim

I rerolled my pure mage the other day. This time I'm using more than just destruction all the damned time, and I have to admit, conjuration is really friggin' useful. Illusion is good too, if only for the Fury/Rage spells. Turning your enemies against eachother is hilarious.


----------



## SirMyghin

Grand Moff Tim said:


> Yeah, it seems two out of three times I click on "Misc" in a merchant's inventory, it boots me back to the conversation menu. Shit gets old FAST. I'm sure that'll be one of the most common mods, though, so just... be patient, I guess?
> 
> You know what mod I want? An Oblivion-style map. I don't fucking need fancy graphical representations of the terrain, i want to know where the fucking _roads_ are. That map is fucking useless. Again, though, I'm sure it'll be modded in.


Why don't we have the toolset yet anyway. They said a week or 2 after realize.. It prevents any of the more significant mods from getting made (thank goodness some folks still make some). There are some mods that boost destruction to respectable levels late game out there at least.


----------



## Grand Moff Tim

Man, enemy mages seem to have no problem having respectable destruction spells. Those assholes RAPE me, haha. I want the spells THEY have.


----------



## SirMyghin

Grand Moff Tim said:


> Man, enemy mages seem to have no problem having respectable destruction spells. Those assholes RAPE me, haha. I want the spells THEY have.



I know what you mean, Enemy mages rape you, any level, their spells scale much better, where yours do not scale at all!. I shoot them 10x, they might die, some even survive my daedric bow of doom sneak attack! (that bow damage is over 300!), and if they hit me with an ice spike I go down crying.


----------



## AxeHappy

Grand Moff Tim said:


> Yeah, it seems two out of three times I click on "Misc" in a merchant's inventory, it boots me back to the conversation menu. Shit gets old FAST. I'm sure that'll be one of the most common mods, though, so just... be patient, I guess?




To be fair, even if it didn't have mis-click problems it's still be fucking horrible.

PC Skyrim is a frustrating mess&#8212;and will soon be the best version

But this is a start:
QD Inventory at Skyrim Nexus - Skyrim Mods and community


----------



## pink freud

SirMyghin said:


> I know what you mean, Enemy mages rape you, any level, their spells scale much better, where yours do not scale at all!. I shoot them 10x, they might die, some even survive my daedric bow of doom sneak attack! (that bow damage is over 300!), and if they hit me with an ice spike I go down crying.



Mages are usually pretty simple. 

Hide behind pillar, strafe out and the in. Inevitably they will launch their spell, so just charge them before they can set off another.


----------



## SirMyghin

pink freud said:


> Mages are usually pretty simple.
> 
> Hide behind pillar, strafe out and the in. Inevitably they will launch their spell, so just charge them before they can set off another.



Not as easy as A another mage or B ranged guy who somehow got detected by mages super sight. You think other mage would be a glass canon off, but they are far too durable compared to you.


----------



## GhostsofAcid

SirMyghin said:


> Now if only we could have convinced Betheseda to port from PC to console opposed to the opposite, so I could have a decent UI (the UI is fucking terrible on computer for skyrim, it misclicks and stuff all the time), the world would be a better place.



It's not that much better on 360. I don't know about the other 360 players, but i freakin hate the skill menu. You have to press the thumbsticks at awkward angles to get to the correct perk and half the time you still end up with the wrong one or even in a different skill tree. It's a prime example of form over functionality.


----------



## SirMyghin

GhostsofAcid said:


> It's not that much better on 360. I don't know about the other 360 players, but i freakin hate the skill menu. You have to press the thumbsticks at awkward angles to get to the correct perk and half the time you still end up with the wrong one or even in a different skill tree. It's a prime example of form over functionality.


We don't have those odd angles available to us, and it zooms in so far we can't just click the one we want from afar  It is just poor all around.


----------



## Sicarius

Grand Moff Tim said:


> Yeah, it seems two out of three times I click on "Misc" in a merchant's inventory, it boots me back to the conversation menu. Shit gets old FAST. I'm sure that'll be one of the most common mods, though, so just... be patient, I guess?
> 
> You know what mod I want? An Oblivion-style map. I don't fucking need fancy graphical representations of the terrain, i want to know where the fucking _roads_ are. That map is fucking useless. Again, though, I'm sure it'll be modded in.


There is a mod that makes the map Google Maps-y.


----------



## Captain Shoggoth

I like the UI a lot, but I agree the map is irritating as hell. WHY ARE THERE CLOUDS ON IT A MAP SHOULD NOT HAVE OBFUSCATIONS SURELY THAT DEFEEATS THE POINT OF A MAP FFFFFUUUUUUUUUU KJNMKERGIBFWDJLIERFR EW RFWED


----------



## Sicarius

I find the giant mountain to be more obstructive than the clouds that block out the borders to the other areas of Tamriel.


----------



## ScottyB724

For me being a console guy, the UI main menu is a fucking god-send compared to other games. The skill menu perks angling thing is only a slight annoyance personally, not too bad once you get used to it. But I definitely see how it would be shitty on a PC, but you guys got mods.. so yea.


----------



## Grand Moff Tim

I just want to see the roads on the map. That's all I ask for. I'm lame enough that I LIKE following the roads instead of just making a beeline for my destination. It makes me feel more like I'm part of the world.


----------



## Michael T

Screw a bunch of Skyrim. Got 182hrs into it and now my game is freezing up every 5 minutes. Completely unplayable. Hope they patch this soon, I've tried everything I've found online and nothing helps !!!

Oh well, still love the game.


----------



## Grand Moff Tim

Playing it on PS3, are you?


----------



## Michael T

Nope Xbox 360


----------



## Grand Moff Tim

Huh. I hadn't heard about any lag/freeze problems on the 360. Glad I have it on PC, I guess .


----------



## Tomo009

I absolutely hate the UI, not to say TES has ever had a good UI, but it's so clunky and just not very computer friendly. On PC, the mouse controls are incredibly unresponsive meaning you sort of have to use the arrow keys, which is very awkward and sort of time consuming compared to just clicking what you want. Not sure why the mouse controls are so bad or why they wouldn't just allow you to point an click instead of having to scroll through every option first. 

Pretty minor complaint about the game really but it seems to be what is being discussed haha.


----------



## AxeHappy

I haven't had any trouble using my mouse. I just find it a poorly laid out pile of shit. Should take 7 fucking clicks to get to what took 1 (1 FUCKING CLICK!!!!) in Morrowind.


----------



## Grand Moff Tim

An annoying thing regarding clicks is that with almost every instance that you have a choice of dropping/selling 5 or more items, you have the option of choosing how many you drop/sell, but for smithing? NOPE. You want to craft 20 daggers? DO THAT SHIT ONE-BY-ONE, BITCH! Shit's un-fuckin'-necessary.


----------



## The Reverend

I really didn't have an issue getting used to the UI. The only problem I've had is that when you try to sell lots of things on a console version, it takes forever to get where you want, whereas I'm assuming on PC you can just click in the middle or something.


----------



## Tomo009

The Reverend said:


> I really didn't have an issue getting used to the UI. The only problem I've had is that when you try to sell lots of things on a console version, it takes forever to get where you want, whereas I'm assuming on PC you can just click in the middle or something.



Not sure what you mean here, but the whole UI is the same, shopping is one of the worst aspects.

So is pointing and clicking actually working for others? For me, I have to mouse over what is selected by default then slowly mouse to the next in line and repeat until I'm where I want. It doesn't recognize just mousing over the option I want and clicking, it will click the default option, so annoying. Arrows end up being much easier but it's kind of odd I have to do that.


----------



## Sicarius

I never realized Christopher Plummer was Aegnir


----------



## The Reverend

Tomo009 said:


> Not sure what you mean here, but the whole UI is the same, shopping is one of the worst aspects.
> 
> So is pointing and clicking actually working for others? For me, I have to mouse over what is selected by default then slowly mouse to the next in line and repeat until I'm where I want. It doesn't recognize just mousing over the option I want and clicking, it will click the default option, so annoying. Arrows end up being much easier but it's kind of odd I have to do that.



I mean that when you have a lot of items, say a thousand Ancient Nord Arrows, and you try to sell them, you have to hold down a thumbstick and watch it scroll through the numbers. I'm assuming that if a PC player was doing that, you could just click in the middle and sell 500 instead of a thousand.


----------



## Grand Moff Tim

Sicarius said:


> Christopher Plummer


 

<3


----------



## SirMyghin

Grand Moff Tim said:


> An annoying thing regarding clicks is that with almost every instance that you have a choice of dropping/selling 5 or more items, you have the option of choosing how many you drop/sell, but for smithing? NOPE. You want to craft 20 daggers? DO THAT SHIT ONE-BY-ONE, BITCH! Shit's un-fuckin'-necessary.



Not to mention the constant 'are you sure menus' so you have to do everything twice. I mean you have to select an items, enchantment, and soul gem. Then press are and get "are you sure" ....


----------



## AxeHappy

That drives me crazy! Every time it comes up I try and click, "E," as in every other game ever made the default use button answers yes to shit on the PC.

But NO!!!! YOU HAVE TO MOUSE OVER THAT SHIT IN SKYRIM!!!!!


----------



## vampiregenocide

Okay my character is now badass as fuck.  I'm going through all the Daedric artefact missions, and have about 6 or 7 now. My character currently has ebony mail, Clavicus Vile's mask and the rest is regular upgraded Daedric armour. Looks epic.


I do have an issue with my wife Aela though. Every time I come home, she comes at me with a knife and brings the dialogue box up. She isn't hostile, just in an attack stance. She won't let me escape and keeps bringing the box up, so I have to quickly dodge her. When I try to wait or fast travel, it says I can't travel when guards are pursuing me, but Aela is the only one following me. It's a pain.


----------



## Grand Moff Tim




----------



## Wingchunwarrior

At level 47 atm,quite proud but a guy I know is level 81! I don't understand how's its possible?


----------



## Grand Moff Tim

Just used the Populate Spellbook console command, and MAN there are alot of spells. Blizzard is pretty hilarious, I have to admit. I can't wait to use it on a room full of baddies.


----------



## AxeHappy

Installed a bunch of crafting mods yesterday and they're pretty awesome. I highly recommend them:

Lost Art of The Blacksmith
More Craftables
Legendary Smithing Upgrades
Dragonbone Weapons
Craftable Staves
Craftable Soulstones


----------



## Grand Moff Tim

Go ahead, Alduin. Fuck with Calls-Down-Lightning. I *DARE* you.


----------



## stevo1

They need dragon weapons or something, I can't keep making Daedra weapons, because daedra hearts are hard to come by for me. Or I wish bethesda would fix some of the respawn problems so the dremoras at the temple of Mehrunes Dagon would respawn.


----------



## leandroab

leveling restoration is a pain in the fucking ass...


----------



## SirMyghin

Grand Moff Tim said:


> Go ahead, Alduin. Fuck with Calls-Down-Lightning. I *DARE* you.



I have a black and red argonoian somewhere too . He was heavy 1h and shield, got shelfed for heavy + 2h, which you are right, is ridiculous.


----------



## AxeHappy

stevo1 said:


> They need dragon weapons or something, I can't keep making Daedra weapons, because daedra hearts are hard to come by for me. Or I wish bethesda would fix some of the respawn problems so the dremoras at the temple of Mehrunes Dagon would respawn.






Me said:


> Installed a bunch of crafting mods yesterday and they're pretty awesome. I highly recommend them:
> 
> Lost Art of The Blacksmith
> More Craftables
> Legendary Smithing Upgrades
> _*Dragonbone Weapons*_
> Craftable Staves
> Craftable Soulstones



If you're not playing it on a computer and thusly can't mod that's your fault.


----------



## HighGain510

AxeHappy said:


> Installed a bunch of crafting mods yesterday and they're pretty awesome. I highly recommend them:
> 
> Lost Art of The Blacksmith
> More Craftables
> Legendary Smithing Upgrades
> Dragonbone Weapons
> Craftable Staves
> Craftable Soulstones



Since I'm still a relative noob to how modding works within Elder Scrolls games, how does one go about finding and installing said mods? Would be kickass to make some dragonbone weapons in particular as I don't have much use for the dozens of dragonbones laying around in my chests!


----------



## vampiregenocide

stevo1 said:


> They need dragon weapons or something, I can't keep making Daedra weapons, because daedra hearts are hard to come by for me. Or I wish bethesda would fix some of the respawn problems so the dremoras at the temple of Mehrunes Dagon would respawn.



There's one inside the companion's quarters that you can steal. It has reappeared for me too. Also the alchemists sometimes get them in. Or do some of the daedric missions. They're quite easy to get. I've created all the armour and some daedric weapons and I have a few spare hearts.


----------



## AxeHappy

HighGain510 said:


> Since I'm still a relative noob to how modding works within Elder Scrolls games, how does one go about finding and installing said mods? Would be kickass to make some dragonbone weapons in particular as I don't have much use for the dozens of dragonbones laying around in my chests!




No Problem:

Go Here:
Skyrim Nexus - Skyrim Mods and community 

I'd recommend creating an account, as it's free and to download really large mods (Can't remember what the cutoff is right now) you need it.

Search for mods (there tend to be "Top 25" or whatever lists all over the internet).

Download mod.

99% of mods have instructions but most of the time you'll simply extract the files into your Data folder. Some of the more interesting mods (like the FXAA Injector things...which I also highly recommend to make the game look less like shit) require you to do other things but they are well documented.


If you get the Dragonbone weapons I'd recommend the "Whiter Dragonbone" mod by the same person. I like the way it looks.


----------



## BrainArt

Joined the imperial legion, last night. 

I also found heavy armor that I like more than my wolf armor. Steel plate. I had a full set sitting in my chest in breezehome.

I have a glass helmet that I found (read: stole) that I fenced to tonilia then bought back from her so it wouldn't be labeled as stolen.


----------



## Grand Moff Tim

SirMyghin said:


> I have a black and red argonoian somewhere too . He was heavy 1h and shield, got shelfed for heavy + 2h, which you are right, is ridiculous.


 
My Argonian is a character I created solely to try the Populate Spellbook console command, toggle God Mode, then just run around FUCKING. SHIT. UP. Firestorm is leveling my destruction skill every time I use it .


----------



## SirMyghin

Grand Moff Tim said:


> My Argonian is a character I created solely to try the Populate Spellbook console command, toggle God Mode, then just run around FUCKING. SHIT. UP. Firestorm is leveling my destruction skill every time I use it .



Shouldn't you be using the lightning cloak?  I never did go back to my mage, I may do that after some good magic system mods exist that make the game balance better w/ destruction. I feel a bit of pendulum effects with the current ones.


----------



## Grand Moff Tim

SirMyghin said:


> Shouldn't you be using the lightning cloak?  I never did go back to my mage, I may do that after some good magic system mods exist that make the game balance better w/ destruction. I feel a bit of pendulum effects with the current ones.


 
I have all of the lightning spells hotkeyed and use them more than any other, but there's something about Firestorm that's just hilarious. Blizzard, too. The uber-lightning spell just isn't as entertaining as the others, even if it is more accurate.

EDIT: Not ALL of the lightning spells, just the ones that are actually in the non-cheating game. There are seriously DOZENS of additional spells unavailable to the player when you use PSB, and hotkeying them all wouldn't make any sense.


----------



## stevo1

AxeHappy said:


> If you're not playing it on a computer and thusly can't mod that's your fault.



I know.  Im saying they need some though, Maybe in DLC? new shouts too hopefully. I have way too many unused dragon souls


----------



## SirMyghin

Grand Moff Tim said:


> I have all of the lightning spells hotkeyed and use them more than any other, but there's something about Firestorm that's just hilarious. Blizzard, too. The uber-lightning spell just isn't as entertaining as the others, even if it is more accurate.
> 
> EDIT: Not ALL of the lightning spells, just the ones that are actually in the non-cheating game. There are seriously DOZENS of additional spells unavailable to the player when you use PSB, and hotkeying them all wouldn't make any sense.



So spells that are in the game but 'disabled'? Interesting. Lightning is the best destro spells for dealing with dragons as you can actually land hits while they fly around (it travels fast enough). Even the bows can't boast that really.


----------



## Grand Moff Tim

SirMyghin said:


> So spells that are in the game but 'disabled'? Interesting.


 
Yeah, both spells that were originally going to be included but got cut, and spells that enemies and other NPCs use that the player doesn't. That includes shouts, too. There are WAY more shouts in the Spell Book than in the game, but it's worth note that PSB only gives you the shouts, not the dragon souls you need to actually be able to use them. I've got all the shouts and then some, but I can still only use fucking Unrelenting Force and Whirlwind Sprint. Calls-Down-Lightning is just itching to use that Storm shout...


----------



## BlackMastodon

vampiregenocide said:


> There's one inside the companion's quarters that you can steal. It has reappeared for me too. Also the alchemists sometimes get them in. Or do some of the daedric missions. They're quite easy to get. I've created all the armour and some daedric weapons and I have a few spare hearts.


There's also a dark elf in the College who sells them, if you do the Thieves Guild quests then he is also a fence for them. He's usually hanging around the second floor of the living quarters in the College and often has 2 hearts to sell you.


----------



## XEN

leandroab said:


> leveling restoration is a pain in the fucking ass...


Equilibrium on the left hand, Fast Heal on the right.
Spam both.


----------



## Sicarius

Grand Moff Tim said:


> Yeah, both spells that were originally going to be included but got cut, and spells that enemies and other NPCs use that the player doesn't. That includes shouts, too. There are WAY more shouts in the Spell Book than in the game, but it's worth note that PSB only gives you the shouts, not the dragon souls you need to actually be able to use them. I've got all the shouts and then some, but I can still only use fucking Unrelenting Force and Whirlwind Sprint. Calls-Down-Lightning is just itching to use that Storm shout...


storm shout is awesome.

except when you use that instead of call dragon.

that kind of hinders things for a bit...


----------



## ZEBOV

Butt... There is one leaf here. In their&#65279; dung, he is poo fucking. Dragonball!
LOSE YOUR JOB! He's the lord, fucking cool, oh my god. Me gusta, let's prepare, a POOOOOL.
So come on, rectal staple my fart to the floor. Rub it in, rub it in, for the sake of Skyrim, brother guy, brother cool, turkey of the sky.
Look at her, oh my god, she is so keen to suck, you're the king, you're the king, of the abattoir. YAH!


----------



## Grand Moff Tim

It's actually kindof starting to bum me out how short so many of the storylines and quests are. They're still generally pretty interesting and/or entertaining, but they aren't interesting for _long_ enough to really draw me in to the stories. I didn't even have time enough to feel like I was a true member of the thieves guild before they were hoisting the leadership mantle on me. The same was essentially true of the Dark Brotherhood. I even did ALL of the available side missions assassinations in the DB before advancing the story, and I _still_ didn't really feel like anything more than just some outsider who likes killing people. 

I suppose doing a shit ton of side missions in the thieves guild before doing stoy missions might have made more of a connection, but there was little to no reason to do them, as opposed to in Oblivion, where you _had_ to go be a thief and do some thievin' before they'd even _tell_ you about a new mission. 

I'm slowly becoming aware that I don't feel as immersed in Skyrim as I did in Oblivion, but I'm not sure how much of that is nostalgia for the game I played first, and how much is due to some "fault" with Skyrim. 

Oh well. It's still my GOTY, surprise surprise.


----------



## Grand Moff Tim

Oddly, I think the _one_ storyline that _did_ draw me in was the Stormcloack side of the Civil War story. Even if a few of the missions were a little too hack-n-slashy, there were enough of them, spread out across the entire map and entertwined with the gameworld politics and its citizens, that I felt like I was actually a _part_ of something. 

It was a nice touch getting new nicknames at various points in the story, and you can bet your _ass_ I rocked the Stormcloak Officer armor I got towards the end. Any asshole could kill a stormcloak footsoldier and take his cuirass, but that Officer garb really felt like something special that I had earned by contributing to something. Sure, it had no enchantments and was hardly the best light armor in the game, but it sure does look sweet  (plus at low-levels it's as good as any other light armor available, and can alwats be enchanted later with better enchantments than it would've come with anyways).

Oddly, I think it also helped that


Spoiler



I _wasn't_ declared "Leader of the Stormcloakz omgz!!!" or whatever at the end of it.


 It didnt feel weird and forced, like some of the other storylines.


Spoiler



Installing new Jarls in the previously Imperial-held cities


 was also a nice touch.

The main downside to that is I personally don't like those racist fucks and would side with the Empire if given the choice myself . The Empire side of the War played out almost identically to the Stormcloak side, of course, but they didn't give me nicknames and sweet bearhat armor .


----------



## XEN

I agree. Some of the quest lines have been short and underdeveloped. The Thieves Guild stuff started getting irritating when I was sent to loot the same house 3 times.
Still, I don't know what it is, but even though some of the quests feel more like chores than adventures, I've logged over 150 hours on my Khajit and have yet to finish the Companions, Civil War, and main quest lines.
I'm as hooked as I was to Morrowind and Oblivion.


----------



## vampiregenocide

I've finished the Dark Brotherhood quests, and imo that was the best of the bunch. Very good ending.


----------



## Grand Moff Tim

urklvt said:


> I agree. Some of the quest lines have been short and underdeveloped. The Thieves Guild stuff started getting irritating when I was sent to loot the same house 3 times.
> Still, I don't know what it is, but even though some of the quests feel more like chores than adventures, I've logged over 150 hours on my Khajit and have yet to finish the Companions, Civil War, and main quest lines.
> I'm as hooked as I was to Morrowind and Oblivion.


 
Haha, yeah, don't get me wrong. I'm hella hooked on Skyrim. I've got 176 hours logged so far, spread out over six different character builds  (one lvl 40, two lvl 31s, two somewhere in the 20s, and one hovering somewhere around lvl 10).

I also always seem to forget about the Companion questline. I really enjoyed it and the story behind it, but it also suffers from the same Too-short-and-why-the-fuck-am-I-your-leader-now syndrome as the others. I haven't finished the Mages College quests with any of my dudes (and dudette) so far, so... we'll see how that goes?


----------



## metal_sam14

A youtube comment I found that made me laugh 

"I used to like that Skyrim joke, until I took a Vagina to the&#65279; Penis."


----------



## Captain Shoggoth

Where do you people find all this time, I'm a goddamn teenager and I only have 50hrs at just under level 19


----------



## Opeth666

to me Skyrim is still in the BETA stage and shouldnt have been released yet...


----------



## Captain Shoggoth

I'm playing patchless and I've had no bugs


----------



## SirMyghin

Grand Moff Tim said:


> It's actually kindof starting to bum me out how short so many of the storylines and quests are. They're still generally pretty interesting and/or entertaining, but they aren't interesting for _long_ enough to really draw me in to the stories. I didn't even have time enough to feel like I was a true member of the thieves guild before they were hoisting the leadership mantle on me. The same was essentially true of the Dark Brotherhood. I even did ALL of the available side missions assassinations in the DB before advancing the story, and I _still_ didn't really feel like anything more than just some outsider who likes killing people.
> 
> I suppose doing a shit ton of side missions in the thieves guild before doing stoy missions might have made more of a connection, but there was little to no reason to do them, as opposed to in Oblivion, where you _had_ to go be a thief and do some thievin' before they'd even _tell_ you about a new mission.
> 
> I'm slowly becoming aware that I don't feel as immersed in Skyrim as I did in Oblivion, but I'm not sure how much of that is nostalgia for the game I played first, and how much is due to some "fault" with Skyrim.
> 
> Oh well. It's still my GOTY, surprise surprise.



By developing the world to a much higher level than oblivion, it seems like this fell out of the bag when they shook it all up, you know? Morrowind to Oblivion, we had the same lengthy guild storylines and better graphics, piss poor dungeons, etc. This one they got the dungeons back up to snuff, and the main story was arguably better, but everything could be accomplished too quickly.


----------



## Sicarius

Opeth666 said:


> to me Skyrim is still in the BETA stage and shouldnt have been released yet...


It's Bethesda, be happy they really didn't release it in Beta.


----------



## Grand Moff Tim

I just went on a random killing spree in Markarth just for shits and giggles (I saved beforehand, of course) and got my bounty in The Reach up to 23,000 in about five minutes using nothing but Storm Call and Fire Storm. It was hilarious.


----------



## BrainArt

Killing sprees are always fun when you're bored of doing quests and just want to blow off some steam. In the game, of course.


I went back to Windhelm and got myself arrested to get rid of the massive bounty I had. But, it was weird, because not long after that I was arrested again for doing absolutely nothing.

Also, I kind of regret my killing spree in Windhelm and not knowing about the serial killer quest when I first went there.


----------



## Captain Shoggoth

>powerlevel smithing to 60 from 30 or so in three sessions
>have some spare steelwarhammers lying around
>by chance purchase a weapon with soul snare enchantment
>??????
>Perpetual Slavemaker (Flawless)


----------



## Black_Sheep

BrainArt said:


> serial killer quest



Did you finish it? Cause i couldn't, there was some bug that fucked up the entire quest. Don't know if it's fixed by now...


----------



## BrainArt

Black_Sheep said:


> Did you finish it? Cause i couldn't, there was some bug that fucked up the entire quest. Don't know if it's fixed by now...



Dude, I didn't even start it. I had no idea about it until after my spree.


----------



## vampiregenocide

BrainArt said:


> Dude, I didn't even start it. I had no idea about it until after my spree.



You became the serial killer. YOU ARE THE QUEST.


----------



## Grand Moff Tim

Black_Sheep said:


> Did you finish it? Cause i couldn't, there was some bug that fucked up the entire quest. Don't know if it's fixed by now...


 
I thought it was bugged too, but it's actually just really particular about certain steps.


Spoiler



Assuming you have already investigated the house the killer was in, you've seen the ZOMG A BUTCHER!!!1! pamphlets on the shelf in the corner. First, make sure you also get the strange amulet under the pamphlets, as that'll unlock a conversation option. Second, make sure you take one of the pamphlets _and keep it_. Third, be sure to check the wardrobe near that shelf, if you haven't. It conceals a gruesome surprise that you'll need. Then, go talk to Viola Giordano, and make sure that pamphlet is in your inventory, because if it isn't, you won't get the quest-related conversation option. That's what had me stuck on the quest for-freaking-_ever_: not having the stupid pamphlet with me.


 
Hope that helped a bit. I was pissed about that quest for a long time too, until I did some e-digging and found that out.


----------



## SirMyghin

Grand Moff Tim said:


> I just went on a random killing spree in Markarth just for shits and giggles (I saved beforehand, of course) and got my bounty in The Reach up to 23,000 in about five minutes using nothing but Storm Call and Fire Storm. It was hilarious.




What really ticked me off is in Markarth for the forsworn conspiracy quest line


Spoiler



you cannot get in the jail without being arrested. I stole the key from the guards, murderred the 4 guards who killed Elyas and fully expected this time to sneak in, murder Macanath, and sneak out. Last time the guards breathing down me made me surrender (or be killed) outside, and I had assumed this would be an option.


 I feel they really dropped the ball there, it should have been doable.



Spoiler



That whole having a pamphlet in your inventory was a PITA step that I didn't figure out either, until I read it somewhere. I even have the journal one, from the man himself, and couldn't solve it. Bethesda needed to have that particular journal fast forward the quest. Radiant responsive system my ass


----------



## Maniacal

Currently level 50... gets a bit too easy from this point on. Pretty much killing everything in 1 hit, with the exception of dragons.


----------



## vampiregenocide

Just finished the mage college, pretty underwhelming.


----------



## Grand Moff Tim

Using God Mode goes a ways towards making spellcasting more enjoyable, because you can use the really high level stuff without worrying about magicka cost or recharging, so you can just use a wide variety of uber-spells to fuck shit up everywhere you go, and finally feel like the supremely powerful mage that the vanilla game never quite achieves. It also eliminates the need for shout recharging, which makes using whirlwhind sprint to zoom around everywhere feasible and fun. Incidentally, no matter how many times the guards ask you to stop shouting in town, they never actually do anything about it. I sprint _everywhere_ now, so I get warned at least three times per visit .


----------



## GhostsofAcid

About 130 hours in, across like 7 characters... Haven't even gotten one to level 50 

I decided yesterday to start a character to get to the level cap with. It's caused me to have a really weird playing style because i use stealth with bows/dual wielding melee/destruction magic all at once. I'm kind of concerned spreading xp out like this will cause this guy to be really underpowered for his level, so i'm trying to keep non combat skills from leveling much.


----------



## BrainArt

vampiregenocide said:


> You became the serial killer. YOU ARE THE QUEST.





Started power-leveling my smithing, nearing 80 now.


----------



## MrMcSick

Only things left for me to level up are resto/conjur/pickpocket/1 hand/alchemy and they are all in the 60-90's. I'm at level 75. Woot.


----------



## Captain Shoggoth

PC gamers take note: 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5vKeyGOHKVg&feature=player_embedded



SirMyghin said:


> What really ticked me off is in Markarth for the forsworn conspiracy quest line
> 
> 
> Spoiler
> 
> 
> 
> you cannot get in the jail without being arrested. I stole the key from the guards, murderred the 4 guards who killed Elyas and fully expected this time to sneak in, murder Macanath, and sneak out. Last time the guards breathing down me made me surrender (or be killed) outside, and I had assumed this would be an option.
> 
> 
> I feel they really dropped the ball there, it should have been doable.



Hence why I took out my rage


Spoiler



on Madanach by bludgeoning his head in with a pickaxe then looting his key. I liked Eltrys as well, who'll raise his son now?





BrainArt said:


> Started power-leveling my smithing, nearing 80 now.



Same, I've gone from 30 to 74 in three days.


----------



## SirMyghin

Captain Shoggoth said:


> PC gamers take note:




That is freaking amazing.


----------



## vampiregenocide

I'm now collecting all the Dragon Priest masks, half way there!


----------



## Vinchester

I have finished Companion, Thief, Mages, Dark Bros questlines  I find the rewards a bit disappointing. 

Btw, for you mage-players, how much Magicka do you have? I currently have about 400 including all buffs. I read it somewhere that 300 magicka excluding buff is sufficient because later you'll enchant clothes with 75% spell cost reduction?


----------



## vampiregenocide

Found what seems to be a bit of an exploit in terms of enabling you to level up pickpocketing quickly.


You need to have done the thieves guild. Just pick pocket guards and if you're caught, pay them off and say you're from the guild. Then as they walk away, pick pocket all the money you gave them back plus whatever they had. You'll be pick pocketing around 500 so you get a lot more experience than if you just stole a couple of septims. You can only do this to an individual guard once, as the second time the option to bribe them off as a member of the guild is not given (This probably comes back in time). Just do it to each of the guards in a city then move to another. Easy.


----------



## ittoa666

Vinchester said:


> I have finished Companion, Thief, Mages, Dark Bros questlines  I find the rewards a bit disappointing.
> 
> Btw, for you mage-players, how much Magicka do you have? I currently have about 400 including all buffs. I read it somewhere that 300 magicka excluding buff is sufficient because later you'll enchant clothes with 75% spell cost reduction?



I have around 400 base. I also have the ring of resurgence that I bought off of a shop. 80% magicka regeneration? Yes please!


----------



## Stealth7




----------



## GhostsofAcid

Vinchester said:


> I have finished Companion, Thief, Mages, Dark Bros questlines  I find the rewards a bit disappointing.
> 
> Btw, for you mage-players, how much Magicka do you have? I currently have about 400 including all buffs. I read it somewhere that 300 magicka excluding buff is sufficient because later you'll enchant clothes with 75% spell cost reduction?



My mage only has 200 something base, but with all effects has 320 magicka, 15% spell reduction, and a rather rediculous 350% magicka regen rate, which feels almost like cheating


----------



## Varcolac

Vinchester said:


> I have finished Companion, Thief, Mages, Dark Bros questlines  I find the rewards a bit disappointing.
> 
> Btw, for you mage-players, how much Magicka do you have? I currently have about 400 including all buffs. I read it somewhere that 300 magicka excluding buff is sufficient because later you'll enchant clothes with 75% spell cost reduction?



With 100 Enchanting and a bunch of perks I can enchant a set of armour that gives 100% spell cost reduction to two separate schools. Mage armour weighs about 5 pounds for a set, so I can carry around enough armour to cast any spell for nothing. You could probably do a hell of a lot more with Alchemy leveled up and abusing the enchant-alchemy recursive loop of awesome.



Spoiler



10 Make a "fortify enchanting" potion.
20 Use "fortify enchanting" potion.
30 Make a "fortify alchemy" enchantment.
40 Equip "fortify alchemy" enchantment.
50 goto 10



You end up with stupidly powerful enchantments. I can't be bothered to level alchemy though, so I'm happy with carting around a few extra pounds of robes.

It's either that or smash their face in with an enchanted legen... wait for it... hope you're not lactose intolerant because the next word is... dary Daedric sword.


----------



## SirMyghin

Your idea to exploit doesn't quite work, they (at least when I tried with a potion) capped out how far enchantments actually go at max level. Unlike upgrading smithing stuff.


----------



## MrMcSick

OMG best mod ever!


----------



## MrMcSick




----------



## TheHandOfStone

"Aww FUHHK!"


----------



## Valennic

Not sure if this has been posted here yet, but my god I died.


----------



## Black_Sheep

I have a question about the Daedric quests: 

Im aiming for the trophy "Oblivion Walker - collect 15 daedric artifacts" ...I have done 3 daedric quest so far, and i've got TWO artifacts. The one quest i did was called "waking nightmare" (from dawnstar), and i didn't kill the guy at the end so i didn't get the artifiact. However there are supposed to be 16 daedric quests in the game, so is it still possible to get the trophy/achievement? and the artifacts (i like collecting them, they are rather cool  )


----------



## Grand Moff Tim

Black_Sheep said:


> I have a question about the Daedric quests:
> 
> Im aiming for the trophy "Oblivion Walker - collect 15 daedric artifacts" ...I have done 3 daedric quest so far, and i've got TWO artifacts. The one quest i did was called "waking nightmare" (from dawnstar), and i didn't kill the guy at the end so i didn't get the artifiact. However there are supposed to be 16 daedric quests in the game, so is it still possible to get the trophy/achievement? and the artifacts (i like collecting them, they are rather cool  )


 
Yeah, you can still get the achievement, as long as you get all of the remaining artifacts. You don't have to get all 16, and which 15 out of the 16 you get doesn't factor into the achievement at all. The only important thing is that you get 15 of them.


----------



## Sicarius

Valennic said:


> Not sure if this has been posted here yet, but my god I died.



I really hope that's not built into the game.

otherwise I has a sad.


----------



## Valennic

Sicarius said:


> I really hope that's not built into the game.
> 
> otherwise I has a sad.



I could not fathom why bethesda would put LMFAO and dancing characters into the game 

But it is a funny mod.


----------



## Grand Moff Tim

Finally got around to getting the Ebony Mail. It's pretty sweet, if a little bland looking.


----------



## Metal_Webb

Black_Sheep said:


> I have a question about the Daedric quests:
> 
> Im aiming for the trophy "Oblivion Walker - collect 15 daedric artifacts" ...I have done 3 daedric quest so far, and i've got TWO artifacts. The one quest i did was called "waking nightmare" (from dawnstar), and i didn't kill the guy at the end so i didn't get the artifiact. However there are supposed to be 16 daedric quests in the game, so is it still possible to get the trophy/achievement? and the artifacts (i like collecting them, they are rather cool  )



Neither of the artifacts you get from Nocturne count or have to count, however you can get 2 artifacts that count from Hircine and end up with the required 15. Just really important: Don't goof up any of the other quests. Possible to goof up: Clavicus Vile, Vaermina, Mehrunes Dagon and maybe one other that I can't remember off the top of my head.


----------



## Vinchester

Varcolac said:


> With 100 Enchanting and a bunch of perks I can enchant a set of armour that gives 100% spell cost reduction to two separate schools. Mage armour weighs about 5 pounds for a set, so I can carry around enough armour to cast any spell for nothing. You could probably do a hell of a lot more with Alchemy leveled up and abusing the enchant-alchemy recursive loop of awesome.



Hey thanks for the tip  I'm not too sure about Alchemy bit though I find it boring! (or at least very slow) and finding/carrying ingredients are a pain but will certainly try that... and I'll probably just stop increasing my Magicka and put it to Health instead.

On the other hand this is some fanart I made today. Anime-watchers will get the joke 






The Thai words to the right reads : "Lydia plz don't block the doorway! "


----------



## cwhitey2

OK, so I just bought Skyrim on the weekend and the whole 'perk points' thing is confusing me. I'm only a level 5 (I know...weaksauce, I haven't had a lot of time to play ) and it says I have 4 perk points to use. OK, cool...but what do i spend them on. I click on things and but i cant spend the points/i don't know how to spend the points.

Example: My destruction skill is 26 the requirement to upgrade is 20 (it says I have 0/2 upgrades) but i cant spend the points.

Can someone explain to how this system works? I have been trying to find some stuff on the web but none if explains _how_ to spend your points. 


EDIT: ...do the perk points just mean that's how many perks i have unlocked?


----------



## vampiregenocide

Your perk points you can distribute anywhere providing that perk has the necessary skill level and previous perks (if any) unlocked. So if you want to unlock something in archery and it requires a skill of 20 and you have 30, you can unlock it. However, if you don't have 20 then you can't. Also even if you could unlock it ad you have the necessary skill level, but there is another perk before it that hasn't been unlocked, then you have to unlock that first and move up in the tree that way. I hope that makes sense.


----------



## cwhitey2

vampiregenocide said:


> Your perk points you can distribute anywhere providing that perk has the necessary skill level and previous perks (if any) unlocked. So if you want to unlock something in archery and it requires a skill of 20 and you have 30, you can unlock it. However, if you don't have 20 then you can't. Also even if you could unlock it ad you have the necessary skill level, but there is another perk before it that hasn't been unlocked, then you have to unlock that first and move up in the tree that way. I hope that makes sense.



That's what i needed to know, I think the problem is i don't have enough previous perks unlocked (ill have to check when i get home).

I was just confused because i was like the second skill (Apprentice Restoration under restoration) i wanted to boost which i don't think required anything besides 25 restoration and i had 26.


----------



## Grand Moff Tim

cwhitey2 said:


> That's what i needed to know, I think the problem is i don't have enough previous perks unlocked (ill have to check when i get home).
> 
> I was just confused because i was like the second skill (Apprentice Restoration under restoration) i wanted to boost which i don't think required anything besides 25 restoration and i had 26.


 
To unlock the Apprentice Restoration perk, you first have to have unlocked the Novice Restoration perk.


----------



## Black_Sheep

I just found the nicest bug i've ever seen in this game: 

I own the house in Windhelm (with all the upgrades) and i decided to put my ebony armor (legendary) on the mannekin in one of the upstairs corners. So i did, but the armor did not appear, instead a part of the doll disapeared. So i took the armor back. Next time i came into the house, i found the same mannekin partly invisible again, and it was "wearing" the ebony armor again. So now, everytime i enter the house, i have a new piece of ebony armor waiting. How fun is that?  

And today, i tried equipping the other mannekin with legendary daedric armor, and guess what? The same thing happens!


----------



## Valennic

I found an awesome exploit I figured I'd share with you guys if you didn't already know; apparently the game doesn't make you drop an item you've picked up with telekinesis if your magic runs out, giving you the ability to continue using it and leveling up your alteration like a sonuvabitch in the process.


----------



## Varcolac

Black_Sheep said:


> I just found the nicest bug i've ever seen in this game:
> 
> I own the house in Windhelm (with all the upgrades) and i decided to put my ebony armor (legendary) on the mannekin in one of the upstairs corners. So i did, but the armor did not appear, instead a part of the doll disapeared. So i took the armor back. Next time i came into the house, i found the same mannekin partly invisible again, and it was "wearing" the ebony armor again. So now, everytime i enter the house, i have a new piece of ebony armor waiting. How fun is that?
> 
> And today, i tried equipping the other mannekin with legendary daedric armor, and guess what? The same thing happens!



You on PS3? Similar thing happens on my mannequins in Solitude. Tried putting some armour on it and it just went invisible. Never tried leaving to get a duplicate, but at this point I've got so many Septims lying around that money's no issue. Duplicate unique armour for followers might be handy though.


----------



## Captain Shoggoth

>average joevahkiin rockin' the steel plate
>1000010010101010110101010 iron daggers later
>legendary dergonplate armour for me and Lydia with a spare set stored in Jorrvaskr


----------



## Grand Moff Tim

I had been dicking around for a few days using my TGM-cheat character, but I started using my 2H Nord warrior again the other day, and I have to admit, it was just about as easy as using cheats was . Tanks ftw, apparently.


----------



## MrMcSick

Valennic said:


> I found an awesome exploit I figured I'd share with you guys if you didn't already know; apparently the game doesn't make you drop an item you've picked up with telekinesis if your magic runs out, giving you the ability to continue using it and leveling up your alteration like a sonuvabitch in the process.



I saw a vid of this about a week ago but it didn't work for me on 360. When my magic ran out the item would shoot across the room lol. I just gut a cup and put it in a corner and just kept picking it up till running outta magic and I leveled up like that. Didn't take all that long with a bunch of magic regen faster enchantments.


----------



## BrainArt

I beat the Imperial Legion quest line, today. (After finishing Battlefield 3).

Now I'm on a quest to find the Stormcloak camps to annihilate them, even more.


----------



## CapinCripes

just added a bunch of mods to my copy of skyrim. i am actually amazed at the quality of the mods seeing as its only a little over a month after release.


----------



## Grand Moff Tim

So I went to Solitude earlier to drop off some ebony ingots and soul gems in the safe in my house's master bedroom, no big deal, and guess the fuck what.

There was a dragon.

IN Solitude.

_INSIDE_ the city walls.

WTF.

Seriously, wtf.

It was just flying around the castle courtyard and randomly landing in the same two spots, so it wasn't too hard to take down (even an Elder Dragon can only withstand three or four swings of my hammer), but still. _Inside_ the city?

Anyone else have that happen? I've seen plenty of dragons just outside of city gates, or in towns that don't have walls or gates, but never IN an actual city.


----------



## CapinCripes

Grand Moff Tim said:


> So I went to Solitude earlier to drop off some ebony ingots and soul gems in the safe in my house's master bedroom, no big deal, and guess the fuck what.
> 
> There was a dragon.
> 
> IN Solitude.
> 
> _INSIDE_ the city walls.
> 
> WTF.
> 
> Seriously, wtf.
> 
> It was just flying around the castle courtyard and randomly landing in the same two spots, so it wasn't too hard to take down (even an Elder Dragon can only withstand three or four swings of my hammer), but still. _Inside_ the city?
> 
> Anyone else have that happen? I've seen plenty of dragons just outside of city gates, or in towns that don't have walls or gates, but never IN an actual city.



It happens. just be glad it didn't kill anyone.


----------



## Grand Moff Tim

I've seen it _once_, and I just hit 200 hours tonight.


----------



## CapinCripes

Grand Moff Tim said:


> I've seen it _once_, and I just hit 200 hours tonight.



happened to me twice and i ended up losing Eorlund Gray-Mane and a whole bunch of Whiterun townies


----------



## BrainArt

Started the College at Winterhold, today. 

When the rest of you started it, did y'all get novice robes of destruction, or do they take whichever school of magic you're most versed in and give you the associated robes?


----------



## BrainArt

Grand Moff Tim said:


> So I went to Solitude earlier to drop off some ebony ingots and soul gems in the safe in my house's master bedroom, no big deal, and guess the fuck what.
> 
> There was a dragon.
> 
> IN Solitude.
> 
> _INSIDE_ the city walls.
> 
> WTF.
> 
> Seriously, wtf.
> 
> It was just flying around the castle courtyard and randomly landing in the same two spots, so it wasn't too hard to take down (even an Elder Dragon can only withstand three or four swings of my hammer), but still. _Inside_ the city?
> 
> Anyone else have that happen? I've seen plenty of dragons just outside of city gates, or in towns that don't have walls or gates, but never IN an actual city.



I had that happen to me, before. The skeletal remains are still there (glitched out).


----------



## Grand Moff Tim

BrainArt said:


> Started the College at Winterhold, today.
> 
> When the rest of you started it, did y'all get novice robes of destruction, or do they take whichever school of magic you're most versed in and give you the associated robes?


 
I've gotten the destruction ones each of the times I've started it.


----------



## Grand Moff Tim

CapinCripes said:


> happened to me twice and i ended up losing Eorlund Gray-Mane and a whole bunch of Whiterun townies


 
Aw, suck. I'd hate to lose Eorlund, since having two merchants (both smiths) with over 1000 gold is pretty much the only thing that keeps me coming back to whiterun once I buy a better house.


----------



## Varcolac

Grand Moff Tim said:


> Aw, suck. I'd hate to lose Eorlund, since having two merchants (both smiths) with over 1000 gold is pretty much the only thing that keeps me coming back to whiterun once I buy a better house.



Technically three smith merchants; you've got Adrianne Avennici, her husband Ulfberth War-Bear inside the shop, and then Eorlund up by the Skyforge. So long as Adrianne and Ulfberth are in different areas (one inside Warmaidens', one working the forge) then their inventories are separate and you can sell them a thousand gold's worth of dungeon-garnered trinkets each.


----------



## Grand Moff Tim

Varcolac said:


> Technically three smith merchants; you've got Adrianne Avennici, her husband Ulfberth War-Bear inside the shop, and then Eorlund up by the Skyforge. So long as Adrianne and Ulfberth are in different areas (one inside Warmaidens', one working the forge) then their inventories are separate and you can sell them a thousand gold's worth of dungeon-garnered trinkets each.


 
Are you sure? I thought they had a shared inventory and cash flow. If they're separate, I've wasted alot of time travelling to other cities...


----------



## maliciousteve

Level 25 now and I most things are killed with a few swings of the Ebony Battle Axe. Destruction spells are pwning too and I think I have all the Dragon Shouts (purposely went to find the word walls). I'm trying to improve my smithing but it's taking a long time


----------



## Captain Shoggoth

maliciousteve said:


> Level 25 now and I most things are killed with a few swings of the Ebony Battle Axe. Destruction spells are pwning too and I think I have all the Dragon Shouts (purposely went to find the word walls). I'm trying to improve my smithing but it's taking a long time



iron ore and leather

Iron daggers, my friend. Lots and lots of iron daggers.


----------



## BrainArt

Captain Shoggoth said:


> iron ore and leather
> 
> Iron daggers, my friend. Lots and lots of iron daggers.



This.


----------



## DiezelMonster

The blood on the ice quest is so fuckin messed up for me hahaha, arrested the wizard dude, and now there is still a killer on the loose, bought the house and there is blood and skeletal remains still everywhere because I bought the damn living room before the clean the mess option, actually didn't even see it on my list! FUCK hahaha......oh bethesda thank you!


----------



## BrainArt

DiezelMonster said:


> The blood on the ice quest is so fuckin messed up for me hahaha, arrested the wizard dude, and now there is still a killer on the loose, bought the house and there is blood and skeletal remains still everywhere because I bought the damn living room before the clean the mess option, actually didn't even see it on my list! FUCK hahaha......oh bethesda thank you!



I can't do that quest, because I didn't adventure around windhelm when I first went there.


----------



## AxeHappy

DiezelMonster said:


> The blood on the ice quest is so fuckin messed up for me hahaha, arrested the wizard dude, and now there is still a killer on the loose, bought the house and there is blood and skeletal remains still everywhere because I bought the damn living room before the clean the mess option, actually didn't even see it on my list! FUCK hahaha......oh bethesda thank you!




The trick is...to go talk to the Wizard instead of arresting him. 

Since you've wrongly thrown him in jail (another rant from me on this that I'll skip) after somebody else has been murdered go talk to him.


----------



## maliciousteve

After a few hours I got my smithing up to 93. Cheers


----------



## Captain Shoggoth

There you go.


----------



## Stealth7




----------



## Thrashmanzac

thieves guild is so much better than companions


----------



## Stealth7

Grand Moff Tim said:


> So I went to Solitude earlier to drop off some ebony ingots and soul gems in the safe in my house's master bedroom, no big deal, and guess the fuck what.
> 
> There was a dragon.
> 
> IN Solitude.
> 
> _INSIDE_ the city walls.
> 
> WTF.
> 
> Seriously, wtf.
> 
> It was just flying around the castle courtyard and randomly landing in the same two spots, so it wasn't too hard to take down (even an Elder Dragon can only withstand three or four swings of my hammer), but still. _Inside_ the city?
> 
> Anyone else have that happen? I've seen plenty of dragons just outside of city gates, or in towns that don't have walls or gates, but never IN an actual city.



Same thing just happened to me but it was in Whiterun, I fast traveled there and as soon as I got there a blood dragon was inside the walls fucking shit up.


----------



## CapinCripes

i am just going to leave this here. Macho Dragons at Skyrim Nexus - Skyrim Mods and community


----------



## decypher

@GMT: Just left the Mage's college and wanted to fast travel to Whiterun, said "enemies close, cannot fast travel" - and then an ancient dragon sitting on the walls of the college yard fried me...


----------



## the britt shredder

SO the other day i was in the college of Winterhold... just chilling working on a quest when in the middle of the outdoor are as i was leaving a dragon landed. now i killed him but still that's just annoying, thankful he didn't kill anyone.


----------



## Vicissitude27

the britt shredder said:


> SO the other day i was in the college of Winterhold... just chilling working on a quest when in the middle of the outdoor are as i was leaving a dragon landed. now i killed him but still that's just annoying, thankful he didn't kill anyone.



Wait till a random blood dragon AND an elder dragon go nuts in the college courtyard. And many....many....people die. 

THEY TOOK J'ZARGO!


----------



## ittoa666

Anyone know what the most recent update was for?


----------



## Sicarius

Grand Moff Tim said:


> Are you sure? I thought they had a shared inventory and cash flow. If they're separate, I've wasted alot of time travelling to other cities...


it depends, really.

If you sell your shit to her first, and then run inside real quick, he'll have his own inventory.

if they're both in the room together, or she walks in after you, it updates their inventory.

It's supposed to be shared, but if you're fast enough you can have 3 smith vendors, in total.


----------



## soliloquy

not the actual game, but this girl is doing covers of skyrim songs. think you may enjoy it:


me? i dont have patients for games like skyrim...


----------



## Pooluke41

I don't know if it's just me, but is anyone else getting bored of Skyrim?

I'm waiting for DLC now..


----------



## MrMcSick

^ I hardly play it anymore. All I can do is repeater quests and random dungeon diving that I haven't visited. Can't wait for some dlc.


----------



## C2Aye

Mod it if you're bored.


----------



## BrainArt

soliloquy said:


> not the actual game, but this girl is doing covers of skyrim songs. think you may enjoy it:
> 
> 
> me? i dont have patients for games like skyrim...




We already know about her.


----------



## Grand Moff Tim

decypher said:


> @GMT: Just left the Mage's college and wanted to fast travel to Whiterun, said "enemies close, cannot fast travel" - and then an ancient dragon sitting on the walls of the college yard fried me...


 
Yeah, I've killed many a dragon in the College courtyard, but that never really surprised me, since it still counts as "Skyrim" as far as the game is concerned. I didn't expect to see enemies spawning within the walls of a city that wasn't just open to the rest of the game world. Damned Bethesda, trying to keep me on my toes .


----------



## Grand Moff Tim

Pooluke41 said:


> I don't know if it's just me, but is anyone else getting bored of Skyrim?
> 
> I'm waiting for DLC now..


 
I hate to admit it, but I am too. I'm sure after a bit of a break (I really went balls out with it for a few weeks after release ) I'll be ready to dive back in, _especially_ once the DLC starts to roll in.


----------



## Sicarius

lets get the game mostly fixed before we start begging for more buggy content :/


----------



## Grand Moff Tim

Sicarius said:


> lets get the game mostly fixed before we start begging for more buggy content :/


 
Oblivion and FO3 were _never_ fixed to the fans' satisfaction, and I was still more than happy with their DLCs . The first DLC will probably be small and/or shitty, though, if those two games are any indication. Horse armor? Pfffffft. Knights of the Nine? Pffffffft. Operation Anchorage was too fucking short, but at least you get some sweet gear out of the deal, I guess.


----------



## Sicarius

I like Knights of the Nine. Though, I did finish it in like 5 hours.

I liked the DLC for Oblivion.


----------



## C2Aye

Imma leave this right here


----------



## Captain Shoggoth

Repost, but still awesome


----------



## decypher

Spoilers ahead....

Level 57 right now...

My extreme enthusiasm for Skyrim has pretty much vanished in the last day or two , enemies did become a chore - I gave up sneaking, I rather just run into the room in a dungeon , get their attention and kill them. my home in whiterun probably is worth 666k with all the jewelery and weaponary inside (and that's a low estimate). I have a ton of alchemy ingredients, but also my dressers are full of potions... 

I find the variety of enemies very poor. bear. cave bear. ice bear. cave ice bear. mudcrab. butterfly. blue butterfly. From a certain level on there's no challenge at all.

pros: the game looks amazing, the world feels quite real even though I expected a larger world. but it's still great, I mean it's like "postcard scenario alert" every 2 minutes...

I'm a wood elf, focus on bow, one handed and destruction, but I might replay it with a very magic heavy guy.


----------



## Grand Moff Tim

I started a new character to breathe some life into the game for me. I made a wood elf who is going to ignore the Dragon storyline and the Civil War completely, and just be a professional thief. I did enough of the Thieves Guild questline to get the Thieves Armor so I can have the bonuses it affords, but since then all I've done is the radiant quests they have (shill, fishing, bedlam, etc). 

If I see a lock, I pick it. If I see a pocket, I pick it. If I see a nose, I pick it. There's just something immensely satisfying about sneaking up behind a guard and taking his bow and all of his arrows, or stealing a coin purse from beghind an Inn's counter right beneath the innkeeper's nose. 

I'm not sure I'll ever start doing any of the missions that require combat. Hell, I'd be pretty fucked if I do, because I'm levelling up on nothing but stealth skills and smithing right now. 53 pickpocket so far, but only 23 one-handed. I'd be fucked .


----------



## BrainArt

I started a new character, today.

This time I went with a High Elf that's going to focus more on magic than other skills. I think I'm going to have him become a battlemage.

I've joined the College of Winterhold and will probably join the Companions, as well. Best way, really.

I'm still going to be playing my Nord a lot, though. It feels weird to be way back down at level 1, again.


----------



## Grand Moff Tim

BrainArt said:


> This time I went with a High Elf that's going to focus more on magic than other skills. I think I'm going to have him become a battlemage.


 
A word of warning from my personal experience: Battlemages aren't nearly as handy this time around as they were in previous Elder Scrolls games, especially not if you try to use two offensive skills (say, destruction and 1H) equally. You'll just end up with two underpowered combat skills, which when it comes down to brass tacks just isn't as useful against powerful baddies as one high-level combat skill would be. 

Magic can be really fun in TES5 (though not as fun as it was in 4, sadly), so burning your way across the tundra with a High Elf is a blast, but my advice is focus almost entirely on using one or two magicka-based skills for combat, but keep an enchanted weapon on hand for when your magicka runs out and you don't have any rebuff potions on hand.

You could even try to focus on destruction, but monitor your magicka use so that instead of blazing away until you're drained, you blast away until you have just enough magicka left to use a Bound Weapon spell. That way you'll be levelling the shit out of Destruction, with the occasional Conjuration and 1H or 2H (whichever you bind) levels thrown in for good measure.


Or you could ignore me and do whatever the fuck you want . That's the beauty of the Elder Scrolls series: User experience may... no, _will_ vary.


----------



## liamh

haven't posted in this thread yet but I love the game, I knew i would as I'm a big fan of Oblivion
I got it for christmas (aswell as a Ps3), havent had the chance to play it as much as I'd like to (exams) but I'm a level 17 nord (viking ftw.)


----------



## BrainArt

This will sound weird, but am I the only one here that gives their character a back story? I feel that it helps the immersion for the game to do so.


----------



## AxeHappy

Tim has been quite vocal about how he does.


----------



## Grand Moff Tim

AxeHappy said:


> Tim has been quite vocal about how he does.


----------



## GhostsofAcid

reached the level cap the other day. it's kind of relaxing to play the game without worrying about skills. not getting anymore perk points kind of sucks though, theres a few fun ones i missed out on. i'm going to get all the questlines beaten on this character, (just 1/4 of the thieve's guild and 3/4 of the main quest to go) and then shelve the game till the DLC comes out.


----------



## Fiction

I played this nonstop for 4 days when it came out and haven't played it since, I reached a part in the story where a glitch didn't let me continue, so I just never bothered to go and do sidequests or anything.


----------



## BrainArt

Just became Guild Master of the Thieves Guild (officially) with my Nord. Fuck yeah.

Though, I'm a little disappointed that


Spoiler



the Guild Master armor is only a different color from the regular Thieves Guild armor, but the fact that the carry weight is way higher and the other perks that are on each piece are higher is bad ass.


----------



## liamh

I just married Muiri, bitch is fiiiiine 
Are you guys Imperial or Stormcloak?


----------



## Grand Moff Tim

liamh said:


> I just married Muiri, bitch is fiiiiine
> Are you guys Imperial or Stormcloak?


 
I married Aela the Huntress with the only one of my dudes who's gotten married so far.

I've played through the Imperial and the Stormcloak storylines. I liked the rewards for the Stormcloaks better (though there really isn't much of a difference), but I'd probably side with the Imperials myself, were I somehow magically transported to Skyrim.


----------



## cwhitey2

liamh said:


> I just married Muiri, bitch is fiiiiine
> Are you guys *Imperial *or Stormcloak?




This.


----------



## liamh

Fuck the imperials


----------



## Grand Moff Tim

Fuck the xenophobic racists... er... Stormcloaks.


----------



## leftyguitarjoe

I never finished the theives guild storyline so I could keep the skeleton key.


----------



## bhakan

leftyguitarjoe said:


> I never finished the theives guild storyline so I could keep the skeleton key.


I did the same thing, until I realized that you got a longer invisibility ability from the quest. 

For the Imperial vs. Stormcloak thing, does choosing a side have any drawbacks, such as making imperial soldiers attack you or something? I've put off choosing in case it would hinder the rest of the game.


----------



## decypher

Imperial - and I got married to Filnjar, although I'm thinking about divorce lately, he has a very creepy way with his "good to see you, dear" and "do you need anything, my love?". He looked so butch when we met first.

Leveling is painfully slow by now and that after I had a lot of plans for the next 10 perks or so


----------



## AxeHappy

Grand Moff Tim said:


> Fuck the xenophobic racists... er... Stormcloaks.





...Ahhh....to be fair most races are pretty fucking racist in the Elder Scrolls universe. 

Altmer make Nords look like a hippie love in. And the Imperials have brutalised and oppressed most of the other races since they came to power. Better under some than others. 

If you played Morrowind you shouldn't have to ask about the Dunmer. 

And well...if how well versed in the Elder Scrolls lore you seem to be I can't actually understand you using racism as a con against one race over another.


----------



## Grand Moff Tim

AxeHappy said:


> ...Ahhh....to be fair most races are pretty fucking racist in the Elder Scrolls universe.
> 
> Altmer make Nords look like a hippie love in. And the Imperials have brutalised and oppressed most of the other races since they came to power. Better under some than others.
> 
> If you played Morrowind you shouldn't have to ask about the Dunmer.
> 
> And well...if how well versed in the Elder Scrolls lore you seem to be I can't actually understand you using racism as a con against one race over another.


 
I look at it more like the Imperials _were_ racist during their ages of expansion, but now they've accepted everybody into the fold. If there's any racism still there, it's due to the individual races' actions, not any Imperial policies. It's like the US or the UK. There _used_ to be widespread racism and oppression, particularly during periods of imperialistic expansionism, but they're now a thing of the past_, _apart from the actions of a small minority of misguided individuals.

The Stormcloaks and the rebellion, on the other hand, want a Skyrim "for the Nords" right _*now*_, and don't want the beast races in their cities. I don't know about you, but I don't remember anyone in the Imperial City telling me they want to keep the Khajiit outside the city gates. Don't get me wrong, I can sympathize with some of their problems (the banning of Talos worship and the White Gold Concordat, for example), but I can't get past the xenophobia and what would essentially become government sanctioned racism.


----------



## BrainArt

Wouldn't it be hilarious if I chose to join the Stormcloaks with my High Elf? I think it would be. 

Anyways, with my Nord, I went with the Imperials.


Also, I made Arch-Mage, with my Nord. I'm at level 38 (yeah, yeah, I've leveled slower than most of you, but that's because I got the game after I got a job and was working and having a life.  ).

I also got Mehrunes Razor.

I think it might be high time to get back to the main story line, now that I've pretty much exhausted the factions.

Or play my High Elf some more.


----------



## liamh

just did the 'Night to remember quest'
What the fuck???


----------



## leftyguitarjoe

I'm level 40 and still recreate the challenger disaster when I encounter giants. WTF.


----------



## AxeHappy

I know eh? I kill dragons in 3 hits but Giants fuck me up?

Odd.


----------



## BrainArt

I've only been owned by one giant, every other giant has cowered at my Ebony Great sword of Soul Trap (I enchanted and smithed it myself).

Finished thee main quest line, today. Now I'm going to focus on some of the other quests that I have started been never finished.


----------



## Black_Sheep

liamh said:


> just did the 'Night to remember quest'
> What the fuck???



Probably my favorite Deadric quest and overall one of the coolest quests i've played in the game so far. (haven't done all daeric quests yet) 


I've been doing the Thieves Guild part now, went through their story missions yesterday, and now im doing the extra jobs from Delvin, in order to become their leader. It's a pain in the ass, but im halfway done already.


----------



## Captain Shoggoth

liamh said:


> just did the 'Night to remember quest'
> What the fuck???



Probably my favourite quest I've done so far, besides the Temple of Mara one which had the cutest ending ever


----------



## the britt shredder

Does anyone else just hate the night mother some days because the "Dark Brotherhood Forever" quest stays always activated because you never run out of people to assassinate?


----------



## BrainArt

the britt shredder said:


> Does anyone else just hate the night mother some days because the "Dark Brotherhood Forever" quest stays always activated because you never run out of people to assassinate?



You know you can deactivate quests in your journal, right? I deactivated that quest, because I was getting tired of it.


----------



## MrMcSick

Yes but it is still there in the quest's to do list. I want everything to be clear from the to do list. 
Anyone else max out yet. I found it odd that I maxed out like a quarter way into level 81. Figured it would max out on an even number and not with some progress in the bar still.


----------



## Jakke

Stormcloak, the whole Thalmor thing tipped me over to Ulfric's side, I hate when snotty altmer look down on me.... I also have a hard time respecting the empire after they outlawed the worship of Talos. I'd probably side with them for real as well...

Plus, they have more sympathetic characters, both Ralof and Ulfric seems like people I could hang out with in real life.


----------



## BrainArt

I'm seriously considering joining the Stormcloaks with my High Elf, just for hilarity's sake.

Or, make a new Nord and have him join them to be a racist bastard.



Also, as an Imperial Legate (with my Nord), I still kill Thalmor agents if I feel like it and see them walking around where I'm not going to be massively outnumbered. Not that it matters, I had to take on several Draugrs and a dragon at the same time during the main quest and didn't die, I think I can take on a few Thalmor and maybe a couple of guards.


----------



## liamh

Skyrim: Death blows and finishing moves animation: Part 1 - YouTube
This make me laugh, 0:12 is so unnecessarily brutal haha. 
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CZcgpjZzWiA


----------



## Captain Shoggoth

I just sound Yngvild by chance, exploring in the grimfrozen far north and holy shit


Spoiler



Arondil is FUCKED UP


----------



## Valennic

liamh said:


> Skyrim: Death blows and finishing moves animation: Part 1 - YouTube
> This make me laugh, 0:12 is so unnecessarily brutal haha.



I was always irritated by the hammer's finishing moves being the same as the battle axe. They really need to give it its own animations.


----------



## BrainArt

Started yet ANOTHER character, today. Another Nord, who is strictly a warrior.

I'm going to have him join the Dark Brotherhood, as well as the Stormcloaks. The DB quest with the Emperor will be a win-win for both factions.


----------



## Grand Moff Tim

Glad you bumped this, duder. It's been a couple weeks since I played last, so I'mma hop back in with the last character I made (another Khajiit who focuses on hand-to-hand, but this time no cheating, haha).


----------



## BrainArt

Grand Moff Tim said:


> Glad you bumped this, duder. It's been a couple weeks since I played last, so I'mma hop back in with the last character I made (another Khajiit who focuses on hand-to-hand, but this time no cheating, haha).



Yeah, it's been a while since I played, as well. I haven't played my High Elf, much, though.


----------



## Grand Moff Tim

It's odd playing with hand-to-hand, since there's little I can do to improve the skill, and using it doesn't level anything up. I have to remember to use defensive skills like block and oakflesh, which is a complete 180 from just charging in and swinging my warhammer like I just don't give a fuck. Now I charge in with my claws, take a beating, and remember "oh yeah, I should probably use a bit of strategy with this build" .


----------



## BrainArt

My new Nord build is really good with a battle axe, and I'm only just passed level two.


----------



## Grand Moff Tim

After doing some digging on UESP, I've discovered that the maximum unarmed damage it's possible to do under the best possible circumstances is about 68 damage per strike. That sounds great for a low-level character, but I just don't know how feasible it'd be to stick with that for a high-level character.


----------



## Grand Moff Tim

Okay, with the Khajiit starting Unarmed damage of 10, plus 15 for the claws ability, 18 from the Fists of Steel perk and my Daedric gauntlets, and 13x2 from my ring and gauntlets enchanted with Fortify Unarmored, I'm dolling out 69 damage per Unarmed strike. That'd be awesome at a lower level, but all the grinding it took to get to that has brought me up to level 33. Even then 69dps isn't exactly something to sneeze at (I can drop a restless draugr in 3 swipes), but I find myself slurping down health potions and casting Stoneflesh and Fast Healing _alot_ more often than I would with a character that actually uses weapons. I'm gonna stick with it, though, because the extra challenge it presents and the added strategy it requires is breathing some new life into the game.

Plus it's _hilarious_ punching a bear to death .


----------



## Grand Moff Tim

Fucking Frost Mages still fuck my shit up, though.


----------



## BrainArt

Frost Mages are douchebags. Thankfully, my first Nord is such a badass that I can cut them down easily. 

Dragonplate armor that I've improved to Legendary and enchanted along with an Ebony Sword that is Legendary and enchanted with soul trap is an awesome setup.


----------



## Grand Moff Tim

The worst thing about Frost Mages is that those stupid ice spikes slow down your movement speed, so if you didn't manage to close the gap quickly enough before you got stuck for the first time, you could well be screwed.


----------



## BrainArt

Grand Moff Tim said:


> The worst thing about Frost Mages is that those stupid ice spikes slow down your movement speed, so if you didn't manage to close the gap quickly enough before you got stuck for the first time, you could well be screwed.



Yeah, which is why I love Nords so much, having 50% frost resistance is baller.


----------



## Grand Moff Tim

BrainArt said:


> Yeah, which is why I love Nords so much, having 50% frost resistance is baller.


 
When you're a khajiit fighting with your claws, on the other hand...


----------



## BrainArt

I haven't started any Khajiit characters. I have one in Oblivion, but I haven't played that game in years.


----------



## beneharris

has anybody tried out the hd texture pack they released as dlc today? i'm downloading it now just to see what its like

edit:

awesome they have a built in mod installer and browser on steam now. thatsgreat


----------



## Xaios

GameSpy: Impressions: Skyrim's Portal 2 Mod - Page 1

Yes, that's right. Valve made a Portal 2 mod for Skyrim, centered around the Space Core.


----------



## Grand Moff Tim

beneharris said:


> has anybody tried out the hd texture pack they released as dlc today? i'm downloading it now just to see what its like
> 
> edit:
> 
> awesome they have a built in mod installer and browser on steam now. thatsgreat


 
I haven't tried it yet, and I'm not entirely sure I'm going to. My computer handles Skyrim on relatively high settings just fine, but I haven't even tried using maximum settings with the default textures yet. I'm not sure that my comp's specs are far enough past Beth's recommended specs to bother with the new pack.


----------



## AxeHappy

beneharris said:


> has anybody tried out the hd texture pack they released as dlc today? i'm downloading it now just to see what its like




I've seen the difference in quality and I already had it modded to look better 5 days after it was released. 

Not impressed.


----------



## Grand Moff Tim

I DLed the new texture pack yesterday then started a new character to take it for a test drive. Honestly, if it makes much of a difference, I haven't been able to tell so far. I'd like to see some before and after shots to see what all they changed, because so far I'm just not seeing it. I've heard some people say that the changes aren't that obvious if you were already playing it on fairly high settings, which I was, so perhaps that's the issue. Maybe I'll disable the textures after using them for a few weeks to see if I notice a change then.

New textures or lack thereof aside, the new Steam Workshop area for uploadin/downloading mods looks pretty fucking awesome, and it should make using mods much more approachable and easier for us not-so-computer-inclined PC gamers. Yes, we exist, hahaha. I had to PM Razzy to make sure my computer even had specs good enough to run the new textures, because I'm pretty hopeless with that sort of thing.

EDIT: And for further proof of how lame I am, I gave my new build a backstory. I made a female Orc named Lady Borgrob gra-Shurgak (keen observers might recognize the surname *coughLordRugdumphcough*). She comes from landed nobility, but left Orsinium to avoid the typical Orcish societal fate of becoming one of the many wives of a clan chief, for two reasons: 1) She'd far rather be out bashing in some skulls than back at a long house making armor for the men and doing... erm... whatever wifey things Orquettes (lol) do, and 2) She doesn't swing that way. Yeah, she likes the ladies. Not even orc ladies, at that. She read about the history of the Nords as a orcling (lol) and became obsessed with Talos and the idea that a mortal warrior could become a God. When she heard about the ban on Talos worship and the Stormcloak Rebellion, she decided to make her way from Orsinium to Skyrim (where she was captured trying to cross the border) to throw her hat in with the Stormcloaks to restore Talos to his rightful place among the Nine Divines, and, if she's lucky, hook up with a nord woman somewhere along the way.



I really, _really_ need a girlfriend.


----------



## BrainArt

Grand Moff Tim said:


> EDIT: And for further proof of how lame I am, I gave my new build a backstory. I made a female Orc named Lady Borgrob gra-Shurgak (keen observers might recognize the surname *coughLordRugdumphcough*). She comes from landed nobility, but left Orsinium to avoid the typical Orcish societal fate of becoming one of the many wives of a clan chief, for two reasons: 1) She'd far rather be out bashing in some skulls than back at a long house making armor for the men and doing... erm... whatever wifey things Orquettes (lol) do, and 2) She doesn't swing that way. Yeah, she likes the ladies. Not even orc ladies, at that. She read about the history of the Nords as a orcling (lol) and became obsessed with Talos and the idea that a mortal warrior could become a God. When she heard about the ban on Talos worship and the Stormcloak Rebellion, she decided to make her way from Orsinium to Skyrim (where she was captured trying to cross the border) to throw her hat in with the Stormcloaks to restore Talos to his rightful place among the Nine Divines, and, if she's lucky, hook up with a nord woman somewhere along the way.



Dude, coming up with backstories for your builds is not lame, at all. 

My newest Nord (his name is Bjorn) grew up in Skyrim and fought in many a battle, then afterwards, he left Skyrim and went to Cyrodiil; living under the protection of the Empire for a long time. He left Cyrodiil years later and headed home to Skyrim, where he was captured (as all of our characters are  ) and sent to the block. After he escaped from the block and from Helgen with Ralof, he has felt cheated by the Empire, who he had fought with and for many times, so he decides to join the Stormcloaks and fight against the Empire to regain Skyrim for the Nords! Huzzah!


----------



## GhostsofAcid

So now that i've done everything possible in skyrim at least twice... I decided to play morrowind again. It'll be interesting to play through Bloodmoon post skyrim and see what differences there are in the two Nord cultures.


----------



## MrMcSick

I still have a few broken quests on my console after the update this week. 1 being still not being able to get the windhelm house, ugh.


----------



## CrushingAnvil

Level 6 Orc, mostly using Ancient Nord Bow but just found a slightly better enchanted bow (12 damage, blue aura - can't remember the name).


----------



## BrainArt

CrushingAnvil said:


> Level 6 Orc, mostly using Ancient Nord Bow but just found a slightly better enchanted bow (12 damage, blue aura - can't remember the name).



Level 40 Nord, my main bow is an Ebony Bow that I've smithed and then improved to Legendary, I also have an Absorb Health enchantment on it. I win.   



Also, I'm currently doing the Transcending the Mundane quest, finally. It's been sitting in my journal for ages. I have Orsimer and Altmer blood, but have been having a bitch of a time finding a Bosmer that's not important/ I don't care about. I can find Dunmer and Falmer easily.


On another note, does anyone think it would be cool if Bethesda did an ES game with Dwemer in it? I think it would be pretty cool, seeing Dwemer in TES instead of just hearing about them.


----------



## Varcolac

There's one Dwemer in Morrowind


Spoiler



only he's mutated by the Coprus disease.



Coming up with backstories for your builds is not lame in the slightest. My backstories for my characters are a little one dimensional though. My Khajit for instance was exiled from Elsweyr for supporting the empire. Well, it was either that or the incurable kleptomania. Finding himself in Skyrim and in the midst of a civil war, he wants to help General Tullius to keep the empire together and hopes they'll eventually reclaim his homeland so he can spit in the eyes of those who cast him out. He's still a kleptomaniac though. Bloody thief-cat.


----------



## Maniacal

My character was banished from Skyrim and had to drive to Doug at Black Machine to deliver a guitar, only to find his car had overheated... he was stuck in the shit hole that is London. 
As day turned to night and the relay guy was four and a half hours late, he knew he had to return to Skyrim because the outside world is shit.


----------



## HighGain510

BrainArt said:


> Dude, coming up with backstories for your builds is not lame, at all.
> 
> My newest Nord (his name is Bjorn) grew up in Skyrim and fought in many a battle, then afterwards, he left Skyrim and went to Cyrodiil; living under the protection of the Empire for a long time. He left Cyrodiil years later and headed home to Skyrim, where he was captured (as all of our characters are  ) and sent to the block. After he escaped from the block and from Helgen with Ralof, he has felt cheated by the Empire, who he had fought with and for many times, so he decides to join the Stormcloaks and fight against the Empire to regain Skyrim for the Nords! Huzzah!



My guy stole a sweet roll. Now he's been captured by the Empire! OH NOES, DRAGON ATTACK!


----------



## BrainArt

HighGain510 said:


> My guy stole a sweet roll. Now he's been captured by the Empire! OH NOES, DRAGON ATTACK!



So *that's* why all of the guards keep asking if somebody stole my sweet roll!


----------



## VBCheeseGrater

i just picked this up yesterday after getting into oblivion recently..i was amazed at oblivion and now skyrim is just wow! amazing so far


----------



## texshred777

I really enjoyed Skyrim during my short stint with it. I'm disappointed that magic seems to be a bit nerfed, and I miss spellmaking. Other than that I liked it. I liked it more than Oblivion besides the magic issue.


----------



## texshred777

BrainArt said:


> Dude, coming up with backstories for your builds is not lame, at all.
> 
> My newest Nord (his name is Bjorn) grew up in Skyrim and fought in many a battle, then afterwards, he left Skyrim and went to Cyrodiil; living under the protection of the Empire for a long time. He left Cyrodiil years later and headed home to Skyrim, where he was captured (as all of our characters are  ) and sent to the block. After he escaped from the block and from Helgen with Ralof, he has felt cheated by the Empire, who he had fought with and for many times, so he decides to join the Stormcloaks and fight against the Empire to regain Skyrim for the Nords! Huzzah!


 
I too make backstories for every rpg I play. Even in Dark Souls which plays to me more like an action/adventure game with RPG mechanics than a proper RPG.


----------



## AxeHappy

BrainArt said:


> So *that's* why all of the guards keep asking if somebody stole my sweet roll!




It's actually a reference to the old character creation system. 

And I always beat that jerk ass up.


----------



## BrainArt

AxeHappy said:


> It's actually a reference to the old character creation system.
> 
> And I always beat that jerk ass up.



Ahh, the first TES game I ever played was Oblivion. I've never played any of the others, besides Skyrim.


----------



## Jontain

After playing some more fallout NV the other night and struggling to get into it I have caved and bought Skyrim...

Looking forward to getting home tonight to get a chance to play, don't know if to play nord or argonion. Through all of the TES series I have played argonion (would love to see the next one in the black marshes) although the nord is tempting, as is the redguard.... god dammit so much choice!


----------



## Jontain

BrainArt said:


> Ahh, the first TES game I ever played was Oblivion. I've never played any of the others, besides Skyrim.


 
Morrowind was fantastic, and there are some decent texture packs out there that really breathe new life into it, well worth a look if you get a chance to pick it up cheap!


----------



## ittoa666

BrainArt said:


> Ahh, the first TES game I ever played was Oblivion. I've never played any of the others, besides Skyrim.



Definitely play Morrowind and never look back. It is BY FAR the best game I've ever played. You must play it.


----------



## BrainArt

Jontain said:


> Morrowind was fantastic, and there are some decent texture packs out there that really breathe new life into it, well worth a look if you get a chance to pick it up cheap!



I'm a console gamer, so texture packs would be a massive bitch. The only game I play on a computer is Minecraft.


----------



## AxeHappy

I normally think that Platform elitism/Fanboyism is fucking stupid as fuck.

BUT:
Playing the Elder Scrolls series on anything but a computer is a really...really...really stupid decision. 

Please don't take any offence, this is a purely objective statement. They always look better, they always run better, they always get upgraded better, they have the access to mods to actually fix the game after Bethesda gives up, as well as, the other mod benefits. FOOLISH I SAY! FOOLISH!


----------



## ittoa666

BrainArt said:


> I'm a console gamer, so texture packs would be a massive bitch. The only game I play on a computer is Minecraft.



Pick up morrowind on xbox then. It's still a great way to play, and there's no way to cheat and break the game the first day you own it. That's how I played it for the most part.


----------



## texshred777

AxeHappy said:


> I normally think that Platform elitism/Fanboyism is fucking stupid as fuck.
> 
> BUT:
> Playing the Elder Scrolls series on anything but a computer is a really...really...really stupid decision.
> 
> Please don't take any offence, this is a purely objective statement. They always look better, they always run better, they always get upgraded better, they have the access to mods to actually fix the game after Bethesda gives up, as well as, the other mod benefits. FOOLISH I SAY! FOOLISH!


 
I tend to agree with this statement. I hate the Xbox vs PS vs PC crap too, but TES is certainly better on PC, there's such a wealth of really good user made content/mods available.

I'm still a console gamer though, and will still get Skyrim for my 360. I'll get a better PC soon and will get a second copy for that.


----------



## BrainArt

AxeHappy said:


> I normally think that Platform elitism/Fanboyism is fucking stupid as fuck.
> 
> BUT:
> Playing the Elder Scrolls series on anything but a computer is a really...really...really stupid decision.
> 
> Please don't take any offence, this is a purely objective statement. They always look better, they always run better, they always get upgraded better, they have the access to mods to actually fix the game after Bethesda gives up, as well as, the other mod benefits. FOOLISH I SAY! FOOLISH!



It's not an eilitism thing for me, just pure preference. To each his own, though!  My sister and her husband have the same view point as you, though. But, that goes with any game.



ittoa666 said:


> Pick up morrowind on xbox then. It's still a great way to play, and there's no way to cheat and break the game the first day you own it. That's how I played it for the most part.



I probably will at some point, I remember seeing the trailers for it when it came out and I liked the look of it. Maybe Gamestop will have a copy, but I doubt it. Ebay or Amazon will, though.


----------



## Grand Moff Tim

ittoa666 said:


> Pick up morrowind on xbox then. It's still a great way to play, and* there's no way to cheat and break the game the first day you own it.* That's how I played it for the most part.


 

Yes there is, lol.


----------



## AxeHappy

BrainArt said:


> It's not an eilitism thing for me, just pure preference. To each his own, though!  My sister and her husband have the same view point as you, though. But, that goes with any game.




Haha! I wasn't accusing you of elitism man! I was about to engage in some of my own (ES on PC or GTFO) and thought I'd preface it with my belief that Platform elitism is stupid!


----------



## BrainArt

AxeHappy said:


> Haha! I wasn't accusing you of elitism man! I was about to engage in some of my own (ES on PC or GTFO) and thought I'd preface it with my belief that Platform elitism is stupid!



 This is what I get for tired posting/ eating/ texting and not paying much attention, eh? S'all good. 

I think that we can agree, no matter what platform it's on, that Skyrim is fucking awesome!


----------



## ittoa666

Grand Moff Tim said:


> Yes there is, lol.



I know. 



Spoiler



All you have to do is make a spell with soul trap and the desired effect to permanantly raise a skill to a billion. Always shoot it at the floor, too.



I was talking more about console commands though in my other comment.


----------



## metal_sam14

I played skyrim for the first time in at least 2 months last night, such a happy moment 
Only at level 9 though, between this game, BF3, working full time and recording my next album I should be kept busy enough


----------



## iamdunker

Why can't i get into this game, what am I doing wrong? Haha But seriously.


----------



## Shawn

Been playing this game alot lately. I love it however I still love Oblivion too.


----------



## liamh

Even though its perks don't really correspond with my build, and I could get more armour rating if i wanted, I wear the Nightingale armour because it looks baller as fuck.


----------



## liamh




----------



## ZeroS1gnol

Just finished the 'Dragon' main quest. Nice. 

Now there is still a ton of stuff to do, and I already spent two months playing this game...when does it end? And there's DLC on the way...I've got a feeling I'll be playing this game for a loooong time.


----------



## BrainArt

Haven't played in a while, not because I haven't wanted to, just out of pure laziness. 


I need to work on my Altmer and second Nord.


Also, I think I'm going to make a Khajiit and have him join the Companions. I think you can see where I'm going with this.


----------



## VBCheeseGrater

i've just beat the main quest too - definitely felt like they put alot of time into it, felt grand. Hopefully the game wont feel pointless after beating the main quest like oblivion did for me. Im going to continue the Dark Bro quest and see how it goes


----------



## Stealth7

This is the best cover of a Skyrim song I've heard.


----------



## TheHandOfStone

^


----------



## Erazoender

Stealth7 said:


> This is the best cover of a Skyrim song I've heard.




Sounds like Ensiferum


----------



## CapinCripes

so i installed a few (around 100 or so) mods so far in skyrim and all i have to say is DAT DOF.


----------



## TheSixthWheel

People planning to update to 1.5 should first be aware of the water glitch.

Consoles - Patch 1.5.26 Water Bug | Skyrim Forums


----------



## C2Aye

WARZONES - Civil Unrest at Skyrim Nexus - Skyrim Mods and community

This mod is an absolute must have for PC gamers. It really makes you feel like a civil war is actually going on!

Word of caution, try to watch where you swing your sword with your low level character, otherwise you'll find about 20 Stormcloaks/Imperials/both hunting you down at a time. I have never run from anything so fast in Skyrim


----------



## Black_Sheep

Is there any news or info concerning the possible DLC's for Skyrim? I'd love to have one.. 

Im almost done with the game, just a few daedric artifacts and half of the dark brotherhood questline, oh and i must get married too


----------



## Faine

I have like 180 hours and still SO much to do. It seems endless.


----------



## TheSixthWheel

Faine said:


> I have like 180 hours and still SO much to do. It seems endless.



yeah, just under 150 hours here and still haven't finished the main quest. Keep getting distracted by caves, dwemer ruins and other random shit I run into on the way to actually achieving something in the game.


----------



## potatohead

I'm at like 110 hours too and I am probably done like 20% lol. I like running around and finding things and looting places. 

Does anyone know if the damn Tonilia glitch is fixed? The one where you need to give here a piece of Thieves Guild armor or whatever? FACK not being able to use her as a fence is pissing me off


----------



## SkapocalypseNow

Black_Sheep said:


> Is there any news or info concerning the possible DLC's for Skyrim? I'd love to have one..
> 
> Im almost done with the game, just a few daedric artifacts and half of the dark brotherhood questline, oh and i must get married too


Bethesda is teasing us all.

News: Skyrim DLC release date 'maybe next week' - ComputerAndVideoGames.com


----------



## Faine

I'm playing it right now and I still can't get over the graphics. I'm sitting here next to a small pond with a waterfall looking up at the sky. All the stars are out with the green northern lights/ auroras. There's fireflies all around and the ambient music puts me in a tranquil place and I'm just in awe. I really wish there was a place like this in real life I can just go to.


----------



## Grand Moff Tim

I thought of a mod I'd like to see. Nothing crazy awesome or game-changing or anything like that, just a little thing that I think would make sense.

Someone should make a mod that lets you keep spell tomes after you use them. It wouldn't have to be too complicated a mod, just script it so that upon reading the spell tome you not only learn the new spell, but a "used" copy of the tome is added to your inventory. That way you'd be free to sell it (at a reduced value, of course), add it to a book case, throw it from the top of a mountain, whatever. 

I don't imagine it'd take much more modding than adding the add item script to the tome script, and duplicates of the spell books that are marked as "used." Unless someone wants to get really crazy and actually write out the contents of the tomes so you read them once they're in your inventory, of course, but a "you have already read this tome" message appearing when you click on it would more than suffice.

Like I said, nothing crazy awesome, it's just something that would add another touch of realism to the game.


----------



## ittoa666

Grand Moff Tim said:


> I thought of a mod I'd like to see. Nothing crazy awesome or game-changing or anything like that, just a little thing that I think would make sense.
> 
> Someone should make a mod that lets you keep spell tomes after you use them. It wouldn't have to be too complicated a mod, just script it so that upon reading the spell tome you not only learn the new spell, but a "used" copy of the tome is added to your inventory. That way you'd be free to sell it (at a reduced value, of course), add it to a book case, throw it from the top of a mountain, whatever.
> 
> I don't imagine it'd take much more modding than adding the add item script to the tome script, and duplicates of the spell books that are marked as "used." Unless someone wants to get really crazy and actually write out the contents of the tomes so you read them once they're in your inventory, of course, but a "you have already read this tome" message appearing when you click on it would more than suffice.
> 
> Like I said, nothing crazy awesome, it's just something that would add another touch of realism to the game.



Adding to this, I'd like to say that spell tomes should be crafting items. I know you can make a few through the atronach forge, but they should have a table for it. They need spellmaking in general though.


----------



## Pikka Bird

Faine said:


> ...the ambient music puts me in a tranquil place...


Gotta be _Secunda_. At least that's the one that gets me all transcendent. The soundtrack really is spectacular compared to basically any current game, but having spent thousands of hours in Morrowind, I think it falls short. Just a little.


> I really wish there was a place like this in real life I can just go to.


Probably is... Go explore!


----------



## Faine

Sacunda is a good song too, but I believe it was this song...The first one. 

YouTube - Skyrim OST: CD 4: Skyrim Atmospheres


----------



## Stealth7

First DLC for Skyrim has been announced.

Bethesda Teases Skyrim DLC Dawnguard as a Timed Xbox 360 Exclusive - AusGamers.com


----------



## Guitarman700

Stealth7 said:


> First DLC for Skyrim has been announced.
> 
> Bethesda Teases Skyrim DLC Dawnguard as a _*Timed Xbox 360 Exclusive*_ - AusGamers.com



Fuck. Oh well, what's another month.


----------



## Grand Moff Tim

Everyone knows that of all the platforms the Elder Scrolls is on, it has most traditionally been known as an XBOX series. Makes perfect sense. No reason to give us silly PC gamers first crack at it.


----------



## Faine

A new expansion already? Shit I haven't even gotten CLOSE to finishing everything yet!


----------



## Alex6534

Me neither! I put the game on hold because it was eating into my study time  but that's soon to change. I must still have at least 80% to do, only completed the thieves guild/dark brotherhood, and still have too many options to explore. Too many things to do an no where near enough time!


----------



## Pikka Bird

Grand Moff Tim said:


> Everyone knows that of all the platforms the Elder Scrolls is on, it has most traditionally been known as an XBOX series. Makes perfect sense. No reason to give us silly PC gamers first crack at it.



I only think this is true if you didn't start following TES until Oblivion. Before that it was very much a PC game at heart. And then with mods Oblivion also turned into that (at least if you wanted to play a solid feeling game) and Skyrim is heading that way too. Without the PC's modding community I wouldn't have played Oblivion and Skyrim for any longer than the main quest would take. 

...Of course there's the possibility that you're joking.


----------



## AxeHappy

Yeah, the sarcasm dripping off that post was pretty clear.


----------



## SirMyghin

Grand Moff Tim said:


> Everyone knows that of all the platforms the Elder Scrolls is on, it has most traditionally been known as an XBOX series. Makes perfect sense. No reason to give us silly PC gamers first crack at it.



Indeed, I am going to run out and buy an xbox and skyrim just to play this on release.... Wait. No I'm not. You fail Bethesda/Microsoft.


----------



## Grand Moff Tim

Pikka Bird said:


> ...Of course there's the possibility that you're joking.



There certainly is.


----------



## pink freud

Droppin a bomb on y'all:
Zenimax/Bethesda Announces Elder Scrolls MMO


----------



## Alex6534

/\ Shit there goes any new gear I want, new pc it is!


----------



## SirMyghin

pink freud said:


> Droppin a bomb on y'all:
> Zenimax/Bethesda Announces Elder Scrolls MMO




A pretty small step really, it is effectively just multiplayer elder scrolls. Personally, do not want. Half the appeal is not having to deal with other people. I lied, 95% of the appeal.


----------



## BrainArt

SirMyghin said:


> A pretty small step really, it is effectively just multiplayer elder scrolls. Personally, do not want. Half the appeal is not having to deal with other people. I lied, 95% of the appeal.



 I already have no life, I don't need to make it any worse...


----------



## The Reverend

I'm shitting myself right now.


----------



## vampiregenocide

I'd love having multiplayer in Elder Scrolls. Fighting through dungeons with comrades who aren't supid AIs that just get in the way would be cool.


----------



## Black_Sheep

I thought the whole point of Elder Scrolls was to have no multiplayer? ...  


Nah, i hope they succeed in what they are trying to accomplish, but seriously it's starting to piss me off that EVERY FUCKING GAME needs to have a multiplayer of some sort. Nope.


----------



## pink freud

Black_Sheep said:


> EVERY FUCKING GAME needs to have a multiplayer of some sort.



This is actually a fairly accurate paraphrase of an EA memo that went out last year. I don't think you'll be wanting many EA games for a good long while


----------



## SkapocalypseNow

Can't wait for multiplayer. I'm going to get an account early on by the username Lydia and proceed to shove myself into every doorway I can.


----------



## Black_Sheep

pink freud said:


> This is actually a fairly accurate paraphrase of an EA memo that went out last year. I don't think you'll be wanting many EA games for a good long while



Don't get me wrong, i like multiplayers. I play a lot of BF3, used to play lot's of COD (BO rules, MW3 just sucks, waiting for BO2) and i enjoy the MP of Mass Effect 3 as well. 

But, not every game needs a multiplayer. That was my point.


----------



## SirMyghin

vampiregenocide said:


> I'd love having multiplayer in Elder Scrolls. Fighting through dungeons with comrades who aren't supid AIs that just get in the way would be cool.




If it turns out like another modern MMO (aka WoW clone) those players will give the AI intelligence a run for its stupidity.


----------



## Grand Moff Tim

Nothing will help deepen the immersion of being lost in an epic fantasy world and setting off on the hero's journey like hearing a thirteen year old with a headset mic say "HAHA FUCKIN NOOBFAG YOU GOT OWNED" as he teabags a bandit corpse. Yes, MMO is definitely the direction the Elder Scrolls needs to take.


----------



## Prydogga

Turn mic audio off, if they even have it integrated, and hide the chat box. They should have servers like WoW where it's RPG-like, no numbers in names, no names above heads in stupid colours, etc. 

I think idiot players will be less distracting from the sure amount of bugs and issues you face in Skyrim that just make you laugh at the 'game'. Really stops me from ever getting immersed. I was really surprised there was no co op support for Skyrim. It may be hard to execute, but when you spend so much time with stupid AIs, and you have these abilities that really would help with a human partner, I thought it'd have been a good move. 

Also, from the screenshots so far, I'm loving the different art style. TES have always been bit too bland and 'sharp' (in a bad way) looking for my liking, I always wished they had a bit more colour and stylising in the visuals. I know not all will agree with this, but I like it.


----------



## Bekanor

The hard part will be figuring out who is a real player and who is just another Louis Letrush clone hanging out on the road to Whiterun.


----------



## Grand Moff Tim

I've been playing this game again after a long break, and I'm happy to report that it's still fun. After burning out on it pretty hard, I'm glad I still enjoy it almost as much as I did the first time around. I started a new character (complete with his own backstory, of course ) so I can groom him for any upcoming DLC using the knowledge and experience I gained from previous playthroughs. 

I gotta say, I thought the Nord was the ideal race for playing as a 2H tank, but boy, was I wrong. That honor goes squarely to the Orc. He doesn't start out with the same 2H bonus (though he does have a higher Heavy Armor starting stat), but you can FUCK SHIT UP with the Berzerker Rage ability. Sure, you can only use it once a day, but I don't exactly come across situations where I need it anywhere near that often. 

It's nice finding myself in a tight spot and remembering "Oh yeah, Berzerker Rage!" and then hulking right the fuck out on whoever/whatever was giving me trouble. I even used it on the final mission of the main story last night. Dragonrend > Berzerker Rage > Introduce Alduin to the business end of my Warhammer. Good times.


----------



## BrainArt

I haven't played Skyrim in a while, either.

I've been playing Forza 4 and Minecraft 360 edition.


----------



## SirMyghin

Grand Moff Tim said:


> I've been playing this game again after a long break, and I'm happy to report that it's still fun. After burning out on it pretty hard, I'm glad I still enjoy it almost as much as I did the first time around. I started a new character (complete with his own backstory, of course ) so I can groom him for any upcoming DLC using the knowledge and experience I gained from previous playthroughs.
> 
> I gotta say, I thought the Nord was the ideal race for playing as a 2H tank, but boy, was I wrong. That honor goes squarely to the Orc. He doesn't start out with the same 2H bonus (though he does have a higher Heavy Armor starting stat), but you can FUCK SHIT UP with the Berzerker Rage ability. Sure, you can only use it once a day, but I don't exactly come across situations where I need it anywhere near that often.
> 
> It's nice finding myself in a tight spot and remembering "Oh yeah, Berzerker Rage!" and then hulking right the fuck out on whoever/whatever was giving me trouble. I even used it on the final mission of the main story last night. Dragonrend > Berzerker Rage > Introduce Alduin to the business end of my Warhammer. Good times.



I played an orc sneak thief in Morrowind, and damn that was a good one (orc solely as least skill bonuses in my custom skill set, therefore max levels ) Orc rages always win.


----------



## Stealth7

Looks like you'll be able to make crossbows and hopefully some other weapons.


----------



## Grand Moff Tim

SirMyghin said:


> I played an orc sneak thief in Morrowind, and damn that was a good one (orc solely as least skill bonuses in my custom skill set, therefore max levels ) Orc rages always win.


 
Haha, I used to make builds like that in Oblivion. That's one of the downsides to Skyrim I think: There aren't really races that really feel significantly disadvantaged for certain playstyles. I suppose one might be able to argue that that's a good thing, since you can use whatever race you want for whatever type of build you want, but I think it takes a bit of the fun out of it.


----------



## Grand Moff Tim

It feels like it's been forever since I've taken and uploaded a screenshot of the game, so since I _know_ you all care ever so much, I did one tonight.


Here's a shot of my current playthrough, Urgaz the Unwavering, and his ragtag group of battle pals, Faendal and Meeko:









You know, I used to HATE having a dog as a follower, but I think that was mostly because the only character builds I ever had one with were ones where I cared about trying to be stealthy. When I'm just charging headlong into battle preceded only by the head of my warhammer, it isn't so bad having a little buddy to wear down the other baddies who are impatiently waiting for me to come remove their heads while I'm wailing away on one.

His constant barking during the peace council at High Hrothgar was pretty fucking annoying, though .


----------



## ittoa666

BrainArt said:


> I haven't played Skyrim in a while, either.
> 
> I've been playing Forza 4 and Minecraft 360 edition.



I've been playing the exact same things.  Too much fun.


----------



## Alex6534

Hey guys do you's reckon my Laptop could run Skyrim on Medium settings or higher? Never tried playing pc games before so it'l be a first. From what I've heard mods can also be very useful for making graphics/textures appear better without taxing the GPU? 

Here's the specs: 
Processor	Intel® Core&#8482; i7-2630QM, (2GHz with up to 2.9GHz turbo boost, 6 MB L3 cache)
Operating System	Windows® 7 Home Premium 64-bit
RAM	8 GB DDR3
Graphics card	Dedicated AMD Radeon HD 6630M 1 GB DDR3
Screen type	High-Definition LED HP BrightView Infinity Display
Screen resolution	1366 x 768


----------



## AxeHappy

Your laptop has similar/better (much better in some cases) specs than my desktop and my desktop destroys Skyrim on max settings with mods that improve graphic without caring about processing power and just trying to make it look has pretty as possible. 

So, 

Yeah, it should be able to handle it!


----------



## Alex6534

^Haha thanks! I was more worried about the graphics card. From what I know the 6630M isn't the best by far haha so wasn't sure if it could handle it. Also want to try an mod fallout 3


----------



## Jakke

Currently playing an altmer mage, and a lightly armoured redguard fighter.


----------



## GhostsofAcid

Still anxiously waiting for Dawnguard. I can't motivate myself for another playthrough as I've done everything at least twice and I have a ridiculous number of hours in my level 81 Altmer, the game plays a lot differently when you no longer have to worry about skills, I can't imagine going back.


----------



## BrainArt

ittoa666 said:


> I've been playing the exact same things.  Too much fun.



Right on.


----------



## anunnaki

They started taking applications for getting the dawnguard beta for xbox
I sent in my one woo!


----------



## Grand Moff Tim

I'm having such a good time going through everything again right now that if Dawnguard comes out reasonably soonish, I might actually not buy it right away so I can keep working on my current playthrough.





Bahahahahahahaha, yeah fucking right. I'll get that shit the MINUTE it's available on Steam.


----------



## Grand Moff Tim

So 282 hours into Skyrim and I'm _still_ seeing things I've never seen before. For example:

I've known for a while that if you use your shouts within city walls, the guards will ask you to knock that shit off. Today, however, I also found out they'll chide you for leaving weapons lying around. There was a bit of a row in Markarth that ended with a few dead dudes, who I then looted, which left me overencumbered. To ease my burden somewhat, I dropped a couple weapons on the ground. A few moments later, a guard stopped me and told me I shouldn't leave weapons lying around because it's dangerous.

Second, after the guard chided me, a courier stopped me and handed me a letter and some gold. I opened the letter, and apparently one of the people who had died in the aforementioned skirmish was someone who I had done a favor for earlier, so he had left me some money in his will.

So there you have it. Overcautious guards and random inheritance. Two things it took almost 300 hours of gameplay for me to see. I wish all games had such depth.


----------



## BrainArt

Grand Moff Tim said:


> So 282 hours into Skyrim and I'm _still_ seeing things I've never seen before. For example:
> 
> I've known for a while that if you use your shouts within city walls, the guards will ask you to knock that shit off. Today, however, I also found out they'll chide you for leaving weapons lying around. There was a bit of a row in Markarth that ended with a few dead dudes, who I then looted, which left me overencumbered. To ease my burden somewhat, I dropped a couple weapons on the ground. A few moments later, a guard stopped me and told me I shouldn't leave weapons lying around because it's dangerous.
> 
> Second, after the guard chided me, a courier stopped me and handed me a letter and some gold. I opened the letter, and apparently one of the people who had died in the aforementioned skirmish was someone who I had done a favor for earlier, so he had left me some money in his will.
> 
> So there you have it. Overcautious guards and random inheritance. Two things it took almost 300 hours of gameplay for me to see. I wish all games had such depth.




I found that out ages ago. 

I'm thinking about possibly starting up Skyrim, again.


----------



## Evil Weasel

Has anyone bought Dawnguard yet? I'm holding out until I find out if it actually offers value for money and if they have avoided throwing any more quest/game breaking bugs.


----------



## ittoa666

Evil Weasel said:


> Has anyone bought Dawnguard yet? I'm holding out until I find out if it actually offers value for money and if they have avoided throwing any more quest/game breaking bugs.



I don't think it's out yet.

:EDIT: Nevermind. Had no idea it was released today. Buying it now.


----------



## Evil Weasel

ittoa666 said:


> I don't think it's out yet.
> 
> :EDIT: Nevermind. Had no idea it was released today. Buying it now.


Do report back! Seem to be no reviews up yet. 

Some early reports of bugs and it the story being pretty poor (not unexpected as the end of the main story was very underwhelming) but will wait for a few more unbiased opinions than whatever is on kotaku! Having said that I didn't really encounter any bugs of note and I clocked up 120 hours on the main game.

Might encourage a 2nd playthrough as well. It has been lying in the box untouched since January.


----------



## liamh

Grand Moff Tim said:


> Second, after the guard chided me, a courier stopped me and handed me a letter and some gold. I opened the letter, and apparently one of the people who had died in the aforementioned skirmish was someone who I had done a favor for earlier, so he had left me some money in his will.



This happened quite a while ago to me. I cant remember who, but it was some woman I had completed a quest for her previously. Out of boredom, I just randomly Fus Roh Dah'd her off of the Dragonsreach staircase wihtout having the faintest idea who she was. Guards didnt give a fuck. About 2 minutes later the courier comes and hands me about 500 gold 
One of the few times i've properly laughed out loud at a game


----------



## r3tr0sp3ct1v3

Well I just completed the main storyline in Dawnguard. 

Very good  

Now I have nothing to do again.


----------



## Grand Moff Tim

r3tr0sp3ct1v3 said:


> Well I just completed the main storyline in Dawnguard.
> 
> Very good
> 
> Now I have nothing to do again.


 
Complete it again with a different playstyle or choosing different story options, of course.


Sure wish I could play it, but sadly I use the platform Bethesda slapped in the face with the 360 deal .


----------



## r3tr0sp3ct1v3

Grand Moff Tim said:


> Complete it again with a different playstyle or choosing different story options, of course.
> 
> 
> Sure wish I could play it, but sadly I use the platform Bethesda slapped in the face with the 360 deal .




I might go through it again. I played through as the Dawnguard. Got a sweet ass bow. As a vampire you don't get that D:


----------



## GhostsofAcid

Got Dawnguard the day it came out. I'm actually really liking it, and I have about 13 hours in on the vampire side and am just starting to get close to the end. All the new armor sets are sweet. Bugs are rage inducing though. I just finished



Spoiler



The boss fight with Vyrthur



and had the game freeze immediately after, so it looks like I get to do all of that again. Not the first time either, I get freezes about every two hours post Dawnguard install.


----------



## ittoa666

Spoiler



Just killed Harkon.



Anything to do afterwards?


----------



## liamh

Is Dawnguard coming out on physical copy?


----------



## GhostsofAcid

ittoa666 said:


> Spoiler
> 
> 
> 
> Just killed Harkon.
> 
> 
> 
> Anything to do afterwards?



Did you do the Aetherium Forge quest? You pick it up by reading "The Aetherium Wars", copies of which are lying around Fort Dawnguard and Castle Volkihar.


----------



## ittoa666

GhostsofAcid said:


> Did you do the Aetherium Forge quest? You pick it up by reading "The Aetherium Wars", copies of which are lying around Fort Dawnguard and Castle Volkihar.



Not yet. Thanks for the tip though. I was wondering what importance the book served since I've seen it all over.


----------



## Scar Symmetry

My flatmate bought this the other day... it's just as good as it feared it would be


----------



## Grand Moff Tim

I want Dawnguard, goddammit. Stupid Microsoft. Stupid Bethesda.


----------



## ittoa666

Grand Moff Tim said:


> I want Dawnguard, goddammit. Stupid Microsoft. Stupid Bethesda.



It. Is. Awesome.


----------



## bhakan

^ agreed. It's now one of my favorite questlines in the game. Especially the


Spoiler



part when you meet the snow elves and go into the underground cavern with the bioluminescent animals.


----------



## Valennic

bhakan said:


> ^ agreed. It's now one of my favorite questlines in the game. Especially the
> 
> 
> Spoiler
> 
> 
> 
> part when you meet the snow elves and go into the underground cavern with the bioluminescent animals.




Questline is the absolute shit. Its amazing.



Spoiler



I love those things. I hunted them for like a half hour.


----------



## Grand Moff Tim

SHUT UP ASSHOLES.


----------



## ittoa666

Spoiler



Any of you guys fired Auriel's Bow at the sun with the new arrows?



It's absolutely epic.


----------



## BrainArt

Spoiler



Hahaha, made you look! &#8206;(´&#65381;&#969;&#65381;`)


----------



## Scar Symmetry

Got to Rulindil... bastard is nails. Wish I had backstab already


----------



## Scar Symmetry

After 14 years... a game that finally beats The Ocarina of Time. Well fucking done Bethesda! Can't wait for Fallout 4 now... gonna be so good.


----------



## ittoa666

Scar Symmetry said:


> After 14 years... a game that finally beats The Ocarina of Time. Well fucking done Bethesda! Can't wait for Fallout 4 now... gonna be so good.



I can argue that, but to keep it short, I don't think it's quite there yet. OoT just had that magical "thing" to it that no game can replicate.


----------



## SirMyghin

Scar Symmetry said:


> After 14 years... a game that finally beats The Ocarina of Time. Well fucking done Bethesda! Can't wait for Fallout 4 now... gonna be so good.



Maybe fallout 4 won't just be skyrim with guns (which would still thwart oblivion with guns, aka fallout 3 )


----------



## Grand Moff Tim

It amuses me when people say Fallout 3 is just "Oblivion with guns" as if that's some sort of _bad_ thing . Skyrim actually took some pages out of FO3's book this time around, so it'll be interesting to see how the two franchises continue to influence eachother in the future.


----------



## Adam Of Angels

I have clocked an unreasonable number of hours on Skyrim over the last 7 months, but I don't think the story is very impressive at all, and so, I don't know that I feel it to be on the level of Ocarina of Time.. But it's still fun. I think I play it more so for how beautiful and absolutely metal-as-fuck it is.


----------



## Grand Moff Tim

I wasn't drawn into the main story on ANY of the Elder Scrolls games. For me they're more about the setting.


----------



## SirMyghin

Grand Moff Tim said:


> I wasn't drawn into the main story on ANY of the Elder Scrolls games. For me they're more about the setting.



Pretty much, but I wouldn't go as far as to set Zelda as the pinnacle of story telling either .

Best story in a video game: Planescape: Torment, hands down.


----------



## Grand Moff Tim

SirMyghin said:


> Pretty much, but I wouldn't go as far as to set Zelda as the pinnacle of story telling either .


 
Neither would I, though I sometimes suspect those who would are mostly remembering it how it affected them when they played it as elementary schoolers, when it didn't exactly take a pulitzer prize winning novel to draw them in.

That said, I actually can't really think of that many games at all with stories that reall "drew me in," however you want to define that. I suppose I ended up pretty invested in the protagonist in Red Dead Redemption


Spoiler



to the point that I was pretty fucking mad when they killed him off at the end


.

I suppose Mass Effect did a good job of it, but I enjoyed that more for the backstory and peripheral stuff you learn about the universe it's set in than for any of the individual characters, really, with a few exceptions.

I also enjoyed Bioshock alot, but in retrospect I think that was far more for the setting and atmosphere than the story itself. Sure, there was the twist at the end, but that sortof lead to a _6th Sense_ sortof hype where having a neat twist at the end made people forget that up until the twist it was actually pretty dull.

On topic, I _have _found myself semi-invested in some of the Elder Scrolls storylines, but never really the *main* storylines. The Dark Brotherhood one in Oblivion, for example, was pretty good, and the


Spoiler



Nightingale/Nocturnal (spoiler tagged, in case there's actually someone here who hasn't done it yet)


 tie-in with the Skyrim Thieves Guild was at least pretty interesting, I thought.


----------



## peagull

Grand Moff Tim said:


> I suppose I ended up pretty invested in the protagonist in Red Dead Redemption
> 
> 
> Spoiler
> 
> 
> 
> to the point that I was pretty fucking mad when they killed him off at the end
> 
> 
> .


 
Man I loved that game so much, and    @ spoiler

Also, Why when I play skyrim on a MICROSOFT operating system, do I have to wait 30 days due to some crappy timed exclusive deal.


----------



## Grand Moff Tim

Man, I love this game and everything, but what the fuck are people doing to get up to level 80? I'm somewhere in the mid 50s and there's NOTHING left to do but radiant quests. Are people really grinding away at those things for 30 more levels? Christ.

I need the goddamned DLC already.


----------



## SenorDingDong

Just bought Skyrim.


Scared for my career.


----------



## Captain Shoggoth

^You should be.

I racked up 100 hours between the day before launch and early January, and I've racked up another 70 in a bit less than a month since I finished my exams-and I haven't even (re-)installed Dawnguard yet.


----------



## Scar Symmetry

ittoa666 said:


> I can argue that, but to keep it short, I don't think it's quite there yet. OoT just had that magical "thing" to it that no game can replicate.



I think Skyrim has that 'Magical Thing' man! 



Grand Moff Tim said:


> That said, I actually can't really think of that many games at all with stories that reall "drew me in," however you want to define that. I suppose I ended up pretty invested in the protagonist in Red Dead Redemption
> 
> 
> Spoiler
> 
> 
> 
> to the point that I was pretty fucking mad when they killed him off at the end
> 
> 
> .



Yeah dude Red Dead Redemption is one of the games I consider on the same 'perfect' (or almost) level. 



Spoiler



And playing as Marston's stupid son after the end of the story is very lame, though a true Western twist to the story.





Grand Moff Tim said:


> I also enjoyed Bioshock alot, but in retrospect I think that was far more for the setting and atmosphere than the story itself. Sure, there was the twist at the end, but that sortof lead to a _6th Sense_ sortof hype where having a neat twist at the end made people forget that up until the twist it was actually pretty dull.



Yeah, a lot of RPGs are "go here, go there, do this objective" but like you say it's about the atmosphere and world. I think Bioshock pushed the envelope in terms of what video games can be. A definite milestone in gaming!


----------



## jon66

After reading this thread a bit, I'm going home to get back into Skyrim. I never got very far into the story line. In other RPGs I was always an altoholic, so naturally I made a bunch of different characters to test out which playstyle was my favorite. (And yes I realize I can do them all on 1 character, but its funner for me this way)

That said, what's your favorite playstyle?


----------



## ittoa666

Scar Symmetry said:


> I think Skyrim has that 'Magical Thing' man!



OoT has that awesome nostalgia to it, too. Hopefully I can feel that way about skyrim in 10 years.


----------



## Grand Moff Tim

jon66 said:


> After reading this thread a bit, I'm going home to get back into Skyrim. I never got very far into the story line. In other RPGs I was always an altoholic, so naturally I made a bunch of different characters to test out which playstyle was my favorite. (And yes I realize I can do them all on 1 character, but its funner for me this way)
> 
> That said, what's your favorite playstyle?


 
I'm deffo an altoholic as well, man. I've created a frankly embarrassing number of alts in Oblivion and Fallout 3, and the number's kinda getting up there in Skyrim, too. The thing about Skyrims is, though, if you really want to get high up there in level, you pretty much HAVE to play multiple playstyles with one character, because once you're somewhere up there between 30 and 40 you'll probably have maxed out whatever skills your playstyle used the most. 

For example, and this ties in with your closing question, my favorite (and by FAR the msot effective) playstyle is a heavy armored two-handed tank with a warhammer, focusing on 2H, Heavy Armor, Smithing, and Enchanting. By the time I was done with the main questline, the Companions questline, and a few sidequests, I was at least 90 in all of those, 100 in a couple (admittedly because I grinded smithing and enchanting ). Because of that, I completely changed over to someone who focuses on Sneak, Archery and Pickpocket at that point so I could max those skills out and continue to gain levels (also because sniping is fun as hell in Skyrim, haha). 

When I hit 50 I had pretty much maxed those out as well, as wellg as a couple of skills that get maxed whether you're concentrating on them or not (namely Speech and Lockpicking), so now I'm setting myself up to use Light Armor, One Handed, and Destruction. That's where it's nice being 100 and all perked-out in Enchanting, by the way: I can enchant stuff to help me out with those skills while I'm still weak as fuck in them, so I don't constantly get my ass handed to me by the baddies that have leveled up with me .


----------



## Grand Moff Tim

ittoa666 said:


> OoT has that awesome nostalgia to it, too. Hopefully I can feel that way about skyrim in 10 years.


 
It might, if you can somehow transport yourself back in time and give Skyrim to yourself at the age you were when you first played OoT .


----------



## MFB

Bought this today, looking forward to getting my shout on


----------



## ittoa666

Grand Moff Tim said:


> It might, if you can somehow transport yourself back in time and give Skyrim to yourself at the age you were when you first played OoT .


----------



## pink freud

Grand Moff Tim said:


> It might, if you can somehow transport yourself back in time and give Skyrim to yourself at the age you were when you first played OoT .



My younger self would have _hated_ Skyrim.

I was all about twitch gameplay.


----------



## Grand Moff Tim

My younger self was in the baby-steps years of discovering how much I enjoy exploring open worlds, via the first Zelda game on the OG Game Boy (green-screend grey bricks ftw!). What was that one called? Link's Awakening? I forget. I always just called it "Zelda," haha.


----------



## ittoa666

Same here, but I started with A Link to the Past.


----------



## MFB

Played for a little while last night, it's not bad but I don't think it's amazing. About on par with Oblivion for where I am right now.


----------



## ittoa666

MFB said:


> Played for a little while last night, it's not bad but I don't think it's amazing. About on par with Oblivion for where I am right now.



Wait until you get further. This game overshadows Oblivion in every way.


----------



## synrgy

A friend let me borrow this a couple weeks ago.

It's proven to be a good time-suck (I immediately obsessed over blacksmithing, and did little else, until I'd maxed the skill out to 100) but I can't say I'm terribly impressed by it. I mean, it's a beautiful game to look at/be-immersed-in, and I do like the general sense of exploration. I just find that I don't give a shit about anything that's happening. I mean, I haven't met so much as one like-able character, yet.  

I get the feeling I'll get bored of it before I ever come remotely close to finishing the primary story-arc, presuming there even is one.


----------



## Bekanor

synrgy said:


> A friend let me borrow this a couple weeks ago.
> 
> It's proven to be a good time-suck (I immediately obsessed over blacksmithing, and did little else, until I'd maxed the skill out to 100) but I can't say I'm terribly impressed by it. I mean, it's a beautiful game to look at/be-immersed-in, and I do like the general sense of exploration. I just find that I don't give a shit about anything that's happening. I mean, I haven't met so much as one like-able character, yet.
> 
> I get the feeling I'll get bored of it before I ever come remotely close to finishing the primary story-arc, presuming there even is one.



There is a primary arc, but if you're like me and kept getting sidetracked with random quests and dungeon crawling you'll probably find it to be very, very easy.


----------



## hypotc

Skyrim is one of my favorite games. I like to play as a sneaky assassin. The first time I cleared the game, I was just outbalancing everything by getting Daedra armor before even starting on the main story = no fun!


----------



## axxessdenied

Fallout 3, Oblivion and Skyrim are all pretty shitty RPGs in my book. Too easy, too boring, *TOO EASY*. Introducing level scaling was such a terrible idea in Oblivion. Made the game absolutely way too boring.
Skyrim was dumbed down WAY too much. Skyrim was a beautiful game, don't get me wrong. But gameplay was meh, definitely no throwback to Morrowind. It's all been downhill since Morrowind. Typical bethesda game, great base for modders to make a mediocre game seriously kick ass. I still play Morrowind (enhancement pack makes the graphics look close to Oblivion) and the depth of the game just blows Skyrim away.

If you like Fallout 3... check out Fallout: New Vegas if you haven't played that one. I thought F:NV was a fantastic game! Hardcore mode is sweet!


----------



## pink freud

axxessdenied said:


> Fallout 3, Oblivion and Skyrim are all pretty shitty RPGs in my book. Too easy, too boring, *TOO EASY*. Introducing level scaling was such a terrible idea in Oblivion. Made the game absolutely way too boring.
> Skyrim was dumbed down WAY too much. Skyrim was a beautiful game, don't get me wrong. But gameplay was meh, definitely no throwback to Morrowind. It's all been downhill since Morrowind. Typical bethesda game, great base for modders to make a mediocre game seriously kick ass. I still play Morrowind (enhancement pack makes the graphics look close to Oblivion) and the depth of the game just blows Skyrim away.
> 
> If you like Fallout 3... check out Fallout: New Vegas if you haven't played that one. I thought F:NV was a fantastic game! Hardcore mode is sweet!



I'm curious, did you play Skyrim on it's highest difficulty? Because early on some creatures will essentially rape you (those centipede bug things in particular).


----------



## axxessdenied

Yeah. Skyrim still implements level scaling. This time more like Fallout 3 than Oblivion. It's easy to become overpowered. It's not that great as far as RPGs go, no real challenge. So many of my friends were hyped up like crazy about the game and they all just got bored because everything just gets way too easy. 

The Witcher 2 is a great example of a good modern RPG.


----------



## SenorDingDong

I'm having mixed feelings so far. 

The scope is amazing, so much freedom, but it makes fetch quests a pain in the fucking ass. Overall I'm just running around getting restless. I'm not one of those people who finds it fun to max out every skill by doing tedious things, so I haven't been trying to become the greatest smith or anything.

I'm reserving my final opinion for a full play through.


----------



## The Reverend

SenorDingDong said:


> I'm having mixed feelings so far.
> 
> The scope is amazing, so much freedom, but it makes fetch quests a pain in the fucking ass. Overall I'm just running around getting a restless. I'm not one of those people who finds it fun to max out every skill by doing tedious things, so I haven't been trying to become the greatest smith or anything.
> 
> I'm reserving my final opinion for a full play through.



Just explore, see where you end up. 

My jaw dropped when I did that once, ended up falling out of a Chimer cave via waterfall somewhere in the western regions. Nothing beats that, man, nothing.


----------



## AxeHappy

I ended up getting bored with it and deleting it. 

I think it starts great, but doesn't really go anywhere with it.


----------



## Fiction

Going to start this back up again, and focus less on skilling and just do quests, my last character was level 39 I had done probably 10 quests and my combat stats were only around 40-50.


----------



## C2Aye

Anyone else on PC play with the Warzones Civil War mod? It really makes the game so much more interesting and livens up the civil war quests to no end!


----------



## MFB

What the fucking FUCK? It seems like EVERYTHING in this god damn game can kill you before you do half the damage to it, and it's always stupid little things! I can kill a god damn dragon with a handful of arrows and some swing of a flame mace but a fucking bear takes me down in three hits? What the fuck is that  Or sabre cats too for that matter; sometimes its a fucking out of nowhere mage that just keeps blasting me with spells and the giant ass shield I have protects me from jack-fucking-dick it seems.


----------



## vampiregenocide

I wish they'd added more crossbows with Dawnguard, they're so much fun.


----------



## Grand Moff Tim

MFB said:


> What the fucking FUCK? It seems like EVERYTHING in this god damn game can kill you before you do half the damage to it, and it's always stupid little things! I can kill a god damn dragon with a handful of arrows and some swing of a flame mace but a fucking bear takes me down in three hits? What the fuck is that  Or sabre cats too for that matter; sometimes its a fucking out of nowhere mage that just keeps blasting me with spells and the giant ass shield I have protects me from jack-fucking-dick it seems.


 
Lololololol. How're your heavy armor and primary combat skills? You _did_ choose heavy armor and just _one_ primary offensive skill to focus on, yes? 

I know it seems counterintuitive given the past Elder Scrolls games, but there really is no reason to use light armor (or unarmored, for that matter) this time around. The armor you're wearing has no effect on the potency of your spells like it did in the past, and with a muffle spell and the eventual weightless perk, heavy armor even works with sneaky-sneaks.

Regarding offensive skills, it might seem like a good idea to be well rounded, but it really isn't. Instread of focusing on, say, 1H, Archery and Destruction, it's better to just focus on ONE of those. That way instead of being something like 30 in each one of those, you can be 60 or so in one of them alone. You'll be restricted to just one type of offense, but that one type will deal alot more damage than you could when spliiting your xp amongst several different skills.


Of course, you might already know all that and just have a specific playstyle in mind, and these are just the unnecessary rambling of a drunk who should be in bed .


----------



## MFB

My one-handed is upgraded to do 20% extra and uses less stamina since the next increase for damage cost 40 which I'm not at yet. My two handed is increased as well same as my 1H but I only did that because my one handed wasn't increased as much yet. Not sure where my Heavy Armor stands up but I've been wearing a Steel set for a WHILE now and it's somewhere right around 30 at least. My destruction skills are barely used since I use a mace and a shield, with my shout being the primary destructive force.


----------



## TheDivineWing22

While I am waiting for Dawnguard, I decided to replay with an unarmed Kahjiit build. Has anybody done an unarmed character? Any tips?


----------



## MFB

I've come to find me and this FLAMING MACE OF HOLY FUCKING SHIT are a great team together. My one-handed has an additional 40% power to it, PLUS I have an upgrade for maces that ignores 20% of the enemies armor along with all one handed attacks using 20% less stamina too. This thing fucks bitches UP, I tell you what.


----------



## Grand Moff Tim

TheDivineWing22 said:


> While I am waiting for Dawnguard, I decided to replay with an unarmed Kahjiit build. Has anybody done an unarmed character? Any tips?


 
Right off the bat, it's important to note that you can't level up your unarmed skill. AT ALL. I'm sure you're aware that there isn't even a skill tree for it. However, there are four things that increase unarmed damage in the game: Being a Kahjiit, the armor rating of your gauntlets, the heavy armor perk that increases unarmed damage, and fortify unarmed enchantments.

Knowing that, the things to do are be a Kahjiit (hey, you're on the right track!), Specialize in heavy armor so you can get the increased damage perk AND wear guantlets that will increase your damage, grind your smithing so you can get to Daedric gauntlets ASAP, and grind enchanting so you can maximize the fortify unarmed enchantment when you add it to something. Note that it's only the BASE armor rating of the gauntlets that affects your unarmed damage, so it doesn't matter how much past the base rating you've upgraded/repaired it to, it will still only factor the base value into your damage dealt.

There's a dude in the Ratway on the way to the Ragged Flagon who's wearing gauntlets with fortify unarmed, and he's available AND easy to defeat at early levels, so that's the best place to go to get access to that enchantment.

If you want, you can also grind alchemy so you can use spells to boost your enchanting and smithing skills when you make and enchant the gauntlets, for maximum effect. However, alchemy takes fucking FOREVER to grind, so for the unarmed build I did, I ignored that option. If you decide to take it, UESP has a good tutorial on how to exploit potions for enchanting, smithing, and alchemy.

All that said, by the time you've leveled up smithing, heavy armor and enchanting enough to max out your unarmed damage, you'll likely have increased in level to the point that it isn't a particularly useful offensive tool against the baddies who levelled up with you. It's certainly a challenging playstyle to use, and can be _hilarious_, just know that it isn't very practical.

EDITED TO ADD: Grinding enchanting is also good for the 100lvl perk that lets you add two enchantments, so you can not only fortify unarmed, but also your health, health regen, stamina, and stamina regen. Trust me, you'll want to, since you have to get up close and personal with enemies who will in all likelihood deal more damage per strike than you'll ever be able to with unarmed.

EDITED AGAIN TO ADD: Restoration will be your friend, because you're going to take ALOT of damage. Alteration spells that decrease damage taken could also be helpful, or even conjuration, to summon something that will distract attention away from you. Followers can serve the same purpose, but using them won't help you level up like conjuration will, and since using unarmed as your primary offensive skill won't contribute to your levelling up AT ALL, throwing spells into the mix can be of use. Hell, to that end, you can use frenzy spells to turn your enemies against _eachother_, which would be both practical _and_ hilarious.


----------



## TheDivineWing22

Grand Moff Tim said:


> ...



Yeah, I kind of figured that it would add a lot of difficulty. I just wanted to try something different. It will probably seem very difficult after playing through with my overpowered assassin character. 

Thanks for the tips!


----------



## SenorDingDong

I really tried to like this game.


I really did.



But the fact that, after about ten hours of total gameplay, I was swatting dragons like flies and they become more of a nuisance than anything else--I'm still shaking my head.

I am maybe halfway through the story, and I still don't understand why my character gives a shit about the dragons in the first place. The story just doesn't exist in the sense of an actual story. 

I have zero OCD when gaming, so I don't sit around trying to max anything out. I simply play games for fun and for story--two things the game let me down on.


Still trying to give it a go, though, for the sake of hoping it gets better.




EDIT: Oh, and what's up with the jumping thing? You can't jump onto nearly half of the things in the game, and when you try, you can't jump off; you sort of glitch-slide down them. And several times I jumped in a place with solid ground only to fall... and fall... and fall some more, enabling me to zoom around the ground in "falling mode" until I "landed," still on solid ground.

And I stole this dude's horse and as soon as I got off it the fucker sling-shot away from me, after repeatedly sling-shotting me backward while riding the horse.


----------



## Grand Moff Tim

SenorDingDong said:


> I am maybe halfway through the story, and I still don't understand why my character gives a shit about the dragons in the first place. The story just doesn't exist in the sense of an actual story.


 

Yeah, the Elder Scrolls series has never really been good for telling a riveting story . I enjoy the lore aspect of it, and can have a good time picking up and reading random in-game books to learn more about the history and lore of the setting, rather than the story of the actual game itself.

EDIT: And no, Morrowind fanboys, TES:3's story wasn't very gripping, either.


----------



## AxeHappy

No, but it was easily the best in the series but a long shot. 

Which is kind of like saying, "The best Jason movie," but...yeah...


----------



## Grand Moff Tim

I think one issue with the quality of the storytelling in the Elder Scrolls series is the lack of urgency inherant in its gameplay. It's an open world game you're free to explore at your leisure and do whatever the fuck you want whenever the fuck you want, so it doesn't matter _how_ important or epic in scope a quest might be if you can just say "Meh" after receiving it and go punch mudcrabs to death for three hours with NO EFFECT whatsoever on the outcome of the story for _anyone_. I'm sure they could start including quests that have to be completed within a certain time period so you can't just ignore them without consequence, but in comparison with the rest of the games thus far, it would seem a little forced.


----------



## MFB

This game needs to autosave more often, Ill go on HUGE fucking adventures thinking "theres an autosave feature, Ill save here and there manually" but fucking NOPE. Manual saves are your best bet and only one you can count on. I went from Windhelm to the island where you kill the ice wraith by foot and died right behind Windhelm on the way BACK and lost all of it. I sure as fuck wasnt gonna do that again, its boring, i JUST did it and its a lot of swimming.


----------



## Grand Moff Tim

And for the record, I enjoyed the Dark Brotherhood and Thieves Guild storylines in Oblivion more than the main storyline in Morrowind. Not because of their scope, obviously, I just felt more invested in them. I'm willing to concede that the main story in Oblivion (still my favorite game of the series ) was a monumental dickflop, though, and the main quest in Morrowind was certainly better. The main quest in Skyrim is nestled between the two: Not as interesting as Morrowind's, but more interesting than Oblivion's. I feel like there wasn't much they could've done to salvage Oblivion's main quest without scrapping it and writing a completely different one, but Skyrim's really felt like alot of potential wasted. Morrowind's was neither disappointed nor did it feel like any potential was wasted, it just... wasn't particularly enthralling .


----------



## Grand Moff Tim

MFB said:


> This game needs to autosave more often, Ill go on HUGE fucking adventures thinking "theres an autosave feature, Ill save here and there manually" but fucking NOPE. Manual saves are your best bet and only one you can count on. I went from Windhelm to the island where you kill the ice wraith by foot and died right behind Windhelm on the way BACK and lost all of it. I sure as fuck wasnt gonna do that again, its boring, i JUST did it and its a lot of swimming.


 
At first I read Windhelm as Whiterun and thought "Jesus christ, dude! Yeah, I'd be pretty pissed, too!"


----------



## MFB

Funfact : I even WROTE Whiterun then realized that was TOTALLY the wrong place and hanged it to Windhelm (almost just wrote Whitehelm )


----------



## AxeHappy

Grand Moff Tim said:


> I think one issue with the quality of the storytelling in the Elder Scrolls series is the lack of urgency inherant in its gameplay. It's an open world game you're free to explore at your leisure and do whatever the fuck you want whenever the fuck you want, so it doesn't matter _how_ important or epic in scope a quest might be if you can just say "Meh" after receiving it and go punch mudcrabs to death for three hours with NO EFFECT whatsoever on the outcome of the story for _anyone_. I'm sure they could start including quests that have to be completed within a certain time period so you can't just ignore them without consequence, but in comparison with the rest of the games thus far, it would seem a little forced.




Uhhh...Daggerfall did include timed quest that had to be completed within a certain time or they were failed. Could get you kicked out of guilds and everything.

In fact, most quest had a time constraint of one type or another.


----------



## Grand Moff Tim

AxeHappy said:


> Uhhh...Daggerfall did include timed quest that had to be completed within a certain time or they were failed. Could get you kicked out of guilds and everything.
> 
> In fact, most quest had a time constraint of one type or another.


 
For future reference, I'm never referring to anything pre-TES3 .


----------



## Grand Moff Tim

wph5 said:


> Hey guys. I have a question for those of you that have stuck with Skyrim for longer than I did:
> Are there any mods out there that implement any truly revolutionary changes to* gameplay* or *npc character development*?​I played Skyrim shortly after it came out and whilst the world was truly stunning my overall impression was very similar to that of Synrgy from a few posts back. I don't really care about the characters and whilst the gameplay was a step up from Oblivion (which needed a _lot_ of mods to even be playable) it wasn't enough to keep my attention.


 

How do you mean? Do you mean mods that alter the physics of combat, or the damage various forms do, or add additional forms and/or animations? Something else? Some clarification might help.

Offhand, I know there are at least mods that alter the physics/ragdoll effects to make them more realistic, mods that add more combat animations, and mods that change damage, skill and perk stats to change combat to some degree. I actually just downloaded a mod yesterday that adds an unarmed and unarmored skill trees that run completely apart from the the vanilla skill trees using completely different script, because the Construction Kit actually doesn't even _allow_ for the adding of new skill trees in the standard sense. There are mods that change existing skill trees into something new (I had seen a few that modify Light Armor into an Unarmed skill tree), but the one I DLed seems to actually run completely apart from the normal system.

It's called the Way of the Monk or something like that, if anyone wants to give it a whirl. I've only really played it long enough to see what it changes, but I'll certainly be sticking with it long enough to see how viable it makes hand-to-hand combat.


----------



## axxessdenied

wph5 said:


> Hey guys. I have a question for those of you that have stuck with Skyrim for longer than I did:
> Are there any mods out there that implement any truly revolutionary changes to* gameplay* or *npc character development*?​I played Skyrim shortly after it came out and whilst the world was truly stunning my overall impression was very similar to that of Synrgy from a few posts back. I don't really care about the characters and whilst the gameplay was a step up from Oblivion (which needed a _lot_ of mods to even be playable) it wasn't enough to keep my attention.


Bethesda is just out to get the console kids hooked onto their games. They don't care about making a great game anymore. They just keep regurgitating crap.


----------



## Grand Moff Tim

Odd that so many people who play Skyrim on PC think it's a great game, then.


----------



## MFB

For some reason, I can NOT fucking get my copy to update on 360. Every time I start it it tells me there's an update and it gets like 5, MAYBE 10% of the way downloaded and just stops  Fucking updates.


----------



## Adam Of Angels

......where is Dawnguard for PC, god damnit?


----------



## Guitarman700

Adam Of Angels said:


> ......where is Dawnguard for PC, god damnit?



It's out on Steam now, I bought it last night, going to start today after I get done working.


----------



## Pooluke41

Grand Moff Tim said:


> Yeah, the Elder Scrolls series has never really been good for telling a riveting story . I enjoy the lore aspect of it, and can have a good time picking up and reading random in-game books to learn more about the history and lore of the setting, rather than the story of the actual game itself.
> 
> EDIT: And no, Morrowind fanboys, TES:3's story wasn't very gripping, either.


----------



## ittoa666

Anyone else feel like playing Morrowind?


----------



## mniel8195

dawngaurd is now out for pc. just purchased it at work and its downloading at home!


----------



## Grand Moff Tim

wph5 said:


> There are definitely things that Bethesda got right. The world is beautiful (and people like shiny things!), the lore is very strong (it should be, after 5 games developing it) and the game is large enough to draw you in for a long time. They also fixed a lot of the flaws with Oblivion (e.g. viable stealth mechanic).
> 
> But this may not be enough (or, perhaps, enough _in the right areas_) to make Skyrim 'great'. The plot is still weak. 'Dragons have returned. You are the chosen one. Kill the big dragon.' Games like Baldur's Gate 2 gave you much more of a personal stake. 'Save your sister. Discover your origins. Choose how to use your unique gifts.' Characters are poor and the gameplay is nothing special. I'm just not sure that people will still be playing Skyrim 5 years from now. And I'm pretty certain that the one unique selling point Skyrim had ('Drag0nz!11!1' ) will not have a lasting impact on the games industry.
> 
> Edit: fortunately the modding community can sometimes help overcome these sorts of flaws, hence my original questions about mods. Thanks.


 

Can't please everyone, I guess. I think it's a great game, with or without mods.


----------



## mniel8195

i loved the game...i think people that analyze this shit this much are going to have a hard time truly enjoying any game they play.


----------



## Pooluke41

ittoa666 said:


> Anyone else feel like playing Morrowind?




Playing?

Morrowind is my life.


----------



## axxessdenied

ittoa666 said:


> Anyone else feel like playing Morrowind?



Morrowind Overhaul - Sounds & Graphics - Planet Elder Scrolls

Love morrowind! I find the character development in current mainstream RPGs to be highly disappointing. Skyrim was a prime example of that. Baldur's Gate is a classic example of great character development. Hell, anytime I start a fresh game I think the first day of "playing" I generally spend trying to figure out what kind of character to roll


----------



## Grand Moff Tim

I couldn't get the sound & graphics overhaul properly installed on my computer. I don't remember why, I just remember being disappointed. The dogshit graphics on Morrowind are one one of the things that keeps me from getting in to it as much as the next two in the series.


----------



## axxessdenied

Grand Moff Tim said:


> I couldn't get the sound & graphics overhaul properly installed on my computer. I don't remember why, I just remember being disappointed. The dogshit graphics on Morrowind are one one of the things that keeps me from getting in to it as much as the next two in the series.



Yeah, I remember screwing it up the first time. Had to read the instructions carefully and follow every step accordingly so you get it right! Insanely good mod!


----------



## Adam Of Angels

I was so pumped for Dawnguard and didn't even download it today 

I think Skyrim is a lot of fun, is beautiful to look at and explore, and still manages to leave a lot to the imagination, but the story isn't very good, and the characters are so disposable. Every time a character would die, I would have next to no reaction. It's kind of like a GTA game in the sense that characters dying is commonplace, except it's not as interesting in Skyrim.


----------



## Grand Moff Tim

The only characters whose deaths I gave a shit about were followers that had been questing with me for a long ass time. Specifically, Faendal and Meeko. There were times when one of them died and it had been FOREVER since I had last saved, but I just said fuck it and loaded the most recent one anyways. I almost felt... responsible for them, haha.


----------



## Adam Of Angels

Actually, same with Faendal. Dude followed me forever, then I went back to Riverwood to part with him for a while, and of course a Dragon came to visit. Not only did the dragon kill that blacksmith dude and his wife, but it killed a bunch of guards and I ended up finding Faendal's body and that was when I realized I could kill semi-important characters... And also when I looted his body. For his house key. Then robbed his house.


----------



## Fiction

I celebrate when Lydia dies.


----------



## Adam Of Angels

I married that Huntress bitch, then killed her in Markarth. I was told that I would get a letter or something a few days later and would be able to marry somebody else... Never happened. Maybe it was because I let her inside the hotel and not out in the open?


----------



## Scar Symmetry

Spoiler



SPOILER TAGS GUYS!!!!!!


----------



## vampiregenocide

Fiction said:


> I celebrate when Lydia dies.



On one character, I got Lydia and I was like 'right, I'm going to make sure she survives this time so I can marry this bitch.' 5 minutes later we step outside Whiterun and she's killed by bandits.  It's just not meant to be.


----------



## Grand Moff Tim

Adam Of Angels said:


> I married that Huntress bitch, then killed her in Markarth. I was told that I would get a letter or something a few days later and would be able to marry somebody else... Never happened. Maybe it was because I let her inside the hotel and not out in the open?


 
You can only get married once, no matter what happens to your wife.


----------



## Grand Moff Tim

Scar Symmetry said:


> Spoiler
> 
> 
> 
> SPOILER TAGS GUYS!!!!!!


 
We weren't actually spoling anything. The characters whose deaths we're talking about are all followers, who don't _need_ to die, and certainly don't as part of any story. It just happens either accidentally while questing, or intentionally while being an asshole .

Well, there _is_ one Daedric quest that requires the death of a follower as part of the story... I'll let you find out which one .


----------



## Guitarman700

I really liked the new female vampire lead introduced in Dawnguard, she was fleshed out and likable as a character, IMO. Name withheld in case of spoilers.


----------



## MFB

So, are dragons supposed to just randomly show up at cities I visit when I want to do important shit? Because it seems to be happening 9 out of 10 times  It's like "Oh! I forgot I have this important quest I should probably take care of, off to _______ it is then!" *fast travel* *running into to town when overhead what should fly? A GOD DAMN DRAGON* Then I proceed to shoot it from afar with my power for sweet damage and finish it up close with my one handed but the dumbFUCK guards get in my way and despite the fact that I can kill a GOD DAMN DRAGON with my bare hands, those twats just fucking surround me and I'm all like "BACK UP SUCKAS" and then need to flee like a bitch.


----------



## ittoa666

Fishy sticks anyone?


----------



## Grand Moff Tim

Well, being as Steam support is in no particular hurry to resolve whatever issue I'm having that's causing me to be unable to purchase anything from the Steam store, I _still_ can't fucking play Dawnguard.

To (try to) make up for that somewhat, I started a new playthrough using the Way of the Monk mod, which adds Unarmed and Unarmored skills that progress as you use them and have their own perk trees, but exist and operate completely separately from the other skill trees (ie they don't have their own constellations). They make playing as an unarmed & unarmored character actually _viable_ for more than just Khajiit, without making it stupidly overpowered. It's challenging, like unarmerd playthroughs _should_ be, but not completely fucking useless, like unarmed is in vanilla Skyrim, for the most part.

I'm also adding some self-imposed challenges, which seems to be something I always end up doing with Bethesda games once I run out of other stuff to do. Specifically, since the character I created is a completely unarmored Monk (a travelling penitant monk, since I _know_ you were wondering), I've decided not to use any offensive spells or any offensive weapons other than my fists. I'll still use defensive skills like healing, wards, calm and stoneflesh, but no destruction or frenzy or whatever.

I did make _one _exception to the "No weapons but fists rule," that being the Wabbajack, the reason being that isn't really used to deal offensive damage, but rather to _potentially_ make the enemy I'm dealing with kick my ass a little less thoroughly, haha.



Spoiler



Which came in handy when the frost troll I used it on turned into a chicken, but less so when the ice wolf I used it on turned into a Dremora, haha.


 
Tags used so as not to spoil the fun for anyone who doesn't know what the Wabbajack does yet.


----------



## MFB

After I finish my Nord, I'm doing an Archer/Thief class, and probably only use daggers for up close stuff


----------



## Infamous Impact

Just started my first melee warrior, and a hand to hand Khajiit to boot. I'm so lost with stamina being used for anything but sprinting. That bar runs out so quickly.


----------



## Pav

Would anyone here care to entertain a broad, stupid question?

In terms of the story and gameplay, how does this game compare to Oblivion? Better? Worse? I'm ashamed to admit, I jumped on Skyrim when it first came out...only to put it down two days later at the hands of other games I was more interested in at the time. However, all this talk of killing dragons and gaining their abilities makes me tingle.

So I suppose I could answer my own question by just playing the damn thing.


----------



## MFB

I've found Skyrim to be far more engaging and entertaining than Oblivion ever was, and I had bought that when it first came out. This one I was hesitant about and gave it some time but it's a fun game. I will however also admit that given how much there is to do the story isn't entirely engrossing which may have bugged me about Oblivion since that seemed REALLY stretched out in terms of finding portals and how often they showed up, this seems better at keeping you entertained with at least SOMETHING.


----------



## Grand Moff Tim

Pav said:


> Would anyone here care to entertain a broad, stupid question?
> 
> In terms of the story and gameplay, how does this game compare to Oblivion? Better? Worse? I'm ashamed to admit, I jumped on Skyrim when it first came out...only to put it down two days later at the hands of other games I was more interested in at the time. However, all this talk of killing dragons and gaining their abilities makes me tingle.
> 
> So I suppose I could answer my own question by just playing the damn thing.


 
The main story in Skyrim is better than Oblivion's if for no other reasons than it's less irritatingly redunant (fucking Oblivion gates...), and


Spoiler



you actually get to fight and kill the last boss yourself, instead of watching a whiney priest-turned-emperor kill him in a cinematic.


 
The guild stories are no better or worse than they were in Oblivion, though I think Oblivion's Dark Brotherhood story was more interesting, and Skyrim's Companion story is more interesting than the Fighters Guild was in Oblivion.

Gameplay-wise it's a bit of a mixed bag. Skyrim did add dual-wielding, which is nice, but also introduced some oddities like the inability to block if you have two weapons equipped (I can block with ONE dagger, but not TWO axes? hmmmm). I have to admit, fun as dual wielding is, it'd be nice to still be able to use the Oblivion system where there's a separate button for magic, so you can have a weapon and a shield equipped, _without _needing to unequip either of them to cast a spell. Speaking of magic, it's nerfed all to fuck compared to Oblivion. Don't expect to ever become an uber-wizard dealing death to everything in arm's reach like you could before. 

However, though magic was nerfed, Archery's far more viable than it was in Oblivion. It doesn't take seventy arrows to kill anything, even at a relatively low level and with realtively shitty gear, and once you level it up and get some good shit it feels _much_ more satisfying than it did in Oblivion.

Other obvious difference are carrying on the grand tradition of removing some skills and decreasing the number of equippable items that Oblivion started in comparison with Morrowind. Both of those disappointed me quite a bit, so I think I'm finally able to sympathize a bit with the Morrowind fanboys who are so endlessly down on Oblivion . I _do_ like the addition of the perk tree system, though. 

So yeah... it has its ups and downs in comparison. Play it some more yourself to decide.


----------



## ittoa666

Grand Moff Tim said:


> Speaking of magic, it's nerfed all to fuck compared to Oblivion. Don't expect to ever become an uber-wizard dealing death to everything in arm's reach like you could before.



And it was nerfed between 3 and 4, too. I remember making town killing spells in morrowind that would one shot everyone with one cast just for fun, but no more of that in 4. And don't even get me started with taking away mark and return AND levitation.


----------



## Pooluke41

ittoa666 said:


> And it was nerfed between 3 and 4, too. I remember making town killing spells in morrowind that would one shot everyone with one cast just for fun, but no more of that in 4. And don't even get me started with taking away mark and return AND levitation.



mugfugging leeveetater booties! 

I loved my levetation boots.


----------



## ittoa666

Pooluke41 said:


> mugfugging leeveetater booties!
> 
> I loved my levetation boots.



Have fun walking in a building with those.


----------



## Pooluke41

ittoa666 said:


> Have fun walking in a building with those.



Don't ever levitate in the stairs around wolverine hall...


----------



## ittoa666




----------



## Pooluke41

ittoa666 said:


>




Don't laugh at me for drinking a potion with a long levitation effect.


----------



## Grand Moff Tim

_Finally_ have Dawnguard. Crossbows are pretty rad. Hopefully there are mods out there that create higher-quality ones than dwarven, though. I've mostly been doing the Dawnguard faction side quests so far because I'm anal retentive and can't move on until I'm done with all of them, so I can't speak too much for the storyline thus far. A couple of the new NPCs seem pretty interesting, though.

I hope Bethesda takes the route they have in the past, though, and releases an _enormous_ DLC as one of their later DLC. One that provides a vast new area to explore, preferably, a la the Shivering Isles in TESIV, or the canyons in FO:NV. Now that I think about it, FO:NV probably had the best DLC of all the Bethesda games (edit: all the _current gen_ Bethesda games, that is), so I hope that's a sign of things to come, not a sign of it actually having been made by a different studio .


----------



## ittoa666

Pooluke41 said:


> Don't laugh at me for drinking a potion with a long levitation effect.



I've done that, too. Trust me.


----------



## Pooluke41

ittoa666 said:


> I've done that, too. Trust me.



"WALKING ON THE ROOF! WALKING ON THE ROOF!, WALKING ON YOUR HEAD!"


----------



## pink freud

ittoa666 said:


> And it was nerfed between 3 and 4, too. I remember making town killing spells in morrowind that would one shot everyone with one cast just for fun, but no more of that in 4. And don't even get me started with taking away mark and return AND levitation.



Well, since the gave us fast-travel in Oblivion, the mark/return was mostly not needed.

Levitation would be nice in Skyrim though. So many times you have to walk a bunch to get up switchbacks...


----------



## ittoa666

pink freud said:


> Well, since the gave us fast-travel in Oblivion, the mark/return was mostly not needed.



But there was something so cool about warping instantly back to your house or objective.


----------



## pink freud

ittoa666 said:


> But there was something so cool about warping instantly back to your house or objective.



To be honest I just used the console to place my character where I wanted them


----------



## Stealthdjentstic

Playing as a mage in Skyrim definately does suck though. I got a mage up to level 30ish then decided to restart as a warrior type of character. Im enjoying the game a lot more and finding it less tedious. 

lack of spell creation = retarded!


----------



## Grand Moff Tim

Spell creation would definitely have been a smart thing to keep around, especially since the variety of spells was significantly reduced to begin with. I've tried several times to get into a mage build in Skyrim so far, but I always end up either abandoning the character entirely, or adapting to a spellsword of some sort.


----------



## CrushingAnvil

Anyone cranking it on the Playstation3?


----------



## JPhoenix19

ittoa666 said:


> But there was something so cool about warping instantly back to your house or objective.



I'd imagine the introduction of scripted sequences into Oblivion made it impractical. With mark/return you give the player the ability to go straight back to a quest-giver or objective while bypassing that nice scripted scene you put in.


----------



## Grand Moff Tim

Finished the Dawnguard storyline from the side of the Dawnguard yesterday. Started a new playthrough of it today with a character I started before the DLC even came out that I was tailoring specifically for a vampire playthrough. This ought to be fun.


----------



## Mexi

ha, pretty late to this, just got the game the other day for the PC. never really got into oblivion, but really enjoying this one. combat seems smoother, though I wish the magic system was better fleshed out.


----------



## XEN

I just picked up Dawnguard yesterday and started from scratch on a Redguard warrior. Getting attacked by hounds and master vampires was a cool (and classic Bethesda) addition.


----------



## ittoa666

JPhoenix19 said:


> I'd imagine the introduction of scripted sequences into Oblivion made it impractical. With mark/return you give the player the ability to go straight back to a quest-giver or objective while bypassing that nice scripted scene you put in.



That makes sense.


----------



## Stealthdjentstic

So is dawnguard worth it? I love the idea of x-bows


----------



## pink freud

Grand Moff Tim said:


> Spell creation would definitely have been a smart thing to keep around, especially since the variety of spells was significantly reduced to begin with. I've tried several times to get into a mage build in Skyrim so far, but I always end up either abandoning the character entirely, or adapting to a spellsword of some sort.



My mage experience in Skyrim:

Kite Kite Kite BLAST OF ELECTRICITY TO YO FACE Kite Kite Kite...

I imagine with the Illusion line for silent spellcasting you could do a sneaky mage build pretty good, but who wants to level up that much Illusion


----------



## MFB

I really which developers would add in what I call a "interactive elementals" factor since I'm not sure how else to describe it  Like, if you're about to step into a room where there's enemies hanging around and water around the ground - it'd be GREAT if you could just shoot drain your entire magicka into lightning on that water and have it kill (or at least damage) them all at once. Or say an enemy is coming into a different dungeon where there happens to be a giant fire going in the middle and you shoot him through the fire - wouldn't you LOVE to see that arrow now have added fire damage? Things like that. Use your shout to knock someone into a loose pillar and have it come crashing down on them. Or shout your opponent against something like a tree in the woods and if you shoot him with an arrow, have him get stuck. Little things that would be so cool to see.


----------



## Grand Moff Tim

MFB said:


> I really which developers would add in what I call a "interactive elementals" factor since I'm not sure how else to describe it  Like, if you're about to step into a room where there's enemies hanging around and water around the ground - it'd be GREAT if you could just shoot drain your entire magicka into lightning on that water and have it kill (or at least damage) them all at once. Or say an enemy is coming into a different dungeon where there happens to be a giant fire going in the middle and you shoot him through the fire - wouldn't you LOVE to see that arrow now have added fire damage? Things like that. Use your shout to knock someone into a loose pillar and have it come crashing down on them. Or shout your opponent against something like a tree in the woods and if you shoot him with an arrow, have him get stuck. Little things that would be so cool to see.


 

Or use a fire spell or a hanging lamp to ignite a pool of oil on the ground that the enemies are standing in.


Wait...


----------



## MFB

Just stuff like that would be kickass and unfortunately there were other examples I thought of last night, but when you're playing Skyrim you don't write shit down or get up to immediately edit them into your post so... yeah.

Edit : Oh! I remembered, it was using lightning against Dwarven for added bonus. I use the Dwarven Bow of Thunderbolts right now which does just shy of 40 damage, (or maybe it's 45 since the Lightning might be 25 points of damage) but it'd be great if it did extra damage on top of that because the enemy itself is made from metal. I know trolls have a weakness for fire so why doesn't Dwarven technology?!


----------



## Pooluke41

If they took morrowind and put it into skyrims engine.

I'd be a slave to morrowrim/skywind

EDIT: HOHSHIET. That needs to be combined with all the good morrowind mods.


----------



## Stealthdjentstic

Yeah IMO morrowind was the most engrossing.


----------



## Pooluke41

Stealthdjentstic said:


> Yeah IMO morrowind was the most engrossing.



Morrowind will never be defeated.


----------



## MFB

One thing that would be FANTASTIC would be allowing for the creation of suits/armor sets that you can equip ALL at once. Like, if I'm going into a dungeon, I wear my Glass Helmet of Archery, plus my Gauntlets of Archery which combined give me an extra 50% towards that skill which already has double damage + chance of critical hit. However, if I get into close combat after sneaking around, I need to go in and equip my full Ebony set so I get the additional 50% armor bonus but going back and forth takes fucking forever regardless of whether you do it in the inventory or favorites menu.


----------



## Stealthdjentstic

MFB said:


> One thing that would be FANTASTIC would be allowing for the creation of suits/armor sets that you can equip ALL at once. Like, if I'm going into a dungeon, I wear my Glass Helmet of Archery, plus my Gauntlets of Archery which combined give me an extra 50% towards that skill which already has double damage + chance of critical hit. However, if I get into close combat after sneaking around, I need to go in and equip my full Ebony set so I get the additional 50% armor bonus but going back and forth takes fucking forever regardless of whether you do it in the inventory or favorites menu.



Thats a great idea, like glueing all the pieces together. You can probably just use a bind on PC but for console players its a huge pain in the ass!


----------



## MFB

Yeah, I imagine on PC thatd be easy to make a mod for but on console its nit going to happen


----------



## Grand Moff Tim

MFB said:


> One thing that would be FANTASTIC would be allowing for the creation of suits/armor sets that you can equip ALL at once. Like, if I'm going into a dungeon, I wear my Glass Helmet of Archery, plus my Gauntlets of Archery which combined give me an extra 50% towards that skill which already has double damage + chance of critical hit. However, if I get into close combat after sneaking around, I need to go in and equip my full Ebony set so I get the additional 50% armor bonus but going back and forth takes fucking forever regardless of whether you do it in the inventory or favorites menu.


 

You could just enchant your ebony armor with fortify archery.


----------



## MFB

Grand Moff Tim said:


> You could just enchant your ebony armor with fortify archery.



Will do when my smithing is that high, right now it's at 37, and I've been pouring a lot of my perks into Heavy Armor so I could get additional ratings and then Conditioning had to be on the OTHER side of the the skill tree  Also just added some skill to my archery so it deals more damage, get more arrows back etc so hopefully I can get as much damage off on the enemies as possible before they close the gap

Most annoying enemy to kill in the game - Dragon Priests, hands down. Seriously, fuck those guys.


----------



## Grand Moff Tim

The Soul Cairn is a pretty interesting place.









Also, vampires ftw.


----------



## MFB

Figured out how to enchant shit, how do I work on improving their power? Is that the first perk you get with the Enchant skill tree but it has like 20% strong, 30% stronger, etc?


----------



## Grand Moff Tim

MFB said:


> Figured out how to enchant shit, how do I work on improving their power? Is that the first perk you get with the Enchant skill tree but it has like 20% strong, 30% stronger, etc?


 
There are a few things that factor into how strong an enchantment is. 

Firstly, your enchantment skill and the perks that go along with it, obviously. There are certain perks that bolster different kinds of enchantments, like attribute fortification or elemental effects.

Second, the strength of the soul gem you use to make the enchantment. A grand or black soul gem filled with a grand soul is going to be better than a greater soul, which in turn is better than a lesser soul, and all are better than petty souls. If you don't have any grand souls but do have money to throw around, most court mages will usually have a filled grand soul gem for around 1300 gold, and general store owners will sometimes have them, too.

Lastly, there are potions that can be found and made that will strengthen the effects of whatever you're enchanting, which, in combination with fortify alchemy potions, can be exploited to make some pretty powerful stuff.

General tips I have: 

If you haven't done Azura's quest yet, do so ASAP. When you do it, side with the wizard, not the priestess. The reward for doing so is one of the better things to have around for enchanting purposes.

Enchant whatever your main kill weapon is with a low-level (1 or 2 seconds) soul trap, so you'll start to fill up all the soul gems you've inevitably been picking up every-damned-where. Once you've started to do that, enchant _everything. _I tend to hoard jewelry for that very purpose: it doesn't take up much carry weight at all, and I can enchant it with whatever bullshit enchantment I have and sell it for a tidy profit. 

(On that note, the Transmute Ore spell, available in a mine/bandit camp north/northwest of Whiterun, is fantastic to have around, because it can change iron ore into silver ore, and silver ore into gold ore, so every iron mine you come across goes from a source of materials to make shitty iron stuff into a literal gold mine, which can be used to make jewelry to both raise your smithing skills AND enchant afterwards.)

Unless the playstyle you're currently using will _GREATLY_ benefit from an enchanted item you find, disenchant that bastard. If it's only of mild benefit, fuck it. Disenchant it. You'll be able to make something stronger yourself before too long, but only if you have access to the enchantmet it has. I make it a general rule to disenchant EVERYTHING early on. With the exception of some fortify magicka and fortify magicka regeneration items found in the game, you'll pretty much always be able to make something better yourself once your skill is high enough, _especially_ once you have the lvl 100 enchanting perk, which allows you to add *two *enchantments to one item.


EDIT: Good God, am I prone to ramble on about this game.


----------



## MFB

Did Azura's quest so I've got the Black Star, but I don't have a fucking clue what to do with it? I mean, it says it's empty and I assume you can fill it with a soul gem for each side of the star yes? But it's yet to give me the option to fill it with any kind of gem and R2/right bumper doesnt prompt it either.

For enchantments, I've immediately used Grand gems since I had them at the time but it only bumped up my item to 13% which is WAY under what my other items of Archery are doing (helmet is 30% and the gauntlets do 20%) so that was really disappointing to see. Same thing happened with my Orcish shield of Blocking, it had an extra 30% of block absorption but my shield now only absorbs something like 15% even with a Grand Soul gem in place.

If I just start enchanting everything with those will I learn to make it stronger, is that what you're saying about using it over and over? Seems kind of, odd that something like replacing soul gems would help you learn something but if so then OK I suppose.


----------



## Grand Moff Tim

MFB said:


> Did Azura's quest so I've got the Black Star, but I don't have a fucking clue what to do with it? I mean, it says it's empty and I assume you can fill it with a soul gem for each side of the star yes? But it's yet to give me the option to fill it with any kind of gem and R2/right bumper doesnt prompt it either.
> 
> For enchantments, I've immediately used Grand gems since I had them at the time but it only bumped up my item to 13% which is WAY under what my other items of Archery are doing (helmet is 30% and the gauntlets do 20%) so that was really disappointing to see. Same thing happened with my Orcish shield of Blocking, it had an extra 30% of block absorption but my shield now only absorbs something like 15% even with a Grand Soul gem in place.
> 
> If I just start enchanting everything with those will I learn to make it stronger, is that what you're saying about using it over and over? Seems kind of, odd that something like replacing soul gems would help you learn something but if so then OK I suppose.


 

A couple things to note:

Just because you use a grand soul gem doesn't mean you're using a grand _soul_. When you use soul trap and kill a creature, its soul will go to the smallest empty soul gem that is capable of holding it. Ideally, that means that skeever you just killed will send its soul to a petty soul gem, but if the smallest empty soul gem you have is a grand soul gem, then that's where its soul will go. You'll have a filled grand soul gem, but it'll be filled with a petty soul. Only badass creatures will fill grand soul gems with grand souls (think draugr deathlords and dragonpriests).

Keep in mind also that ONLY black soul gems can hold humanoid souls, and they're the same size as grand souls as far as enchanting is concerned. That's why it's good to have the Black Star, because it's essentially a reusable black soul gem. If you soul trap a humanoid while you have the empty black star, it'll fill it with a grand soul. You can then select the black star as the gem you want yo use at an enchanter's table, and it will empty it, leaving it for you to reuse as often as you like. That's why the Black Star is better than Azura's star (which acts as a reuseable grand soul gem rather than black), because humanoid soulds are always grand and humanoids are ALL OVER the place but grand soul gems won't hold them, whereas the creatures that are large enough to fill a grand soul gem with a grand soul are comparitively rare.


----------



## ittoa666

Black Star for the win. I have no idea why anyone would pick Azura's.


----------



## Severance

I just wanted you to know Bethesda has been softly trolling you for years.






Look in the space between the gear.

Also does anyone else think that vampiric grip move is delightfully overpowering.


----------



## Grand Moff Tim

Here's a taste of the stuff you'll be able to create if you play your cards right:








You know what can fuck with you when you're wielding something like that?

If you guessed "motherfucking _not a goddamned thing,_" you are absolutely correct.

It was accomplished with 100 in Smithing; 100 in Enchanting plus all five levels of the "Enchanter" perk, the "Insightful Enchanter" perk, and the "Extra Effect" perk; 100 in two-handed, and wearing three different items (gauntlets, ring and necklace) enchanted with fortify two-handed.

Hell, it could be even more powerful if I used the alchemy fortification exploit, or chose the "Frost" and "Storm" Enchanter's perks.

So.... yeah. Put some effort into it and you can fuck every living thing in the game's world right the hell up.

EDITED TO ADD: It's also using the Dawnguard DLC, because you can't craft dragonbone weapons without it, I don't think. However, dragonbone weapons are only a _little_ more powerful than Daedric weapons, which you can make in the vanilla game.


----------



## XEN

/\ Gawd!
I need to get back in there and play some more!!


----------



## Adam Of Angels

I thought Daedric weapons were better... I made a Dragon Bow and it didn't amount to my Daedric shit-ruining Bow


----------



## Grand Moff Tim

Adam Of Angels said:


> I thought Daedric weapons were better... I made a Dragon Bow and it didn't amount to my Daedric shit-ruining Bow


 
Daedric armor is better, but the base damage for dragonbone weapons is higher than it is for daedric weapons. The difference is scant, but it's there. For example, the base damage of a Daedric bow is 19, whereas the base damage of a dragonbone bow is 20. Keep in mind that the displayed damage a weapon does is dependent upon other factors like fortifications you have active at the time and the skill you have when you wield it. For that reason, a Daedric bow you wield while wearing something that fortifies archery 20 points will be displayed as doing more damage than a dragonbone bow you wield while wearing no fortifications at all, or something that fortifies archer only 10 points or so. A Dragonbone bow you create while your archery skill is 75 will also seem less powerful than a Daedric bow you create when it's 90, but all things being equal, the Dragonbone will be better.

For an example of how much level in the requisitie skills, smithing level, and active fortifications affects the displayed damage rating of a weapon, consider the base damage of a Dragonbone Warhammer: 28. Seems piddly, but with the right stats (as shown above), it can dole out _310_ dps. 

For comparison, the base damage of a Daedric warhammer is 27. That really isn't much less than the Dragonbone stuff, so not having the DLC won't really cripple you or anything, it's just what you need to have the absolute best of the best.


----------



## peagull

Severance said:


> I just wanted you to know Bethesda has been softly trolling you for years.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Look in the space between the gear.


 
I hate you....

rofl 



Grand Moff Tim said:


> whereas the creatures that are large enough to fill a grand soul gem with a grand soul are comparitively rare.


 
One thing I did was just farm the Mammoth Camps as they usually respawn every few days and Mammoths have grand souls

Also, I'd been using a mod for Dragonbone weapons. I didn't realise Dawnguard had added them, Gonna have to have a play tonight.

And just +rep for being full of info @Grand Moff Tim


----------



## AxeHappy

Another key to enchanting ridiculously over-powered stuff is:

To enchant yourself up a full suit of armour with, "Foritfy Enchantment," Or atleast everything that can get that (it's been a bit so I don't remember everything). That includes rings and necklaces. 

Then do it again, with your new enchant meant skill. And so on and so forth until you have the most 'fortified enchant' gear you can have.

You can also quaff potions of fortify enchant, or if you prefer potions of fortify alchemy and then make potions of fortify enchant. 

Then put your fancy armour on and quaff a potion and enchant with an enchanting skill that is effectively over 200 (providing your skill was at 100 when you started this whole process). 


Also:
Using soul gems to recharge magic items raises your enchant skill ever so slightly.


----------



## Grand Moff Tim

AxeHappy said:


> Another key to enchanting ridiculously over-powered stuff is:
> 
> To enchant yourself up a full suit of armour with, "Foritfy Enchantment," Or atleast everything that can get that (it's been a bit so I don't remember everything). That includes rings and necklaces.
> 
> Then do it again, with your new enchant meant skill. And so on and so forth until you have the most 'fortified enchant' gear you can have.
> 
> You can also quaff potions of fortify enchant, or if you prefer potions of fortify alchemy and then make potions of fortify enchant.
> 
> Then put your fancy armour on and quaff a potion and enchant with an enchanting skill that is effectively over 200 (providing your skill was at 100 when you started this whole process).


 
Yeah, you can keep boosting it as long as you're patient. Wear something that boosts alchemy, make a fortify enchanting potion, drink the potion, enchant something with fortify alchemy, make another fortify enchanting potion, drink it, enchant something else with fortify alchemy, repeat ad nauseum. It's as close as Skyrim comes to the gleeful exploits of TES:3 and 4.


----------



## Grand Moff Tim

peagull said:


> One thing I did was just farm the Mammoth Camps as they usually respawn every few days and Mammoths have grand souls


 

That's a good solution for filling Azura's Star, but it's still easier with the Black Star, since even the lowliest of bandits will fill a black soul gem with a grand soul, and they're more common than skeevers and mudcrabs .


----------



## Grand Moff Tim

AxeHappy said:


> Also:
> Using soul gems to recharge magic items raises your enchant skill ever so slightly.


 

If so, it's so infintessimally small that one needn't even bother considering it as a method for grinding the skill.


----------



## peagull

Grand Moff Tim said:


> That's a good solution for filling Azura's Star, but it's still easier with the Black Star, since even the lowliest of bandits will fill a black soul gem with a grand soul, and they're more common than skeevers and mudcrabs .


 
True, I just always have about 15-30 empty grand soul gems. I usually have to buy stuff off vendors to be able to sell everything. So I buy stuff I may have a need for at some point. I do pick up nearly everything and always have the Steed Stone buff for extra carry weight


----------



## Grand Moff Tim

peagull said:


> True, I just always have about 15-30 empty grand soul gems. I usually have to buy stuff off vendors to be able to sell everything. So I buy stuff I may have a need for at some point. I do pick up nearly everything and always have the Steed Stone buff for extra carry weight


 
Yeah, selling stuff off can be a total bastard. I find the only decent solutions for it are completing the thieves guild missions


Spoiler



so you have access to fences with 4000 gold


, and taking the Speech perks that allow you to invest in businesses. Even after that you still might have to sell stuff at a slight loss, but it's better than nothing . I've got a safe in my house in Solitude that's chock full of shit that's too expensive to sell for now, and it just has to stay there, I guess.


----------



## Grand Moff Tim

peagull said:


> True, I just always have about 15-30 empty grand soul gems. I usually have to buy stuff off vendors to be able to sell everything. So I buy stuff I may have a need for at some point. I do pick up nearly everything and always have the Steed Stone buff for extra carry weight


 
When you're high up enough in level that most draugr you come across are draugr wights or higher, it isn't TOO hard to find a steady supply of grand souls. It still takes some farming/grinding, though.


----------



## peagull

Grand Moff Tim said:


> Yeah, selling stuff off can be a total bastard. I find the only decent solutions for it are completing the thieves guild missions
> 
> 
> Spoiler
> 
> 
> 
> so you have access to fences with 4000 gold
> 
> 
> , and taking the Speech perks that allow you to invest in businesses. Even after that you still might have to sell stuff at a slight loss, but it's better than nothing . I've got a safe in my house in Solitude that's chock full of shit that's too expensive to sell for now, and it just has to stay there, I guess.



Yeah I've not touched the theives guild on this playthrough and don't have enough perk points yet for speech between Archery, Sneak, Conj, Alch, Ench & BS

And I have so many enchanted weapons I can't sell it's crazy. My house in whiterun would have exploded if container's weren't like Mary Poppins Carpet bag


----------



## MFB

Grand Moff Tim said:


> If so, it's so infintessimally small that one needn't even bother considering it as a method for grinding the skill.



I don't know, until now that's the only way I've gotten my enchant skills up and I'm around 40 right now so it does do SOMETHING. 

As for the Grand gems I used, I never cast Soul Trap or whatever it's called nor do I use any weapons that kill and fill so they've always been store bought which is filled with grand so that's good. Since we were talking about the Black Star being reusable, does that meant enchantment on armor runs out or is that only applicable to when you enchant a weapon with the Black Star?


----------



## Grand Moff Tim

MFB said:


> I don't know, until now that's the only way I've gotten my enchant skills up and I'm around 40 right now so it does do SOMETHING.
> 
> As for the Grand gems I used, I never cast Soul Trap or whatever it's called nor do I use any weapons that kill and fill so they've always been store bought which is filled with grand so that's good. Since we were talking about the Black Star being reusable, does that meant enchantment on armor runs out or is that only applicable to when you enchant a weapon with the Black Star?


 
By "reusable" I mean that when you use the soul it contains to enchant something, instead of disappearing from your inventory like soul gems do, it goes back to your inventory marked as "empty" and can be filled again. Enchantments on wearable items never run out. It'll stay empty until you start trapping some souls, though. 

Seriously, enchant your main kill weapon with soul trap. When I played with a 2H tank warrior, I always enchanted my warhammer with weak soul trap (1 second), and that always kept a steady supply of souls in my inventory. Once my enchanting was full, I started using something like the warhammer I posted above so I could wreck people's shit, but I also keep a dagger with soul trap in my inventory for when I start to run low. Honestly though, I haven't had to use the dagger much because I had SO goddamned many filled gems just from enchanting my main weapon with it and using that for so long.


----------



## AxeHappy

Grand Moff Tim said:


> Seriously, enchant your main kill weapon with soul trap. When I played with a 2H tank warrior, I always enchanted my warhammer with weak soul trap (1 second), and that always kept a steady supply of souls in my inventory. .



Yes. Seriously, this.

With the double enchanting perk and all the enchanting shenniagians that Tim and I posted above, I never even bothered making a second main Axe. Just left the one with the 1-2 second soul trap on all the time. Still taking down dragons in 2-3 hits.


----------



## MFB

I'll probably do that to build up my enchantment for armor fortification, but my weapons barely need any extra. My Ebony bow has been upgraded to superior since it's highest for my smithing and does a base of 80, and if I sneak then it does a base of 240  Same thing for my Ebony sword/Dawnbreaker, they hit for double damage and fuck shit up but if I sneak up on people - they do SIX times as much damage. Plus, enchantment on weapons burn out so god damn fast it's insane and I always get caught in big ass battle right as I'm out of them. It's awful


----------



## Grand Moff Tim

MFB said:


> I'll probably do that to build up my enchantment for armor fortification, but my weapons barely need any extra. My Ebony bow has been upgraded to superior since it's highest for my smithing and does a base of 80, and if I sneak then it does a base of 240  Same thing for my Ebony sword/Dawnbreaker, they hit for double damage and fuck shit up but if I sneak up on people - they do SIX times as much damage. Plus, enchantment on weapons burn out so god damn fast it's insane and I always get caught in big ass battle right as I'm out of them. It's awful


 
That's the thing about sneak bonuses. They sound great because the damage multipliers for sneak attacks are really impressive, but once you're caught up in the thick of things and need to take down multiple enemies or an enemy that was powerful enough to not take down with just one sneak attack, it's nice to have an absurdly powerful warhammer to charge into battle with, doling out blunt justice to all who oppose you . You won't get the sneak bonuses, but when you're doing near as makes no difference to 300 damage per strike (NOT counting critical chance damage increases), most baddies go down within a couple swings regardless.

EDIT: And honestly, if you want to progress past level 40 or so, you're going to have to perfect multiple playstyles anyway.


----------



## pink freud

MFB said:


> I'll probably do that to build up my enchantment for armor fortification, but my weapons barely need any extra. My Ebony bow has been upgraded to superior since it's highest for my smithing and does a base of 80, and if I sneak then it does a base of 240  Same thing for my Ebony sword/Dawnbreaker, they hit for double damage and fuck shit up but if I sneak up on people - they do SIX times as much damage. Plus, enchantment on weapons burn out so god damn fast it's insane and I always get caught in big ass battle right as I'm out of them. It's awful



Did you perk into the "Every time you hit an enemy it recharges the enchant a little bit" perk? I enchanted a dagger for a 2 second Soul Bind and I don't think I ever used a gem to recharge it.


----------



## Pooluke41

Well now that dawnguard is out and people have started modding, I'm just going through the nexus getting ready to play. 

I need to play something other than a dark elf thief.

Any ideas as to what I should play?


----------



## MFB

I'm 41 going on 42 now and I've got my guy to the perfect amount of sneak/archery as well as doling out solid damage with up close one handed weapons; especially now that I've got the Ancient Shroud boots/cowl/gloves which increase damage for bow/one-handed during sneak and muffle my movements. I've killed entire dungeons without anyone knowing I was there, it was great. The Pale Lady quest, I didn't take a single point of damage.


----------



## MFB

Pooluke41 said:


> Well now that dawnguard is out and people have started modding, I'm just going through the nexus getting ready to play.
> 
> I need to play something other than a dark elf thief.
> 
> Any ideas as to what I should play?



Nord Warrior. Seriously, tanks are fun to play where you just go in with heavy armor and FUCK SHIT UP


----------



## 7stringDemon

I personally like to do things wrong.

I'm a Nord Spellcaster with 100 Sneak and Archery 

I did the same with an Ork in Oblivion. Now THAT was a fucked up character to play!


----------



## Jakke

I personally like Argonian thieves/archers


----------



## Pooluke41

I may be a paladin/cleric/fuckyouundeadfucknuggets Breton or Nord.


----------



## Stealthdjentstic

Yeah my new build is warrior/assasin. The stealth in this game is a lot more fun to play than in the older games


----------



## Pooluke41

Ok, well after attempting to be a pure cleric/paladin I realised that even bandits could kill me. 

So now I'm an evil thieving breton spellsword. 

Playing on expert is not fun.


----------



## Fiction

Quick someone decide a playing style for me, I feel like playing a new dudeman!


----------



## MFB

What was your last one fool?!


----------



## Fiction

Warhammering Nord from the depths of hell.


----------



## MFB

If you want to do something that's opposite that, then maybe roll mage? Or archer like I'm going to do next time. I'll be very very sneaky, which is the same amount of sneaky I am now 

Also, for those who did Archer/Thief/Assassin, did you use Light Armor or still do Heavy and just deal poured stats into Sneak so it wouldn't make noise etc?


----------



## Fiction

I wouldn't mind a sneaky archer, with some daggers.


----------



## Grand Moff Tim

For those on PC looking for a new playstyle, download the Way of the Monk mod and play as an unarmed & unarmored monk. Now _there's_ a challenge.


----------



## Grand Moff Tim

But like I pointed out earlier, if you're going to try to max out your character's level, you're going to have to perfect more than one playstyle. My "main" build started out as an Orc tank, specializing in heavy armor, smithing, two handed, and enchanting. However, i was maxed or in the upper nineties in all of those by the time i was around lvl 40 or so, so I switched my combat style to specialize in sneak, archery and pickpocket (enchanting a new set of Daedric armor with fortifications suitable to that style). 

After I got up to the low to mid fifties, though, I had also maxed those out (along with peripheral skills like speech, and a fair bit of restoration), so I had to switch AGAIN. Just in time for Dawngaurd to be coming out, I had to move on to LIGHT armor, destruction, and one-handed. I blast and kite until I'm out of magicka, then charge in with a mace until my magicka refills. I gotta admit, it's a bit of a challenge running into a room full of leveled enemies when I'm a lvl 62 orc wearing an armor I'm only at about lvl 45 in and using offensive skills that are equally low, hahaha.


----------



## Grand Moff Tim

One more bit of rambling for people looking at starting a new character: if you're used to sneaking and want to give a big dumb brute of a tank a shot, I recommend playing as an Orc. You won't have the cold resistance that nords do, but those are only really useful against three enemies in the game (wraiths, atronachs, and mages) whereas the Berzerker power is useful against _everybody_, and is super helpful at helping get you out of tight spots at lower levels.


----------



## Grand Moff Tim

7stringDemon said:


> I personally like to do things wrong.
> 
> I'm a Nord Spellcaster with 100 Sneak and Archery
> 
> I did the same with an Ork in Oblivion. Now THAT was a fucked up character to play!


 
I used to do the same thing with Oblivion. One of my builds was Bruce Leroy, the redgaurd hand-to-hand specialist who never wore anything on his upper body.


----------



## pink freud

Here's a unique way to go:

Heavy armor, shield in one hand and something like heal or restore fatigue in the other. The only way you can kill anything is by shield-bashing.


----------



## hairychris

7stringDemon said:


> I personally like to do things wrong.
> 
> I'm a Nord Spellcaster with 100 Sneak and Archery
> 
> I did the same with an Ork in Oblivion. Now THAT was a fucked up character to play!



Did that in Oblivion with a Dark Elf, although didn't spellcast that much. I had a whole bunch of chameleon shit too so was basically invisible to all but powerful enemies even when they were alerted to my presence. The AI is a bit retarded I've found.

Only Level 11 on Skyrim right now. Going down a similar path with a cat but am finding the differences between that & Oblivion a bit of a pain to get my head round. I haven't put the hours in to Skyrim yet, though.


----------



## Grand Moff Tim

Cool cool.


----------



## The Reverend

The last thing I need is a giant killing the family I built a house for.


----------



## Grand Moff Tim

What annoys me is it doesn't look like it introduces anything that will help me level up my high-level character at all. I need more combat, dammit. I'm sick of repetitive radiant quests. Apart from that, it all looks pretty sweet, and will be really handy for some of my lower level characters who _don't_ already own every house in the game, like my Orc.


----------



## MFB

Grand Moff Tim said:


> What annoys me is it doesn't look like it introduces anything that will help me level up my high-level character at all. I need more combat, dammit. I'm sick of repetitive radiant quests. Apart from that, it all looks pretty sweet, and will be really handy for some of my lower level characters who _don't_ already own every house in the game, like my Orc.



Not to mention owning a house isn't even worth shit besides the one time ability to wave your bounty; so long as it's not over $3K. Wish they included that bit when you get the ability to even say "I'm the thane" and then you find out the guards don't give a shit and basically yell "EAT A DICK" while they all hit you.

Stupid "get a $1K bounty in each hold" achievement


----------



## Grand Moff Tim

MFB said:


> Not to mention owning a house isn't even worth shit besides the one time ability to wave your bounty; so long as it's not over $3K. Wish they included that bit when you get the ability to even say "I'm the thane" and then you find out the guards don't give a shit and basically yell "EAT A DICK" while they all hit you.
> 
> Stupid "get a $1K bounty in each hold" achievement


 
You can only use the "I'm a thane" thing once per hold anyways.

I like having at least one house if for no other reason than to have safe storage containers (gotta have SOMEWHERE to put all those goddamned dragonbones) and, in all but the Whiterun house, access to my own enchanting and alchemy tables in the same area.

It looks like the houses you can build will have some cool features that ownable houses don't, though one of those features (an alchemist's garden) is already available to you once you finish either the Mages Guild or Dark Brotherhood storylines anyway.

Oh well. I'll still get this DLC, because I'm a fan boy.


----------



## MFB

I just use my house in Whiterun for everything and my bedroom is divided up amongst loot. The main chest keeps all the miscellaneous shit and really early stuff I found before I came up with this system. Next to my bed in one nightstand is all the jewelery, diamonds, and any enchanted clothes. In the other nightstand is all the enchanted weapons and shit that makes the big money. Seems to be working out so far as a system, and I've got some stuff favorited so I can find them quickly for when I go to sell stuff (Necklace of Major Haggling, Thieves Guild Hood, etc)


----------



## Grand Moff Tim

I have shit divided up between houses with my orc, lol. I keep all of my smithing stuff (dragonbone/scale, ebony ingots, and daedra hearts, mostly) in the chest upstairs in Whiterun, all of my jewelery and REALLY valuable stuff in the safe upstairs in my Solitude house (where my spouse lives), and all my sneaky thiefy assassin-y things in the basement of my house in Riften. I have some stuff on display in the other houses, too, but usually nothing I'm ever going to use again. Just unique items.

With all of my newer builds, though, I use a mod that adds a treehouse just north of Riverwood. It's small and only has one chest, but it's cool looking and, most importantly, free, so I have somewhere to put my dragon nonsense when I don't have enough money to buy a house.


----------



## peagull

Dragon Nonsense before you can buy a house is such a PITA. I'm gonna have to look for that mod, Planning on starting a new char for Hearthfire, so don't wanna waste money on houses I've already seen.


----------



## Grand Moff Tim

It's called the Hermit's Treehouse.


----------



## Papaoneil

All of your characters are so much more advanced than mine, I just finished the main story with a Nord that I really just used two handed weapons on, 

today I started a new game with a Dark Elf that I plan to use as a mage, I didn't buy a house or anything with the other character, never acquired Dragon Armor, and now I'm sad


----------



## Fat-Elf

That feel when you play for the first time in 3 months and have no idea where you left off.


----------



## ittoa666

Time to craft a house.


----------



## Stealth7

Seems like Dawnguard might not be coming to PS3, Bethesda are having problems getting it to run the way they want.


----------



## peagull

Stealth7 said:


> Seems like Dawnguard might not be coming to PS3, Bethesda are having problems getting it to run the way they want.


 
That's dissapointing. This is why I hate the 360, everyone just codes for that and lazily ports it to the ps3. Then you get issues like this. 

Look at Naughty Dog, Uncharted 2 is one of the best games I have played of the Current Gen consoles, and The Last of Us looks like it's going to take that title when it is released, developed from the ground up on the ps3.

However, back on topic, Just get Skyrim on the PC and mod the crap out of it.


----------



## tacotiklah

So no chance on Dawnguard being release for PC then?

Bethseda:


----------



## Fiction

Dawn guard is out on pc


----------



## Thrashmanzac

peagull said:


> That's dissapointing. This is why I hate the 360, everyone just codes for that and lazily ports it to the ps3. Then you get issues like this.
> 
> Look at Naughty Dog, Uncharted 2 is one of the best games I have played of the Current Gen consoles, and The Last of Us looks like it's going to take that title when it is released, developed from the ground up on the ps3.
> 
> However, back on topic, Just get Skyrim on the PC and mod the crap out of it.



so when people code for xbox it sucks, but when the code exclusivly for the sony it's awesome? i don't follow your logic.

ot: awesome that dawnguard will be on pc, however this house making skyrim meets the sims thing is a bit beyond me


----------



## Grand Moff Tim

Thrashmanzac said:


> so when people code for xbox it sucks, but when the code exclusivly for the sony it's awesome? i don't follow your logic.
> 
> ot: awesome that dawnguard will be on pc, however this house making skyrim meets the sims thing is a bit beyond me


 
I think (though I don't want to put words in his mouth) that he meant that it sucks that developers take the "lazy" way out by developing for the simpler 360 first and then either making a shitty port or not porting to the PS3 at all, rather than coding for the harder to code for PS3 first, then porting to the simpler 360. 

I recall a developer a few years ago talking about learning their lesson coding for the 360 first and then trying to port to the PS3 afterwards because it was a nightmare. I want to say it was the makers of Star Wars: The Force Unleashed, but I might be misremebering.

Alos, Dawnguard is already out on PC, and it rules. I expect Hearthfire will come around a month after it released on 360, same as Dawnguard. I'll get it, being the fanboy that I am.


----------



## SuperMutant

Level 42 in 3 days  

This game is so damn easy! Any ideas what I should do now thats fun? I've done the story mode, dark brotherhood, mage college, companions and bunch of other quests...


----------



## SuperMutant

Grand Moff Tim said:


> I think (though I don't want to put words in his mouth) that he meant that it sucks that developers take the "lazy" way out by developing for the simpler 360 first and then either making a shitty port or not porting to the PS3 at all, rather than coding for the harder to code for PS3 first, then porting to the simpler 360.
> 
> I recall a developer a few years ago talking about learning their lesson coding for the 360 first and then trying to port to the PS3 afterwards because it was a nightmare. I want to say it was the makers of Star Wars: The Force Unleashed, but I might be misremebering.
> 
> Alos, Dawnguard is already out on PC, and it rules. I expect Hearthfire will come around a month after it released on 360, same as Dawnguard. I'll get it, being the fanboy that I am.


My friend keeps telling me how awesome dawnguard is and I can't get it cause I have PS3  

Why does Xbox get everything first anyways? There's really no comparison between Xbox and Ps3...


----------



## Fiction

They have completely different hardware, which the Xbox is easier to code for.

I remember going over the software side of it in my software class last year, but I forget now


----------



## SuperMutant

Fiction said:


> They have completely different hardware, which the Xbox is easier to code for.
> 
> I remember going over the software side of it in my software class last year, but I forget now


 Oh, honestly I just assumed Xbox got everything first because there more popular by quite a lot.


----------



## Grand Moff Tim

SuperMutant said:


> Oh, honestly I just assumed Xbox got everything first because there more popular by quite a lot.


 
In this particular case, 360 gets it before PC because Microsoft paid for an exclusive early rights deal, and 360 and PC both get them before PS3 because... fuck PS3, I guess?


----------



## frogunrua

It seems I may never get any dlc for skyrim. As I too have a ps3.


----------



## The Reverend

If I can't play Dawnguard, I will either buy an Xbox 360, even though I despise them and have missed out on plenty of great games because of my fanboyism, or I'll blow up Bethesda and teach them not to fuck with me. 

Real talk.


----------



## tacotiklah

Well my face is red then. I fully plan to buy Dawnguard when my money comes in.


----------



## peagull

Thrashmanzac said:


> so when people code for xbox it sucks, but when the code exclusivly for the sony it's awesome? i don't follow your logic.


 
I failed at getting my point across, my bad. My wrath at the 360 was more, I hate lazy 360 developers and Microsoft lining their pockets with gold encouraging them



Grand Moff Tim said:


> I think (though I don't want to put words in his mouth) that he meant that it sucks that developers take the "lazy" way out by developing for the simpler 360 first and then either making a shitty port or not porting to the PS3 at all, rather than coding for the harder to code for PS3 first, then porting to the simpler 360.


 
^This basically.

I don't care if people want to make 360 exclusives, I might get a bit annoyed I miss out on a certain game or even look at doing a console swap for a few weeks with a friend. 

It's just the lazy porting that annoys me. The orange box was another one iirc which did it. And the ps3 isn't safe from my wrath in that regard, Dark souls was a poor port (I don't want to say lazy, it just seems they are pretty inexperienced in that regard, but how hard is hiring in some experienced help?) and pissed me off I couldn't play it on PC


----------



## flexkill

I have owned Skyrim since release, but never played it a whole lot. I'm just now picking it up again. Evidently I am a Lizard . I'm only leval 32 and my armor skill is maxed out. My question is, I keep losing battles with Dragons 1 on 1. What is the best methods for fighting them when I'm alone? I have no trouble when they attack in towns.


----------



## Jakke

flexkill said:


> I have owned Skyrim since release, but never played it a whole lot. I'm just now picking it up again. Evidently I am a Lizard . I'm only leval 32 and my armor skill is maxed out. My question is, I keep losing battles with Dragons 1 on 1. What is the best methods for fighting them when I'm alone? I have no trouble when they attack in towns.



Take cover when they breathe fire

I stand behind a pillar when they breathe fire, and then step out to fire arrows at their scaly ass.


----------



## SuperMutant

flexkill said:


> I have owned Skyrim since release, but never played it a whole lot. I'm just now picking it up again. Evidently I am a Lizard . I'm only leval 32 and my armor skill is maxed out. My question is, I keep losing battles with Dragons 1 on 1. What is the best methods for fighting them when I'm alone? I have no trouble when they attack in towns.


Put the difficulty on novice... There is no point in putting it higher as the game isn't like fallout and it doesn't effect leveling.


----------



## flexkill

SuperMutant said:


> Put the difficulty on novice... There is no point in putting it higher as the game isn't like fallout and it doesn't effect leveling.



So I lose or gain nothing from difficulty setting???



Jakke said:


> Take cover when they breathe fire
> 
> I stand behind a pillar when they breathe fire, and then step out to fire arrows at their scaly ass.



Yeah unfortunately in this one spot there is no cover, not that I could use well enough anyway.


----------



## Grand Moff Tim

flexkill said:


> I have owned Skyrim since release, but never played it a whole lot. I'm just now picking it up again. Evidently I am a Lizard . I'm only leval 32 and my armor skill is maxed out. My question is, I keep losing battles with Dragons 1 on 1. What is the best methods for fighting them when I'm alone? I have no trouble when they attack in towns.


 
Depends what your combat style is and how far you are in the main quest. Whatever your combat style is, though, Jakke's right to advise you to take cover when the dragon is strafing or hovering and breathing fire. When it isn't, use your principal ranged combat form (archery or destruction) to whittle at its health. Once its health gets low enough, it will be forced to land, at which point you can charge in and finish it off with melee (or stand back and finish it off with more ranged. 

Alternatively, if you've gotten far enough in the main quest,


Spoiler



just use the Dragonrend shout to bring it down from the sky, then charge in with your melee.


 
Elemental resistance potions can also be helpful, as can fortifications and, of course, health.

EDIT: You could also pick up a follower. They're mostly good as pack mules, but they also act as bullet sponges (fire sponges?) in combat. Make the dragon divide its attention between you and your follower. Hell, you can just kite the dragon along until you come across more NPCs or creatures to distract it, too.


----------



## SuperMutant

flexkill said:


> So I lose or gain nothing from difficulty


No.


----------



## SuperMutant

Grand Moff Tim said:


> Depends what your combat style is and how far you are in the main quest. Whatever your combat style is, though, Jakke's right to advise you to take cover when the dragon is strafing or hovering and breathing fire. When it isn't, use your principal ranged combat form (archery or destruction) to whittle at its health. Once its health gets low enough, it will be forced to land, at which point you can charge in and finish it off with melee (or stand back and finish it off with more ranged.
> 
> Alternatively, if you've gotten far enough in the main quest,
> 
> 
> Spoiler
> 
> 
> 
> just use the Dragonrend shout to bring it down from the sky, then charge in with your melee.
> 
> 
> 
> Elemental resistance potions can also be helpful, as can fortifications and, of course, health.
> 
> EDIT: You could also pick up a follower. They're mostly good as pack mules, but they also act as bullet sponges (fire sponges?) in combat. Make the dragon divide its attention between you and your follower. Hell, you can just kite the dragon along until you come across more NPCs or creatures to distract it, too.


 I don't really get why people limit themselves to 1 "class", I have every fighting style maxed except mage stuff (I'm probably going to get destruction up) and i'm only lvl 48...


----------



## axxessdenied

SuperMutant said:


> I don't really get why people limit themselves to 1 "class", I have every fighting style maxed except mage stuff (I'm probably going to get destruction up) and i'm only lvl 48...



 this game is a joke.... 

Oh, and Bethesda has mediocre coders. IMO. That is why you see them failing at porting over to PS3.... They have never released a game that wasn't buggy as hell.


----------



## Grand Moff Tim

SuperMutant said:


> I don't really get why people limit themselves to 1 "class", I have every fighting style maxed except mage stuff (I'm probably going to get destruction up) and i'm only lvl 48...


 
I wasn't advocating limiting to one class, and have said in this very thread that as you increase in level, you pretty much _have_ to become an expert in a number of combat styles if you want to continue to level up. _However_, there is sense in only concentrating on one at a time, especially early on, because if you divide your time between, say, destruction, 1H, 2H, and archery instead of just 2H, then your max skill in any one of those skills won't be as high as it would be had you concentrated your effort on a single skill until _much_ later in the game. I know that, particularly early on, I'd much rather have been lvl 40 in 2H than lvl 10 each in 1H, 2H, Archery and Destruction.

Alternatively, limiting yourself to only one style can add additional challenges, if that's the route you want to take. Concentrating on only 2H is great for bashing in skulls, but not so great at getting dragons to land or closing the gap between you and an ice mage.

Or, as you're doing, you could just try to level up in ALL skills from the get go without concentrating in any one thing in particular, to add an element of challenge from that angle. That's the beauty of the Elder Scrolls games: you can do whatever the hell you want.


----------



## Chiba666

Bit late behind everyone else, but just picked this up. Looking forward to playing, even though I never got into the last few games.


----------



## SuperMutant

Grand Moff Tim said:


> I wasn't advocating limiting to one class, and have said in this very thread that as you increase in level, you pretty much _have_ to become an expert in a number of combat styles if you want to continue to level up. _However_, there is sense in only concentrating on one at a time, especially early on, because if you divide your time between, say, destruction, 1H, 2H, and archery instead of just 2H, then your max skill in any one of those skills won't be as high as it would be had you concentrated your effort on a single skill until _much_ later in the game. I know that, particularly early on, I'd much rather have been lvl 40 in 2H than lvl 10 each in 1H, 2H, Archery and Destruction.
> 
> Alternatively, limiting yourself to only one style can add additional challenges, if that's the route you want to take. Concentrating on only 2H is great for bashing in skulls, but not so great at getting dragons to land or closing the gap between you and an ice mage.
> 
> Or, as you're doing, you could just try to level up in ALL skills from the get go without concentrating in any one thing in particular, to add an element of challenge from that angle. That's the beauty of the Elder Scrolls games: you can do whatever the hell you want.


 I decided to keep my "warrior classs" with One handed, archery, and stealth. I just made a mage last night so I can have ALL magic maxed. 2 handed weapons are garbage dude, for starters dual wielding is stronger and faster and they look cooler, plus there is so many more one handed weapons you get through the story mode/quests like the nightingale blade, chillrend, etc. 

I love LOVE! moist towelettes! 

Another wanderer here to lick my fathers balls? Too bad there gone 



Balgruuf oh Balgruuf!


----------



## AmbienT

If you get a mage with 100 conjuration then you never have to draw a weapon again,

I have enough magic to summon two dremora lords at a time, plus my magic is fully regenerated after the 60 seconds it takes for them to die so I'm pretty invincible.
You could pair this with a bound bow offhand if you wanted to be even more deadly.

I've even stood right in the middle of where the Solitude guards train and initiated a fight on the hardest difficulty.
Not only did I not move, but I didn't even get hit.

It's pretty brutal watching two armour-clad demons impale and decapitate their way through a whole bunch of imperial guards


----------



## Grand Moff Tim

SuperMutant said:


> 2 handed weapons are garbage dude


 

lolnope.

You don't need to swing fast when it only takes _one_ hit to take out the vast majority of the enemies in the game. It is annoying that there are fewer unique 2H weapons, but most unique stuff isn't as powerful as weapons you can make yourself anyways once your enchantment is maxed. That aside, you _can _get Wuuthrad (or however it's spelled) pretty early on if you do the Companions quests, and it's a pretty decent 2H weapon to have starting out.

EDIT: Here, I'll repost this puppy I made as an example of just how "garbage' 2H weapons are.







There isn't a 1H weapon in game, unique or otherwise, I'd take over that.


----------



## SuperMutant

Grand Moff Tim said:


> lolnope.
> 
> You don't need to swing fast when it only takes _one_ hit to take out the vast majority of the enemies in the game. It is annoying that there are fewer unique 2H weapons, but most unique stuff isn't as powerful as weapons you can make yourself anyways once your enchantment is maxed. That aside, you _can _get Wuuthrad (or however it's spelled) pretty early on if you do the Companions quests, and it's a pretty decent 2H weapon to have starting out.
> 
> EDIT: Here, I'll repost this puppy I made as an example of just how "garbage' 2H weapons are.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> There isn't a 1H weapon in game, unique or otherwise, I'd take over that.


 Hmm tried to google that and I get nothing, looked in the elder scrolls wiki for it and its not there either. You can get a Daedric 1H sword to over 150-160 attack and have two of them with 2 enchantments on both, id say thats better... Hell IMO enchantments and SUPER powerful weapons are pointless anyways, I can kill most opponents in 1 power attack with 2 legendary scimitars.
Oh and plus I can get like 3 hits with a 1H in the time you would get 1 with a warhammer.


----------



## SuperMutant

SuperMutant said:


> No.


Actually think of it this way, say you have the difficulty on adept, you will hit your enemies more than you would with novice. But if you try leveling up you skills the normal way its going to take a VERY long time and even after killing/raiding every dungeon you still wouldn't be even close to max level.

I just attacked parthumax (however the fuck you spell it) nonstop until I got one handed up, then I left no knowing he would be dead when I go back and had to use shadowmere to do the same thing by putting the difficulty on master and shooting arrows in stealth mode (I eventually get to almost killing her so I have to stop for a minute.)

I'm having more fun shooting fireballs at people then running up to them or using arrows, and I have no idea why


----------



## SuperMutant

Btw, for you guys that like to use staves (I only really use them to fight bosses like dragon priests) You should kill otar the mad and do a quest at darklight tower where you get a staff identical to a 50 point dragon priest staff instead of fighting krosis.

Killing Otar at lvl 11 was a huge pain in the ass, I shot like 30 dual fireballs at him and his attacks drain like 3/4 of my hp so I would have to run across the map and hide behind a pole so I wouldn't die. And don't even get me started on the fucking storm atronachs. I killed him in 1 hit on my warrior with the blade of woe


----------



## Grand Moff Tim

SuperMutant said:


> Hmm tried to google that and I get nothing, looked in the elder scrolls wiki for it and its not there either.


 
That would be because it's a dragonbone warhammer that I enchanted myself.


----------



## SuperMutant

Grand Moff Tim said:


> That would be because it's a dragonbone warhammer that I enchanted myself.


I can't get dragonbone weapons anyways...


----------



## Grand Moff Tim

Regarding two high-level 1H weapons versus one high-level 2H weapons, I can see how it'd come down to personal preference. The difference between the damage dealt isn't really enough to make one better enough than the other when you're doling out that much damage anyway. I won't concede 2H is better or that 1H is "garbage," but I can see how one would choose to dual wield instead (unless you want to be able to block).

Early on, though, when the best stuff you can get is Steel weaponry, I felt much more effective charging in wearing heavy armor and swinging a warhammer. Going on base damage, a steel warhammer does more damage than two steel swords, but the same as two steel maces. When you're at a low level and every little bit of extra dps counts, I felt more confident sacrificing weapon speed to have the ability to block while still retaining equal or slightly more dps. To each his own, though.


----------



## Grand Moff Tim

And for what it's worth, my stealth characters have always used 2H as their backup to archery rather than 1H, both for the speed and the ludicrously insane damage the Backstab perk can get you.


----------



## Grand Moff Tim

SuperMutant said:


> I can't get dragonbone weapons anyways...


 
In the interest of full disclosure, it's WAY more dps than the base dps UESP lists for dragonbone warhammers, because the build wielding it is 100 in 2H and is wearing several Fortify 2H items .


----------



## Grand Moff Tim

One last bit of rambling on 1H vs 2H is that I'm annoyed at the lack of the ability to key bind two of the same weapon. I'll have to see if there's a mod fixing that.


----------



## SuperMutant

Okay, so why the fuck wont a ring of sure grip appear in these fucking merchants lists? I have played this game for almost a month and haven't seen a single ring of sure grip appear...


----------



## SuperMutant

axxessdenied said:


> They have never released a game that wasn't buggy as hell.



This really sucks too because fallout/TES are IMO the best games period and I ALWAYS get stuck in places, lag like motherfucking crazy and on fallout 3 when it goes into the killcam it lasts like 5 minutes... I don't have much problems with skyrim/new vegas though. 

What even makes my game lag anyways? I've had to buy A NEW fallout 3 like 4 times and each time the game still lags like mad... hell I made a new account like 2 months ago and no matter what in the beginning where your a baby and you have to wait for your dad or whatever he never comes back and if I go up to the door it says he there yet I can't talk to him... I tried making like 3 accounts and the same thing happens


----------



## Fiction

You must wait until he gets back.


----------



## SuperMutant

Fiction said:


> You must wait until he gets back.


I left my room for 11 hours and tried waiting in the game.


----------



## Don Vito

SuperMutant said:


> I've had to buy A NEW fallout 3 like 4 times


O__o


----------



## SuperMutant

kennedyblake said:


> O__o



And Mw2 8 times.


----------



## Fiction

Put your discs back in the case and less frisbee-ing, I've never had to re-buy a game in my life.

And I have over 150 discs easy.


----------



## tacotiklah

I buy all my games right on my steam account. No discs, no bullshit. Just download them and then play them. 


As a sidenote, I'm trying to get through Dawnguard. So far so good and I'm liking the way it integrates with the original storyline.


----------



## Valennic

Been doing a lot of roleplaying with the new addon. Makes it really easy to have a hunting cabin in Falkreath or Morthal, and a winter home up in the Dawnstar area. Lots of hunting going on. Loving it.


----------



## SuperMutant

Fiction said:


> Put your discs back in the case and less frisbee-ing, I've never had to re-buy a game in my life.
> 
> And I have over 150 discs easy.


Didn't notice this post, there was a glitch back in 2011 that me and all my friends local and on PSN were having where you would join a game and be fine then lag out and have a black screen for like 10 minutes that you can't fix or exit it out of (couldn't even turn off my PS3) then it would say error code xxxxxxxx and we would buy another disk and the game would work for a bit and do the glitch again. I didn't pay for any of these games though I returned all of them.


----------



## Don Vito

ghstofperdition said:


> I buy all my games right on my steam account. No discs, no bullshit. Just download them and then play them.


You clearly have never lived in the sticks


----------



## tacotiklah

kennedyblake said:


> You clearly have never lived in the sticks



I lived in Mojave, CA before. You can't get much more sticks that. 

But I get your point.


----------



## SirMyghin

So, was Dawnguard worth the money or is it like all DLC?


----------



## axxessdenied

SirMyghin said:


> So, was Dawnguard worth the money or is it like all DLC?



Just wait for a GOTY edition 

I can never justify paying full price for a bethesda game knowing how much DLC and expansions will be inevitable.


----------



## SirMyghin

^ I already have Skyrim. I have just never seen a piece of DLC I thought was worth it.


----------



## Don Vito

SirMyghin said:


> So, was Dawnguard worth the money* or is it like all DLC?*


Good and/or expansive?

I gave zero fucks about GTA IV until it's DLC.


----------



## xvultures

Wait til it comes out on a disc, buy it used, install, return... That's just about what I did for any game that had dlc discs lol


----------



## SirMyghin

^

Doesn't work on PC games. 

As far as GTA, that series was dead to me after the first one. Nothing else had that magic. So no, I have never ran into DLC I found actually enhanced a game.


----------



## Don Vito

> SirMyghin;3212098
> As far as GTA, that series was dead to me after the first one.


You are a minority

I'm not going to be much use.


----------



## Xaios

ghstofperdition said:


> I lived in Mojave, CA before. You can't get much more sticks that.



I beg to differ.


----------



## tacotiklah

Xaios said:


> I beg to differ.



Your population of 26,000 vs this?:



> Mojave (formerly, Mohave) at an elevation of 2762 feet (842 m). The town is located at the southwestern region of the Mojave Desert, below and east of Oak Creek Pass and the Tehachapi Mountains. *The population was 4,238 at the 2010 census, up from 3,836 at the 2000 census*.



At any rate, this is kind of off-topic so my apologies.

On topic:
I've decided to hold off on playing dawnguard for the time being until a patch or two comes out for it. It's just too maddening having to use the command console to worm my way through all the glitches.


----------



## Stealthdjentstic

Yup, I always wait a long time before buying anything bethesda does.


----------



## AngstRiddenDreams

My town doesn't even have 1,000 people! 
Just started playing this game yesterday, and holy shit i am loving it.


----------



## SirMyghin

Xaios said:


> I beg to differ.



PFFFFFT

https://maps.google.ca/maps/ms?msa=0&msid=200223170846721084455.000483bee9f3a946a5b2c&hl=en&ie=UTF8&ll=56.776808,-115.97168&spn=17.568188,57.084961&t=m&z=5&vpsrc=6&iwloc=0004cb30af97d5e66028d

(coords 56.734460, -130.652261 if that doesn't work.) I spend half my year right there. The wonderful Forrest Kerr. You don't get more sticks than that.


----------



## jon66

I've gotten back into this game in the past couple weeks (PC version) after not having played it for about 6 months. I deleted all my previous save files and started up a couple new characters, as follows:

#1- Villork - male orc barbarian - perk points in 2h, light armor, smithing, enchanting. He wears pretty much all fur/hide types armor upgraded and enchanted with as many +2h or absorb health/stam enchants as possible. So far, main focus has been main questline, since I've never completed it, also got the thane of whiterun, and completed (i think) companion questline. Running with Lydia as a follower, decked out in epic heavy armor and a 1h/shield (all max-upgraded Orcish gear - which looks awesome imo). Until about high teens, I was using the heavy armor, but kept running into massive stamina issues and constantly dealing with being over-encumbered, so I've switched to light armor, which makes me play the game a little more strategically rather than just mashing everything head-on. Having a ton of fun with this guy so far. Level 29 atm. 

#2- Zyria - female wood elf thief/archer - arch, 1h (daggers, tho i dont use melee much, save for the odd sneak backstab kill), light armor, alchemy, sneak. I wanted to get her setup in Riften (honeyside?) since it's the most thief/hunterish looking house. Completed the thieves guild questline (holy shit awesome btw!) and got the thane of Riften title. I don't normally run with a follower with her, since it messes with mah sneaking! Level 26 atm.

#3- Sin'Dorei - female high elf pure mage - so far points in destro and maybe one of 2 in resto/conj? Started the college of winterhold questline, but didn't get too far with her, since I'm loving the progression on the above 2 characters atm. Level 8 i think.

I know I could play the characters differently and "do it all" with one character (hence part of the versatility of this game) but I like the RP'ish style of fitting each toon into a particular role/mindset. Adds to the fun of the game for me.

What are your favorite playstyles?


----------



## Grand Moff Tim

jon66 said:


> What are your favorite playstyles?



Oooh lawdy, where to begin?

First and foremost, my "main" build is an Orc 2H tank. I started out specializing in 2H (obviously), heavy armor, armorer, and enchanting. That way I could take a load of damage while also one-shotting most baddies that came my way, and could enchant the shit out of everything once I had the lvl 100 dual enchantment perk. There's just something satisfying about charging headlong into the fray and swinging (to quote TES:IV) "a warhammer the size of a child." That build has had to move on to other playstyles in order to continue to level up, but in my mind he'll always be my Tank dude.

I also enjoy sneaky-sneaky types, as much for the hilarity of robbing people blind as for one-shotting baddies with my bow while hiding in a shadow clear on the opposite side of the screen. It's also hilarious to put perks and enchantments in backstab and do MONSTROUS damage with daggers, provided you've got the sneak skills to get close enough to use them.

For mage-types, there's obviously the old standby of destruction, but without mods, it feels pretty nerfed compared to TES:IV, which in turn felt nerfed compared to III. For that reason, I like to have a way to keep my enemies' attention off of me to give me time to heal and/or regain magicka for the more powerful destruction spells, so sometimes I'll specialize in Conjuration (for conjuring allies, obviously), or, increasingly these days, Illusion (for turning my enemies against eachother and masking my presence with muffle and invisibility). Vampirism makes Illusion even more practical, and Dawnguard actually made being a vampire fun, so there's that. I really miss spellmaking, though, so I hope it's either added in future DLC or in a decent mod.

Lastly, there's the most challenging playstyle I use (and it's only possible with the Way of the Monk mod): unarmed and unarmored. Those skills have no levelling or perks in the vanilla game, but that mod adds them and makes it into a feasible playstyle again. It's fuckin' _hard_, obviously, since you aren't absorbing much damage at all, and compared to other weapon types you won't be dealing a ton of damage per strike at any point (though the starting damage is more than adequate at low levels, especially as a khajiit). If you think you find yourself using more strategy during combat when wearing light armor, give unarmored a shot .


----------



## Stealthdjentstic

^ So much this! Stealth characters are actually fun now!


----------



## SirMyghin

^^

My orc theifsassin in Morrowind was plenty fun. It was nice you could snipe on this one though.


----------



## Stealthdjentstic

The sniping is so satisfying. A fun game is to try and kill every guard in a city without getting caught.


----------



## tacotiklah

I was playing a wood elf once with maxed out bow, lockpick, light armor, and sneak skill trees. I could clear entire dungeons/caves without taking any damage at all. It was pretty insane.


----------



## Jakke

Starting to look like The Rift outside, beautiful:yesway;


----------



## AngstRiddenDreams

So i was playing yesterday and i got to the point where i have to kill the dragon with the chick from the Riverwood Inn. Everytime i go to the burial mound to kill it, she tries killing me too! I don't understand.
Maybe it's because i'm a vampire, but no one else tries attacking me so i'm not sure.
Fuck vampirism.


----------



## Grand Moff Tim

AngstRiddenDreams said:


> So i was playing yesterday and i got to the point where i have to kill the dragon with the chick from the Riverwood Inn. Everytime i go to the burial mound to kill it, she tries killing me too! I don't understand.
> Maybe it's because i'm a vampire, but no one else tries attacking me so i'm not sure.
> Fuck vampirism.



It shouldn't be because you're a vampire, as long as you have Dawnguard installed. With Dawnguard, they'll only attack you if they see you transform into a Vampire Lord. However, it _is_ a Bethesda game, so it might have just bugged out on you. You can try yielding to her, using console commands to change her disposition (if you're on PC), or loading an earlier save. Hopefully it won't be a quest-ending glitch for you, it sucks to have to scrap a character when bullshit like that happens.


----------



## MFB

Someone modded armor so you can have the Bat Knight Suit that Johnas Larona drew. I WANT IT.


----------



## subject aftermath

That looks like a messed up sauron :L


----------



## MFB

It's a little clunky, but it still works. For reference here's the original and some more pics of the mod.


----------



## Korbain

started a new game, installed dawn guard, a few graphics mods! looks so good now, god love what the community does lol


----------



## Adam Of Angels

Anybody have that new DLC where you can build houses and stuff?


----------



## Grand Moff Tim

Adam Of Angels said:


> Anybody have that new DLC where you can build houses and stuff?



I do. It's okay. I like that it adds that extra bit of depth to the game, but it really doesn't add much apart from that added depth. Of course, I've only accessed it with my file that's the highest level and has the most money/resources, so getting everything I need for the houses doesn't present a challenge at all. It might feel a bit more rewarding if I was low-level, poor, and had to work for every little bit of building material.


----------



## Adam Of Angels

Well, how much can you really design a building? I'm curious as to how in depth the building process is.


----------



## Grand Moff Tim

Adam Of Angels said:


> Well, how much can you really design a building? I'm curious as to how in depth the building process is.



Each building starts as just a one room affair, and then after you have that built you can opt to add a second floor and a basement, and then/also a three wings. Each wing (East, West, North/South [I forget]) has two or three options you can choose from, but that's about as much as you can mix it up. For example, one wing might let you choose between a trophy room and an alchemist garden, but you can't have _both_. You can also make furnishings for the various rooms, but there the only options you have are to furnish or not to furnish. For example, you can choose whether or not you want to add a bed to a room, but not what _kind_ of bed. You can also add some things outside of your home, like a smelter, stables, and an apiary(!).

All in all it's interesting to do it just to see how it turns out and it adds a bit of personality to the game, allowing you to have your own house to move your spouse and adopted kids (another new addition) into, but apart from that it's mostly a time sink.


----------



## Adam Of Angels

That's a let down, man. I wasn't expecting Skyrim: Sims, but.... I was hoping for Skyrim: Sims


----------



## Valennic

Adam Of Angels said:


> That's a let down, man. I wasn't expecting Skyrim: Sims, but.... I was hoping for Skyrim: Sims



I too was looking forward to trapping my creepy housecarl in an exitless bathroom so that he may starve.


----------



## Miek

The upcoming DLC is shaping up to be cool. If you want to wait and be surprised for the official announcement of it, don't click this link: http://www.pcgamer.com/2012/10/16/s...el=ref&ns_source=steam&ns_linkname=0&ns_fee=0


----------



## Stealth7

Announcement of 3rd DLC and PS3 hasn't even got Dawnguard


----------



## Miek

Yeah, there seem to be a LOT of problems with the PS3's ability to handle the Skyrim engine. Mostly due to the way it allocates ram compared to the way the 360 does. The good news is that PC and 360 users will probably be getting the new one at the same time, since the two DLC exclusivity deal with microsoft is done now.

I gotta hand it to Bethesda for using hearthfire like that. Kinda clever.


----------



## Stealth7

I don't think the PS3 would have a problem with the engine if it was actually coded for PS3 instead of being a port from the Xbox...


----------



## Hellbound

I still have not gotten around to buying this game yet but I will this Weekend. The reason I have not gotten Skyrim yet is because I just know that once I start playing this game it will be my life probably from the next 6 to 8 Months, lol.
That is how I am with role playing games. The last role playing game I played was "Fallout 3: Game of the Year Edition" which I purchased last year while nursing a shoulder injury that took Months to heal...perfect time to play a role playing game. 
I spent a solid 6 Months on that game and enjoyed it besides how rather bland the game kinda got.

Now I am finally getting Skyrim. Everytime I go to GameStop the employees freak out like they cannot believe I have not purchased this game yet as if I should be put in a nut house because of it. 
Whatever...for me to get into a role playing game I really have to be ready for it and will have a lot of free time these next couple of Months to just sit back, relax...and play some Skyrim.
I am just guessing that the first thing I should do is install the "Dawnguard" (I believe it is called) DLC pretty much as soon as I start playing this game correct?
Cannot wait to play "Skyrim" I am sure it is going to be a blast.
I remember playing Morrowind in the past and thought that game was phenomenal with the same scenery and same theme song playing over and over yet the game never seemed to get boring to me.

Skyrim here I come.


----------



## Miek

I recommend not installing Dawnguard until you feel adequately leveled to kill vampires at will, because there's a problem with them just going around and killing any non-immortal NPCs.


----------



## AngstRiddenDreams

I've played Skyrim for 100 hours in the past few weeks. I think i have an addiction.
Help guys, help.


----------



## Infamous Impact

AngstRiddenDreams said:


> I've played Skyrim for 100 hours in the past few weeks. I think i have an addiction.
> Help guys, help.


I have over 500 hours over the course of the year.


----------



## ittoa666

I logged 90 hours during the first week after the game came out, and I had to work on top of that.


----------



## Fiction

I got 20 in the first 2 days. and probably 10 hours since then.. Unfortunately I burnt out way too fast, forgot about the game and lost where I was and couldn't be fucked starting a new or playing.


----------



## ittoa666

Hitting this game up again right now to level my archer. Gonna be fun raiding some towns.


----------



## CrushingAnvil

Finally buying this game in a matter of minutes. Someone talk me out of buying it for PS3 since I just read a couple of unsettling things in this thread.


----------



## Fiction

Buy it for PC, because PS3 is LOL


----------



## Grand Moff Tim

If you have a PC that can handle it, there's is absolutely no good reason to get Skyrim for either of the consoles.


----------



## Captain Shoggoth

^speaking as an Xbox Skyrim player I wholeheartedly agree.

In fact, I'm a little burned out on going into Halo 4 matchmaking solo. Time to journey back to Tamriel!


----------



## 3074326

PC all the way. The modding community is awesome. If you download it from Steam, which I use (and love!), there's a mod workshop built into Steam's interface. People upload mods to Steam and you just subscribe to them. That's it. It loads automatically. 

The mods make this game go from great to holy fucking shit great. PC all the way.


----------



## troyguitar

Do you have to buy it on Steam to use that stuff? Newegg has the game for $30 today so I'm thinking about finally buying it.


----------



## SirMyghin

^^

Don't think you do as the game is tied to steam regardless of install type.


----------



## Grand Moff Tim

Yeah, I actually bought it at Gamestop so I could get the Collector's Edition, and like with most PC games these days it seems, it just gave me the code to DL it on Steam instead of an actual hard copy.


----------



## SirMyghin

^^I got a disc to install with the standard version, only had to activate with steam not DL.


----------



## 3074326

troyguitar said:


> Do you have to buy it on Steam to use that stuff? Newegg has the game for $30 today so I'm thinking about finally buying it.



I'm not sure, but you can get the mods without using Steam anyways. Steam just makes it easier.


----------



## hairychris

Stealth7 said:


> I don't think the PS3 would have a problem with the engine if it was actually coded for PS3 instead of being a port from the Xbox...



Hm, welcome to the PC world where some games are rendered unplayable (hint: Saint's Row 2) because they are a shit port from a console.

FWIW porting is far cheaper then completely recoding. And you're also likely to get your version of the game in the same decade as the original dev platform. Do you have any idea how expensive and time-consuming recoding actually is?


----------



## troyguitar

Bought the game for the $30 from Steam and played for an hour or so, so far I'm torn. The game looks nice but, at least at first glance, the combat seems quite simple and everything else is overwhelming. I'm offered so many different decisions, quests, skills that I've no fucking clue what I should be doing. I'm usually one to avoid spoiler sites for single player games but this game might be an exception unless I feel like spending years figuring it all out myself 

Does combat ever get more complicated than choosing whether to left click or right click?


----------



## SirMyghin

^^ Elder scrolls aren't really about combat. That said Skyrim was light years ahead of what they usually do. The games are more of a world building exploration thing than an action adventure.


----------



## Grand Moff Tim

troyguitar said:


> Does combat ever get more complicated than choosing whether to left click or right click?



Yes and no. No, you'll never really do more than left or right click to attack. Yes, there's much more to it than two simple attacks. What weapons you use, your stats, what spells you use, your skills and perks, all come in to play and need to be considered before charging into battle. Like SM said, though, the Elder Scrolls series is more about the game world than the combat. Just be glad it's smoother than it was in Oblivion, and head and shoulders above the awful clunky combat of Morrowind.


----------



## AxeHappy

With certain perks you get, "Power Attacks," that are a movement key combined with a mouse click?


----------



## Grand Moff Tim

AxeHappy said:


> With certain perks you get, "Power Attacks," that are a movement key combined with a mouse click?



Sortof. A power attack is just holding down the mouse button longer than a simple quick click for a standard attack, but yes, there are some additional power attacks you can unlock with perks that are performed by holding attack and a directional key, usually with some sort of additional bonus (damage, decapitation, disarm, etc).


----------



## 3074326

troyguitar said:


> Bought the game for the $30 from Steam and played for an hour or so, so far I'm torn. The game looks nice but, at least at first glance, the combat seems quite simple and everything else is overwhelming. I'm offered so many different decisions, quests, skills that I've no fucking clue what I should be doing. I'm usually one to avoid spoiler sites for single player games but this game might be an exception unless I feel like spending years figuring it all out myself



Just run around. You'll figure out what you want to do eventually. If you don't, no big deal, it's an endless game. I have a character at level 34 and I haven't even done anything in the main quest after Helgen. (I have already beat the game with another character). 

Heck, I've barely done any quests on the 34 character. I literally just run around aimlessly until I get bored. It's kind of retarded in an awesome way.


----------



## Jakke

3074326 said:


> Just run around. You'll figure out what you want to do eventually. If you don't, no big deal, it's an endless game. I have a character at level 34 and I haven't even done anything in the main quest after Helgen. (I have already beat the game with another character).
> 
> Heck, I've barely done any quests on the 34 character. I literally just run around aimlessly until I get bored. *It's kind of retarded in an awesome way.*



Or.... Kind of awesome in a retarded way?

We might never know for sure...


----------



## bhakan

troyguitar said:


> Bought the game for the $30 from Steam and played for an hour or so, so far I'm torn. The game looks nice but, at least at first glance, the combat seems quite simple and everything else is overwhelming. I'm offered so many different decisions, quests, skills that I've no fucking clue what I should be doing. I'm usually one to avoid spoiler sites for single player games but this game might be an exception unless I feel like spending years figuring it all out myself
> 
> Does combat ever get more complicated than choosing whether to left click or right click?


If you want more in depth combat, I would try a sneak character. With mine, once you got to harder enemies, you had to very carefully sneak into a room, and plan out how to kill all the enemies without being detected. It isn't fast paced, but definitely gets complicated.


----------



## texshred777

Haven't played Skyrim for awhile, but I didn't get very far into the main questline after meeting the Graybeards(that was a pain in the ass btw to get to for some reason). Oblivion was the same way. There's just SO much to do and hours can be wasted in aimless wanderer mode. I must have spent 30 hours JUST making spells in Oblivion. 

I'm going to ignore my temptation to pick it up for the 360 and wait until I get a decent PC.


----------



## Darkened

When I got this game I coudn't stop playing. After 3-4 weeks I had 200hours of gameplay and all achievements on Xbox 360 so beware if you play skyrim first time


----------



## Grand Moff Tim

The new DLC needs to hurry up and be released on PC.


----------



## Adam Of Angels

*concurrent regard*


----------



## Adam Of Angels

Even though I only played through the vampire campaign of Dawnguard


----------



## Jakke

Started a new argonian assassin character, just when I should be writing my term paper (scandinavian loan words in middle english, thank you very much for asking)


----------



## Grand Moff Tim

Jakke said:


> (scandinavian loan words in middle english, thank you very much for asking)



Sounds like my kind of term paper. I once wrote a term paper on arabic loan words in middle spanish, and doing the research for it was fascinating. The writing itself was tedious, but oh well.


----------



## Jakke

Yeah, I'm using the second part of the Petersborough Chronicle as a sample, but it's great fun to research.


----------



## tacotiklah

Anybody know if they patched the pc version of Dawnguard up enough to where it's fun to play now? I haven't played it in months because the quest lines were buggy as hell and it took me running through the command line to move through quests.


----------



## Grand Moff Tim

Beats me. I never had any problems with any of the Dawnguard quests playing it on PC, and I bought it at release.


----------



## CrushingAnvil

My _Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim_ quest after ~3 weeks:

Khajiit archer, one-handed and sneak character

Level 50 

(Legendary) Daedric armour (rating 436 with shield)
(Legendary) Daedric bow (98 dmg), daggers (x2 - 60 dmg) and swords (x2 - 62 dmg)

Also have legendary sets of dragonscale and dragonplate armour. 

I've killed about 66 dragons, 6-7 being Ancients. 

LOVE THIS GAME.


----------



## Korbain

it's def one of the best games i've played. I gotta get back into it again, i've nearly racked up 200 hours already thought lol


----------



## xFallen

I regret getting rid of this game DX


----------



## frogunrua

Looks like the first dlc for ps3 will be the dragonborn dlc. At least they are making progress. Skyrim Dragonborn DLC Hitting PS3 and PC in 2013 - IGN


----------



## MitchellJBurgess

I did that little quest where you need to find the dog, I found the dog, and it talk, my face dropped with absolute confusion as I pissed myself laughing... =P

Also, I'm stuck,

I'm doing the theives guild stuff, and I did the quest where you have to poison the mead, but as you know there's a dude down there, I couldn't freaking kill him, what am I supposed to do?
I have a full set of glass armor, an ebony sword that's been sharpened, I have pretty good one hand combat (that's what I specialize in) but this guy just won't die!
Sure I can just open the console and temporarily activate god mode, but I don't like doing that!
Plus some dragons, all giants and all mammoths kick my ass, I'm really just stuck.


----------



## maliciousteve

Just completed the new Dragonborn DLC. Awesome add on and the new dragon shouts are pretty awesome too. Especially when fighting Elder Dragons or Giants.


----------



## Korbain

MitchellJBurgess said:


> I did that little quest where you need to find the dog, I found the dog, and it talk, my face dropped with absolute confusion as I pissed myself laughing... =P



LOL that mission was so random, barbas the dog or whatever the fuck his name was. His master was funny, i didn't kill the dog at the end of it. His voice was so silly i couldn't


----------



## UV7BK4LIFE

I love this game. In the intro of the game, just when gameplay starts, you hear someone say: "Is that a _dragon_?" 

No. It's a fuckin' parrot you idiot!


----------



## MitchellJBurgess

Korbain said:


> LOL that mission was so random, barbas the dog or whatever the fuck his name was. His master was funny, i didn't kill the dog at the end of it. His voice was so silly i couldn't



I kept him alive, he didn't want to die!
I have a soft spot for... Everything, even in games.
I give coins to beggers even though they're just pixles.


----------



## Captain Shoggoth

^I know that feel man, got to be nice to the pixel people, I get sad when they die

also holy shit the Forgotten Vale is HUGE


----------



## Grand Moff Tim

Bumping this to draw any PC Skyrim players' attention to two mods:

1) Character Creation Overhaul. 

If you were annoyed at the simplification of the character creation in Skyrim, ie all races and genders are essentially just as good as one another at pretty much everything, lack of major and minor skills, and progession through skills being the same for anyone, then this mod is worth looking into. 

It brings back the old system where you can choose from premade classes (with all the Oblivion classes returning) or make a custom class. All of your major skills will level up faster, and the skills you don't choose will be slower to level up. Each race and gender will have much more pronounced bonuses and weaknesses in various skills, as in previous Elder Scrolls games.

2) Random Alternate Start.

If you reroll alot, you're probably pretty fucking sick of the opening tutorial/quest. This mod has a huge number of random starting points that it will drop you in (you might start out in the court of a palace, or the bottom of an infested dungeon), and your starting load-out will depend on a choice you make at the beginning (Archer, Thief, Knight, etc).


Just a heads up, mah dawgs.


----------



## ittoa666

Grand Moff Tim said:


> 2) Random Alternate Start.
> 
> If you reroll alot, you're probably pretty fucking sick of the opening tutorial/quest. This mod has a huge number of random starting points that it will drop you in (you might start out in the court of a palace, or the bottom of an infested dungeon), and your starting load-out will depend on a choice you make at the beginning (Archer, Thief, Knight, etc).
> 
> 
> Just a heads up, mah dawgs.





Why do I have to have this on 360?! That sounds awesome!


----------



## The Reverend

ittoa666 said:


> Why do I have to have this on 360?! That sounds awesome!



I'm starting to think I should buy all the big name RPGs for PC, exclusively because of the modding community. I prefer consoles, hands down, but some of the stuff people come out with is brilliant.


----------



## wankerness

Grand Moff Tim said:


> Bumping this to draw any PC Skyrim players' attention to two mods:
> 
> 1) Character Creation Overhaul.
> 
> If you were annoyed at the simplification of the character creation in Skyrim, ie all races and genders are essentially just as good as one another at pretty much everything, lack of major and minor skills, and progession through skills being the same for anyone, then this mod is worth looking into.
> 
> It brings back the old system where you can choose from premade classes (with all the Oblivion classes returning) or make a custom class. All of your major skills will level up faster, and the skills you don't choose will be slower to level up. Each race and gender will have much more pronounced bonuses and weaknesses in various skills, as in previous Elder Scrolls games.
> 
> 2) Random Alternate Start.
> 
> If you reroll alot, you're probably pretty fucking sick of the opening tutorial/quest. This mod has a huge number of random starting points that it will drop you in (you might start out in the court of a palace, or the bottom of an infested dungeon), and your starting load-out will depend on a choice you make at the beginning (Archer, Thief, Knight, etc).
> 
> 
> Just a heads up, mah dawgs.



I didn't like that character creation overhaul thing cause I never liked Oblivion's leveling system, but the second sounds interesting. Does it just skip you ahead in the main quest so you don't have to go back and do it?


----------



## Grand Moff Tim

wankerness said:


> the second sounds interesting. Does it just skip you ahead in the main quest so you don't have to go back and do it?


 
When you start, you're given a quest notification about rumors about a dragon attack at Helgen, so you can go investigate to start the main questline. You don't have to, though, and you don't have to go through that dungeon crawl if you choose to investigate.

EDIT: And the CCO mod doesn't quite make it _exactly _like Oblivion's levelling system. It makes some skills progress faster than others, but I'm pretty sure advancing in any skill contributes towards levelling up, unlike in Oblivion, where the skills outside of your class don't contribute towards levelling up. I didn't choose Enchanting as one of my class skills with the build I just started, but it still caused me to level up when I increased it.


----------



## AxeHappy

Huh mods like that, might actually get me to play Skyrim again.


----------



## Jakke

Grand Moff Tim said:


> 2) Random Alternate Start.
> 
> If you reroll alot, you're probably pretty fucking sick of the opening tutorial/quest. This mod has a huge number of random starting points that it will drop you in (you might start out in the court of a palace, or the bottom of an infested dungeon), and your starting load-out will depend on a choice you make at the beginning (Archer, Thief, Knight, etc).
> 
> 
> Just a heads up, mah dawgs.



Shame, couldn't get it to work


----------



## Grand Moff Tim

Jakke said:


> Shame, couldn't get it to work


 
Really? That's too bad. Are you using the Steam Workshop to sync your mods, or are you DLing them from TES Nexus or something like that? I used the Workshop and didn't have any problems. Maybe it's conflicting with another mod you have installed? Did you try changing your mod load order?

When I did it, I chose the "knight" option. It started me out in the middle of an Imperial camp, loaded with worn iron armor and an iron greatsword. Kindof anticlimactic since I didn't have to fight anything, but whatever. At least it wasn't the chopping block again .


----------



## Jakke

Grand Moff Tim said:


> Really? That's too bad. Are you using the Steam Workshop to sync your mods, or are you DLing them from TES Nexus or something like that? I used the Workshop and didn't have any problems. Maybe it's conflicting with another mod you have installed? Did you try changing your mod load order?



I tried both, but I always spawn in Riverwood, get to build a character with the character creation overhaul mod, and then I can't move or do anything.

I can't really see what mods would conflict... They warn about other start-modifying mods, but the only one of those I have are is the character creation overhaul, and that one is recommended.


----------



## axxessdenied

You know... I really wish Bethesda implemented their "streamlined" character system a bit more intelligently.
I think they could have had the best of both worlds and provided us with a settings"Basic / Advanced" where you could level up your character with a more simplified character / skill tree. In Advanced mode, they could allow for more character development options like allowing us to pick major / minor skills to actually be able to build specialized classes. 
This would allow for a deeper RPG experience and more interesting character development over the current system. Sounds like you have to become a jack of all trades to keep levelling up since once you max out a skill you won't gain any more experience towards leveling. 

Any idea when Skyrim GOTY edition is coming out?


----------



## wankerness

Grand Moff Tim said:


> When you start, you're given a quest notification about rumors about a dragon attack at Helgen, so you can go investigate to start the main questline. You don't have to, though, and you don't have to go through that dungeon crawl if you choose to investigate.
> 
> EDIT: And the CCO mod doesn't quite make it _exactly _like Oblivion's levelling system. It makes some skills progress faster than others, but I'm pretty sure advancing in any skill contributes towards levelling up, unlike in Oblivion, where the skills outside of your class don't contribute towards levelling up. I didn't choose Enchanting as one of my class skills with the build I just started, but it still caused me to level up when I increased it.



I tried it, and it sorta fucked me on some really early quests, like for example that one right when you get to the first town where you have to make a bunch of blacksmithing stuff. It was impossible cause my skill was lower than the default and thus couldn't make some of the quest requirements. I turned it off after that, i didn't want any other surprises somewhere down the line, I dunno if there would have been any.


----------



## wankerness

axxessdenied said:


> You know... I really wish Bethesda implemented their "streamlined" character system a bit more intelligently.
> I think they could have had the best of both worlds and provided us with a settings"Basic / Advanced" where you could level up your character with a more simplified character / skill tree. In Advanced mode, they could allow for more character development options like allowing us to pick major / minor skills to actually be able to build specialized classes.
> This would allow for a deeper RPG experience and more interesting character development over the current system. Sounds like you have to become a jack of all trades to keep levelling up since once you max out a skill you won't gain any more experience towards leveling.
> 
> Any idea when Skyrim GOTY edition is coming out?



The thing with skyrim (and earlier bethesda games) is that there's actually good reason NOT to level after a certain point. If you max out all the skills that are important to the "class" you're playing as but then go and level all the schools of magic or something that you will never use, you'll just get progressively WEAKER vs all the enemies you encounter cause they'll keep leveling up with you but your damage with your major skills won't keep increasing since you're getting leveling experience off stuff that's useless to you. 

Also, there were ways you could choose a "class" and increase the speed of learning certain skills by getting a buff off certain stones, but it was far less of an influence than the class system in oblivion, which has to be one of the crummiest leveling systems I've ever encountered. There were tons of guides on how to make ideal characters which all revolved around NOT leveling. You'd set all the skills that increased your level to the stupid stuff that would never increase via regular gameplay, for example heavy armor if you were a mage, and thus you could level up your abilities that would help you in combat without increasing your character's level, thus making you more powerful relative to all monsters since they weren't leveling up! Complicated, and dumb that doing the exact opposite of what was intended was the best way to deal with the stupid monster scaling.

I like the leveling system in skyrim a lot and think it was implemented just fine, the only thing I might have liked was a respec ability for perks, but I guess that would be equivalent to changing your class in other RPGs and thus would be sort of overpowered. I think they added a respec function in the dragonborn DLC anyway though.


----------



## axxessdenied

wankerness said:


> The thing with skyrim (and earlier bethesda games) is that there's actually good reason NOT to level after a certain point. If you max out all the skills that are important to the "class" you're playing as but then go and level all the schools of magic or something that you will never use, you'll just get progressively WEAKER vs all the enemies you encounter cause they'll keep leveling up with you but your damage with your major skills won't keep increasing since you're getting leveling experience off stuff that's useless to you.
> 
> Also, there were ways you could choose a "class" and increase the speed of learning certain skills by getting a buff off certain stones, but it was far less of an influence than the class system in oblivion, which has to be one of the crummiest leveling systems I've ever encountered. There were tons of guides on how to make ideal characters which all revolved around NOT leveling. You'd set all the skills that increased your level to the stupid stuff that would never increase via regular gameplay, for example heavy armor if you were a mage, and thus you could level up your abilities that would help you in combat without increasing your character's level, thus making you more powerful relative to all monsters since they weren't leveling up! Complicated, and dumb that doing the exact opposite of what was intended was the best way to deal with the stupid monster scaling.
> 
> I like the leveling system in skyrim a lot and think it was implemented just fine, the only thing I might have liked was a respec ability for perks, but I guess that would be equivalent to changing your class in other RPGs and thus would be sort of overpowered. I think they added a respec function in the dragonborn DLC anyway though.



Get rid of level scaling, these issues go away


----------



## Grand Moff Tim

wankerness said:


> I tried it, and it sorta fucked me on some really early quests, like for example that one right when you get to the first town where you have to make a bunch of blacksmithing stuff. It was impossible cause my skill was lower than the default and thus couldn't make some of the quest requirements. I turned it off after that, i didn't want any other surprises somewhere down the line, I dunno if there would have been any.


 
Hahaha, really? What race did you choose to play as? I didn't think it was even _possible_ to have skills too low to make iron daggers and hide helmets. I shouldn't laugh, but that's pretty funny . Honestly, I can't think of any other quests offhand that could potentially run into a similar problem, except maybe the part of the Mage's Guild intro quest where you have to cast a Ward spell as part of the instructor's demonstration. The CCO mod is all new script and doesn't alter any of the existing vanilla script, so it really should be mostly problem-free. Your case sounds like a bizarre oversight on behalf of the mod creators.

Speaking of mods, I found another decent one, this time one more useful for mages:

Invested Magic.

Basically, this takes buff-type spells and makes them more like the buffs in Dragon Age. Instead of the spell running out after a set amount of time, it stays active until you recast it to turn it "off," or cast the included dispel spell, but your total magicka pool takes a hit for the entire time it's active. The size of the hit it takes depends what perks you have that pertain to the skill tree the spell is from. As an example, if you cast Oakflesh, it will stay active until you dispel/recast, but your magicka pool will be 40 points lower as long as it's active, or 25 (I think) points lower if you have the Novice Alteration perk. It applies to all conjure weapon, summon, raise undead, shield (stone flesh, etc), cloak (flame cloak, etc), muffle, light, and invisibility spells. Pretty handy.


Oh, I rerolled and started a new mage today, and the Random Start mod started me out in the bowells of a tower/dungeon that was full of Forsworn and a goddamned boss-level unique Hagraven ( Skyrim:The Affairs of Hagravens - UESPWiki ). That was... interesting, for a level 1 Altmer.


----------



## TheDivineWing22

I just created an Illusion/assassin character. Illusion is soooo overpowered. I love it. I would just cast muffle whenever I was walking somewhere and got my illusion skill up to 100 in an hour. This allowed me to max my sneak by casting calm and then sneak attacking everything. Everything is so easy now... except dragons...fuck dragons.


----------



## wankerness

Grand Moff Tim said:


> Hahaha, really? What race did you choose to play as? I didn't think it was even _possible_ to have skills too low to make iron daggers and hide helmets. I shouldn't laugh, but that's pretty funny . Honestly, I can't think of any other quests offhand that could potentially run into a similar problem, except maybe the part of the Mage's Guild intro quest where you have to cast a Ward spell as part of the instructor's demonstration. The CCO mod is all new script and doesn't alter any of the existing vanilla script, so it really should be mostly problem-free. Your case sounds like a bizarre oversight on behalf of the mod creators.



I don't remember what race I was...I just know that I didn't choose blacksmithing as a major skill, so it was 5 when I started. I think it must be 10 baseline with the unmodded version or something. I could make the first few items but then my guy just got an error message about SKILL TOO LOW when I tried to sharpen the dagger! It was tragic. I would have had to make like 50 iron daggers to get to 10 to complete that first quest!


----------



## texshred777

Just got back to playing Skyrim. 

I hope storing my shit in my room at the College is safe. Just in case I fast travel there every couple (in game)days. I've been blowing coin picking up every spell tome I can find and haven't bought a house yet.

I don't know how I didn't get more hooked on the game before. I am playing it on Xbox unfortunately, but will get it on PC whenever I can buy another.


----------



## Grand Moff Tim

texshred777 said:


> Just got back to playing Skyrim.
> 
> I hope storing my shit in my room at the College is safe. Just in case I fast travel there every couple (in game)days. I've been blowing coin picking up every spell tome I can find and haven't bought a house yet.


 
The furniture containers (wardrobes, endtables, drawer) in your little room are safe, but the barrels aren't.


----------



## pink freud

I bought Dawnguard. Some of the dungeons they either added or I never got around to are _very_ pretty.


----------



## texshred777

Grand Moff Tim said:


> The furniture containers (wardrobes, endtables, drawer) in your little room are safe, but the barrels aren't.



Much appreciated. Luckily it was indeed the wardrobe where I stored everything. I picture a scenario where a fellow student wanders in the room and opens the wardrobe to be killed by an avalanche of weapons, armor, and lots of dragon bits. Then Johan has to explain to the arch mage what happened. 

Well, you see in my haste to acquire vast arcane knowledge, and of course there was that all important quest you sent me on..I haven't found a more suitable place to store those things..besides what was he doing in my room in the first place? He really should have paid attention on day one when Tolfdir explained wards anyway! Obviously he wasn't cut out for the study of magic. I dont need to tell you how dangerous magic is...really it's a blessing if you think about it. I would hate to think what could happen if he learned higher level spells! Also, I didn't want to bring it up but he did manage to destroy a Daedric artifact..I'm going to need to be reimbursed for that. No hurry, just whenever you get around to it. Of course it was priceless..

Yes, in my head such a scenario occurred.


----------



## Grand Moff Tim

texshred777 said:


> Much appreciated. Luckily it was indeed the wardrobe where I stored everything. I picture a scenario where a fellow student wanders in the room and opens the wardrobe to be killed by an avalanche of weapons, armor, and lots of dragon bits. Then Johan has to explain to the arch mage what happened.


----------



## MFB

Making a new character tonight, this one will be a dedicated Sneak/Archer combo with proficiency in Heavy Armor as well. Should be fun.


----------



## Miek

Once I pick up Dragonborn, I'm probably going to have to make a new character. My Guts character (dragonslayer, berserker armor, etc) is crazy ass powerful which might take the fun out of Dragonborn. Maybe I'll try an archer again.


----------



## BrainArt

I've started another new build (this makes 19000000000000 for me  ), but I'm not 100% on how I want to play him, right now I'm kind of switching back and forth between one handed and two handed (though, when I saved my game last night, I was holding a crossbow) and heavy armor.

I think I might just focus on physical combat instead of magic, but I'm not sure.

He's a big ass Nord (my favorite race for those who have read my past posts about my builds), so I think that he'd be better as a tank, but I also love archery (irl and in game) and being a sneaky assassin thief. Maybe I'll be a sneaky assassin thief when I need to be and tank it up when I don't want or need to be sneaky.


----------



## vampiregenocide

So I finished the Dragonborn DLC, wasn't impressed by it. Felt the same way about Dawnguard really. Just didn't feel like there was much there. The whole dragon riding thing was made out to be more epic than it was. You don't control the dragon, you can just target things and tell it to shoot them, and the animations are very buggy still (like most of the animations in the game). Just thought it could have used a lot more work, as some of the fan-generated content on the Nexus and whatnot looks way better.


----------



## Grand Moff Tim

Okay, found another mod to recommend:

Sheogorath Shout - Call of Madness.

As the name suggests, one of the things it includes is a Sheogorath shout (obtained at a word wall added to the Mind of Pelagius area). Using just the first word has the same effect as the Wabbajack, turning the target into a random creature (or just damaging them a bit, if not). Use two words, and you summon Sheogorath to fight alongside you, complete with his own spells (more on that later). Use all three words, and you hear Sheogorath yell "CHEESE FOR EVERYONE!", the sky darkens, and it begins raining flaming cheese wheels on anything and everything around you, like the Storm Call shout, only cheesier.

It also adds Sheogorath's Fun Chest of Fun in the Pealgius Wing of the Blue Palace, which is filled with new items and spell tomes. Some of the spells included are Cheese Throw (fire a flaming cheese wheel), Food Flinger (fire an apple pie that explodes into a cascade of food upon impact), and Summon Minion, which randomly summons one of 14 new minions, ranging from Ancient Nord Chef to Ka-Boom, a small dragon.

It also has a couple weapons, like a dagger that has the Wabbajack effect, a staff that fires burning wagons (yes, entire wagons), and a bow and a sword that cause the target to explode into a pile of wine bottles upon death.

I can't tell you how hard I've been laughing while playing this evening after subscribing to this mod. I almost died when I had Cheese Throw in my left hand and Food Flinger in my right, cast them both at the same time, and it triggered a slow-mo death animation. I got to watch as a cheese wheel and an apple pie slowly hurtled towards a bandit and knock him halfway across the room, and after the animation ended his corpse was littered with cheese, bread, bowls of soup, pies, sweet rolls, and mammoth snouts. Fucking. Brilliant.

EDIT: OH, and it adds Sheogorath's robes and boots. The robes are enchanted to halve the cost of conjuration and destruction skills, and reduce time between shouts. Apparently, whether intentionally or not, the scripting causes the time between shouts to be reduced by a multiplier of -25, so in effect, it completely does away with wait time, so you can run around rapid-fire shouting like a madman (er... Mad God?). The boots are enchanted with +50 carry weight and Waterwalking ("just like a real tomato!").


----------



## ittoa666

The Reverend said:


> I'm starting to think I should buy all the big name RPGs for PC, exclusively because of the modding community. I prefer consoles, hands down, but some of the stuff people come out with is brilliant.



 It's insane some of the things people do to each game after a while.


----------



## Miek

Speaking of Sheogorath mods, the best mod, hands down, is Uncle Sheogorath. Just look it up.


----------



## BrainArt

vampiregenocide said:


> So I finished the Dragonborn DLC, wasn't impressed by it. Felt the same way about Dawnguard really. Just didn't feel like there was much there. The whole dragon riding thing was made out to be more epic than it was. You don't control the dragon, you can just target things and tell it to shoot them, and the animations are very buggy still (like most of the animations in the game). Just thought it could have used a lot more work, as some of the fan-generated content on the Nexus and whatnot looks way better.



I think the problem with the DLC is Bethesda stretched themselves thin with worrying about it and ESO (even though Zenimax is developing it, so it _shouldn't_ be a problem), so they made the DLC lacking.

I haven't gotten to any of the Dawnguard quests and probably won't for a while, since I got what I wanted when I first started and killed Imperial soldiers on the way to Whiterun.


----------



## pink freud

BrainArt said:


> I think the problem with the DLC is Bethesda stretched themselves thin with worrying about it and ESO (even though Zenimax is developing it, so it _shouldn't_ be a problem), so they made the DLC lacking.
> 
> I haven't gotten to any of the Dawnguard quests and probably won't for a while, since I got what I wanted when I first started and killed Imperial soldiers on the way to Whiterun.



I started the Dawnguard stuff in hopes that if I finish it I'll stop getting Master Vampires spawning and killing townfolk (who I need). I could turn Dawnguard off, but too far into it now.


----------



## Grand Moff Tim

Miek said:


> Speaking of Sheogorath mods, the best mod, hands down, is Uncle Sheogorath. Just look it up.


 
Yeah, that one's pretty great, too. Load screens aren't torture anymore .


----------



## Miek

I just hope by the time I get Dragonborn it's been updated for all the DLC


----------



## Grand Moff Tim

vampiregenocide said:


> So I finished the Dragonborn DLC, wasn't impressed by it. Felt the same way about Dawnguard really. Just didn't feel like there was much there.


 
I think the main problem with the Dawnguard DLC was that all of the new maps were too linear. There was a clear Point A and Point B, and they existed purely to funnel you from one point in the plot to the next. That can be forgiven a little when the plot is particularly interesting, but unfortunately, Dawnguard's wasn't . In a game as focused on exploration as Skyrim, it seemed an odd design decision to include new maps that almost prohibit anything that engenders a sense of exploration.

Happily, I think it's been much improved this time around in the Dragonborn DLC. Solstheim is actually pretty friggin' big, and there's nothing linear about it at all. You can just go out and wander, see what there is to see, without being pushed along hand-in-hand with the new quest. As a matter of fact, I've played it for about six or seven hours so far, and I have yet to do a single mission for the main quest. The first thing I did was hit the coast and follow it all the way around the entire island, and I'm pleased with both how long it took me and how enjoyable the wandering was. I still haven't done any main quest stuff, just some random wandering and a handful of side quests, and I'm well pleased with it so far.

On another note, it's really cemented in my mind the idea that Bethesda _NEEDS_ to do either an HD-remake of TES:3 with current-gen tech, or have another game in the series set in Morrowind. The entire DLC so far feels like it could be called the Morrowind Fanservice Pack .

I present evidence for that, in the form of some screengrabs I took while wandering:


Looks familiar...









New player house you can earn.








A wild netch appears!





He uses "Slow and unwieldy." It's super ineffective!



And what have we here...





Can't ride it, unfortunately.



There's even a wizard living in a giant mushroom tower.





But wait... what's that in the background?



Yeah, Red Mountain, still smoking.








And for shits and giggles, a pic of my current dude chillin' in his treehouse (thanks, modding community!), enjoying the view of Dragonsreach.





(Yes, he's wearing Sheogorath's robes).


----------



## Jakke

Got the random alternate beginnings mod to work

+rep for Tim for suggesting such great mods!


----------



## MicrobeSS

Grand Moff Tim said:


> I think the main problem with the Dawnguard DLC was that all of the new maps were too linear. There was a clear Point A and Point B, and they existed purely to funnel you from one point in the plot to the next. That can be forgiven a little when the plot is particularly interesting, but unfortunately, Dawnguard's wasn't . In a game as focused on exploration as Skyrim, it seemed an odd design decision to include new maps that almost prohibit anything that engenders a sense of exploration.
> 
> Happily, I think it's been much improved this time around in the Dragonborn DLC. Solstheim is actually pretty friggin' big, and there's nothing linear about it at all. You can just go out and wander, see what there is to see, without being pushed along hand-in-hand with the new quest. As a matter of fact, I've played it for about six or seven hours so far, and I have yet to do a single mission for the main quest. The first thing I did was hit the coast and follow it all the way around the entire island, and I'm pleased with both how long it took me and how enjoyable the wandering was. I still haven't done any main quest stuff, just some random wandering and a handful of side quests, and I'm well pleased with it so far.
> 
> On another note, it's really cemented in my mind the idea that Bethesda _NEEDS_ to do either an HD-remake of TES:3 with current-gen tech, or have another game in the series set in Morrowind. The entire DLC so far feels like it could be called the Morrowind Fanservice Pack .
> 
> I present evidence for that, in the form of some screengrabs I took while wandering:
> 
> 
> Looks familiar...



Where's the rest of Morrowind?


----------



## BrainArt

What I'm annoyed about is the fact that there were spears in Morrowind, but there none in Skyrim. Thank god for the modding community!

Hopefully they add DLC that adds spears into the game, just like Dawnguard added crossbows.


----------



## MicrobeSS

BrainArt said:


> What I'm annoyed about is the fact that there were spears in Morrowind, but there none in Skyrim. Thank god for the modding community!
> 
> Hopefully they add DLC that adds spears into the game, just like Dawnguard added crossbows.



There was also a medium armor catagory as well. I wish that would make an official comeback.


----------



## Grand Moff Tim

BrainArt said:


> What I'm annoyed about is the fact that there were spears in Morrowind, but there none in Skyrim. Thank god for the modding community!
> 
> Hopefully they add DLC that adds spears into the game, just like Dawnguard added crossbows.


 
Dragonborn adds throwing spears, but not melee spears. Similar to the spears Caesar's Legion use in Fallout: New Vegas.


----------



## BrainArt

Grand Moff Tim said:


> Dragonborn adds throwing spears, but not melee spears. Similar to the spears Caesar's Legion use in Fallout: New Vegas.



Throwing spears are nowhere near as cool as a melee spear would be (and is, thanks to mods).


----------



## Grand Moff Tim

The only combat-centric mods I'm running now are the Way of the Monk unarmed/unarmored combat mod and the Midas Magic mod that adds an ass ton of new spells. I'm waiting for a magic-balancing mod that doesn't break anything, but no dice so far.


----------



## AxeHappy

Grand Moff Tim said:


> On another note, it's really cemented in my mind the idea that Bethesda _NEEDS_ to do either an HD-remake of _*TES:2 with current-gen tech, or have another game in the series make use of ridiculously large playing area with differences between them other than the fucking weather. Also, because it was the last TES game that wasn't dumbed down at all and it's main issue was a complete lack of hand holding and bugs *_



Fixed that for you.


----------



## Jakke

^Well, free of bugs apart from the odd Redoran Guard walking waist-deep in the floor


*EDIT* I have a mod to recommend too, it's the Hialgoboost GPU Upgrade mod. It's a graphics accelerator, and if you like me likes to play with a lot of mods active, it's great. It's easily switched on/off with F10, and it did give me a noticeable boost in performance, especially in regards to smoother movement, and shorter loading times.

You do have to have the SKSE (Skyrim Script Extender) to use this, but it's a piece of cake to install.


----------



## BrainArt

Jakke said:


> ^Well, free of bugs apart from the odd Redoran Guard walking waist-deep in the floor
> 
> 
> *EDIT* I have a mod to recommend too, it's the Hialgoboost GPU Upgrade mod. It's a graphics accelerator, and if you like me likes to play with a lot of mods active, it's great. It's easily switched on/off with F10, and it did give me a noticeable boost in performance, especially in regards to smoother movement, and shorter loading times.
> 
> You do have to have the SKSE (Skyrim Script Extender) to use this, but it's a piece of cake to install.



I love you. My PC save is laggy as balls.


----------



## Jakke




----------



## Korbain

gonna give skyrim another whirl again tomorrow! been a while! time to clock over 200 hours lol


----------



## Grand Moff Tim

Jakke said:


> *EDIT* I have a mod to recommend too, it's the Hialgoboost GPU Upgrade mod. It's a graphics accelerator, and if you like me likes to play with a lot of mods active, it's great. It's easily switched on/off with F10, and it did give me a noticeable boost in performance, especially in regards to smoother movement, and shorter loading times.
> 
> You do have to have the SKSE (Skyrim Script Extender) to use this, but it's a piece of cake to install.



I finally got around to adding the SKSE the other day because I'm finally fed up with the terrible vanilla UI, and the SkyUI requires it. I get an error message when I start up saying there's a problem with SkyUI, but it still seems to be running fine, so I assume it's because there hasn't been a new updated version of SKSE since the last official patch.

Since I have the SKSE, I decided I'd give the Hialgo mod a shot, because I've been experiencing some framerate drops ever since starting to stack on the mods, especially when entering a new area or quicksaving. Unfortunately, I haven't really noticed much of an improvement in those areas so far, but we'll see how it shapes up in the long run.


Random unrelated story: I did another reroll (shut up), and this time the random start generator started me off smack in the middle of the dungeon you have to go to as part of the Bard's College mission that has you fetch King Olav's Verse. Let me tell you, fighting King Olav One-Eye's draugr is _not_ easy at level one. I ended up having to hang back like a little bitch, taking pot shot with an ancient nord bow I found while the spectral bard who helps you with the fight distracted him.

Random unrelated story 2: I was at Skuldafn with a relatively low-level mage build who I had put very little points into health so I could give him as much magicka as possible (with enchantments his stats were around M: 500, H:120, S:100). Knowing how frail I was, I was keeping with the tactic of engaging in combat from as far away from my enemies as I could. 

At one point, I saw a Draugr Scourge near the edge of a cliff a fair ways away from me, so I thought to myself "lol I'm gonna fus-ro-dah that asshole over the edge of the cliff lol." That wasn't how things worked out, though, because I forgot that Unrelenting Force wasn't the shout I had equipped. Instead, when I pressed the shout key, I used Whirlwind Sprint, instantly closing the gap between the Draugr Scourge and myself so that I was RIGHT in front of him. I about jumped out of my skin, then had to run around spamming "heal," because I was too busy laughing to engage in any sort of meaningful combat.



Oh, Skyrim. You so crazy.


----------



## BrainArt

Grand Moff Tim said:


> I finally got around to adding the SKSE the other day because I'm finally fed up with the terrible vanilla UI, and the SkyUI requires it. I get an error message when I start up saying there's a problem with SkyUI, but it still seems to be running fine, so I assume it's because there hasn't been a new updated version of SKSE since the last official patch.
> 
> Since I have the SKSE, I decided I'd give the Hialgo mod a shot, since I've been experiencing some framerate drops since starting to stack on the mods, especially when entering a new area or quicksaving. Unfortunately, I haven't really noticed much of an improvement in those areas so far, but we'll see how it shapes up in the long run.
> 
> 
> Random unrelated story: I did another reroll (shut up), and this time the random start generator started me off smack in the middle of the dungeon you have to go to as part of the Bard's College mission that has you fetch King Olav's Verse. Let me tell you, fighting King Olav One-Eye's draugr is _not_ easy at level one. I ended up having to hang back like a little bitch, taking pot shot with an ancient nord bow I found while the spectral bard who helps you with the fight distracted him.
> 
> Random unrelated story 2: I was at Skuldafn with a relatively low-level mage build who I had put very little point into health so I could give him as much magicka as possible (with enchantments his stats were around M: 500, H:120, S:100). Knowing how frail I was, I was keeping with the tactic of engaging in combat from as far away from my enemies as I could.
> 
> At one point, I saw a Draugr Scourge near the edge of a cliff a fair ways away from me, so I thought to myself "lol I'm gonna fus-ro-dah that asshole over the edge of the cliff lol." That wasn't how things worked out, though, because I forgot that Unrelenting Force wasn't the shout I had equipped. Instead, when I pressed the shout key, I used Whirlwind Sprint, instantly closing the gap between the Draugr Scourge and myself so that I was RIGHT in front of him. I about jumped out of my skin, then had to run around spamming "heal," because I was too busy laughing to engage in any sort of meaningful combat.
> 
> 
> 
> Oh, Skyrim. You so crazy.



You know, I have never done the Bards' College questline, it never really interested me since you can't actually play any of the instruments. 

Also, that second story was classic, I literally gasped when I read you used Whirlwind Sprint instead of Unrelenting Force.


----------



## Grand Moff Tim

BrainArt said:


> You know, I have never done the Bards' College questline, it never really interested me since you can't actually play any of the instruments.



There are pretty much only three quests for it once you finish the initiation quest(s), but the rewards are well worth it. One gives you a skill point in all of the stealth skills, another gives you a point in all of the magicka skils, and the third gives you a point in all of the combat skills. The quests are typical dungeon-diving "retrieve Fancy Thing of Fanciness" fare and thus not particularly difficult, so hey. Easy skill points. That's especially nice once you're up there in level and skills are levelling up much more slowly, and you have the money and skills to buy or create items better than anything else you'd get as a quest reward anyways .


----------



## BrainArt

Grand Moff Tim said:


> There are pretty much only three quests for it once you finish the initiation quest(s), but the rewards are well worth it. One gives you a skill point in all of the stealth skills, another gives you a point in all of the magicka skils, and the third gives you a point in all of the combat skills. The quests are typical dungeon-diving "retrieve Fancy Thing of Fanciness" fare and thus not particularly difficult, so hey. Easy skill points. That's especially nice once you're up there in level and skills are levelling up much more slowly, and you have the money and skills to buy or create items better than anything else you'd get as a quest reward anyways .



Sounds like I should go do the bards' quest then, since my PC character is sneaky when I need him to be and a big ol' brute the other times.


----------



## groverj3

Been playing through Dragonborn and I'm pretty impressed with the amount of stuff it added to the game. Tons of quests on Solstheim (not all very long, but cool stuff nonetheless).

It's pretty unusual for a game to hold my interest for as long as Skyrim has. The only others to do that were Oblivion and Fallout 3 in recent memory (seeing a trend there, Bethesda ). Of course, with games as large as those burning through the whole game as fast as possible doesn't really work, so I end up playing off and on for a realyl long period of time.


----------



## BrainArt

groverj3 said:


> so I end up playing off and on for a realyl long period of time.



I do the same thing. I play the game all the time when it's new and fresh and things make me go "holy shit!" then after a while I put away and play something else until I get that "I'm in the mood to play Skyrim" feeling and play it like crazy.



I was clearing out Redwater Den (just because I happened to pass by it on my way to Ivarstead) and I had Lydia with me; and being the stupid bitch she is she got in my way and ended up getting killed, partially by a vampire partially by my arrow going into her back, because she moved into the flight path just as I shot it from my bow. I looted her body of everything I gave her and finished off the rest of the place, in honor of Lydia, who was true to her word.

She protected me with her life.

This is why I tend to not have a follower with me, they just get in my way.


----------



## Grand Moff Tim

Just get the Dragonborn DLC then do the quest where you can get a perk that makes it so your attacks don't damage your followers.


----------



## BrainArt

Grand Moff Tim said:


> Just get the Dragonborn DLC then do the quest where you can get a perk that makes it so your attacks don't damage your followers.



But that won't make it fun when they piss me off and I go and murder them.


----------



## Grand Moff Tim

Think I might drop the Hialgo mod. It doesn't fix the framerate issues in the areas I'm having them, and makes the graphics noticeably shittier in the areas where I'm not.


----------



## BrainArt

I'm hopeful that once I get my beast built, I won't have to use any mods to help relieve any framerate issues. I shouldn't have an issue with it, since one of the criteria I had when I spec'd it out with my sister is gaming.


----------



## Grand Moff Tim

I don't have any framerate issues at all playing vanilla Skyrim, and didn't after adding only a couple of mods, either. I'm running 14 mods or so now, though, so load screens are taking longer than I'd like (think Oblivion on 360 long), and upon exiting a building I sometimes have SERIOUS framerate drops for a couple seconds. Apart from that, I don't have any issues while exploring, delving, or engaging in combat.


----------



## axxessdenied

Here's screenshots from my adventures on my steam community page: Steam Community :: axxessdenied :: Screenshots

As you can see I made it so Solstheim but I'm only lvl 10 so I think I'll leave it until later


----------



## Grand Moff Tim

Well it seems at least one person is already using the new Dragonborn/Solstheim assets to reproduce Vvardenfell with the Skyrim Construction Kit, so... keep an eye out, I guess?



Speaking of Vvardenfell, I'm thinking of starting a new Morrowind playthrough this weekend or sometime soonish, and I was wondering if you fanboys have any tips along the lines of a practical build/playstyle. I'm ashamed to admit that most of the playing I've done of it so far was using plenty of console commands to get me out of tight spots, because I was more concerned with seeing the landscape and following the main story than actually getting into the gameplay.

I can spec out a solid build in Oblivion or Skyrim in no time flat (well, anybody with thumbs and eyesight can spec out a successfull build in Skyrim...), but I'm a bit clueless with Morrowind.

Mostly what I'm looking for is a very low-maintenance character, at least at low levels. I don't want to have to rely on alchemy or enchanting early on. I'd like to be able to go out and be as formidable as I can right out the gates, and I honestly have no idea what skills would be the most practical in that regard for Morrowind.

So... tips? Any other interesting build ideas?


----------



## hairychris

Grand Moff Tim said:


>



That's pretty much me. I haven't found anyone who has enough money to buy most of the shit that I've picked up and have no crafting/smithing skills myself... 

Oh, and finished Dawnguard last night. Was OK I suppose.


----------



## Grand Moff Tim

hairychris said:


> That's pretty much me. I haven't found anyone who has enough money to buy most of the shit that I've picked up and have no crafting/smithing skills myself...
> 
> Oh, and finished Dawnguard last night. Was OK I suppose.



Once your speechcraft is high enough that you can get the perks allowing you to A) sell any kind of item to any type of vendor, and B) invest in businesses so that they have an extra 1k gold, selling stuff off gets a bit easier. You'll still have to do some town hopping to unload all of it, but not nearly as much.

Also, there are new vendors in the Dragonborn DLC that have pretty serious amounts of gold at the ready once you complete a certain quest.


----------



## pink freud

For your Morrowind playthrough, I always found Bosmer marksman/archer to be pretty easy. Throwing knives FTW.


----------



## 3074326

Grand Moff Tim said:


> Once your speechcraft is high enough that you can get the perks allowing you to A) sell any kind of item to any type of vendor, and B) invest in businesses so that they have an extra 1k gold, selling stuff off gets a bit easier. You'll still have to do some town hopping to unload all of it, but not nearly as much.
> 
> Also, there are new vendors in the Dragonborn DLC that have pretty serious amounts of gold at the ready once you complete a certain quest.



I added a mod that gives merchants a lot of gold. Gold is now useless to me because I have so much. The restrictions are good. 

If I make another character, I will not be using this mod. My current character is mostly for exploration so I can see as much of the world as I can.

I finished the main part of Dragonborn last night. It was cool, but it felt very short.


----------



## hairychris

Grand Moff Tim said:


> Once your speechcraft is high enough that you can get the perks allowing you to A) sell any kind of item to any type of vendor, and B) invest in businesses so that they have an extra 1k gold, selling stuff off gets a bit easier. You'll still have to do some town hopping to unload all of it, but not nearly as much.



Speechcraft being another thing that I'm not levelling. May have to think about it. Archery, sneak, lockpick - slide in, long range x3, slide out!



Grand Moff Tim said:


> Also, there are new vendors in the Dragonborn DLC that have pretty serious amounts of gold at the ready once you complete a certain quest.



Not spending any more quids on DLC for a bit!


----------



## axxessdenied

Grand Moff Tim said:


> Well it seems at least one person is already using the new Dragonborn/Solstheim assets to reproduce Vvardenfell with the Skyrim Construction Kit, so... keep an eye out, I guess?
> 
> 
> 
> Speaking of Vvardenfell, I'm thinking of starting a new Morrowind playthrough this weekend or sometime soonish, and I was wondering if you fanboys have any tips along the lines of a practical build/playstyle. I'm ashamed to admit that most of the playing I've done of it so far was using plenty of console commands to get me out of tight spots, because I was more concerned with seeing the landscape and following the main story than actually getting into the gameplay.
> 
> I can spec out a solid build in Oblivion or Skyrim in no time flat (well, anybody with thumbs and eyesight can spec out a successfull build in Skyrim...), but I'm a bit clueless with Morrowind.
> 
> Mostly what I'm looking for is a very low-maintenance character, at least at low levels. I don't want to have to rely on alchemy or enchanting early on. I'd like to be able to go out and be as formidable as I can right out the gates, and I honestly have no idea what skills would be the most practical in that regard for Morrowind.
> 
> So... tips? Any other interesting build ideas?


Going archery was pretty easy!


----------



## MassNecrophagia

BrainArt said:


> But that won't make it fun when they piss me off and I go and murder them.


 
I can't even count the number of times I've shield-bashed Serana, shouting "move, cunt!" at my TV...


----------



## Eclipse

Omg I just bought skyrim last week. Haha


----------



## BrainArt

Finally got Hialgoboost working (I had to install updates, since my Skyrim client was out of date). For me, there's a noticeable difference in framerate. I can now fight several enemies with ease (well, not as well as I could if my bloody mouse was in my possession, I'm stuck using my laptop's trackpad).

That same update allowed me to actually use some of the mods I have installed, which made me happy.


----------



## Maniacal

Just bought the PC version and playing it on eyefinity. SOOOO much better than the xbox version I played. I don't spend 50% of my time watching loading screens!


----------



## BrainArt

^ The loading screens for me on my PC are way longer than they are on my xbox, then again I do have a crapload of mods installed. 


I think I still prefer using an xbox controller for skyrim than a keyboard/ mouse set up for Skyrim, but I need to wait for a few more days before I can properly make that decision.


----------



## Grand Moff Tim

Yeah, my load screens have gotten pretty ridiculous since piling on the mods. I might have to do some pruning.

Once Steam responds to my Tech Support request and I can fucking play it again, that is.


----------



## Maniacal

Oh I see. My loads are literally between 2 and 5 seconds tops. 

Time to get some mods and an xbox controller for it.


----------



## BrainArt

I'm going to download the Warzones - Civil Unrest mod, because it makes sense to have randomized skirmishes throughout Skyrim for the Civil War instead of basically a cold war style thing, where you can start a civil war quest and put it off for ages.

http://skyrim.nexusmods.com/mods/9494 For those interested.


----------



## Semichastny

My biggest problem with the new TES and Fallout games is how dead they are. They are supposed to take place in violent areas aflicted by war but you will maybe see the occasional friendly npc outside of a town. There are very few moments where the natural order of the game will spawn cool unintended events.


----------



## Fat-Elf

Thinking of starting Skyrim for the third time with a new character. Any ideas how to make the game more interesting and spice things up? I thought that playing with a higher difficulty would make it more interesting but on the other hand I hate struggling to kill even the easiest enemies.


----------



## BrainArt

Fat-Elf said:


> Thinking of starting Skyrim for the third time with a new character. Any ideas how to make the game more interesting and spice things up? I thought that playing with a higher difficulty would make it more interesting but on the other hand I hate struggling to kill even the easiest enemies.



The warzones mod is really cool, it doesn't take anything away from the vanilla gameplay at all. Dragonkiller cart reloaded is a cool mod, as well. Convenient horses is another one that I like.

That is if you're playing on the pc.


----------



## Grand Moff Tim

The Way of the Monk mod is also great for adding extra challenge without over or underpowering you. It adds separate skill tree mechanics for unarmored and unarmed skills, making it actually feasible to go around punching things to death again, and allowing you to wear robes without having fuck all for armor rating.


----------



## texshred777

I really wish the Thalmor were a playable faction. I'd love to have playthroughs were I either aid them in their dominion..or destroy them from the inside with espionage and intrigue. 

This is what I want in a future DLC. The stage is already set now that the civil war has been dealt with. It's time to turn to the real enemy/savior-the Aldmeri Dominion. 

I also wish there were an option to add armor value to the Thalmor Robes(whether through an enchantment or smithing perk). I realize I can take the mage armor perk and cast stone/iron/ebony skin. I have some hooded and non hooded. One of which isn't enchanted already(found in embassy)-don't know what to do with them yet... Next to the Nightingale Armor it's my favorite aesthetically.

I also wish there was a dodge skill. Perhaps a roll move like we had in Oblivion. Hell, a random dodge move determined by the dodge skill or something. Shields and heavy armor aren't my thing.


----------



## Grand Moff Tim

texshred777 said:


> I also wish there were an option to add armor value to the Thalmor Robes(whether through an enchantment or smithing perk).


 
There is, sortof. The Way of the Monk mod I mentioned right above your post adds unarmored as a skill that makes fighting in robes more effective.


----------



## texshred777

Yeah, I've seen mods for PC users that would allow the type of shennanigans I would like to see. Oh well, I'll get it for PC eventually and really see what the game is capable of. I'd also love to check out the developer toolkit it comes with and create my own stuff. 

For now, I just need to pick up the currently available DLC. Even though I no longer have access to internet with my xbox. I suppose I could download it to a usb drive?


----------



## BrainArt

Going back to your Thalmor idea, I always thought it would be cool if during the civil war quest line you could work as a mole for either faction, because if you think about it, during war (and peacetime) there is espionage.



EDIT: On another note, I have caused nothing but trouble (all accidental or things out of my hands) in Riverwood this playthrough. I accidentally told Camilla that Faendal forged a letter from Sven (which I didn't realize until after the fact and didn't feel like reverting my save), which caused him to attack me allowing me to kill him (he posthumously sent Hired Thugs after me when I took some stuff from his house) and a while later I went back and a dragon swooped down on the village and killed Alvor, Sigrid and Gerdur.

I feel bad for Alvor and Sigrid's daughter, since she's now an orphan wandering the streets of Riverwood, maybe I should download the Killable Children mod so she can join her parents in Sovngarde.

Needless to say, I try to spend as little time in Riverwood as possible to avoid the entire population dying out because of me being Dragonborn.


----------



## Fat-Elf

/SPOILERS! DON'T READ IF YOU HAVEN'T COMPLETED THE DARK BROTHERHOOD QUESTLINE!

So I spent whole yesterday playing the Dark Brotherhood quests and man, it is the best storyline in the game so far. All the characters are awesome, especially Nazir and Cicero. The plotline is also very good. It was so shocking to find the burnt leader from the hideout when I was sure I would have had to fight her. I also liked the whole "kill the Emperor" thing. I felt really sad killing him when he just standed there and I had to cut his throat.

The best part though is how I left Cicero alive after I was commanded to kill him. After we moved to the Sanctuary I wondered where he went as he wasn't there anymore and bam, right when I walked out of the door, he was there. Now he keeps creeping out me and Nazir at the Sanctuary and harrassing the rotten corpse. 

/SPOILERS END!

On the other news, made "couple" of leather strips yesterday. Can't remember the exact number but it was at least over 1100..


----------



## Jakke

^If you want even a further safe guard, try the spoiler code, just quote this to see how it is made:


Spoiler



I liked the Dark Brotherhood quest-line too


----------



## Fat-Elf

Jakke said:


> ^If you want even a further safe guard, try the spoiler code, just quote this to see how it is made:
> 
> 
> Spoiler
> 
> 
> 
> I liked the Dark Brotherhood quest-line too



I know about that but I was just too lazy to use it.


----------



## Jakke

Ah, sorry


----------



## pink freud

I kept Cicero alive because I wanted to sacrifice him to Boethia, only to find out he becomes essential... DOH!


----------



## Valennic

Grand Moff Tim said:


> Well it seems at least one person is already using the new Dragonborn/Solstheim assets to reproduce Vvardenfell with the Skyrim Construction Kit, so... keep an eye out, I guess?
> 
> 
> 
> Speaking of Vvardenfell, I'm thinking of starting a new Morrowind playthrough this weekend or sometime soonish, and I was wondering if you fanboys have any tips along the lines of a practical build/playstyle. I'm ashamed to admit that most of the playing I've done of it so far was using plenty of console commands to get me out of tight spots, because I was more concerned with seeing the landscape and following the main story than actually getting into the gameplay.
> 
> I can spec out a solid build in Oblivion or Skyrim in no time flat (well, anybody with thumbs and eyesight can spec out a successfull build in Skyrim...), but I'm a bit clueless with Morrowind.
> 
> Mostly what I'm looking for is a very low-maintenance character, at least at low levels. I don't want to have to rely on alchemy or enchanting early on. I'd like to be able to go out and be as formidable as I can right out the gates, and I honestly have no idea what skills would be the most practical in that regard for Morrowind.
> 
> So... tips? Any other interesting build ideas?



Bit late on the response time, but when you pick your astrological sign, I'd go with the steed. Having that extra movement speed is a god send in a land where speed is not a consistent thing. Without it the game feels pretty slow.


----------



## TheDuatAwaits

Wow am I crazy for reading this whole thread? 

I got Skyrim for Christmas and I beat it with my level 50 wood elf and got a Platinum trophy. With 130+ hours into it. 

Now I'm working on a mage file with an Orc (which is stupid i know. ) The transmute spell works wonders to raise your smithing.


----------



## Fat-Elf

levijaymz said:


> Wow am I crazy for reading this whole thread?
> 
> I got Skyrim for Christmas and I beat it with my level 50 wood elf and got a Platinum trophy. With 130+ hours into it.
> 
> Now I'm working on a mage file with an Orc (which is stupid i know. ) The transmute spell works wonders to raise your smithing.



Crafting 1000 iron daggers did the trick for me to get to the level 100.


----------



## TheDuatAwaits

Fat-Elf said:


> Crafting 1000 iron daggers did the trick for me to get to the level 100.



I tried that on my first file, took too long.  at least you made it work.


----------



## Grand Moff Tim

levijaymz said:


> Now I'm working on a mage file with an Orc (which is stupid i know. ) The transmute spell works wonders to raise your smithing.


 

Yeah, using transmute is a three-fer: It grinds Alteration, Smithing (when you make jewelry), and Speech (when you sell said jewelry). Heck, throw in Enchanting and you'll level that too, AND make more money when you sell them.

Also, playing as an Orc mage isn't as "stupid" as it was in past games, since the bonuses and weaknesses characters have in Syrim aren't nearly as pronounced as they were in past games, and your skills all level at the same rate no matter what race you play as. If anything, you'll have slightly less magicka early on, but you'll have slightly more health and stamina than, say, an Altmer, which can be handy as a low-level mage. You can get dropped pretty quickly when wearing robes instead of armor.

Incidentally, unlike in past games, there's ZERO magicka/damage penalty for wearing armor of any type in Skyrim, so try to bump up your enchanting so you can just disenchant the robes you find, then enchant armor with the same effects. Boom: Higher armor rating, AND the magicka/spell-boosting effects of robes.


----------



## BlackMastodon

Fat-Elf said:


> Crafting 1000 iron daggers did the trick for me to get to the level 100.


Replace iron daggers with dwarven daggers and you have exactly what I did. I just adventured through about 6 massive Dwemer ruins that I came across, stripped them entirely of everything that would make corundum (I think that's what it was....it's been a while since I played) and just made shittons of daggers. And cash. Took me a lot of fucking time to sell all those daggers, though. Had to fast travel to all the different cities for a couple hours.


----------



## Jakke

BlackMastodon said:


> Replace iron daggers with dwarven daggers and you have exactly what I did. I just adventured through about 6 massive Dwemer ruins that I came across, stripped them entirely of everything that would *make corundum (I think that's what it was....it's been a while since I played) *and just made shittons of daggers. And cash. Took me a lot of fucking time to sell all those daggers, though. Had to fast travel to all the different cities for a couple hours.



Dwarven metal ingots


----------



## Grand Moff Tim

It's almost annoying how easy it is to get an ass-ton of dwarven ingots. Once your smithing skill is high enough to make better armor/weapons than dwarven, there's practically zero reason to have all those ingots lying around apart from griding smithing more or selling them. 

Ebony ingots, on the other hand... now _those_ I want a ton of.


----------



## tacotiklah

Well I wanted to sit down and start playing this game again, but my copy just isn't working right. On the very beginning of the game right after you pick your class and name, my character just stands by that priest of arkay and then the game just doesn't advance from there. I've been having problems with this game ever since I bought dawnguard and it sucks because I REALLY love playing this game. I'm thinking that I'm going to uninstall and re-install the game and see if that helps.


----------



## TheDuatAwaits

Thought this was HIGHLY appropriate.

*Insert followers name instead of Lydia*


----------



## BrainArt

I rerolled yet again (using Random Alternate Start, huge props to Tim for telling us about that) and I have an Altmer Battlemage.

This marks the third character on my PC (the first two are both Nords) and my 7th character all toll (four on my xbox).

I'm enjoying this build, though as usual, I'll probably go through the Dark Brotherhood questline, if only for Shadowmere. 

Heavy armor, destruction, conjuration (bound sword for the win), one-handed, smithing and enchanting are what I'm focusing on, obviously.


I'm lazy and didn't want to put the work into smithing, so I just used console commands to give myself the perks, as well as enchanting. I've already played through the game legit, so it doesn't ruin anything for me.


----------



## Grand Moff Tim

levijaymz said:


> *Pie chart*


 
Hahahaha, "Accidentally grabbed wooden bowl." Hahaha. Too fucking true. Haha. "I JUST WANTED THE FUCKING NIGHTSHADE GODDAMMIT."

That amuses me a little more than it probably should.


----------



## TheDuatAwaits

Grand Moff Tim said:


> Hahahaha, "Accidentally grabbed wooden bowl." Hahaha. Too fucking true. Haha. "I JUST WANTED THE FUCKING NIGHTSHADE GODDAMMIT."
> 
> That amuses me a little more than it probably should.



It happens all the time. 

Or when you're trying to steal stuff, and they catch you as soon as you steal it, even though it was safe in the first place. That happens a lot.


----------



## Fat-Elf

BlackMastodon said:


> Replace iron daggers with dwarven daggers and you have exactly what I did. I just adventured through about 6 massive Dwemer ruins that I came across, stripped them entirely of everything that would make corundum (I think that's what it was....it's been a while since I played) and just made shittons of daggers. And cash. Took me a lot of fucking time to sell all those daggers, though. Had to fast travel to all the different cities for a couple hours.



Hah, I have been doing those trade travels since Saturday now to get the 100 000 gold achievement. I actually got it yesterday and just when I got it, my game crashed.  Luckily I only had the autosaves corrupted so I started with 96 000 gold. I don't even know how I'm supposed to sell the rest of the stuff. Like those ancient god masks which each sell for like over 3000 gold and all the blacksmiths only have something like 1100 gold.


----------



## TheDuatAwaits

Fat-Elf said:


> Like those ancient god masks which each sell for like over 3000 gold and all the blacksmiths only have something like 1100 gold.



Don't sell those.  If you collect all of them, you can get one, when your health is low it has a chance to do 1 of 3 effects, usually it does all 3. Summon dragon priest, fire cloak, and something else.


----------



## Fat-Elf

levijaymz said:


> Don't sell those.  If you collect all of them, you can get one, when your health is low it has a chance to do 1 of 3 effects, usually it does all 3. Summon dragon priest, fire cloak, and something else.



Hah, I was sure you need all of them for something so I really wasn't planning on selling them.


----------



## TheDuatAwaits

Fat-Elf said:


> Hah, I was sure you need all of them for something so I really wasn't planning on selling them.



Yeah, that final mask is worth it.


----------



## Grand Moff Tim

Fat-Elf said:


> Like those ancient god masks which each sell for like over 3000 gold and all the blacksmiths only have something like 1100 gold.


 
For selling expensive things, there are three options I can think of offhand:

1) Get the speech perk that allows you to invest in stores, which increases their gold by 1000.

2) Do the Thieves Guild questline, unlocking fences throughout Skyrim, some with an _absurd_ amount of gold. Like... 5000 absurd.

3) If you have the Dragonborn DLC, do the quest where you clear out the mine in the main town. That increases the amount of gold the local merchants have, to the tune of 3000+ for a couple of them, if memory serves.


----------



## Fat-Elf

Grand Moff Tim said:


> For selling expensive things, there are three options I can think of offhand:
> 
> 1) Get the speech perk that allows you to invest in stores, which increases their gold by 1000.
> 
> 2) Do the Thieves Guild questline, unlocking fences throughout Skyrim, some with an _absurd_ amount of gold. Like... 5000 absurd.
> 
> 3) If you have the Dragonborn DLC, do the quest where you clear out the mine in the main town. That increases the amount of gold the local merchants have, to the tune of 3000+ for a couple of them, if memory serves.



Thanks for the tips. Sadly, I don't have the Dragonborn DLC as I really haven't had interest to even finish the Dawnguard questline yet. After all, I just needed to sell things to get the achievement and because of that I have plenty of money left, I don't think I need to sell anything in a while now.


----------



## BlackMastodon

Jakke said:


> Dwarven metal ingots


Whatever man, I was close.  Also I just remembered it was Dwarven bows, not daggers because the bows didn't need any steel.

As for how to sell everything, I generally just trade merchants for whatever ebony ingots they have whenever they run out of gold. Then I make suits of daedric armour. Then I give those suits of armour and daedric weapons to all of my house carls because I have nothing else to do with them.


----------



## BrainArt

I can't find *any* Ebony ingots with my new battlemage build. It's really starting to piss me off.


----------



## TheDuatAwaits

BrainArt said:


> I can't find *any* Ebony ingots with my new battlemage build. It's really starting to piss me off.



Go to nazulbur, it's an orc stronghold. Their mine has roughly 16 ebony ore veins.


----------



## Grand Moff Tim

There are a couple of ebony mines. I usually use the one in the orc stronghold, too, but there are others. Look 'em up in the bible... er, I mean on UESP.


----------



## TheDuatAwaits

Grand Moff Tim said:


> There are a couple of ebony mines. I usually use the one in the orc stronghold, too, but there are others. Look 'em up in the bible... er, I mean on UESP.



You had it right the first time.


----------



## BrainArt

I nabbed a pick axe just in case if I needed to mine. I'm just going to continue riding around the different holds and hording the ebony I find from merchants.


----------



## straightshreddd

Although my craft skill is only about 80-something right now, I've done the dagger trick and I think making leather bracers is better idea. They're worth way more when you sell back and you can get tons of leather from animal hides and other places for free. I'm pretty sure leather and leather strips are cheaper and easier to find than iron ore and iron ingots, too.


Also, I'm sure most of you figured this out already, but I found a nice way to level up combat skills(one-handed, two-handed, and archery. Although you'll need a lot of arrows for archery.) Find the Ritual Stone and activate it. It allows you revive all the dead around you for much longer than the reanimated corpse spells and just keep killing an enemy over and over again. It'll take a while, but it works. 

I used this same tactic to upgrade the ebony blade after I had gotten it. 

That lizard asshole in Solitude that gets you to help him wreck the ship to steal it's cargo. After you defeat him and his goons, just keep reviving and killing him and the blade will be upgraded because you need to kill a friend for it to upgrade and killing him counts for some reason.


----------



## BrainArt

After using the Warzones mod for a while, I think I'm going to take it off. I love it and it's fun, but every time I enter one of the zones, it lags like a bitch and a couple times it has crashed my game.


----------



## Grand Moff Tim

Bethesda has officially announced that there will be no more new DLC for Skyrim. Bummer.


----------



## pink freud

Grand Moff Tim said:


> Bethesda has officially announced that there will be no more new DLC for Skyrim. Bummer.



MMOs take up a lot of developer resources.

There will be plenty of UGC for years though.


----------



## Grand Moff Tim

I undertand that, and believe me I make plenty of use of mods. It just feels like compared to other Bethesda games, Skyrim is pretty lacking in the DLC department. Look at all the DLC FO3 and FONV got (yes, I know Bethesda only _published_ FONV). I guess in comparison to Oblivion it has about the same amount of new content, but perhaps the Bethesda Fallouts just spoiled me and made me expect more than what I got for Skyrim. One that added a ton of new places to explore (Dragonborn), one that only added a few of mostly linear places (Dawnguard), and one that didn't add any new maps, weapons or armors _at all_ (Hearthfire) just seems... underwhelming?

Iono. Still love the game, still have plenty of time to put into it. Just a little bit disappointed, is all.


----------



## SkapocalypseNow

Grand Moff Tim said:


> Bethesda has officially announced that there will be no more new DLC for Skyrim. Bummer.


Damn, I was hoping the Redguard rumors to be true.

But I'm sort of okay with this. They said they're working on another game that warrants their full attention. So... probably Fallout 4. Oh god yes please.


----------



## Grand Moff Tim

Yeah, and hopefully Fallout 4 will get more than two and a half DLCs.


----------



## axxessdenied

Grand Moff Tim said:


> Yeah, and hopefully Fallout 4 will get more than two and a half DLCs.



Or an actual real EXPANSION PACK!

DLC should be free!


----------



## Jakke

Anyone still playing this?

I've dusted it off again, and tested out some new mods. As a matter of fact, the mods that I've found to be most useful are actually those that improve HUD or menus. The ones that I use now in that flavour is the SkyUI, which is a killer revamping of the inventory system (and it needs the SKSE; Skyrim Script Extender), the A Quality World Map mod, and the Categorized Favourites Menu mod.

The SkyUI makes the inventory a lot easier to manage, the world map one gives the map a facelift, and the Favourites mod splits your favourites selection into sections based on spell school etc., which allows for quick selection of a wider variety of spells, items, and abilities.

Seriously, try them. These three mods has made Skyrim a lot more pleasant for me.


----------



## Grand Moff Tim

I somehow found myself playing again over the last couple weeks, yeah, motivated by the discovery of the "Legendary Perk" addition. It's nice being able to continue to level a character after maxing out all the skills I built the character for without having to resort to leveling skills I never really use, which I always thought kinda broke the immersion/roleplay aspect of it. It seemed silly that my badass 2H tank would have to start sneaking around and picking lavender if he wanted to keep leveling up.

I too use SkyUI, though I need to get the newest (and hopefully final) version of the SKSE to get it to run properly. It runs mostly well enough, but there are question marks instead of words for a few of the labels, and I get an annoying "SkyUI isn't running properly" pop-up every time I load.

Graphically, apart from the official HD patch, the only thing I run is the small fix that fixes the color/skins on chopping blocks and fire logs, so they aren't just pale blue anymore.


----------



## tyler_faith_08

Anybody find all the stones of Barenziah without google or a book? I've got like 13 and am about to shoot my computer...


----------



## XEN

That is a painful quest.
I revisited the game these last few weeks. Picked up the DLC on the PS3 so I could experience the game without mods or console commands (since my PC version is modded TA DEF!!!). My toon is now a level 90 mage/vampire. Power leveling is too easy with the legendary option. Put Detect Life on one hand and Telekinesis on the other, and do this:








15-100 in minutes. Sad, I know. But it reminds me of Morrowind, where you could autorun your toon into a corner to level his skill.
Speech levels fast too when you have 300,000 gold to spend.


----------



## Chiba666

love it, still. Love the soundtrack even more. 4 Discs of awsome


----------



## texshred777

I stopped playing Skyrim for a couple months because I was building a gaming PC but that isn't happening anytime soon so back to Tamriel via Xbox. 

Since I've restarted, I've changed a few things about how I play the game to make it more immersive. 

Fast travel. 
Unless I've got limited time, my character has to make his way back to a hold city and take a carriage to another city and walk from there. On the plus side, I spend more time exploring the world and less time looking at load screens. 

Favorites menu. 
Now I treat it as an 'on hand/quick draw' menu. No longer is there two or more different armor/weapon sets and a crap ton of potions. Now it's one armor set, and 2-3 weapons that can conceivably be drawn quickly. Also, up to 8 enchanted rings(headcannon dictates he wears them all and channels/activates one at at time). Potions are only a few at a time. Same with scrolls. If he runs out in a battle, he has to evade or find another way to survive the fight than spamming potions. The rest of the items are considered in his pack, not within reach during a skirmish.

Food and Sleep
Now I actually pay attention to my character eating. I went through many months(in-game time) and hadn't slept or consumed anything but potions.

Not waking NPCs.
While NPC's don't bitch if you break in to their house and wake them to inform them their quest is complete..I find it rather meta. Now if he breaks in to their house, he's going to steal something and/or murder them. 

Gold
No longer carry around 100k gold. Now all of his houses have a stash of gold. While carrying around 1000 Gold at a time would still be heavy, I'm assuming it's gold piece value of gems/jewels, etc. 

Ingredients/Misc items
No longer carries around large amounts of ingredients/ingots/etc. Now they get taken to a house. He whips up batches of potions before heading out on mission now. Certainly carries around a few just in case, but no longer large quantities. 

Sneak sniping
One thing that I'd abused a bit early on was the AI. Sneak attack someone with an arrow and they'd give up looking rather quickly if you stay in the shadows and refrain from attacking them further. "Hmmm, must have been my imagination". Yep, that's your imagination sticking out of your throat, bro.


----------



## Grand Moff Tim

Dammit, every time someone bumps this, I end up sinking a dozen or so more hours into the game. What you you trying to do to me, Tex?


----------



## XEN

Grand Moff Tim said:


> Dammit, every time someone bumps this, I end up sinking a dozen or so more hours into the game. What you you trying to do to me, Tex?


Man, I hooked the ps3 up to the monitor I have in front of my treadmill and have been playing while exercising. Killed Alduin last night at 3mph hehe


----------



## Yimmj

Grand Moff Tim said:


> Dammit, every time someone bumps this, I end up sinking a dozen or so more hours into the game. What you you trying to do to me, Tex?



THIS!


----------



## Don Vito

Started playing this again after a years break. For the first time in my Elder Scrolls history, I'm attempting to play as an archer with no crosshair, on a higher difficulty than normal. I also cut out fast travel, and now hunt and mine for my resources instead of buying. Playing as an archer with no crosshairs results in getting mauled by 2 sabre cats.

Oh, and my wood elf has grim corpsepaint.


----------



## Fat-Elf

I also have been kinda wanting to go back to Skyrim and finish the Dawnguard questline but that will be highly unlikely after next Tuesday. 

Annoying thing about Skyrim is that if you haven't played it in a while, you don't know where you left off so it's easier and more fun to just start the whole game with a new character.


----------



## Don Vito

Don Vito said:


> Started playing this again after a years break. For the first time in my Elder Scrolls history, I'm attempting to play as an archer with no crosshair, on a higher difficulty than normal. I also cut out fast travel, and now hunt and mine for my resources instead of buying. Playing as an archer with no crosshairs results in getting mauled by 2 sabre cats.
> 
> Oh, and my wood elf has grim corpsepaint.


Well that shit didn't last long. It was fine against bandits and what not, but I was getting absolutely floored when it came to everything else. 

I still have my corpsepaint though.


----------



## texshred777

Grand Moff Tim said:


> Dammit, every time someone bumps this, I end up sinking a dozen or so more hours into the game. What you you trying to do to me, Tex?


 
Mwahahahahahahahahaha. 

There's another 12. You're welcome. We got to talking about it in chat and couldn't help myself..got started again myself.

I've played entirely too much Skyrim the last few days. 

Also, quick question. I've heard that if you


Spoiler



kill Vittoria for the Dark Brotherhood quest, it can make the Thieves guild reputation job for Solitude never occur or otherwise impossible to complete. Can anyone confirm or debunk this?


 I've been steadily doing extra jobs for the thieves guild and started the Dark Brotherhood. Have all initial reputation quests done except for Solitude.


----------



## Grand Moff Tim

texshred777 said:


> I've heard that if you
> 
> 
> Spoiler
> 
> 
> 
> kill Vittoria for the Dark Brotherhood quest, it can make the Thieves guild reputation job for Solitude never occur or otherwise impossible to complete. Can anyone confirm or debunk this?






Spoiler



No, I haven't heard that, and I never had any problems completing both the Thieves Guild and Dark Brotherhood questlines with one character, either. However, if you kill her, it WILL be impossible to complete the side quest "The Spiced Wine," which is the one where the spiced wine vendor in Solitude asks you to convince Vittoria to release some ingredients that are being held up. That mission can count towards the "Help the People of Solitude" mission that you have to complete in order to buy the house in Solitude, do you might want to get that done before killing her.


----------



## texshred777

Well, I didn't let meta stuff like quest glitches get me down. Went ahead and took the leap. Everything worked out fine.

Now I just need to find Brelyna. She's been Johan's one and only companion since his early days at the College. One of three things happened.

A: Left her waiting somewhere when he had to infiltrate a location. So loyal, that one. Always chuckled when she said not to forget about her.

B: She wasn't quick enough to keep up and was killed somewhere. I find this hard to believe, as I've seen her get launched into another hold by a giant, and survived. I just KNEW she was going to die, too. Saw the giant going back for a power attack, and her health was already low. 

C: What happens in Whiterun, stays in Whiterun (glitched out of existence). 

I'm pretty sure she's not still waiting somewhere, told Lydia to follow me so Brelyna'd be released. Nothing. Even checked back at the College and nope. Oh well, not reloading and going back. She will be remembered.


----------



## Grand Moff Tim

texshred777 said:


> Well, I didn't let meta stuff like quest glitches get me down. Went ahead and took the leap. Everything worked out fine.
> 
> Now I just need to find Brelyna. She's been Johan's one and only companion since his early days at the College. One of three things happened.
> 
> A: Left her waiting somewhere when he had to infiltrate a location. So loyal, that one. Always chuckled when she said not to forget about her.
> 
> B: She wasn't quick enough to keep up and was killed somewhere. I find this hard to believe, as I've seen her get launched into another hold by a giant, and survived. I just KNEW she was going to die, too. Saw the giant going back for a power attack, and her health was already low.
> 
> C: What happens in Whiterun, stays in Whiterun (glitched out of existence).
> 
> I'm pretty sure she's not still waiting somewhere, told Lydia to follow me so Brelyna'd be released. Nothing. Even checked back at the College and nope. Oh well, not reloading and going back. She will be remembered.





Followers can't be killed by anyone but the player. Ever notice them take a knee in battle? That's what happens when a follower's health is depleted by enemies. The only way for them to die at that point is if you the player get in the last hit, unintentionally or otherwise . If the last time you saw her was in the middle of a fevered battle, then it's possible you killed her and left her there. If not, she's either waiting somewhere, or glitched. If you're playing on PC there are console codes you can use to place here at you or you at her, if not, then just try fast travelling to a bunch of places and entering/exiting a bunch of doors.

EDIT: They can't be killed while currently following you, that is. A dismissed follower or a follower whose services you haven't enlisted yet can be killed by anyone.


----------



## BrainArt

Uthgerd the Unbroken must be glitched then (funny, huh?), because almost every time I've had her as a follower, she has died in battle or died when she decided to jump off of a cliff to catch up to me. 


Unless if it is something to do with Ultimate Follower Overhaul, since I've also had followers die after accidentally hitting one another and fighting to the death.


----------



## Grand Moff Tim

I did a bit of research and apparently followers _can_ be killed by NPCs/enemies, but the circumstances are rare. Like I said, when a follower's health is depleted, he'll take a knee and wait for it to recover. However, if the follower's health is depleted _again_ while they're in the recovery position, they will die permanently. Luckily for your followers, enemies usually lose interest in them when they're recovering and go after you or another NPC instead, but a stray attack or an attack with a long duration cast before they took a knee can still kill them. I haven't seen it happen (every follower I've seen die did so at my hands, haha), but it's possible, apparently. I also found out that if you leave a follower waiting for too long, they'll "get bored" and go back to wherever their original place was (ie where you met them and asked them to be your follower, like Faendal in Riverwood or Mjoll the Lioness in Riften). 

Unrelated: All this Skyrim talk has of course prompted me to start playing again. I made a new character build, but I didn't put too terribly much thought into his backstory. I made a Bosmer named "That Old Bosmer." His deal is that he's a hermit who lives in the Hermit's Treehouse (great mod, btw), and only comes in to town to trade. He never engages anyone in conversation or performs any quests for anyone, so nobody knows his name, so that's how he got the name I gave him. No, I won't be doing _any_ quests with this build. I'm curious how much and how quickly I'll be able to level up and how much gold I'll be able to make doing nothing but exploring and crafting. I don't plan on buying any ingredients or components, either, so everything I make I'll make with stuff I killed, mined, or found. I doubt I'll stick with it for very long, but meh. It'll amuse me for a few hours/evenings.


----------



## MicrobeSS

Grand Moff Tim said:


> Followers can't be killed by anyone but the player. Ever notice them take a knee in battle? That's what happens when a follower's health is depleted by enemies. The only way for them to die at that point is if you the player get in the last hit, unintentionally or otherwise . If the last time you saw her was in the middle of a fevered battle, then it's possible you killed her and left her there. If not, she's either waiting somewhere, or glitched. If you're playing on PC there are console codes you can use to place here at you or you at her, if not, then just try fast travelling to a bunch of places and entering/exiting a bunch of doors.
> 
> EDIT: They can't be killed while currently following you, that is. A dismissed follower or a follower whose services you haven't enlisted yet can be killed by anyone.




Which is why they can fly to the moon when giants hit them and show up an hour later like nothing happened


----------



## Grand Moff Tim

Aaaaaaaand yakking about Skyrim on chat with Tex has gotten me to start yet ANOTHER build. This one's a bit more ambitious than most of my others, because he's going to be a pacifist, and try as hard as I can to keep my kill count at zero. I'll never use any offensive spells, and I'll never use any weapon for anything offensive, though I'll still use the ones with utilitarian purposes (wood axe to chop wood, pickaxe to mine ore, and an iron dagger to cut down spider webs). It will also mean no followers, since their kills go on my kill count. If there's an enemy I can't deal with by sneaking past it, calming it, or making it flee, I'll just GTFO and hope I can run faster than it can, haha.

Speaking of hoping I can run faster than things can, the first hairy moment I had with the build so far came while walking the road to Ivarstead. Those of you who, like me, have made that hike many times probably know there are a couple spots along the route where higher level predatory animals spawn (saber cats, bears, or cave bears, depending on your level). I was kindof hoping it'd just be a wolf for me since I was still fairly low in level (around 7 or 8), but nope. I turned a corner and looked towards the crest of a hill and saw a saber cat.

It's worth mentioning that since I'm roleplaying as a monk at the Temple of Mara, I only wear robes and pumped all of my points into magicka. If a saber cat caught me, I'd be a goner. As it charged me, I had two options: Try to run away and hope I could run faster, or cast my calm spell and hope the saber cat is low enough in level to be affected by it. If I was too slow or the spell too weak, I'd have been fvcked. Curiosity got the better of me, so I readied my spell, took aim, and cast it on the cat...



...and it stopped in its tracks and just stood there looking at me. That was my prompt to walk past it and then sprint as far as I could before my stamina depleted, because I wasn't about to still be within its range of detection when the spell wore off. Disaster averted: I had "defeated" a saber cat simply by being nice to it. It was... a strange feeling, haha.

It's pretty surreal being able to do that. I told a thief who tried to rob me to leave me alone and then calmed him when he attacked, calmed a group of bandits that stormed me from behind a hillock, and calmed at least a dozen wolves on the little walkabouts I've taken so far. I haven't ventured into any dungeons to try out the Turn Undead spell, but I won't be able to avoid that forever. Off I go...


----------



## BrainArt

That is a very ambitious build, indeed. I had a build like that (Breton mage), but I found it too hard to resist throwing Firebolt at my opponents, so I deleted the save.


Also, maybe one of you guys could help me, since I haven't found anything in the hours I've put in to researching this, every character I have right now on my PC version of Skyrim is stuck in the pose they take when a bow is drawn, standing or crouching.

It isn't too much of an issue for me, since I play in first person, but when I get a new piece of armor, I like to see how they look in it and it bugs me then; especially with large beards clipping through the pauldrons of some heavy armors.

I've thought about just deleting all of my saves, uninstalling my mods and reinstalling my copy of the game to see if that fixes it, but I'm lazy and that is going to take a long time.

Any suggestions?


----------



## Grand Moff Tim

BrainArt said:


> Any suggestions?



You could try some console commands that will require either a change of character animation or a change of character appearance, which might possibly reset your character stance.

A few for changing the animation:

s1st - This shows the third person character model in first person, ie you'll see your character like you normally would in third person view _AND_ you'll see your hands/arms like you do in first person, so it has sortof a marionette/puppeteer visual effect. That might force a change.

playidle <idle ID> - that will force the character model to play an idle animation, like standing there with arms crossed (ex: playidle IdleOffsetArmsCrossedStart). There's a list of idle animation IDs here: Skyrim IDLE Records

A few that will force the player character to change character model:

setrace <race>

player.setrace <ID>

showracemenu <race>

SexChange

The first three are more or less three different ways to go about accomplishing the same thing: changing the character race. That also includes creatures, so now's your chance to play as a draugr (or perhaps a dragon...). There might be some strange side effects to some of the creature models, and I'm not entirely sure there won't be wonky levelling consequences to changing your race with the console like there were in Oblivion, but it's worth looking in to.

The fourth, SexChange, is what it sounds like: You'll swap your sexy parts and become a lady/dude version of whatever you're playing as. That'll at least require a skin change, if not a total position/animation change.

Some of those changes might actually restart you in the position/animation you start the game in, with your arms behind your back, but that can be undone by drawing a weapon.

As always, there's more info on console commands on UESP.org: Skyrim:Console - UESPWiki

And you can find the various BaseIDs and race descriptors elsewhere on the site, if you do some digging.

Hope that helps. Sounds like a rather annoying glitch. If those don't work, maybe try reseting your mod load order, or removing and re-adding your mods before doing something as drastic as flushing everything. Good luck, duderpants.


----------



## Grand Moff Tim

Progess on the pacifist:






Yeah, that's right: Level 10, zero kills, zero weapons used.

I did the mission where I have to go get the Amren family sword, and it spawn in Halted Stream camp, which is that mine camp north of Whiterun with the Transmute Mineral Ore spell tome in it. There were four bandits outside and five bandits inside, including a bandit Chief. I managed to get my way past the bandits out front and work my way to the end of the mine, where I then snagged the sword from the boss-level loot chest, the transmute tome, and a handful of mammoth tusks before making my way out the back exit. All that without killing or attacking a single person. My sneak isn't good enough yet to have done it completely undetected, but man, that Calm spell sure does wonders. Even at just level 10 and the lowest level calm spell, I was able to choose the right perks to amplify that spell enough that I could calm a Chief and three more bandits (I had JUST enough magicka to do it, haha). It was a bit of a rush, I must admit. It's almost like playing a completely new game.

Unrelated to the pacifism: I gave one of the tusks I took to that cutie in Whiterun who wants to be a merchant, Ysolda. Because I'm a monk at the temple of Mara, I had my amulet of Mara on, which led to Ysolda hittin' on me, so... I'm married now, and keeping my stuff at her house, hahaha.


----------



## XEN

Grand Moff Tim said:


> Progess on the pacifist


Man, that is awesome. I need to try something like that. I'm stuck in OP mode though right now. Level 105 mage, two flame thralls and Serana by my side, incinerating everything in my path with 0 mana cost due to gear and enchantments. This is on the PS3, so no mods.


----------



## Señor Voorhees

Grand Moff Tim said:


> Progess on the pacifist:



Wow, you're going all out. I started a character a while ago and need to get back to it, where I didn't kill humanoids. Animals, creatures (spriggans and such), and automatons were all fair game. That was hard enough, I can't imagine killing nothing. It really is like playing a different game. I may try your absolute pacifist route next.

edit:


Grand Moff Tim said:


> I did a bit of research and apparently followers _can_ be killed by NPCs/enemies, but the circumstances are rare. Like I said, when a follower's health is depleted, he'll take a knee and wait for it to recover. However, if the follower's health is depleted _again_ while they're in the recovery position, they will die permanently. Luckily for your followers, enemies usually lose interest in them when they're recovering and go after you or another NPC instead, but a stray attack or an attack with a long duration cast before they took a knee can still kill them. I haven't seen it happen (every follower I've seen die did so at my hands, haha), but it's possible, apparently. I also found out that if you leave a follower waiting for too long, they'll "get bored" and go back to wherever their original place was (ie where you met them and asked them to be your follower, like Faendal in Riverwood or Mjoll the Lioness in Riften).



I've seen it happen where one of my followers gets killed by an enemy. One time in particular, my follower was ahead of me and a steam centurion did that weird steam blast thing that they do. My follower too a knee almost immediately, and the Centurion's gaze then shifted to me, who was directly behind my follower leading the steam blast to continue pelting my follower and thus killing them. I was heartbroken. I don't remember who the follower was (this was around the time the game first came out), but I had grown a profound attachment to them. Being that I force myself to live with consequences in the game, I had to travel on without my beloved follower. I grew bitter to anybody else who wanted to follow me after that too. Weird how a game can do that to you.


----------



## texshred777

Yes, chatting with Tim has got Tex doing a few more builds as well.

First up: 
Talia Al'Jilani, female Redguard 
I wanted a character that used improvised weapons. Enter Ms Jilani. Originally I was going to do a Nord barbarian who dual wielded pickaxes. The problem is, I already have a Nord. I also wanted to make a character that was inspired by the Aiel(from the "Wheel of Time"). The Aiel are fierce combatants, although they only use weapons that have a utility and hunting purposes. Bows, spears, knives, things like that. The sword is forbidden to them, it's only purpose is to kill other people(well, monsters too). 

She's level 5 now, and focuses on sneak, dual wielding woodcutter's axes, archery, and alchemy. As soon as she comes across some pickaxes it's dual pickaxe time. I won't be doing much if any magic with Talia-the exception being some enchanting. She's going to be a warrior/rogue. In the first fight at Helgen she went fisticuffs, having nothing but swords available. Was pretty metal though, especially because she got a bodyslam finishing move in her first combat. I literally lol'd as this tiny little Redguard chick body slammed a viking. ....ing win.

(backstory)She came up in a nomadic tribal society in the Alik'r desert. She was actually born in Cyrodil, but her family moved back to Hammerfell when she was young. Her mother was a passionate woman, and master storyteller. She had attended the Bards College in Solitude. Her father was a mystic, and chief of their tribe. The father of her lover is a wealthy merchant. Their affair was discovered, and she was ordered to leave or her tribe would suffer his wrath. Also inspired by the tale of Beren and Luthien, she was given an impossible task to prove her worth and open the door to her return-stop the civil war in Skyrim. Being the rather spirited las she is, she accepted without blinking, demanding he swear an oath to his promise. 

Arbiter Heinrich, male, Imperial
This is my Paladin character. Will likely go mace and shield style with Arbi. He will be a follower of Stendarr, seeking out undead and Daedra worshippers to smite. Will obviously use restoration and alteration magic. May use conjuration to get the banish daedra spells too. 

I don't have his backstory completely worked out yet, beyond the fact that he adopted the name Heinrich, abandoning his given and family names. His family were criminals and blasphemors. He aims to be the paragon of justice and good.

Haven't started this toon yet. May get it started tonight. 

Johan male Nord-current "main"
Johan is my current main character. He started off as a swordmage type using sword and destruction. Since then, he's become much more of a hybrid character. Particularly since he went Thieves Guild and Dark Brotherhood. For weapons he uses a legendary ebony bow at range, and dual wields mystic sword/legendary ebony sword in melee. The first strike in any combat is usually a sneak attack with paralytic poison. The only "innocents" that he's killed were loose ends in Dark Brotherhood quests. On a thieving mission, whether framing someone, espionage(numbers job), or stealing something he has never been detected or killed anyone. Trying to level up his two hand and block skills right now-those and heavy armor are the only skills he hasn't done anything with. 

He's currently level 53. Just started the Civil war Questline and supports Ulfric. Once that mess has been finished he will head down the path of becoming a vampire lord. I suppose then he may do something with the main story arc. Maybe. Johan was raised by a Daedra Worshipper who believed the Divines are dead and silent, that the Daedra live and speak. He was raised to respect power. Johan is manipulative, preferring charm to intimidation. He also just gained the Wabbajack, although doesn't really know what to think of it.

Edit:
The more I think about it, I'm seriously considering making Al'Jilani a brawler. First stop Riften for the Gloves of the Pugilist.


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## texshred777

Also

Tim, that is win, man. LOL. Unfortunately I can't get in to chat tonight. I look forward to hearing more about your new toon.


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## BlackMastodon

Goddamnit, now I need to start a new character and do one of these whacky builds. Damn you guys. 

I should probably finish the main quest just to know what the hell happens, though...


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## texshred777

BlackMastodon said:


> Goddamnit, now I need to start a new character and do one of these whacky builds. Damn you guys.
> 
> I should probably finish the main quest just to know what the hell happens, though...


 
What is this "main quest"? 

What kind of build do you have in mind?


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## makeitreign

Grand Moff Tim said:


> Progess on the pacifist



1. Get disarm shout.
2. Steal weapons
3. Profit. Literally.


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## Grand Moff Tim

makeitreign said:


> 1. Get disarm shout.
> 2. Steal weapons
> 3. Profit. Literally.



I"ll have to get far enough into the main quest that dragons start showing up in order to use shouts, and I'm not sure how far into that I'll be able to get without killing anyone. It'll have to come up sooner or later, though.


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## Grand Moff Tim

Progress: 15, y'all!





Shit's gotten pretty tough as I start trying to do missions that normally involve killing. I actually managed to finish a mission that _required_ a death without upping my kill count, though. I started the Mage's College quests, and at the end of the Sarthaal ruins mission, you have to kill a named draugr to complete the mission.

That draugr's name is Jyrik Gauldurson:





As you may have noticed, he is quite dead. However, as shown above, my kill count remains at zero. How is that possible? Well, I used a fear spell to get him to run away, then I followed him to a small hallway with a poison arrow trap. When I got there and the fear spell wore off, I pretty much just ran back and forth down a tiny little narrow hallway spamming "heal" until he had stepped on the poison arrow trap enough times to drop dead, haha.


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## texshred777

Better level your speech, try and talk Ancano out of, well, you know. 
Perhaps there's a mod that allows peaceful resolutions through character interaction? 

A guy can hope anyway. A roleplay specific character interaction mod would be on top of my list of mods.


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## Grand Moff Tim

texshred777 said:


> Better level your speech, try and talk Ancano out of, well, you know.



I think I'm going to need to do alot of random adventuring/sidequesting in order to bump up a few skills in order to be able to more easily complete some main quests. Speechcraft is obviously useful, and I do have it as one of my major skills as part of the Character Creation Overhaul mod. I also need to get my illusion high enough to be able to get that perk that makes illusion spells work on undead and automatons, because I'm scared as shit of going into any dwarven ruins for now, since I've been relying on Illusion so heavily and Illusion spells are completely useless against automatons without that perk.

Randomly related, but I've been levelling restoration more than I ever had in the past. Generally the only thing I ever used restoration for was healing, and when you've got potions, high health, and heavy armor, you don't actually do very much of it. As a pacifist, however, I find myself having to use Turn Undead in all those dungeons filled with draugr and skeletons, and that spell is actually in the restoration school and not illusion, so I'm climbing my way through its perks more than I ever have before, haha.


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## Grand Moff Tim

You know, when I think about it, playing as a pacifist adds an extra challenge twist that the game has been lacking since Morrowind: The inability to do _everything._ In Morrowind, alligning yourself with one faction might make it impossible to ever work with a different one, or completing some mission / killing some people might make it impossible to complete some other missions. Oblivion did away with that sort of thing altogether by making some NPCs essential and allowing the player to join and become the master of every single guild. Skyrim only backtracked the slightest bit by making you choose to side with either the Stormcloaks or the Empire in the civil war, but otherwise everything is fair game.

Playing as a pacifist, though, means there are TONS of missions I just can't do. When there's no option to complete a mission without killing, I just have to chalk it up as another mission I can't do, another guild I can't advance in. It ads a new dimension to the game and makes my choices weigh alot more heavily. That's the beauty of the Elder Scrolls games, I think. Even if the default missions and choices leave a bit to be desired, the open-endedness of it all leaves the player with the possibility to roleplay in a myriad of different ways.


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## BlackMastodon

texshred777 said:


> What is this "main quest"?
> 
> What kind of build do you have in mind?


Not quite sure, yet. I really liked your idea of only using improvised weapons like the wood cutting axe and pickaxe. Will probably use conjuration or illusion since I've never used either of those in Oblivion or in Skyrim. Something to make the game more challenging; rolling through entire keeps and ruins in full Daedric plate with two handed weapons, dual weilded weapons, or a shield that has a ward spell on it if I run into mages has kinda lost it's pizazz.


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## Grand Moff Tim

Progess: 21. Boom.





Sadly, my Favorite Weapon is no longer listed as "None," because I had to use Nettlebane to clear the tree roots from a path to complete the Gildergreen quest. I didn't think it'd register as a use of the weapon, since I didn't kill anything with it, but apparently it does. Oh well. My kill count's still zero.


On the other hand, it did occur to me that I'm not completely innocent of taking any lives, as can be evidenced by one little alchemy-related stat:






Oops.


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## Grand Moff Tim

Well. There's been a bit of an unexpected... erm... development with Alistair Dunfirth, Breton pacifist...







So um... yeah. I was beset by some of those SURPRISE! RANDOM! vampiries that spawn in cities from time to time because of the Dawnguard DLC, and one of them gave me his vampire cooties. I did notice I was infected before it became full-fledged vampirism and could've just gone to a shrine and cured it, but I figured: 1) It kindof has a karmic fit, for a character whose backstory is that he's trying to atone for past atrocities by becoming a servant of Mara. He must've done something REALLY shitty, because becoming a pacifist monk wasn't penance enough, now he has to deal with being a pacifist AND a vampire, and 2) Hey, 25% bonuses to sneak and Illusion, my two most useful skills .

This ought to be... interesting.


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## texshred777

I love Amren giving you the stink eye. He doesn't look like he's about to cheerfully ask you if you've tried mercenary work.


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## texshred777

Glad I finally went and had a few drinks with Sam. Hilarious.


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## Grand Moff Tim

texshred777 said:


> I love Amren giving you the stink eye. He doesn't look like he's about to cheerfully ask you if you've tried mercenary work.




Haha, yeah, I didn't even notice NPCs were capable of subtle things like that until I looked at this screenshot, hahaha.


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## Grand Moff Tim

So close to lvl 30 I can taste it.

Another thing I've been doing with this build is pumping ALL of my points into magicka, so my health and stamina are still at 100 (60 outside during the day, because vampirism) despite being lvl 29. That adds another level of difficulty to things, certainly, but I've also noticed that it adds a level of realism that's actually pretty cool. With health that low, no armor, and enemies getting more powerful as I level, it's not uncommon for an enemy to be able to kill me with one or two swings of a sword, just like someone would be able to in real life. I can also be killed by most traps, which took me by surprise this evening, haha. I actually have to be careful where I'm walking now.

Well, I _did_ have to, until I unlocked the Sneak perk that lets you walk over trigger plates without setting them off. I made sure to get that perk after I was killed by the same trap FOUR FVCKING TIMES in one dungeon, hahaha.


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## Chiba666

I love these updates


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## texshred777

I'm giving the thought of doing a few permadeath characters. I haven't yet started The Arbiter Heinrick, perhaps he'll be the first. 

Soon as I get done playing Diablo 3 with some friends tonight I'm rolling up Arbie.


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## Señor Voorhees

I suppose it's time I get off my fanny and start a new character. I've had the Dragonborn DLC for a while now and haven't yet touched it really. I'm thinking a good ol' fashioned sneak thief. I've done tons of builds, but never one primarily for stealing with little to no violence.


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## GatherTheArsenal

Love this thread so much, I absolutely cannot log in to SSO without paying this one a visit hehe.

I'm about 5 days into my 4th build, a high elf (soon to be vampire) mage, aptly named Lord Malbogius. My previous builds dabbled with magic but I've yet to play through the game depending ONLY on magic for laying the proverbial smack down, didn't like how much I depended on shields and weapons in my previous builds, especially how much space they take up in my inventory. And i've always chosen werewolf over vampire, so this'll be the first time delving deep into a more nocturnal lifestyle. I'm actually also trying to use alchemy beyond just making potions to level up and get some easy cash... or errm... easy septims, i guess would be more accurate. 

I'm at level 19, no stamina upgrades, low health, ridiculous huge magic pool in comparison to the spells I'm using. Trying to stick only to light armor (goal is to get some sweet Glass armor down the road) so that if my health goes low I can promptly do a 180, quick equip restoration on each hand and run quicker than Jack Sparrow when he was chased down that beach by an island-full of cannibals  this strategy doesn't quite work as well against giants... long-strided bastards... so I had to use one of my perks to get "impact" which slows them down enough for me to have any kind of chance.

Also trying not to take any sides in the war, trying to stay neutral, as well as avoiding the guilds for now. Gonna try neutrality for as long as I can, nothing worse than being low on health/potions after a fight and stumbling into a camp full of dudes that wanna kill you... actually no... worse is trying to sneak past a camp of giants to get to their treasure chests and getting busted in the process  Lydia swiftly becomes a sacrifice to said giants while i bolt to higher ground. Sorry babe, loveyoukthxbye!

So I'm focusing on the Daedra quests first because the rewards if I remember correctly were pretty sweet, but not so much if I'm too leveled up. Although I can foresee a few complications already because a couple were pretty tough, I.e. Mehrunes Dagon, or Clavicus(spelling?)Vile. Yet to get any DLC. One day..


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## Grand Moff Tim

Señor Voorhees;3740038 said:


> I suppose it's time I get off my fanny and start a new character. I've had the Dragonborn DLC for a while now and haven't yet touched it really. I'm thinking a good ol' fashioned sneak thief. I've done tons of builds, but never one primarily for stealing with little to no violence.



I had a build in Oblivion whose sole purpose in life was to rob every person in Cyrodil blind . I never did any quests, I just went from house to house, building to building to building, pocket to pocket, taking everything I could carry .

I haven't done anything like that in Skyrim yet, but I'm bound to one of these days, haha.


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## Grand Moff Tim

Udate: AWWWWWWWWWWWW YEEEEEEEEEEEEEAAAAAAAH!!!





That's right, suckas! Level 30, and still no kills!

I just joined the Bard's College, since its associated quests can all be done easily without needing to kill or find creative ways around killing anyone. So far trying to avoid killing is limiting me mostly to fetch quests, but once my Illusion is high enough to be effective on undead and automatons I'll be able to try some of the more challenging stuff.

I haven't just been sitting on my duff and grinding my core skills, though. I've actually managed to become the Thane of _two_(!) holds, and I own a plot of land in Falkreath, upon which I've built a house. My wife lives there now, and the money I earn from adventuring ends up being split between slowly furnishing the house and buying soul gems to increase my enchanting (I can't exactly trap souls myself, since I'm not killing anything, haha). Speaking of Hearthfire DLC houses, it turns out that if you're a vampire, you have the option of building/adding a coffin that you can sleep in in the cellar, haha. I thought that was a nice touch.

Not quite gameplay related, but I've made some backstory-related aesthetic changes. I decided that the enchanted circlet I got from the mage's guild was too extravagant for someone who's supposedly doing penance, so I went to Radiant Raiment in Solitude to see what kind of hats and hoods they had for sale. I noticed they were selling something called a "Mourner's Hat," which is the black bandana-looking thing you can sorta see in the picture above. I thought "Hey yeah, I'm doing penance, maybe I should be wearing all black," so I bought that mourner's hat, some plain black robes, and some black boots. I can't find any black gloves, sadly, but am at least as decked out in black as I can be. All my items are enchanted, of course, with a combination of fortify magicka, fortify magicka regeneration, illusion spell cost reduction, overall spell cost reduction, and resist fire (vampirism + fire = bad). Still no fortifications to health, though, and I still haven't put a single point into health or stamina.

This is turning out to be one of my most enjoyable builds yet!


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## Grand Moff Tim

Another strange development, of sorts.

Those of you who have the Hearthfire DLC might be aware that after you buy a plot of land and build a house on it, you occasionally have to defend your land from wild animals, bandits, or a giant here and there. The animals and bandits are easy enough to deal with; I just cast fear so they run the hell off of my property.

However, a giant happened by the other day. I didn't want to cast fear on him, because he'd still be hostile and might kill anyone who happened to be outside, like my wife or my idiot steward. Instead of fear (and certainly not frenzy, haha), I cast calm and then just went about my business, figuring he'd be gone the next time I came back. Well...









Meet Fred. He's my giant. I don't know why, but he just won't go away. He hangs out in that same spot all the time, occasionally killing my cows like a big stupid jerk, but as long as I calm him from time to time, he's harmless. I suppose he'll be handy to have around in the event that any wolves or bandits stop by, as long as I remember to calm him back down after he mops the floor with them. Silly ol' Fred.


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## Winspear

That's brilliant 
.... it, going to buy this on PC with the packs this week and see if I get along with it more than my brief plays on Xbox. 
I spent a while looking through available mods, and reading a page called '50 best mods'. By the sounds of it I wanted most if not all of them. Is this ok?  I'd probably install them from the getgo because I don't like change in games.


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## Grand Moff Tim

Mods definitely enhance the gaming experience. I don't have anywhere near 50 (I'm running around 16 right now, I think), but if your computer can handle it and you like the looks of them, there's no reason not to try. You can always switch them off with the click of a button later, if you don't gel with them all.


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## Grand Moff Tim

Of the mods I'm running, many of them are just silly little things that add weird items or change load screens/menu music. There are a few mods among them, though, that I'd definitely recommend.

- The official high-res texture packs.

- Way of the Monk (adds the ability to specialize in Unarmed and Unarmored).

- Hermit's Tree House (adds a handy tree house to live in, while not being to obtrusive or resource intensive).

- Character Creation Overhaul (allows you to choose your major skills, birthsign, combat specialty, and gear loadout at the very beginning).

- Random Alternate Start (starts you off in a random dungeon, town, or camp instead of making you play through the stupid intro/tutorial mission)

- Midas Magic (adds the ability to craft a TON of new spells, like Summon Dwemer Home or Shoot bees from your hands).

- The Paarthurnax Fix (without giving too much away, it changes a quest so it can be completed without having to kill an NPC you'll probably be very fond of)

- Chopping Block / Wood fires FIX (without this, many of the fire logs and chopping blocks in the game are a strange fluorescent lavender color, with it they look normal)

- Invested Magic (this changes many of the spells you cast on yourself so that instead of costing a large amount of magicka and wearing off relatively quickly, they cost very little to activate and stay activated until you deactivate them, but at a cost of a depleted magicka pool for as long as they're active. Really handy for armor fortification, summoned creatures, waterbreathing, and invisibility).

- SkyUI (completely revamps the clunky, awkward console controller-friendly User Interface and makes it much more practical for PC).

You'll need the Skyrim Script Extender for SkyUI and possibly some other mods, too, so you'll want to pick that up and install it: Skyrim Script Extender (SKSE)


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## Winspear

Thanks for the list  I'm looking at a lot of cool immersion stuff too such as Frostfall.


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## Chiba666

Those Mods look great but i have it on PS3.

I recommend the sound track though, 50 mins of in game sounds tagged on at the end.


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## Alex6534

I'm getting my pc in the next two weeks....£900 on a pc to play Skyrim, Fallout 3/new vegas and Battlefield 4 ....WORTH IT!!!! Already planning my mods..


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## Señor Voorhees

So my character is well on their way to doing whatever the hell it is that they do. I've been trying to not detach myself from the fact that it's just a game and treat people like they're legit human beings. I forget what game it was that I played recently, but I recall a character irreversibly dying, and I felt like shit because of it. I've gotta say, it's difficult to think of the people in skyrim as human beings. Too robotic and such. That said, I find myself questioning what I'm stealing and if the owner actually needs it. I'm not about to rob a poor ass old man of his last couple coins or food, but I won't hesitate to steal a handful of rubies from a guy in a mansion who probably wouldn't notice the shit missing anyway.

It's been slow going though, especially in the beginning. Among a bunch of other mods, I've got the basic needs (eat sleep drink) and frostfall mods going. Tried going to Bleak Falls only to almost catch my death. (No firewood and no warm clothes since I was poor/level 1. I was actually on my way to get linen to make warm clothes with.) Had to scuttle down the mountainside before I froze to death. I finally purchased a tent and found a firewood axe, so I'm finally starting my ventures outside of Falkreath/Whiterun holds, which is where I'm at now. 

It's really fun to have to worry about freezing to death. Couple that with turning off fast travel, and it has you planning your trips a little more thoroughly. You don't want to weigh yourself down with too much firewood, but it's definitely a necessity. And with no fast traveling you can't just put things in a chest, fast travel home to empty out your pockets and fast travel back. On top of all that, with the mods I've got installed, you need to eat, drink and sleep too. I had no clue that drinking river water could give you diseases, which JUST happened to me. I've contracted ataxia, which sucks since I'm a thief. I have no idea what it'll progress into, but the mod makes the diseases get worse over time so that should be interesting. I'm curious to see how this goes.


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## Adam Of Angels

So, I was playing through as a Kajiit swordsman vampire hunter and I decided that I was going to use the console to craft the strongest armor and weapons I possibly could, just to see what was possible.

My armor rating is just under 5000, my bow does 1800 damage, and my two maces do 3600 damage when used together. Alduin took about 12 arrows on Legendary mode


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## Grand Moff Tim

Damn, all this mod talk has me wanting to give Frostfall, realistic needs, and maybe weighted gold a shot. My Pacifist build is kinda challenging enough already without those mods, though, haha. We'll see.

Is Frostfall available via the Steam mods section, or do I have to get it from TESNexus or some other site like that? I couldn't find it on Steam with the quick search I did before heading off to work this morning.


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## BrainArt

It's on the Nexus, which I honestly prefer to the Steam Workshop.


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## Grand Moff Tim

Is Realistic Needs exclusively on Nexus now, too? I just tried subscribing to it on the workshop and it's just giving me an error message when I try to open the page, saying "The item is either marked as hidden or you do not have permission to view it."


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## Grand Moff Tim

Alright, I caved and DLed the Nexus Mod Manager so I can use the Nexus-exclusive mods, and have easier access to the parameters of some other mods. The mods I added (and some info, for those unfamiliar) are:

Immersive HUD: This revamps the HUD, and gives you a huge amount of control over its settings. The default settings make the crosshairs disappear unless you have a bow, spell or staff equipped, or you're looking at something that can be interacted with (an item or a door, for example). It also makes the compass on-off toggled with the X key, and the health/stamina/magicka bars disappear more quickly once filled.

Realistic Needs: This makes it like Fallout: New Vegas' "Hardcore Mode," where you have to eat, drink, and sleep or risk facing consequences. You can also catch diseases by eating tainted or spoiled food, drinking dirty water, or sleeping in a dirty bedroll, and drinking booze actually gets you drunk(!). The parameters you can control are pretty in depth, like how long before food in your inventory spoils, whether it disappears after spoiling, how likely you are to get a disease from drinking water, or how drunk you get on what kinds of booze.

Ishs Weighted Gold: It's what it sounds like. Gold has a .01 item weight, so every 100 septims you have increase your burden by 1 encumbrance unit.

Frostfall: Makes you susceptible to cold, whether from weather or getting wet, to varying degrees depending on situation. It adds items that help you deal with it, like portable tents and bedrolls, cloaks, and tinderboxes.

I haven't fooled around with them much yet, but I'm looking forward to it.


Now of course, fancy new mods are always an excuse to start a new build. So... I did, haha.

This time I decided to go more traditional and make a character that's suited to the environment and story the Vanilla game provided. That is to say, he's a Nord. A racist, racist Nord. His name is Adulf (lol), and if there's anything he can do to avoid it, he won't do any business with elves or the beast races, and will show preference to Nords over other Human races ("Skyrim for the NORDS!" and all that rot). I'll also try to murderize any roving packs of those filthy Thalmor I come across in the wild. He'll also give the Mage's College a pass, and keep magicka use to an absolute minimum, like healing if he doesn't have any restore health potions handy. He's specializing (via the CCO mod) in traditional Nord skills, like Light Armor, One Handed, Smithing, and Block. I also like to think that a rugged (albeit racist as balls) Nord is a good playstyle to use for getting accustomed to the Frostfall mod. We'll see, I guess.

I won't totally abandon Alistair the Pacifist, but he'll be put on hold until I've learned the ins and outs of these new mods. I don't want to jump into them with him until I really know what I'm doing, because I've become rather attached to the guy, haha.


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## Grand Moff Tim

Ooh, vampires are immune to exposure in the Frostfall mod. That's good to know, and will be handy for the pacifist. I'll still need to learn how to handle Realistic Needs before playing as him again, though.

About that Realistic Needs mod, though, is there a way to check my needs' status? And is there some special thing I need to do to drink or fill my empty bottles? I'm trying the hotkey that's supposed to do it and nothing happens, and standing in water isn't filling the bottles like it should. Is there some way I should be toggling it on or off?


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## Winspear

Was going to post something detailed later, but for now I'll just let you know I'm playing with that mod and filled my bottles for 5 gold at a tavern after confirming that I would not prefer alcohol. I don't think there is a way to check the status, no. Just look out for the notifications. I haven't yet seen them get to anything too drastic, but I haven't gone longer than half a day without eating or drinking, or stayed awake for more than around 16 hours. I didn't know you could fill them from rivers etc?


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## Grand Moff Tim

EtherealEntity said:


> I didn't know you could fill them from rivers etc?



The mod settings say standing in water will fill empty bottles, and that the B and N keys will drink from streams and display settings (perhaps not in that order, i forget ). That hasn't been my experience, though. Is there a dialogue option with innkeepers to fill bottles? I didn't check for that. I did buy some soup from one though .


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## Señor Voorhees

There should be a "power" (like shifting to wolf form) that lets you check. Same with frost fall. Lets you know how wet/exposed you are. I have them both hot keyed so I can check on the fly. I finally get to dive back in in 20 minutes. Can't wait.

Edit: of course I mean there's a power in your powers menu that lets you check how hungry/tired/thirsty you are. Frost fall has the survival skills power that lets you craft certain things and build fires. Frost fall also has one that let's you check your exposure and wetness.


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## Grand Moff Tim

Hm. It might not have intalled correctly or could be conflicting with other mods, because I don't remember seeing that power. I have used the two frostfall powers (temp/wetness and survival skills) plenty, but the only other power I have right now is Battle Cry, which is the default Nord power. Maybe I'm missing something in the settings somewhere.


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## Winspear

I've just noticed that you can see your hunger, tiredness and thirst status and the effects of them on the last magic page. This is pretty interesting for me having no exact idea what parts of the game are original or part of the mods I have installed, haha.


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## BrainArt

In the MCM for Realistic Needs there should be an option to turn your power on/off. 


If not, in the Active Effects menu, it should show you how hungry, thirsty or tired you are.


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## Señor Voorhees

Oh, hey. Just checked the MCM menu and it also says if you press "N" it'll display your needs too. I just tried it out and it seems to work. Much more convenient than switching powers.


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## Grand Moff Tim

Yeah, that's definitely not working for me. I'll have to see if I'm missing something to toggle in the mod parameters menu or something. I know parts of the mod must've installed correctly, since I have the mod menu and because there's added descriptors for food and drink items (ie "a filling meal, a light snack," etc), so I must be / hope I am just missing something in the settings.

EDIT: And I'm at work right now, so I won't be able to check it again for a few hours. Damn you, responsibilities!


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## Winspear

Sooo that was fun! I take back all my previous feelings about Skyrim now that I've played it on PC with these epic mods.

Today I created a Bosmer, aiming towards a stealthy type build and intending to focus on all stealth skills alongside archery and enchanting. I decided to play on Legendary mode, with no crosshair or HUD, alongside the Frostfall survival mod and Basic Needs mod.

Needless to say it's been absolutely epic so far. I found myself utterly terrified of something as simple as a wolf. Owned by bandits plenty of times too. 
I spent 2 days making my way around without the map and beginning some quests whilst getting a hang of the game. Clearing some basic outdoor camps etc. (which on legendary at only level 2 or 3 with crap gear required several attempts and lots of technique). 

By level 4 I felt ready to embark upon the Dragonstone quest. Without the map or HUD compass it took me a good while to find where I was going, which was indeed the big ruins that I expected. Leaving at dawn on Wednesday, I'd stocked up on water and food and was making my way there. Ended up barely scrambling to save my life from the cold with some furs and a campfire in the nearby bandit tower which I had previously cleared. When ready I went up into the blizzard and just managed to fight the bandit guardians of the temple. 

The undead dungeon itself was a huge challenge with many many failures haha. On this difficulty level I find myself saving after almost every fight 

I did have to tone it down to Expert for the giant spider. At this point I began to realise the frequency of my Basic Needs warnings and realised I may have come too far for my supplies. I wondered how much lay ahead and pushed on, digging myself deeper into a hole that I was certain I wouldn't recover.
I managed to scramble my way to the end of the dungeon, just! By this point my recovery speed and movement was crippled beyond belief by hunger, dehydration and lack of sleep. Sadly because of this I had to fight the boss on Adept but nevermind! 
At this point I was certain I would not make it back out and down the mountain alive, with almost two days behind me. Only a few minutes on the way back I began to die from lack of sleep hbang and the sleeping bag I took from that woman at the start saved my life. Timing the sleep right to avoid descending the mountain in the dark (which would definitely have had me killed by wolves), I was able to make my way back well rested with severe dehydration and starvation  I reached the Inn at nightfall on Friday in time to take the attached screenshot before guzzling 6 bottles of water and devouring an entire vegetable patch. To top it all off, the Innkeeper was away and I had to sleep by the campfire outside 

This game is ....ing hardcore


----------



## Winspear

Installed addons attached.

I did find that due to the difficulty level, my initial combat ideas were literally impossible. I had to have a fair amount of use of pretty much everything available to me. Wearing heavy armour, pulling + getting in another few with the bow, dual wielding fire/heal spells, shield+dagger, two hander destruction. And a fair amount of trap pulls also. 

Not knowing the game, I'd like to ask - do you think I should tone the level down, or will I be able to focus my playstyle more once I get a bit tougher without turning it down? I'd like to keep to my initial build idea to stay in character. 

Also, I did manage to fill up bottles in water but now it doesn't want to. 

I am turning on the compass in the HUD sometimes, but it has no quest markers. Only used to identify NESW as one might when carrying a compass (useful on this quest where the mountain was mentioned as West). It's also necessary to turn this part on to see the wet/cold meters. 

Tim - Is this what you wanted? 
Equipable Map at Skyrim Nexus - mods and community?


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## Grand Moff Tim

EtherealEntity said:


> Not knowing the game, I'd like to ask - do you think I should tone the level down, or will I be able to focus my playstyle more once I get a bit tougher without turning it down? I'd like to keep to my initial build idea to stay in character.


 
Confession time: I play on default difficulty. I always have. It's always been more about the exploration and the myriad playstyle variations to me, rather than making sure it's as ball-bustingly challenging as I can. I've toyed with the idea of bumping up the difficulty on some of my builds that are more advanced in level and able to steamroll their way through just about everything, but I usually just start a new build with different self-imposed restrictions instead .



EtherealEntity said:


> Tim - Is this what you wanted?
> Equipable Map at Skyrim Nexus - mods and community?



Close, but no cigar. I'd still like the option of an arrow showing where I am, where I need to be, and icons for places I've discovered. The aesthetic is right, but the function is not. I might DL it anyway so I can at least have a road map, but I'll have to use it in conjunction with the default game map.

Unrelated: I actually bothered to read the entire description for Realistic Needs, and apparently Vampires don't need to eat or drink, so that'll be one less thing to worry about with the Pacifist. Cold? No problem. Hungry? No problem. Thirsty? No problem. Step on a tripwire and get hit with a log? Problem . I suppose I'll have to sleep from time to time, though.


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## Taylor

^Holy shit! 
I wish my motherboard hadn't fried, now I have to play vanilla Skyrim on the 360. :/

Edit: @ EE


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## BrainArt

Grand Moff Tim said:


> Confession time: I play on default difficulty. I always have. It's always been more about the exploration and the myriad playstyle variations to me, rather than making sure it's as ball-bustingly challenging as I can. I've toyed with the idea of bumping up the idea on some of my builds that are more advanced in level and able to steamroll their way through just about everything, but I usually just start a new build with different self-imposed restrictions instead



This is what I do, as well. Plus, Adept is really the only difficulty where everything is balanced as it should be. If I want to make things more difficult for me, I'll download and install SkyRe and still use Adept.


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## Winspear

Grand Moff Tim said:


> Confession time: I play on default difficulty. I always have. It's always been more about the exploration and the myriad playstyle variations to me, rather than making sure it's as ball-bustingly challenging as I can. I've toyed with the idea of bumping up the difficulty on some of my builds that are more advanced in level and able to steamroll their way through just about everything, but I usually just start a new build with different self-imposed restrictions instead .
> 
> 
> 
> Close, but no cigar. I'd still like the option of an arrow showing where I am, where I need to be, and icons for places I've discovered. The aesthetic is right, but the function is not. I might DL it anyway so I can at least have a road map, but I'll have to use it in conjunction with the default game map.
> 
> Unrelated: I actually bothered to read the entire description for Realistic Needs, and apparently Vampires don't need to eat or drink, so that'll be one less thing to worry about with the Pacifist. Cold? No problem. Hungry? No problem. Thirsty? No problem. Step on a tripwire and get hit with a log? Problem . I suppose I'll have to sleep from time to time, though.



I expected that would be the case with the map.
Fair deal on the difficulty - for me it is just a realism thing. I wanted to feel like escaping/killing a pack of wolves was a big deal, as it would be in real life, for a relatively untrained fighter. I expect Legendary is a bit OTT though  This means I often choose to bypass many dangers I see. However I suppose somebody like that wouldn't go wandering into a dungeon full of undead haha!


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## Grand Moff Tim

Okay, I'm an idiot. There was something I had to click in the Realistic Needs menu to activate it, so now it's finally on. The biggest pain about it so far is the amount of space it takes up carrying around food and water everywhere I go (not to mention firewood for Frostfall). I wasn't sure whether I'd opt for a follower this time around, but I decided I needed a pack mule. In order to be somewhat in keeping with the build's playstyle, I at least went for another Nord to be my follower (Sven, from Riverwood). He isn't too terribly useful in a fight, but he carries firewood like a champ, hahaha.

I need all the carry weight I can get, since I'm trying to not use fast travel with this guy, though I will allow myself the use of carriages. One funny thing that happened while hoofing it back to a town to sell my plunderings, was that I spotted a butterfly, plucked its wings...

...and became over encumbered. 

From a BUTTERFLY WING.

It was frustrating, but I had to laugh, haha.

I also got a bit of a chuckle when I was making my way through a cave and started to wobble and stumble. I was thinking "wtf?" so I checked my Needs, and I had apparently had enough ale to get drunk, hahaha. Just in time to stumble into a fight with a bunch of Alikir assassins, no less. Oh, Skyrim. You so crazy.

EDIT: Oh, also, in order to stay with my angry racist Nord playthrough, I've murdered three different groups of filthy Imperial soldiers I've happened across in the wilderness.

JUST BECAUSE I CAN.


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## Winspear

I tumbled right down the huge flight of stairs in Whiterun going to see the Jarl whilst drunk  

Any luck with filling up bottles in the wild? None here. Though I have something like 25 on me now haha and it still only costs 5 gold to fill so..


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## Señor Voorhees

I've been filling bottles since I started. You stand in ankle deep water and then go to your inventory and click the empties and they should fill if the hot key doesn't work. I've still made it nowhere worth mentioning as my character. I've decided on only using my map when I'm in a town. On top of all this fun stuff, I've decided that once this character dies, that's the end of it and I move on to another character build. I've been fleeing from a lot more fights with the thought of perma death looming over me. 

The whole over encumbered thing is why I really like the immersion mods. You have to plan everything out a lot more. You have to sort of think of as if you're the character. Not just how you can use the game mechanics to make everything easier/quicker for yourself. 

For what it's worth, I'm on the standard difficulty as well. I cheated, but only to give my character a nice (dragon bone) dagger from the beginning, of which I intend to keep throughout this characters journey. I think in the lower levels, probably up until around 10, I'd say keep the difficulty relatively low. I know that once you get towards the higher 20's, 30's and even 40's, things get stupid easy and even turning up the difficulty doesn't make it too hard. Of course, mods can help with that though. I'm gonna get back to it. I haven't had the chance to play today and just sat down to relax. I really should be finishing up recording my Halloween EP, but I'm feeling lazy tonight.


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## texshred777

Ah, another permadeath player.

It certainly makes encounters with monsters more tense, doesn't it? Since I started my permadeath character I've run away more times than I care to admit. Even if it's a little out of character for the Arbiter.


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## Adam Of Angels

EtherealEntity said:


> I expected that would be the case with the map.
> Fair deal on the difficulty - for me it is just a realism thing. I wanted to feel like escaping/killing a pack of wolves was a big deal, as it would be in real life, for a relatively untrained fighter. I expect Legendary is a bit OTT though  This means I often choose to bypass many dangers I see. However I suppose somebody like that wouldn't go wandering into a dungeon full of undead haha!




Sinking 47 arrows in a man is not realistic. Two makes sense. That's my issue with the difficulty system - it just is not realistic. But, I have too many hours into the game that prove I am ok with it's flaws


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## Señor Voorhees

I'm amazed at how slow the progress goes when you remove fast travel. I just got done for the night and I still haven't ventured outside of Whiterun or Falkreath holds. (save for a quick wagon trip to Riften to thieve up a mod armor from the thieves guild, which my character has zero intent on joining.) I pretty much only accomplished buying the property for Falkreath and building an empty room.

I've hardly done any quests and I'm already at level 20/21. I've obtained a follower and should be heading into more involved things in the very near future. I can't wait to have to deal with the Pale.


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## Grand Moff Tim

Hm. I might make Adulf a permadeath build. It'll change my approach AND give me an excuse to build a new toon when he inevitably dies, haha.


----------



## Winspear

I realised I'd forgotten to install Character Creation Overhaul. Luckily you can install it midgame which is nice. My skills now appear so much heavier weighted which is awesome. Was able to choose all 6 that I wanted, too. My carry weight is totally gimped! It seemed almost perfect before but now I'm really going to have to think about what I take out with me haha.


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## Grand Moff Tim

Holy shit, Frostfall is no fvcking joke when you head north. I decided Adulf should join the Stormcloaks, being the goof lil raci... erm... Nord that he is, so I took a carriage up to Windhelm. After being given the assignment to go to the island in the north to kill an ice wraith, I took another carriage up to Winterhold, and started to walk towards the shore...


...where I was caught in a goddamned blizzard. I built a fire and got out my tent to wait it out, but even after a quick nap it was still raging. 

I decided to just say fvck it and hoofed it to the island as fast as I could, only to find out that there's pretty much no way to get there without going for a swim in the icy waters. I got as close as I could by hopping from floe to floe, but that only got me so close. By the time I got to the top of the island and defeated the ice wraith, I was getting the "You are freezing to death!" message. I needed to build shelter quick, but my follower had the rest of my firewood and he hadn't caught up with me yet. I had to stand there and wait for him, hoping I wouldn't freeze to death before he showed up so I could build a fire and some shelter...





*Whew* 

After waiting for the blizzard to dissipate completely, I headed back for shore. That of course meant going for another icy swim, so I was soon 99% wet and freezing cold. This time, though, I happened upon a bandit camp near a shipwreck, so I killed the bandits and set my tent up by their fire (I had run out of wood) and stayed there to warm up a bit:





At that point I was past any parts that involved swimming, but I still had to hike my way back to Winterhold to get some supplies and get in out of the cold for a while. Of course, on the way I was hit by ANOTHER goddamned blizzard. I was out of firewood, and struggling my way up the side of a sheer bluff (the one near the Mage's College), praying to Talos that I'd make it in time. 

I got the "You are freezing to death!" message again just as I was cresting the hill and could see the rooftops of Winterhold, and then a motherfvcking DRAGON showed up. It was only a low-level asshole, but I was freezing my little Nord ass off, so I said NOPE and ran into the town inn to defrost by the fire. Only once I was warm again did I go back out into the blizzard to fight the dragon (an ice dragon, because of-fvcking course). He went down easily enough, so I went back in to warm up and wait out the storm, then finally took the main road back to Windhelm to take the Stormcloak oath.

Shit's intense.


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## Señor Voorhees

I like the naked dude/dudette in that last picture, sprawled out on the ground. Nothing like camping out right next to a dead guy to make you realize just how luck your character has it. 

Also, that shit's brutal. I'm a little nervous to head north. I've been having an awkward enough time with the rain and mild chill from down south, I can only imagine wandering around up north. 

Worth noting, I think frostfall adds backbacks which let you carry a bit more weight. You can craft them pretty easily at tanning racks. Might be a good investment for you, Ethereal.


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## Grand Moff Tim

I bought a backpack and a tent & bedroll from the very first general store I came across after starting this build, haha.


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## Señor Voorhees

So I found an NPC I've never heard of before and can't find anything on around any of the Wiki's. I figured maybe she was a modded character or something, but I can't find any mods with her either. I didn't pay her any attention since she was just some random chick who showed up to my wedding. I picked her pockets and noticed she had a full set of Stormcloak armor. The only reason I noticed her as an individual now is because my wife died and I was resetting the marriage quest so I could inevitably get remarried and this woman was still just sitting there in the church. Her name is Dolphine, and the best I can think is that she looks an awful lot like one of the random stormcloaks at the beginning of the vanilla game. I have the mod where it skips that intro sequence, dumping you in a random dungeon, and I'm wondering if maybe instead of going through the whole intro thing she somehow made her way to riften instead? (Doesn't really make much sense with the way the the way the game works, but I swear I've seen her in the intro.) Anybody have a clue on this? It's definitely "Dolphine" and not "Delphine," who is involved in the main quest. Without provocation she was willing to follow me, which is usually a telltale sign that she's modded in, but I can find nothing about her, Vanilla Skyrim or otherwise.


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## BlackMastodon

Maaaaan f**k the console version of this game.  These mods sound freaking awesome.


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## Grand Moff Tim

Yeah, the mods are pretty great. Frostfall and Realistic Needs have really sucked me back in. Adulf has made it all the way through the Stormcloak/Civil War story and is around lvl 18 or so, and I haven't fast traveled once yet. This is _easily_ the longest I've gone without fast traveling, though I've most certainly dropped a fair bit of coin on carriage rides, haha. 

I'm also spending WAAAY more money in Inns than I ever have before. I think the only times I ever spent money on Inns before installing these mods was to have a bed to sleep in to initiate the Dark Brotherhood quest before I owned a bed/house of my own. I've also been droppin' them Septims on meals and water bottle refills for the road. 

I had been thinking I needed to start carrying less food, water and firewood (or making Sven carry even more of it for me, haha), since I noticed the amount of free storage space I had was getting smaller and smaller. However, after I went and bought Hjerim and most of its upgrades, I noticed I had _much_ more available space. I remembered "Oh yeah, Weighted Gold mod." The house + furnishings cost me about 17k septims, and spending those dropped _170_ points from my encumbrance. Derp.

I find myself trying to get alot more of my class/lesson planning done here at work instead of taking more of it home with me in the evenings, so I can have more time to play Skyrim after work again, hahaha.

EDIT: I've started to lose count of how many Imperial soldiers, Thalmor, and random Dunmer farmers Adulf has murdered while out hiking from place to place. It's a refreshing change of pace from the paficist build, haha.


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## texshred777

Yeah, the more I read about the various mods for Skyrim the less inclined I am to want to play any further. Vanilla Skyrim is great, of course...but those mods.

The Arbiter Heinrick is still kicking. Has had a couple close calls, but has reached level 12 without a death so far.

Talia Al'Jilani has abandoned all weapons at this point. Her weapons are her mouth, and her fists.


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## K3V1N SHR3DZ

I have almost 400 hours in the xbox version and after seeing my room-mate's PC version I am like "goddamn, there goes my life".

Currently on my 3rd play-through as an Argonian, level 114. I've used the alchemy-enchanting loop to make some super sick gear (Glass War Axe that does 62 million damage, a necklace of 13 million health and healing rate, circlet that adds 13 million magicka and magicka regen), and taken all the fun out of this one... I don't even kill stuff anymore, just cast Pacify on everything.


Can't wait to build my PC so I can do some ludicrous mods....


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## Grand Moff Tim

Dang. I never had the patience to get any one build up that high in level. I always start a new one when I get another weird idea in my head, when I get some new mods, or, in the case of abandoning my highest level character, when I've done everything but the infinite radiant quests.


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## Señor Voorhees

I usually get bored with a given character long before I reach 40. I'm still going with this current character, though I took a day off to play Shadow Warrior, which I had no idea was getting rebooted. It's my day off tomorrow, so I'll probably get some more time into skyrim. Last I remember I almost froze to death outside of Solitude. Had to go swimming and I thought I had more than one bundle of fire wood. Was probably about 30 seconds from dying when I made it indoors. Fun times.


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## Grand Moff Tim

I installed more mods this evening, because of course I did.

Dig Up Dragon Bones: Dragon burial mounds contain dragon bones and scales. You can dig them up if you have a shovel in your inventory, and they don't respawn. Handy for if you want to smith dragon plate/scale/bone stuff but don't want to bother with the main quest long enough for dragons to show up.

A Quality Map With Roads: FINALLY, a map mod that adds roads to the in-game map. You can choose main roads only or all roads, and there's even a paper map version (!!!) in the works. I also installed an HD map retexture to make it look better, but I forget the name. It's in this mod's info page, if you want it.

UFO Ultimate Follower Overhaul: it's what it sounds like. It drastically overhauls your followers, adding much more conversation and action options, and increasing the number of followers you can have. There's probably more I'm forgetting, I haven't even gotten a new follower since starting it.

Bottom of the Well: Adds a free player home in the well in Whiterun out in front of the Bannered Mare. It's small and doesn't add any game-breaking loot or anything, it's just a handy little free house that could be fun for some build backstories.

Bandoliers: Adds a ton of craftable bandoliers, pouches, pockets, and bags that you can craft and equip, and they increase your carry weight. Handy in conjunction with Frostfall and Realistic Needs.

Run for Your Lives: A simple mod that makes named NPCs in cities and villages run inside during dragon attacks. No more civilian casualties! Unless a vampire comes along, I guess...

Lockpick Pro: adds a sweetspot meter above the lock animation. It makes it SUPER easy to pick locks (not that it was particularly hard to begin with), and I may not keep it around. I was mostly curious how it worked, and it does indeed make it pretty much impossible to fvck up picking a lock, haha.

Better MessageBox Controls: Changes the messagebox popups so that you can select/close them with the WSADE and ESC keys, so you don't have to move the cursor all over the place all the time in certain menus.

Dual Wielding Parrying: Adds a mappable block key (default is V) so you can still block while dual wielding. I have no idea why that wasn't a feature in vanilla Skyrim, but I'm glad someone had the sense to mod it in.

Of course, since I DLed these mods, I had to mark the occasion with a new build. This time I made a female Argonian (Stalks-With-Sanguine) who's pretty much just out to steal and fvck with people. I can't wait until her pickpocket is high enough to be able to pickpocket the clothes right off of people's backs, haha.


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## texshred777

I like that new build idea. Now if you steal someone's stash you can also leave them a bottle of liquor to drown the sorrows of lost property. 

Of course there's stealing city guard armors. Perhaps you can replace them with odd outfits like miner's clothes, or a chef smock(plus hat). I'd say a dress but clothing isn't sex specific until equipped.


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## Señor Voorhees

My pickpocketing was the first thing to sky rocket. In fact it and sneak are the only two skill I leveled, save for the occasional one handed. I'm capable of lifting almost anything off of anyone with 90% chance. It's convenient, but I try not to overdo it. (feels strange disrobing someone.) I'm still on my one character. I'm determined to play through the dragonborn DLC, as I still haven't even started it yet. I think I'll go and start the main quest to get that ball rolling right now.


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## Grand Moff Tim

Welp, vampirism officially takes the challenge out of Frostfall and Realistic Needs & Diseases, hahaha. Exposure, food, and water are no longer necessary, and I'm immune to disease. The only need I'm still subject to is sleep, and since I'm weakened when I'm out in the sun during the day anyways, I just take daylight as an excuse to pitch my tent and sleep until the sun goes down. That'll be handy for the pacifist, but I'm having too much fun playing as my sneaky daedra-worshipping Argonian.

One restriction I've stuck with made things really rough for a while at first: She's only using daggers. No swords, axes, hammers, maces, or even bows. Just daggers. That meant alot of darting in and out, running away to heal, and running around in circles while I was low in level. Now, though, I've got the sneak perk that increases sneak damage done by daggers 15x, so as long as I can get in close enough to get that first swing in without being detected, I've got the upper hand. Having the detectability bonus of vampirism really helps there. It's really rewarding (and ....ing hilarious) creeping into a fort or ruin and killing everything there with nothing but daggers. I'm accustomed to sneaking about and sniping from the shadows, but gettin' my dagger on adds more flavor.


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## Señor Voorhees

^That's how I played it. I've never done more than a single dagger since I started, albeit a dagger I obtained through cheating. (It only did 9 damage for the first 20 levels of my character, I completely relied/rely on that 15x perk.) My character's a fvcking ghost when it comes to sneaking, but if I get spotted it gets rough. A useful shout is the "throw voice" shout you find near Krosis. It can help your pacifist too, if he's any decent at sneaking. Kind of like shooting arrows to divert attention, only a little more useful since it's range is better.


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## texshred777

Señor Voorhees;3754117 said:


> ^That's how I played it. I've never done more than a single dagger since I started, albeit a dagger I obtained through cheating. (It only did 9 damage for the first 20 levels of my character, I completely relied/rely on that 15x perk.) My character's a fvcking ghost when it comes to sneaking, but if I get spotted it gets rough. A useful shout is the "throw voice" shout you find near Krosis. It can help your pacifist too, if he's any decent at sneaking. Kind of like shooting arrows to divert attention, only a little more useful since it's range is better.


 
Unfortunately, his pacifist would have to run away and rely on guards/townsfolk to kill the dragons, to get the souls to unlock said shout.


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## Grand Moff Tim

Señor Voorhees;3754117 said:


> My character's a fvcking ghost when it comes to sneaking, but if I get spotted it gets rough.



Yeah, it's still pretty rough when I get spotted, too. I do have one ace in my pocket there, though: Vampirism again comes to the rescue. When there's a room full of baddies to kill, first I sneak in and try to kill as many as possible, but if I'm spotted and there are tougher enemies in there, then I turn into a vampire lord and mop the floor with them, haha. Prior to this build I had actually never used vampire lord enough to get any of the vampire perks, but I've used it so much now that I've got four or five of them.



Señor Voorhees;3754117 said:


> A useful shout is the "throw voice" shout you find near Krosis. It can help your pacifist too, if he's any decent at sneaking. Kind of like shooting arrows to divert attention, only a little more useful since it's range is better.



Throw voice, disarm, and become ethereal would all be handy shouts for a pacifist, but like Tex pointed out, unlocking shouts tends to involve killing dragons, which is a bit of a rough affair when you can't kill anything . I'll have to find my way around killing more than just dragons to even advance far enough in the main quest for dragons to start appearing to begin with. That build's on hold while I sneak-murder things, but I'll get back to it and cross that bridge when I come to it.


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## Winspear

I have been having a great time with my 'hunter' now level 20. I am making a point to limit each characters exposure to certain quests to keep each playthrough unique and interesting, as well as stay in character as best as possible. This character has earned his place as a Companion and will go on to hunt vampires and other nasties. Avoiding the war largely and he is currently not interested in going up the mountain to pursue the dragonborn quests. 
I have another few characters with very different interests that I wish to start, but just posting to recommend some more mods!

I have A LOT of mods installed haha. But I wish to add to the immersion list:

Fishing in Skyrim and Hunterborn. Allows you to fish, and adds a much improved animal looting system. Very good for mods like Basic Needs (though I've replaced that with Total Realism but can't seem to get it to work yet. It's on and some features working but I don't get hungry, can't check status etc..)

Expensive Investments, Cutthroat Merchants, Reduced Gold Rewards, Realistic Room Rental. I decided it was way way too easy to get gold. Considering my character has stayed away from almost all small quests I've encountered but still have gotten over 20k gold at level 20 seems silly, and large investments are nowhere near that expensive. These mods make it much more brutal. Looking forward to playing my outlaw character with these!


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## Grand Moff Tim

EtherealEntity said:


> This character has earned his place as a Companion and will go on to hunt vampires and other nasties.



Sounds like he should join the Dawnguard and/or become a Vigilant of Stendarr.


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## Winspear

Totally missed the Activate button on Realistic Needs lol. 

Yep Dawnguard is on the list as soon as I have finished the Companions and have Aela as my follower  I don't know anything about Stendarr yet.


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## Grand Moff Tim

EtherealEntity said:


> I don't know anything about Stendarr yet.



You'll learn more when you do the Dawnguard stuff, though you might also randomly see some Vigilants wandering around Skyrim. Worshipping him might fit in with the role you're playing, which you could do by wearing an Amulet of Stendarr, and only praying at shrines of Stendarr. My racist asshole Nord refuses to pray at any shrine but Talos, and won't walk past one without activating it .

Seems the Vigilants aren't always fond of werewolves, though, which might clash with being in the Companions...

Lore:Stendarr - UESPWiki

EDIT: Werewolves might prefer Hircine, now that I think about it, but Hircine's a Daedra, not one of the Nine Divines, so you won't find any shrines (but there IS a quest to do).


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## Winspear

Thanks for the inspiration to pick up this game by the way. On the PC and with all these mods available it really is 10x better than the noodling I had on Xbox.


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## Jakke

Finally remembered my Nexus password. Skyrim here I come 


*EDIT* Also leaving this:
The High King of Skyrim takes nobody's crap


----------



## BrainArt

I haven't played Skyrim in a while, because GTAV has taken up a ton of my time. I still haven't figured out my issue with the stuck pose, either. I did try all of Tim's suggestions, but unfortunately they didn't work. 

It was fun being a dragon, though.


----------



## Jakke

Beat Dragonborn yesterday, and I have to say it was an all-round pleasant experience. I enjoyed seeing Solstheim again, and I really enjoyed


Spoiler



the large part of Hermaeus Mora; possibly my favourite Daedra (Lovecraft fan as I am).


 Miraak was also a killer villain I have to say.


----------



## Chiba666

Still hanvt got past Mirak yet, think I may ahve to go back in and finihs that quest line off.


----------



## Grand Moff Tim

645 hours in, and I'm _still_ coming across random encounters I've never come across before. Two from today:

1) I was taking the road from Markarth to Whiterun, and when I was about half way there, two little kids ran up to me offering to sell random dwemer junk. For a septim, they marked my map with the location of the dwemer ruin from which they had gotten it. Nothing super special or awesome, but it still surprised me a bit because I had never come across that random event before.

2) Same road, a little closer to Whiterun (near the tower where you fight your first dragon), I hear someone on the side of the road yell for my attention. I turned towards him and saw a Vigilant of Stendarr, but when I approached, he attacked me and a vampire that was hiding off behind a rock came out to attack me, too. After I killed the both of them, I found the naked body of an ACTUAL Vigilant of Stendarr in the area, and the dude who attacked me was a vampire wearing his clothes to lull me into a false sense of security. Pretty sneaky, sis.


----------



## Winspear

^ I read about that Stendarr thing the other day. I love that this game is full of little things like this. I saw some giant frostbite spiders playing with something on the road the other day. Killed them and found a corpse wrapped up in web like Frodo in LOTR. Brutal. 

My hunter is going well, around level 21. I've started a Stormcloak warrior and an Imperial thief too.


----------



## Grand Moff Tim

My prankster finally hit lvl 100 in pickpocket recently, so I can take the clothes right off of people's backs. It's especially funny with a nudity mod installed, hahaha.


----------



## Señor Voorhees

Speaking of nude mods, I had accidentally installed the naked version of a body mod instead of the underpants one. I hadn't realized it until I got attacked by a gaggle of naked witches wearing nothing but little pointy (modded) witch hats. I couldn't stop laughing for a good twenty minutes. 

I need to get back into Skyrim. As it turns out, I had to put it down for a while due to lack of free time. I've got a nice (pointless) four hour work day today, which I'll count as a day off so I think I'll finally start the Dragonborn DLC.


----------



## Grand Moff Tim

Another day, another build. Of course.

Quick backstory, because I'm sure you all care: This time I went for a female Breton pure mage. Her name is Adrienne Traven, which might sound strangely familiar to fans of Oblivion; Adrienne Berene was the head of the SKingrad Mage's Guild and Hannibal Traven was the Archmage of the Mage's Guild at the time of the Oblivion Crisis. 

Adrienne Traven's backstory is that she was the product of a secret tryst between Beren and Traven during the Crisis, and in order to hide their "little mistake," they sent her to live with the Psijic Order on Artaeum in the Summerset Isles, before it disappeared again early in the 4th Era. In Artaeum, the magic of the Order increased her life/slowed her aging so she's still alive and appears young at the time of the events in Skyrim.

However, while in Artaeum, she was always treated as a bit of a second class citizen by the Psijics because she wasn't an Aldmer, and as a result she was never given full access to all of their resources, training, and knowledge. After hundreds of years of stagnation, she finally grew tired of it and found a way to sneak away from the Isles and eventually found herself in Skyrim.

With all that in mind, I wanted to start things off with a character who already has a pretty firm grasp on all of the pure mage skills (alteration, conjuration, destruction, illusion, restoration, and enchanting). To that end, I used console commands to add a few powerful tomes to her inventory, and enough gems, enchanted items, and ingredients to power-level her enchanting and alchemy skills (and a few sets of Psijic robes, hoods, gloves and boots, for good measure).

After grinding enchanting and alchemy for a while, I enchanted a set of wearable items for each school of magicka, so that the magicka cost in any given school is reduced to essentially zero as long as she's wearing the right set of clothes and only casts spells from that school. Once I had that out of the way, I finally set off to do some adventuring, and to work on perfecting each school of magicka.

Tonight I managed to max out conjuration (which takes FOREVER to reach 100, especially with the Invested Magic mod active). It's pretty hilarious, though, because now I've got the skills to do this sort of thing:







Yeah, that's right. Fvckin' _FOUR_ Dremora Lords following me around everywhere. Now I've been working on leveling Illusion and Alteration everywhere I go, while just letting the Dremoras mop up any trouble I come across, hahaha.

Also, those Psijic robes sure do look neat.


----------



## BrainArt

Grand Moff Tim said:


> Quick backstory, because I'm sure you all care



I care!  


I started a new build the other night. This time I made a Breton instead of yet another Nord. 

For those who dig backstories (like Tim and myself): His name is Jorah (yes, Game of Thrones inspired). He grew up travelling Tamriel with his parents who were acrobats (using their skills and agility for nefarious ends during certain periods of their lives) in a circus/ carnival of acrobats, agents, assassins and thieves; scamming and robbing at nearly every stop.

In his mid to late teen years his parents were caught trespassing in a nobleman's manor to steal his riches and sent to the block by the town guards by order of the Imperial captain that resided there (ooh, corruption in a governing power, I am so damn original  ).

Upset and angry, Jorah went in to hiding to train himself even more than his parents already had, winding up in Skyrim in his early twenties and painting his face with black ink and his hand (I don't use that style of warpaint near enough, it fits him).

Interesting fact about Jorah is that while he has immaculate vision, he was born with pure white eyes, making it easy for him to scam people into thinking he is a blind beggar.


I'm going to use console commands to give him high sneak, lockpicking, pickpocketing and speech skills and I'm not sure what else. Probably archery and one handed. It makes no sense to me to come up with a backstory to establish a character, but still having to grind the skills trees you want to get them where they should be in terms of their backstory.



I don't have any screenshots of him yet, but once I do I'll make sure to post one up. If I remember that is. 

TLDR; I made a new character who is a Breton assassing, agent, acrobat.


----------



## Grand Moff Tim

BrainArt said:


> It makes no sense to me to come up with a backstory to establish a character, but still having to grind the skills trees you want to get them where they should be in terms of their backstory.



I got around that by creating enchanted items that boosted Adrienne's casting abilities considerably, so it seems she clearly knows what she's doing, but will still have to grind to reach those upper levels and attain the higher knowledge the Psijics kept her from attaining. That's why she left the Isles, after all. I did have to grind Enchanting and Alchemy to be able to make the items, but Alchemy takes like... two minutes to grind to 100, if you use console command to add enough ingredients to your inventory to make about 200 Restore Health potions that include Giant's Toe as an ingredient, and enchanting doesn't take super long, either, so long as you additem all the requisite stuff instead of hunting for or buying it, haha.

Slightly unrelated, but Alteration turned out to be really fast and easy to level, too. It seems when you use telekinesis, your skill levels the entire time you're casting the spell, not just the moment you cast it. With four wearable items reducing Alteration spell cost by 29% each, casting it didn't cost me any magicka at all, so all I had to do was pick up an item with telekinesis and walk around with it, and watch the levels just pile on. I made a real mess of the mage's college library in the process, though .


----------



## BrainArt

Grand Moff Tim said:


> Slightly unrelated, but Alteration turned out to be really fast and easy to level, too. It seems when you use telekinesis, your skill levels the entire time you're casting the spell, not just the moment you cast it. With four wearable items reducing Alteration spell cost by 29% each, casting it didn't cost me any magicka at all, so all I had to do was pick up an item with telekinesis and walk around with it, and watch the levels just pile on. I made a real mess of the mage's college library in the process, though .



I like terrorizing the people of Whiterun by using telekinesis and throwing shit all around. It's also a good spell for thieves, just hide somewhere and aim at the item you want to steal and it will come right to you. 

I've made some decent gold off of Eorlund Grey-Mane's wife's stand doing that with the jewelry she has sitting out in the open.


I'm thinking about using Illusion for my new build, as well. It makes sense to do so what with his backstory and all.

Also, I have never gotten Alchemy up to 100 in any of my playthroughs, even with my jack-of-all-trades. One of these days I should do that.


----------



## Grand Moff Tim

BrainArt said:


> I like terrorizing the people of Whiterun by using telekinesis and throwing shit all around. It's also a good spell for thieves, just hide somewhere and aim at the item you want to steal and it will come right to you.



I had no idea until this build that when you level Alteration up high enough, telekinesis has a larger area of effect and you can grab more than one thing at once, as long as they're already next to eachother. Found that out when I used it to grab a skull, but ended up with a cluster of THREE skulls hovering in front of me .


----------



## makeitreign

Grand Moff Tim said:


> Slightly unrelated, but Alteration turned out to be really fast and easy to level, too.



I hate for my only two posts in this thread to be lists that end in "profit," but...

1. enchant 4 pieces to at least 25% alteration, which grants you exactly no magicka cost.
2. pick anything up with telekinesis.
3. while holding that object, fast travel anywhere (which I just realized, maybe some of you don't)
4. combined with legendary skills, watch the levels soar.
5. profit. from literally(figuratively) anything. seriously, get every perk ever.

EDIT: also, you can forget about conjuring anything if you're over level 80. Dead Thrall works on nothing and all of your atronachs and even dremora die very quickly against your enemies which are still weak compared to you. 

Seriously, Bethesda, make my Dead Thrall work on higher level characters. ya bastids.


----------



## Grand Moff Tim

makeitreign said:


> 1. enchant 4 pieces to at least 25% alteration, which grants you exactly no magicka cost.



I've got a set like that for every school of magicka. Handy stuff.


----------



## makeitreign

It really is. 

I guess the way you worded your post lead me to believe you weren't aware of that... uh... exploit?

Honestly, this last playthrough of mine is the first I've even acknowledged enchanting. I really wish I would have sooner. I guess I never thought about it because hitting someone and seeing them spontaneously combust never did it for me.

...Now if my sword came alight when enemies were nearby, that would be a different matter altogether.


----------



## Grand Moff Tim

makeitreign said:


> 2. pick anything up with telekinesis.
> 3. while holding that object, fast travel anywhere (which I just realized, maybe some of you don't)
> 4. combined with legendary skills, watch the levels soar.



Holy shit, you weren't kidding! That's quite the exploit!


----------



## Metal Guitarist

I bought Daedric armor as an add on on Xbox but how do I get it? It's not in my apparel 

EDIT: Woops sorry I'm stupid, I didn't realize it was for my avatar.


----------



## MFB

So uh, this happened... and it's the best thing ever, surpassing even the Randy Savage Dragon mod

Skyrim mod turns dragons into Thomas the Tank Engine | Polygon


----------



## Taylor

^I saw that earlier


----------



## Grand Moff Tim

I started a Morrowind playthrough this week, and once I'm finished with at least the main quest, I'm going to start an Oblivion playthrough with a build that has the same race, gender, skills (adapting for changes in available skills, of course), and as similar a face as I can manage. Once _that's_ done, I'll start a similar Skyrim playthrough. I'm going to give each character a name that will demonstrate he is a descendant of the previous character, which will mean the heroes of Tamriel all actually come from one unbroken family line.

Better not let the Altmer know. We'll have another King Herod on our hands, and the next hero will have to be born in a manger...



If anyone's curious, it'll be a Redguard. I'm going to use my knowledge of Arabic naming conventions to give the characters their names. I tried to pick as many skills as I could that will be present in all three games, though some sacrifices will have to be made. I chose athletics in Morrowind, for example, which is no longer a skill in Skyrim, and I chose Long Blade in Morrowind, which is just replaced with Blade in Oblivion, which in turn becomes 1 Handed for Skyrim.


----------



## JoshuaVonFlash

Grand Moff Tim said:


> I started a Morrowind playthrough this week, and once I'm finished with at least the main quest, I'm going to start an Oblivion playthrough with a build that has the same race, gender, skills (adapting for changes in available skills, of course), and as similar a face as I can manage. Once _that's_ done, I'll start a similar Skyrim playthrough. I'm going to give each character a name that will demonstrate he is a descendant of the previous character, which will mean the heroes of Tamriel all actually come from one unbroken family line.
> 
> Better not let the Altmer know. We'll have another King Herod on out hands, and the next hero will have to be born in a manger...
> 
> 
> 
> If anyone's curious, it'll be a Redguard. I'm going to use my knowledge of Arabic naming conventions to give the characters their names. I tried to pick as many skills as I could that will be present in all three games, though some sacrifices will have to be made. I chose athletics in Morrowind, for example, which is no longer a skill in Skyrim, and I chose Long Blade in Morrowind, which is just replaced with Blade in Oblivion, which in turn becomes 1 Handed for Skyrim.


A Youtube walkthrough of this would be EPIC.


----------



## JoshuaVonFlash

MFB said:


> So uh, this happened... and it's the best thing ever, surpassing even the Randy Savage Dragon mod
> 
> Skyrim mod turns dragons into Thomas the Tank Engine | Polygon


Video got copyright claimed


----------



## The Reverend

Grand Moff Tim said:


> I started a Morrowind playthrough this week, and once I'm finished with at least the main quest, I'm going to start an Oblivion playthrough with a build that has the same race, gender, skills (adapting for changes in available skills, of course), and as similar a face as I can manage. Once _that's_ done, I'll start a similar Skyrim playthrough. I'm going to give each character a name that will demonstrate he is a descendant of the previous character, which will mean the heroes of Tamriel all actually come from one unbroken family line.
> 
> Better not let the Altmer know. We'll have another King Herod on our hands, and the next hero will have to be born in a manger...
> 
> 
> 
> If anyone's curious, it'll be a Redguard. I'm going to use my knowledge of Arabic naming conventions to give the characters their names. I tried to pick as many skills as I could that will be present in all three games, though some sacrifices will have to be made. I chose athletics in Morrowind, for example, which is no longer a skill in Skyrim, and I chose Long Blade in Morrowind, which is just replaced with Blade in Oblivion, which in turn becomes 1 Handed for Skyrim.



I just recently got all the main Elder Scrolls games. Maybe I'll see if I can take it two steps further back than you.


----------



## Grand Moff Tim

Being more accustomed to Oblivion and Skyrim as I am, it's still a bit jarring for me coming up against enemies I'm completely hopeless against in Morrowind. In TES4 and 5 if a baddie gives me a beatdown, I can usually reload and come back at it with a different strategy and be successful. In Morrowind, though, sometimes I'm just fvcked and have to go elsewhere.

That does annoy me a fair bit, but that annoyance has faded a little as I replace it with a new concept for me in the series: A Shit List. 
I might not remember the directions an NPC gives me to get to my next destination for more than two minutes, but you bet your ass I'll remember EXACTLY where the cave/tomb/whatever is where I came across someone who handed me my ass, so I can come back later when I'm more powerful and enact my furious vengeance.




You may have gotten the best of me this time, Godrod Hairy-Breeks, but now I've got your number. I will be back, and you _will_ die.


----------



## Grand Moff Tim

Holy God, Morrowind is a tedious game.


----------



## The Reverend

Grand Moff Tim said:


> Holy God, Morrowind is a tedious game.



It is. 

Daggerfall is something f--king else, though. I haven't seen graphics like this since I was a kid. I bet when I move on to Morrowind I'll be absolutely floored with the quality. Something I'm noticing is how oddly consistent Bethesda has been with these games. The lore and a lot of the visual cues are much the same, though less highly detailed, obviously. I'm really enjoying this.


----------



## ittoa666

Grand Moff Tim said:


> Holy God, Morrowind is a tedious game.



I can remedy that. Go to Suran. Steal everything from the first shop on the left after getting off of the silt strider. Take all of the loot and sell it. Power level lockpicking and speech in Balmora. Break into the Vivec vaults. Steal everything. Sell everything to Creeper in Caldera. Rinse, repeat, rich.


----------



## Grand Moff Tim

It's SO tempting to just cheat with the control console, but I'm trying to do a legit playthrough.


----------



## Miek

CHIM, bitch


----------



## Taylor

Grand Moff Tim said:


> It's SO tempting to just cheat with the control console, but I'm trying to do a legit playthrough.



_~tgm_

Ooops! How did that happen?


----------



## Grand Moff Tim

Only console command I've used so far in this playthrough was _~ tcl _to get unstuck from a rock I had glitched into.


----------



## CrushingAnvil

Grand Moff Tim said:


> Only console command I've used so far in this playthrough was _~ tcl _to get unstuck from a rock I had glitched into.



Let's just say I've memorised: player.additem 0005AD9D XXX


----------



## Taylor

Grand Moff Tim said:


> Only console command I've used so far in this playthrough was _~ tcl _to get unstuck from a rock I had glitched into.



I commend you for that. I, for one, had to get rid of the bad habit of constantly using console commands in Morrowind. I got it when I was around 13 or so, and was constantly frustrated by it. By the time Skyrim came out I had completely kicked the habit.


----------



## Alex6534

Considering picking up the legendary edition for PC in the steam sale, not sure if it'l drop below it's current price though, either way I'll be buying it


----------



## Grand Moff Tim

Creeper isn't as handy a merchant as I had hoped. I've randomly acquired some expensive ass shit in my travels, and he doesn't even come close to having enough gold to buy it all (or in some cases, even one piece of it). I suppose I could go find that mudcrab merchant, but I suspect he won't be that much more helpful, when I'm trying to sell shit that's worth an absolutely insane amount of gold. So now I've got a glass cuirass, shield, spear, and an ebony shortsword just laying on the ground in the Council Club in Balmora (inheriting houses by killing people ftw!) because they weren't doing me any good taking up space in my inventory, and I can't do anything else with them.

On the plus side, I randomly found a pair of Daedric gauntlets, which got an excited squeal of glee out of me. I'm only lvl 9 right now, so in the other TES games, that's not something I'm used to just finding in a cave somewhere.

EDIT: And I've been using the same damned silver longsword since like lvl 3 or some shit. I'm finding fancy versions (glass, dwarven, ebony) of pretty much everything but longswords, which is frustrating, since my longsword skill is at 100 already, and I'm fvcking useless with anything else. Merchants need to start carrying some better shit.


----------



## works0fheart

Trying to bring myself to play this again but it's hard to just start from scratch with an Elder Scrolls game or newer Fallout game. I had it on console and had put well over 600 hours into it and then I finally bought it on PC and planned on playing it with all of the mods and what not, which I did for a bit, but starting over feels so tedious... Still, it's great to see Skyrim looking so damned good with over 100 mods running


----------



## Grand Moff Tim

You can always just use console commands to bump your level and skills up to somewhere that feels a little better for you and to add some sweet items to your inventory, if starting over as a low level schmuck is what bothers you.


----------



## Mendez

Well skyrim legendary edition finally dropped in a flash sale, had to pick it up. Between this and starting a new fallout 3 file, I'll be busy for the rest of the winter break


----------



## BlackMastodon

Mendez said:


> Well skyrim legendary edition finally dropped in a flash sale, had to pick it up. Between this and starting a new fallout 3 file, I'll be busy for the rest of the winter break


Damn, just missed this one. Been waiting to catch this on flash sale so I could finally play it on PC.

I did pick up the Dark Souls: Prepare to Die Edition the other day and was pretty goddamn disappointed. I only played for about 10 minutes before I got fed up with how shitty of a direct port it was and stopped. Might have to look for some patches/mods to make it playable.


----------



## Alex6534

......how much was Skyrim?


----------



## Mendez

Yeah dark souls could've been better, still enjoyed the hell out of it. Had to use a controller though.

As for skyrim, the normal version was like 8, but the legendary edition was 20 and some change.


----------



## Miek

BlackMastodon said:


> Damn, just missed this one. Been waiting to catch this on flash sale so I could finally play it on PC.
> 
> I did pick up the Dark Souls: Prepare to Die Edition the other day and was pretty goddamn disappointed. I only played for about 10 minutes before I got fed up with how shitty of a direct port it was and stopped. Might have to look for some patches/mods to make it playable.



Get DSFix and use a gamepad.
dsfix | metaclassofnilblog
There may be a more recent version on the Dark Souls Nexus. I don't know.

Bump up the internal resolution much higher than your display resolution and it'll look real good. It's not a good port, but it's perfectly serviceable with dsfix.


----------



## Grand Moff Tim

Killed Dagoth Ur's dumb ass last night. Now to start an Oblivion playthrough with the same character specs as the Morrowind playthrough, or as close as I can get to it.


----------



## Miek

I am Hjord. The Nord Spellsjord.


----------



## coreysMonster

Got Skyrim at the last Steam sale. I was never a fan of the Elder Scrolls series, but goddamn if this game isn't fun as anything.

My only gripe with it is that the dungeons, where you spend most of your time, are very, very same-y looking, which is disappointing because the rest of the world looks incredibly diverse and original. 

The quests are entertaining, and I'm glad there are very few "bring me 10 rat tails" quests.

But my favorite part is my horse. I bought a Whiterun horse, and I know it's not the strongest one you can get, but goddammit it's MY horse, and the first time it saved my butt by kicking the shit out of a bunch of bandits that ambushed us, I knew that that horse would journey with me to the ends of Skyrim.

*manly Nord tjear*


----------



## Grand Moff Tim

Aaaaand now Mankor Camoran and Dagon have been dealth with.

On to Alduin!


----------



## Winspear

I'm still trucking along having a lot of fun with deep immersive roleplay on my hunter. He's only level 23 - I can easily play for many hours without advancing a level because of how I approach the game now with all my mods and such. 
Things are just starting to get real interesting, getting involved with the Dark Brotherhood and progressing past the first part of the main questline. My character is taking a slightly darker turn.


----------



## Mendez

I've been playing a thief, I think I'm around level 30 or so. Been literally sneaking through every dungeon and dealing 15x damage to enemies with daggers. I'm having so much fun just sneaking around, and I just barely joined the thief guild....

I've also been running around with lydia, just bought a house, been tomb raiding, and now I think I'll also join the Dark Brotherhood. So many quests to do, this game is so much fun.


----------



## JoshuaVonFlash

Grand Moff Tim said:


> Aaaaand now Mankor Camoran and Dagon have been dealth with.
> 
> On to Alduin!


Man you move fast, are you just doing the main story line?


----------



## Grand Moff Tim

In Morrowind I stuck to the main story as much as I could, but its main story actually requires you to go do other quests at a couple of points. Apart from those mandatory diversions, I only did main quest stuff.

The only non-main story stuff I did in Oblivion was a mission or two to join the Fighters Guild, so I could get some free armor and weapons when I started the game. After that it was all main story. 

Compounding that is that Oblivion's main story is actually really fvcking short. I'm so used to dicking around and doing all sorts of random side quests, guild missions, and treasure hunting that I never realized just how short the main quest is when it's the _only_ thing you do. I even limited my use of fast travel so that I could only travel to and from the stables in front of the main cities (as though there was a carriage travel system), but that didn't really slow things down too much.

I've never done a Skyrim playthrough focusing only on the main quest before, but I suspect it will seem similarly short.


----------



## Veritech Zero

I got Skyrim right when it came out for Xbox and had beaten it to death. Then about a month ago I got it for my new computer... And now I don't even do the quests any more. Every day is a new adventure in whatever mods I think look good at the time


----------



## Fat-Elf

Was just about to get back into finishing Dawnguard but somehow I'm about 1 hour short of gameplay so I need to redo the whole Volkhaar castle.


----------



## Mike

Started my second play-through a few weeks ago and the game is still just as addicting. My first time through I focused about 90% on main quest and 10% on side quests until the main story line was complete. I made good use of the ability to legendary/prestige/re-up my skills, but finally wanted to just experience it all again. The first time I was a dark elf spellsword, but this time I'm a nord brute just focusing on beating the crap out of people lol. This time I'm focusing on the side quests. By just playing all side quests, I find it really hard to choose what to do first and to stay on task knowing what I know about which quests yield which spoils. I'm about to become a Nightingale, The Night Mother just chose me as listener, already killed Harkon, got some fragments of Wuuthrad and picked up some of the Solstheim dragon priest masks for fun. The addition of all of the DLC's from the start have definitely made it a little more interesting. I started the thieves guild this time with the Blackguard armor set, very helpful. Skyrim is one of my top favorite games I've had the pleasure of playing. I can't wait until Bethesda releases their follow-up.


----------



## Grand Moff Tim

I had no idea until today that you can have the executioner from Solitude as a follower. He doesn't fvck around, either.


----------



## Veritech Zero

Really? that is awesome, I'm gonna have to find him now


----------



## Ocara-Jacob

As sad as it is, I just now got Skyrim. Well, 4 days ago. I'm a level 10 Nord. So far I'm focusing on the main quest, and I'll go screw around with other quests afterwards.


----------



## Veritech Zero

Better late then never I say. You got it for PC right?


----------



## thedonal

After much deliberation and a bit of research(I hate Oblivion purely for the level scaling fail), I just ordered the Legendary edition on 360 (don'tshootmeplease!!). Looking forward to it, but dreading how much time I'll spend on it... 

Oh and it's got dragons in it.


----------



## SamSam

Just bought the Leg Edition on Steam @ 66% off. Just cleared the main quest on my current char so it was well timed!


----------



## Grand Moff Tim

...aaaaaaaaand now Alduin's dead, too.

Thoughts after playing all three main quests (TES 3, 4, and 5) consecutively:

Morrowind's took the longest. However, that's not because it was more involved, or had more/longer quests. It's just because there's no fast travel system like in 4 and 5, and the travel systems in place (silt striders, mages, boats, etc) will only get you so close to where you want to be. Some might say that adds to the realism, and to a point I'd agree, but it also adds to the fvcking tedium. Nothing like schlepping over the same barren stretch of land over and over and over to get where you need to be because there are no travel sources that will get you anywhere near it.

Leveling up naturally (ie without grinding at all, only by using your skills normally) is, in order from slowest to fastest: Morrowind, Oblivion, Skyrim.

In line with that, I was higer level by the end of the main quest in Skyrim than in Oblivion, and higher in Oblivion than in Morrowind, despite Morrowind taking more time to complete than the others.

Oblivion's main quest felt the shortest. Yes, even with the part where you have to go close like a thousand Oblivion gates for one fvcking mission.

For as much as people have complained about level scaling, it still doesn't/didn't really bother me. Even RIGHT AFTER playing Morrowind, where I had the satisfaction of going back at a higher level to kill enemies that wiped the floor with me early on and the joys of finding uber powerful loot when only at level 3 or something, the level scaling in Oblivion didn't bother me. It was a little disheartening not finding any cool loot (I'm a total loot whore), but enemies scaling with me wasn't particularly annoying. I didn't get particularly high in level since I just stuck with the main quest, but it never bothered me on any previous playthroughs, either.

Even though it was nice to see the Dunmer and beast races return to form in Skyrim, I must admit I think the Bosmer were a step down. People talk about how goofy and cartoony Oblivion was, but the Bosmer were actually pretty goofy and cartoony-looking even back in Morrowind, so the aethetic fit them fine. In Skyrim, though, they were put through the gritty realizm filter everything has to go through these days, and instead of goofy looking little dudes, we got slightly short Altmers with suntans. It fit the rest of the Skyrim aesthetic, but it didn't seem... i dunno... lore-friendly?

I've heard complaints about how the landscape in Oblivion isn't varied enough, but honestly, Skyrim's felt the least varied of the three.

Combat is the least satisfying in Morrowind, and the most satisfying in Skyrim.

I probably have more thoughts, but I'll add them later.


----------



## Fat-Elf

Skyrim is still THE shit. I love how it still manages to completely immerse me and time just flies away. Finally finished Dawnguard last night. It was way longer than I expected but maybe that's because I started it like 8 months ago.  At least now I can finally go back to exploring all the random caves.


----------



## Grand Moff Tim

Downloaded one of the economics mods today: Trade Routes. It's one of the mods that makes items cost more or less based on their scarcity, and the scarcity changes from area to area (ie Deathbell will be cheaper in Solitude because that shit's all over the place up there, but it'll be worth more somewhere like Falkreath or Markarth). There are a few mods that achieve that, but from what I read Trade Routes seems to take the most factors into consideration when calculating values.

To fiddle around with it, I've taken a cue from Skyrim's resident traveling merchants and made myself a Khajiit build to become a travelling merchant myself. I chose the Steed birthsign because it's a friggin' godsend when you want/need to carry alot, and I'm using the Bandoliers mod to have craftable pouches and bandoliers to increase my carry weight further still. Gonna see how much gold I can make just wandering from town to town, buying up whatever's being sold for cheap, and selling it for a profit a few towns over. 

I've been joking for a while that once you're high enough in level Skyrim just becomes a Thrift Store Simulator because you spend half your time going from city to city trying to find merchants with enough gold to buy the valuable shit you found on your adventures, so I might as well just embrace it and play as a straight up merchant, hahaha.


----------



## thedonal

Nice write up of the series, Tim.

I'm already enjoying Skyrim way more than my attempt at Oblivion. 2 dragons down- feels like a nice early achievement but I still struggle with trolls...  (haven't killed one yet and tend to run away right now). And giants. and don't even talk about mammoths... So many deaths where you end up hundreds of feet in the air! 

The main thing that's striking me, asides from Skyrim being more approachable as a whole, is that there's so much to do. The only big adventure I've played with so many side quests is Kingoms of Amalur: Reckoning and that seems small compared to Skyrim. It's very easy to pick up loads of side quests and become distracted from your current path. It's good, but I now have a load of unfinished tasks!


----------



## Shawn

Hehe...a little video I made a while back...I am such a hoarder....even worse on Oblivion...don't have a video of that but this video shows you the hoarder I am...

Skyrim Hoarding - Breezehome, Whiterun - YouTube


----------



## Grand Moff Tim

thedonal said:


> I still struggle with trolls...  (haven't killed one yet and tend to run away right now).


 
Trolls have regenerating health, but they're highly vulnerable to fire. That means you can't really kite them too much because their health will just regenerate while you're running away, but if you've got something enchanted with fire damage or are handy with destruction spells, you can make your job alot easier.


----------



## Grand Moff Tim

The Trade Routes mod has gotten me to do something I don't think I've done since the nineties: I busted out a pen and notebook so I can take notes . 

I'm going to write down what's selling high/low in each city/hold, and what items they have loads of versus very few. I thought the mod woluld come with a map of the rotes or a ledger with notes on what sells for the most in which holds, but no such luck, hahaha.


----------



## Miek

You know what else trolls are weak to? 
Berserk Dragonslayer at Skyrim Nexus - mods and community

(it's kind of way too powerful, to be honest)


----------



## BrainArt

Grand Moff Tim said:


> Downloaded one of the economics mods today: Trade Routes. It's one of the mods that makes items cost more or less based on their scarcity, and the scarcity changes from area to area (ie Deathbell will be cheaper in Solitude because that shit's all over the place up there, but it'll be worth more somewhere like Falkreath or Markarth). There are a few mods that achieve that, but from what I read Trade Routes seems to take the most factors into consideration when calculating values.
> 
> To fiddle around with it, I've taken a cue from Skyrim's resident traveling merchants and made myself a Khajiit build to become a travelling merchant myself. I chose the Steed birthsign because it's a friggin' godsend when you want/need to carry alot, and I'm using the Bandoliers mod to have craftable pouches and bandoliers to increase my carry weight further still. Gonna see how much gold I can make just wandering from town to town, buying up whatever's being sold for cheap, and selling it for a profit a few towns over.
> 
> I've been joking for a while that once you're high enough in level Skyrim just becomes a Thrift Store Simulator because you spend half your time going from city to city trying to find merchants with enough gold to buy the valuable shit you found on your adventures, so I might as well just embrace it and play as a straight up merchant, hahaha.




It's funny, I downloaded the mod as well the other night. I started an Imperial character to use with it, though.


----------



## MFB

Miek said:


> You know what else trolls are weak to?
> Berserk Dragonslayer at Skyrim Nexus - mods and community
> 
> (it's kind of way too powerful, to be honest)



Alright, color me jealous of PC players now


----------



## Winspear

Grand Moff Tim said:


> Trolls have regenerating health, but they're highly vulnerable to fire. That means you can't really kite them too much because their health will just regenerate while you're running away, but if you've got something enchanted with fire damage or are handy with destruction spells, you can make your job alot easier.



Are there various kinds of trolls? I'm only level 23 but I've never recalled having a problem killing them with a only a few arrow shots. Think I've only seen a few. 10x easier than mammoths, giants or dragons.


----------



## JoshuaVonFlash

EtherealEntity said:


> Are there various kinds of trolls? I'm only level 23 but I've never recalled having a problem killing them with a only a few arrow shots. Think I've only seen a few. 10x easier than mammoths, giants or dragons.


Sneaking damage is multiplied, and if you weren't sneaking then you killed them before they got close enough to deal heavy damage. They're a nightmare for early lvl'd melee players, without fire damage. (as mentioned above)


----------



## Winspear

Cool - yeah I rarely engage melee. Makes sense! I'll have a go with me daggers


----------



## Grand Moff Tim

EtherealEntity said:


> trolls trolls trolls trolls




There are two different kinds: Regular trolls, and the tougher Frost Trolls (similar to how there are wolves/ice wolves, and saber cats/snow saber cats). They both have the same weaknesses, but the frost trolls deal much more damage and have more health.

I think the frost trolls have some degree of notoriety because there's one that always spawns at a certain point on the path up the Throat of the World to see the Greybeards, and alot of people do that quest pretty early on. They're no big deal when you've toughened up a bit, but to someone who's only like level 3 and new to the game they're a fvcking nightmare .


----------



## thedonal

It's only frost trolls I've met so far- the main plan has been "Run awaaaaaaaay". Too noob to do them much damage yet...  Still stuck on novice destruction spells.

Nice to do the two tombs near Whiterun last night (and discover why I couldn't find the sapphire claw...!). Feel like I'm getting somewhere...


----------



## Shawn

Trolls are hard to kill at first but once you level up, you'll be surprised how easy they are to kill. In Oblivion, it took no time as I was taking them out with a couple shots or sneaking and getting them with one shot at level 7, also with arrows...one shot is all it takes. Skyrim too.....they are easy to kill once you have leveled up.


----------



## texshred777

What I find funny is my character will F up just about Ny dragon. Bears will still mess him up if they get initiative and a free flurry though. 

Damn bears.


----------



## Grand Moff Tim

The only thing my high-level 2H tank ever really feared was high-level frost mages. They go down quickly enough, but the trick is actually _getting to_ them. Those damned ice spells slow down your movement speed, and when they just keep hurling them at you, you kinda just have to hope you can get to them and take them out before they take you out.


----------



## BrainArt

^ That's why even when I play a 2h character, I always carry a bow, some arrows and poisons so I can get a few pot shots off on them and charge in for the kill.


----------



## JosephAOI

I finally bought Skyrim like 4 days ago. I hadn't yet because of the sole reason that I knew I would never get anything done as soon as I started playing it. Sure enough, working the past 4 days for a total of about 25 hours, I also crammed in 30 hours of Skyrim 

So far, I'm at level 17, working through the Thieves Guild quests, getting up my archery, sneak, speech and all. Anyone have any tips for getting my smithing up more? I'm stuck right below 30 and I feel like it's gonna take ages to get it to like 80.

EDIT: Speaking of hard-to-kill creatures: Fvcking giants, man. I killed a dragon and two mammoths the other night no problem and this cvnt of a giant comes up and kills me in like 3 hits.


----------



## thedonal

Yep. Giants and mammoths have sent me into orbit with one hit. I avoid them at the mo!

I now have a few Frost Troll kills under my belt. Doing some roaming right now, rather than questing. Finding forts and so on to wander into... 

Labyrinthian is a goal- can't take the denizens in the dungeons there yet...


----------



## Grand Moff Tim

JosephAOI said:


> Anyone have any tips for getting my smithing up more? I'm stuck right below 30 and I feel like it's gonna take ages to get it to like 80.



Whenever you go into a city, go to the smith and buy all of his/her iron ore, ingots, leather, and leather strips. Then, make all the iron daggers and leather bracers that you can, and sell them back to the smith. That's one of the cheaper and easier ways to grind smithing. For added cash and skill grinding, try enchanting them before you sell them.

Another option that will net you more cash and grind a couple skills at once is to buy/dig up some iron ore, use the Transmute Ore spell to transmute the iron (first from iron to silver, then from silver to gold), then take the ore to a smelter to make gold ingots. You can then turn those ingots into gold rings and necklaces at a forge (under the "jewelry" option), which will be more valuable than daggers and bracers, especially if you happen to have some gems in your inventory to add. As before, you can enchant them to make them more valuable. Using this method, you can grind your smithing, alteration, speech, and even enchanting, if you throw that into the mix.

There's a copy of the Transmute spell tome at Halted Stream Camp northwest of Whiterun.

UESP:Skyrim Map v2


----------



## JosephAOI

That's mostly what I've been doing but it's still taking a while since I'm not filthy rich as of yet and most merchants don't carry many ingots and leather. I think it's been taking about 10+ Iron Daggers to up my smithing one level. So grueling, man.

Also, in the main story, I'm at the part where we just found Alduin's Wall. Anyone know exactly how far into the story I am? I feel like I'm only like 1/3 in, if that.


----------



## Ivyx

Grand Moff Tim said:


> Whenever you go into a city, go to the smith and buy all of his/her iron ore, ingots, leather, and leather strips. Then, make all the iron daggers and leather bracers that you can, and sell them back to the smith. That's one of the cheaper and easier ways to grind smithing. For added cash and skill grinding, try enchanting them before you sell them.



Didn't they patch this so it's virtually ineffective past like level 40?


----------



## Grand Moff Tim

Ivyx said:


> Didn't they patch this so it's virtually ineffective past like level 40?



It's still effective, just not as effective as it was prior to the patch. You can still do it, you just have to craft ALOT more dagger and bracers.

Actually, the patch may have only fixed the dagger, and not nerfed bracers quite so hard.

At any rate, jewelry will still work. The higher the value of the crafted item, the more it will increase smithing. Go through a few iron mines and transmute into gold, and you've got some decent free leveling to do that will actually net a profit.


----------



## thedonal

So- my current nemeses (asides from a cave full of Falmer) are the floating mages that appear near some word shrines. Gods they are hard to kill!

Thoroughly enjoying the game so far though. It seems to have pulled me away from EVE quite a lot!!


----------



## Grand Moff Tim

You mean the Dragon Priests?








If so, then yeah, they don't fvck around, haha.


----------



## thedonal

Grand Moff Tim said:


> You mean the Dragon Priests?
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> If so, then yeah, they don't fvck around, haha.


 
Yep. That'll be them!! Nearly had one, near Dragon Bridge last night (can't remember the cave name)- but he whupped me first! Basic tactic right now is to run away...


----------



## 12enoB

It's always fun when you're fighting a dragon and then you run past a dragon priest tomb...


----------



## The Reverend

Purchased Skyrim again (for PS3 :/) last night, so I'm pretty excited. I've played through all of the major Elder Scrolls games recently, minus this one, of course, which I've never finished. 

How do you guys rate the DLC? I'm not going to get Hearthfire, but how are the other two? Are they Shivering Isles good or Knights of the Nine good?


----------



## Grand Moff Tim

Better than Knights of the Nine, not as good as Shivering Isles. Dragonborn is nearly as good as Shivering Isles, and it's probably just my nostalgia goggles giving SI the edge, but that's my take on them.


----------



## 12enoB

I just recently bought it with all the expansions and I've only completed dragonborn so far, and I really enjoyed it.


----------



## Beowulf Von Thrashmeister

thedonal said:


> Yep. That'll be them!! Nearly had one, near Dragon Bridge last night (can't remember the cave name)- but he whupped me first! Basic tactic right now is to run away...


 

A good way to defeat the `Dragon priests` is to use the `call of valor` shout, if you have competed the main quest that is. 

Another way is sneak and use a bow with a fire enchantment, archery skills are really useful when combined with good sneaking skills !!!. 

If you have the Dawnbreaker sword, it is awesome for destroying the undead ....

http://elderscrolls.wikia.com/wiki/Dawnbreaker_(Skyrim)

Another useful thing to have early on in the game is a strong follower to help you out too. 

Uthgerd The Unbroken is excellent to start of with if you dont have the 500 gold to hire Janessa (a Dark Elf mercenary in the `Drunken Huntsman` who is for hire, who is deadly with her two swords).

Mjoll The Lioness in Riften, and Serana from the Dawnguard DLC, are both indestructible making them excellent followers later in the game.

I hope this helps !!!.


----------



## The Reverend

I forgot how lame Lydia is. I was cornered by five chauruses (chauri?) and a chaurus reaper, and had to resort to using Spark from a ledge to take them out while she lollygagged around on a ledge above me, pretending to shoot them with a Falmer Bow. For literally thirty minutes I was taking the odd potshot at them while she stood there and made strange sounds. 

Hopefully I come across some better companions. My Redguard is becoming well-versed in the art of weaponry, but it wouldn't hurt to have some decent backup, especially when facing groups of middle- to tough-level enemies. This is also the first time I've played as a straight melee character in years. At some point I realized that I favored assassin and magic-user characters, but it's actually kind of fun to run straight at something instead of sneaking around or attacking from a distance.


----------



## thedonal

I've taken down Krosis- my first dragon priest! He just hovered near a rock doing nothing, so I pounded him with arrows before finishing with chain lightning and a soul trap. Nice!

Had to abandon Lost Valkygg though- kept getting one-shorted by a Draugr Deathlord...

Now archmage though, which is nice.


----------



## thedonal

Soooo I accidentally turned a skill Legendary ahead of it's time.

And I was about to get the perk, next level up for Dragon Armour smithing too!

Oh well- lesson learned! 

Gods I'm getting RIGHT into this game now, It's even surpassing my time on EVE!! (another facking ship loss there today!!)

Sad to see Whiterun looking a bit tatty now, after taking it over with Stormcloaks...

I do need to get the invest skill going- it's a pain with traders not having a huge amount of gold to buy stuff with... (still getting my speech skills up)


----------



## Grand Moff Tim

If you don't want to bother with the speech skill but still need merchants with more gold, just progress through the Thieves Guild. As you go through the story, you'll gain access to fences with more and more gold, and they'll buy stolen stuff, to boot.


----------



## The Reverend

I've spent so much time in this game. It's becoming my main form of relaxation. The Dragonborn DLC was fun, though not anything especially amazing. I liked the Morrowind throwbacks. 

My Redguard has not been seriously challenged since hitting level 20. I know a lot of gamers dislike how easy the game has been, but as Miraak's destroyer, an Imperial Legate, and the Harbinger of the Companions, I don't feel like he should be seriously challenged by anything other than the highest of Frost magic users. It doesn't hurt that my follower, Talvas, is a highly capable Firebolt user who softens my targets before I get to take a swing.


----------



## Grand Moff Tim

The follower overhaul mod makes followers even better. I don't like how in the vanilla game they're stuck at the level they were at when you first took them on, no matter how much you level up. It's nice to be able to get them to level up with you.


----------



## Dommak89

Since I am a newcomer to Skyrim I thought I ask this question to a couple of "oldies" here: How do some of the in-game shoots have such a nice texture, while my Characters just look like the usual videogame characters. I am aware that there are the 2k mods and some even more specialized on certain parts of the world, and I tried a lot, but I have yet to find that one good mod that makes me go wow. TBH I'm a little disappointed after hearing so many good things about the graphics. Were my expectations too high?

BTW these are some of those pictures that I have seen, and I can't seem to get those nice textures: So, modded Skyrim looks pretty good - Imgur

also this http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7392/11409348205_c7e78ee342_b.jpg


What mods should I go with to get the best out of skyrim in your opinion?


----------



## thedonal

Grand Moff Tim said:


> If you don't want to bother with the speech skill but still need merchants with more gold, just progress through the Thieves Guild. As you go through the story, you'll gain access to fences with more and more gold, and they'll buy stolen stuff, to boot.


 
I did start that storyline, but I have so many loose ends at the moment in major and minor quests, I think I'll hold on before continuing it. I'm doing OK on speechcraft- quite happy to invest a few perks in it, but also need to get more smithing perks back for more valuable armour to make and sell.

Also- where is a good source of decent sized soul gems? That's my next thing- getting a good stack of filled gems that I can enchant everything with..


----------



## Grand Moff Tim

thedonal said:


> Also- where is a good source of decent sized soul gems? That's my next thing- getting a good stack of filled gems that I can enchant everything with..



Just be an opportunistic shopper. Every time you head into a town, check the general store and the Jarl's Mage and buy all the gems you can afford.


----------



## Grand Moff Tim

Dommak89 said:


> Were my expectations too high?



Probably, yeah . Skyrim's a good looking game, but I've never considered it to be a graphical showcase or anything. I think considering the size of the game and physics interactivity with so much in the game world limits the amount of processing power that can be allocated to graphics compared to other games that tend to just shuffle the player from set piece to set piece.



Dommak89 said:


> What mods should I go with to get the best out of skyrim in your opinion?



Can't really help you there, man. Sorry. The only graphics mod I've installed in the official HD texture pack Bethesda released. All the rest of the mods I use tend to focus on bug fixes and gameplay. Maybe someone else can chime in.


----------



## thedonal

Grand Moff Tim said:


> Just be an opportunistic shopper. Every time you head into a town, check the general store and the Jarl's Mage and buy all the gems you can afford.


 
Good plan. Thanks!

Most of my hard looted currently goes into smithing supplies...


----------



## The Reverend

My Speechcraft skill is in the 50s just from selling a metric f--kton of stuff. I grabbed the Steed Stone's blessing mostly for the armor penalty perk, but I ended up enjoying the extra hundred pounds of carrying capacity. 

This is also the first time I've really approached an Elder Scrolls game with a bit of role-playing. Instead of powergaming, I'm really enjoying making decisions that my character would make. For example, I'd normally try to exploit Smithing to get the best armor, but instead every piece of Ebony or Nordic armor I get randomly is exciting. I can see why some of you guys enjoy it. My character is a warrior, first and foremost, so it doesn't make sense for him to mine ore constantly, or craft dozens of Iron Daggers.


----------



## thedonal

There is definitely something to say for going out and playing the game, rather than just spamming the crafting/trading skills. 

However, I'd like to get into a position where I can make a lot of gold from what I make. Because I'm basically buying materials, then smithing them and selling the results (or enchanting then selling), hopefully I'm boosting several skills at once. Though I guess levellilng up through this and not getting my spell perks boosted may make some opponents more challenging than they need to be.

That said- when I went to legendary smithing, I did reassign the perks to stuff I'll used while out playing the game... 

It will be nice to afford a house in most if not all of the cities at some point..


----------



## SpaceDock

^ I never understood why people played Elder Scrolls like it was Diablo. Just trying to scam on the game is just scamming yourself out of what it really offers, an immersive _roleplaying_ game.


----------



## Señor Voorhees

I have a batch list that I typically use that fills my crafting skills up to 100, (though I don't have anything put into the skill trees.) because I never use them. It's super annoying when you're trying to build a house and you waste leveling on making fistfulls of nails. 

That's why these games amuse me. I see so many people talking about crafting armor and weapons, while I've almost never touched that mechanic. Meanwhile, I've used the hell out of enchanting while I know a bunch of people who haven't so much as touched the arcane enchanters.

edit: @Dommak89, a lot of the really pretty screenshots are using ENB's, which essentially tweak the way everything is rendered. There are tons of them out there, and you need to look for one that works for you. (can't help you there, but google is your friend.) A lot of them also happen to really .... with the performance/frame rate too. I also read an article a while ago talking about it and how to get some of those great screenshots, you need to be lucky and patient. If I recall correctly, they mentioned how the game was pretty choppy with the enhancements on, and they're only turned on once you find the shot you're looking for. (I think shift+f12 toggles, but I can't remember.) On top of that, they make frequent use of console commands that change fog distance, roll off, etc. The game while playing still looks really nice with ENB's, but it's easier to get a gorgeous still frame than it is to get gorgeous gameplay. Animations and such help take away realism, so even though these screenshots look super nice, I'd bet that in game, they look a little closer to what you're used to.


----------



## thedonal

So now I'm a full fledged vampire. 

Went to full before I could complete the cure storyline and can't get to the wizard without being attacked constantly. 

So I may as well enjoy it for a bit. What are the cool things to do as a bloodsucker in Skyrim? Aside from....er suck blood? 

The name Raziel keeps springing to mind...


----------



## MKII

Dommak89 said:


> Since I am a newcomer to Skyrim I thought I ask this question to a couple of "oldies" here: How do some of the in-game shoots have such a nice texture, while my Characters just look like the usual videogame characters. I am aware that there are the 2k mods and some even more specialized on certain parts of the world, and I tried a lot, but I have yet to find that one good mod that makes me go wow. TBH I'm a little disappointed after hearing so many good things about the graphics. Were my expectations too high?
> 
> BTW these are some of those pictures that I have seen, and I can't seem to get those nice textures: So, modded Skyrim looks pretty good - Imgur
> 
> also this http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7392/11409348205_c7e78ee342_b.jpg
> 
> 
> What mods should I go with to get the best out of skyrim in your opinion?



Those screenshots are basically just that, screen shots, it's not really playable in all areas unless you have the best machine money can buy and spend like dozens of hours tweaking it. 
I dicked with that for 2 weeks before i even began to play the game, not worth. When i finally had one ENB that i thought looked pretty sweet and played well, i found out it wasn't even turned on, lol.

I use the non official HD texture packs, a few of the mesh packs, water, sky and lighting packs. The game looks pretty damn good with what i have and i use FXAA on my video card, and it runs pretty good. Dips low in some spots with a lot of trees. 

So, here are some of the more "essential" type mods i would recommend at least. Not even all _needed_, but get's the game looking pretty damn good.

First off 
Nexus Mod Manager

Climates of Tamriel 
Realistic Lighting Overhaul 
Enhanced Lighting and FX
Vivid Landscapes - Cliffs and Creeks
StaticMeshImprovementMod
Realistic Water Two or "Realistic Water" or "Water" choose one 
Skyrim Flora Overhaul - choose one you like, there's like 3 versions
Enhanced Night Skyrim
Realistic Sun and Sunglare - Climates of Tamriel Edition
Moss Rocks
Natural Grass Texture Floor
Riften HQ textures
Hi-res Pines for all versions
Grass On Steroids
Better Dynamic Snow
Ruins_Clutter_Improved
Cinematic Fire FX
Dust Effects
Splash of Rain
Shooting Stars

I have more than that though that's the gist of it, too much to list, however those and the 4k HD texture packs ( non Bethesda ) get you a big chunk of the way there

Also get the unofficial Patches for game and DLC if you have ect
Unofficial Skyrim Patch
Unofficial Dragonborn Patch
Unofficial Dawnguard Patch
Unofficial Hearthfire Patch
Skyrim Project Optimization


More gameplay must haves imo

AmazingFollowerTweaks or Extensible Follower Framework
Immersive Hud and SKSE - you need it to run those, you will see when you look for them

These below make the game less barren, more stuff to fight out and about 

Banditry
Organized Bandits in Skyrim (OBIS)
Populated Forts Towers Places
Immersive Patrols 
Protected HumanAndDogs ( keeps patrols or added npc from killing Quest NPC or game breaking)


Other stuff
RaceMenu
Perfect Whiterun
100xCarry
Eternal Torches
.....

When installing, instal all texture packs first, then meshes, flora, trees ect, then lighting then Hud related or gameplay stuff. Use Nexus Mod Manager it's the only way to keep track of it all, even if you install manually use Nexus to adjust load order or turn on/off mods ect if you are having problems, it's pretty much gotta have. You should also read each Readme or download to make sure it doesn't interfere with another, and it will usually tell you what to install or what will conflict.

When installing overwrite if it asks (and it will) overwrite all, as some of the meshes, and trees ect have their own textures that need to overwrite the HD packs or whatever before it.
Think of it as layers...
Good Luck


----------



## Grand Moff Tim

thedonal said:


> So now I'm a full fledged vampire.
> 
> Went to full before I could complete the cure storyline and can't get to the wizard without being attacked constantly.
> 
> So I may as well enjoy it for a bit. What are the cool things to do as a bloodsucker in Skyrim? Aside from....er suck blood?
> 
> The name Raziel keeps springing to mind...



Are you playing vanilla skyrim, or do you have the DLC? In vanilla Skyrim people will attack (or at least not talk to) full vampires, but if you have the Dawnguard DLC, people shouldn't be attacking you for having full-fledged vampirisim, rather only if they see you in Vampire Lord form.

If you don't have Dawnguard, it's almost worth it just for the Vampire Lord ability alone, but the fact that it adds one of the best followers in the game doesn't hurt.


----------



## thedonal

Damn- I got cured! Wanted to get back to my level grinding...

I have the Legendary edition, so I think Dawnguard is part of it (can't remember now). 

I'll just have to go get bit again at some point...


----------



## Grand Moff Tim

If you do the Dawnguard questline you can obtain it again.


----------



## K3V1N SHR3DZ

Well, I built a pc last month and I got Skyrim working. 

Check these screenshots and tell me what you guys think.
I'm running an AMD FX-8350 and an R9 270X 4GB card at 1680x1050 (will definitely be picking up a 1080 monitor soon  )


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## Grand Moff Tim

K3V1N SHR3DZ said:


> Check these screenshots and tell me what you guys think.



Get a mod that lets you toggle the HUD. That'll make for some better screen grabs.


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## BlackMastodon

Forgot to post in this thread. So I started playing again on my 360, decided to finally finish the main quest since I never did. Get to the fight with Alduin and the motherf**ker is goddamned glitched and I can't f**king do any damage to him and goddamnit sonofabitch shitass


----------



## Taylor

Grand Moff Tim said:


> Get a mod that lets you toggle the HUD. That'll make for some better screen grabs.


----------



## Captain Butterscotch

BlackMastodon said:


> Forgot to post in this thread. So I started playing again on my 360, decided to finally finish the main quest since I never did. Get to the fight with Alduin and the motherf**ker is goddamned glitched and I can't f**king do any damage to him and goddamnit sonofabitch shitass



Damn, dammit, dammity damn that sucks.


----------



## BlackMastodon

Captain Butterscotch said:


> Damn, dammit, dammity damn that sucks.


I was very unimpressed when I found that out. I'm gonna try and do some other quests and save a few more times and maybe hopefully it will fix itself? The save file has about 130 or so hours on it so the gods only know where and when the glitch happened.


----------



## GatherTheArsenal

Friends... Fellow Nords...Dovahkins, Bosmer, Altmer, Khajit and Argonians. Lend me your ears for a quick q. 

I'm playing Skyrim on my ps3 (Legendary edition, all dlc on disc) and every time I go to Solstheim it's like my ps3 can't handle it and sloooooows way the .... down to the point that I stop walking just so it has a chance to catch up, which it never does. Juuust barely.

Extremely annoying since I'm super stoked on the Dragonborn dlc, I'm looking to whip some new ass, and on top of that someone stole my goddamn sweet roll!! Is anybody even remotely having the same problem? Is it my hardware? Or is it purely because Skyrim is a port for ps3's??


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## CrushingAnvil

Everyone should post screenshots of their characters:











He's based heavily on The Last Dragonborn of the original theatrical trailer for the game. Naturally he's a Companion and wears a Companions cape (red with gold border and a gold Wuuthrad symbol). 

Armor: all Nordic carved tempered to legendary with an armor rating of 1470~ and various enchantments: two-handed, resist frost & rife, + health, etc.

Weapon: just one - Skyforge Steel Greatsword with no enchantment yet. Tempered to legendary, does 942~ damage.

I'm playing on legendary


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## CrushingAnvil

GatherTheArsenal said:


> Friends... Fellow Nords...Dovahkins, Bosmer, Altmer, Khajit and Argonians. Lend me your ears for a quick q.
> 
> I'm playing Skyrim on my ps3 (Legendary edition, all dlc on disc) and every time I go to Solstheim it's like my ps3 can't handle it and sloooooows way the .... down to the point that I stop walking just so it has a chance to catch up, which it never does. Juuust barely.
> 
> Extremely annoying since I'm super stoked on the Dragonborn dlc, I'm looking to whip some new ass, and on top of that someone stole my goddamn sweet roll!! Is anybody even remotely having the same problem? Is it my hardware? Or is it purely because Skyrim is a port for ps3's??



That is curious...

Solstheim isn't a large area at all and is not as complex as Skyrim to render and load. I have no idea


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## Grand Moff Tim

CrushingAnvil said:


> Everyone should post screenshots of their characters




You asked for it...



From lowest level to highest:








The Adoring Fan, lvl 7 Bosmer archer. Not a build I made to be taken particularly seriously, as any fans of Oblivion could probably tell by the name. I just felt like roaming around sniping things the other day, but I didn't have any archer builds that I hadn't deleted yet, so I made this one. He uses bows almost exclusively, but carries a large axe just in case. I chose the name because of the hilarious death vids people posted where they kill the Adoring Fan in amusing ways, including archery kills. 








J'Zzrar, lvl 10 Khajiit merchant. I made this kitty because I wanted to try out some mercantile mods to see how much money I could make just wandering the main roads, buying items that are rare in one hold, and selling them for a profit in holds where they're rare. The answer so far? Not much . His only combat skill is hand to hand, and that fancy daedric armor he's wearing is enchanted to make the most of that.








Azzam Ibn Azzam, lvl 23 Redguard Blade. This is the build I made when I decided to play TES: 3, 4 & 5's main story campaigns consecutively over the summer using identical builds, or as close as identical as I could manage given the changes to the available skills over the course of the series. If anyone's wondering, lvl 23 is apparently around what you'll end up at if all you do is the main quest. His combat style is sword & shield, making good use of the Torgue of the Blooded he's wielding there.








Alistair Dunfirth, lvl 32 Breton Pacifist. Followers of this thread will recognize this as the build I did to see how far I could get without killing any living things (human, animal, daedra, automaton, etc) or using any offensive skills. There's still some leveling left to be done with him, I suspect, since I haven't maxed out the defensive or crafting skills yet, but I just wanted to play something more... violent after a while . His combat style is, obviously, to avoid all combat. It's all about sneak, invisibility, muffle, turn undead, and pacify.








Stalks With Sanguine, lvl 46 Argonian Vampire Troublemaker. I initially made this build as someone to level up my pickpocket high enough to be able to stteal the clothes off of people's backs after I installed a nudity mod, because I thought it'd be hilarious to have a town full of naked people (hint: it is!), but I ended up having fun with her playstyle anyways. Her combat focuses on sneak kills with dual-wielded daggers, making good use of the perks that make that an absurdly powerful killing method, but I also contracted vampirism with her so she could turn into a Vampire Lord when she has to engage in actual combat.








Adrienne Traven, lvl 56 Breton Psijic Mage. Another one thread followers might recognize. She's pretty much my "Holy Shit Overpowered Mage" build for Skyrim, in the style of the builds I used to make in Oblivion, though nerfed quite a bit, since Bethesda has demonstrated they hate magic and fun more with each new TES release. Yes, those are four conjured Dremora Lords tailing her. You can do some crazy shit once you master Conjuration . Her combat style is, obviously, magicmagicmagicmagicmagic.


Aaaaand finally, the oldest build I haven't deleted yet...








Urgaz the Unwavering, lvl 63 Orc Tank. He originally started as a 2H Heavy Armor powerhouse, but in order to keep leveling once I maxed out those skills, I had to change combat styles several times, as evidenced by the Dragon Scale armor he's wearing because I had switched over to a Sword & shield + light armor playstyle. This was before the Legendary Skills option was implemented, obviously, because now that that's around you aren't forced to mix things up if you want to keep leveling.


Soooooo that's that. I left out details about the backstories I made for most of them, but many of those are to be found scattered throughout this thread, if you've got some time to kill. There have also been many, many other builds in addition to these, but I'm not above deleting builds I've stopped using and moved on to something else. Urgaz is pretty much the only one I've kept around for sentimental reasons.


----------



## CrushingAnvil

Grand Moff Tim said:


> You asked for it...



Awesome stuff, Tim.

Get posting, everyone else - I'm really interested in what everyone else is doing on this game. I'm still not bored of it.


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## Grand Moff Tim

There might be alot of people here who play it on console, which in addition to being the inferior option for graphics, controls, and extras, also doesn't allow for screenshots .


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## BlackMastodon

^My case, unfortunately.


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## Captain Shoggoth

LVL 40-or 50-something, console player, did almost all of the missions and got all the DLCs (well except for Hearthfire)

Anything I can do to make the game fun again on my main character or is it just more worthwhile starting a new one if I want to play? Worth saying that I generally tend to replay games the same way so my character would end up the same


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## CrushingAnvil

Captain Shoggoth said:


> LVL 40-or 50-something, console player, did almost all of the missions and got all the DLCs (well except for Hearthfire)
> 
> Anything I can do to make the game fun again on my main character or is it just more worthwhile starting a new one if I want to play? Worth saying that I generally tend to replay games the same way so my character would end up the same



Definitely get more into the R in RPG. Create backstories for your character and live by specific codes and moralities. In my current The Last Dragonborn/Companion's purified Inner-Circle/valiant viking motherf-ck build, I'm going to take down The Dark Brotherhood and not join the Thieves Guild, although I'll probably crack and join both anyway because I'll need stuff to do


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## MFB

I think I may end up grabbing this on PC in the near future since I'd love to replay it but the console version is lacking in content to me and I want the mods for it  Once I get to a level where it's worth bumping this for hopefully I'll have something cool


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## BrainArt

This is my newest character, Harald Dragonbane, at the time of this screenshot he was level 22 and had just finished clearing out Knifepoint Ridge for the Jarl of Falkreath with his annoying as shit follow Marcurio (who likes disappearing for several days, hunting an elk.)

I'm using the AmidianBorn Book of Silence retex, which is why Marcurio's Elven armor looks cooler. The shield and axe that Harald has are from the Ghosus weapon pack and the armor is from the Brigandage armor pack. 

Links: Brigandage at Skyrim Nexus - mods and community Ghosus Weapon Pack at Skyrim Nexus - mods and community








I had Uthgerd the Unbroken with me, but Marcurio got jealous and killed her while we were freeing a Stormcloak on the road to Riverwood from Whiterun, right before he ran off to .... that elk.

I also took Faendal in to Bleak Falls Barrow, but he died as well after being a moron and running into a patch of oil that I set on fire. I raised him from the dead (without console commands) and at the end, gave him a funeral worthy of a Nord.


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## Señor Voorhees

Guys, something bad happened. I started playing ESO, and it got me super nostalgic for Daggerfall and Morrowind. Before I knew it, Daggerfall, Morrowind, and Oblivion have been installed on my hard drive. (Skyrim is on there too, but it was already installed) I... I think I'm going to play through them all. Not like just the main quest kind of thing... I mean actually play them. God help my soul. 

I've already played quite a bit of Daggerfall. Getting towards the end of the main quest and will soon move on to Morrowind, since Daggerfall is so broken and strange I don't intend to linger for too long. I fear this, as Morrowind was probably the only game I ever played for 24 hours straight. (no sleep, and only small breaks to eat.)


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## thedonal

I'm X-Box bound so cannot post pics.

Though my Breton- Colin, isn't too pretty! 

On a good note- I finally did Sunderstone Gorge today- that pyromancer was a right pain in the 'arris.

I have now gone to legendary 3 on smithing, to give some perks over to other skills. (Summoning a Dremora Lord now no longers uses half my Magicka!).


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## BrainArt

I started a new character... 

I'm still going to be playing the one I posted above, I just started this new one to test a couple new mods out and have since gotten sucked in to it.

His name is Hafþor Silent-Blade (can you tell that I like Nords and Nordic names? ) and he is a Nightblade/ Assassin. The bow is from the same weapons pack that I linked above and the armor set is the Hunter-Archer armor set.

Link: Hunter Archer Armor at Skyrim Nexus - mods and community You will have to download the appropriate translation pack, as well. Scroll down on the nexus page to find the three that are there (French, English and Polish).

Here he is on top of Jorrvaskr with his bow drawn.






I've been using a bit of magic with him, as well as melee and ranged weapons.

The mod I was testing is the "Gifts of the Outsider" mod that adds in a quest and spells from Dishonored (Blink is the one I wanted for this build, it's fun). I didn't do the quest, I just gave myself the spells I wanted using the console.

Link: Gifts of the Outsider - Dishonored in Skyrim at Skyrim Nexus - mods and community


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## Winspear

My ranger is still coming along well! Level 39 now. I'm running so many mods these days...Currently playing on master/legendary most of the time with the Companions and Lydia with me. 
I've completed the line up to Alduin but haven't taken him on yet - clearing up some other things first to relevel archery after turning it legendary. I completed the Dragonborn DLC with Miraak in a couple of days which was very very cool. Right now I'm working on the Wyrmstooth fanmade DLC which is neat so far! I also downloaded Falskaar and Moonpath, anyone played those? 
Apart from those DLCs, this character only has Alduin to defeat and the Dawnguard line to complete with regards to questlines that suit his character. After that I'm just going to loot a ton of places and start a new character I think


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## Grand Moff Tim

Goddammit, assholes, every time you bump this you know it's just going to make me want to start a new build.

Now I'm tempted to finally give legendary difficulty a go, though I'll probably make the build a 2H Heavy armored tank, just to make things a _little_ easier on myself...


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## BrainArt

I haven't played Falskaar, but I did watch a Let's Play (Gopher's Vids on youtube, for those who haven't seen his LP yet, it's great) and it looks damn good.

I need to install it and get around to playing it.

Also, if you look at my screenshot, you can tell that I've killed a lot of Forsworn with my new character.


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## Grand Moff Tim

Aaaaaaand I did it. A historic first, here's a pic of a lvl 0 build from me:






Agronak gro-Rugdumph, lvl 0 Orc Tank. He'll be running and bashing, at least as much as that'll be possible on Legendary difficulty. This is new territory for me .

Mandatory lore insertion: Orc's last names are their father's first name, plus the prefix "gro-" for males and "gra-" for females. Keen eyed observers might realize that means that this guy is either the son or an ancestor of an Orc from Oblvion, Rugdumph gro-Shurgak, one of the most hilarious characters in the game. He shares his first name with the Oblivion-era Arena Grand Champion the Grey Prince, aka Agronak gro-Malog.


I'm such a fvcking dork.


----------



## Fiction

Korea treating you well, ey?


----------



## BlackMastodon

As dorky as you are, Tim, I love reading about your builds but it makes me upset that I don't have a gaming PC to play yet. 2H Heavy Armor tanks are good fun for higher difficulty stuff, though. Mages mess you up, though.


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## Grindspine

I am replaying through for the third time. I had to delete my level 90 characters (achieved through making skills legendary to continue leveling), because they were overpowered.

I tend to focus on one-handed with daggers, sneak, archery, block, blacksmith, and enchant. That way I can sneak around doing major sneak damage with weapons that I have crafted to do major damage.

Here's an action shot: Ebony/Daedric armor/helm/shield and enchanted Daedric dagger.


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## Grindspine




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## ferret

Grindspine said:


> I am replaying through for the third time. I had to delete my level 90 characters (achieved through making skills legendary to continue leveling), because they were overpowered.



I think my last game ended in the 60s or so, with most quest lines done. Once sneak, enchanting and blacksmithing are maxed, it's impossible not to be OP


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## Grindspine

ferret said:


> I think my last game ended in the 60s or so, with most quest lines done. Once sneak, enchanting and blacksmithing are maxed, it's impossible not to be OP


 
This time through, I am not trying to max my blacksmithing. I am using all found armor instead of crafting ebony/Daedric everything. That being said, I am around level 24 and have found an ebony shield, ebony helm, and ebony armor.

I am focusing a bit more on the illusion school since casting calm or pacify is a great way to pickpocket then decapitate bandits!


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## Grand Moff Tim

Grindspine said:


> I am focusing a bit more on the illusion school since casting calm or pacify is a great way to pickpocket then decapitate bandits!



Okay, now you've already got me thinking about rerolling gro-Rugdumph, because pacify and frenzy sound like handy ways to take the edge off of Legendary mode. Being able to talk people down also seems like a skill that would have developed in the ancestors of ol' Rugdumph gro-Shurgak and his silver-tongued ways, anyways . I think I could sacrifice block for illusion...


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## BrainArt

I'm taking the time to go through and clean all of my files up, because it has been a while since I last did so.

Maybe doing this will fix the pose issue that I've been plagued with for a long time.


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## Grand Moff Tim

Goddamn, Legendary difficulty is serious fvcking business.

The Random Start mod started me off at the stables outside of Solitude, so the the first thing I did was head into Solitude to see some quest starters to make a quick buck. One of the townspeople quests is to see Irnskar about paying some idiot's debt, and one of the options for resolving the quest is to brawl with him. So, I brawled with him, and...

...he beat the fvcking shit out of me. It was the first time I'd ever lost a brawl in Skyrim, and I lost it _badly_. It was embarrassing. I had to challenge him again, and then kite him all around Solitude, punching with one hand and healing with the other, like a pussy-ass coward.

After that, I thought I'd go try a little dungeon diving to get some loot to sell so I could buy better gear, and...

...got the fvcking shit beat out of me again. I had to run back to Solitude with my tail between my legs, picking flowers all along the way so I could make potions to sell in the city so I could afford to hire the mercenary at the Winking Skeever to travel with me.

Mercenary in tow, I headed off to retrieve Noster Eagle-Eye's helm from a cave, and...

...I got the fvcking shit beat out of me again, this time by a spriggan. It was ridiculous. Not only was she pretty much able to one-hit me, but she was also able to summon sabre cats, which could also one-hit me. Again, I ran away like a little girl.

So, deciding Noster could wait for his stupid helmet, I instead headed off to Wolfskull Cave to investigate it for Falk Firebeard, and...

...I got the fvcking shit beat out of me again, this time by a pair of mages only two chambers deep into the cave. Ice spike? One-hit kill. Frost? Drained my health in mere seconds. Belrand wasn't much help.

Okay. Well. Wolfskull Cave could wait, too. Instead, I headed off to Dead Man's Respite to pick up King Olav's Verse for the Bard's College. Happily, along the way I came across Meeko the dog, who I gladly allowed to join my little party. Can't complain about one more body to distract my enemies away from me.

Once in the ruins, I was met with a healthy assortment of draugr, which was irritating. Having learned from my brawl with Irnskar, I used the "kitekitekitekite" technique, with a liberal helping of "heal while the draugrs hack away at my dog" mixed in . Using those craven tactics, I was able to retrieve the book and make it to the final chamber of the ruins.

If you're unfamiliar, the final chamber in Dead Man's Respite, which is only accessible after retrieving the book, contains about a dozen draugr of varying levels that come at you in waves, and once they're finished you have to fight the draugr of King Olav himself. This time...

...I _didn't_ get the fvcking shit beat out of me. With the combined effort of myself, Belrand the mercenary, Meeko the dog, and Svaknir the ghost (who headed to the chamber after I picked up the book), I was able to take down Olav without even having to reload a single time .

Not sure what I'll do now. I was able to sell the stuff I picked up in the ruins of Dead Man's Respite for a decent penny, so I could buy better gear. I'm still low-level, so that "better" gear is only some banded iron armor and an orcish warhammer, but hey, apparently every little bit helps when you're playing on Legendary.


----------



## BrainArt

^ Holy shit. 

I had to TGM when I created my newest build, because RAS spawned me right next to several Forsworn and a Hagraven and I had no armor or weapons, just magic and robes.


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## Grand Moff Tim

RAS spawned me _INSIDE_ a forsworn fort that also had a named hagraven in the final chamber once. Luckily there was another named hagraven (the other's sister) at the start of the fort, and after I freed her she helped me through the rest of the fort. Even then it was still rough going, but I managed .

That was on normal difficulty, though. I don't even want to think about how it'd have been on Legendary.


----------



## Redoubt9000

I've never beaten the game... 
I get too distracted with mods and camping out in the woods with wolf packs on my trail and random ambushes to ever be bothered slaying dragons.

Is there something wrong with me? >_> Those damned mods really up the difficulty and gameplay tenfold - but I always end up bored @ around level 25 or so. Then I go on a hiatus and when I finally do come back to it, I feel compelled to start a new character.


----------



## InfinityCollision

Elder Scrolls games are different things to different people. The main story is in many ways just a backbone for the rest of the content to build off of.

Side note, that Irnskar brawl is downright hilarious from an RP standpoint  Imagine all the townspeople watching. "The f_u_ck is this Orc idiot doing running around like that?"


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## Grand Moff Tim

InfinityCollision said:


> Side note, that Irnskar brawl is downright hilarious from an RP standpoint  Imagine all the townspeople watching. "The f_u_ck is this Orc idiot doing running around like that?"



All the children stopped playing tag to stand around and watch, and that crazy dude who starts the Sheogorath quest ran along after us the entire time .


----------



## Grindspine

Grand Moff Tim said:


> RAS spawned me _INSIDE_ a forsworn fort that also had a named hagraven in the final chamber once. Luckily there was another named hagraven (the other's sister) at the start of the fort, and after I freed her she helped me through the rest of the fort. Even then it was still rough going, but I managed .
> 
> That was on normal difficulty, though. I don't even want to think about how it'd have been on Legendary.


 
Ah, Melka, the hagraven that wants to "pluck Petra's eyes" and give you her "pretty pretty staff" because you're "kind, kind meat."

That's one of my favorite quests in the Reach! Damn, it's sad that I know all the names...!


----------



## Grand Moff Tim

Try that shit as a lvl 1 fresh off the cart .


----------



## ferret

You guys are making me want to play again. I don't normally up the difficulty because I don't often see the point in punishing myself.... but now.... ugh... this game doesn't need more of my soul...


----------



## Winspear

Damn Tim, haha. I should have mentioned that I only put it on legendary because of how many followers I have. I'm not like pimped out with enchantments and upgrades etc (I barely do any of that) so I'd get owned for sure  I did play my first few levels on legendary though. The Golden Eagle (pretty much the first dungeon quest) was insane. Definitely lots of kiting and getting lucky, and being well aware that getting hit = death  Same scenario with bandit encounters too. 
I usually keep it on Master going about by myself now.


----------



## Grand Moff Tim

Well, I had to cheat last night. I was on the quest to retrieve Rjorn's Drum, which is located in Halldir's Cairn. I was able to make it through most of the Cairn with a minimum of dying/reloading, but when I got to the final chamber, Jesus tittyfvcking Christ.

In the final chamber you have to fight Halldir's draugr, and he does NOT fvck around. The initial encounter is hard enough, with fireballs fully capable of one-shotting me. To make matters worse, when you get him down to about 65% health, he splits into THREE Halldir draugr, each specializing in a different elemental magic, and each with a spell that could one shot me. As if that wasn't bad enough, when you enter the chamber, a gate slams shut both preventing you from escaping _and_ preventing your followers from entering to help you.

...So yeah. I had to tgm that fvcker. Hard to kite someone that can blast me with one-shot one-kill ranged magic, even harder when there's THREE of them in a small, inescapable area. I did toggle it back off as soon as the battle was over, but I still feel like a gigantic vagina.

I did get some amusement and some helpful knowledge upon returning to Solitude to return the drum, though. When I got there, a Master Vampire and his Thralls spawned in the city and started raising havoc. The first lesson I learned from that was that Master Vampires could one shot me . 

After reloading, the second thing I learned was that NPCs do _NOT_ fvck around on Legendary difficulty. I swear to god, every NPC that was outside in Solitude that night bum-rushed that foolhardy jackass of a vampire, and despite his ability to one-shot me, _NONE_ of the NPCs were killed. 

The fight was so thick with NPC that all I could do was stand back and laugh, because every time I tried to get a lick in myself, I'd accidentally strike one of the NPCs, which would add a bounty _and_ cause all the no-nonsense NPCs to turn on me once the vampire was dealt with. Having seen what they do to their enemies, I opted to reload instead and just let them take him down without my help .

Oh, I also dismissed my mercenary so I could hire a different one, but then realized I had the follower mod enabled when he continued to follow me anyways, so now I have two mercenaries tailing me and Meeko. That ought to even the odds a little .


----------



## Grand Moff Tim

Agronak gro-Rugdumph's got himself quite the posse these days .









In the foreground: Ahtar, the headsman from Solitude. Next to Rugdumph: Jenassa, the dunmer mercenary from the Drunken Huntsman in Whiterun. Behind Jenassa: Belrand, the mercenary from the Winking Skeever in Whiterun. Next to Belrand: Meeko the dog, from Meeko's Cabin, southeast of Solitude.

Legendary's not so bad when you're rolling this hard .


----------



## Grand Moff Tim

Btw, I took this posse to the cave where the Spriggans were giving me so much grief the first time around, and the Spriggans didn't stand a goddamned chance. It was glorious to behold. I hope you appreciate that helmet, Noster Eagle-Eye.


----------



## thedonal

Damn. I never thought about taking multiple followers around. I can see a plan, formin' in my 'ead!

I've just gone legendary on my destruction spells, so I could boost my combat spells. It's refreshing to change the way you play.

Though I think I'm going to have to sort out my carry load- most of it is taken up with ingredients and dozens of potions I rarely use... 

I'm running around in Nightingale armour now. Quite like the look of it. Once I get smithing and enchanting up again, I'll get some hardcore dragonscale armour sorted.

I can see how the sneak related damage multipliers can really come across as overpowering though.

Incidentally, who is Dravin? I've been carrying his bow around for ages but haven't met the guy to give it back! This is the thing with aimless wandering and exploring. You find stuff before the quest starts!!


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## Grand Moff Tim

thedonal said:


> Incidentally, who is Dravin? I've been carrying his bow around for ages but haven't met the guy to give it back! This is the thing with aimless wandering and exploring. You find stuff before the quest starts!!



He's a dunmer farmer on one of the farmsteads just west of Riften. He'll ask you to find it if you meet him first, but if you find the bow first you can just go give it to him.


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## bythepainiseetheothers

I was expecting to be SS super nerdy, but a dedicated thread for Skyrim with over 90 pages of coments?

I found where do I belong. Guitars, beer and games.

Anyway, I just started a new profile on Skyrim, I've always played as a nord but I want to try something different.

Any ideas?


----------



## ferret

I threw a bunch of new mods on, including Live Another Life. I've always wanted to make conjurer work, but never did it. Pushed the diff to Master for now and started rolling.

Why am I playing this again


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## Grand Moff Tim

bythepainiseetheothers said:


> Anyway, I just started a new profile on Skyrim, I've always played as a nord but I want to try something different.
> 
> Any ideas?



Argonian. Waterbreathing & 50% disease resistance are handy for exploration.


----------



## bythepainiseetheothers

Yeah I was thinking of argonians, but they are ugly as hell. 

An Elve would be kickass but I rather use sword than magicka.


----------



## blastgatr

bythepainiseetheothers said:


> Yeah I was thinking of argonians, but they are ugly as hell.
> 
> An Elve would be kickass but I rather use sword than magicka.



Argonians are all I play as. Their racial benefits are universal so you can use them no matter what your play style, where others lean towards specific styles.

You could roll as an Altmer battlemage. I did that once. Tall muscular golden skinned badass crushing people's skulls while lighting them on fire.


----------



## bythepainiseetheothers

blastgatr said:


> Argonians are all I play as. Their racial benefits are universal so you can use them no matter what your play style, where others lean towards specific styles.
> 
> You could roll as an Altmer battlemage. I did that once. Tall muscular golden skinned badass crushing people's skulls while lighting them on fire.



Altmer mages look killer to. I'll try Argonian then.


----------



## thedonal

Grand Moff Tim said:


> He's a dunmer farmer on one of the farmsteads just west of Riften. He'll ask you to find it if you meet him first, but if you find the bow first you can just go give it to him.



Thanks. I'll looks him up and probably give him a stern talking to for leaving his bow in bloody dangerous places!


----------



## blastgatr

Now the real question, how many of you played Oblivion or Morrowind?


----------



## Taylor

I started with Morrowind (300+hrs), then Oblivion (500+hrs), and Skyrim (400+hrs). Ah the carefree hours of my adolescence spent on Morrowind and Oblivion. But now my gaming laptop is dead so no Skyrim right now.


----------



## thedonal

Didn't like Oblivion (May have mentioned that once or twice.. ). Consoles mainly, so didn't look at the earlier games.

Skyrim just hit the spot for me in so many ways.


----------



## Grand Moff Tim

The only game I've put more time into than Skyrim is Oblivion, and I just recently broke 700 hours on Skyrim. So yeah, I've played Oblivion 

I recently did main quest playthroughs of Morrowind, Oblvion and Skyrim one immediately after the other, using the same build/playstyle. Dig back a couple pages in this thread and you'll see what I learned.


----------



## Grand Moff Tim

thedonal said:


> Thanks. I'll looks him up and probably give him a stern talking to for leaving his bow in bloody dangerous places!



Chances are you found it in a chest in the Ratway Warrens, where it was because thieves stole from his house. He'll tell you all about it when you meet him.


----------



## BrainArt

I've played Oblivion, but haven't played Morrowind. I plan on buying Morrowind on Steam at some point in time.


----------



## thedonal

Grand Moff Tim said:


> Chances are you found it in a chest in the Ratway Warrens, where it was because thieves stole from his house. He'll tell you all about it when you meet him.


 
Sounds about right. Even so, he was careless and deserves stern reprisals for having been stolen from. 

I do quite like having a fight with Fallion to get him near the stone circle, when it glitches. I've been vampirised way too often lately...


----------



## Grand Moff Tim

An observation about playing on Legendary:

The Follower Overhaul (not sure if that's the actual name) does make it a fair bit easier, since 1) You can have multiple followers (I have 3 and a dog, not sure what the limit is), 2) they have a TON of health, and 3) you can make them essential, so they'll never die.

HOWEVER

As with non-essential followers, when their health is almost drained, they'll take a knee. When a follower takes a knee, the enemies that were attacking him/her will go after the next closest follower or the player. That means that, even with four immortal followers, there are still situations that can be hazardous to the player's health.

If I go into an enclosed area with a large number of high-level enemies, it's only a matter of time before all of my followers have taken a knee and all the baddies then come after _me, _and though my followers seem to be able to soak up dozens of their strikes, they tend to take me out in two, three tops.

I kinda want to grind smithing and enchanting so I can make some gear that will help me out, but I also worry that doing so will level me up too quickly without advancing my offensive skills at all, so the higher-level enemies my higher-level character would face could just kick my ass even harder . I'll probably stick with a more organic levelling approach for a while, I suppose.


----------



## AugmentedFourth

I've looked around this thread a bit and it seems pretty cool... I used to play a bit of Skyrim myself but have recently grown a bit bored in general with video games.

However, I normally enjoy Tolkien-esque RPG fantasy such as TES so I was curious if you guys might have any general tips on ways you play the game or what you use to get the most fun and immersive experience you can. Any tips are appreciated.


----------



## MFB

If you're playing on PC, then I'd say you'd probably just want to grab any HD mods that are available for the environments, and then just do as much as you can in the game since there's a ....ton to see and do.


----------



## Grand Moff Tim

AugmentedFourth said:


> However, I normally enjoy Tolkien-esque RPG fantasy such as TES so I was curious if you guys might have any general tips on ways you play the game or what you use to get the most fun and immersive experience you can. Any tips are appreciated.


 
My biggest tip is to limit yourself. That might sound strange at first, but it makes sense. If you create a backstory for a character you create, you should limit your actions to only things that character would do. That way it will seem more like actually being a part of the world, and less like just ticking off some boxes as you make your way through quests. 

Some examples:

A racist Nord. Treat non-Nords like shit, murder all travelling bands of Altmer you come across, marry a nice Nord woman, etc. Try to avoid doing any quests that involve doing favors for non-Nords.

A khajiit thief with a sweet tooth: Avoid direct confrontation at all costs. Pickpocket everybody. Break into everyplace. Most importantly, steal every sweet roll, nut treat, pie, or taffy you see, and horde them all in a room in your house. Feel free to do so while high on skooma and/or Moon Sugar.

A tough one, The Pacifist: Don't kill anything. At all. No humans, no beasts, no undead, no automatons. Nothing. If a quest involves killing someone or something, too bad. You can't finish that quest. If your path is littered with enemies, well, I guess you'd better find a way past them without killing them.

The possibilities are limited pretty much by nothing but your imagination.


----------



## Grand Moff Tim

I'm not really taking that advice with my current build, though . This one is mostly experimental, just to see how to deal with the game on Legendary difficulty.


----------



## BrainArt

I originally wasn't going to do the Butcher quest in Windhelm with my Nightblade/ Assassin (being an assassin with little to no moral compass and all), but decided that I would, giving my build a larger moral compass than just ".... the Forsworn".

I'll add a spoiler tag for those who haven't done much in Skyrim, yet.



Spoiler



He is all for killing for money and pleasure, but against the murder and mutilation of women, which will mean I won't get the ring from Muiri, which is fine with me, since I believe that I already have the Fortify Alchemy enchantment.


----------



## Grand Moff Tim

I had one build who was an old Bosmer hermit that lived in a treehouse in the woods. He was so reclusive that he would never talk to _anybody_ except to barter, so that meant NO quest givers or followers. All he would do is hunt, mine, gather plants, craft, and occasionally go dungeon diving, then go sell or trade whatever he didn't need in the nearest town.


----------



## Grand Moff Tim

Welp, I made yet another build. Posting about my old Bosmer hermit made me feel like taking that build for a spin, but when I went to open it it turned out that save file was a casualty of the last time I went through and deleted all the builds I wasn't really playing anymore. So...








This is Hey, Cat!

Backstory: His ancestors were brought to Vvardenfell in a slave caravan from Elsweyr back when slavery was still legal in Morrowind. A group of them managed to escape from the slavers, but since they escaped before slavery was made illegal, they remained in hiding for generations, living a nomadic lifestyle slowly working their way away from Vvardenfell, all the while staying hidden whenever possible because they feared being enslaved again. 

Because they lived in seclusion, only a handful of them ever bothered to learn the common tongue of Cyrodiil, while the rest spoke only the language of the Khajiit. Hey, Cat!'s parents never spoke the common tongue, so he only speaks his native language. 

How does that affect how I'll play the build? Well, it means he can only talk to other Khajiit. He won't be able to accept quests from any other races, because he simply doesn't understand them. He also won't be able to stay in any inns or own any housing, for the same reason. He'll have to stick with found housing or portable shelters. The most interaction he'll be able to do with other races is bartering, because he doesn't really need a shared language for that. Even then, he'll only _sell_ to the khajiit caravan merchants, because he can haggle cash value with them, whereas he's only really able to trade goods for goods with non-khajiit.

The language barrier also explains the name he goes by: He can't understand "what's your name?" when asked, and everyone just says "Hey, Cat!" when they want his attention, so he's come to assume that that's what his name is in the common tongue. His ignorant ass doesn't know any better .

Because he was raised in seclusion in a nomadic pack, his skills will be focused on crafting and survival. That means he won't be proficient in any combat-exclusive weapons, but he will be handy with a bow because he has to use it to hunt, and he'll be able to fight with his claws because, well, he's a fuggin' Khajiit, so of course he can.

He also has a slightly askew moral compass, since he wasn't raised in "polite society." He kinda just slinks around everywhere, keeping to the shadows, picking a pocket here, a lock there, taking whatever looks interesting or useful, maybe even murdering a straggler in a dark corner if they might have something he needs.

To facilitate this build, I finally got around to installing a fletching mod, and a mod that lets you melt down weapons and armor into ingots. That way he'll be able to recycle the loot he finds and make things that are actually useful to him, since selling the loot he finds will only be an option if a caravan happens to be outside the city he stops in.


Did any of you actually read all of that nonsense?


----------



## Taylor

Grand Moff Tim said:


> Did any of you actually read all of that nonsense?


----------



## Grand Moff Tim

Actually, I think there's one non-Khajiit he should be able to talk to: Ysolda. She seems to know a bit about the Khajiit and says she wants help learning about trading from the caravan leader Ma'dran, so it wouldn't be unreasonable to assume she can speak a little khajiiti. That'll only get me one quest, but still. Better than nothing.

EDIT: Ooooh, it will also allow me to become a drug dealer...


----------



## BrainArt

Grand Moff Tim said:


> Did any of you actually read all of that nonsense?



I always do.


----------



## Curt

blastgatr said:


> Now the real question, how many of you played Oblivion or Morrowind?


 Both. actually doing side quests on oblivion right now


----------



## Grand Moff Tim

It occurs to me that Hey, Cat!'s language barrier will also mean no traveling by coach. That ought to drag things out a bit .


----------



## MFB

blastgatr said:


> Now the real question, how many of you played Oblivion or Morrowind?



I tried to play Oblivion, I really did but everything was just so ...fvcking soul/lifeless.

*walk by NPC*
"Oh dear, mudcrabs are such horrid creatures aren't they" 
*walk by many moons later*
"Oh dear, mudcrabs are such horrid creatures aren't they" 

Seriously NPCs, that's all you can offer me? You sound like a god-damn Georgia peach in the late 1800s.


----------



## Grand Moff Tim

To be fair, the NPCs in Skyrim aren't exactly witty conversationalists, and Morrowind is worse about it than Skyrim and Oblivion combined. Unless "not even trying" is the better option, which it may well actually be .


----------



## MFB

Grand Moff Tim said:


> To be fair, the NPCs in Skyrim aren't exactly witty conversationalists, and Morrowind is worse about it than Skyrim and Oblivion combined. Unless "not even trying" is the better option, which it may well actually be .



Really? Then what the hell made Morrowind so loved, was it just like the first big, open world RPG with lots of customization, because I feel like a lot of the time people give that old cliched line of, "Well it just had so much charm to it!" but if it's more lifeless than Oblivion then charm it does NOT have.


----------



## Grand Moff Tim

MFB said:


> Really? Then what the hell made Morrowind so loved, was it just like the first big, open world RPG with lots of customization, because I feel like a lot of the time people give that old cliched line of, "Well it just had so much charm to it!" but if it's more lifeless than Oblivion then charm it does NOT have.



Most people who prefer Morrowind played it before playing the others, then were angry when Oblivion made changes to it that they didn't like. I played Oblivion first, which made Morrowind almost unplayable to me for the longest time. I had to get _really_ in to TES lore before I cared enough to get past Morrowind's dogshit graphics and terrible combat long enough to make it through the main story.

There are pretty much always going to be people who wax nostalgically about the older iterations in a popular game series. It's unavoidable. Chances are, the same people talking about how much better Morrowind was than Oblivion are the same crowd that complain about how shitty FO3 was compared to 1 & 2. Not saying that's not a valid opinion, of course, just that it's the same deal. People don't like change.


----------



## Curt

I really liked the plot of oblivion, but .... me, the realm of oblivion was such a bore. shivering isles and knights of the nine afterwards made me forget all about it.


----------



## Xaios

Grand Moff Tim said:


> Chances are, the same people talking about how much better Morrowind was than Oblivion are the same crowd that complain about how shitty FO3 was compared to 1 & 2. Not saying that's not a valid opinion, of course, just that it's the same deal. People don't like change.



While I never did play Morrowind and a most definitely prefered Skyrim to Oblivion, I am in the "FO3 isn't as good as 1 or 2" crowd. My problem with FO3 was that it was such a ....ing gloomy, constantly ULTIMATEGRIMDARK game. It completely lost the humour that made the first two games great. I didn't have any problems with the gameplay. New Vegas was a _much_ more fulfilling experience because it remembered to be _fun_ once in a while.



Curt said:


> I really liked the plot of oblivion, but .... me, the realm of oblivion was such a bore. shivering isles and knights of the nine afterwards made me forget all about it.



Agreed, the plane of Oblivion was a damn chore every single time I had to go there, I hated it. At least the stuff outside Oblivion wasn't so bad, but having to constantly go to Oblivion to move the main plot forward just made me lose interest. Never did get around to trying Shivering Isles or Knights of the Nine. I heard the Shivering Isles was great, KofN not so much.


----------



## ferret

Did everything but Shivering Isles in Oblivion. I've tried multiple times to get into Morrowind but I just can't do it. Even as recently as a month ago I modded it up, retextures and everything. It actually looked pretty decent, but the interface is just... so behind... and you feel like you're moving through water...so slow.


----------



## Don Vito

Morrowind has become my favorite now that I've tried the PC version. It's slow as hell, but there's a real sense of danger in the world. Aside from random trolls, you can basically .... everything up in Oblivion and Skyrim the moment you start the game. That makes them more fun in a way, just depends on your mood.


----------



## Grand Moff Tim

717 hours in, and I _JUST_ realized I could goad the traveling groups of Thalmor into attacking me first. I've tried standing in their way and repeatedly not moving when they tell me to move, but it wasn't until tonight that I actually bothered to talk to each of the members of the group. One of them had the option for me to confess that I worship Talos, which caused them to attack me. This particular build _doesn't_ worship Talos, but he _does_ hate the Thalmor and their oppressive ways, so he was more than happy to get punchy with them.


----------



## Winspear

Anyone tried Morrowind with mods? There's a huge compiled mod pack for it and I presume some to improve the combat etc? Thinking of picking it up but I will indeed find it hard to play stock quality after a heavily modded Skyrim I'm sure.


----------



## InfinityCollision

Finally reinstalling Skyrim after clearing out a fair portion of my (looooong ) gaming backlog. What mods should I be picking up bare minimum to start with?

So far I'm looking at the "unofficial xxx patch" series, SPO, SKSE, Immersive HUD, and SkyUI.


----------



## Taylor

Some that I had are: Frostfall, Cloaks of Skyrim, Sound of Skyrim, Moonpath to Elsweyr, various texture enhancers (water, blood, foliage etc), and a lot more that I can't remember. What I would do is go to Skyrim Nexus and search through the top files to see what interests you.


----------



## Grand Moff Tim

Hell, you'll need SKSE just to run half the mods that are worth having, it barely even counts as a mod itself.

As far as gameplay, I highly recommend Frostfall and Realistic Needs.

For combat, I use Way of the Monk to make unarmed and unarmored viable again.

For graphics, the only things I use are a mod that fixes the fire logs and chopping blocks so they aren't all baby blue anymore, and a nudity mod, lol. The graphics in general are good enough for me using only the official HD pack, since I can run it on very high settings anyways.

I also recently started using a mod that lets you turn weapons and armor into ingots at smelters, which is handy and realistic, and another that lets you craft arrows, which should've been a game feature to begin with, IMO. I don't remember what they're called, but they should be easy enough to find.

Finally, I use the Paarthurnax Fix. You can probably guess why.

I use a fair bit more than those listed above, but those are the ones I'd most recommend to another player.


----------



## Jakke

Hey guis, I've just picked up Skyrim again, and I've noticed a problem that I hope someone can help me with. My old keyboard gave up a couple of months ago, so I got myself a new Logitech one. The problem now is that Skyrim seems confused by it, with the largest problem that it seems to think that keys are two keys at ones, such as F5 also being ctrl (with quicksaving taking me in and out of stealth).

This is, as you can imagine, pretty annoying


----------



## Chiba666

Decided after reading a few of the great accounts on here to start a new character recnetly. I play on PS3 so I don't have all the nice sprinkles and choc chip cookies that you guys have. What I ahve odne though is to try and my character (Einar) as he should be played as in He sneaks alot and uses his bow more than axe. So out with the heavy armour and into light an dI know sneak through the dungeons taking people out at long range until I have to use my axe of doom on them.

Still only lvl 9 but Im making use of heal instead of using potions as well as smithing from the start rather than half way through. Just taken Whiterun as part of the Stormcloak rebellion and that was fun but ended up more hack and slash than sniper. All good intentions though. Looking forward ot trying to keep incharacter as well, all nords deserve to be somewhere else kind of deal but we shall see.


----------



## Winspear

Speaking of potions, anyone got a particular way they use them, or running any mods? I've found I tend to just spam health potions when things get tough haha. I'm never carrying more than 5 or so so I don't feel like cheating too much, but still...


----------



## Grand Moff Tim

I used to horde them, but nowadays with most builds I sell everything but health potions. Sometimes I'll keep a magicka potion or two on hand for low-level mage builds, or an inivisibility potion for a low-level sneaky sneak, but once you're levelled up enough for perks and decent enchanted gear, there isn't much use for anything but health potions. Hell, at high enough level and with the right gear, there isn't much use for health potions, either .

OT: I wanted to dick around with my hand to hand build the other day, but discovered it was another casualty of one of my last rounds of build deletions. That of course meant starting a new build to focus on Hand to hand and unarmored, though annoyingly, the unarmored function of the mod I use doesn't seem to be working properly. I might try to see if I can resolve that this weekend, but with focusing on Alteration and the Invested Magic mod, I'm not _too_ vulnerable in only my robes.

I haven't made anything too detailed regarding backstory this time, only for playstyle. Since he's focusing on hand to hand and unarmored, I've decided he'll be a monk. Making him a monk meant picking one of the Aedra for him to be a follower of. I initially decided that he'd be a follower of Arkay, who is, among other things, the god of funeral rites. 

Followers of Arkay believe in the proper treatment of the dead and have a hatred of necromancy, so I've taken that to mean that this build will not only hate necromancy, but also soul trapping and enchanting. That means I won't use soul trap, I'll never enchant anything, and I just sell any soul gems I find.

Since he uses hand to hand, I'm going to play as though he's so obsessed with perfecting his fighting skills that he shuns actual weapons to the point that in most cases, he won't even touch them. If he finds one in a chest, he leaves it there. If he kills someone, he doesn't take their weapon. The only exception is enchanted weapons, which he takes and sells.

I still haven't decided how he justifies selling the enchanted weapons instead of just disposing of them at the bottom of a river or something. I'll either think of a reason eventually, or maybe I'll actually just start dropping them in the water instead. Then at least I can say he's laying the souls entangled in the enchantment to rest, instead of selling them off for gold and to allow someone else to exploit them .

I've also been taking the clothes off of everybody I kill whether it's valuable or not, and I haven't decided on a legit reason for that yet, apart from "because it's hilarious."


----------



## ferret

Well I restarted again. Trying to follow some of Tim's ideas. Got Frostfall and Realistic Needs, and set them somewhat restrictive... including no waiting outside or fast travel. THIS will get ... interesting...

Another Life to Live, started as an "outlaw in the wilds" and will try to stick to that motif. Going to try to really play up a thief, normally I just use stealth aspects for attacking. Playing on masterful right now, and that's a big enough pain. I don't plan to have followers, not sure I could handle legendary without them. Probably will eschew magic entirely (Including college quests as a result?)

Maybe not quite as detailed as Tim but it's a start.


----------



## Grand Moff Tim

Couldn't figure out what the deal was with the unarmored portion of the Way of the Monk mod, so I added the Grandmaster unarmed and unarmored mod from the Nexus. It seems to have more interesting perks for the skills and actually allows the player to level up as they use their unarmed attacks, though it comes at the cost of replacing the Speechcraft tree with the Grandmaster tree. 

That's no too big a deal since most of the speechcraft perks are pretty useless, but I'll miss the perks of being able to invest extra gold in shops and being able to sell any item to any vendor. I might look into the nuts and bolts of the mod and see if I can replace the lockpicking tree instead, since I don't think I've ever invested a single perk in that tree.

EDIT: OH, and it adds some new animations, so now I do crazy twisty backflips when I jump, and spinning roundhouse jumpkicks when I do power attacks in third person . Shit's pretty hilarious.


----------



## Grindspine

I have always found followers to screw up my stealth builds, so tend to not use them once I get boots with muffle and/or my sneak over 50.


----------



## Chiba666

Followers, I am trying this build without a follower, so far so good but I think it will get harder as I go on.

Also decided to wipe out the Thalmor once I have completed the main mission, may seem petty but I just don't like them and getting rid of them will be of benefit to all of Skyrim.

lol


----------



## Grand Moff Tim

If you insist on forgoing followers, I'd recommend choosing the Steed Stone. It adds +100 carry weight, removes armor movement penalties, and makes equipped armor weightless. Those are all pretty awesome for dungeon diving, since you won't have a follower to use as a pack mule. The lack of movement penalty is also nice for running the .... away from baddies that you can't quite tackle yet.


----------



## Chiba666

Thanks for the tip, If I can find on thats stealthy enough I will get one.

Will do the Dark Brotherhood quests tonight


----------



## Grindspine

Grand Moff Tim said:


> If you insist on forgoing followers, I'd recommend choosing the Steed Stone. It adds +100 carry weight, removes armor movement penalties, and makes equipped armor weightless. Those are all pretty awesome for dungeon diving, since you won't have a follower to use as a pack mule. The lack of movement penalty is also nice for running the .... away from baddies that you can't quite tackle yet.


 
The Lord stone is awesome for higher difficulties. I don't think I ever survived fighting giants until I got the defense bonus from that stone.

Of course, having ebony or daedric armor late game with the conditioning perk is awesome too.


----------



## BlackMastodon

Chiba666 said:


> Followers, I am trying this build without a follower, so far so good but I think it will get harder as I go on.
> 
> Also decided to wipe out the Thalmor once I have completed the main mission, may seem petty but I just don't like them and getting rid of them will be of benefit to all of Skyrim.
> 
> lol


Reading this made me wonder: is there a mod that lets you permanently kill any character? Like even main quest ones, like Balgruf, etc? Because there have been many a time on 360 where I hated a character and tried to kill them dead but they can't die, or conversely I accidentally kill someone I needed to complete a quest.


----------



## Grand Moff Tim

BlackMastodon said:


> Reading this made me wonder: is there a mod that lets you permanently kill any character? Like even main quest ones, like Balgruf, etc? Because there have been many a time on 360 where I hated a character and tried to kill them dead but they can't die, or conversely I accidentally kill someone I needed to complete a quest.



Pretty sure you don't even need a mod for that if you have PC. You can just do it with the command console, if you know the right commands to type. You can also resurrect people you wish you hadn't killed.


----------



## Grand Moff Tim

Grindspine said:


> The Lord stone is awesome for higher difficulties. I don't think I ever survived fighting giants until I got the defense bonus from that stone.
> 
> Of course, having ebony or daedric armor late game with the conditioning perk is awesome too.



Yeah, I use the Lord Stone (well, the Lord Birthsign, since I use the Character Creation Overhaul mod) with my unarmed/unarmored character. Damage & magic resistance are handy when you have to get within punching distance of all of your enemies .


----------



## Chiba666

Got to say really liking the Dark Brotherhood quest line so far. Their light armor has definatly helped my lowly lvl 11 character get some quality now skills and the odd silent dagger kill.
Managed to profit from a Dragon vs Giant fight. Easiest Dragon kill Ive had full stop.
Found a small glithc when I got to a Dragon site, ran to the wall to get the shout adn a glitch caused the dragon to get stuck, problem was it wouldnt let me do any damage to it. Had to bug out and return later to release the dragon from its glitch.


----------



## BlackMastodon

Finally got the new PC up and running and got a little time in on Skyrim today. I am incredibly excited to start some builds, and it runs like a dream. Don't know how I even played it on 360 but I don't think I can ever go back. 

I downloaded various HD texture mods (blood, enviro, buildings, etc) but I don't know if I have the enviro ones working. The water does look great so I will check it out. Also have: Way of the Monk
Realistic Needs
Frostfall
Immersive Weapons and Armour
Sounds of Skyrim
Convenient Horses
Improved Combat Sounds
Dance of Death
Enhanced Night Sky
Random Alternate Start
Deadly Dragons
Vals Crafting Meltdown
Craftable Arrows
Categorized Favourites Menu and SkyUI
Cloaks of Skyrim
Bosmer Armour Pack
Aesir Armour
JaySus Swords
and Wulfharths Dragonbone Weapons

I went pretty crazy with finding mods as you can tell.  I only played a bit but I absolutely love it so far. I'm also playing with absolutely no music on so it really feels more realistic, playing on expert for now.

My first build is Keira, a Nord wildling (as close as we can get in not GoT lore) who despises the Imperials and Thalmor for what they have done to her country, and has turned her back on the Nords that have let it happen. She will be a hunter/gatherer who uses a bow and one handed weapons as well as fur and possibly light armor. She will not go into any settlements or interact with anyone that is not a traveling merchant and will kill any imperial or Thalmor on sight. I need to find a camp to take over around Dawnstar to be close enough to raid Imperial outposts, at least in hit and run fashion. She will not aid the Stormcloaks, though; not trusting them after Ulfric let her get captured and nearly executed and killed by Alduin. We'll see which questlines I can accomplish with her.

This is really a build to test out and get fully invested in Realistic Needs and Frostfall. I didn't use Random Start because the vanilla starting location fit her back story well. A couple of screen shots from the start:












She'll ditch the Stormcloak armour as soon as she can as she hates wearing it and doesn't want to be recognized as an enemy of Imperials right off the bat.

Also, at the starting cutscene, this just made me laugh. 






More will come. I'll make a Monk soon enough, and most likely a Bosmer Illusionist/Ranger.

Might give the Dwarf mod a try, too.


----------



## ferret

Current mod run down:

Nexus:





I really like the idea of Open Cities... but I terrified of it breaking any other mod that tries to make changes to the internal areas of cities.

Steam... ThirteenOranges has an awesome set of "Places and Quests" mods:
Faction: Pit Fighter Travels Add-On
Faction: Pit Fighter
Quest: And the Realms of Daedra
Quest: Sorcery
Quest: Sea Of Ghosts
Quest: No Mercy
Quest: The Bigger They Are
Places: Oakwood -Hearthfire Edition-
Places: Laintar Dale -Hearthfire Edition-
Places: Amber Guard
Places: Granitehall

Still playing my Bosmer outlaw/hunter right now. She seems to spend a ton of time hunting and camping. Haven't done any quests by level 10?


----------



## Winspear

BlackMastodon - Get Hunterborn  You'll likely want to tweak it's meat yield.


----------



## ferret

EtherealEntity said:


> BlackMastodon - Get Hunterborn  You'll likely want to tweak it's meat yield.



Add one more mod to my list....


----------



## InfinityCollision

Ferret - No promises, but at a glance I think you're ok to use Open Cities with that mod set.

My first build on the new install ended up being a Khajiit who's a bit of a gentleman kleptomaniac  Went stealth build for it, though he's also got a background as a bit of a failed mage. Currently doing the Companions questline, will dip into the Thieves questline but I'm not planning to go very far in that given the character.

Next build will be a Nord using bows and battleaxes, but I'm undecided as to whether I should go full drunken racist dudeface or resurrect a female warrior character I've used in the past.


----------



## Grand Moff Tim

Going full drunken racist could be hilarious, especially if you use Realistic Needs.


----------



## texshred777

So have been back on a Skyrim kick of late.

Had a butt puckering moment earlier. Had restarted a character from an early level to redo his build and stick with an archetype. In any case hadn't planned on becoming a vampire this time, but chose that over being soul trapped to enter the soul cairn. In character he wouldn't have been down for that. My spellsword on the other hand...

Anyway as soon as he finished the soul cairn bit and did a numbers and shill job went over to Morthal to see Falion. I knew Falion could heal vampirism from a previous run but waited to get mention from the innkeeper in Solitude. Had a bit of fun using vampire's seduction to feed on random people. Didn't really do that last time, opting to sneak in to houses/occupied rooms of inns. As soon as we arrive in Morthal what happens? A dragon shows up in the middle of conversing with Falion. 

Click out of the convo and try to kill the dragon as quickly as possible, but it runs off. After waiting I go back to talk to Falion again and again dragon shows up. For some reason Falion thinks he's Conan and does his best to melee the dragon. I'm using archery and have to sprint to finish off the dragon because Falion's almost to it. I turn a corner just in time to see Falion in the almost dead animation. 

The dragon is about to about to blast Falion with fire(Johan too, but meh), so he uses the Slow Time shout to try and steal initiative. Barely get the arrow to strike before the death blow. I looked it up after and Falion is marked as essential, so no real threat, but at the time that was the most tension I've felt in Skyrim in forever.


----------



## texshred777

Another thing I've come to realize.

This archery playthrough makes me glad I downloaded Dawnguard. Not because of Zephyr or Auriel's bow(the latter being pretty legit with improvement), but freakin arrow crafting. Johan is still using dwarven arrows from the first several thousand he made after clearing Mzulft. I know arrow type doesn't mean much by the time you're improving bows and have the damage perks and/or fortify enchants, but for character purposes I like having consistent arrow types. By the time he runs out of those, he'll be making dragonbone arrows with the absurd amounts of dragon bits stashed away. 

To be fair physical arrows are only a recent concern. He'd been using the bound bow(mystic) exclusively since the beginning.

I've also bought Dragonborn, but haven't started it yet. From what I understand, there's a way to respec perks with that dlc. That will be nice, can finally get rid of the destruction, block, and conjuration perks wasted on the first few levels as a swordmage.


----------



## InfinityCollision

Grand Moff Tim said:


> Going full drunken racist could be hilarious, especially if you use Realistic Needs.



Exactly  Forgot to mention, I'll be enabling Realistic Needs and Frostfall starting with that playthrough. Probably Immersive Weapons/Armors too. May add a couple others depending on whether or not I feel like I'm done with my current character by that time.


----------



## ferret

Restarted my character, did turn on Open Cities, along with some others I added in. Getting an occasional CTD right now, but haven't decided it's Open cities. I grabbed the alpha SKSE so could be that.


----------



## BrainArt

I haven't done much Skyrim playing for a bit, but I'm still installing more mods, because I'm addicted and have been since I first started.

One of the newest additions is Bandoliers, don't remember why I haven't downloaded it until now, but now I can continue to be a massive hoarder.


----------



## BlackMastodon

BrainArt said:


> I haven't done much Skyrim playing for a bit, but I'm still installing more mods, because I'm addicted and have been since I first started.
> 
> One of the newest additions is Bandoliers, don't remember why I haven't downloaded it until now, but now I can continue to be a massive hoarder.


Got a link for the bandoliers? I got Armed to the Teeth yesterday and a couple to complement it but I couldn't find bandoliers on Nexus.


----------



## BrainArt

BlackMastodon said:


> Got a link for the bandoliers? I got Armed to the Teeth yesterday and a couple to complement it but I couldn't find bandoliers on Nexus.



I knew I forgot something in my post above. 

Here you go: Bandolier - Bags and Pouches at Skyrim Nexus - mods and community


----------



## thedonal

Gods- my 360 version was on a proper freezathon last night. And it takes forever to reboot and load back up to where you were.. I must sort the fixes out (I think turning off autosave does it? That'll ruin me- I will struggle to remember to keep saving!!)

I finally installed the add-ons in the legendary box though- Dawnguard, Hearthfire and Dragonborn.

The moment I arrived in Whiterun, it was swarming with cultists and a master vampire. Half of Whiterun's inhabitants are now dead. Including Adrienne Avinicci. Which means half the gold and materials available at my main blacksmithing location  Oh well... 

Looking forward to these though, as I've been to a lot of the locations on the main map. Not to mention the increased crafting and building my own little house on the prarie! (once I find out where I can buy some land from....)


----------



## ferret

Hah, that's where the PC shines. "When Vampires Attack" is a great addon... People like shop keepers shouldn't be fighting vampires, they should be running. WVA makes all non-guards flee to houses, letting you and the guards handle the attack.

I could see how some might few that a bit as cheating, where the risk of people dying? But I think it's also quite a bit more immersive and realistic. Ysolda ain't gonna pull her knife on a vampire. She gonna run.


----------



## ferret

Ended up uninstalling Open Cities.... despite using all the suggestions for CTD fixes, I was seeing very consistent crashes... Love the idea, but I guess there was a reason Bethseda made the cities closed.

No crashes since disabling it...


----------



## BrainArt

thedonal said:


> Looking forward to these though, as I've been to a lot of the locations on the main map. Not to mention the increased crafting and building my own little house on the prarie! (once I find out where I can buy some land from....)



Falkreath, Morthal, and Dawnstar. You need to be a friend to the Jarls of each hold before they allow you to buy land.


----------



## thedonal

BrainArt said:


> Falkreath, Morthal, and Dawnstar. You need to be a friend to the Jarls of each hold before they allow you to buy land.


 
Thanks. I'm doing OK I think in Dawnstar and Morthal (not been there for a while- only really visit Morthal when I need a vampire cure).


----------



## liamh

I've been horrendously ill as of late, so I started playing Skyrim game again today
I had totally neglected smithing before, spent a good few hours getting my smithing from a measly 29 to 100. 
Truthfully it was a bit of a ball ache, but worth it; catch me in that full smithed-to-legendary Dragon Scale armour set (plus I've got maxed out light armour skill with all the perks, so my defense rating is currently shít-hot)

Think I'm gonna get the expansion games tomorrow. My problem was that I play on the ps4, and the expansions didn't come out on the ps4 for quite a while after they had on other platforms, which was long enough for me to lose interest in Skyrim.


----------



## ferret

thedonal said:


> Thanks. I'm doing OK I think in Dawnstar and Morthal (not been there for a while- only really visit Morthal when I need a vampire cure).



Dawnstar takes the longest. The jarl's favor quest is killing a giant and requires level 24 or something, so you can't hit it up for a while. Alternatively, if you've progressed the civil war and Imperials control Dawnstar, the new jarl will offer it right away.


----------



## Chiba666

Finished the Civil War quest lat night, Stormcloaks as always win.

I can now build a house on Morthal as well so I may look into that this weekend if I get chance. Im leaving the main quest line and trying to do a few other side quests that I neglected first run though


----------



## Chiba666

decided not to sort a house out and crack on with the Thieves Guild quests


----------



## BlackMastodon

Jesus those Bandoliers are really helpful. Decided to keep Keira in the area of Whiterun for now until she can gather enough supplies to make her way back North and take care of some Thalmor and Imperials. I cleared out a small bandit camp just north of Whiterun and have claimed it as her home. It has a Forge and Skinning station and a dead mammoth inside. 

The story of how I got to that place is actually a little funny I think.

Was running away from guards in Whiterun (I killed a group of Imperials patrolling the road outside of it because f**k 'em. Also didn't have a cowl yet so I couldn't hide from the guards) and ran into a group of 4 bandits that I didn't realize were bandits. When they drew on me I kept on running to this camp which I thought was an outpost. I figured the guards could help kills these bandits while I make off alive but nope, 3 more bandits to add to my tail.  I quickly turned from the camp and saw a hole which I promptly jumped down and was lucky to miss the spikes. I hid down there for a little while and used the entrance into the mine of the camp that led to the hole to get out. I stealthily killed the bandit chief inside and all of the other bandits as I made me way out. Using the bow for sneaky shooting is a lot of fun (this is also my first ranged character in Skyrim).

Later on when I was walking down the same road I saw that a couple of giants and their mammoth took care of those original 4 bandits. Guess they came into the wrong neighbourhood.


----------



## BrainArt

^  That reminds me of what I did the other day with Hafþor.


I had to kill a giant for Jorleif in Windhelm on the road to Riften, so I snuck up and got a sneak attack on him with my bow and some poison. Once he noticed me, I had to run, because even at level 23 giants still scare the shit out of me without followers to take the most of the aggro.

He runs up to me, hits me once, and takes out most of my health, so I popped a few of my health potions (no time to switch to restoration magic) and ran like a little bitch to get more distance between us.

I hit him a few more times, he hits me once more, forcing me to use the rest of my health potions (I was way under stocked). I killed him after that using some more poison on my bow and continued on my way to Riften to go to Honorhall.

I wish my computer could handle running Skyrim and a game capture program, because then I would have recorded it. There were a lot of trailer-esque evasive maneuvers on my part to avoid being launched into the stratosphere.

I aggro'd his mammoths, but only one charged at me, and that is because I shot it. 

Needless to say, as this was going on, everything I said was profanity along with my questioning myself on my decision to take the giant out by myself.


----------



## bythepainiseetheothers

I restarted Skyrim again and so far i'm lvl 17 with good weapons and almost 30000 of gold. Anyway, my question is Stormcloacks or Empire?
I've played once with the Empire and I wasn't really happy about the ending, dunno.

Tips?

ALSO, on the Dawnguard DLC I tried Vampire once, but it the DLC itself as a vampire it so shitty. What should I do? Stick to vampire or try the other group?


----------



## ferret

I played Stormcloak the only time I did the civil war... and was unhappy about it. At first they're kinda cast as rebels against the evil empire, but it quickly becomes clear their racist little ....s too ;P

Playing Imperial this time through.


----------



## Chiba666

I mus admit I am arse at making cash, either that or I spend it on trainers to much


----------



## InfinityCollision

Stormcloaks vs Imperials is kind of a no-win question, they both have serious issues. I usually just go along with whatever fits the character best. For my Khajiit, that'll be the Imperials. For my next build, it'll be the Stormcloaks.

Making gold is basically a matter of looting anything and everything with a decent price-to-weight ratio for your level and selling it all off whenever possible to avoid encumbrance issues and vendor gold limitations. Speech/haggling buffs and smart crafting (whether from raw items or improving existing ones) can get you a slightly better margin but the base game doesn't exactly skimp on opportunities to make a mint. I'm sitting on about 50k right now, which is only about 10k down from what I had when I started powerleveling my Khajiit's smithing and working on enchanting/alchemy alongside. Most of those losses are in soul gems that I haven't used for enchantments yet, including a few grand/greater soul gems I picked up for later while I was at it. That's with mid-level Speech, minimal speech/haggling bonuses because I was being lazy, and possibly taking a small loss as a result of doing all my powerleveling in Whiterun with Trade Routes on.


----------



## thedonal

Getting speech up will balance the losses. I only really use trainers for skills I use less often at the minute- heavy armour, pickpocketing and two handed for example.

I also use them to level up skills I went legendary on. So far, I've gone legendary 3 or 4 times on smithing. Just did it again after crafting a load of dragon armour and weapons I could double enchant when I transferred the perks. My dragon bow is fairly powerful now and I have a stash of about 250 dragon arrows to use.


----------



## Grand Moff Tim

BlackMastodon said:


> It has a Forge and Skinning station and a dead mammoth inside.



Ooooh, that camp's usually one of my first stops with a new build, because it has a copy of the Trasmute Ore spell tome, which is great for making a buck. If you didn't grab it, do. It's on the table on the elevated platform at the far end of the large chamber with the mammoth. 

It's also handy to snag a tusk for Ysolda while you're there, which makes her one of the characters you can qualify to marry the easiest and earliest in game, along with the chick at the general store who wants you to fetch her stupid golden claw.


----------



## BlackMastodon

Grand Moff Tim said:


> Ooooh, that camp's usually one of my first stops with a new build, because it has a copy of the Trasmute Ore spell tome, which is great for making a buck. If you didn't grab it, do. It's on the table on the elevated platform at the far end of the large chamber with the mammoth.
> 
> It's also handy to snag a tusk for Ysolda while you're there, which makes her one of the characters you can qualify to marry the easiest and earliest in game, along with the chick at the general store who wants you to fetch her stupid golden claw.


I would've snagged it but Keira hates all things to do with magic (like any good superstitious Nord). She won't be using spells of any kind or magic armor/weapons. Will make things interesting.


----------



## ghost_of_karelia

Been on and off with my new guy recently, don't use any mods (apart from Pure Waters, because it's awesome) due to my computer being able to handle exactly 0.1 things before asploding. Dunmer archer/sneak type thing, really enjoying it. Done a lil bit of the main quest to get all dem dragonz flying about to make things interesting, set myself up in Falkreath Hold with a nice mansion with wings in progress and got a dwarven armoured Lydia tailing me to stop all of those bandit bastards hitting me with sharp things mid-draw. 

Basically just enjoying my favourite hold in the game (Falkreath) at the moment, doing a few bits and bobs around the place to try and snag a Thane title and generally wandering about clearing dungeons and killing irritating pickpockets for the good of the realm.


----------



## texshred777

Started yet another character. This time a Dunmer. Thinking of doing an arcane assassin. Bound bow/daggers only, and no illusion magic. This character won't touch the civil war plot. Or the college of wintercold, thieves guild, or companions. 

He'll go Dark Brotherhood as soon as there's a legitimate reason for him to bother going to Windhelm to start said quest. Personally if I'm a non Nord, non Stormcloak sympathizer, I'm staying clear of that place. Especially if I'm a Dunmer. Luckily I think innkeepers in other holds mention the kid performing the Black Sacrament.

Funny thing yesterday, did the Windhelm special job for the Thieves Guild. After wiping out the competition I used the flames spell on their banner. It actually burned, and Delvin mentioned it was nice touch. Lol. That was new for me and I appreciated that.

Edit: On second thought, he'll have to use illusion if he's to conjure weapons stealthily. Oh well.


----------



## texshred777

Every time I play a thief type character I can't help but acquire hundreds of thousands of gold. It gets a bit ridiculous, and really fast. Once you're crafting everything and finding materials everywhere it gets hard to spend coin. 

Anyone have any tips on placing crap somewhere with the Xbox? I must have spent an hour trying to put the gray fox bust on a side table. I've nearly rage quit attempting this feat.


----------



## Chiba666

Must nto spend money must save up, firstly I think I might buy the house in Riften while it may be small I intend to fully complete the guild quests there and have the guild restored to its former glory before I finish the Dark Brotherhood questline.

Then its time to build my mansion in the country, before hitting up the main questline again


----------



## Grand Moff Tim

texshred777 said:


> Every time I play a thief type character I can't help but acquire hundreds of thousands of gold. It gets a bit ridiculous, and really fast. Once you're crafting everything and finding materials everywhere it gets hard to spend coin.



Try playing on PC with a Weighted Gold mod .

The mod I run only makes gold weigh .01, which doesn't sound like much, but it means you're adding ten pounds for every thousand coins you have, and it's easy to get overencumbered in a hurry. Every now and then I have to go back to my player house to drop off all but maybe 1000 septims, just to keep my weight manageable .


----------



## texshred777

Another thing occurred to me yesterday. 

I really wish there were better ways to grind speech. Before downloading Dragonborn, I could fudge it a little by talking to the guy at Blackbriar Meadery for ten minutes to level up speech during a character "prologue". I like to have some characters be a silver tongued "face". Hard to do without selling ridiculous amounts of stuff.

I know it doesn't affect much and there aren't many persuasion checks, but it sucks when my "charisma" toon fails all of them.


----------



## texshred777

Grand Moff Tim said:


> Try playing on PC with a Weighted Gold mod .
> 
> The mod I run only makes gold weigh .01, which doesn't sound like much, but it means you're adding ten pounds for every thousand coins you have, and it's easy to get overencumbered in a hurry. Every now and then I have to go back to my player house to drop off all but maybe 1000 septims, just to keep my weight manageable .



Yeah. 

I do something similar, actually. In addition to not using fast travel, remembering to eat, sleep, etc I limit the gold they have on them and keep it stored in chests, safes, etc. 

I don't have realistic needs, frost fall, (mods in general lol) etc but I try to keep immersed through my own means. The game doesn't force it, but it doesn't make my assassin disguise himself either.


----------



## thedonal

It'd be quite funny to have one of these games actually show what you're carrying with some realism. Most RPG characters would look like Santa- dragging along a huge bag with axe heads and so on sticking out of the top!


----------



## InfinityCollision

"I am sworn to carry your burdens" would be so much funnier then, especially since I basically just use her to carry things anyway.

Capped smithing, enchanting's in the mid-80s and alchemy is around 50. Only lost around 5k in total I think so far from straight powerleveling, no optimization... Sitting on 60k and have something like 60 refined malachite left with which to craft and upgrade glass bodies for profit. I think I'll be ok. Mostly been exploring lately but I think I'll get back to doing story content for a little while. May pick up Aela as a follower for this playthrough; thought about waiting til after I did the totem quests but I'll probably just ditch lycanthropy now that all my gear's upgraded. And I do have the Ring of Hircine...


----------



## thedonal

I keep losing followers, due to them dying. I really should take care... 

I've just finished the Aetherium Forge quest. Got a nice shield from it that I'll probly never use, but mount on a stand in my mansion.


----------



## bythepainiseetheothers

You can marry multiple times? I'm married to Aela and I tried to marry the redhead chick from Dawnguard DLC but I couldn't. Even when they die you can still get married again?


----------



## Grand Moff Tim

bythepainiseetheothers said:


> You can marry multiple times? I'm married to Aela and I tried to marry the redhead chick from Dawnguard DLC but I couldn't. Even when they die you can still get married again?



You can only get married one time. Even if your spouse dies, you can't get married again. If you're playing on PC I'm sure there are mods or console commands that can fix that for you, but if you're on xbox or PS, you're out of luck.


----------



## bythepainiseetheothers

Nords... so traditional... Okay I'll stick with Aela!


----------



## Don Vito

Finally got this on PC because of the Steam summer sale(thanks gaben). It's great to finally play it in 60 frames, the way GOD intended it. I'm also losing sleep.
Level 7 Wood Elf named Abigail(I was listening to Abigail Williams and couldn't think of anything else )














edit: here's a PG 13 pic


----------



## Don Vito

Btw, do you need to upgrade to the Steel perk to also upgrade leather based armor? Or does it come automatically at a certain skill level?


----------



## Grand Moff Tim

No, you don't need a perk to upgrade/refine leather armor. In fact, you don't need a perk to refine _any_ kind of armor. All the perks do is allow you to _create_ the armor, and lower the skill level required to refine it.

For example: To refine a piece of steel armor to "Superior," you would need to have a Smithing skill of 31, but if you have the Steel Smithing perk, you would only need a Smithing skill of 22.

Since there's no Leather smithing perk, you should be able to craft it, and refine it to varying degrees depending on your Smithing skill level.


----------



## BlackMastodon

Made a wood elf ranger over the weekend. His name is Athagar Oakenhollow (Internet name generators are badass ) and he uses light armor, bows, and spears for when hit and run tactics don't work out. Also using Frostfire and Realistic Needs for him.

His story so far: his ranger squad was captured by Foresworn near Markarth and he was the only one that was able to hide and keep from getting captured. He tracked them back to their camp and infiltrated his way in where he saw the leader of his troop being mutilated by a Foresworn who was grinding his face on a weapon grind wheel. Filled with rage, he shot down several Foresworn that were close by before reinforcements drove him out. Tired, cold, and near starved, he made it into Markarth where he immediately witnessed another murder in the name of the Firesworn. He made it into the inn after reporting to the guards and spent most of the money he had on a room and some food and water. That night he vowed to return to that Foresworn camp as well as all others in The Reach and kill every last Foresworn he could find.

/nerdout

So far I'm trying to do the Foresworn Conspiracy quest but Nolos the Nose kicked the ever loving shit out of me at lvl 1 so I need to grind up levels a bit first. 
Fun fact, though, that grindstone thing actually happened and the Random Alternate Start mod started me at the entrance of that camp. I can't recall the name right now and no screenshots yet since I'm at work.

More will come for Athagar.


----------



## Winspear

Grand Moff Tim said:


> In fact, you don't need a perk to refine _any_ kind of armor



Apart from enchanted stuff


----------



## Grand Moff Tim

EtherealEntity said:


> Apart from enchanted stuff



Annoyingly.


----------



## Don Vito

I got my horse stuck in one those round temples.
Steam Community :: Screenshot :: my horse is stuck ;-;

Should I kill him and buy another(), or will he eventually respawn at a stable?


----------



## BrainArt

^ Fast travel to a major city with a stable and he should show up there.


----------



## Grand Moff Tim

Fast travel _anywhere_ and he might show up next to you, but yeah, try a stable, first.


----------



## Don Vito

Ah, so fast travel is required. 

Thanks guys.


----------



## liamh

Thank god for this thread; you guys just saved a horse's life


----------



## Grand Moff Tim

Returning the favor. Horses have rushed to fight by my side in battle countless times, because in Skyrim, horses

Do

Not

Give

A

SHIT.


----------



## texshred777

Is Shadowmere set to essential? 

I got into a fight with an Ancient dragon east of Markarth. Shadowmere got critical'd by the dragon and tossed off a cliff. I couldn't find the corpse, and continued to Solitude on foot. Come back out of Solitude, and there he is at the stable.


----------



## Grand Moff Tim

Yes and no. Shadowmere can be killed, _but_ he has an ass ton of hit points (1600+), and if he dies, he'll actually respawn at the spot where he was killed a week or so later, or at the bubbling pool he originally came from, if he was killed in the water.


----------



## texshred777

Interesting. 

I guess critical kill cams are wonky for dragons too LOL. He got the bite, shake, toss animation...plus the fall damage from the cliff.


----------



## BlackMastodon

Dove balls deep into this again the last couple weeks and leveled Keira up to level 25 or so. Her smithing is max and her archery and sneak are doing well.

So I realized that smithing is borderline cheating when it comes to power leveling and making quick cash. I just focused on getting materials and exploring a few ruins/forts around Whiterun and leveled up my smithing and made about 13k in gold from selling the stuff I made. Mind you, I do have mods that let you melt down weapons/armor/pots/buckets to get materials out of them, which I think is a lot more realistic and useful but yeah, kinda makes the game.

On my Bosmer Ranger I'm not going to do any smithing and will try to make him survive on significantly less gold. Should be a good challenge with Realistic Needs and Frostfall installed.


----------



## Adam Of Angels

I have a lot of the mods that makes things realistic running, and I'm also running one of the mods that essentially overhauls all of the items and skill trees (I forget the name at the moment), and I made it a point to avoid Smithing entirely. Instead, I only use what I come across, and I have the difficult setting rather high. This makes the game so much more interesting and realistic, and enjoyable.


----------



## Grand Moff Tim

Dammit, you guys, you know what happens when you bump this thread. I just started a five day weekend, too. Ugh.

Playthrough idea, inspired in part by Adam just now: 

Scavenger.
No crafting: I'll only use what I can find or trade for. 
No enchanting: If an item isn't enchanted when I find it, then I won't be using enchanted items.
No magic: the build will be too much of a lifelong loner to have learned any of that spellcasting nonsense.

I'll concentrate on exploring/scavenging/trading, and my combat style will be to avoid confrontation if at all possible by sneaking and skirting, but I'll keep a dagger and a sword on hand in case things get dicey.

Not sure what race I'll go with, though. I'm thinking one of the beast races, since they're more likely to want to stick to the shadows in Skyrim (racist ass Nords!), but I'm not sure which one.

Research time!


----------



## Grand Moff Tim

Pulling an audible and making a female Bosmer. I've made alot fewer Bosmers than most other races, and I don't think I've _ever_ made a female. I'll call her Nimwen, which is a combination of the Sindarin words for "pale" and "maiden," because I'm a huge fvcking dork.


----------



## Grand Moff Tim

Up to lvl 11 already, though I haven't quite kept with the original playstyle concept. I have managed to avoid crafting, enchanting, magic, and alchemy so far, though I _have_ been sorely tempted a few times. I'd like to make some bandoliers and pouches to increase my carry weight, but no crafting means that isn't an option. I don't remember if the mod adds any to the game world to buy or loot, but I'll keep my fingers crossed. I kinda miss my restoration and muffle spells, but health potions and caution seem to be decent substitutes.

It's the combat where I've veered from the plan, though. I told myself I was going to skirt and avoid danger whenever possible, but goddammit, it just got too hard to resist when I'd see a baddie in the distance and think "Hey, I've got this bow here..."

Soooooo yeah, I haven't been trying to avoid danger at all. In fact, I've found myself instigating on several occasions, and I'm pretty sure one of the people I killed from a distance was a friendly NPC . I _have_ stuck with a sword and dagger Musashi-style dual wield combat style, though, and have no intentions of abandoning that.


----------



## BlackMastodon

I don't think the bandoliers can be found in world but I've found a backpack. Only once, though, and it only adds 50 to carry weight but it's something. And are you running the Dual Wield Parry Mod? Super helpful for any DW combat and it just makes sense. Never understood why it wasn't an option in the game before but I guess it didn't make much sense from a controller standpoint.

In other news, I finally got all the mats to craft the Pocket Empire Builder Book (another mod, quite fun for building your own home and pimping it out). On my other characters I either give it to them from the start or make them buy it from a vendor but for Keira I decided to go the hard way and make her get all the shit. Now I'm spending a ton of time playing Sims: Skyrim edition by pimping the f**k outta my cave.


----------



## Grand Moff Tim

Yeah, vendors carry backpacks from the start, and I always buy one . I'm not sure if those are from the bandolier mod or the Frostfall mod, though. I vaguely remember one very specific circumstance under which I got a bandolier out in the wild, though: I was attacked by a Dark Brotherhood assassin in a random encounter, and he was wearing a dark leather bandolier. At least I THINK that happened. It's entirely possible I'm misremembering something else.

And yes, I use the dual wield parry mod, and I agree that it should've been in the vanilla game. They made a huge deal about the ability to dual wield leading up to the game's release, but neglected to give people the ability to defend themselves while doing it. You could block with a weapon if you only had something in ONE hand, but block with a weapon when both hands are full? Crazy talk, apparently.


----------



## Taylor

Maiq The Liar said:


> "Don't try blocking if you have two weapons. You will only get confused. Much better to hit twice anyway."



Maiq has something to say about this. 

Though I do agree with you Tim, should have been in the vanilla game.


----------



## Grand Moff Tim

Man, I don't know why I even bother with Frostfall. I've gotten vampirism with my last three builds, which negates the effects of Frostfall _and_ most of the Realistic Needs (don't need food or water, still need sleep).


----------



## asher

Not a huge fan, but my roommate has been playing a lot, and I just watched him do the Sheogorath/Pelegius quest (Minds of Madness?)


----------



## thedonal

Well. Three major quests done.

Alduin is dead and the Dawnguard and Dragonborn quests are complete. Around level
83 and I'm sure there's still plenty of shouts and spells to acquire.

Top game though. Alduin felt a touch easy to take down with my bow, though I'm sure Dragon Aspect and True Shot potions did their job there too.

I guess Destiny is to look forward to and I can put Skyrim aside for a while..


----------



## maliciousteve

I'm struggling to keep on leveling up. I've got to level 56 and it seems to take far too long to level. Any tips?


----------



## thedonal

I used smithing and enchanting to assist the level grind. I think I've gone legendary four times on smithing alone!


----------



## Chokey Chicken

My ex gf is about to start playing for the first time. I'm gonna have her document everything (or at least the interesting stuff) she does. I'm curious to see how it goes, since it's on my roommate's computer, and that shit is pretty heavily modded.


----------



## CrushingAnvil

Don't let the thread die! 

My character - Yngol Son of Ysgramor - is so brutal, Imperials just slit their throats when he approaches them in combat


----------



## InfinityCollision

I don't think this thread will ever truly die until the release date for TES VI nears 

I actually started a new build recently. Khajit, pissed off at basically everyone and everything. Lots of psychopathic stabitty-stabbing. Helping the Nords in the war purely because he wants to watch the world burn.

Gonna run an Imperial-aligned mage after that, because it occurred to me recently that pure mages are one of my least-played archetypes in Skyrim and I haven't sided with the Imperials in a while.


----------



## CrushingAnvil

InfinityCollision said:


> I don't think this thread will ever truly die until the release date for TES VI nears
> 
> I actually started a new build recently. Khajit, pissed off at basically everyone and everything. Lots of psychopathic stabitty-stabbing. Helping the Nords in the war purely because he wants to watch the world burn.
> 
> Gonna run an Imperial-aligned mage after that, because it occurred to me recently that pure mages are one of my least-played archetypes in Skyrim and I haven't sided with the Imperials in a while.



I can justify siding with the Stormcloaks, but I always hate the Battle For Whiterun quest because the part with Jarl Balgruuf is so sad. He was my FRIEND  and I betrayed him. I also hate killing Legate Rikke at the very end of the questline. I even don't like killing Tullius, because of what he says before you're given the option of killing him (sad that it's not possible to spare him, which speaks negatively about the attitude of the Stormcloaks).

Then again, I hate killing Ulfric and Galmar when you side with the Imperials. Rikke saying "Talos guide you" or something about Sovngarde (can't remember) is way too sad.


----------



## InfinityCollision

Yeah, there's no clear "good" choice in the war (rightly so, and by design). It just comes down to the character for me. I've had a couple recently that completely ignored the main quests and my last character that did the CW storyline before my current one was also Stormcloak-aligned (the drunken racist Nord build I mentioned a while back).


----------



## Grand Moff Tim

Last build I made ignored _all_ quests completely. She was a pure dungeon diver, trying to amass as large a fortune as she could. Unless she randomly came across a quest item of the "Return such-and-such to so-and-so" variety, she avoided interaction with anyone but vendors completely.


----------



## Fat-Elf

NSFW!

I need this mod. 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kKHvMM2Ld00

On the other hand, maybe not. That's actually pretty gross.


----------



## Don Vito

Fat-Elf said:


> NSFW!
> 
> I need this mod.
> 
> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kKHvMM2Ld00
> 
> On the other hand, maybe not. That's actually pretty gross.


hot


----------



## leftyguitarjoe

I picked up Skyrim for the first time in ages and decided to mod it. Alot.

I started in the woods with a tent and a few basic supplies. I make a living camping in the wilderness, staving off hunger and hypothermia, returning to towns to sell my furs, ingredients, and any treasure. I made the cities and towns more diverse, populated, and interesting.

Here my mod list.
Must haves are as follows:
Frostfall
Realistic needs and diseases
Immersive weapons
Immersive armor
Immersive creatures
Populated Cities
Interesting NPC's
Live Another Life (skip Helgen and start however you want)


----------



## ferret

I ended up turning off RND, and still pondering whether to keep Frostfall enabled. 

For me, RND didn't add anything to gameplay, just annoyance. It became a set routine of fast travel, eat, drink, sleep, do quest/dungeon/whatever, repeat. Disabling fast travel would have a big affect in how RND interacts with gameplay, but I just don't find travel that exciting.

I recommend installing every single one of Arthmoor's addons.


----------



## leftyguitarjoe

Figured I'd throw in some screens. The weapons/cloak/backpack clip a little but its all good.


----------



## Chiba666

Must resist the urge to get skyrim back out, hmm I tinhk I wil loose agaisnt this urge.


----------



## BlackMastodon

I like Realistic Needs, but I also don't fast travel and kinda scale it back do I don't get hungry too quickly, don't get diseases from sleeping everywhere, etc. I feel like it goes really well with Frost Fall but I get how it feels like a chore.

As for the weird backpack/weapons clipping, I think the enhanced skeleton mod might help with that? I could be wrong but I think think my weapons weapons and backpack don't click much.

Any armour/weapons mods are area must imo, makes the game a lot more interestring with the different varieties of armour you can find in the game. 

I've been using the Perks Maximus perk overhaul and I'm not sure if I like it, or if the perks just aren't working properly or are broken. Might just revert back to the vanilla ones as I didn't have much of a problem with them. I think I have something life 120 mods running currently in my game, including a few locations and and lot of armour/gear/weapons ones.


----------



## Volteau

A few pics of me Skydude and a few Skylocations I liked:

https://www.dropbox.com/s/67uvkztdrgnt257/enb 2015_04_11 14_17_00_45.bmp?dl=0
https://www.dropbox.com/s/r6934xeuch4mptb/enb 2015_04_11 14_17_28_16.bmp?dl=0
https://www.dropbox.com/s/flzch4ngbiphtca/enb 2015_04_11 14_09_15_46.bmp?dl=0
https://www.dropbox.com/s/khpnfolr777yl21/enb 2014_12_21 18_59_49_88.bmp?dl=0


----------



## ferret

I used Perkus Maximus for a while on my last two games, before ultimately removing it (And going through a annoying set of console commands to try to keep my save going, mostly successful). Didn't feel like I was getting out of it what I wanted, and ultimately felt many perks are getting wasted. Like if you want to be good at enchanting, which is one of the big areas he wanted to change, you can't just be good at enchanting, you have to essentially become a staff user or use his 'enchant weapon' spells as your gameplay, otherwise you're dumping tons of perks into it to get the "4% better enchant" bonuses and yet, not using them. Alchemy suffered similarly, I don't want to make traps to reverse pickpocket, just wanted to make potions.


----------



## InfinityCollision

I stopped playing Skyrim a while back  Went through and updated a bunch of mods/added a few, something broke along the way. Haven't been able to pin it down to anything specific, so I haven't played since then.


----------



## Volteau

Always remember to check the load order. If there is a file that requires a file to be loaded before it (a type of master file for that specific mod to work), and it's loaded after, it'll crash.


----------



## ferret

If you are crashing right before the menu opens up, that generally indicates a missing master file. I.e. you uninstallef an esm file that one of your esp files need.


----------



## Señor Voorhees

I seem to remember certain hair mods causing the game to crash pretty hard. It's been forever since I played the game, but I think there's a mod and/or console command that allows you to deal with it. Maybe not the problem.

Also if certain mods you're running require the script extender and you're not running the script extender, your game will crash.


----------



## InfinityCollision

Volteau said:


> Always remember to check the load order. If there is a file that requires a file to be loaded before it (a type of master file for that specific mod to work), and it's loaded after, it'll crash.





Señor Voorhees;4374292 said:


> I seem to remember certain hair mods causing the game to crash pretty hard. It's been forever since I played the game, but I think there's a mod and/or console command that allows you to deal with it. Maybe not the problem.
> 
> Also if certain mods you're running require the script extender and you're not running the script extender, your game will crash.


I have LOOT and SKSE set up, among other things. Shouldn't be the issue.



ferret said:


> If you are crashing right before the menu opens up, that generally indicates a missing master file. I.e. you uninstallef an esm file that one of your esp files need.


Nah, it's a physics/collisions glitch of some sort I think. I can always tell when it's present by running the intro cutscene. The cart you're in ends up being off-kilter in a very odd way instead of being properly behind the horse, resulting in a very jerky/erratic ride.


----------



## Volteau

If you could post a pic of your mods, maybe someone could figure our what's up?


----------



## ferret

InfinityCollision said:


> Nah, it's a physics/collisions glitch of some sort I think. I can always tell when it's present by running the intro cutscene. The cart you're in ends up being off-kilter in a very odd way instead of being properly behind the horse, resulting in a very jerky/erratic ride.



Actually I had this one happen before too. Unfortunately I don't remember how I resolved other than uninstalling every mod and putting them back one by one. I don't believe I ever figured out which mod caused it, but it went away.


----------



## leftyguitarjoe

InfinityCollision said:


> Nah, it's a physics/collisions glitch of some sort I think. I can always tell when it's present by running the intro cutscene. The cart you're in ends up being off-kilter in a very odd way instead of being properly behind the horse, resulting in a very jerky/erratic ride.



Get the alternative start mod. You can go to the intro town whenever you feel like to start the main quest.


----------



## BlackMastodon

ferret said:


> I used Perkus Maximus for a while on my last two games, before ultimately removing it (And going through a annoying set of console commands to try to keep my save going, mostly successful). Didn't feel like I was getting out of it what I wanted, and ultimately felt many perks are getting wasted. Like if you want to be good at enchanting, which is one of the big areas he wanted to change, you can't just be good at enchanting, you have to essentially become a staff user or use his 'enchant weapon' spells as your gameplay, otherwise you're dumping tons of perks into it to get the "4% better enchant" bonuses and yet, not using them. Alchemy suffered similarly, I don't want to make traps to reverse pickpocket, just wanted to make potions.


Do you know where a guide for removing Perkus Maximus would be? What happens to the save files if you try to uninstall it? 

If it's just that you lose all your perks and skill points that's not a big deal for me. I use the Dragon Souls to Perk mod (found one that does 1:1, but you have to go to High Hrothgar every time to use it) and can just add dragon souls through the console. Don't care much for using shouts anyway.


----------



## ferret

For the most part, it should be safe to remove. I manually removed all the perks first, hard saved, then uninstalled it. Don't forget to remove the Patchimus plugin too. Then I loaded the game and added back the correct number of perks. So far haven't noticed any ill effects.


----------



## Volteau

Embedded pics for the lazy:


----------



## BlackMastodon

ferret said:


> For the most part, it should be safe to remove. I manually removed all the perks first, hard saved, then uninstalled it. Don't forget to remove the Patchimus plugin too. Then I loaded the game and added back the correct number of perks. So far haven't noticed any ill effects.


Glad to hear it isn't much trouble. So by remove the perks, do you mean finding the files from Perkus in the game folder and deleting them, then getting the vanilla perks and adding them to the game folder?


----------



## ferret

Perk manipulation was in-game via console.

I used player.removeperk to remove all the Perkus perks one by one. Hard saved (with no perks). Removed Perkus esm/esp files. Loaded the hard save, used player.addperk to add back the correct number of perks.


----------



## BlackMastodon

ferret said:


> Perk manipulation was in-game via console.
> 
> I used player.removeperk to remove all the Perkus perks one by one. Hard saved (with no perks). Removed Perkus esm/esp files. Loaded the hard save, used player.addperk to add back the correct number of perks.


If the rep system still existed, you'd get some.


----------



## leftyguitarjoe

ferret said:


> Perk manipulation was in-game via console.
> 
> I used player.removeperk to remove all the Perkus perks one by one. Hard saved (with no perks). Removed Perkus esm/esp files. Loaded the hard save, used player.addperk to add back the correct number of perks.



I know this is too late, but you can make a .bat file in notepad that runs multiple commands. I've cheated my ass off with it before. One command and all the perks get added. In your case, you could have made one with just the ones you wanted. Unless you run dual screens. In that case, ignore me


----------



## texshred777

STILL haven't found Chaos Damage enchantment. Keep visiting every smith in Solstheim, and still nothing. It's the only enchantment left to find for my main. He's got a nice collection of Stalhrim weapons he's forged/improved just waiting. It's the only thing to do other than the main quest and aimless wandering.


----------



## ferret

leftyguitarjoe said:


> I know this is too late, but you can make a .bat file in notepad that runs multiple commands. I've cheated my ass off with it before. One command and all the perks get added. In your case, you could have made one with just the ones you wanted. Unless you run dual screens. In that case, ignore me



Yeah I thought about it later, having a batch file that just removes ALL perkus maximus perks at once. Would have made the removal quicker for sure.


----------



## Mike

texshred777 said:


> STILL haven't found Chaos Damage enchantment. Keep visiting every smith in Solstheim, and still nothing. It's the only enchantment left to find for my main. He's got a nice collection of Stalhrim weapons he's forged/improved just waiting. It's the only thing to do other than the main quest and aimless wandering.



I'm pretty sure it's only on the champions cudgel which belongs to general carius at fort frostmoth in solsthiem.


----------



## CrushingAnvil

leftyguitarjoe said:


> Get the alternative start mod. You can go to the _*intro town*_ whenever you feel like to start the main quest.



It's called Helgen, scrub


----------



## troyguitar

I still have yet to play skyrim for more than about an hour. The game was so big and aimless feeling to me that I just didn't know what to do and kind of gave up on it. I feel like I should go back and play it again sometime - I did pay for the thing after all.


----------



## chassless

^ go to a random big town, talk to lots of people, then press J. that should give you enough stuff to do


----------



## leftyguitarjoe

troyguitar said:


> I still have yet to play skyrim for more than about an hour. The game was so big and aimless feeling to me that I just didn't know what to do and kind of gave up on it. I feel like I should go back and play it again sometime - I did pay for the thing after all.




For some people, the aimlessness is what makes it great. I play mine like "Hunter/Trapper Simulator". I like making my own narrative and playing the game as I see fit.

Get away from the notion of having to pursue an objective all the time. Its a really beautiful game with insane amounts of little details and lore. My current playthrough is over 40 hours in and I havent started the main quest yet.


----------



## ferret

leftyguitarjoe said:


> For some people, the aimlessness is what makes it great. I play mine like "Hunter/Trapper Simulator". I like making my own narrative and playing the game as I see fit.
> 
> Get away from the notion of having to pursue an objective all the time. Its a really beautiful game with insane amounts of little details and lore. My current playthrough is over 40 hours in and I havent started the main quest yet.



I've tried so hard to do this and I just can't. But there's still so much guided stuff to do in Skyrim that I've put hundreds of hours into it. I roll into town, talk to EVERYONE, and then visit surrounding caves and dungeons and stuff  Then on to the next town!


----------



## CrushingAnvil

leftyguitarjoe said:


> I know this is too late, but you can make a .bat file in notepad that runs multiple commands. I've cheated my ass off with it before. One command and all the perks get added. In your case, you could have made one with just the ones you wanted. Unless you run dual screens. In that case, ignore me



I need to get around to doing this for builds where my characters are already experienced/veterans/professionals


----------



## Necris

troyguitar said:


> I still have yet to play skyrim for more than about an hour. The game was so big and aimless feeling to me that I just didn't know what to do and kind of gave up on it. I feel like I should go back and play it again sometime - I did pay for the thing after all.



The main questline can be found if you go to Dragonsreach and talk to the Jarl, I believe that's the place, I haven't played in a bit, I actually bought it a few weeks ago when it was on sale on steam for $4.
For what it's worth I activated it and then never actually found High Hrothgar where the quest starts and have ended up at level 40 something just wandering and exploring. 
Then I found console commands and started cheating because I hate grinding, and don't really care about gaining skills "legit". It''s a game, not a job, after all.

I stopped playing because I felt like it was a huge waste of time, and because on more than one occasion I did some accidental time traveling when I played it (ex: start playing at 8pm on saturday suddenly birds are chirping and the sun is out and it's 5am the next day.)


----------



## CrushingAnvil

Necris said:


> The main questline can be found if you go to Dragonsreach and talk to the Jarl, I believe that's the place, I haven't played in a bit, I actually bought it a few weeks ago when it was on sale on steam for $4.
> For what it's worth I activated it and then never actually found High Hrothgar where the quest starts and have ended up at level 40 something just wandering and exploring.
> Then I found console commands and started cheating because I hate grinding, and don't really care about gaining skills "legit". It''s a game, not a job, after all.
> 
> I stopped playing because I felt like it was a huge waste of time, and because on more than one occasion I did some accidental time traveling when I played it (ex: start playing at 8pm on saturday suddenly birds are chirping and the sun is out and it's 5am the next day.)



Slightly unrelated, but that happens to me with GTAV Online. The rest of my crew all live in the same town in Australia, so they're two hours behind. They knock off of the session at about 2 a.m., while I knock off at 4 a.m. my time


----------



## Grand Moff Tim

Bump because I'm playing again. Not just a casual drop-in, either; I've actually sunk enough into a new build to get her up in the mid-30s so far, and fully intend to jump back in as soon as I'm done posting this .

I didn't come up with a detailed backstory for this beforehand, just a vague one that I'm sortof developing as I go along. I'm playing as a female Dunmer assassin, of the sneaky-stabby sort. I've decided she's a member of a splinter offshoot of the Dark Brotherhood that broke away during the period when there was no Listener to guide the guild because they decided that they should just be appealing to Sithis directly without the Night Mother as an intermediary. To do so, they've forgone receiving or honoring any contracts, and just kill indiscriminately. 

Since they live to serve Sithis, they've all abandoned their birth names and just use a two part "name" that's a color and a number, with the color representing their squad in the faction and the number representing their rank within that squad. This build's name is Black Two. She's been randomly questing, mostly with the goal of getting gear that will help her be a better assassin, but while out roaming she always kills anyone she comes across out alone on the road (or the occasional couple, or city guard on his rounds). Last I checked, she had murdered 38 innocent people .

I'm only using daggers this time, with a dose of Illusion thrown in to help me get close enough to get that sneak crit. With the right sneak perks and the Shrouded Gloves, I'm dealing 30x damage on that first hit. That kills most things, but for things powerful enough to survive, I've pretty much gotta just run the hell away and try to find a place to hide until she's completely undetected again. Backstab, Muffle, Invisibility, and Silent Casting are the name of the game. I think I might start throwing conjuration into the mix soon, though, because I'm not leveling up as quickly as I might be if I was focusing on a larger range of skills.

So yeah. I'm still a huge nerd, basically.


----------



## Chiba666

Nice, well my PS3 has gone so no more Skyrim so debating whether no get ES online, wil think about while I finish the Witcher 3


----------



## leftyguitarjoe

Chiba666 said:


> Nice, well my PS3 has gone so no more Skyrim so debating whether no get ES online, wil think about while I finish the Witcher 3



I found ESO to be pretty lame. It doesnt feel like an Elder Scrolls game.

Witcher 3 is amazing though. You'll have your hands full with that one for quite a while. It should hold you out till Fallout 4 drops.


----------



## Grand Moff Tim

Peep dat murder count. 









Semi-related to my murdering ways: One of the mods I have installed is a weighted gold mod. It doesn't make it weigh a ludicrous amount or anything, just .01 weight units per septim. That isn't much on its own, but as I'm sure you all know, money adds up pretty quickly in the game once you hit a level where you're regularly finding super valuable loot that you don't need. After spelunking through a few caves and/or catacombs when you're past level 30, it's pretty easy to find yourself with 10k+ septims, which comes out to 100 weight units.

Because of that, I make it a habit to routinely stop by whichever house my character is currently making his or her home (in Black Two's case, it's Proudspire Manor in Solitude ) in order to unload some septims into a chest of safe. I've had the mod installed for ages now, and for as long as I've had it, I always drop off all but exactly 1000 septims. I've been doing that for so long now that I had forgotten why I settled on that amount, until today.

I was doing the Dark Brotherhood missions where you murder Vittoria Vicci at her own wedding in Solitude. You get a bonus reward if you kill her while she's on the balcony addressing the crowd, so I wanted to do that. The two ways the games sets up for you to do that are a sniper's nest with an enchanted bow across the courtyard, or knock a loose chunk of stonework so it will fall on her. My archery skill level is turds with this build (currently at 7 ), so sniping was out. Crushing her was still an option, but nah. I wanted to do something a little more... dramatic.

I decided I was going to sneak up while she was addressing the crowd, and just slit her throat right there next to her groom and in front of her friends and relatives. It was extra hilarious because Black Two's modus operandi is to cast invisibility and then sneak up behind the target and stab. Landing an attack dispells invisibility, so when I get a one hit crit kill and it goes to the slow-mo third person kill cam, there's a flash of purple light as I suddenly appear just as I'm reaching around and slitting the target's throat. So imagine that cinematic playing out on a blushing bride surrounded by her loved ones in a sunny castle courtyard. It was gloriously hilarious.

...wait, where was I going with that? Something about 1000 septims?

Oh, right. After I killed Vittoria, there were obviously _loads_ of witnesses, including several guards. There were no two ways about it, the next time I came to Solitude, I was bound to be confronted by a guard about my crimes. Since my house is in Solitude, it happened sooner rather than later. When the guard approached me, I got the option to pay my fine rather than do jail time. The fine? 

1000 septims.



Always be prepared, boys and girls!

Side note: Summer vacation just started at the schools where I teach, so I've got three weeks of nothing important to do. That would explain two lengthy Skyrim ramblomatics in one day.


----------



## Grand Moff Tim

In case my description of what happens when I kill someone from behind while invisible wasn't clear enough, I went and tried to get a series of screen grabs while it happens and then made a montage. So imagine the following, but with a bride in her Sunday finest in front of a crowd of people .

(Sorry, huge pic is huge).


----------



## leftyguitarjoe

Stealth skyrim is best skyrim!


----------



## Grand Moff Tim

Quiz time: In the two pictures I've posted today, the keen-eyed observer will notice three Daedric artifacts. Name them!


----------



## leftyguitarjoe

Grand Moff Tim said:


> Quiz time: In the two pictures I've posted today, the keen-eyed observer will notice three Daedric artifacts. Name them!



Pardon my spelling.

Mrunhes Dagger
Mace of Molag-Bal

And you've got something in the off hand I'm unfamiliar with.

Edit: Magic. Its magic hahaha. I never use it so I didnt recognize it


----------



## Grand Moff Tim

leftyguitarjoe said:


> Pardon my spelling.
> 
> Mrunhes Dagger
> Mace of Molag-Bal
> 
> And you've got something in the off hand I'm unfamiliar with.
> 
> Edit: Magic. Its magic hahaha. I never use it so I didnt recognize it




So close, yet so far!

Yes on the Mace of Molag-Bal.
Close enough on Mehrune's Razor.

You missed the one on the wall below the Mace, though...


----------



## leftyguitarjoe

Grand Moff Tim said:


> So close, yet so far!
> 
> Yes on the Mace of Molag-Bal.
> Close enough on Mehrune's Razor.
> 
> You missed the one on the wall below the Mace, though...



Oh! Nightengale blade maybe? Or the one that changes depending on night and day.


----------



## leftyguitarjoe

Also: I got the bow scope mod and turned the crosshairs off.


----------



## Grand Moff Tim

leftyguitarjoe said:


> Oh! Nightengale blade maybe? Or the one that changes depending on night and day.



Skyrimawnbreaker - UESPWiki


That scope mod looks spiffy. Might have to look it up some time, if I ever get in an archery sort of mood again.


----------



## leftyguitarjoe

Grand Moff Tim said:


> Skyrimawnbreaker - UESPWiki
> 
> 
> That scope mod looks spiffy. Might have to look it up some time, if I ever get in an archery sort of mood again.



And I should give the cloak and dagger style a go.

Also, I'm level 40 and have yet to talk to the leader of Whiterun.


----------



## VBCheeseGrater

troyguitar said:


> I still have yet to play skyrim for more than about an hour. The game was so big and aimless feeling to me that I just didn't know what to do and kind of gave up on it. I feel like I should go back and play it again sometime - I did pay for the thing after all.



If you give it another go, eventually you'll get sucked in - well worth it once you get into it. I haven't played as much as most, but still "beat" the game and had tons of fun with it.


----------



## Grand Moff Tim

Tried to add a mod today. Nothing fancy, just a little Japan-themed house near Riverwood. When I tried playing afterwards, though, I got the "this games uses files that no longer exist" message every time I loaded, and then a crash to desktop. This happened with ALL of my character save files except the very oldest one, so that was about six builds that had to be scrapped. No more sneaky-stabby serial killer. No more four-simultaneous-draemora-conjuring wizard. No more level 35 pacifist with 0 kills of any sort. No more Redguard that I used for my weekend consecutive playthroughs of the main stories in TES 3, 4, and 5.

F_u_ck.

Oh well.

Started a new build. Stuck with the same backstory idea as the stabby assassin (Dark Brotherhood offshoot), except this time I went with an archer build. I decided that assassins using ranged weapons would be in a different squad than up-close sneaks, and that this one is more of a low-ranking n00b than Black Two, so she's a Bosmer archer assassin named Silver Nine. I think if I stick with this theme in the future, black will be the squad color for all melee sneaks, silver will be for ranged sneaks, red will be for melee non-sneaks (think Arnbjorn), and blue will be for wizards (a la Festus Krex). 

Buh. Borked save files are such a downer.


----------



## Chokey Chicken

Sounds like the mod messed with something that another mod already messed with. If you ever want to play those saves again you should be able to disable the new mod and load them up, but who knows.


----------



## Grand Moff Tim

Chokey Chicken said:


> Sounds like the mod messed with something that another mod already messed with. If you ever want to play those saves again you should be able to disable the new mod and load them up, but who knows.



That was the first thing I tried. No dice.


----------



## ferret

I haven't had to use it before, but there are a couple of utilities that will cleanup scripts in your save files. Look into that. The old mod probably left some scripts (Which are saved into the save itself, even if the mod is removed) that are causing the issue.


----------



## leftyguitarjoe

Grand Moff Tim said:


> That was the first thing I tried. No dice.



Get Wrye Bash. Its pretty good for spotting mod conflicts.


----------



## BlackMastodon

Grand Moff Tim said:


> Tried to add a mod today. Nothing fancy, just a little Japan-themed house near Riverwood. When I tried playing afterwards, though, I got the "this games uses files that no longer exist" message every time I loaded, and then a crash to desktop. This happened with ALL of my character save files except the very oldest one, so that was about six builds that had to be scrapped. No more sneaky-stabby serial killer. No more four-simultaneous-draemora-conjuring wizard. No more level 35 pacifist with 0 kills of any sort. No more Redguard that I used for my weekend consecutive playthroughs of the main stories in TES 3, 4, and 5.
> 
> F_u_ck.
> 
> Oh well.
> 
> Started a new build. Stuck with the same backstory idea as the stabby assassin (Dark Brotherhood offshoot), except this time I went with an archer build. I decided that assassins using ranged weapons would be in a different squad than up-close sneaks, and that this one is more of a low-ranking n00b than Black Two, so she's a Bosmer archer assassin named Silver Nine. I think if I stick with this theme in the future, black will be the squad color for all melee sneaks, silver will be for ranged sneaks, red will be for melee non-sneaks (think Arnbjorn), and blue will be for wizards (a la Festus Krex).
> 
> Buh. Borked save files are such a downer.


That is why I always keep a backup of all my play files on Dropbox.


----------



## Grand Moff Tim

It's unfortunate, but it did give me an excuse to start some new builds .

I added that bow scope mod you shared, Lefty, and it's pretty t!ts. What takes more getting used to than the scope, though, is the lack of sneak indicator. I can live without the reticle, but now the only way to know whether or not I've been detected is to check the compass for red dots, haha. I don't even usually have the compass enabled, but I use that fancy HUD mod that lets me toggle it with the X key, so it isn't a _huge_ deal, just a minor annoyance.

Speaking of mods, I found a minor quest conflict caused by one of my favorite mods: Alternate Start. I love that mod and have no intention of ever disabling it, but there are apparently some missions you can't complete unless you're at a certain point in the main quest. The one I came across was after I joined the Imperial Legion and had to bring a message to the Jarl of Whiterun. I couldn't engage him in conversation _at all_ when I went to talk to him, and continued to be unable to until I was far enough in the main quest to have killed my first dragon and become Thane.

I imagine another quest you'd have trouble completing would be repairing the White Phial, since you need snow from the peak of the Throat of the world, which you can't access until the Greybeards give you that shout that clears the weather. Then again, you wouldn't be able to do it even without any mods installed, so that's not a result of Alternate Start. The one about talking to the Jarl might not be, either, but this is the first time I've come across it.

Anyway. Back to Skyrim...

EDIT: So apparently t_i_ts is an auto-censor word now, hahahaha.


----------



## Grand Moff Tim

You know, a great thing about playing on PC and having access to mods is that if I encounter something annoying about the game or something I wish existed, chances are there's already a mod for it. I was just thinking "Why aren't there map markers for the player homes? It's annoying schlepping half way across Solitude every time I want to drop some stuff off." I go to the Skyrim Nexus site and lo and behold, there's a mod for just such a thing. Score.


----------



## BlackMastodon

Grand Moff Tim said:


> It's unfortunate, but it did give me an excuse to start some new builds .
> 
> I added that bow scope mod you shared, Lefty, and it's pretty t!ts. What takes more getting used to than the scope, though, is the lack of sneak indicator. I can live without the reticle, but now the only way to know whether or not I've been detected is to check the compass for red dots, haha. I don't even usually have the compass enabled, but I use that fancy HUD mod that lets me toggle it with the X key, so it isn't a _huge_ deal, just a minor annoyance.
> 
> Speaking of mods, I found a minor quest conflict caused by one of my favorite mods: Alternate Start. I love that mod and have no intention of ever disabling it, but there are apparently some missions you can't complete unless you're at a certain point in the main quest. The one I came across was after I joined the Imperial Legion and had to bring a message to the Jarl of Whiterun. I couldn't engage him in conversation _at all_ when I went to talk to him, and continued to be unable to until I was far enough in the main quest to have killed my first dragon and become Thane.
> 
> I imagine another quest you'd have trouble completing would be repairing the White Phial, since you need snow from the peak of the Throat of the world, which you can't access until the Greybeards give you that shout that clears the weather. Then again, you wouldn't be able to do it even without any mods installed, so that's not a result of Alternate Start. The one about talking to the Jarl might not be, either, but this is the first time I've come across it.
> 
> Anyway. Back to Skyrim...
> 
> EDIT: So apparently t_i_ts is an auto-censor word now, hahahaha.


I had the exact same problem with the Jarl of Whiterun on my main build. I think I just used the console commands to get the quest up to speed and go fight the dragon. Every time I walked into his chamber the dark elf lady (forgot her name) would always just say "What is the meaning of this interruption, etc." After I skipped a couple steps in the quest it was fine, though. I also found a mod that instantly activates dragons which is super helpful for Random Alternate Start.


----------



## Grand Moff Tim

BlackMastodon said:


> I also found a mod that instantly activates dragons which is super helpful for Random Alternate Start.



One of the reasons I like Alternate Start is that I don't have to worry about dragons mucking things up in random locations or killing NPCs all the time, so I was in no hurry to have them back in the game . I actually just use a mod that adds dragon bones and scales to those dragon burial mounds that dot the map, and you can dig them up if you have a shovel in your inventory. That way you can have the crafting materials without the constant annoyance.


----------



## leftyguitarjoe

Grand Moff Tim said:


> One of the reasons I like Alternate Start is that I don't have to worry about dragons mucking things up in random locations or killing NPCs all the time, so I was in no hurry to have them back in the game . I actually just use a mod that adds dragon bones and scales to those dragon burial mounds that dot the map, and you can dig them up if you have a shovel in your inventory. That way you can have the crafting materials without the constant annoyance.



Alternate start is the first mod I get for all Bethesda games.


----------



## thedonal

I'm in my second play through now as a Khajit named Snarrf. 

Working through the Companions story right now, having skipped it on my first playthrough.The lycanthropy is good fun, if a touch clumsy to control on the Hex Box version.

I forgot how beautiful this game can be though.


----------



## Grand Moff Tim

Man, as fun as it is to play Skyrim sneaky-sneak style, it can also be pretty f_u_cking hilarious to play the missions that are _supposed_ to be sneaky, without sneaking at all. I made a 2H-centric assassin in keeping with my DB-offshoot theme, but I decided she's going to tell sneaking to go suck a dick, and just charge in and kill her targets with a hammer. It was a riot charging into the orphanage in Riften and clobbering Grelod the Kind with a hammer right in front of all the children .

In the abandoned shack Astrid takes you to before you join the brotherhood, I decided to kill all three potential victims, and to do it using lycanthropy. That was funny, of course, but then I got impatient and curious, and decided to see if Astrid could be attacked up there on the bookshelf where she was sitting. Turns out she could be, _and_ she isn't marked as essential yet at that point in the questline, so I killed her and failed the mission . Luckily I had done a quicksave before turning into a werewolf, just in case it got glitchy in the shack or whatever. Had me chuckling for a good five minutes, though.

Semi-related, I DLed the eBook versions of the two official Elder Scrolls novels that are out. I'll let anyone who's curious know how they are when I'm done.


----------



## leftyguitarjoe

Grand Moff Tim said:


> Man, as fun as it is to play Skyrim sneaky-sneak style, it can also be pretty f_u_cking hilarious to play the missions that are _supposed_ to be sneaky, without sneaking at all. I made a 2H-centric assassin in keeping with my DB-offshoot theme, but I decided she's going to tell sneaking to go suck a dick, and just charge in and kill her targets with a hammer. It was a riot charging into the orphanage in Riften and clobbering Grelod the Kind with a hammer right in front of all the children .
> .



Killable children mod = no witnesses


----------



## Taylor

Grand Moff Tim said:


> Semi-related, I DLed the eBook versions of the two official Elder Scrolls novels that are out. I'll let anyone who's curious know how they are when I'm done.



I bought them years ago, but I still haven't read them


----------



## Chiba666

I enjoyed the books, abit different if my memory serves me correctly. Not what I was expecting at all in fact.


----------



## Grand Moff Tim

leftyguitarjoe said:


> Killable children mod = no witnesses




Oddly, nobody in the room seems to be considered a witness. I did it in plain view of all the kids _and_ the other adult who works there, and I didn't get a bounty for it. I even got the letter later asking me to consider adoption .


----------



## leftyguitarjoe

Grand Moff Tim said:


> Oddly, nobody in the room seems to be considered a witness. I did it in plain view of all the kids _and_ the other adult who works there, and I didn't get a bounty for it. I even got the letter later asking me to consider adoption .



No.

Witnesses.




My character had questionable morals.


----------



## Grand Moff Tim

leftyguitarjoe said:


> Get Wrye Bash. Its pretty good for spotting mod conflicts.



Belated thanks for the tip. I had another problem with files not loading because of missing script or whatever today despite having neither added nor deleted any mods, so I DLed Wrye Bash and presto, no more load problems. Saved me a lot of grief, since Skyrim and band practice are pretty much all I've done for the last two and a half weeks .


----------



## mlp187

It sounds like you guys enjoy playing through without necessarily focusing on the main quest of defeating Alduin. I need to give that a try. I just finished the main storyline a couple of days ago (again) and the game felt pointless to me afterward. 

So to the experts I ask: are there any epic side quests or faction quests that are time consuming and well worth the effort? I try reading other forums regarding Skyrim but most of the posts are written by elitist pricks (and probably kids) who like to say things such as, "You didn't know about...Dude this game isn't for you..."

I realize it may seem silly but I'm not a big gamer and on console only :/ Plus I'm newly single and have all kinds of sad alone time I'm trying to fill.


----------



## leftyguitarjoe

mlp187 said:


> It sounds like you guys enjoy playing through without necessarily focusing on the main quest of defeating Alduin. I need to give that a try. I just finished the main storyline a couple of days ago (again) and the game felt pointless to me afterward.
> 
> So to the experts I ask: are there any epic side quests or faction quests that are time consuming and well worth the effort? I try reading other forums regarding Skyrim but most of the posts are written by elitist pricks (and probably kids) who like to say things such as, "You didn't know about...Dude this game isn't for you..."
> 
> I realize it may seem silly but I'm not a big gamer and on console only :/ Plus I'm newly single and have all kinds of sad alone time I'm trying to fill.




I'm about level 40 and havent even seen a dragon yet 

Try not thinking about an objective and become a citizen of Skyrim. Forget about all the dragonborn nonsense and become a sneaky thief, amassing a huge fortune, or a wizard that collects powerful artifacts, or a hunter, or an explorer, ect...

Bethesda games are some of the most immersive games out there. Play it how you want and ignore that main quest. I highly recommend trying Fallout 3 or New Vegas ( I prefer NV). They're a tad older but hold up really well.


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## BlackMastodon

mlp187 said:


> I realize it may seem silly but I'm not a big gamer and on console only :/


If you have a PC that can handle it, I honestly recommend spending the $10-15 to get it off Steam (it goes on sale almost every big sale event for like $5) because the PC mods available really change the game for the better. But I agree with lefty, you just gotta make your own objective and your own little story/personality quirks for your characters. Make a Redguard who has a compulsion to start fist fights with every Khajit they run into.  That alone could entertain you for quite some time.


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## leftyguitarjoe

You can build a passable PC for $600-$800, and a good one for about $1000. The money you save on games will make up for it in less than a year.

Bethesda games are best on PC. Everything is really


----------



## texshred777

mlp187 said:


> It sounds like you guys enjoy playing through without necessarily focusing on the main quest of defeating Alduin. I need to give that a try. I just finished the main storyline a couple of days ago (again) and the game felt pointless to me afterward.
> 
> So to the experts I ask: are there any epic side quests or faction quests that are time consuming and well worth the effort? I try reading other forums regarding Skyrim but most of the posts are written by elitist pricks (and probably kids) who like to say things such as, "You didn't know about...Dude this game isn't for you..."
> 
> I realize it may seem silly but I'm not a big gamer and on console only :/ Plus I'm newly single and have all kinds of sad alone time I'm trying to fill.



I've played Skyrim well over 1000 hours by now, and haven't reached the point in the main quest where you find Skyhaven temple. Ever. Hell, I just recently found Esbern in the Ratways. Come to think of it, in three thousand hours across this and Oblivion, I've never finished a main quest. 

The Thieves Guild 
Can be pretty time consuming. It certainly pays to finish that arc completely. Speech perks what? Speech perks + TG is get rich quick mode. 

Find Chaos Enchantment
Not a quest, but if you have Dragonborn it's worth it to find for Stalhrim weapons(+25% to Frost/Chos enchants). Still trying to find one across three toons.

Daedric Artifacts
Some of them are cool. I only ever use one(guess which), but they're worth it to track down.

If you're just trying to make your playthroughs a little more satisfactory I'd recommend..

Eat. Sleep. Take the time to remember your character needs to eat and rest. There's no animations or anything so it's just clicking in menus, but for trying to immerse yourself in the world it's something to think about.

Cut out fast travel(except for carriages). Getting into the habit of fast traveling all over the place to get to your next objective will keep your from running across cool random events like the headless horseman. You'll find more places to explore, more lore to uncover, and ultimately more time spent adventuring.


----------



## leftyguitarjoe

texshred777 said:


> Daedric Artifacts
> Some of them are cool. I only ever use one(guess which), but they're worth it to track down.
> 
> ...
> 
> 
> Cut out fast travel(except for carriages). Getting into the habit of fast traveling all over the place to get to your next objective will keep your from running across cool random events like the headless horseman. You'll find more places to explore, more lore to uncover, and ultimately more time spent adventuring.



I'm gonna say Azura's Star is the only useful one.

I second, third, and fourth nixing fast travel. Just point and go. The Frostfall mod makes it even more exciting when you have to set up camp, build fires, and worry about freezing to death. It makes adventuring in the north an epic struggle.


----------



## mlp187

Thanks, everyone. So I've gone back to completing the thieves guild, and will cut fast-traveling out for the sake of exploration. Such a simple concept, but very effective. After discovering 81 locations there is still so much to be found, even things that don't show up as locations! I love it! 

Once I finish my last semester this fall, I plan on building a PC so I get into mods and all the other great games of which I'm missing their full experience.


----------



## Grand Moff Tim

It can be fun to just start a new build that uses a completely different combat style than you're used to. If your main story build has been doing the tank thing, try archery. If you've been doing the sneak thing, try magic. That way, even if you just go into the main quest again, it can feel like a completely different gaming experience. Your tactics change, your loadouts change, everything changes. A dungeon that takes me five minutes to blaze through with a heavy armored two-hand specialist can take me thirty minutes as a dagger-wielding thief.

When you choose a combat style, another thing to consider doing is to start with quests that have reward loot that will benefit your playstyle, rather than because the quests are interesting or fun. I know that sounds a little odd, but getting all the right gear will make the interesting quests even more interesting, and certainly makes random dungeon delving more entertaining. 

A quick example would be with a recent sneaky-stabby build I made, I did the Mehrunes Dagon Shrine quest as soon as it was made available to me, because it gives one of the best daggers in the game, especially for a low-level character who isn't coming across ebony weapons in random loot yet. If you like enchanting, do the Azura's Shrine quest. If you like sneaking and stabbing, start the Dark Brotherhood faction quests so you can get the Dark Brotherhood gear. If you like stealing and making cash, start the Thieves Guild faction to get the Thieves' armor and have access to fences.

If you're not sure what gear would help you in your questing, hop on over to UESP.net. That's the best Elder Scrolls wiki, so you can look up the skills you want to use, and find recommendations for gear that is well suited for the skills, and what you need to do to obtain it.

Just tracking down all the right gear alone can take you many, many game hours. Once you have it, _then_ you can spend even more time jumping into quests for fun, or because they're suited to the playstyle or backstory you've chosen for your build.


----------



## Grand Moff Tim

Also, if you don't feel like going full nerd by creating backstories like some of us do, you can just set random rules or handicaps for yourself and try to stick with them, to make things more interesting. Here are a few I've done or heard about:

Like someone above said, no fast travel. Stick with walking or, in a pinch, carriages.

Don't use any magic, ever. That might sound easy enough if you're the melee type, buy you might at least start to miss restoration after a while, and become reliant on healing potions or resting to recover health lost in battle.

Play as a racist: I once played as a Nord who refused to do business with or accept quests from anyone who wasn't one of the human races, ie no elves or beast races.

In Oblivion, I once played as a guy who refused to wear anything above the waist. I suppose since Skyrim no longer divides armor into cuirass and greaves you couldn't do exactly that, but you could try not wearing armor, or no shoes or gloves. Something like that.

Try just making money. Go dungeon diving for loot, go to town to sell it, rinse, repeat. If you're feeling especially enterprising, _steal_ loot from people's hoses (or pockets!), fence it, rinse, repeat. You'll be living large in every house in the game before you know it. Pluse, the Master level perk for pickpocket is the ability to steal the clothes off of someone's back, which is pretty hilarious.

The most challenging restriction I've ever placed on myself was to never kill anyone or anything. Not people, bandits, daedra, animals, undead, automatons... _nothing. _If a quest couldn't be completed without killing something, then I just couldn't complete it. I had to rely on things like muffle, invisibility, calm/pacify, fear, and turn undead spells to make it around in the world or through dungeons. I actually managed to get past level 30 doing that before my save file was corrupted.

Alternatively, try killing _everything_ . Another recent playthrough I did was more or less a serial killer. If I came across a person or a couple alone on the road or in a building, I killed them. 

One I heard from someone in here is restricting yourself to "weapons" that are utilitarian in other ways, too. That would mean the only weapons you could ever use would be wood axes, pickaxes, or maybe shivs.

The only real limit here is your imagination, though I'm sure others might chime in with more ideas after this .


----------



## Grand Moff Tim

leftyguitarjoe said:


> I'm gonna say Azura's Star is the only useful one.



Azura's Star isn't even particularly useful unless you get the Black Star version. It can be annoying as sh!t to have the Star and fill it with something like a Skeever soul, and animals large enough to fill it with a grand sould are pretty rare. The Black Star, on the other hand, can _only_ be filled with human souls, which are always grand, and they're _everywhere.

_That's the artifact that's most useful long-term, but others can be great for low-level builds, since they're much more powerful than non-daedric weapons or armor that are available early on. 

Mehrune's Razor is better than every dagger until you can craft Daedric or Dragonbone gear. 

The mace of Molag Bal is available super early on, is easy to obtain, and is great for low-level 1H specialists. 

Spellbreaker is stronger than even a Nordic Carved shield, with the bonus of negating damage from spells, so it's useful even into late levels for people who haven't specialized in enchanting for making something more specialized.

The ebony mail has a unique chameleon effect that's good for sneaks and unavailable through enchanting. 

Namira's ring and the ring of Hircine are both great for their respective playstyles no matter what level you are. In fact, playing as a lycanthropy specialist is _only_ really feasible with the upgraded ring of Hircine.

Lastly, while not particularly useful, Wabbajack is hilarious at any level .

Okay. I'm done.


----------



## leftyguitarjoe

Grand Moff Tim said:


> One I heard from someone in here is restricting yourself to "weapons" that are utilitarian in other ways, too. That would mean the only weapons you could ever use would be wood axes, pickaxes, or maybe shivs.


----------



## texshred777

leftyguitarjoe said:


> I'm gonna say Azura's Star is the only useful one.



Yuuup.

Edit:
Unless of course you make a build around one or something. I Generally only use Azura's/Black Star.


----------



## Grand Moff Tim

Doing a Frostfall/Realistic Needs playthrough of... well, everything, really, to celebrate the new lappy.

Stopped for a selfie on my way to High Hrothgar, because why not?








That's the Einherjer armor from the Immersive Armors mod. I'm also running an immersive lighting mod now that is pretty great, though its effects are more obvious indoors.


----------



## Grand Moff Tim

Got another wild hair up my ass to start yet another build. At least now I have the excuse of "only" having one other save file on the new laptop, and that just won't do.

This is Marcus Octavius:








He's a clerk in the Imperial Legion. He was coming up on his last tour of duty before retirement, and he volunteered for a post in Skyrim, because he gets a little extra pay for having to move so far from his hometown, Leyawiin. He thought he'd just be sitting out the rest of his enlistment behind a desk, pocketing the extra coin so he could buy a house and open a shop or something.

Of course, as soon as he transferred, civil war broke out, some Nord shouted the king to death (whatever that means), and there are f*u*cking _dragons_ flying around. Now he has to try to remember his combat training from when he first enlisted years and years ago, and hope he can stay alive long enough to buy a new house. At least the situation is causing real estate prices in Skyrim to plummet. He has his eye on the stately manor in Solitude, which is also conveniently near the castle where his paychecks are issued.

Skills-wise, the only combat skills he has are block and 1H, because that's what he learned in basic training. Otherwise, his skills are all fairly useless in battle. Stuff like Locksmithing, speechcraft, and alteration. Things an Imperial Clerk would use, in other words. He can't even do any smithing to speak of, though he does know how to work leather, so he can make and improve leather items. Anything else he'll have to buy or loot. He sucks at any school of magic other than alteration, and he hasn't the foggiest idea how to enchant or make potions.

He's going to have a rough time in Skyrim.

(Frotfall and Realistic Needs enabled, of course)

EDIT: And yes, he does have Lydia _and _Ahtar following him. Poor guy needs all the help he can get. Thanks, Ultimate Follower Overhaul!


----------



## BlackMastodon

Seeing your updates in this thread make me really excited to go back home in 3 weeks and get balls deep in some Skyrim again.

The last character I started was very different from any other character I played before.

He's a Breton who uses Illusion and Conjuration, 1 Handed blunt weapons, and light armour. This is also going to be one of the only characters I have never used smithing on, so he has to scrounge for his equipment or buy it. It's also the first time I will be playing a character out of Solitude so it'll be interesting to see how that goes with Frostfall and Realistic Needs in such a colder area (it's no Dawnstar or Winterhold at least).


----------



## BlackMastodon

Thought I'd mention a little story about that character I mentioned above: the last time I played on that character I was using a mod called Death Alternative. Me being a low level, I got my ass handed to me by some bandits and got captured and robbed. I was stuck in a cell being guarded by 2 bandits, one was a Pillager I think, they were higher level than me. 

This mod lets you try to get free, get your gear back, and escape to freedom. The problem is, that the way to escape is to rotate through the movement buttons (I'm assuming it would be like wiggling the thumbstick on a controller) until a progress bar depletes. The problem is, that if you screw up, the bar regenerates, and the entire time you're trying to do this your stamina is depleting.

After about 24 hours, the bandits got word from their leader that I'm not worth anything (duh, I'm only level 5). So they decide that they're just gonna take me out back and kill me. I can still try to escape my bindings doing the same (stupid, imo) rotating through the movement buttons thing, because I can't outrun the bandit while tied up.

Unfortunately, I waited a few times trying to speed up the process as I've never seen this part of the mod, and all my quicksaves were me already captured, so I couldn't load up anything I did in the past hour or so.

Not a huge deal, but it was annoying as hell and really turned me off from the mod so I uninstalled it. Seems like a pretty cool concept, you can get captured by bandits and ransomed, become a vampire's thrall, captured by foresworn, etc. But I really think the escaping mechanism is dumb and too difficult. Maybe if I was a higher level and had much more stamina, but still not worth it imo.


----------



## leftyguitarjoe

I have never made a magic user in skyrim.

Maybe I should do that.


----------



## Grand Moff Tim

Aaaaaand I might have to scrap my two builds and restart the characters (Marcus, at least, since I like his backstory), because I just found out about this mod:

T3nd0s Skyrim Redone at Skyrim Nexus - mods and community

It redoes a whole bunch of sh!t, particularly the skills, perks, and levels. Combining it with CCO, Alternate Start, Frostfall, and Realistic Needs seems like it'll make for some good times, and practically a whole new gaming experience.

Assuming I have no mod conflicts and can set it up properly, I suppose...


----------



## BlackMastodon

Grand Moff Tim said:


> Aaaaaand I might have to scrap my two builds and restart the characters (Marcus, at least, since I like his backstory), because I just found out about this mod:
> 
> T3nd0s Skyrim Redone at Skyrim Nexus - mods and community
> 
> It redoes a whole bunch of sh!t, particularly the skills, perks, and levels. Combining it with CCO, Alternate Start, Frostfall, and Realistic Needs seems like it'll make for some good times, and practically a whole new gaming experience.
> 
> Assuming I have no mod conflicts and can set it up properly, I suppose...


Dang, sounds pretty cool. I use his perk overhaul mod and really like it over the vanilla one. Just makes a lot more sense and has a lot more options.


----------



## Grand Moff Tim

I was going to get his perk overhaul mod, since he said it's newer than SkyRe, but it doesn't have all the combat, race, and other stuff modded, so I'm goign for SkyRe alone first.


----------



## BlackMastodon

Let us know how it is.  The only reason I'm iffy about trying it is because I don't want to abandon/f**k up my current characters. And I'm not a big fan with what he did to the aim and missile flight for bows. Makes it a bit more awkward but I guess you get some more distance with them.


----------



## Grand Moff Tim

Was killed by the first wolf I came across, lol. I'm not even playing on Expert, either.


----------



## leftyguitarjoe

Grand Moff Tim said:


> Was killed by the first wolf I came across, lol. I'm not even playing on Expert, either.



Haha. I was wandering around with my new mage gathering flowers and stuff to go nuts with my alchemy skill. I heard something and ignored it. Next thing I know my lifeless body is flying through the air because of a sabercat.


----------



## leftyguitarjoe

I started a character a little bit ago that has become a Battlemage. He is Blaas because of a typo during character creation I just kinda rolled with.






Exploding a bandit's head with magic. I dont know if this is vanilla or the deadly mutilation mod. Either way its awesome.





Blaas and hot Serana because why not


----------



## fogcutter

I'm gonna go start up a new character build. 

It's amazing how this game remains fun and rewarding on multiple play-throughs.


----------



## Grand Moff Tim

Enjoying the SkyRe mod so far. It definitely makes things more challenging. I've had to back out of a few fights, and I'm only playing on Adept difficulty. I actually like how it affects archery, so I started an archery-specific build alongside my rebuild of Marcus Octavius up there. I'm also thinking of starting a mage build, because SkyRe adds necromancy-themed perks, and it'd be cool to roleplay as a necromancer.


----------



## IChuckFinleyI

That armor alone makes me want to get it on PC. Fallout's right around the corner though and I won't be buying any games for a LONG time once I have that. 



Grand Moff Tim said:


> Doing a Frostfall/Realistic Needs playthrough of... well, everything, really, to celebrate the new lappy.
> 
> Stopped for a selfie on my way to High Hrothgar, because why not?
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> That's the Einherjer armor from the Immersive Armors mod. I'm also running an immersive lighting mod now that is pretty great, though its effects are more obvious indoors.


----------



## BlackMastodon

IChuckFinleyI said:


> That armor alone makes me want to get it on PC. Fallout's right around the corner though and I won't be buying any games for a LONG time once I have that.


But just imagine Fallout 4 on PC. 

For real, after playing Skyrim on PC and seeing all the mods I don't think I'll ever buy a Bethesda game on console again, or any game most likely.

At least the Xbone version of it will have mod support at some point.


----------



## Grand Moff Tim

Started a mage playthrough to see what that's like with SkyRe and to try the necromancer perks it adds, and holy sh!t, I was worse than useless right off the bat. It took all of my magicka worth of flames to kill ONE wolf, so if I was attacked by two I was f_u_cked. I couldn't kill bandits, either. I was forced to use a crossbow I found to whittle down enemy health from a distance and then rush in and finish them off with flames until I leveled up enough to get the perks that make destruction effective. Seems like this is going to be a rough playthrough.


----------



## Grand Moff Tim

Just had to cheat like a bastard to stay alive .

I was making my way towards Winterhold to join the mage's guild when a blizzard struck. I tried to tough it out and continue on, but once my exposure hit around -50, I thought it might be time to duck into the nearest cave and warm up a bit .

Unfortunately, the nearest cave was the Sightless Pit. What I didn't realize until I entered is that there's an unavoidable drop once you enter, so you can't go back out the way you came in. You're forced to make your way through the cave and find the back exit. 

If you're unfamiliar, the Sightless Pit is chock full of friggin' Falmer and Chaurus Reapers, which are hard enough to handle at low levels when you _aren't _running a mod that makes everything harder. I tried making it as far as I could without cheating, which worked fine as long as I only came across individual Falmers on their own. When I came upon groups of them, though, I was good and f_u_cked. I couldn't beat them, I couldn't run back the way I came, running past them only lead towards more Falmer, and I didn't have any earlier saves to revert to.

TGM time.

I'm normally loathe to cheat, but there really was no way around it if I wanted to continue with this build, which I do.

Incidentally, I have a perk from the conjuration tree that allows me to harvest bones, skin, and organs from dead humanoids, and then use them to summon skeletons. There's also a disease spell you can cast and do damage over time, and if the target dies while the disease effect is still active, they automatically reanimate and fight for you. Should be fun, once I'm powerful enough to fend for myself and can afford to dick around with wacky new necromancy spells.

Oooh, I should try to contract vampirism, too. That'll give me even more reanimation options...


----------



## Chiba666

Bit the bullet and ordered this on PC, do you guys have the links to the mod sites you use?

Not to mention recommendations for a fighter, thief type build


----------



## JPhoenix19

I've always used Skyrim Nexus at nexusmods.com


----------



## Grand Moff Tim

Grand Moff Tim said:


> Incidentally, I have a perk from the conjuration tree that allows me to harvest bones, skin, and organs from dead humanoids, and then use them to summon skeletons. There's also a disease spell you can cast and do damage over time, and if the target dies while the disease effect is still active, they automatically reanimate and fight for you. Should be fun, once I'm powerful enough to fend for myself and can afford to dick around with wacky new necromancy spells.




Tried the skeleton spell. Here's Mancano with his skeleton pal:







Luckily the summoned skeleton seems a little more robust than the skeletons you come across in dungeons, so he can take more than one hit without dying .


----------



## Grand Moff Tim

Chiba666 said:


> Bit the bullet and ordered this on PC, do you guys have the links to the mod sites you use?



Definitely the Nexus. Make sure to DL the Nexus Mod Manager first:

Skyrim Nexus - mods and community

Makes modding super easy.

Then just go to town with whatever strikes your fancy. A good place to start is the lists of popular mods, since many of the most popular mods are actually some of the most useful. Just make sure you read mod descriptions before installing them, so you'll know about any potential mod conflicts or bugs.



Chiba666 said:


> Not to mention recommendations for a fighter, thief type build



If this is your first time with the game, I'd say just go in and play for a while to get a handle on the leveling system and the combat, _then_ worry about making a build for a specific playstyle.


----------



## Chiba666

2 large run throws on the PS3, lots of hours in on both, probably over 150 on each so not new but new to mods


----------



## Grand Moff Tim

If you want a real challenge for a thief build, try playing as a thief pacifist who never kills anyone. That'll make getting into and out of places a fair bit more difficult and force you to be more creative.

If you want a fighting experience that's a little more than vanilla Skyrim, even something little like a Parry mod can go a long way. Then you can play a dual-wield character but still be able to use block, which opens up your tactics a bit. You could try sticking to dual wielding nothing but daggers, or something specialty like scimitars.

Here's the parry mod I use:

Dual Wield Parrying at Skyrim Nexus - mods and community

There are also a number of unarmed/hand-to-hand mods out there to try, if you want a combat experience you couldn't really get from the console version, since vanilla unarmed kinda sucked.


OH! Almost forgot. For most of the good mods, you'll need to DL and install the Skyrim Script Extender:

Skyrim Script Extender (SKSE)


----------



## ferret

If it's your first time playing Skyrim, there's a few essential mods I recommend because they're less about changing the game up and more about fixing bugs or interface. Definitely use the Nexus Mod Manager.

SKSE, which Tim already mentioned, is required for SkyUI below. I recommend it even if you don't "need" it, because it helps with several known crashes and such, and many mods rely on it these days.

SkyUI: Much better inventory/magic interface, from SkyUI at Skyrim Nexus - mods and community

Unofficial Patch mods, which seek not to change the game but to fix a long list of bugs, some super minor, some major:
Unofficial Skyrim Patch at Skyrim Nexus - mods and community
Unofficial Dawnguard Patch at Skyrim Nexus - mods and community
Unofficial Hearthfire Patch at Skyrim Nexus - mods and community
Unofficial Dragonborn Patch at Skyrim Nexus - mods and community
Unofficial High Resolution Patch at Skyrim Nexus - mods and community

Beyond this, I recommend basically every mod that Arthmoor, the maintainer of the Unofficial Patches, has made. These do make changes to the game, such as adding some new areas and quests, but they do not really alter the basic gameplay much. His mods include things that range from minor immersion (Giving the courier a house to live in), tweaking some gameplay issues (Forcing civilians to flee to their house during dragon attacks... otherwise they bravely fight to their death), and adding back some cut content (Things Bethesda started and left in the game files, but didn't complete.)
Skyrim Nexus - mods and community

Note that Arthmoor's Open Cities mod, while awesome, requires SKSE and ENB in order to be stable, due to the massive increase of memory use it causes. I would skip it in the first round of modding.

One last note.... Though I think NMM has begun to integrate it, you should run LOOT (https://loot.github.io/) after installing mods. It will reorder them in the correct way to avoid conflicts, and warn you of known issues and conflicts or of patches that you need to resolve them.

Note: Despite being free for PC owners, the High Resolution DLC is NOT automatically installed. You'll need to go here and install it: http://store.steampowered.com/app/202485/

If you install the Unofficial High Resolution Patch mod without the DLC installed, the game will immediate crash.


----------



## Chiba666

Thanks

So I need to download the Skyrim Script Extender and Nexus Mod Manager for them to run.

Looking forward to playing non vanilla skyrim


----------



## ferret

SKSE is needed to run, NMM just helps you download and organize your mods. 

Also I hate this thread. I had decided I was done with Skyrim, waiting on Fallout 4. Here I am updating all my mods though........


----------



## leftyguitarjoe

Chiba666 said:


> Thanks
> 
> So I need to download the Skyrim Script Extender and Nexus Mod Manager for them to run.
> 
> Looking forward to playing non vanilla skyrim



Sign up for Nexus, sort by "most endorsed", and just go down the list. Most of the mods will have a "download with NMM" button, and the manual mods are pretty easy to install as well. Just be sure to read the instructions and make sure you have the prerequisites and no conflicts.

Wrye Bash is good for checking for mod conflicts. Your game wont even boot if an esm is missing its master file.

Here is my personal "must have" list:
SKSE
SkyUI
all the unofficial updates
The biggest high res texture pack(2k I think)
Cloaks
Immersive Armor
Immersive Weapons
Immersive Creatures
Frostfall(adds a survival element. Not for everyone)
Immersive Patrols
Populated Cities
Purity
More Bandit Camps
Expanded towns and cities

And literally anything else that looks cool. Alternate Start is another great one that skips the wagon ride and Helgen and has you do a more immersive start. On my hunter character, I simply started in a tent in the wilderness.


----------



## ferret

I've also got a lot of what leftyguitarjoe mentioned.

Texture (and weather) wise, I install the following (In this order, too):
Climates of Tamriel
Skyrim HD - 2K
Skyrim Flora Overhaul
Static Mesh Improvement Mod
The Ruffled Feather

Equipment:
Cloaks of Skyrim
Immersive Armor
Immersive Weapons
Wearable Lanterns

Most of isoku's mods: Skyrim Nexus - mods and community
Everything from Arthmoor: Skyrim Nexus - mods and community

Immersion:
Frostfall
Immersive Patrols
Hunterborn
Realistic Needs and Disease

Graphics:
Enhanced Blood Textures
Enhanced Lighting and FX

New areas/content:
Falskaar
All of ThirteenOranges's mods on Steam (Not on nexus)
Heljarchen Farm
Helgen Reborn
Wrath of Nature (There's two)

Really issue NMM had an "export your list" button.


----------



## Chiba666

Thanks, just trying to unbug nexus mod manager


----------



## Chiba666

All sorted, right lets get loading the mods


----------



## BlackMastodon

As ferret mentioned, downloading LOOT is really helpful. If there are other mod managers that check for any conflicts/missing files then that's fine, too, but I use LOOT and it's incredibly helpful.

I use most of the mods mentioned above, but here's a few others I really like:

Complete Crafting Overhaul (crafting makes more sense, and you can smelt down equipment to get materials)
Immediate Dragons (might not be the exact name, just makes dragons appear immediately instead of doing the High Hrothgar quest)
Immersive Patrols
Bandolier (Adds craftable containers to the game so you can hold a lot more)
Footprints (just adds to the immersion of the game, I highly recommend a lot of immersion mods)
csd Souls to Perks (Adds a shrine at High Hrothgar where you can convert dragon souls to perks. I never use shouts so this is much more preferable for me)
Deadly Dragons Armoury
Kill Them Generals
Ultimate Dragons (adds a variety of different dragons and you can change the difficulty of them or even the number of dragons per attack, if you're brave)
The Dance of Death - A Killmove Mod

I'd also recommend any cool weapon/armour mods that add more equipment to the game; variety is the spice of life after all. Also any HD texture packs as well as immersive weather and environment mods.

Basically, if you're playing the game and think "man, I wish this game had _____" just look it up and chances are good that there is a mod already doing that. 

Man I'm really itching to play this game.


----------



## leftyguitarjoe

Oh! Dont forget killable children.

'Just another wanderer, here to lick my father's boots.'

WARHAMMER TO THE FACE YOU LITTLE SH!T


----------



## Chiba666

I will remember that one as the kids to need put back in thier place at times.

Well had a quick run through, Alternative start is killer, now got myself a little house in the woods. Not thing else but a house in the woods.

Go outside and get attacked by a wolf, hmm not a fan of slow mace added to lvl 1 noobness.

Then I foudn just random people, fishing and hunting, on my land how dare they.

So far impressed with soem of the mods, loaded a few more this am to play tonight. Immersive armour is having issues installing but i will sort that out.

So £20 spent on Skyrim plus all DLCs and Its now a new adventure, can start going and ambushing Imperial patrols, and living in a world that is populated.

Not sure on the direction my build will take as its going to take some time to get used to pc controls, must hook up my mouse to speed things up.

SO far Einar, he's a nord who has found himself on hard times, despite owning anice house, he has been left with an empty chest and an old rusty mace for comfort.

Imperials took everything off of him for beign a stormcloack sympahiser but with no hard evidence they turned his place over one night, beat him up and left him for dead.
He is now hell bent on revenge on any and all imperials or those that side with the imperials, no hiding in the shadows just pure unbridled revenge.

I plan to make him a fighter primarily 2 handed as his desire to get even will cause him to go wild in battle, and want to be up to his elbows in blood.
Whilst I will work on my sneak and lock pick, as lets be honest ambushing your enemy when they least expect it is the way ahead.
MAy get some archery skills but not as high as my last build. Will spend time in the wild making potions to sell on but will only sell my wares in loyal Nord strongholds.

Fairly standard build but wil use a sword adn axe combo, or maybe 2 axes in attack, with the mace used on special cases.


----------



## Grand Moff Tim

Mancano is slooooowly leveling up enough to be reasonably combat-capable, as long he isn't taking on too many baddies at once. I bought a Conjur Ice Wolf tome, because I figure hey, Ice Wolves have been kicking my ass, maybe they'll be able to kick enemy ass, too. Turns out I was right, and it's a really handy spell to have. More handy even than Summon Flame Atronach, which was my go-to low level summon before adding SkyRe.

I think I need to pick a place to live with safe storage, though, because I'm carrying around about three hundred pounds' worth of bones, skin and organs I've harvest from dead humanoids. I should drop most of them off and keep just enough in my inventory to summon a skeleton warrior or two, and then go back to replenish my supply as needed. 

Probably ought to drop off some money, too, since the weighted gold mod is starting to catch up with me.

Maybe a follower to lug my extra bones and firewood would be helpful, but I need to think of a follower that I can work in to the backstory I'm working on for Mancano. I'm most of the way through the College of Winterhold questline, so maybe once I'm Archmage I'll get some lackey to follow me around.


----------



## leftyguitarjoe

Grand Moff Tim said:


> I'm most of the way through the College of Winterhold questline, so maybe once I'm Archmage I'll get some lackey to follow me around.




I highly recommend this and the suggested mods in the description. The bookshelf mod is great for displaying little knickknacks. 
Winterhold College Improved at Skyrim Nexus - mods and community


----------



## Chiba666

All I will now say is I love skyrim, so glad to be back on it, just got to crack on and kill things.

Also took a bit of license and boosted his stats to go with the back story, but he has nothing so using base weapons which still makes fighting hard. Axe and Dagger combo now but still basic, need to get some cash together to upgrade before Imperial hunting


----------



## BlackMastodon

Chiba666 said:


> I will remember that one as the kids to need put back in thier place at times.
> 
> Well had a quick run through, Alternative start is killer, now got myself a little house in the woods. Not thing else but a house in the woods.
> 
> Go outside and get attacked by a wolf, hmm not a fan of slow mace added to lvl 1 noobness.
> 
> Then I foudn just random people, fishing and hunting, on my land how dare they.
> 
> So far impressed with soem of the mods, loaded a few more this am to play tonight. Immersive armour is having issues installing but i will sort that out.
> 
> So £20 spent on Skyrim plus all DLCs and Its now a new adventure, can start going and ambushing Imperial patrols, and living in a world that is populated.
> 
> Not sure on the direction my build will take as its going to take some time to get used to pc controls, must hook up my mouse to speed things up.
> 
> SO far Einar, he's a nord who has found himself on hard times, despite owning anice house, he has been left with an empty chest and an old rusty mace for comfort.
> 
> Imperials took everything off of him for beign a stormcloack sympahiser but with no hard evidence they turned his place over one night, beat him up and left him for dead.
> He is now hell bent on revenge on any and all imperials or those that side with the imperials, no hiding in the shadows just pure unbridled revenge.
> 
> I plan to make him a fighter primarily 2 handed as his desire to get even will cause him to go wild in battle, and want to be up to his elbows in blood.
> Whilst I will work on my sneak and lock pick, as lets be honest ambushing your enemy when they least expect it is the way ahead.
> MAy get some archery skills but not as high as my last build. Will spend time in the wild making potions to sell on but will only sell my wares in loyal Nord strongholds.
> 
> Fairly standard build but wil use a sword adn axe combo, or maybe 2 axes in attack, with the mace used on special cases.


If you want to go full berserker and want to spice things up a bit, look into Unlocked Grip which was inspired by Dark Souls. It's a mod that let's you change the grip on any weapon (except bows and crossbows), so you can wield a 2 H sword in 1 H, which let's you dual wield 2 H weapons. You can change how much slower using them as a 1 H will be and how much stronger it is using them as a 2 H.

Just a cool little mod that adds more realism/immersion imo and I like messing around with sometimes.


----------



## leftyguitarjoe

BlackMastodon said:


> If you want to go full berserker and want to spice things up a bit, look into Unlocked Grip which was inspired by Dark Souls. It's a mod that let's you change the grip on any weapon (except bows and crossbows), so you can wield a 2 H sword in 1 H, which let's you dual wield 2 H weapons. You can change how much slower using them as a 1 H will be and how much stronger it is using them as a 2 H.
> 
> Just a cool little mod that adds more realism/immersion imo and I like messing around with sometimes.



Well ..... I'm getting this. I'm about to do a clean install with some hefty gameplay mods to change things up.


----------



## QuantumCybin

Reading this thread really made me want to play some Skyrim again, but with a twist this time. Being that I'm a big Star Wars nerd and I'm cautiously excited about the new movie, I decided to try to make a nice overhaul Star Wars experience within Skyrim, and I'm pretty happy with how it turned out. The loose story is basically a Zabrak agent of the Sith was sent to this particular star system in the Outer Rim and crash landed on Nirn. It's a previously uncharted world, completely unknown to the civilized galaxy.

































I'm using a handful of mods, such as Realistic Needs and Frostfall, obviously SkyUI, and some graphical enhancement mods. In terms of the Star Wars mods, there's the Zabrak race, Magicka Sabers, Sith and Jedi robes, the athletics skill so I can basically force jump, and the big one, The Way of the Force. At its core, it's a magic mod because it adds a ton of holocrons and tiered force powers for both light and dark side. There's different strength levels for each spell. It also makes spells more like the force; for example, force lightning is literally just that. I can hold down the attack key and let out a prolonged shot of lightning. I'm also using some combat mods like Duel, for more realistic combat, and Dual Wield Parrying, so I can have a force power in one hand with my saber in the other and still be able to block. 

The most time consuming addition I made was getting the Personalized Music mod and putting in music from the original trilogy. I went through each track in Audacity and broke longer tracks up into several parts where it was appropriate to use some sections for exploration while others for combat. It surprisingly feels like a Star Wars game now with that added touch.


----------



## ferret

I've started a new character. I'm trying to hard core immersion it up. No fast travel. I'm not sure I can stick with it, cause in some ways I've done what there is to be done in the game, and I haven't figured out how to deal with my rat pack mentality and not being able to just fast travel to stores/home when full on loot....

For now, the rough is an ex-Imperial soldier. A classic orc lore wise, if you will. He's a armorer, heavy armor, sword and shield guy. But he returned from the wars to a farm in Rorikstead (Alternate Start option, unique home otherwise not available). Now with the wars stirred back up, he's leaving the farm to aid the imperials and otherwise adventure.

I'm probably going to deprive him of any magic but allow enchanting as a master craftsman. No sneaking either.

I installed a few new mods, one in particular being Loot and Degradation, which allows NPCs to spawn with tempered and enchanted gear, and allows for tempered items to degrade over time, or even break outright. I'm not sure if it's responsible, or an update to one of my other mods, but my NPCs are also ....ing LOOTING now.

Like... I went into a cave. The bandit chief disengaged, went to the cave's master chest, and looted a goddamn flame staff out of it, and preceded to fire it at me. I'm 99.99999% certain that has never happened before lol.

I also ran into one of Immersive Patrol's battles, and the soldiers looted each other for valuables as well.

INNNNTEERRESTTING.


----------



## Chokey Chicken

I need to stay out of this thread. I have such little free time as it is and hearing everyone talk about this game makes me want to play it again. 'Tis my day off today, so maybe I'll get a few hours in. Can't remember what mods I have though.


----------



## leftyguitarjoe

I dived into the world of ENB graphics and ENBoost memory expansion. Holy crap its awesome.


----------



## leftyguitarjoe

Here are some screens that are a culmination of a few hours of tedious .ini settings and constant crashes until I figured out this whole ENB thing.


----------



## ferret

I decided to take a few outdoor shots too. I spent a bunch of time adding like 25 more mods today, including some LOD stuff.

It was overcast when I loaded up:





Headed over to my farm to drop off loot:





Nice aurora that night:





Necromancers and sun in the morning:





Let's head south into Falkreath:





Going to have to buy Lakeview soon, lake property is best:


----------



## leftyguitarjoe

I downloaded RealVision ENB. Holy balls guys.


----------



## leftyguitarjoe

Alright, I wanted more dense grass, better water, better roads, and better rocks.





















And one more interior because ENB works wonders on interiors.





And in case anyone is wondering here are my mods


----------



## Grand Moff Tim

You suckas need to get the iHUD mod so you can toggle the compass for your screenshots.


----------



## leftyguitarjoe

Grand Moff Tim said:


> You suckas need to get the iHUD mod so you can toggle the compass for your screenshots.



I got the minimal hud right after I took all of those. My main motivation was to move the sneak eye so it wouldn't get in the way of aiming.


----------



## Grand Moff Tim

Man, I'm really digging the magic overhaul from SkyRe. I actually feel competent in battle as a mage for once, and there are some weird and interesting spells. It's not quite Morrowind-level magic combat, but it's at least closer to Oblivion-level, before Skyrim nerfed it all to sh!t. After struggling mightily in the early goings, I'm chugging right along now. I'm the Arch Mage, and I just accepted Vampirism from Harkon, so I'll be able to reanimate more things than ever . Good times.


----------



## ferret

I deliberately left hud enabled since I had some elements displaying that others might not know about from mods ;P

I'll take a screenshot of mod list after work. Really wish NMM had a basic "Export mod list" that was usable for sharing lists.


----------



## BlackMastodon

Sh*t, I need that RealVision mod stat. Looks too damn good.


----------



## leftyguitarjoe

I hit 100 plugins. I think I need an intervention.


----------



## ferret




----------



## Grand Moff Tim

You guys run waaaaaaay more mods than i do.


----------



## ferret

Actually that list doesn't include 12 more that are Steam-only 

Almost all of these are immersion and graphic tweaks for me. Very little actual change to game play, not counting Frostfall and RND.

Falskaar and Wymstooth are practically expansions, lot of new content.


----------



## Grand Moff Tim

Question about that clock HUD mod: Does it play nice with iHUD? As in, does it toggle on and off with the compass and the rest of the HUD, or is it just stuck up there in the corner?

I ask because Mancanto recently became a vampire, so it'd be handy to be able to check if it's safe to go outside without opening the Wait or Inventory menus.


----------



## Chokey Chicken

Started a new character and decided to roleplay with it. Alternate start was on Solstheim, beaten and left for dead. Considering I had literally nothing to my name I had to raise 250 to get off the island, which was difficult. Ran into some sketchy monsters I've never seen before and beat feet back to ravenrock. Had to scrounge up every piece of junk I could just to make barely enough to get back to Skyrim, which included selling my shoes. Being without shoes and any form of clothing was rough with Frostfall. I couldn't buy or build a tent for a good while because I had no weapons. Managed to scrounge up enough coin by playing a lute in bars and bought like 20 arrows and stole a bow. 

It's been pretty smooth going from there so far. Managed to get a surplus of arrows and looted gear and now have all the necessities to survive the wild. I can't find a better bow anywhere so I'm still using the bow I took from the Drunken Huntsman. Murdered a rude mercenary who wouldn't give me info and now I have a bounty in whiterun. Some giants saved me from a bunch of bat.... crazy mages that almost had me dead. Been having a lot of fun since I changed my play style up quite a bit for this one.


----------



## ferret

Grand Moff Tim said:


> Question about that clock HUD mod: Does it play nice with iHUD? As in, does it toggle on and off with the compass and the rest of the HUD, or is it just stuck up there in the corner?
> 
> I ask because Mancanto recently became a vampire, so it'd be handy to be able to check if it's safe to go outside without opening the Wait or Inventory menus.



Not running iHud currently so I'm unsure, however, I have the clock set to "always show". It can be hidden and toggled with bind, as well as contextual (I.e. show when the hour changes). I wanted it to better time my sleep schedule for RND  Yeah yeah. There's also different versions. I like the dial in those screenshots but there's a digital clock too, etc.

My orc seems pretty well off. I'm debating whether I care that the gameplay is easy right now or not. Do I bump it up? Or do I just try to enjoy the immersion? On one hand, the gamer in me hates the idea of playing 'easy mode', but on the other hand, the aging old man in me thinks deliberately beating myself up on a game is a pointless endeavor, especially on play-through #154.

I'm thinking I'll leave combat easy. Immersion adds enough things to worry about with my inventory limited by food/supplies (Despite backpacks and bandoliers), heavy armor, and the need to carry backup armor/weapons since Loot and Degradation allows them to break.

Case in point... I didn't have a backup shield with me last night, and was letting a plague wolf (Immersive Monsters) chew on it to get my block skill up. Well, until it broke... and now I am shieldless.

A horse has definitely improved my experience of no fast travel. Convenient Horses really helps out, can talk to people mounted and pick herbs as I go down the road. It also stops everyone from murderkilling my horse every encounter.


----------



## leftyguitarjoe

I made a quick video on a new two-hander character I started after I got the Dark Souls combat mod. It introduces poise so you can get stunned if hit hard enough. Its governed by your armor. There's also the rolling which is dope as hell. Combined with Deadly Combat, it makes fighting way more high stakes and reactive. You hit harder, but so do your enemies. Those archers nearly killed me. I'll grab a video with some melee to melee combat sometime. Also, fraps kills my framerate while recording. I get a solid 40fps outdoors normally and 50-60fps indoors.


----------



## Chiba666

Got to say the mods have pretty much made it a differenct game, alternative start is great, why was this not an option once you have completed the game in the vanilla version.
Got myself a nice farm close to Rorikstead, nice and out the way. Not done a great deal so far, abit of walking, clreared out a few small bandit locations and a few quests in the Companions line, will then do some walking I think and go and explore. Intend to leave the main quest till way later on my Skyrim journey, just enjopying the freedom of not having a massive amount of quests to do. I may just do a quest as they come along and get to explore the game that way, all the while amassing some serious amounts of cash and buy myslef a crash pad in the city.

One thing I am doing though is taking on any imperials i meet on the road, no survivors. My little bit for the war effort, whihc reminds me may have to formally throw my hat into the ring adn put on my colours. or just stay hidden and support the struggle from the sidelines.


----------



## ferret

I picked that farm in Rorikstead this play through too. Very nice little house, but no smelter or alchemy/enchanter nearby.

This is the first play through where I've actually used a horse. Since I'm maintaining strict no fast travel rule, it's actually had meaning, though Convenient Horse mod is a godsend. You can whistle for your horse if it's wandered off, use it's inventory to store stuff (In particular I've stashed my camping gear on him), everything doesn't try to kill it constantly, etc.

Last night I finished up around Falkreath basic quests for Lakeview and bought it. I almost had a willpower moment, thought about fast travelling to farm to get my items then fast travelling back, but I fought through it and rode my horse over there instead. 

Incidentally in case anyone was wondering, you can get from Lakeview to Rorikstead within 6-8 game hours following the roads on a horse.


----------



## leftyguitarjoe

ferret said:


> I picked that farm in Rorikstead this play through too. Very nice little house, but no smelter or alchemy/enchanter nearby.
> 
> This is the first play through where I've actually used a horse. Since I'm maintaining strict no fast travel rule, it's actually had meaning, though Convenient Horse mod is a godsend. You can whistle for your horse if it's wandered off, use it's inventory to store stuff (In particular I've stashed my camping gear on him), everything doesn't try to kill it constantly, etc.
> 
> Last night I finished up around Falkreath basic quests for Lakeview and bought it. I almost had a willpower moment, thought about fast travelling to farm to get my items then fast travelling back, but I fought through it and rode my horse over there instead.
> 
> Incidentally in case anyone was wondering, you can get from Lakeview to Rorikstead within 6-8 game hours following the roads on a horse.



I picked to be Erik the Slayer's best friend. It started me out in Rorikstead with Erik as a follower from the getgo. Now we're two childhood friends who've decided to leave our bland lives in our small town to go adventuring.


----------



## Chiba666

Its a great farm, nice to go and see the local sites, dragon mounds to visit with no dragons but easy pickings


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## leftyguitarjoe

Chiba666 said:


> Its a great farm, nice to go and see the local sites, dragon mounds to visit with no dragons but easy pickings



I have the Organized Bandits in Skyrim mod. It adds a bunch of warring bandit factions. They spawn a configurable amount of random encounters and attack cities. My town was attacked a couple minutes after I loaded the game 

I installed the hell variant of the mod that replaces all the passive animals like rabbits and deer with bandits. It makes going anywhere dangerous. That combined with dark souls combat, deadly combat, warzones, and immersive patrols makes for an intense game. There is constant action.


----------



## Chiba666

Its nice to see Imperials and Stormcloaks fighting in the hills.


----------



## Grand Moff Tim

Installed this mod today:

Pumping Iron - Dynamic Muscle Growth at Skyrim Nexus - mods and community

It's called Pumping Iron, and basically what it does is causes your muscle mass to slowly increase over time as you use your combat skills. It's a bit more involved than that, but you can read the description for more info.

I'm using it with a new build I started to round out my current stable of builds. I already have a 1H + Shield warrior, an Unarmed warrior, an Archer, and a Necromage, so I figured it was time to make a classic 2H tank build and see how that works in SkyRe.

I went for an Orc, and named him Lord Shurgak gro-Rugdumph. Keen eyed gamers might remember the name Rugdumph gro-Shurgak from Oblivion: He was that goofy ass orc who fancied himself to be nobility, and constantly used malapropisms and otherwise mispronounced words that he didn't really understand in order to make himself sound more educated and high-born. 

If you were unaware, the prefix "gro-" means "son of," much like "Mac-" in Gaelic or "-son" in Icelandic. For the back story here, I'm going to say that there's an unbroken chain of orcs descended from Lord Ruhdumph, and they alternate between the names Rugdumph gro-Shurgak and Shurgak gro-Rugdumph, passing the names from father to son with every generation.

They aren't _really_ Lords by birth, so the males of this family tend to have a chip on their shoulder about going out to make a name for themselves and try to acquire fame, wealth and become landholders. "Lord" Shurgak here heard about the concept of becoming a Thane, so he made his way up north to Skyrim to see if he could somehow pull it off, and maybe buy some land while he's at it.

So far he's become Thane of Whiterun, but he doesn't own any property and he has less than a thousand Septims to his name. He has his housecarl Lydia to serve him, though, house or no house, and he even acquired a wood elf by the name of Faendal to squire for him, which makes him feel very important.

His skill focuses will be the standard 2H tank combat fare of course, plus speechcraft and enchanting. He's a fancy gentleman, after all.

I'll be trying to remember to take progression shots as I go along, to demonstrate the effects of the Pumping Iron mod. 

Here's progress shot numero uno:







Saadia is not impressed.


----------



## ferret

You need Interesting NPCs and Inconsequential NPCs, Tim  Fill up that inn with patrons!


----------



## Grand Moff Tim

Random pictures time!


Lord Rugdumph is Thane of Falkreath, bought a plot of land, and has gotten started building his manor. He has himself a fellow orc as his personal steward, and even managed to find a beautiful orcish lass to wed:







Yup, he married Ghorza gra-Bagol, the smith from Markarth. That's her brother sitting in the audience to the left. Seated to the right is my steward, Ghorbash the Iron Hand, from the orcish stronghold Dushnikh Yal. Lydia's standing back there, too, and it even kinda looks like she's wiping a tear from her eye. Poor Lydia. She must've had the hots for ol' Shurgak.

Not much of a difference so far between where he was at level 3 and where he is now at level 18, but here's a Pumping Iron progress shot anyway:








And for the final picture, here's what I saw hanging outside the city gates when I approached Markarth today:







Dafuq? Presumably it's a mod conflict or something like that, but I don't know which mod is the culprit. That's some goofy looking shiz right there.


----------



## ferret

I had to restart my orc. I blame everyone in this thread, but I had added so many mods post-start and even removed a couple that my script engine went to .... and was lagging to hell. Ended up in Whiterun's inn just before a vampire attack trigger. The scripts were lagging so bad that "When Vampire's Attack" wouldn't trigger. I couldn't tolerate the fact that 4-5 citizens ran gleefully to their deaths so I just restarted.

Clean restart with all the same mods? Much less lag, both script engine wise and visually.

Following the same basic plan, but I used LAL to just start with Lakeview outright, since I had completed the main hall before. I've been running around Falkreath doing things all day, searching for ore. A master smith needs to be well supplied.


----------



## leftyguitarjoe

ferret said:


> I had to restart my orc. I blame everyone in this thread, but I had added so many mods post-start and even removed a couple that my script engine went to .... and was lagging to hell. Ended up in Whiterun's inn just before a vampire attack trigger. The scripts were lagging so bad that "When Vampire's Attack" wouldn't trigger. I couldn't tolerate the fact that 4-5 citizens ran gleefully to their deaths so I just restarted.
> 
> Clean restart with all the same mods? Much less lag, both script engine wise and visually.
> 
> Following the same basic plan, but I used LAL to just start with Lakeview outright, since I had completed the main hall before. I've been running around Falkreath doing things all day, searching for ore. A master smith needs to be well supplied.



ENB Boost and some SKSE.ini edits can really help things like this from happening by allowing Skyrim to allocate more memory.

I'll try to find the guide I used.


----------



## ferret

Already using them, because Open Cities demands it. I think it's something else though. Some sort of automated vampire attack that wasn't the normal attacks that WVA looks for...

I've already surpassed my previous orc, but in the end had the exact same thing happen. It's right after killing the first dragon. Both games I went in the inn, talked to whats-her-name for the A'kir quest, and exited to an attack that citizens did not survive.

Ultimately, I cheated my way past by disabling combat AI, killing the death hounds, then re-enabling it. Otherwise they would kill 2-3 people I hadn't finished with before I could even get to the gates from the inn.


----------



## leftyguitarjoe

ferret said:


> Already using them, because Open Cities demands it. I think it's something else though. Some sort of automated vampire attack that wasn't the normal attacks that WVA looks for...
> 
> I've already surpassed my previous orc, but in the end had the exact same thing happen. It's right after killing the first dragon. Both games I went in the inn, talked to whats-her-name for the A'kir quest, and exited to an attack that citizens did not survive.
> 
> Ultimately, I cheated my way past by disabling combat AI, killing the death hounds, then re-enabling it. Otherwise they would kill 2-3 people I hadn't finished with before I could even get to the gates from the inn.



All hail the console! Its not cheating if its fixing a bug.

Open cities caused me so much grief I had to abandon it. I chose to fill the cities up and make them look better.


----------



## Grand Moff Tim

Ugh. Bought the plot of land north of Morthal, went there to start building my second house, and the house won't appear. Yay, bugs. If there's a fix for it, I sure can't find it. I can't imagine what mod if any would be causing the conflict, either. UESP even has "house won't appear" listed as a bug, but it doesn't suggest any fixes.

Hooray.


----------



## leftyguitarjoe

Grand Moff Tim said:


> Ugh. Bought the plot of land north of Morthal, went there to start building my second house, and the house won't appear. Yay, bugs. If there's a fix for it, I sure can't find it. I can't imagine what mod if any would be causing the conflict, either. UESP even has "house won't appear" listed as a bug, but it doesn't suggest any fixes.
> 
> Hooray.



Seeing your texture issue from earlier, maybe try moving any texture mods to the end of your load order or reinstall them.


----------



## Grand Moff Tim

leftyguitarjoe said:


> Seeing your texture issue from earlier, maybe try moving any texture mods to the end of your load order or reinstall them.



It'd be odd if that's the issue, since I already built the house in Falkreath with no problems.


----------



## Grand Moff Tim

Another bizarre thing is Ghorza refuses to stay home. I sent her to my Falkreath home, and she never showed up. I used the console to teleport to her location, and she was stuck outside the gates of Helgen. I figured that was a pathfinding error, so I just used the console to place us both inside my house. _Immediately_ after being placed there, though, she walked outside and hit the bricks off down the road .

I just kinda figured "Oh well, Orcs gonna Orc," used the console to set her as essential, and let her go on her way


----------



## Grand Moff Tim

Alright. Installed the Unofficial Hearthfire Patch and it seems to have fixed the problem.


----------



## Grand Moff Tim

Holy sh!t, I just noticed that Realistic Needs (presumably) added a well to my Heartfire properties, and I can activated it to fill my empty bottles with spring water. Score!


----------



## Grand Moff Tim

Tangentially related:

I've been unhappy with my band for a while now, so to try to bring some musical satisfaction back into my life, I've decided to learn how to record stuff on my own. I'm in the middle of a four day weekend, so I bought the EZ Drummer 2 metal bundle, DLed reaper, and figured out the basics of how to hook up everything and get some recording started.

What does that have to do with Skyrim, you ask? Well, I'm not much of a from-scratch writer, so I decided the first thing I'll try to record will be a Doom metal cover of the Elder Scrolls theme. I only have the intro part of it recorded so far, and it's suuuuuuper amateur hour, production-wise. No EQing apart from that on the Afx, no panning L or R, no nothing. I have no idea what I'm doing. I posted it up to Soundcloud to try to get the opinions of people who are better at recording and production than I am (which is to say: everyone else on earth who has ever recorded anything).

Aaaaanyway, here it is. Gear used: Ibanez TAM10, ACG Skelf 6 Multiscale, Fractal Axe-Fx II mk II, Presonus Audiobox 22VSL, MSi laptop, Reaper DAW, EZ Drummer 2 VST.

https://soundcloud.com/grand-moff-tim/doomified-elder-scrolls-theme-intro-take-1


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## ferret

I'm trekking across the world adopting children. I'm a kind-hearted old orc. I'm in Riften now, about to assassinate the old crone.

I've got Hearthfire Enhanced (Or Expanded?). Adds a bunch of bug fixes and changes to the houses, including a way to craft furniture to place. Along with Jaxon Positioner, I've converted the store room to a children's bedroom, by moving the beds out of my master bed.


----------



## ghostred7

Sorta on topic..... I want to make my 1st set of foam armor and decided I'm going to do a Vampire Lord Royal Armor costume.


----------



## Chokey Chicken

Grand Moff Tim said:


> Tangentially related:
> 
> I've been unhappy with my band for a while now, so to try to bring some musical satisfaction back into my life, I've decided to learn how to record stuff on my own. I'm in the middle of a four day weekend, so I bought the EZ Drummer 2 metal bundle, DLed reaper, and figured out the basics of how to hook up everything and get some recording started.
> 
> What does that have to do with Skyrim, you ask? Well, I'm not much of a from-scratch writer, so I decided the first thing I'll try to record will be a Doom metal cover of the Elder Scrolls theme. I only have the intro part of it recorded so far, and it's suuuuuuper amateur hour, production-wise. No EQing apart from that on the Afx, no panning L or R, no nothing. I have no idea what I'm doing. I posted it up to Soundcloud to try to get the opinions of people who are better at recording and production than I am (which is to say: everyone else on earth who has ever recorded anything).
> 
> Aaaaanyway, here it is. Gear used: Ibanez TAM10, Fractal Axe-Fx II mk II, Presonus Audiobox 22VSL, MSi laptop, Reaper DAW, EZ Drummer 2 VST.
> 
> https://soundcloud.com/grand-moff-tim/doomified-elder-scrolls-theme-intro-take-1



Considering it's a from scratch, never done on your own before kind of thing, that's pretty cool. It's a really fresh and neat take on a song that probably has a million covers of it already. 

We've done our own Elder Scrolls themed song once before, but it's not a cover. Just inspired by good ol' Uncle Sweetshare. To give a bit of context for those who haven't played Bloodmoon, this is the bit the song is based on: (edit: embed decided not to work, so you get a link. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-RejVSW59Rc)

And here's the song we did: (which is my buddy's soundcloud, whom also has an account on this site.)

Super silly/cheesy lyrics ahoy: https://soundcloud.com/foxtrot89/candy-candy


On topic, I've been playing skyrim in my spare time. I bought the property in morthal without knowing I downloaded a mod that makes the house part of a neat little (mostly uninhabited) town. I'll have to take some screenshots. It took me until very recently to realize that you don't _need _to kill every person in every dungeon. More befitting the role I'm playing as this character, I've been leaving a lot of people alive if I can, only killing them if it's needed or if I really don't like them. Been picking as many pockets as I can though. Fell in a lake at one point and almost bought the farm since I had run out of firewood. Really scary stuff since I'm trying to stick to the once I die I'm dead method.


----------



## Chiba666

Seem to have a badn whe trying to join the stormcloacks asn Ulfric is there but not the arrow is above his head but hes not there in body. Will have to gof ro a walk and find some imperials getting turned into bug food by some Stormcloak freedom fighters adn sign on the dotted line that way.

So far It is a different game to play, whilst I havnt added realistic needs and afew others. ITs likea different game, especially if I walk everywhere, found so many new locations its been great, still alow lvl 7 after 9 hours of chilled game play but its great. In no real rush to do any major quests, jsut a few little ones. found a dragon mage around an empty dragon tomb, couldnt even hit him so I guess he's not ment to be hit.

Starting to build a nice pot of cash added bonus my farm pays me profits.


----------



## Chiba666

Ok for some reason ulfric seems to not be there, just has an arrow over his head when starting the rebellion quests. no other issues with added mods.

Anyone else have issues with an invisible Ulfric?


----------



## Grand Moff Tim

Chiba666 said:


> Ok for some reason ulfric seems to not be there, just has an arrow over his head when starting the rebellion quests. no other issues with added mods.
> 
> Anyone else have issues with an invisible Ulfric?



If you're standing where he should be, try this series of console commands:

prid 0001B131 <enter>
moveto player <enter>


Hit enter, obviously, don't type it out like that. 

If he hasn't completely glitched out of the game, that should cause him to instantly appear next to you.

If you're curious where he is, you could also transport yourself to wherever he is by typing:

player.moveto 0001B131 <enter>


I've had to use those commands to find various housecarls, followers, and on one occasion a wife lol when they disappear.


----------



## Chiba666

THanks, so each character has their own number then so Ulfrik is 0001B131.

Interesting.

As Ive said before it's like playing a different game and this lack of fast travel 90% of the time that is, just opens the game up to random assassination attempts, bandit outposts and far to many wolf attacks. you would have thought they would have learnt by now to leave me alone. May have to start the main quest so that I can get some Dragon action going on. Found a fair few word walls adn I do miss having afew shouts to use, Relentless force has been one of my go to shouts for along time.

So far I'm not getting bored of just thin whats over that hill, as there is always something, if not a large fall to the water.


----------



## Grand Moff Tim

I'm reasonably sure there's a mod so you can have dragons about without having to do the requisite main quest missions first. I couldn't tell you what it's called, but I think I read about something like that existing.


----------



## Chiba666

I think that one is dangerous dragons which I think means you xan tweak them to amke them uber hard as once youve got a few levels under your belt Dragons get to be easy


----------



## BlackMastodon

Chiba666 said:


> I think that one is dangerous dragons which I think means you xan tweak them to amke them uber hard as once youve got a few levels under your belt Dragons get to be easy


There's Ultimate Dragons and Deadly Dragons, don't remember which one I use, or maybe even both. There's also Immediate Dragons to get them to spawn right away. I'm gonna need to take a look at those mods because there might be a conflict between them.


----------



## Grand Moff Tim

Dragons are irritating, whether they're easy or hard to kill. Either way it takes forever, because you have to wait for them to land to get some hits in, or wait for them to hold still long enough get some shots off with a bow. Even then, once their health is low enough to land permanently, half the time they fly off like a thousand miles away up the side of a mountain, so you have to run a marathon and climb Everest just to finish them off and get the damned soul.

F_u_ck dragons.


----------



## BlackMastodon

True, but I also have Deadly Dragons Armoury and it gives you good dragon armour sets, just need to collect materials from them, including Armour Pieces which don't always drop. And I use a Souls to Perks mod that is 1:1, so makes it worth while for me. Don't blame anyone that wants to keep them out, though.


----------



## Chiba666

Well still no Ulfric, will ahve to hunt for Stormcloak fighters to give me the quest.


----------



## Grand Moff Tim

You know, i'm always seeing hunters wandering the wilds of Skyrim, so I figure why not try that lifestyle myself? I made a bosmer build, and he's just going to be a hunter. I'll travel from town to town, selling whatever I find while out on the road. I'll only sleep in my own campsites, never in an inn or house. 

I'd also like to only eat or drink what I can find or scavenge, but there's an annoying conflict between the clear water mod I use and the "Fill Bottle" function of Realistic Needs, so I'll have to settle for paying inkeepers to refill my empty bottles, while still eating only what I catch and cook myself. I'll still have to buy things like garlic and salt, but that seems realistic enough, since I'll be selling and trading. 

I don't know if there are any quests that fit with the character, though, so I'll probably only do random stuff I stumble across in caves or whatever.


----------



## leftyguitarjoe

Grand Moff Tim said:


> You know, i'm always seeing hunters wandering the wilds of Skyrim, so I figure why not try that lifestyle myself? I made a bosmer build, and he's just going to be a hunter. I'll travel from town to town, selling whatever I find while out on the road. I'll only sleep in my own campsites, never in an inn or house.
> 
> I'd also like to only eat or drink what I can find or scavenge, but there's an annoying conflict between the clear water mod I use and the "Fill Bottle" function of Realistic Needs, so I'll have to settle for paying inkeepers to refill my empty bottles, while still eating only what I catch and cook myself. I'll still have to buy things like garlic and salt, but that seems realistic enough, since I'll be selling and trading.
> 
> I don't know if there are any quests that fit with the character, though, so I'll probably only do random stuff I stumble across in caves or whatever.



My oldest save is one of these. Its fun to brave the northern regions for the coveted snow animal pelts.


----------



## Grand Moff Tim

I ran into an issue with my Hunter, and it was mods to the rescue again.

You see, being a hunter is apparently much more lucrative than I had anticipated. I'm traveling a circuit of Skyrim using the following route: Whiterun > Riverwood > Falkreath > Markarth > Solitude > Morthal > Dawnstar > Winterhold > Windhelm > Riften > Ivarstead > Helgen > Whiterun. 

I hunt whatever animals I come across along the way, and loot the corpses of any bandits who cross me. Then, I sell my pelts and loot in the next town on my route. I'm not even going into caves, forts, or barrows unless there's a blizzard and I need to warm up. I just entered Riften on my circuit, and I've already accumulated 21k septims.

As I've mentioned before, though, I use a weighted gold mod, which means 21k septims take up loads of inventory space. I don't and _won't_ have a permanent house with this build, though, so what's a poor bosmer to do?

Why, open a savings account, of course!

Imperial Mail - Post and Banking Service at Skyrim Nexus - mods and community

That mod lets you open an account at any Inn and many taverns, and you can use it to deposit and withdraw money, or pay to send loot from one location to another, so you don't have to lug everything everywhere. I just popped into the Bee and Barb, opened up an account, and deposited 20k into my savings account. You even get a bank book in your inventory that actively keeps track of your banking and parcel activity. It's a really neat mod so far (though the controls are a touch clunky).

Recommended, for an interesting new touch of added realism to the game.


----------



## Grand Moff Tim

Here's a shot of the inside of the bank book:


----------



## Grand Moff Tim

Up to nearly 50k septims, and I haven't even completed two full circuits of Skyrim. 

I'm really digging the archery skill tree with SkyRe. I actually haven't used any other offensive skill since I was like level 2, and I'm up to level 24 now. I use the longbow for sneak shots at distant targets (or the crossbow, if it's an armored humanoid), and then switch to the shortbow when they close the distance, because it can get off shots nearly as fast as a melee character would be able to get hits in with a 2H weapon.

The doomified Elder Scrolls theme I've been working on is slowly coming together. I added a bit more at the end, tweaked the levels a bit, re-recorded one of the guitars, and experimented with panning. It isn't finished yet and it's far from perfect, since I'm still new to the whole home recording thing, but I'm... erm... not _un_happy with it .

https://soundcloud.com/grand-moff-tim/doomified-elder-scrolls-theme-intro-take-2


----------



## Grand Moff Tim

Welp, mods f_u_cked me again.

I was having some wonkiness with SkyRe Reproccer, so I uninstalled and reinstalled it. Doing so, however, caused me to get that "This save relies on content that is no longer present" message, and then a crash to desktop.

"No big deal," I thought, "I'm sure I can work something out.

I DLed LOOT, to try to sort that out. It pointed out all the files I needed to clean, so I DLed TS5Edit and went through and cleaned out each problem file individually. Then I ran LOOT again and applied it, and...

...nothing. Still borked.

Ferk.

Wat do? I don't want to have to erase all my saves _again_. I was happy with the progress on a couple of them.


----------



## BrainArt

^ Did you try creating a Merge Patch in TES5Edit? 

One of the more recent NMM updates screwed me over on mods for New Vegas and creating a new merge patch in NVEdit helped fix the issues with crashing to desktop after I reinstalled my mods manually.

I haven't installed any new mods for FO3 or Skyrim in a while, for that reason. I do *not* feel like going through the slog that is manually reinstalling my mods for both of those games. I don't have that kind of free time and when I do, I prefer to do something fun, not boring.


----------



## Grand Moff Tim

Do what now? 

I'm impressed with myself just for being able to clean files with TS5Edit, I have no idea how to go about making a merged file or whatever.


----------



## BrainArt

When you're in TES5Edit, after everything has finished loading, right click on the left side of the program where the drop downs are and there should be an option that says "Create..." then in that menu click "Merged Patch" name it as you please, then bring up your preferred mod manager and make sure you activate it in the plugins tab. *EDIT:* just checked on my version of TES5Edit (I could probably use an update), and the merge patch option is under "Other".

This video is for NVEdit, but they're basically the same, plus Gopher knows what he's talking about, being a mod author for FO3, NV, and Skyrim.


----------



## Grand Moff Tim

Okay, that _might_ have helped, haha.

I (hopefully) managed to properly make a merged file in TES5Edit. When I opened my save file, I still got that "This relies on blablabla" message, but when I opted to continue loading anyway, it actually went on to load my file, rather than crashing to desktop. Then I just created a new save file for that playthrough, and now it opens no problem. 

Hopefully I won't run in to any problems down the road with missing stuff, but at least for now it seems I won't have to scrap my builds. Score. Thanks for the tip!


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## BlackMastodon

I get the same problem with getting the "This save relies on content that is no longer present" message and then crashing to desktop, but only if I click Continue. If I click Load at the start menu and then pick a file, the message will come up again but it won't crash. Not sure what the cause is but it sometimes happens if I stop using a mod.


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## Grand Moff Tim

One reason I was hoping to not have to scrap my save files is that I was having fun with my most recent build.

I decided I want to do a build that focuses on shouting, especially since SkyRe added perks that affect shouts to the speechcraft tree, and shouting increases the speechcraft skill.

I didn't come up with a deep backstory, but I did come up with a _pertinent _backstory, which I can explain with two pictures.

First, this build wears a disguise when he's wandering around or when he enters a town:








He's wearing a full Skaal outfit, to provide full cold resistance for Frostfall, and a golden mask that was added by one of my mods. Not sure which one, though . Probably immersive armors or something. That's Lydia in the background there, wearing Vokun.

Anyway, when he needs to engage in combat, he loses the disguise and puts on his fightin' suit:









Look familiar? Of course he does! That's Sheogorath Junior. His backstory is that Sheogorath came to the mortal plane one day and got jiggy with a mortal, Greek-god style. Sheo Jr here is the product of that coupling. I had a picture of Sheogorath as he appears in Skyrim open on my phone while doing the character creation, to try to come as close as I could to looking like him. I think I did alright. 

He wears the disguise to keep people from recognizing him_. _I'm trying to fight primarily using spells and tactics that make me laugh (read: Fus Ro Dah _ALL_ the things), and I collect every piece of cheese I find.

I got the outfit from the "Call of Madness" shout mod that adds a Sheogorath-centric shout and some similarly themed clothing and weapons to the game (throw flaming cheese, summon armor mannequin marionette, a sword that turns enemies into a pile of wine bottles, a staff that fires wagons, etc). None of the items or spells are overpowered god-items or anything, though the outfit skirts the line. It's supposed to reduce shout cooldown by 25%, but there's a glitch or something with the coding that reduces the cooldown time completely, so there's no waiting at all between shouts. That doesn't make me immortal or anything, but I can certainly turn certain battles in my favor by just spamming Unrelenting Force . Also, the cheese-throwing and food-flinging spells add actual cheese and food to the game world, so I can't go around casting it all the time, or I'll bog down my save files and loading screens, haha.

Anyway, yeah. Good times.


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## leftyguitarjoe

Dude thats awesome as sh!t


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## chaneisa

Killer job on making him look like Sheo. I thought you just used a mod that let you be him until I read that you actually made him look like that. Damn near spot on, man.


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## cwhitey2

I'm bumping this because of the remastered version 


Anyone else download the remastered version?

I put around 16 hours straight on it release day...called in sick to work 


Graphics are way better, game play is smoother...and best of all...the load times are 10 sec at most. My character is a lvl 15 Argonian at the moment.


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## Fat-Elf

cwhitey2 said:


> I put around 16 hours straight on it release day...called in sick to work :lol




Haha, I really wish they would have released it a week earlier since I had whole last week off from work. I've been playing daily since the release and I still only have 12 hours. 

Started a brutal Nord character. Using only war axe and shield. No bows and sneaking this time.  I really don't notice any difference in the graphics and the game actually runs at lower fps surprisingly even though I'm using more powerful pc than I used to. There's still some bugs too.


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## Señor Voorhees

I have it downloaded. I fear starting it up because I _will_ lose a ton of time to it. Soon, though... Soon, I will start sinking another million hours into the game.


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## leftyguitarjoe

I made Ron, the permastoned Nord.


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## cwhitey2

Fat-Elf said:


> Haha, I really wish they would have released it a week earlier since I had whole last week off from work. I've been playing daily since the release and I still only have 12 hours.
> 
> Started a brutal Nord character. Using only war axe and shield. No bows and sneaking this time.  I really don't notice any difference in the graphics and the game actually runs at lower fps surprisingly even though I'm using more powerful pc than I used to. There's still some bugs too.





Honestly I wouldn't expect much of an upgrade graphics wise for pc, being that you can mod the graphics to begin with.


I have noticed a few 'glitches', but I think its more with the remastering. The best example I have is when you are going into a 'shadow' area...like down a flight of stairs into darkness. You can see a 'line' where all of a sudden it's way darker...it does not fade into shade (it just looks weird). THAT being said I have only noticed this in 2 very small areas for a very short period of time. Other than that its a more polished version for PS4


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## ferret

I'm waiting on SKSE and SkyUI to be updated. Then we begin our treks once more.


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## Chiba666

PS4 version ordered. Sorry Deus Ex, but back in the box you go/


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## Fat-Elf

ferret said:


> I'm waiting on SKSE and SkyUI to be updated. Then we begin our treks once more.



Yeah, can't wait for SkyUI. I didn't even remember how horrible the original UI is. 

Also, the lack of stamina drives me crazy. Even though I'm level 15-16 right now and I have only buffed up the stamina it still runs out so fast. It's not really the fighting I'm annoyed by but it sucks when you can run like 20 meters and then you have to wait for 30 seconds or so for your stamina to refill. That really just encourages to teleport around the map instead of traveling on foot and experiencing all the weird .... on the way.


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## cwhitey2

Fat-Elf said:


> Yeah, can't wait for SkyUI. I didn't even remember how horrible the original UI is.
> 
> Also, the lack of stamina drives me crazy. Even though I'm level 15-16 right now and I have only buffed up the stamina it still runs out so fast. It's not really the fighting I'm annoyed by but it sucks when you can run like 20 meters and then you have to wait for 30 seconds or so for your stamina to refill. That really just encourages to teleport around the map instead of traveling on foot and experiencing all the weird .... on the way.



Buy a dang horse 


Yeah I always thought the stamina could have been a little better. I usually just make a super rounded character that's good at everything


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## Anquished

Got the remastered version, has anyone else experienced a glitch with the wolves?

They run up to me and then just stand there, staring at me...


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## cwhitey2

Anquished said:


> Got the remastered version, has anyone else experienced a glitch with the wolves?
> 
> They run up to me and then just stand there, staring at me...




I havent had that problem...what system are you playing on?


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## Anquished

cwhitey2 said:


> I havent had that problem...what system are you playing on?



PC.


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## cwhitey2

Anquished said:


> PC.



hmm...


The only thing I noticed was the 'shading' thing I mentioned.

All the NPC or animals are 'normal' in the PS4 version.


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## Anquished

cwhitey2 said:


> hmm...
> 
> 
> The only thing I noticed was the 'shading' thing I mentioned.
> 
> All the NPC or animals are 'normal' in the PS4 version.



Weird, oh well - everything else is still just as hostile.


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## cwhitey2

Anquished said:


> Weird, oh well - everything else is still just as hostile.






I actually think the wolves are more hostile


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## BlackMastodon

cwhitey2 said:


> *Steal* a dang horse



FTFY. /manmode


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## cwhitey2

BlackMastodon said:


> FTFY. /manmode





 Yeah...I don't why I said pay for one


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## cwhitey2

I have been working on a new character.

Completely opposite of my first character. 

Heavy armor and 2 handed weapons & smithing


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## Anquished

cwhitey2 said:


> I have been working on a new character.
> 
> Completely opposite of my first character.
> 
> Heavy armor and 2 handed weapons & smithing



Nice - I've gone down the root of Battle Mage. 

One handed weapon + chucking lightning


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## Fat-Elf

One thing I really have to complain about is the bull.... quest you have to do in order to get inside the Winterhold College. You know, the one when some bitch asks you to summon a flame atronach. You can't even do the spell unless you have upgraded your magicka to 110 (or 120, can't remember which one). As an axe swinging warrior I have really no use for magicka so it's really annoying that you have to upgrade to get in to the college.


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## cwhitey2

Anquished said:


> Nice - I've gone down the root of Battle Mage.
> 
> One handed weapon + chucking lightning



My other character is basically like that but with fire and a bow added.



Fat-Elf said:


> One thing I really have to complain about is the bull.... quest you have to do in order to get inside the Winterhold College. You know, the one when some bitch asks you to summon a flame atronach. You can't even do the spell unless you have upgraded your magicka to 110 (or 120, can't remember which one). As an axe swinging warrior I have really no use for magicka so it's really annoying that you have to upgrade to get in to the college.



I believe the only spell you have to cast is the Fear spell to get in.


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## Anquished

Fat-Elf said:


> One thing I really have to complain about is the bull.... quest you have to do in order to get inside the Winterhold College. You know, the one when some bitch asks you to summon a flame atronach. You can't even do the spell unless you have upgraded your magicka to 110 (or 120, can't remember which one). As an axe swinging warrior I have really no use for magicka so it's really annoying that you have to upgrade to get in to the college.



I got lucky and had to cast Firebolt at the floor


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## Fat-Elf

Anquished said:


> I got lucky and had to cast Firebolt at the floor





cwhitey2 said:


> I believe the only spell you have to cast is the Fear spell to get in.



So, apparently the spell changes everytime. Although, iirc I had to summon the flame atronach the first time I played too.


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## Señor Voorhees

If you're an axe wielding warrior, why bother with the College at all? They're all pretty low level spells that they require. You might be able to get away with some sort of fortify magicka potion or atronach stone.


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## Grand Moff Tim

I always just quicksave right before talking to her for the first time. If the spell she asks me to do is something I can't do, I just reload it until she asks me for something I can actually do. 

Once in the College, though, you can actually finish the quests quicker by just running though everything with a warhammer. There really is no reason to actually use magic to become the Archmage unless you personally want to roleplay it that way. I mean, I generally *do* roleplay it that way, but I have also taken a barbarian-type build through the entire questline just for sh!ts and giggles. 

I've started three builds since the remaster came out, because of course I have, haha. I'll spare you all the usual enormous posts and just give brief summaries:

Male Khajiit Warrior, 1H & Block specialist. Heavy armor. I just wanted a build to go mutilate things, so that's what I have. I honestly never used block too heavily in the past, so I'm trying to improve my skills with using it.

Female Bosmer Archer, Archery & Alchemy specialist. Light armor. I'm not actually doing any quests with her, I've just been roaming around, hunting, and picking flowers .

Female Altmer Mage. Pure mage, though mostly Destruction so far. No armor. I might start trying to bump up my conjuration soon, though that skill isn't as enjoyable without some mods I'm still waiting to be ported over.


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## leftyguitarjoe

It starts


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## ferret

I've spent more time browsing, installing, updating mods than playing. At least 3 times as much. Thanks Skyrim.

Modding has focused on expansions and additions to the game. Orc heavy armor, one hand and shield, is the name of the game still. Imperial, of course.


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## Ralyks

Does the PS4 version run well? I keep hearing the current gen console versions don't run as well. Yet Amazon has the steelbook edition for 30 bucks right now...


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## cwhitey2

Ralyks said:


> Does the PS4 version run well? I keep hearing the current gen console versions don't run as well. Yet Amazon has the steelbook edition for 30 bucks right now...



I find it better on ps4 and loads quicker, but I feel like the game errors out/freezes more. 

Still worth it IMO.


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## Ralyks

cwhitey2 said:


> I find it better on ps4 and loads quicker, but I feel like the game errors out/freezes more.
> 
> Still worth it IMO.



Hopefully this sale is still there tomorrow when I paid then. Still have to finish FFXV, but for $30 for the steel book version, couldn't hurt to nab it now to have at that price for when I'm ready to dive in. Never got too far when I had it back on Xbox 360, but not because I didn't like it. Now feels like a good time to give it another go.


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## cwhitey2

Ralyks said:


> Hopefully this sale is still there tomorrow when I paid then. Still have to finish FFXV, but for $30 for the steel book version, couldn't hurt to nab it now to have at that price for when I'm ready to dive in. Never got too far when I had it back on Xbox 360, but not because I didn't like it. Now feels like a good time to give it another go.





I'm enjoying it more this time around


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## Grand Moff Tim

I've taken advantage of having two versions of Skyrim now (original and special edition) and installed Enderal. I can still go play "regular" Skyrim on SE, but now I have what's essentially a completely new game to play on my original install.

For the unfamiliar:



It's a huge DLC with a new country to explore, new leveling mechanics, new loot, and new fully voiced story dialogue. It has nothing to do with Elder Scrolls lore, though. It's its own thing.

It does take over your entire Skyrim install, though, so don't install if if you still use OG Skyrim for anything. It does copy and back up your original install and saves for reverting when you're done with Enderal, but as long as Enderal is installed, you can't play "normal" Skyrim. That's what Special Edition is for now, though. 

So far I'd highly recommend it, but I only have a couple hours under my belt. It might get even better as I go along, but it might get worse. It's free, though, so who cares?


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## Ralyks

Welp, ended up getting it on PS4... Any suggestions on some things to do first after escaping the intro bit?


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## Grand Moff Tim

Just go out and explore, man. There's a lot to see and do, and you probably won't even come close to seeing/doing all of it with your first character build. I think the most important thing for early playthroughs in Skyrim is to just find out what works for you and what doesn't, so in subsequent playthroughs you'll be more confident and capable.


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## thedonal

I'm getting immersed in Special Edition now. So glad I built the PC. Got quite a few mods on the go- just started running Frostfall so that'll be a nice mechanic to add.

I'm going to spend more time exploring and just enjoying the world now- it's such an improvement on the original edition (had that on X-Box 360)- utterly breathaking at times- the quality of light just gives it such depth and beauty. I can get lost in Skyrim...


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## Grand Moff Tim

This past winter I did an English winter camp at one of my schools, and I used Skyrim as the centerpiece. I taught the students a bunch of relevant vocabulary, then hooked my gaming laptop up to the class big screen TV, fired up the game, and let my students dictate my every move. As long as they were able to say it in English, I would do it. I let them make every single choice, from big things like quest and faction decisions, down to every little detail in the character creation. 

I thought they'd be most excited about running around and hitting things with an axe or setting things on fire, but it turns out the skill they were the most stoked about was _conjuration_, of all things. Once they found out they could zombify enemies and summon monsters, they were all about that sh!t. When I bought a Raise Dead tome, they demanded I kill and raise the very next thing we came across, which happened to be a rabbit   . It had never even occurred to me in the past to try to zombify a rabbit, but it worked, and the students were cracking up at our little zombie rabbit follower (until it turned into dust).

It was a reasonably successful camp. It got the students using English, and it helped them learn all kinds of useless vocabulary they'll never have to use again .


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## lewis

Im still playing the hell out of this game. I have bought it 3 times (and gave one away for a friends bday present when I upgraded to the legendary edition at the time to get all the DLC haha)

the SE on the Xbox One is simply amazing. The ability to mod for me has opened up the already amazing game. I have an awesome battle mage/ beautiful witch build going on.
Conjuration, enchanting and destruction magic with one handed skills being boosted.

Everytime I try and build the HUGE male orc that goes shirtless and destroys everyone and everything. I get bored seriously quickly and start yet another new build.
Female beauty/evil battle mages are the only thing that keeps me from it feeling stale.
Also, out of all the builds I have ever done, I have never bothered with Enchanting so thats something Im now pushing on this build big time.
I have a fire damage Ash Spawn axe as my first Enchanted weapon. Its awesome.


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## BlackMastodon

You're my hero, Tim.


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## Mathemagician

From my reading online, it looks like on PS4 I won't be able to download any of the awesome content mods with new quests/areas/etc. they seem to be listed as PC/XBOX only. Damn I feel jipped. I'm sure there's enough content to justify buying it again one day to play through new stuff. Just annoyed that one console got an inferior version.


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## leftyguitarjoe

Mathemagician said:


> From my reading online, it looks like on PS4 I won't be able to download any of the awesome content mods with new quests/areas/etc. they seem to be listed as PC/XBOX only. Damn I feel jipped. I'm sure there's enough content to justify buying it again one day to play through new stuff. Just annoyed that one console got an inferior version.



Join the master race


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## Grand Moff Tim

Mathemagician said:


> From my reading online, it looks like on PS4 I won't be able to download any of the awesome content mods with new quests/areas/etc. they seem to be listed as PC/XBOX only. Damn I feel jipped. I'm sure there's enough content to justify buying it again one day to play through new stuff. Just annoyed that one console got an inferior version.



It isn't so much that Sony got a different version, it's that Sony wouldn't give Bethesda access to the code people would need to implement certain kinds of mods. The PS4 gets the same Skyrim, they just aren't allowed to mod it like the other platforms can.


...Plus everyone knows Bethesda RPGs are best on PC anyway.


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## Grindspine

I'm on my nth play through at this point, after loading right around 70 mods on to the Special Edition on PC.

I have made ALL of my skills legendary, and have most of them back up to 100 (one-handed and two-handed, lock picking, and pick pocketing are still leveling).

I am rather enjoying wearing heavy Daedric armor with insanely high sneak stats, and slitting throats with summoned swords. It's pretty much a heavy stealth conjuring demon assassin build, who is also a vampire.


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