Skyrim II: A Dragon A Day Keeps The Draugr At Bay

[Gaius Marius]

Continue here!!

Let's go with a nifty question to fire this up: what was your most immersive game moment?

Me, it was being lifted in the sky by Meridia, to talk to her one on one. There was something divine/messianic there. She taken me into her hands, and gently put me back..

[Blackdrop]

We've got, like, ten page left in the other thread dude.

[polity4life]

My most immersion-breaking moment was being hit by a giant's club and was sent cartwheeling into the air at escape velocity.

[Gaius Marius]

We've got, like, ten page left in the other thread dude.

Wait, what?

It's not 40 pages?

*headdesk*

[Volthawk]

Wait, what?

It's not 40 pages?

*headdesk*

No, new threads are at 50 pages.

[Gaius Marius]

No, new threads are at 50 pages.

If we work hard, we can add 9 pages to the 1st thread in a few hours :-)

[nhbdy]

the solution is to invalidate the other option? now that's logic I can get behind! :smallsmile:

[Maxios]

If we work hard, we can add 9 pages to the 1st thread in a few hours :-)

I, for one, like this option :smallbiggrin:.

[Archpaladin Zousha]

I know I'm looking for answers to my big question: If you join a guild that requires you to do criminal acts (the Thieves' Guild and Dark Brotherhood) while part of a non-criminal guild like the Imperial Legion or the College of Winterhold, do you get kicked out of non-criminal guilds if during a quest for a criminal guild you are caught in the act? I know that in Oblivion I killed some Daedra worshippers only to learn they were Mage Guild members when I was kicked out of the Mage's Guild for assaulting them. Hence I did criminal guilds early, to get my criminal history out of the way and then get back on the straight and narrow. Once I was at the top of the guild, I didn't need to really worry about committing crimes, since I generally didn't steal or murder unless it was necessary to proceed.

Also, if you join the Legion or the Stormcloaks:

You'll lead an attack on one of Skyrim's cities, which one depending on your affiliation. Will you still be able to do local quests in the attacked city after the faction questline is over, or should you do those first before the place is destroyed?
It's like Fallout New Vegas where I was trying to juggle each faction so I could maximize quests without barring myself from access to anything.

[Avilan the Grey]

Well I have not gotten very far; I am not even done with the first part of the main quest yet.

However I am getting good with the bow; I can hit things so far away that their heads are as big as the dot in the middle of the sneak symbol... I can't wait to get the perk that allows me to zoom.

Anyway, my favorite moments so far are two: The first one is the one where the intro dragon slams through the wall, that seriously freaked me out the first time I saw it, and the second one was simply the wildlife. Not the wolves or bears, but the birds in the sky or the deer and elk.

I am also glad to say that checking the box in the options for FXAA really helped. No more jagged edges..

Oh and character build tips?

My simple plan is to increase stats according to this pattern: Stamina - Health - Stamina - Health - Magicka (since I only use magic as a backup and for underhanded stuff, like Rage).

My perks so far is Overdraw rank 1, Stealth Rank 1. The next two will be in the fields of One-Handed and Lockpicking.

[Lady Tialait]

I just finished getting my destruction to 100 with boosts from the Destruction trainer in the College of Winterhold....that was a job and a half. I'm thinking next will be Restoration. I really like the perks in Restoration that up my mana regen.

Mind you, going through the Thieves guild at this point is a pain in the butt, my sneaking and lockpicking are really trash. I really want to restore the Guild to it's former glory.

Heh, Skyrim is so fun.

[Archpaladin Zousha]

Yes. Yes it is. (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lsqiSknjHK8) :smallbiggrin:

[Kaun]

Man after about lvl 25 every now and then i come up against electromancers that literally one shots me.

Im playing a sword and board type with 300+ health but some of these mages just rip me in half in like 3 seconds.

[Lord Loss]

I want this game so much, but I can't get it until christmas... :smallfrown:

[Lady Tialait]

I never had problems with storm mages, they don't bother me and I'm a freakin' mage. Ice Mages make me want to pull my hair out. The only think I hate more then an Ice Mage is a Falmar Shaman....sooooo annoying.

[Kaun]

I never had problems with storm mages, they don't bother me and I'm a freakin' mage. Ice Mages make me want to pull my hair out. The only think I hate more then an Ice Mage is a Falmar Shaman....sooooo annoying.

Yeah ice mages can be SoB's but at least it takes them 3 shots to kill me. Stormmages don't bother me it is specifically the Electromancers.

[DabblerWizard]

At the Kilkreath Ruins I'm experiencing a glitch.

I've already completed the break of dawn quest , and right next to the temple there is a dragon wall with a dragon shout on it. My problem is that I walk up to the wall and hear the sounds for getting a shout, but no word lights up, and no matter how close I go to the wall, I can't get the shout... Help?

[Lady Tialait]

Yeah ice mages can be SoB's but at least it takes them 3 shots to kill me. Stormmages don't bother me it is specifically the Electromancers.

Haven't ran into one of those, I'm looking forward to it scene I just reached level 34 and challenges are getting more rare. I do love fighting Ice Dragons, they are challenging if I don't use Dragonrend.

[agentnone]

Continue here!!

Let's go with a nifty question to fire this up: what was your most immersive game moment?

Me, it was being lifted in the sky by Meridia, to talk to her one on one. There was something divine/messianic there. She taken me into her hands, and gently put me back..

I had just fast-travelled to Whiterun and a dragon showed up in the city. Myself and Lydia and the rest of the guard, as well as a couple townsfolk kicked it's tail. It died right inside the front gate. And from what I've noticed, dragon skeletons don't go away. So every time I walk into town, the dead dragon is right there, 10 feet from the gates. It's fricken' awesome. Too bad the guards don't say anything about killing it though...

[Parra]

but the birds in the sky or the deer and elk.

dont forget to shoot the birdies out of the sky, they have alchemy reagents :smallbiggrin:

[agentnone]

dont forget to shoot the birdies out of the sky, they have alchemy reagents :smallbiggrin:

Did not know that. Man, that's awesome. But I suck with a bow. Maybe I can cook them with fire spells or something....

[Dhavaer]

By Talos, the Nightmare Child!

http://i37.photobucket.com/albums/e100/Dhavaer/ScreenShot4.jpg

Kid, I think you have more to worry about than sweetrolls.

[Parra]

Did not know that. Man, that's awesome. But I suck with a bow. Maybe I can cook them with fire spells or something....

I found out when I was doing something similar to Avilan, I was just taking a moment to watch the mundane wildlife. I saw a Hawk of some kind that had been circling land in a nearby tree. Out pops the bow and down falls a Hawk.

Im loving the attention to detail in this game. It does still fall into some of the old traps, most noticable in the pathing AI for Large Creatures gets messed up by fairly small things (makes kiting easier tho) but small details like this more than make up for it imo

edit:


I do have a question though about enchanting. In Oblivion I was unable to enchance arrows. Can you enchant them in Skyrim?

I havent seen them as an option on the enchanting list. So I guess its only the bow you enchant and it gives that effect to the arrows

[agentnone]

I havent seen them as an option on the enchanting list. So I guess its only the bow you enchant and it gives that effect to the arrows

Dang. That sucks. I always wanted to enchant my own arrows in Oblivion since buying magical ones was expensive as all hell. Figured in this one I could make an ice bow with fire arrows or something. Not only slow down casters and charging warriors, but burn them from a distance as well. Oh well, I think there's a perk that lets you double up on enchantments. Guess I could always do that.

[Parra]

Yes youcan buff up your enchanting enough you can make a Fire & Ice bow.
I think its the top Enchanting perk (or a very high up one) that allows you to put 2 enchants on each item

[agentnone]

Yes youcan buff up your enchanting enough you can make a Fire & Ice bow.
I think its the top Enchanting perk (or a very high up one) that allows you to put 2 enchants on each item

Sweetness. Guess I'm gonna have to start focusing on enchanting for a few levels to get there. Got a lot of work to do now. While on the subject, lightning. Does it drain magicka or stamina? I can't remember and don't encounter it very often.

[Avilan the Grey]

Sweetness. Guess I'm gonna have to start focusing on enchanting for a few levels to get there. Got a lot of work to do now. While on the subject, lightning. Does it drain magicka or stamina? I can't remember and don't encounter it very often.

Magica. Which is why the only times I use Sparks now (at low levels) instead of fire is on enemies throwing magic at me. Otherwise since I use a weapon fire is better, since it increases the damage dealt by the weapon as long as the object is on fire.

[Parra]

Im using the lighting spells route at the moment (Im lvl 25) even though its slightly more magika cost intensive for one reason; Travel time of the shot.
I had wanted to use more fire spells, cause everything gets better with more fire, but I started getting annoyed that the Firebolt shots would miss at the last second because the target twitched slightly.

Near instant shot travel time for Lightning is making it my go-to spell at the moment.

[agentnone]

Good to know. I'll have to find that spell then. Enemy fire mages have been giving me hell for awhile now and I could definitely use that to help even things out. I'm playing a sword-n-board heavy armor warrior type so fighting casters is hard sometimes. Working on getting the block perk that lets me charge with the shield up, so that should help some but lightning spells will help until then.

[Parra]

Does the Block skill help to prevent magic damage as well as physical?

[Kaun]

Does the Block skill help to prevent magic damage as well as physical?

only once you by the right talent thingy.

[agentnone]

Does the Block skill help to prevent magic damage as well as physical?

Yes it does. Further up the perk tree. I think you need a block of like 60, maybe 80. While you're shield is up I think it reduces the damage from ice, lightning and fire spells by 50%. And I also think you have to be facing the source. I haven't gotten it yet, but I do know it's in the perk tree. Can't remember the exact numbers behind it though.

Edit: ninja'd

[Avilan the Grey]

I am level 8, and already worry that I am spearing myself too thin. I probably aren't (I only put perks in Archery, Sneak, One-handed and Light Armor at the moment).

IF the expected "level cap" is about 50, that should be more than enough to also put in Smithy and Enchantment, right? And maybe some in lockpick too?

[Parra]

More than enough. Remember that you dont have to pick every single Perk, just the ones you want, or need to get the ones you want.

Plus when you level up you dont need to spend the Perk point straight away, it can be saved until the skill your after is high enough (you do still need to pick magika/health/stam tho)

[Avilan the Grey]

More than enough. Remember that you dont have to pick every single Perk, just the ones you want, or need to get the ones you want.

Plus when you level up you dont need to spend the Perk point straight away, it can be saved until the skill your after is high enough (you do still need to pick magika/health/stam tho)

Good. As a thief I really should put some points in Illusion, I think.

[agentnone]

I am level 8, and already worry that I am spearing myself too thin. I probably aren't (I only put perks in Archery, Sneak, One-handed and Light Armor at the moment).

IF the expected "level cap" is about 50, that should be more than enough to also put in Smithy and Enchantment, right? And maybe some in lockpick too?

Should be fine, yeah. I'm about level 14 and focus my points on 1-hand, block, heavy armor and smithing. The trick is getting the individual skills high enough to use the perk points when you get them. I've leveled up because of breaking lockpick after lockpick and had to put the perk into something else because the skills I was working on weren't high enough to use the point at the time.

Edit: Would also like to say that this was before I realized you could hold onto the points and spend them later.

And yes, picking locks is just like in Fallout 3/New Vegas, and that's awesome. However, I've noticed two changes. The lockpicks are a lot more brittle. And they break a lot easier depending on the lock difficulty. I was messing with a master lock and went through half my picks before I finally popped it open.

[Avilan the Grey]

And yes, picking locks is just like in Fallout 3/New Vegas, and that's awesome. However, I've noticed two changes. The lockpicks are a lot more brittle. And they break a lot easier depending on the lock difficulty. I was messing with a master lock and went through half my picks before I finally popped it open.

I have noticed that you have far less "give" than in FO3; you must just TAP the key to start to turn the lock, because it will break the picks almost immediately after they start to vibrate. In FO3 you could hold down the key half a second longer before they snapped.

[pffh]

Anyone know how resistance stacking works? For example lets say I get 3 items with 35% fire resistance am I then immune to fire damage or does only the item with the highest bonus count?

[Parra]

Yea I've noticed the glass lockpick effect too. From what I gather on the console versions how hard you push the stick is a big factor in how quickly they break. I think something got lost in translation to the PC version (that I play on) so that I often get lock picks that break as soon as I tip them

[agentnone]

I have noticed that you have far less "give" than in FO3; you must just TAP the key to start to turn the lock, because it will break the picks almost immediately after they start to vibrate. In FO3 you could hold down the key half a second longer before they snapped.

I don't know if it's meant to be, or if it's cuz my skill is really low, but I've also noticed that breaking a pick raises the skill almost as much and popping the lock open does. Not sure how higher skill ranks affects the mini-game portion though. Other than meeting perk requirements, which I haven't ever looked at. Anyone out there focused on lockpicking know anything about this? I'm kind of curious.

[pffh]

Two things affect how long the pick lasts: The difficulty of the lock and the level of your skill. At ca 75+ picks stop breaking instantly in master locks and higher skill levels also increase the success area.

[agentnone]

Anyone know how resistance stacking works? For example lets say I get 3 items with 35% fire resistance am I then immune to fire damage or does only the item with the highest bonus count?

It might only stack up to a certain amount. Or if you do go over 100%, then I guess it's possible to be totally immune to the effect. I don't see why that can't be possible. Nords are 50% resistant to cold. Add another 50% from an item and they don't take damage. Doesn't mean they can't still be slowed though I guess.


Yea I've noticed the glass lockpick effect too. From what I gather on the console versions how hard you push the stick is a big factor in how quickly they break. I think something got lost in translation to the PC version (that I play on) so that I often get lock picks that break as soon as I tip them

This happens to me too though. I think it depends on the difficulty of the lock and how high your skills is. I had like a 15 in it and it took me like 30 picks to open a master lock.

[Thanatos 51-50]

Nah.
Cave Bear- Shield bash, stab, repeat until dead
Sabre Cat- Shield bash, stab, repeat until dead
Bandit with good gear- Shield bash, stab, repeat until dead, loot weapon to disenchant later

You (And everybody else) say "Shield Bash", but you guys really mean "Dual Wield Power Attack", right?

Right? Guys? I mean, who uses a shield, anyway? The Ra'gada have no shields. We don't need no stinikin' shields!

[Parra]

I know there are perks to allow you to get a copy of the key for any door you unlock (if it has one) and another that no one notices you picking locks.

A couple up the amount of gold/items you find in chests you open.

Then there are the ones that widen the sweet spot that you need to open the lock.

At the very top there is one that the lockpicks never break but I think you need 100 skill for that

I think there are one or 2 more but I dont recall

edit:
My locking picking skill is in the mid-40's with a few perks invested and I've had lockpicks insta-break in both novice and apprentice (and expert/master ofc but I expect it there)

[agentnone]

You (And everybody else) say "Shield Bash", but you guys really mean "Dual Wield Power Attack", right?

Right? Guys? I mean, who uses a shield, anyway? The Ra'gada have no shields. We don't need no stinikin' shields!

Block has a perk that has a chance to disarm the opponent. Plus, using shield bash stuns the enemy for a second or two, giving you enough time to power attack with your weapon. And with the perks, you can use power attack with your shield. And I also want to say there's a perk that increases the damage the shield bash does. Plus the reduction in damage from spells can't be ignored. And charging with shield up knocks people down. It's pretty funny actually.

[agentnone]

I know there are perks to allow you to get a copy of the key for any door you unlock (if it has one) and another that no one notices you picking locks.

What's the point of this though? Once you pop a door open and get in you shouldn't have a reason to get in again afterwards, should you? Sounds like a waste of a perk to me. Am I wrong in that assumption?

[Parra]

What's the point of this though? Once you pop a door open and get in you shouldn't have a reason to get in again afterwards, should you? Sounds like a waste of a perk to me. Am I wrong in that assumption?

I kinda agree, at the stage you get this perk I think you can pick locks without guards noticing anyway. The only thing I can think of is ease of access for pickpocketing people in there sleep for a second time, after their stuff has respawned presumeably.
But then I would want to re-pick the lock anyway for the skill-up. So yea, I agree its kinda a wasted perk

[Person_Man]

I posted this on the first thread, but given the cruddy interface (on the PC, at least) and the complexity of the game, I think it's worth reposting on the new one:

List of things I wish I knew before spending 30 hours playing Skyrim and then restarting...

1) Never attack a Giant or their mammoths (http://penny-arcade.com/comic/2011/11/09) unless you have some place to run away to where they can't reach you. They will kill you.

2) After the tutorial, follow whoever you escaped with to Riverwood. Talk to everyone in town, and do all of the quests that they give you, especially the menial ones. I know that there's a massive world out there to explore. Don't worry. You'll get to it. Just go follow the main quest for the first 5 hours or so. It will teach you and your character many things and make your life as a player much easier in the long run.

3) You can change which quests show up on your compass and map from the Quest menu (hit Esc by default on the PC). Select just 1 quest at a time. (The interface is cruddy, so this takes a little trial and error to figure out). Buy the Clairvoyance spell from Lucan Valerius at the Riverwood Trader in Riverwood, and use it. This will dramatically cut down on the amount of time going in the wrong direction and backtracking.

4) If you are a ranged build (Archery or Destruction focused), hate being surprised by enemies from behind, or just want to have someone to carry extra treasure back with you from dungeons, then be sure to get a Follower. Many different NPCs will do this for free (if you complete certain quests) or for a small fee, and you can get one as soon Riverwood.

5) If a combat is too hard, run away and come back later. Your enemy will be at the same level of difficulty, but you will be stronger.

6) It's possible to play the game without any crafting (Smithing, Enchanting, Alchemy, and their red headed step son Cooking). But doing so is an easy way to dramatically increase all of your abilities.

7) Always carry a Pickaxe. It can be used to mine ore nodes, which will yield ore and occasionally gems. Ore can be turned into ingots at Smelters, which are behind most weapon shops. (The first one you will encounter will probably be in Whitehall. There isn't one in Riverwood). Gems can be combined with precious metal ingots and forged into jewelry, dramatically increasing their sale prices.

8) In Riverwood (and many other locations) there is a Woodchopping Block. If you pick up the nearby Woodcutter's Axe, you can chop wood there. This wood can be sold to Hod in Riverwood for 5 gold a piece, and combined with 1 leather strap to enhance a bow (increasing it's sale price, making bows some of the most efficient loot to carry back to town)

9) Food can be combined and cooked over certain pots near campfires or fire places. The resulting meals are can generally be sold for a price that's higher then their constituent elements, or eaten to restore or increase the restoration rate of health and stamina. But it doesn't increase any Skill, and does not produce as much money or as powerful results as Alchemy. So don't bother collecting food.

10) If you're nice to certain dogs and talk to them, they will follow you and fight by your side, in addition to your humanoid Follower. The best dog in the game is Barbas, who can be found on the road outside of the city of Falkreath (in the south near the border). He has a quest associated with him. So if you recruit him, follow him to his cave, go inside and clear it out entirely, talk to the statue, but do not retrieve the ax to complete his quest, he is immortal.

11) Early in the game you can use pretty much any weapon, spell, or item that you want. But by mid game if you try to use something that is outside of your selected Perks, it could be uncastable, or deal negligible damage, or add negligible defense. If you try to be a master of all Skills, you will suck at everything. So pick 4-6 Skills that reflect a play style that you enjoy, and specialize in them.

12) Similarly, if you make poor Skill and Perk choices early in the game, it will make the late game much more difficult. You cannot convince boss enemies not to kill you with Speech, or prevent their attacks by Pickpocketing them, or Lockpick your way out of the problem. In addition, many high level boss enemies are immune to Fire, Cold, Electricity, Illusions, Fear, Paralyze, and/or Poisons, and occasionally will not be distracted by Conjured creatures or Follower. Thus playing a pure Thief will make combat extremely difficult, and playing a pure Mage is powerful early in the game, but much more difficult later in the game. So it's generally advisable to invest in One Handed or Two Handed or Archery, plus Heavy Armor or Light Armor and/or Alteration.

13) On the PC, you can hot key Favorites. Open the Favorite menu and push a number while highlighting something and it is now keyed to that number. Also, if your Mouse has multiple buttons, then there is probably an driver on the internet somewhere that lets you re-program those buttons. This will make spell casting much more tolerable.

14) Assaulting chickens in a capital crime. This includes, but is not limited to, weapon strikes, dragon shouts, fireballs, electricity, ice blasts, and shield bashes.

15) Save often, especially in long trips, after tough battles, before picking a difficult lock, before opening a door in a dungeon, before navigating a death trap. The default key for Quicksave on the PC is F5. Use it.

16) There are a wide variety of traps spread throughout the game, especially dungeons, including pressure plates, swinging and spinning axes, trapped chests, etc. If you're traveling with a Follower, you'll often want to tell them to Stay Here while you navigate the trap and find how to turn it off (usually a chain or button immediately after the trap, although pressure plates do not have an off button). If you follow the main quest for about 8 hours you will also get a Dragon Shout that lets you ignore damage, which is handy for this and for jumping down cliffs.

17) If you come across a door locked by a puzzle in a dungeon, the solution is usually in the room itself (look around the room and search for a pattern of symbols on the walls, a journal, or something else you can interact with), or on the MacGuffin for that dungeon (ie, look at the item in your inventory, and click on it so that you can rotate the item).

18) Stealing is an easy way to get stuff that you want, and there are generally few plot repercussions unless you are caught. Just Save the game, Sneak or cast Invisibility, and pick it up. If you get caught, reload. All Stolen items get tagged with a red hand in your inventory. Items with the stolen tag can only be sold to Fences, and the only decent fences in the game involve joining the Thieves Guild (speak with Brynjolf in the Riften marketplace) or Dark Brotherhood. In addition, if an item can be Enchanted, mixed with Alchemy, or made into something else with Smithing, doing so will remove the stolen tag, allowing you to sell it.

19) "Read" every book you come across. You can do so just by picking it up - you do not need to page through it and physically read it. Books can improve Skills and grant new quests. You can read a book that someone else owns without stealing it by picking it up (default E key on PC) and then putting it down (default Tab on PC).

20) You can fast travel by going to the map (default M on PC) and clicking on any location that you've visited before. You can also go to Whitehall or any other major city and pay the caravan out front to bring you to any major city. But in general, you should not fast travel unless you've fully explored a region, because that's how you find Dragons and many other fun things.

21) Your inventory is going to fill up fast, even if you frequently make trips back to town to sell things. You can store things in pretty much any random container, such as the barrels, chests, etc. But be wary that NPCs will occassionally pick them up, and container tend to re-spawn (replacing your stuff with random stuff appropriate for the container) once a month (in game). If you want a permanent place to store things, you need to buy a house and use the chest inside of it, which is never stolen from and never respawns. To do so, go to any major city and do any quests for the Jarl.

22) Shopkeepers have limited gold and items that you may want to buy repeatedly (like ingots, alchemical items, or petty soul gems, to grind crafting Skills). If they run out, leave their shop and Wait (default T on PC) for 48 hours. All of their inventory will often be replaced.


If you have any additions, please continue this list.

[Volthawk]

If the perk gives the key for a door that has the same key as other things (like the castle keys in Oblivion, one key opens a few doors, not just one), I could see the use.

[Parra]

If the perk gives the key for a door that has the same key as other things (like the castle keys in Oblivion, one key opens a few doors, not just one), I could see the use.

I suppose. I did manage to aquire keys in dungeons occasionally that would open multiple doors within that dungeon only. That perk would mean I get that key sooner.

Makes it more usefully, but still mostly useless

[Debe2233]

I love the absurdities of Elder Scroll games.

I love that I can shoot someone in the face with an arrow, they will come looking for me but then after a while just give up and mutter that it was “probably just my imagination” and wander back to do whatever they were doing before but with the arrow still firmly embedded in their frontal lobe.

Something else that cracked me up was two Nords accusing the Dunmer in the Stormcloak capital of being an imperial spy… while I was stood there in Imperial armour. Oh and also agreeing to help with a murder investigation in the same city, two minutes after murdering someone else just across the road for a quest, i think i was still holding a blood soaked dagger at the time as well.

Finally I find it ironic that the spectral assassin you can summon as a reward from the Dark Brotherhood quest line;
A) Glows like a beacon in the dark.
B) Shouts about assassinations and evil deeds every 10 seconds.
The least useful person you’d ever want on a stealthy quest.

[Parra]

Finally I find it ironic that the spectral assassin you can summon as a reward from the Dark Brotherhood quest line;
A) Glows like a beacon in the dark.
B) Shouts about assassinations and evil deeds every 10 seconds.
The least useful person you’d ever want on a stealthy quest.

Must be a Nord Spirit. They are never quiet

[Gaius Marius]

Must be a Nord Spirit. They are never quiet

I don't think you should see this support as "Stealth Assassination Buddy", but more of a "Distracting Decoy that I leave behind when I wanna save my hide"

It's a speedbump for you squishy leatherwearer

[Techsmart]

Continue here!!

Let's go with a nifty question to fire this up: what was your most immersive game moment?

Me, it was being lifted in the sky by Meridia, to talk to her one on one. There was something divine/messianic there. She taken me into her hands, and gently put me back..

Heh, for me, that was the least immersive. Why? In the middle of talking with her, a dragon decides to do his whole random encounter thing. It flies up into the area where I was talking to meridia and begins combat with her. BTW, Meridia SUCKS in combat, and is immortal, so after five minutes of watching a ball of light punch a dragon while it tried to eat the light (I couldn't do anything since the script locked my weapons), I decided to load my previous save and go dragon hunting for a few minutes.

Most immersive for me would probably be when I was defending Whiterun in the imperial soldier line of quests.


Anyone know how resistance stacking works? For example lets say I get 3 items with 35% fire resistance am I then immune to fire damage or does only the item with the highest bonus count?

If Skyrim runs on the same rules for that as any other elder scrolls, that results in immunity.

[Gaius Marius]

Heh, for me, that was the least immersive. Why? In the middle of talking with her, a dragon decides to do his whole random encounter thing. It flies up into the area where I was talking to meridia and begins combat with her. BTW, Meridia SUCKS in combat, and is immortal, so after five minutes of watching a ball of light punch a dragon while it tried to eat the light (I couldn't do anything since the script locked my weapons), I decided to load my previous save and go dragon hunting for a few minutes.

Most immersive for me would probably be when I was defending Whiterun in the imperial soldier line of quests.

It's very sad your immersion was broken that way. But just imagine the experience if the game designers had thought of that and, instead, Meridia insta-zapped the dragon with a lightning bolt casually.

That would have been even better experience. Oh well, I am sure you can make a patch for that. Sounds easy enough. I mean, it's not like you can actually fight her, so who cares about her combat prowess?

[Arcran]

Quick question: Would the Nord's 50% Frost Resist stack with Elemental Deflection to give me immunity to frost? Or would I just end up taking 25% damage from frost?

EDIT: Anyone know where I can turn in an Ebony Claw? Like the Golden one, just Ebony.

[ShinyRocks]

I had a weird thing.

I was on my way to see the Greybeards, by myself, and got attacked a Blood Dragon. I could barely damage it, and died. I reloaded. Said Blood Dragon was nowhere to be seen.

Then I found it dying on the ground for some reason, absorbed its soul, and took its bones and scales.

I only have two shouts (the first one and the Kill shout from the White Phial cave, which doesn't actually kill them, sadly). They're both unlocked. I can just save this soul til I've got a shout to unlock with it, right?

[Celesyne]

im a bit confused, Im trying to get the house in Solitude, but I cant seem to find the right shrine to Talos that she wants me to put this warhorn at, I've been to one in Riften, Whiterun, and even one a short junt from Riverwood, but I can't seem to find the right one. Aaaaand cause is a Misc. Quest it wont give me a map marker for it either ./sigh

[Arcran]

I had a weird thing.

I was on my way to see the Greybeards, by myself, and got attacked a Blood Dragon. I could barely damage it, and died. I reloaded. Said Blood Dragon was nowhere to be seen.

Then I found it dying on the ground for some reason, absorbed its soul, and took its bones and scales.

I only have two shouts (the first one and the Kill shout from the White Phial cave, which doesn't actually kill them, sadly). They're both unlocked. I can just save this soul til I've got a shout to unlock with it, right?

Ya, just save it. I have like what, 7 souls?, just because I find dragons way faster than I find words.

Also, Ebony Claw? I feel like it is worth some money.

[Gaius Marius]

im a bit confused, Im trying to get the house in Solitude, but I cant seem to find the right shrine to Talos that she wants me to put this warhorn at, I've been to one in Riften, Whiterun, and even one a short junt from Riverwood, but I can't seem to find the right one. Aaaaand cause is a Misc. Quest it wont give me a map marker for it either ./sigh

You can have quest marker for misc quests. Just select the overall misc as "marked" and then individually mark each misc quest you want showed.

[Alchemistmerlin]

So I'm level 8 now.

A woman in Dragonreach gives me a quest to obtain a mammoth tusk for her.

I'm sure there are ways to obtain a mammoth tusk that do not involve murdering a mammoth, but those ways would be profoundly un-metal, and my Nord warrior woman cannot abide cowardice.

So I spend some time wandering until I find a loan, giantless mammoth, in a rocky field. I engage with fire and arrows (Using my mace would have been FAR more metal...but she's brave, not stupid) and lots of "Use the rocks as cover to disrupt mammoth pathing and confuse it"...

It takes a LOT of arrows and a LOT of fire, but I get it down to just a sliver of health, I fire off the last arrow, the mammoth tumbles to the ground...

BAM Surprise, second mammoth! And he's pissed! Dead.

:smallfurious::smallfrown::smallconfused: :smallbiggrin:

Awesome.

[Arcran]

So I'm level 8 now.

A woman in Dragonreach gives me a quest to obtain a mammoth tusk for her.

I'm sure there are ways to obtain a mammoth tusk that do not involve murdering a mammoth, but those ways would be profoundly un-metal, and my Nord warrior woman cannot abide cowardice.

So I spend some time wandering until I find a loan, giantless mammoth, in a rocky field. I engage with fire and arrows (Using my mace would have been FAR more metal...but she's brave, not stupid) and lots of "Use the rocks as cover to disrupt mammoth pathing and confuse it"...

It takes a LOT of arrows and a LOT of fire, but I get it down to just a sliver of health, I fire off the last arrow, the mammoth tumbles to the ground...

BAM Surprise, second mammoth! And he's pissed! Dead.

:smallfurious::smallfrown::smallconfused: :smallbiggrin:

Awesome.

Who gave that quest? I think I missed that one.

[Volthawk]

Who gave that quest? I think I missed that one.

Name doesn't come to mind, but the woman in Whiterun who wants to be a merchant. Reward is a free point boost in Speech.

[Drascin]

Name doesn't come to mind, but the woman in Whiterun who wants to be a merchant. Reward is a free point boost in Speech.

Ysolda, IIRC.

And yes, when dealing with giants and mammoths, always keep an eye around. Where there's one, there's usually one or two more.

[pffh]

Ysolda, IIRC.

And yes, when dealing with giants and mammoths, always keep an eye around. Where there's one, there's usually one or two more.

Yup Ysolda and that quest is the pre req to marry her which I support since when you do she'll become your own personal general store inside your house.

[ShinyRocks]

Ysolda sounds right.

You can get mammoth tusks in ... what's it called? Still River Camp. Something like that. Bandit camp with a tanning rack and stuff above ground and then a mine-y bit.

Has a pretty tough Bandit Chief in it, and the Transmutation spell book.

[Arcran]

Giants aren't bad. That perk that does slo-motion power attacks lets you destroy them.

Also, I killed a Blood Dragon as a Werewolf yesterday. I felt like a badass.

[ondonaflash]

I cannot, for the life of me, bait a dragon down so I can kill it. On the rare occasions that I find one its like "Hai, I am a dragon, I iz gonna nuke u from here, K?" then *bamsplatdead*, or it just flutters away leaving me with my arrow nocked but with no place to fire it.

I'm level 17 and I only have two shouts. Its making me feel very self-conscious when the other boys in the locker room tell me about their conquests.

[Derjuin]

I cannot, for the life of me, bait a dragon down so I can kill it. On the rare occasions that I find one its like "Hai, I am a dragon, I iz gonna nuke u from here, K?" then *bamsplatdead*, or it just flutters away leaving me with my arrow nocked but with no place to fire it.

I'm level 17 and I only have two shouts. Its making me feel very self-conscious when the other boys in the locker room tell me about their conquests.

I end up just peppering them with arrows while guzzling food/potions, as they never seem to land until they're almost dead when another single arrow kills them anyway. :smallannoyed:

I'm in the same boat as you as far as shouts go - I actually have Fire Breath, Life Whisper (whatever it's called) and Fade, but I can only use the first Shout plus Sprint (I have 5 dragon souls, not sure if I need more?) at level 17.

[Drascin]

How do you check how many dragon souls you have, to activate your shouts? I have a second one but can't use it.

You know, I figure the Greybeards probably would tell me all this stuff. I just got kind of sidetracked and never actually got around to visiting them :smalltongue:

[ondonaflash]

How do you check how many dragon souls you have, to activate your shouts? I have a second one but can't use it.

You know, I figure the Greybeards probably would tell me all this stuff. I just got kind of sidetracked and never actually got around to visiting them :smalltongue:

You can check your dragon souls right in your 'Magic' menu, under the 'Shouts' heading.

[Lady Tialait]

About the Greybeards:

After I finished the main quest, they are simply GONE. They are not in High Hathar, not at the peak, nowhere. Has this happened to anyone else?

[Gaius Marius]

How do you check how many dragon souls you have, to activate your shouts? I have a second one but can't use it.

You know, I figure the Greybeards probably would tell me all this stuff. I just got kind of sidetracked and never actually got around to visiting them :smalltongue:

In the Shout menu, on the lower right you will see the number of souls available.

If someone knows where are the "mark to kill" words or the "Fire breath" shouts, I'd be happy to learn.

[PerXX]

I'm in the same boat as you as far as shouts go - I actually have Fire Breath, Life Whisper (whatever it's called) and Fade, but I can only use the first Shout plus Sprint (I have 5 dragon souls, not sure if I need more?) at level 17.

You need to actually "buy" the Thu'ums in order to be able to use them.
Highlight them in the menu, and click the appropriate button (R I believe) in order to spend a Dragon Soul to "buy" the Thu'um.

[Alchemistmerlin]

Ysolda, IIRC.

And yes, when dealing with giants and mammoths, always keep an eye around. Where there's one, there's usually one or two more.

I swear my coin purse and home on it that there was only 1 mammoth for the majority of that fight.

The second one spawned in.

[Gaius Marius]

I swear my coin purse and home on it that there was only 1 mammoth for the majority of that fight.

The second one spawned in.

Don't be silly, that's impossible.

The mammoth was sneaking, that's all.

[Techsmart]

Don't be silly, that's impossible.

The mammoth was sneaking, that's all.

mammoth w/ 20 levels of rogue?

the mark to kill shout (first one) can be found in dark brotherhood sanctuary
the Fire one is obtained on the main quest after you perform about 2-3 missions (trying not to spoil anything good... like
The head of the greybeards is a dragon

[Dvil]

mammoth w/ 20 levels of rogue?

the mark to kill shout (first one) can be found in dark brotherhood sanctuary
the Fire one is obtained on the main quest after you perform about 2-3 missions (trying not to spoil anything good... like
The head of the greybeards is a dragon

I believe you can also get the fire breath shout in a cave you visit as part of a Companions quest. I could be misremembering, but I know I had it before I got that far in the main quest.

[Archonic Energy]

So I'm level 8 now.

A woman in Dragonreach gives me a quest to obtain a mammoth tusk for her.

I'm sure there are ways to obtain a mammoth tusk that do not involve murdering a mammoth, but those ways would be profoundly un-metal, and my Nord warrior woman cannot abide cowardice.

So I spend some time wandering until I find a loan, giantless mammoth, in a rocky field. I engage with fire and arrows (Using my mace would have been FAR more metal...but she's brave, not stupid) and lots of "Use the rocks as cover to disrupt mammoth pathing and confuse it"...

It takes a LOT of arrows and a LOT of fire, but I get it down to just a sliver of health, I fire off the last arrow, the mammoth tumbles to the ground...

BAM Surprise, second mammoth! And he's pissed! Dead.

:smallfurious::smallfrown::smallconfused: :smallbiggrin:

Awesome.

there's a cave full of bandits NNE from whitehall which contains lots of mammoth parts... and iron Ore, for the smiths... just sayin' there are easier things to beat to a pulp! :smallsmile:

on another note was going in to beat up the spirit mammoth when i was attacked by a Dragon... i hid & the dragon took out the spirit mammoth, then i took out the Dragon. quest done, extra soul in my reserve...

[late for dinner]

Do you think its worth it to go any higher than the first perk (shield wall) on the block tree if you are 2 handed weapon specialist? Most of the rest of the perks are shield specific it looks like? I don’t think the Handle of my Battle Hammer of Smashing is gonna block fire from a dragon if I hold it out in front of me in block stance?...or arrows from the stupid Draugr Deathlord/any other person shooting arrows at me. Its gonna take a while to get block up anyways cause I only use it when I need to…I can soak up a hit pretty well with my heavy armor.

[Volatar]

Bandit leaders are listed as some of the hardest enemies to fight, period, on the official forums.

Also, my solution? Rage. As I said before one of my favorite moments from yesterdays gameplay was when my little orc girl sneaked within range of the bandit leader and raged him, and watched him kill all other bandits in the cave. To solo him with a combination of constant flame blasting, one-handed weapon and a companion shooting arrows at him was quite simple after he had killed the damn frost mage for me. Those two tag-teaming made killing him impossible until I came up with that tactic.

Am I correct in assuming that that particular dungeon was the one for the family sword retrieval quest immediately NW of Whiterun?

I managed to pull the followers without catching the leaders ire and smash their skulls in. Even still, the leader was the hardest fight I have had in the game so far. I guzzled half my healing potions (and as an alchemy guy, I have a lot of healing potions) before I took him down.


I am level 8, and already worry that I am spearing myself too thin. I probably aren't (I only put perks in Archery, Sneak, One-handed and Light Armor at the moment).

IF the expected "level cap" is about 50, that should be more than enough to also put in Smithy and Enchantment, right? And maybe some in lockpick too?

Let me make this very clear for the while thread:

Skyrim has no hard level cap. You continue to get perks past level 50.

Now, there is a point where you will have maxed all your skills, but by then you will have all the perks you could ever want. (though you can never get all of them)

[Arcran]

Heh, I remember that. Only reason he didn't kill me was becauae he triggered the mammoth skull trap.

[Zen Monkey]

Since my character is essentially Conan the Cimmerian, I find it very appropriate that I stumbled into a quest where I got so drunk that I blacked out and woke up in another city. Now I have to retrace the steps, figure out all the bad things I did, and find the guy that cheated me out of my drinking contest prize. Awesome.

[Worguron]

Since my character is essentially Conan the Cimmerian, I find it very appropriate that I stumbled into a quest where I got so drunk that I blacked out and woke up in another city. Now I have to retrace the steps, figure out all the bad things I did, and find the guy that cheated me out of my drinking contest prize. Awesome.

I've come out of lurking to comment on this - BEST QUEST EVER. It is like The Hangover, only with magic, giants, goats, etc. This was actually one of the first quests in the game that made me put everything on hold to complete it. Most of the time I just tackle whatever quest is nearest to my current location and then move on from there. This one, I just HAD to find out what happened, and I wasn't disappointed.

On a different note, I'm currently a level 28 Orc duel-swording monster. Most things die in a quick tap of my mouse buttons (note that most does not include Giants, Dragons, Ice Trolls, or Bandit Leaders), and if it doesn't I always have power attacks and rage to fall back on. I actually have the "Easy Button" from the Companions that was discussed in the last thread, but I find myself actually taking more damage and dealing less damage when I use it, so I normally stick with my usual two swords and rip through things.

[pffh]

Since my character is essentially Conan the Cimmerian, I find it very appropriate that I stumbled into a quest where I got so drunk that I blacked out and woke up in another city. Now I have to retrace the steps, figure out all the bad things I did, and find the guy that cheated me out of my drinking contest prize. Awesome.

I've been looking for that quest where is it?

[Worguron]

I've been looking for that quest where is it?

I ran into Sam (the guy who challenged me to the drinking game) in the tavern in Whiterun.

[Thanatos 51-50]

While on the Molag Bal quest, I was walking down te road to see a mysterious blue glow racing towards me.
Being the stealthy-ambush type I am, I hide in a nearby outcropping of rocks as it rounds the bend at way-too-fast speed.

And I watch the ghost of a headless horseman race right past me.

Awesome.

[Alchemistmerlin]

there's a cave full of bandits NNE from whitehall which contains lots of mammoth parts... and iron Ore, for the smiths... just sayin' there are easier things to beat to a pulp! :smallsmile:


Killing bandits and taking their mammoth bits is MORE metal than purchasing the mammoth bits at a shop, but only just.


No, killing the mammoth and harvesting it's tusks as my rightful reward is the One True Way. :smalltongue:

[Janus]

Hooray, screenshots!
http://www.deviantart.com/download/269506802/skyrim__horse_glitch_by_janus3003-d4gggs2.jpg
:smallconfused:....
Oh! Oh, divines!!! :smalleek:

http://www.deviantart.com/download/269506805/skyrim__ivanovitch_by_janus3003-d4gggs5.jpg
Ivanovitch, who was kicked out of Morrowind for being too much of a jerk. He enjoys blasting cows with lightning.
Sadly, I saved over his file on accident. :smallfrown:

http://www.deviantart.com/download/269506809/skyrim__marriage_by_janus3003-d4gggs9.jpg
Had to use a console command to override the current glitch, but Lydia is now my Imperial's wife. :smallbiggrin:
...but she still complains about being sworn to carry his burdens. That's just an inside joke between the two, right? Right?

http://www.deviantart.com/download/269506807/skyrim__lydia_s_new_duds_by_janus3003-d4gggs7.jpg
My housecarl is smexier than your housecarl.



I ran into Sam (the guy who challenged me to the drinking game) in the tavern in Whiterun.
I'm pretty sure I ran into him (or someone similar) in Solitude. I've never been challenged in Whiterun.
But I haven't done the quest yet, though.

[pffh]

I ran into Sam (the guy who challenged me to the drinking game) in the tavern in Whiterun.

Found him and a note to everyone that hasn't done this quest store away your charged weapon before you start drinking I woke up with around 1500 charges gone from my soul gathering bow... Time to find out what happened :smallbiggrin:


Huh apparently Ysolda, my wife, doesn't mind giving me a ring to propose to someone else while drunk

[Parra]

I'm level 17 and I only have two shouts. Its making me feel very self-conscious when the other boys in the locker room tell me about their conquests.

If it makes you feel better Im level 25, I have only 1 shout and have only killed 1 dragon.

All the others Ive seen circle for a bit and then fly off

[Arcran]

If it makes you feel better Im level 25, I have only 1 shout and have only killed 1 dragon.

All the others Ive seen circle for a bit and then fly off

Do Greybeard stuff, they give you some free shouts.

[Alchemistmerlin]

I've got 3 at level 8

Fus Ro (missing the last word) - Unrelenting Force

Feim (missing 2 words and I don't have a soul to power it.) - Ethereal

Wuld (missing 2 words) - Whirlwind/dash

Granted 3 of those you get from the main quest, and one of them you find by looking left while heading to an objective for the main quest...yeah. I'm sticking to side quests for a bit.

[Somebloke]

mammoth w/ 20 levels of rogue?

the mark to kill shout (first one) can be found in dark brotherhood sanctuary
the Fire one is obtained on the main quest after you perform about 2-3 missions (trying not to spoil anything good... like
The head of the greybeards is a dragon

OH GOD WHY DID I READ THAT.

I set off this morning (about eight hours ago real-time) on a simple mission: reach the Imperial base in the north west corner of Skyrim in order to beg for the release of a prisoner there.

Along the way I destroyed a band of vampires, cleared a mine of raiders, forged a new set of arms and armour for my wife, arrived in a new city, slayed two dragons, investigated a murder, was falsely imprisoned, escaped from prison, ended a bloody rebellion by killing the leaders of both camps, delivered a ring, bested a troublesome giant spider, traced the footsteps of a doomed expedition, saw my first orc-settlement, bested their chieftain in a fistfight, killed a drug-dealer, and delved into a terrible barrow where I learned a new word of power before struggling for my life atop a windy mountain peak with an eldritch horror from beyond the grave.

I finally arrived at the camp only to find that I needed to secure his release elsewhere.

So I set off...

[Arcran]

Do the quest the Greybeards gave you and you'll get Dah!

[Avilan the Grey]

Heh, I remember that. Only reason he didn't kill me was becauae he triggered the mammoth skull trap.

This is the guy I used fury on who then killed all the other bandits in his camp.

[Volthawk]

I'm level 13 and I have:


Unrelenting Force - All three
Ice Form - Two words
Frost Breath - One word
Disarm - One word
Animal Allegiance - One word
Aura Whisper - One word
Storm Call - One word
Whirlwind Sprint - One word


Although I don't use most of them much, really. I'd say the shout I've always used the most has been Unrelenting Force, since it's pretty useful for a mage like me.

Also: it turns out it isn't the best idea to test out Storm Call around a town.

[Gaius Marius]

Bt, if someone found Elemental Fury (air), do you know the restrictions? It tells me my weapons are already enchanted :-(

[Androgeus]

Got the best enchant on a weapon ever the other night - "Especially deadly to elves"

[Arcran]

Got the best enchant on a weapon ever the other night - "Especially deadly to elves"

Awww, I'm jealous.

[ShinyRocks]

This is the guy I used fury on who then killed all the other bandits in his camp.

He's the one I used an invisibility potion I happened to find to sneak attack for 6x damage and then stab once more to finish off.

Dragon shmagon, that guy's the tough one.

[Person_Man]

Has anyone tried using the Ward spells from the Restoration Skill?

It seems like the Ward spells are more powerful (Greater Ward increases your armor rating by 80 points and negates up to 80 points of spell damage or effects), but require mana to use. Whereas a physical shield provides less protection (A Daedric Shield increases your armor rating by 22.5 points prior to improvement with Perks, Enchantment, and Smithing), but can be used to bash and can seems to block 100% of non-Power Attack physical attacks if you time it correctly.

Assuming that you're not using the infinite Alchemy/Smithing/Enchantment exploit, which is better? The Perks for the Restoration and Block Skills seem equally cool and useful. But I've only used the Block Skills. Any first hand experience out there?

[Deth Muncher]

Has anyone tried using the Ward spells from the Restoration Skill?

It seems like the Ward spells are more powerful (Greater Ward increases your armor rating by 80 points and negates up to 80 points of spell damage or effects), but require mana to use. Whereas a physical shield provides less protection (A Daedric Shield increases your armor rating by 22.5 points prior to improvement with Perks, Enchantment, and Smithing), but can be used to bash and can seems to block 100% of non-Power Attack physical attacks if you time it correctly.

Assuming that you're not using the infinite Alchemy/Smithing/Enchantment exploit, which is better? The Perks for the Restoration and Block Skills seem equally cool and useful. But I've only used the Block Skills. Any first hand experience out there?

The Mage College teaches you Lesser Ward for free - and I've found it's kinda neat to run with that and Firebolt. If you take the Restoration #1 perk, the mana cost to keep it up is negligible, but it DOES mean you don't have as much blastiness. Using a real weapon might be cool, actually, so that you're draining from two pools, not one. I think some of the bigger wards might be worth it since you'll eventually get the regeneration perks in Restoration.

[Corvus]

Having a lot of fun with my Dumner conjured blade sneaky witch-thief. Nothing like stealthing up on some unsuspecting person and taking them out with twin ghost swords.

You have a perk from conjuration to increase damage to go with the perks from 1H (armsman, savage strikes, dual savagery) and also the 6.0x stealth backstab perk.

Had a fun run in with some bandits outside Bleak Halls Barrow - killed the first 2 while the second shot arrows at me. Ducked in behind a column and she did the same. Dropped down into stealth. She started searching for me so I circled around and snuck up behind her. Did a dual conjured blade power attack and got the throat slitting kill animation.

Made my way to Riften - what a depressing place that is. I'd wipe out the Black-Briars and the Thieves Guild but I think most of them are protected by the game by being 'important NPCs'.

I had been planning on backing the Empire, except now a spanner has been thrown in the works - the new Jarl in that case is the head of the Black-Briars.

A few tips that I have found that may be useful.

Interested in mining/smithing or an easy source of money? Visit the Halted Stream bandit camp north of Whiterun, the one that is a wood walled compound. In addition to 17 veins of iron ore and 1 of corundum, there is a spell book in there for transmutation. Turns iron ore to silver ore and silver ore to gold ore. Good for boosting alteration - and if you turn that gold ore into jewellery, good for smithing.

Looking to boost illusion? Pick up the muffle spell (Farengar in Whiterun has it). Just casting it boosts illusion, even if not in combat.

Need a temporary free horse? Just beneath the walls on the north side of Whiterun is an overhang cave where a couple of bandits are loading a cart. They are skooma smugglers - kill them. There is a locked chest there as well, but opening it attracts 3 more bandits. Of note is that there is a horse there that you can steal without getting a bounty. Good if you need to explore around Whiterun but the moment you dismount it starts plodding back to the place you stole it.

[Person_Man]

The Mage College teaches you Lesser Ward for free - and I've found it's kinda neat to run with that and Firebolt. If you take the Restoration #1 perk, the mana cost to keep it up is negligible, but it DOES mean you don't have as much blastiness. Using a real weapon might be cool, actually, so that you're draining from two pools, not one. I think some of the bigger wards might be worth it since you'll eventually get the regeneration perks in Restoration.

Yeah, it seems like a nifty combo would be:

Right Hand: One Handed weapon with Mana Drain Enchantment. Swap to your favorite Destruction spell for ranged. (I read that Vampirism gives you a Drain Life spell, but I have no idea how effective it is).

Left Hand: Your strongest Ward to prevent damage. Swap to your strongest Healing spell to restore health and stamina (which you get from a Restoration Perk) as needed.

With that combo and a few decent Shouts, you should pretty much never run out of Mana, Stamina, or Health unless you neglect to wear Heavy Armor or use protective Alteration magic.

The big down side is that you can't benefit from the combat rhythm of Block, Bash, counter attack that seems to work so well against single non-Dragon/Giant opponents. But the same could be said for two handed or two weapon style or duel Destruction style as well.

[Dralnu]

seems to block 100% of non-Power Attack physical attacks if you time it correctly.

What do you mean by this?


Quick tidbit to those that care: Orcish Sword is worse than Dwarven Sword. Just a heads up.

[Volthawk]

Yeah, it seems like a nifty combo would be:

Right Hand: One Handed weapon with Mana Drain Enchantment. Swap to your favorite Destruction spell for ranged. (I read that Vampirism gives you a Drain Life spell, but I have no idea how effective it is).

Left Hand: Your strongest Ward to prevent damage. Swap to your strongest Healing spell to restore health and stamina (which you get from a Restoration Perk).

With that combo and a few decent Shouts, you should pretty much never run out of Mana, Stamina, or Health unless you neglect to wear Heavy Armor or use Alteration magic.

The big down side is that you can't benefit from the combat rhythm of Block, Bash, counter attack that seems to work so well against single non-Dragon/Giant opponents. But the same could be said for two handed or two weapon style or duel Destruction style as well.

Once you get 60 Restoration, you can also get the perk that lets your Ward give you magicka from spells that hit it. Then with your magicka-draining weapon, when in combat you should be able to get a good supply of magicka from killing enemies and aborbing enemy spells.

[Arcran]

I've found Bash & Stab to be great against giants.

[Person_Man]

seems to block 100% of non-Power Attack physical attacks if you time it correctly.


What do you mean by this?

When I block, it seems like it prevents all or most of the damage from physical attacks. But it doesn't block when I attack with my right hand. And it seems to be mostly ineffective against Power Attacks. And it seems like when I just hold down the Block button and wait for my enemy to attack, he's a lot more likely to make a Power Attack to break through my block. (I'm not sure if this is the actual game mechanic or not. I have no way of knowing if my enemy is Power Attacking or not. It just looks like they're taking longer to swing their weapon some times, and that these attacks break through my Block.)

So when I fight with a Shield and One Handed weapon, it seems like a big part of combat is waiting for my enemy to attack, Blocking, hitting them back with a Shield Bash, and then attacking a few times with my One Handed Weapon until by enemy recovers and tries to attack again, in which case I need to stop attacking and Block or move out of the way.

Is your experience with Shields different?

[Dralnu]

Is your experience with Shields different?

I do the same thing as you. There is a Perk in the Block tree that notifies you when an opponent power attacks. It slows down time while blocking against one. Not sure what it's used for, since you're slowed as well so you can't dodge, and shield bashing in response doesn't always seem to stop their impending power attack.. but it does notify you.

[Math_Mage]

When I block, it seems like it prevents all or most of the damage from physical attacks. But it doesn't block when I attack with my right hand. And it seems to be mostly ineffective against Power Attacks. And it seems like when I just hold down the Block button and wait for my enemy to attack, he's a lot more likely to make a Power Attack to break through my block. (I'm not sure if this is the actual game mechanic or not. I have no way of knowing if my enemy is Power Attacking or not. It just looks like they're taking longer to swing their weapon some times, and that these attacks break through my Block.)

So when I fight with a Shield and One Handed weapon, it seems like a big part of combat is waiting for my enemy to attack, Blocking, hitting them back with a Shield Bash, and then attacking a few times with my One Handed Weapon until by enemy recovers and tries to attack again, in which case I need to stop attacking and Block or move out of the way.

Is your experience with Shields different?

FWIW I was watching someone play and he was just kiting the attack before rushing in to hit the other guy a few times. Was pretty funny, but I doubt it's sustainable against tougher (or non-humanoid) opponents.

[Archpaladin Zousha]

Arrived in a new city, slayed two dragons, investigated a murder, was falsely imprisoned, escaped from prison, ended a bloody rebellion by killing the leaders of both camps...
Ain't Markarth fun? :smallbiggrin:

By the by, little tip about that release thing:
Not gonna happen. You either have to infiltrate or crush the guards in order to release him.

[Somebloke]

Ain't Markarth fun? :smallbiggrin:

By the by, little tip about that release thing:
Not gonna happen. You either have to infiltrate or crush the guards in order to release him.

Well...they are just elves....
Evil little pointy-eared bastards.

[Archonic Energy]

an intresting note:

did you know if you are overencumbered and draw an arrow onto your bow you can move faster? :smallbiggrin:

[Avilan the Grey]

Important notice: Blind bandits make excellent target dummies for archers.

[Arcran]

Important notice: Blind bandits make excellent target dummies for archers.

You shot that guy? You jerk.

[Muz]

I asked this question just before the last thread ended, so I think it got lost in the shuffle. I'll ask again:

I'm looking for reassurance that there are, in fact, other things in dungeons other than draugr. I'm only level 11, but so far it seems like 95% of the things I've fought in dungeons have been draugr. I'm worried that it might start to all feel the same.

The one dungeon/cave I can recall with non-draugr was a cave I found called...(someone's) Shame, IIRC. It had vampires. :smallsmile: And mysterious piles of ashes, too. Still not sure why those were there--I thought they were the slain vampires until I noticed their bodies were still around...

[Somebloke]

You shot that guy? You jerk.

I politely stabbed him from behind. It was a kindness, really.

[pffh]

I asked this question just before the last thread ended, so I think it got lost in the shuffle. I'll ask again:

I'm looking for reassurance that there are, in fact, other things in dungeons other than draugr. I'm only level 11, but so far it seems like 95% of the things I've fought in dungeons have been draugr. I'm worried that it might start to all feel the same.

The one dungeon/cave I can recall with non-draugr was a cave I found called...(someone's) Shame, IIRC. It had vampires. :smallsmile: And mysterious piles of ashes, too. Still not sure why those were there--I thought they were the slain vampires until I noticed their bodies were still around...

I've found draugr, ghosts, vampires, bandits, necromancer, non-necromancy spellcasters, falmers and dwemer robots and that's all I can recall at the moment and not counting non-dungeon stuff like forts. But it sounds like you've mostly been going into old catacombs and burrows since those are infested with draugr (god I hate that word a draugr (or as it is in modern icelandic draugur) is a ghost NOT a zombie).

[Gaius Marius]

I politely stabbed him from behind. It was a kindness, really.

Same here. If I could have brought him with me to bring him to prison or a foster home, I would have done so.

Between leaving him to despair and starve alone or a swift death, I knew what to do.

[Muz]

I've found draugr, ghosts, vampires, bandits, necromancer, non-necromancy spellcasters, falmers and dwemer robots and that's all I can recall at the moment and not counting non-dungeon stuff like forts. But it sounds like you've mostly been going into old catacombs and burrows since those are infested with draugr (god I hate that word a draugr (or as it is in modern icelandic draugur) is a ghost NOT a zombie).

Good to know. Thanks!

And maybe the ghost is possessing the dead body so it only LOOKS like a zombie?

Does anyone use the ward spells much? I have them in my repertoire, but either I forget to use them, I don't hit the button fast enough to use them properly, or I have little skill with that school of magic and the mana drain is too rapid for me. I'm going instead with "the best defense is a good offense."

[Volthawk]

Does anyone use the ward spells much? I have them in my repertoire, but either I forget to use them, I don't hit the button fast enough to use them properly, or I have little skill with that school of magic and the mana drain is too rapid for me. I'm going instead with "the best defense is a good offense."

Pretty much in the same situation myself.

[Gaius Marius]

I wish we could bind fast-casting keys. I don't necessarily want to have to select the spell and then cast and then going back to my main battle weapon.

Also, why can't I key-bind weapon HANDS? If I use my Fire Swoed in my right hand, my Soul-stealing sword in my left hand, why, if I press "3" (soul-stealing sword) after using Healing, would I want to have this sword in my RIGHT hand?


Grrrrrr

[Muz]

I think there IS a way to bind hotkeys to particular hands. I want to say I read about it somewhere, but I forgot to bookmark it and now I can't find it again. :smallfrown:

[Avilan the Grey]

I've found draugr, ghosts, vampires, bandits, necromancer, non-necromancy spellcasters, falmers and dwemer robots and that's all I can recall at the moment and not counting non-dungeon stuff like forts. But it sounds like you've mostly been going into old catacombs and burrows since those are infested with draugr (god I hate that word a draugr (or as it is in modern icelandic draugur) is a ghost NOT a zombie).

I don't know. There is at least one authentic IRL legend where it clearly is a living corpse, since they get rid of it by chopping it's head off and nailing it to it's ass. It doesn't kill it, but it is too embarrassed to be seen after that so it stays in it's barrow forever.

Also, apparently trolls are way stronger than you when you are lvl 9.

[Muz]

Also, apparently trolls are way stronger than you when you are lvl 9.

A troll saved my bacon once. It wound up drawing the ire of a dragon that was previously attacking me. I let them fight it out, then finished off the badly wounded troll myself. (That's gratitude for ya.) :smallbiggrin:

[Dralnu]

Sometimes when I kill a creature with my soultrap weapon it says "X resisted your Soul Trap." What's up with that?

[Xanmyral]

So I have a little story to tell that will probably be one of my first, biggest memories of this game. Spoiler-ed for length. No real spoilers inside besides a funny and cool moment in the game for me. A story involving a Khajiit, a rabbit, and a wolf.

Wandering around as my Khajiit (More mage than theif) Nightblade, I was around level five-ish. Maybe six. Anyway, I recently bought a spell from the Riverwood traders that would let me create zombies. I didn't really know what that meant, and I haven't tried it out yet either.

I'm wandering, more ambling along looking at all of the stuff and collecting reagents to experiment with for alchemy, and I hear a wolf's howl. Did the usual crouch down into sneak to see if it had spotted me yet, worried that there would be quite a few of them as usual with wolves. Nothing happened for about a minute as I tried to see the wolves before they spotted me, but I eventually continued down the road thinking they must of left or something.

A short distance later I spied the, or perhaps an unspecific, wolf dashing up a hill, vanishing behind the rocks at the peak. Did the usual crouching to see if it still knows I'm here to see that no, it does not. Getting back up I saw a strange shape by a few rocks on the road to see that it was a rabbit after getting closer. A dead rabbit, to be exact.

After stripping it of choice bits of meat, I wondered what to do with it and then remembered my create zombie spell. I laughed at the idea, thinking that there is no way it would work since it is a rabbit. I try anyway, building up the purple orb of darkness in my right hand and shot it at the rabbit, shunting it back a bit by a foot or two.

Lo and behold, the rabbit slowly got back up on its feet, shimmering faintly as darkness occasionally ebbed and flowed across its little body. That isn't the end of the story yet, oh no. As I was laughing at the fact that I just brought a rabbit back into pseudo-life by my own magic, I didn't notice the wolf from before sneaking up on me from further on down the road. Apparently it didn't want to take me head on so decided to retreat and get me when I wasn't paying attention, like right now.

While I was laughing uncontrollably in a way that would be called a mix between that of a villain's, and that of someone who heard a really good joke, I saw the rabbit dash to my left, surprising me as I watched it run in front of the wolf and taking a blow from it, effectively ruining the wolf's surprise attack on me. Turned the wolf into an icicle from a dual stream of frostbite, ruining it's day.

After looting the wolf, I figured that I should use the spell on the wolf as well since a zombie wolf would be much more effective than a zombie rabbit, no matter the hilarity. I saw the wolf starting to stand up, dark purple ebbing and flowing across its body, I idly looked at the rabbit to see it brighten up quickly, then disintegrate into ash. Made me kind of sad to see the rabbit go, but it served its purpose better than I had hoped.

[Meta]

I haven't had the fortune to play much (level 7, I think) and now I won't be able to for several weeks, but is there any way to get around enemies' elemental resistance/immunity? I'd like to be able to play a magic focused character, but if it's going to be troublesome, I'll focus elsewhere

[Androgeus]

Just did a little questette in a light house with a cool reward
Got an ability that increases all healing spells on me by 10%

Also giant earwigs are a pain.

[Muz]

Another question: Has anyone ever been thanked for helping to kill a dragon? One attacked Winterhold as I arrived. I killed it with the help of a town guard. Nobody thanked me.

Granted, it happened at 2am and most of the town probably slept through it, but the guard could have at least said, "Thanks for the assist! ...Now don't burn down any buildings with your magic."

Ah, well. Nobody wuvz me. :smallwink:

[Avilan the Grey]

Hey do anyone know a good place to get a wood axe? I sold or dropped mine from the starter town and well... can't seem to find another.

[Maxios]

So, due to unforseen circumstances, despite the fact I got the same on Saturday; the first time I'll play it will either be tonight or tomorrow. I can't wait :smallcool:.

[pffh]

Hey do anyone know a good place to get a wood axe? I sold or dropped mine from the starter town and well... can't seem to find another.

Any wood mill and most walled bandit camps and bandit forts.

[Avilan the Grey]

Any wood mill and most walled bandit camps and bandit forts.

That's what I thought but I can't find one in Svenholt Ivarstead or whatever it's called.

Also... My little girl is looking awesome (again, page breaker image)


http://cloud.steampowered.com/ugc/594702591077716585/FB6B48F4AA321DF59722A00BAAF2B72C45A7C338/

http://cloud.steampowered.com/ugc/594702591079531353/06B76D2F7E0354467D33D21B0A603FB14072339D/


I prefer the Imperial helmet.

[Lady Tialait]

Well, now that I have maxed out my Destruction, I have been working on Conjuration and One handed....it's awesome. I have a ebony sword I picked off a bandit in one hand and the other is a conjured sword. I am planning on enchanting my ebony sword because my Conjured Sword soul traps.

[Drascin]

So an amusing little thing happened to me. I was going around, searching for some mammoths for soulharvesting. I find a giant and his three mammoths - good enough. So I find a nice vantage rock, gear myself for what I know is going to take a looong while, take aim... and suddenly I'm taking cold damage. Waitwaitwhat- oh hell a Blood Dragon. Here it comes, it's swooping...

...straight for the mammoths.

The giant and his mammoth respond, coming to my aid against this common enemy. The dragon keeps trying to melee the three mammoths and the giant, while I just shoot arrows at its back, bewildered. But, as pretty much everyone expects, a simple dragon can't take on those odds, and quickly falls. Normally it takes me a good ten minutes at the absolute least to take a dragon down - with the mammoths' assistance it didn't even take two. It didn't even attack me beyond the initial 2might as well while I'm here" passing breath. Their assistance really was invaluable!

I decided to spare the giant and his mammoths for his help. I could find my souls somewhere else :smallbiggrin:.

[Arcran]

But, they were at low health, you were at full.... WHY!?!

[Gaius Marius]

While walking toward Riften, I remember seeing a mammoth in a pond. It was dead, so I carefuly went toward it.. Tried to loot it. I took the tusks, and when I turned around, there was a giant.

Oh. ****...

However, it just stood there. Watching the broken corpse of the Mammoth. It didn't reacted to me trying to talk to him. He... he seemed to be very sad. I felt bad for that giant, maybe he just lost a precious asset... or maybe a friend? :smallfrown:

[Drascin]

But, they were at low health, you were at full.... WHY!?!

First, because backstabbing someone who helped me is not nice.

Second, what do you mean low health? The dragon couldn't take even an eighth of their health. Mammoths are the top of the food pyramid in Skyrim's tundras, dragons be damned.

[Archpaladin Zousha]

Well...they are just elves....
Evil little pointy-eared bastards.

Even MY elf hated them. Just watch it if you do take them out. Those mages can hit hard with spells.

[late for dinner]

Another question: Has anyone ever been thanked for helping to kill a dragon? One attacked Winterhold as I arrived. I killed it with the help of a town guard. Nobody thanked me.

Granted, it happened at 2am and most of the town probably slept through it, but the guard could have at least said, "Thanks for the assist! ...Now don't burn down any buildings with your magic."

Ah, well. Nobody wuvz me. :smallwink:

Other than the first one you kill at the west tower, no...in fact after the dragon dies everyone acts like nothing ever happened...one time I was fighting one in a town and chased it over the mountain and slayed it and no one was there to see it...but everyone in the town was saved...I felt like a hero...and was not treated as one...but I guess that comes with the job.:smallsmile:

[Dralnu]

Other than the first one you kill at the west tower, no...in fact after the dragon dies everyone acts like nothing ever happened...one time I was fighting one in a town and chased it over the mountain and slayed it and no one was there to see it...but everyone in the town was saved...I felt like a hero...and was not treated as one...but I guess that comes with the job.:smallsmile:

Usually NPCs that contribute to the fight will mention how they've never seen such a thing, you must be the fabled dragonborn, we can totally take them on now, etc.

I think they'd be more impressed if you saved the town from a sabre cat. Or a giant. Dragons are pushovers.

[pffh]

Usually NPCs that contribute to the fight will mention how they've never seen such a thing, you must be the fabled dragonborn, we can totally take them on now, etc.

I think they'd be more impressed if you saved the town from a sabre cat. Or a giant. Dragons are pushovers.

You know people keep saying that and sure the beginning dragons are easy but the elder and ancient dragons are bloody tough.

[Dralnu]

You know people keep saying that and sure the beginning dragons are easy but the elder and ancient dragons are bloody tough.

Well, lvl 17 and 20 hours in, I'm more afraid of a sabre cat than a dragon at the moment. I hope that will change.

On another note, here's an awesome video showing off the Quick Reflexes perk (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CRT_c4-edxw). Makes 2handers much more survivable.

[Techsmart]

You know people keep saying that and sure the beginning dragons are easy but the elder and ancient dragons are bloody tough.

I've actually had the opposite experience (maybe because I was a spellcaster). Early dragons for me were a pain. Now, about the same time elder and ancients are thrown at me, they are getting easier, since my high-level magics are becoming easy to cast.

A recommendation to anyone trying to get money. Do the missing dog quest in Falkreath.
You meet the talking pet dog of clavicus vile. If you finish a mission for him, you get a mask that gives 20% better prices and +10 to speech.
Ah, skyrim and talking dogs...

[AgentPaper]

http://img94.imageshack.us/img94/6140/2011111700001.jpg

So, I found my way up to the top of the General Store in Windhelm. Anyone else done anything like this? I didn't use any spells or shouts, just normal movement and jumping.

[Croverus]

Hand-to-hand finishers are pretty cool. On involves grabbign the person, pullign them closer, the punching them in the face repeatedly. The other seemed to be kicking their feet out from under them then slamming my fist into their ribs while they are in the air.

[Lady Tialait]

Please guys, I need to know if this is a glitch before I pull my hair out...

After beating the main questline:

The greybeards vanished. There is none of them in High Hathar...is this a glitch or did they up and leave. If it's a glitch, I'll wait for a patch and pray they come back. If they are meant to leave...I need to restart.

[The Shadowmind]

Just found out my local Redbox has Skyrim. So I'm going to rent it for about 5 days and try to do as much as I can. When I am able to afford a new computer then I'll worry about getting the PC version and by then there should be awesome mods out.

[Frankelshtein]

http://img94.imageshack.us/img94/6140/2011111700001.jpg

So, I found my way up to the top of the General Store in Windhelm. Anyone else done anything like this? I didn't use any spells or shouts, just normal movement and jumping.

I climbed up the side of the Throat of the World because I couldn't find the stairs. It was at least half an hour of scaling near-vertical, glitchy terrain. Felt great when I made it to the top, though :smallbiggrin:

[Terry576]

Skyrim is giving me problems right now. It refuses to allow me access to new spells. :smallannoyed: Not from a glitch mind you, oh no. I just can't find the next tier of destruction, so i've been using flames for.... 15 levels. :smalltongue: Where can a guy get a firebolt amirite?

[Archpaladin Zousha]

Why, the College of Winterhold, of course! You want magic, you go there!

[Dralnu]

Why, the College of Winterhold, of course! You want magic, you go there!

Also the mage NPC in Dragonsreach (Whiterun) sells the adept tier stuff too.

[Archpaladin Zousha]

All the Hold court wizards do that. Not just in Whiterun.

[agentnone]

Ain't Markarth fun? :smallbiggrin:

By the by, little tip about that release thing:
Not gonna happen. You either have to infiltrate or crush the guards in order to release him.

You know, I tried to do this quest the other day actually. Walked my happy ass across the world to get there only to be told by the guards to go away. So I attacked them. A second later, I got a screen pop-up saying I failed to save the son from the prison and the quest ended. Even though I didn't die nor had I even killed one of the guards yet.

It's the quest from the old lady in Whiterun who's son is locked up by the opposing family in town. Gray-beards and Battle-somethingorothers IIRC. So anyone know how to keep that from happening? Infiltration isn't out of the question, though I don't know how to go about doing that. I'd rather honestly just kick their butts and loot their corpses. I saved and loaded a few times and every time I slashed one in the face it said the quest failed and it ended.

[Archpaladin Zousha]

You know, I tried to do this quest the other day actually. Walked my happy ass across the world to get there only to be told by the guards to go away. So I attacked them. A second later, I got a screen pop-up saying I failed to save the son from the prison and the quest ended. Even though I didn't die nor had I even killed one of the guards yet.

It's the quest from the old lady in Whiterun who's son is locked up by the opposing family in town. Gray-beards and Battle-somethingorothers IIRC. So anyone know how to keep that from happening? Infiltration isn't out of the question, though I don't know how to go about doing that. I'd rather honestly just kick their butts and loot their corpses. I saved and loaded a few times and every time I slashed one in the face it said the quest failed and it ended.
You didn't fail the quest. You just failed the objective of getting him out peacefully.

[agentnone]

You didn't fail the quest. You just failed the objective of getting him out peacefully.

Well then I'm screwed because the guards won't talk to me and there's nothing else I can do. I even so much as walked around the fort slow as hell about 5 or 6 times looking for a lever or switch or hidden door or something to sneak my way in. Didn't find anything btw.

[Archpaladin Zousha]

Only way in is either to be sneakier than the Grey Fox or to just swallow your pride and fight the Thalmor. The key is to walk in so they go nuts and attack you, rather than striking the first blow yourself.

[agentnone]

Only way in is either to be sneakier than the Grey Fox or to just swallow your pride and fight the Thalmor. The key is to walk in so they go nuts and attack you, rather than striking the first blow yourself.

Yeah, that's a good idea. Don't know why I didn't think of it. I do that all the time anyway by accident. lol

[Somebloke]

Hey, it's not murder if it's Thalmor. New rule.

I triggered them into attacking, and then snuck into the main base, slitting throats as I went. Fun.

Anyone else want to ditch the 'help the Legion' and 'Help the Stormcloaks' options for 'broker a peace between the two, forge a new alliance with yourself as overlord and invade the Dominion'?

[Avilan the Grey]

Anyone else want to ditch the 'help the Legion' and 'Help the Stormcloaks' options for 'broker a peace between the two, forge a new alliance with yourself as overlord and invade the Dominion'?

Well I forsee...
My character replacing Talos in the Pantheon eventually.

[agentnone]

Hey, it's not murder if it's Thalmor. New rule.

I triggered them into attacking, and then snuck into the main base, slitting throats as I went. Fun.

Anyone else want to ditch the 'help the Legion' and 'Help the Stormcloaks' for 'broker a peace between the two, forge a new alliance with yourself as overlord and invade the Dominion'?

Yeah, them Thalmor folk are a bunch of meanie-heads. I ran into a group of 3 of them not too long after escaping Helgen and I talked to them. Don't bring up Talos cuz you get the option to either say yes you do worship him or its none of their business. Either way they attacked me and kicked my tail. I think at the time I was barely level 2.

[Somebloke]

So, due to unforseen circumstances, despite the fact I got the same on Saturday; the first time I'll play it will either be tonight or tomorrow. I can't wait :smallcool:.

Keep us informed on your first impressions.

[pffh]

Please guys, I need to know if this is a glitch before I pull my hair out...

After beating the main questline:

The greybeards vanished. There is none of them in High Hathar...is this a glitch or did they up and leave. If it's a glitch, I'll wait for a patch and pray they come back. If they are meant to leave...I need to restart.

Did you kill parthuwhatshisname dragon leader and have you checked the backyard and the conference room?

[Avilan the Grey]

Yeah, them Thalmor folk are a bunch of meanie-heads. I ran into a group of 3 of them not too long after escaping Helgen and I talked to them. Don't bring up Talos cuz you get the option to either say yes you do worship him or its none of their business. Either way they attacked me and kicked my tail. I think at the time I was barely level 2.

Hey I guess they are random, like the Talon Company in FO3? Because I am now lvl 10 and has yet to see a single one.

[Lady Tialait]

Alright, I just had to quit Skyrim for a bit...I'll play more later but right now I need a break.

My story:

I was traveling around looking for something to do in the land of Skyrim, when I saw a Dragon overhead. I got exited and prepared my shouts quickly and my twin swords. The dragon landed by me in a swamp area, and I started swinging at it. Little did I know that I had accidentally killed a small mudcrab.

The other mudcrabs started attacking and a pack of ice wolves came out to confront me. I dispatched the wolves with little effort but the mudcrabs just kept coming. I pulled my bow and sniped the dragon out of the sky. I had only hit it maybe six times with spell, sword, and bow. It went falling. I then turned to deal with my mudcrab issue, and they just kept coming. I killed several and then one came out that was just not dieing....I almost took no damage against the ice wolves and the dragon. The mudcrabs had me guzzle seven or eight healing potions, and eat enough food to feed half of the empire.

What I am trying to say is, I have to take a break because I can look at every dragon I have faced in Skyrim thus far and state, "I have faced mudcrabs tougher then you!"


Did you kill parthuwhatshisname dragon leader and have you checked the backyard and the conference room?

No, yes, and yes. I think they simply vanished. Maybe the old farts had heart attacks.

[Avilan the Grey]

I can look at every dragon I have faced in Skyrim thus far and state, "I have faced mudcrabs tougher then you!"

You know, this would make a great Sig line...

[Dralnu]

Yeah, them Thalmor folk are a bunch of meanie-heads. I ran into a group of 3 of them not too long after escaping Helgen and I talked to them. Don't bring up Talos cuz you get the option to either say yes you do worship him or its none of their business. Either way they attacked me and kicked my tail. I think at the time I was barely level 2.

Yeah, I ran into the same bunch. Just got out of Helgen and was trying to figure out how to get to the nearest guardian stone. Ran into them at level 2, pissed them off somehow, ended up kiting them with the Flame spell. Elven armor is pretty sweet at level 2. :smallamused:

[agentnone]

Hey I guess they are random, like the Talon Company in FO3? Because I am now lvl 10 and has yet to see a single one.

Yeah, I found them on the road to Whiterun. But when I reloaded, I ran that same way intent on getting revenge and they weren't there anymore. Then many hours and levels later, I ran into them in the mountains far in the north east of Whiterun fighting bandits. I ran in to help and afterward they attacked me. Kicked my tail then too. I think they scale with the player since they're out in the open and not in a dungeon instance.

[Gorgondantess]

What I am trying to say is, I have to take a break because I can look at every dragon I have faced in Skyrim thus far and state, "I have faced mudcrabs tougher then you!"

Epic. You win The Elder Scrolls.:smallbiggrin:

[Lady Tialait]

You know, this would make a great Sig line...

If you want it, have it.


However, you obviously do not know the power of mudcrabs. (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ckSz_Sffa0k&feature=results_video&playnext=1&list=PLEE991FCDE2D2F21F)

[agentnone]

Alright, I just had to quit Skyrim for a bit...I'll play more later but right now I need a break.

My story:

I was traveling around looking for something to do in the land of Skyrim, when I saw a Dragon overhead. I got exited and prepared my shouts quickly and my twin swords. The dragon landed by me in a swamp area, and I started swinging at it. Little did I know that I had accidentally killed a small mudcrab.

The other mudcrabs started attacking and a pack of ice wolves came out to confront me. I dispatched the wolves with little effort but the mudcrabs just kept coming. I pulled my bow and sniped the dragon out of the sky. I had only hit it maybe six times with spell, sword, and bow. It went falling. I then turned to deal with my mudcrab issue, and they just kept coming. I killed several and then one came out that was just not dieing....I almost took no damage against the ice wolves and the dragon. The mudcrabs had me guzzle seven or eight healing potions, and eat enough food to feed half of the empire.

What I am trying to say is, I have to take a break because I can look at every dragon I have faced in Skyrim thus far and state, "I have faced mudcrabs tougher then you!"

You know what, I had a similar problem. But mine was without wolves and dragons. I actually just got owned by 3 mudcrabs. I was like level 12 at the time too. lol I was laughing too hard to be mad at that. I mean, mudcrabs. MUDCRABS!!! They sure got an upgrade in this game. They're actually dangerous in small mobs.

[agentnone]

Epic. You win The Elder Scrolls.:smallbiggrin:

I second this. That was an epic-ly awesome line.

[Avilan the Grey]

I actually just got owned by 3 mudcrabs. I was like level 12 at the time too. lol I was laughing too hard to be mad at that. I mean, mudcrabs. MUDCRABS!!! They sure got an upgrade in this game. They're actually dangerous in small mobs.

...Or you could use a bow. :smallbiggrin:

[Opperhapsen]

Hey, it's not murder if it's Thalmor. New rule.

I triggered them into attacking, and then snuck into the main base, slitting throats as I went. Fun.

Anyone else want to ditch the 'help the Legion' and 'Help the Stormcloaks' options for 'broker a peace between the two, forge a new alliance with yourself as overlord and invade the Dominion'?Won't happen.
Because Ulfric is in league with the Thalmor

[Lady Tialait]

Won't happen.
Because Ulfric is in league with the Thalmor

Ummmm....

Unwittingly.

[agentnone]

Off topic, but I'm curious about something. And I may not be the only one.

Charcoal.

Does it do anything or is it used for anything? I find it everywhere, and other than being used to weight you down (weights a half pound) and can be sold for nearly nothing (1 gold), does it have any other purpose? I always find it around blacksmith stuff for the most part. And I noticed Bethesda took out 90% of the useless crap you found in Oblivion (calipers and shears anyone?). So I figured it would at least have some sort of use when blacksmithing. Does it or is it just useless loot?

[pffh]

Off topic, but I'm curious about something. And I may not be the only one.

Charcoal.

Does it do anything or is it used for anything? I find it everywhere, and other than being used to weight you down (weights a half pound) and can be sold for nearly nothing (1 gold), does it have any other purpose? I always find it around blacksmith stuff for the most part. And I noticed Bethesda took out 90% of the useless crap you found in Oblivion (calipers and shears anyone?). So I figured it would at least have some sort of use when blacksmithing. Does it or is it just useless loot?

You use it once during the main quest.

[agentnone]

You use it once during the main quest.

Just 1 piece or a whole mess load, cuz I thought it had an actual application to something so I've been keeping what I find. Don't want to be hoarding a whole bunch of it if I only need one piece to tote around on my person.

[pffh]

Just 1 piece or a whole mess load, cuz I thought it had an actual application to something so I've been keeping what I find. Don't want to be hoarding a whole bunch of it if I only need one piece to tote around on my person.

One piece and you can find plenty where you need to use it. I haven't found any other use for it.

Edit: Huh according to the wiki there is an atronach forge recipe that uses charcoal.

[agentnone]

One piece and you can find plenty where you need to use it. I haven't found any other use for it.

Edit: Huh according to the wiki there is an atronach forge recipe that uses charcoal.

Eh, ok. So what you're saying is that they're useless. That is, if the atronach's are anything like their Oblivion counterparts. Weak and useful only for diversions. However, I could be wrong. Obviously, mudcrabs worked their way up to being more than just an alchemy ingrediant source to a viable threat. See...


I can look at every dragon I have faced in Skyrim thus far and state, "I have faced mudcrabs tougher then you!"

[Ertwin]

It's actually a bit of fridge brilliance that the dragons are pushovers compared to some of the other wildlife. You are the dragonborn, killing dragons is what you're born to do, so it's only natural that they're easy for you to kill. You are not however born to kill trolls, giants, mammoths, mudcrabs.


I also ran into those Thalomar Justicars (On the road from Solitude to the fort to free that guy) I got snarky with them and they got mad and tried to kill me....to bad for them I was wielding Wuthraad That's the one that's particularly deadly to elves.


Also I plan on punching a dragon to death next time I meet one.

Also the drinking contest quest occurs in almost any city, you just have to be level 14 before you run into Sam.

[Avilan the Grey]

It's actually a bit of fridge brilliance that the dragons are pushovers compared to some of the other wildlife. You are the dragonborn, killing dragons is what you're born to do, so it's only natural that they're easy for you to kill. You are not however born to kill trolls, giants, mammoths, mudcrabs.

You know, this actually makes quite a bit of sense :smallsmile:

[agentnone]

You know, this actually makes quite a bit of sense :smallsmile:

It does, but at the same time, I had a dragon land right inside the gates of White run and the guards beat the tar out of it in a matter of seconds. I know bows hurt a lot more than they did in Oblivion, but come on. I didn't do anything to the dragon and it went down, hard and fast. So yeah, to a degree it makes sense. But in my experience, it went down pretty easy without me doing anything other than being the target of its icy breath. I'm just glad that when things die, and they land on you, it doesn't hurt. Cuz that probably wouldn't have felt very good otherwise.

[Croverus]

Punhcing a dragon to death is not only viable but surprisingly doable, once you force it to the ground. A khajit with the heavy armor perk that dds bonuses to unarmed combat punches like a freight train. Though, the punches apply to other creatures as well. And the killing blow animations for unarmed combat are very satisfying. As I mentioned earlier (both of the previous animations were performed at level 1 while still in the tutorial dungeon.)

Someone should record a compilation of deathblows for each enemy type usin every weapon- there's 2 deathblows per enemy type, and the weapons are broken into unarmed, dagger, mace, sword, war axe, battleaxe, greatsword, and warhammer, so 16 total deathblow animations for each enemy type.

[agentnone]

Punhcing a dragon to death is not only viable but surprisingly doable, once you force it to the ground. A khajit with the heavy armor perk that dds bonuses to unarmed combat punches like a freight train. Though, the punches apply to other creatures as well. And the killing blow animations for unarmed combat are very satisfying. As I mentioned earlier (both of the previous animations were performed at level 1 while still in the tutorial dungeon.)

That sounds like it would be fun to do. Run around boxing everyone to death. Too bad it doesn't upgrade any skills though. You would think it would at least upgrade 1 handed weapons or something.

[Dhavaer]

Where can I get some Quicksilver? I want to make an elven sword, but no-one will send me any.

[agentnone]

Where can I get some Quicksilver? I want to make an elven sword, but no-one will send me any.

This is a very good question, one I too would like to know. Granted, I focused my point on dwarven smithing so I could upgrade the shield I found, so I don't know what materials are needed to make elven stuff. But thus far, I haven't seen anything quicksilver. Maybe its an ingot you have to make from silver ore and something else?

[Avilan the Grey]

This is a very good question, one I too would like to know. Granted, I focused my point on dwarven smithing so I could upgrade the shield I found, so I don't know what materials are needed to make elven stuff. But thus far, I haven't seen anything quicksilver. Maybe its an ingot you have to make from silver ore and something else?

Damn my memory. I found a quicksilver ore vein yesterday, but where?

I think it was either...
In one of the bandit caves surrounding Witherun, or in the Barrow behind the inn in the village half-way to the Graybeards.

[Drascin]

I'm mostly wondering where the hell one gets moonstone. I want to upgrade my elven armor, dammit.

[agentnone]

Damn my memory. I found a quicksilver ore vein yesterday, but where?

Ok, well that confirms that it's actually its own ore and not the combination of ores like steel is. I guess it's just rare and supposed to be. Though if anyone finds a merchant selling it, let the rest of us know. Their stock on stuff like that usually respawns a couple days later. Kind of like the two guys selling guns in Rivet City in Fallout 3. Every 2 days you can buy a new mini-nuke. So chances are, they did the same thing for their merchants in this game too. I haven't really payed much attention to the specifics of this, however, so that statement may not be entirely valid.

[Somebloke]

Just did the 'Hangover' mission. Absolutely awesome.

[Dhavaer]

I've found moonstone sold at the smithy in Whiterun, no problem there. It's just the quicksilver I'm missing.

[agentnone]

Just did the 'Hangover' mission. Absolutely awesome.

Yeah it is. Just sucked though. My companion died.

All those mages in the chamber where the sphere in the corner pops up killed her.

On another note about the dungeon this mission/quest was in, I wasn't able to get in one of the doors cuz it was blocked. And I didn't find the switch. It was through the room in the spoiler at the top of a ramp. Anyone know what I'm talking about and how to open it? Or if there's even a reason to open it? Like awesome loot or something.

[Umbranar]

Heya,

im currently playing a dual wield battle mage.
I must say, dual wielding bound swords in 3rd view looks awesome. Problem is...i die fast since my HP is low.

Anyway what i was wandering is: does armor influence the effectiveness of your spells. Havent found stats anywhere about it as in Oblivion. Only think is that robes give a much greater bonus to magicka regen then the common souls in a gem can enchant.

[Divayth Fyr]

Anyway what i was wandering is: does armor influence the effectiveness of your spells. Havent found stats anywhere about it as in Oblivion.
No, it doesn't. This time they decided to make robes an attractive option for mages, and not something you'd wear just because armor interferes with spellcasting.

[agentnone]

Heya,

im currently playing a dual wield battle mage.
I must say, dual wielding bound swords in 3rd view looks awesome. Problem is...i die fast since my HP is low.

Anyway what i was wandering is: does armor influence the effectiveness of your spells. Havent found stats anywhere about it as in Oblivion. Only think is that robes give a much greater bonus to magicka regen then the common souls in a gem can enchant.

No, I don't think so. If they did, I'm sure there would be a perk in the armor trees to help reduce it or something. You could always disenchant those robes and then enchant your armor. With both magicka regen and reduced destruction spell cost.

Edit: ninja'd

[Lady Tialait]

Yeah, I'm trying to max out all skills. I have forging done, it was first, then destruction was next. I'm pretty close to having one handed and conjuration.

Some will be pretty hard. I wear a bit of piece mail between light and heavy armor, giving up uniform armor bonus for a diverse leveling strategy.

[Dhavaer]

Well, even without the quicksilver, this whole forging thing is working out well for me. Lydia is looking very Emperor-of-Mankind in a full suit of exquisite dwarven gear (except the helmet, I don't do helmets) and I've got exquisite orc armour and an exquisite dwarven sword. I'd prefer an orc one, but for some reason dwarf weapons are better. Don't look as good, though, at least on a Dunmer.

[polity4life]

So after reviewing my diatribe from the previous thread and being embarrassed for complaining about a video game, I thought I would hit the reset button and just make a new character.

I made a Nord, two-handed weapon wielding, heavy armor wearing smith. One observation: equipping a two-handed weapon = godmode. Seriously.

With my other sneaky witch thief, I would have some difficulty taking down 6 bandits at once, and by difficulty I mean I would have to drink potions to survive.

Enter Mr. Hate Stick who dispatches every one of those jerks with one hit. Maybe my first playthrough build was legitimately that bad and this one is better (I was a bit more spread out with the first while this time all of my perk bonuses have gone into heavy armor or two-handed weapons). I think the equipment is playing a key role as is my level in the new game, which is 6 or 7.

One problem with this though is that, currently, nothing lives long enough to hit me much so my heavy armor stat is lagging. I'm concerned that once I reach the teens I will suffer for this.

As for the mudcrab story, you were just unlucky. Mudcrabs came to my aid in a random dragon fight. It was like a swarm of ugly, lumpy lice erupted from a river bank and nibbled this legendary beast to death. I thanked my hideous saviors, looted my share while leaving some for my crustacean superiors, and sprinted off before my presence offended them.

[LCP]

Where can I get some Quicksilver? I want to make an elven sword, but no-one will send me any.

There is a mine called Quicksilver Mine just next to Dawnstar. Haven't been in there but I assume it's what you're looking for.

[nhbdy]

I recently had an awesome encounter with maiq the liar, it was right after finishing bleak falls barrow (I hate my inability to stick with a character... always have a new idea that seems so much better that whatever it is I am currently playing), on my way back to riverwood I see fire exploding in the forest. Now I was currently a stealth guy so I started to creep up on it to see what was going on, I see a yellow robed (hooded) figure battling away with a flame atronach. As I continue to root for the guy in the robes as he fights unarmed against the terrible daedra, he goes down, and the responsibility of slaying this troublesome entity falls to me. Three arrow shots later and the atronach goes down, I walk over to the body of the one I feel I was avenging to give it a proper funeral (setting down the river so it's body can be at peace) to be startled when it stand back up on it's own! I then realized that the figure was none other than maiq the liar who then gave me all kinds of great dialogue.

[Tome]

I made an interesting discovery recently. Turns out that fire dragons do burn, you just need to use more fire. :smallbiggrin:

Loving my mage character so far, though Wards are proving to be rather disappointing.

[nhbdy]

though Wards are proving to be rather disappointing.

huh... I love my wards on my mage... they make caster encounters easy if timed right, are you casting them long enough before the attack that they solidify?

[The Succubus]

I have a confirmed spot for Quicksilver Ore. I know this because one of my friends spent best part of half an hour navigating me to it.

"Nope, you've gone too far east, further up the slope, no, not that lighthouse, the other lighthouse, etc, etc."

But the spot in question got me a whopping 6 chunks of Quicksilver, which translated into 3 bits of Elven gear for my ranger.

The spot: Journey east from Dawnstar to Winterhold. Halfway between the two is a large island with a stone triangle on it. A little further south-east is a standing stone, like the three you meet on the way out of Helgen. Right next to the standing stone are 3 Quicksilver veins.

You're welcome. =3

[Lady Tialait]

As for the mudcrab story, you were just unlucky. Mudcrabs came to my aid in a random dragon fight. It was like a swarm of ugly, lumpy lice erupted from a river bank and nibbled this legendary beast to death. I thanked my hideous saviors, looted my share while leaving some for my crustacean superiors, and sprinted off before my presence offended them.

At least you admit, they are the greatest threat to Skyrim.....save for those dirty Altmer....the Bosmer are not so bad once you get to know them. As for the Dunmer, well....we must be careful what we say about the noble dark elves. They just might be listening.

[Blackdrop]

There's also another small quicksilver vein in the Blind Cliff Cave Northeast of Markarth. You'll have to clear out the Forsworn and Hag first, so be careful.

[ondonaflash]

Okay, so if you were an apex oblivion nerd or looked it up online... *coughcough* (pardon me, there appears to be something stuck in my keyboard's throat) You may have found a helmet called Fin Gleam. Its a random unique glass helmet found in the middle of the freaking ocean outside of Anvil (If you never found it, look it up. Its no easy trick to find even when you know where it is).

My question, then, is this: Have any of you found weird fantastic treasure in the middle of nowhere, apropos nothing? and if so, please spoiler tag it and tell me your story!

This is a rather lackluster story, but if you wander around you may come across a cave called Graywinter Watch. The cave itself seems to be occupied by trolls who exterminated the bandits within, but if you fully explore it you will find a bow called "Froki's Bow". It apparently belonged to one of the late bandits, and it deals stamina damage

[Croverus]

I'm enjoying unarmed fighting more and more. At least with my Khajit character, Bhas Rhu the Hunter, power attacking with both claws swipes not twice, but 3 times. When he isn't sniping form the shadows with his bow or dealing with a troublesome enemy with his axe, he rips bandits and wolves aprt with his claws. Then takes everything that has a base value 10x higher than the items weight (unless its a book, potion, or ingredient, which I'll horde all that stuff for random reasons).

[polity4life]

At least you admit, they are the greatest threat to Skyrim.....save for those dirty Altmer....the Bosmer are not so bad once you get to know them. As for the Dunmer, well....we must be careful what we say about the noble dark elves. They just might be listening.

They aren't a joke anymore, that's for sure.

I remember on my retired mage, I ran into these creepy, cave-folk that just didn't seem to notice giant shards of ice penetrating them. When they did, they were mildly annoyed and sought the source with great prejudice. They had centipede friends that at my face too. :smallfrown: I can't remember their names but it began with the letter F.

[Blackdrop]

THe Falmer?

[Croverus]

They aren't a joke anymore, that's for sure.

I remember on my retired mage, I ran into these creepy, cave-folk that just didn't seem to notice giant shards of ice penetrating them. When they did, they were mildly annoyed and sought the source with great prejudice. They had centipede friends that at my face too. :smallfrown: I can't remember their names but it began with the letter F.

You sir were unlucky enough to run into Falmer. They are kinda like goblins I suppose... only nastier and with pet giant insects. and many use shock or frost spells on you. My mage only survived a trip through oen thanks to extensive use of flame atronarchs, Lydia, dual casted firebolts from a distance, and lots of wards and restoration magic to stay alive.

[Alchemistmerlin]

I'm enjoying unarmed fighting more and more. At least with my Khajit character, Bhas Rhu the Hunter, power attacking with both claws swipes not twice, but 3 times. When he isn't sniping form the shadows with his bow or dealing with a troublesome enemy with his axe, he rips bandits and wolves aprt with his claws. Then takes everything that has a base value 10x higher than the items weight (unless its a book, potion, or ingredient, which I'll horde all that stuff for random reasons).

I'm really hoping for an eventual mod that adds Unarmed as a skill/talent tree in at some point. I don't know how viable that actually is, since I know nothing about creation within Bethesda's systems, but I can hope.


Meanwhile! I think I keep choosing the wrong option on sidequests...

In the "Find the Redguard Woman" I...
Found her, then found her would-be captors, listened to their story and decided to help them capture her. I then regretted that decision. Also: Why did he wait until I had killed my way through 20 or so nords before going "Woah woah woah, this is a misunderstanding."

and

In "The Blessings of Nature" I...
Got the knife, went to the shrine, was told "Woah! Don't stab the tree stupid!" by the local hippies...then I stabbed the tree anyway, was attacked by some forest elemental things, and delivered it to Whiterun. Nature seemed pissed.

I mean well, I really do.

[Person_Man]

One problem with this though is that, currently, nothing lives long enough to hit me much so my heavy armor stat is lagging. I'm concerned that once I reach the teens I will suffer for this.

I encountered a similar problem with my first Destruction based character. He blew everyone away and didn't bother with Alteration or Heavy Armor, and around level 15ish he started getting one-shotted by boss enemies.

To fix this problem, you may want to talk to Farkas the Companion in Whiterun. He trains up to 5 points per level in heavy armor. As with any trainer, you can pay him to train you and then Pickpocket the money to get it back.

With Farkas, you can also complete the Companion quest and gain him as a Follower, which allows you to be trained by him and then just take the money from his inventory (since you can always access the inventory of any Follower).

Alternatively, you can grind most Skills. For Heavy Armor, Light Armor, Alteration, and/or Block, you just need to leave your Follower behind, find a weak enemy, and let him beat on you continuously, using Restoration as needed.

In addition, the Block perks Shield Wall, Quick Reflexes, Power Bash, Deadly Bash, and Disarming Bash all apply to Two-Handed weapon combat. So if even if you're using a Two Handed weapon, if you make a habit of Blocking and invest in the Block Perks, you can significantly increase your defense.

[Mixt]

Okay, the situation in Markarth is seriously pissing me off.

CONSPIRACY!

Corrupt city guards and officials, and anyone who tries to investigate the frequent murders is sent off to the mines for life, or killed.

Suffice to say, i went on a rage-induced rampage that killed about half the city.

Guards: We had a nice little deal, but you just had to go and investigate, now it's off to the mines for you!

Me: I HAVE HAD ENOUGH OF THIS POLITICAL BS! [Bloody slaughter here]

That sort of abuse of authority is kind of a sore spot for me. So i killed everyone involved in it.

[Dvil]

Trying to fight my way to defeat the big boss-dragon for the second time. It's bloody hard. I may just have to come back in a few levels.

[Gaius Marius]

I am toying with the idea of doing a Let's Play of Gaius Marius, Imperial Agent, with the audience choosing my overall path..

I never did LP before. Would there be enthousiasts?

[Person_Man]

Trying to fight my way to defeat the big boss-dragon for the second time. It's bloody hard. I may just have to come back in a few levels.

Potions. Lots of Potions. Remember, Resistances stack, and Skills can be pushed beyond 100.

[Dvil]

Potions. Lots of Potions. Remember, Resistances stack, and Skills can be pushed beyond 100.

Then it seems I need to go questing, for money and ingredients! Words of power too, I've got a couple spare souls lying around.

[Archonic Energy]

i'm sure there was a clue i missed but i just did a brute force attack on one of the rotational stone lock things... :smalltongue:

[polity4life]

I am toying with the idea of doing a Let's Play of Gaius Marius, Imperial Agent, with the audience choosing my overall path..

I never did LP before. Would there be enthousiasts?

I had aspirations of doing a LP with some other members of this podcast I record weekly. The hang up is that I was going to go unarmed and it just doesn't seem like it will work well, at least not immediately.

Anyway, I would certainly follow it and contribute in any way I can if you decide to go through with your plan.

[Thanatos 51-50]

Where can I get some Quicksilver? I want to make an elven sword, but no-one will send me any.

There's a town to the north of the province with both a quicksilver and an iron mine.
The carriages will take you there, as it's a hold capitol.
It is neither Solitude nor Winterhold.

[late for dinner]

So some crazy adventures last night…but the payoff was worth it….my Nord is level 8….I am outside in Laberynthia and there is a little dungeon that is on the outskirts of Laberynthia…well…I go in…I walk into a little room where there are bad guys (Draugr) sleeping on the table….one is a restless Draugr and the other one is a Draugr Whyte? I think its what it was…well anyways…it was a tough son of a gun….so was the restless one…With their combined efforts, they almost kill me, which tells me that I am probably too low level for this place…but I am stubborn so I continue on.

I walk into another room full of coffins and another combo pair of the Restless and Whyte come after me…So I lead them back up into the room I just slayed their buddies in…kill them…I run back down to see if there are any more left…boom! One pops out of a coffin…I lead him up to the room…after I kill him, I use my ritual stone of raising all the dead around me : ) Yeah its an awesome stone…Even chickens will rise up for your cause if you use it in the right space….You can find it south east of Whiterun…So now..one didn’t get up…I have 4 Powerfull Allies with me…both the Whytes and 2 Restless….they pick up their weapons and follow me deeper into the cavern…

I enter in this big room with a chest. I run to the chest and see a red dot on my radar…I look up and it’s a Draugr Deathlord staring straight at me…My army is slow so they are still catching up…I quickly save the game. And run straight at him all reckless and stuff…after all, he only has a bow out. I get “one shotted” damn…I reload and move out of the way of the bow he was using…I let my little minion army run in…they all surround him…I keep using my yell to stagger him so we can beat him down…(btw I had to try this like 30 times before I finally got him) He used his disarming shout but for some reason, it backfired on him and he dropped his hand axe…I still had 3 minions left and they all ran in and he was fighting all 4 of us with his fists…needless to say we took him down. My fire axe really helped with that…So I picked up his Bow he was owning me with…It was Ebony…I took his arrows too….plus whatever was in the chests…but none were as cool as his bow…

Well There was a well, in the same room, you could drop down. I thought there might be dragon words below. Normally there is around deathlords…So I save and drop down…nope…It was another deathlord. Only this time, I didn’t have my minions…He used disarming shout on my Fire Axe and I just ran. I found the door out and went back into the wild…But then I thought…I want my Axe back. So I went back in to the dungeon. And ran up to where it dropped. And looked and saw the Deathlord staring at me with a big axe out, but not moving towards me. I sat there for 30 seconds and realized that he was just sitting there. So, I pulled out my New Bow and started shooting. I took him down (thank you glitch) and searched his body. I found an Ebony Axe…

I Never found a dragon word but it was worth the hassle for the weapons. Now my level 8 is pimped out with some good non magic weapons…I cant wait to enchant them/make them better 

[Janus]

In the "Find the Redguard Woman" I...
Found her, then found her would-be captors, listened to their story and decided to help them capture her. I then regretted that decision. Also: Why did he wait until I had killed my way through 20 or so nords before going "Woah woah woah, this is a misunderstanding."
What happens if you let them capture her?
I stuck with the mission and killed all the assassins. All that happened afterward was that Saadia thanked me, gave me some sort of recompense (I think...), and now all she does is offer me drinks whenever I go back to The Bannered Mare.

[Alchemistmerlin]

What happens if you let them capture her?
I stuck with the mission and killed all the assassins. All that happened afterward was that Saadia thanked me, gave me some sort of recompense (I think...), and now all she does is offer me drinks whenever I go back to The Bannered Mare.

They...
cast some sort of binding spell on her and take her back to redguardland where they claim she will face trial for somesuch and likely be killed.

[Mixt]

Ouch, i just got attacked by two dragons at the same time :smalleek:

Let's see how this goes.


EDIT: I got them, kind of a close call though.

[Archpaladin Zousha]

I'm starting to feel like my jobs for the Thieves Guild are less "sneak in and out without being seen" and more like this (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WdJg6Duzzf4). I mean, I'm not taking any perks in stealth-based skills, but I thought my scores in them alone would carry me. But apparently that's not the case.

[Dralnu]

I'm swapping back to my mage temporarily to do the mage guild quests and see if blasting picks up. I'm still doing the quests but I noticed that at level 11 I no longer have any magicka issues. I can dualcast fireblast all day long and never run out, not even for boss fights. I'm not sure what brought about this change. I didn't get any new gear or anything, just been leveling up my magicka and got a blessing of julios (+25 magicka).

My magicka is currently at 307. My health is currently 110, so I guess it's time to improve that.

I've also been figuring out how to fight better with the mage. Frost spells are simply amazing against melee opponents. It made kiting giants / bears a breeze. Lightning turned my latest spellcaster boss fight into a joke, about 10 seconds into the fight she ran out of magicka and had to resort to chasing me with a dagger.

For the first time ever, I'd say my mage is having an easier time in battle than my sword and board fighter. Even if I'd run out of magicka, I have so many adept+ staffs now that it shouldn't be an issue.

And screw wards. The alteration perks are beastly.

[Person_Man]

When you increase your Skills, you level up. As you level up, combat becomes more difficult. (Though not uniformly so - some enemies level up with you and others don't).

So here's a question. What combination of Skills are actually worth leveling up, and which Perks are actually worth investing in?

My best guess for strong options are:

Two Handed OR One Handed OR Archery OR Destruction: You can't use more then one at the same time, so investing in both just increases your difficulty without improving your damage output. Though tactically it helps to have both a melee and a ranged option, in most combats you can usually just sprint towards your enemy, or move away from him while your Follower and/or immortal dog and/or Summoned creature gets in their way.

Heavy Armor OR Light Armor AND/OR Block AND/OR Restoration AND/OR Alteration: All of these increase your defenses in various ways. But keep in mind that as you increase each Skill, your enemy's damage output increases as well. So it's probably best to choose just one or two of the above options.

Smithing AND Alchemy AND Enchanting: The many different improvements these Skills can provide seem to clearly out pace the improvements your enemies receive as a result of your leveling up. Also note that unlike manufactured weapons, Destruction can't benefit from Smithing, so it's the weakest late game option.


I am torn about:

Conjuration: A Summoned creature of some sort is invaluable for players who focus solely on Archery or Destruction. Bound Weapons seem to have superior damage compared to purchased weapons (because their damage is based on your Conjuration Skill), but less damage then weapons improved by high level Smithing.

Sneak: Sneak Attack damage can be massive, and Sneak is necessary for stealing or Pickpocketing, which is an easy way to make a lot of money. But using it effectively in combat often requires that you not have a Follower or dog (or that you constantly have to tell them to Wait), which otherwise makes combat much more difficult and limits your carrying capacity.


I have a low opinion of:

Illusion: Rage and Calm (and their more potent improvements) can be highly powerful in the early-mid in the game. But the Master level spells only effect enemies up to level 25. If you avoid side quests and limit what Skills you improve, then you can beat the main quest before then. Otherwise, this Skill becomes mostly useless after level 25.

Lock Picking: Lock picks are cheap, and you can Save before attempting to pick a lock and reload if you break too many, and I've been able to pick Master level locks without any Perks in this Skill. So while you'll probably level this Skill up "naturally" over time, it seems like you should never purposefully invest Perks in it.

Speech: Again, while you'll probably level this Skill up "naturally" over time, it seems like you should never purposefully invest in it. Any problem with merchants can easily be resolved by Waiting or Fast Traveling. And in the mid-late game when you get access to the best equipment from Smithing/Alchemy/Enchanting combo, having a lot more money doesn't seem to help much.

Pick Pocket: Again, this is a great way to get a ton of money and improve your early-mid game equipment. But late game, once you're already wearing the best stuff, more money doesn't really help.


Thoughts?

[nhbdy]

I have a low opinion of:

Illusion: Rage and Calm (and their more potent improvements) can be highly powerful in the early-mid in the game. But the Master level spells only effect enemies up to level 25. If you avoid side quests and limit what Skills you improve, then you can beat the main quest before then. Otherwise, this Skill becomes mostly useless after level 25.



well... I want to question you on illusion, as the majority of the perk tree is about increasing the level at which these effects can apply, there is no doubt that these are potent effects, and it seems as if bethesda was trying to make it endgame viable through perks, I personally cannot say how high they can go as I have not tested, but it seems unfair to label them as mostly useless after level 25 when a specialized character can still (likely) make use of them much later

[Archpaladin Zousha]

Speech: Again, while you'll probably level this Skill up "naturally" over time, it seems like you should never purposefully invest in it. Any problem with merchants can easily be resolved by Waiting or Fast Traveling. And in the mid-late game when you get access to the best equipment from Smithing/Alchemy/Enchanting combo, having a lot more money doesn't seem to help much.
I invest points in it not for the price bonuses, but for making Persuade and Intimidate checks easier.

[Avilan the Grey]

Smithing AND Alchemy AND Enchanting: The many different improvements these Skills can provide seem to clearly out pace the improvements your enemies receive as a result of your leveling up.

I am probably an idiot but I has yet to put a single point in any of those. Smithing is the only one I regularly grind; enchanting I have not even tried yet (what do you have to do to get permanent enchantments? I will not do any enchantment of stuff when I only get say 8 charges? That's one fight!) and I loathe alchemy, hated it with a passion since Oblivion.

[nhbdy]

I am probably an idiot but I has yet to put a single point in any of those. Smithing is the only one I regularly grind; enchanting I have not even tried yet (what do you have to do to get permanent enchantments? I will not do any enchantment of stuff when I only get say 8 charges? That's one fight!) and I loathe alchemy, hated it with a passion since Oblivion.

permanent enchantments are on clothing and accessories, the charges are controlled by the size of the soul you use, and your perks/skills/settings on the enchantment

[Avilan the Grey]

permanent enchantments are on clothing and accessories, the charges are controlled by the size of the soul you use, and your perks/skills/settings on the enchantment

So I can enchant armor and clothing and get a permanent effect already at low levels?

But not weapons?

[Dralnu]

Some terrible news.. I just got the Mage Armor perk. It's supposed to double the effectiveness of Stoneflesh etc. when not wearing any armor, but I'm checking active powers and it doesn't do that.

I'll try to get hit by something to confirm. :smallfrown:

[Drascin]

I am probably an idiot but I has yet to put a single point in any of those. Smithing is the only one I regularly grind; enchanting I have not even tried yet (what do you have to do to get permanent enchantments? I will not do any enchantment of stuff when I only get say 8 charges? That's one fight!) and I loathe alchemy, hated it with a passion since Oblivion.

See, here's the thing with Enchantment - the more you use it and the more you level it up, the more charges you're going to get out of the same soulgem. So if you never use it you're never going to get more charges!

Also, remember, it's sometimes a good idea to reduce the extra damage. A weapon that has 8 charges for +10 damage will likely have upwards of 50 for +5 damage - so for your first tricks, don't be ambitious.

Also, disenchant a lot, every magic item you find that you're not using right now. Adds levels in Enchantment really fast!


So I can enchant armor and clothing and get a permanent effect already at low levels?

But not weapons?

Yes, but it'll be small bonuses until you raise your skill and your perks. Also, remember to get good souls if you can. A Petty will barely give you a +1% or +2% to a skill at low levels, a Grand will give you +8 or so, and all these increase proportonally with perks.

Still, hey, beats completely nonmagical gear.

[Gaius Marius]

So I can enchant armor and clothing and get a permanent effect already at low levels?

But not weapons?

It's gonna get a lot better as you level it. And perks it up.
First item created do sucks. But still make lot of them, just for grind.

[nhbdy]

It's gonna get a lot better as you level it. And perks it up.
First item created do sucks. But still make lot of them, just for grind.

don't forget that they sell well too!
To answer the question about weaps, no they can never have a limitless enchantment on them, if you are concerned get a weapon with a soul trap enchant on hit and have fun using it to recharge everything, works well with azura's star, from the daedric shrine near winterhold (first is an item, second gives a location)

[Avilan the Grey]

It's gonna get a lot better as you level it. And perks it up.
First item created do sucks. But still make lot of them, just for grind.

But I don't have the perks for it! I need to get my archery and sneak attacks up!

So far, I can buy non-magic gear that is better than the magic gear I find or is given (since the blasted Jarl gave me a two-handed axe!! Who DOES that to a sneak / bow / 1-handed character). I now use an non-magic Orc Bow (Fine), an Orc sword and an Orc dagger. The Orc sword gives 3 pts more damage than the frost axe I got from the golden claw quest.

In fact I tend to have extremely bad luck with magical items.
In the Golden Claw quest I got a one-handed axe, I wanted a sword but that was mostly looks. The Jarl gave me a helmet with healing bonus and a two-handed axe, none of which I was interested in. I have found 3 really good two-handed weapons so far.)



To answer the question about weaps, no they can never have a limitless enchantment on them

But why is it then all magical weapons you FIND have limitless charges?

[pffh]

But I don't have the perks for it! I need to get my archery and sneak attacks up!

So far, I can buy non-magic gear that is better than the magic gear I find or is given (since the blasted Jarl gave me a two-handed axe!! Who DOES that to a sneak / bow / 1-handed character). I now use an non-magic Orc Bow (Fine), an Orc sword and an Orc dagger. The Orc sword gives 3 pts more damage than the frost axe I got from the golden claw quest.

In fact I tend to have extremely bad luck with magical items.
In the Golden Claw quest I got a one-handed axe, I wanted a sword but that was mostly looks. The Jarl gave me a helmet with healing bonus and a two-handed axe, none of which I was interested in. I have found 3 really good two-handed weapons so far.)

Let me put it like this I have 100 enchanting and all the boosty perks and all my gear has +40% to two skills or +46% resistance to something. I have +80% light armor, +120% archery, 92% fire and frost resistance and something else that I can't remember at the moment.

[Drascin]

But why are all magical weapons you FIND have limitless charges?

What, no they don't. There are no weapons with unlimited charges. They just have a fair amount - the bow I enchanted myself recently has around 135, for example.

It just doesn't tell you how many charges the item has, only what percentage of the item is filled. But make no mistake, they run out.

EDIT: Unless used by companions. For some reason, Companions seem to not actually use up charges. I've seen one blast for minutes straight with a staff and then checked their inventory to find the staff completely filled up.

So, you know, if you make one of those "only 8 charges" weapons, give them to your companion :P.

[nhbdy]

But why is it then all magical weapons you FIND have limitless charges?

they don't, and as to you getting those things from the jarl, he gives everyone an axe and the boss in bleak falls barrow seems to always have a 2h weapon, the weapons you find that are enchanted do have limited charges, look at their descriptions in the inventory (or just use it a bit), trust me on that one, if you DO find one without charges let me know, I will race to it. Enchanting is a very powerful skill though and allows a ton of options, but it doesn't give it all at once, you have to work up to it, as far as the perks go, that's all fine and dandy that you'd rather level archery and stealth, I'd put those above it too for the character you are playing, but it certainly won't take all your perks to get what you want from those trees, and you probably aren't leveling those skills fast enough to blow every point between those two skills, an extra point in enchanting can really help out a lot when you have one to spare, and of course if you just don't want to mess with it, then don't, but it is a very potent skill.

[Gaius Marius]

But I don't have the perks for it! I need to get my archery and sneak attacks up!

So far, I can buy non-magic gear that is better than the magic gear I find or is given (since the blasted Jarl gave me a two-handed axe!! Who DOES that to a sneak / bow / 1-handed character). I now use an non-magic Orc Bow (Fine), an Orc sword and an Orc dagger. The Orc sword gives 3 pts more damage than the frost axe I got from the golden claw quest.

In fact I tend to have extremely bad luck with magical items.
In the Golden Claw quest I got a one-handed axe, I wanted a sword but that was mostly looks. The Jarl gave me a helmet with healing bonus and a two-handed axe, none of which I was interested in. I have found 3 really good two-handed weapons so far.)

I haven't perked it up myself. But your raw skill increase still will make it worth it eventually. Scouts honor. Just grind create them. Have a soul-stealing weapon handy at all time, and buy as much soulstones as possible to fill and use them.

My problem is more of a "I can't find enough money in my merchants!" part. I need to invest some perks there, I think.

[nhbdy]

My problem is more of a "I can't find enough money in my merchants!" part. I need to invest some perks there, I think.

bah, I hate investing perks in speech, they seem to have such little return, just go traveling if you need more merchants, by the time you go around the first should be restocked, but if you find something awesome from those perks, let me know!

[pffh]

I haven't perked it up myself. But your raw skill increase still will make it worth it eventually. Scouts honor. Just grind create them. Have a soul-stealing weapon handy at all time, and buy as much soulstones as possible to fill and use them.

My problem is more of a "I can't find enough money in my merchants!" part. I need to invest some perks there, I think.

Do the thieves guild side quests and main quests. After it's been restored to it's former glory you'll have access to about 7 fences with 4000 gold each and 4 merchant in the ratway inn with 1100 gold each.

[nhbdy]

Do the thieves guild side quests and main quests. After it's been restored to it's former glory you'll have access to about 7 fences with 4000 gold each and 4 merchant in the ratway inn with 1100 gold each.

yeah, but if you are interested in the nightengale armor, you'll want to wait since it's leveled *shakes fist*

[Gaius Marius]

bah, I hate investing perks in speech, they seem to have such little return, just go traveling if you need more merchants, by the time you go around the first should be restocked, but if you find something awesome from those perks, let me know!

Gaius Marius will no doubt be a master talker :-) Just to allow people to see what Speech does..

Oh, maybe Speech is the alternate path that the Thieves guild. Allow you to bribe guards to look aside, using merchants as fence...?

[JMobius]

Question: Do magic items naturally recharge over time like in previous games, or do they require Soul Gem batteries now?

[pffh]

yeah, but if you are interested in the nightengale armor, you'll want to wait since it's leveled *shakes fist*

Meh even fully leveled it's not all that special and if you're level 20+ (I think) you'll get the 2nd version instead of the third and the difference isn't that much.

And I think you can do the side quests before getting that armor which should give you the merchants and 5 of the fences and increase the fences gold from 1000 to 4000.