The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim announced

[Merlin5]

Unlike you hardcore players, I only got this for xmas and only started playing it yesterday. Only done the dragon claw quest and gone back to Riverwood.

I think the game is absolutely stunning and is surely one of the only games i've played where I am happy to spend loads of time just looking around in amazement at the surroundings. The man hours that went into this must have been insane.

Only problem I have is the sheer scope of the game. Magicka, perks, smithing, cooking and infinite more. It's so much I just don't know if I will be able to grasp it all

Did anyone else feel this way when they first started playing?

Absolutely! I was just like you. I was persuaded to play this game by a friend and RPGs have never been something I fancied playing. For one thing, all the things that are involved in RPGs put me off, I'm used to just playing linear FPS and didn't think I'd want a game which was so open and where I'd have to do a lot of thinking. The first week I didn't do any quests and I didn't have a clue what I was doing, literally, not a clue. But I just enjoyed wandering around, pressing keys and seeing what happens Just getting a feel for it really. Then I got into the quests, mostly just killing things. It's only now, some 6 weeks later or so that I'm starting to get into the 'proper' rpg elements. Honestly, give it a couple of weeks, I can almost guarantee there'll come a point when you'll do something in the game and THEN you'll be hooked. All the other stuff like enchanting, smithing, alchemy, don't even worry about that for now. Just get into those when you feel you're ready to learn that stuff, and when you do, it's pretty straightforward to understand, plus there's tons of help on youtube and the skyrim wikis, and this forum of course. This game is a great balance of being able to have a blast with hack and slash, doing some simple puzzles, and strengthening your character as much or as little as you want.

 

[Evilsod]

Heh, I kinda feel like I cheated, but with so many things to do in the game, I'll excuse myself. I got to 100 but only needed 80 to unlock 5/5 haggling. But going to 100 gave me the extra perks I needed to unlock, as the process levelled up my overall skill level a few times. Prices now are really good and only a little lower than the rated value. Dragon bones for instance are 500 and I sold for 400 gold, so pretty worthwhile. If I was to sell my daedric armour (which I'm not going to) the rated value is 6400 and I'd get 5200. Also, I always wear my thieves guild hood when selling as that improves my prices by yet another 10%.

Cos you did cheat
Well, exploit a bug.

At least the Speech value does actually increase in this game. In Oblivion Speech went up so slowly and Barter was completely borked (given that it went entirely on number of items sold, not value. Its still broken in the sense that multiple items don't count for anything but its better than it was) so you could be playing the end-game and still have barely any Speech/Barter.

 

[escape sanity]

Only problem I have is the sheer scope of the game. Magicka, perks, smithing, cooking and infinite more. It's so much I just don't know if I will be able to grasp it all

Did anyone else feel this way when they first started playing?

I have been playing for 44 hours and got about most of the way through the main story before I decided to start again, I have still never cooked a single thing , was probably about 30 hours into it before I figured out how to fill soul gems, have never seriously used a two handed weapon, never casted an alteration or illusion spell, never smithed anything better than iron, still have only explored maybe half of what alchemy offers and have just realised that blocking is actually useful.

Also, I seem to be the only one who finds it difficult to kill dragons? I seem to spend the entire fight attempting to run away from the thing, frantically casting the healing spell and drinking enough restore health/magicka potions to put me at severe risk of water intoxication. In the rare instance that I do manage to avoid it's main ground attack, I am so far away from it that I can't do any damage to it before it starts flying again. The only way I can win is if I manage to get some guards or trolls to actually fight it while I stand back picking wolf hairs out of my clothes.

 

[Amraam]

Just smithed my first full daedric set of armour, rating 906 (although really, it's capped at 587 or something anyway)

Got 44% resistance to fire and frost on the boots, 40% fortify bow and 2H damage on the helmet, and haven't done anything to the other parts yet.

Can two enchantments be added to weapons also?

 

[Ezah]

Only problem I have is the sheer scope of the game. Magicka, perks, smithing, cooking and infinite more. It's so much I just don't know if I will be able to grasp it all

Did anyone else feel this way when they first started playing?

The depth of it is more akin to an MMORPG, but dont feel you need to master it all.. you can pretty much ignore a lot of the skills and just play as hack n slash, if thats what you like.. but can also get really into the magic or crafting aspects. Or start working on new skills later in the game.

 

[Skepticx]

Bought Skyrim on Friday. Played it all of new years day and monday.. Slightly addicting, picking up the special Dark brotherhood Armor now then will sort out 2 daedric daggers

Any speculations as to when the 1st expac will come out ?

 

[Wiiispa]

Unlike you hardcore players, I only got this for xmas and only started playing it yesterday. Only done the dragon claw quest and gone back to Riverwood.

I think the game is absolutely stunning and is surely one of the only games i've played where I am happy to spend loads of time just looking around in amazement at the surroundings. The man hours that went into this must have been insane.

Only problem I have is the sheer scope of the game. Magicka, perks, smithing, cooking and infinite more. It's so much I just don't know if I will be able to grasp it all

Did anyone else feel this way when they first started playing?

I Dl'd from steam on Sunday, the last time I played anything like this was back in the days of text only rpg's on something like an Amstrad CPC in the 80's. I'm beginning to think I missed out quite a lot. Trouble is I'm a bit impatient and tend to follow through with quests even though I'm only level 9. Got to figure out how to boost stuff without plunging headlong into quests - ill prepared. I die too often at the moment, and can't carry enough gear with me. Been BF3ing for over 120h's lately but didn't touch it once yesterday. I think I spent 16h's on this ... do you think I'm hooked?

 

[Ezah]

Is anyone on a second play through yet?

I ask because I am wondering how different the story could be on subsequent games. One reason I loved the Witcher 2 was that I could complete it 3x and each time have a very different story, outcome and experience, not just with Magic v Melee etc, but in terms of storyline decisions made.

In Skyrim I sided with Imperial, and I appreciate you could also join other factions,.. but how many decisions are there to be made which can affect the story line? Or is it basically going to be the same just with an alternate quest line thrown in here and there.

Not knocking Skyrim at all, as the free-play ending is excellent.. just wondering if its worth to reroll.

 

[Skepticx]

Is anyone on a second play through yet?

I ask because I am wondering how different the story could be on subsequent games. One reason I loved the Witcher 2 was that I could complete it 3x and each time have a very different story, outcome and experience, not just with Magic v Melee etc, but in terms of storyline decisions made.

In Skyrim I sided with Imperial, and I appreciate you could also join other factions,.. but how many decisions are there to be made which can affect the story line? Or is it basically going to be the same just with an alternate quest line thrown in here and there.

Not knocking Skyrim at all, as the free-play ending is excellent.. just wondering if its worth to reroll.

I dont really think its worth a replay. (i will be playing it again for a class reroll) Apart from playing a different class/spec i dont see any reason to replay it.

 

[shaggyd]

After playing Skyrim in most of my spare time, sister-in-law bought me parts 1&2 of Book 3 in the Game of Thrones series. Just hope someone brings out a Mountainmen mod for Skyrim, love to see Shagga and his motley crew clobbering knights.

 

[Flubble]

58 hours played and i've hardly gone away from riverwood and whiterun lol

 

[Ezah]

I swear, half my time was spent on inventory management! so many items you think may come in handy later, hoarding like crazy.

 

[TrixiBuG]

I dont really think its worth a replay. (i will be playing it again for a class reroll) Apart from playing a different class/spec i dont see any reason to replay it.

I have just started playing after watching the boyfriend play

He has been helping me out with a few hints and tips - hide your stuff in that barrel it will be safe etc - but we are playing 2 very different games

He his a male warrior/ knight Nord with daedrick armor (heavy armor) at 600 or something, uses a 2 handed weapon and only uses potions to enhance his sward eek or to up his health in battle. He is now head of the Thieves Guild and the Companions and had Mjoll as his follower. He fast travels A LOT through the game and is mainly concentrating on the main story and the larger side quests

Where as I am playing the Mage side of the game as an Imperial female - I am the head of Winterhold Collage (an easy task i know but the boyfriend never bothered to do this), I use potions in all most all of my quests, running round collecting loads of plants on my mooch around the land. I favor the Elven Light Armor and I am aiming to make Dragon Scale Armor eventually! I like to wonder around and find places and do silly little side quests with my mercenary follower Janessa and with horses that i buy and then they tend to die quite quickly! I have done some of the main story, but I like hunting out all the little odd quests.

We are playing the same game but from two completely different angles. I keep coming across things that he missed on his game and vice versa. For example i had a random fugitive stop me (mid fight) to give me an Orc bow with some huge enchantment and told me to hold on to it for him...the boyfriend had done the same quest earlier on in the day and it didn't happen to him!

He has said that on the 2nd time round playing he is going to go the way of the thief and sneak

Love this game...

 

[Evilsod]

There has never been much in the way of choice (as memory serves)in TES. The great houses where you could only join one in Morrowind for example was probably one of the more major ones. Otherwise it mostly just boils down to a) kill, b) persuade or c) don't do the quest in the first place.

Its pretty much entirely down to your playstyle. The short, shallow Mages Guild quest is nothing like it was on Oblivion, much less Morrowind, where you actually had to be good at the core skills of the guild to get anywhere which seems to be a lame excuse for doing such a **** job with the quest lines, you can do all of them instead of having 1 or 2 very in-depth ones.

I'm looking forward to an attempt as an Illusionist where I calm or fear everything.

 

[matt_fsr]

he short, shallow Mages Guild quest is nothing like it was on Oblivion, much less Morrowind, where you actually had to be good at the core skills of the guild to get anywhere which seems to be a lame excuse for doing such a **** job with the quest lines, you can do all of them instead of having 1 or 2 very in-depth ones.

Must admit I was pretty disappointed in the disturbingly short, totally mage-lacking mages guild quest. My sneaky-thief managed to become arch-mage with only 100 points of magic, despite being level 30ish.

Oblivion actually felt like you were joining the mages guild, and progressing through their quest line certainly felt like you had to be somewhat magical, and that pure or battle mages would have an easier time of things.

Also, I miss the mages guild pre-requisites. In Oblivion, you had a task from each mages guild house to complete, before you could even join!

In Skyrim, rather disappointingly you either need to cast 1 naff spell, or shout 'fus' and they let you sign up

 

[XysteR]

I loved Skyrim the very second i entered the game - How amazingly detailed it is. Started the main quest chain and killed Alduin at lvl 12 with a pants bow. This was the easiest boss i've ever done in any game. Unfortunately it knocked the stuffing out of the game for me and i've not touched it since. I wish they made him something that can only be defeated by someone in above average gear. The ice trolls were a lot harder to kill than Alduin when i encountered them at an even lower level lol

I may go back to kill Alduin again, but this time i'm going to kill him naked with a pewter mug!

 

[Kainz]

Great video tutorial I just found on enchanting weapons, armour and how to use soul gems. I already had some basic knowledge of this stuff but this has helped me understand it a bit better as I want to get into enchanting. Might be helpful to some others here too.

Rar, nice one for that. For once I actually understand how the system works now

 

[Evilsod]

Must admit I was pretty disappointed in the disturbingly short, totally mage-lacking mages guild quest. My sneaky-thief managed to become arch-mage with only 100 points of magic, despite being level 30ish.

Oblivion actually felt like you were joining the mages guild, and progressing through their quest line certainly felt like you had to be somewhat magical, and that pure or battle mages would have an easier time of things.

Also, I miss the mages guild pre-requisites. In Oblivion, you had a task from each mages guild house to complete, before you could even join!

In Skyrim, rather disappointingly you either need to cast 1 naff spell, or shout 'fus' and they let you sign up

Yeah the entry requirements are a joke. Can't say I was too keen on those bloody entry quests for Oblivion but thats because you didn't get access to a Spellmaking Altar until you'd gained access to Arcane University which always made it feel like a chore, but you don't need a shred of magical ability to join the college. Hell I'm not even sure you need a shred of fighting skill either to join the Companions, just a weapon to 'show them your arm' and some potions to keep your health up during the brawl quests.

At least the Thieves guild you'll have a much easier time if you're good at stealth/pickpocketing and the Brotherhood you just need to get things done while preferably avoiding a bounty (I'm really looking forward to reverse pickpocketing Frenzy poisons onto the targets and having the guards kill them for me ).

I quite liked the Brotherhood questline overall, Cicero did become less annoying and more hilarious after the first couple of encounters (the encounter north of Whiterun before you join the Brotherhood is great too). Certainly made up for the atrocious College questline. Your fellow apprentices had more depth to them than the rest of the faculty!

 

[Amraam]

How do I actually start the DB quest? I have had few black sacraments sent out for me and I've heard about the boy trying to start one. Not sure how or where to go to start it?

A hint would be nice

 

[Ezah]

How do I actually start the DB quest? I have had few black sacraments sent out for me and I've heard about the boy trying to start one. Not sure how or where to go to start it?

A hint would be nice

I think its related to the Boy quest, then try going to sleep in your bed once in a while after doing that job for the boy