Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim

[DC]

So I don't want to risk spoilers by reading back through - do I install or run from disc on the 360? I am afraid of the papier mache disc drive combusting...

[ilpostino]

Run from disc for now.

[Hello Goaty ♥]

There are people saying Nooooo dont do it yet. As theres a problem with textures. ( waiting for a patch apparently )

Mine is on the Hard Drive, and I see nothing that troubles me!

[MrPogo]

Went swimming off the North coast and almost drowned under an iceberg. Couldn't find a clear bit of surface!

[redbloodcell]

Sounds like you need to up the difficulty.

Good god no, me and my exquisite Ebony bow are having far too much fun! Something I did notice and wanted to ask about - I looked to put an enchantment on and noticed that it significantly reduces the amount of base damage that the weapon would do (we're talking nearly 20 points worse!), does that reduce as you get better at enchanting? Not going to affect this playthrough as I'm running an almost pure Thief now (couldn't resist the smithing though), but wouldn't mind knowing.

[Jamin]

So I don't want to risk spoilers by reading back through - do I install or run from disc on the 360? I am afraid of the papier mache disc drive combusting...

I've installed it to HDD and seen none of the texture pop up others have complained about.

A quick conjuring question - I've got a 'raise dead to fight for you' spell, but have tried to use it twice without anything seemingly happen. Am I doing it wrong? In Oblivion you would cast it and a skeleton/whatever would raise from the ground. In Skyrim do you actually have to aim it at, say, a dead skeleton, and it will then come to life? Or do you have to aim the spell directly at an enemy?

The soul trap spell on this is bloody harsh on your mana. One squeeze of it and half my magicka bar goes! It used to use up but a slither of mana on Oblivion.

[Talk Show Host]

I've installed it to HDD and seen none of the texture pop up others have complained about.

A quick conjuring question - I've got a 'raise dead to fight for you' spell, but have tried to use it twice without anything seemingly happen. Am I doing it wrong? In Oblivion you would cast it and a skeleton/whatever would raise from the ground. In Skyrim do you actually have to aim it at, say, a dead skeleton, and it will then come to life? Or do you have to aim the spell directly at an enemy?

The soul trap spell on this is bloody harsh on your mana. One squeeze of it and half my magicka bar goes! It used to use up but a slither of mana on Oblivion.

You have to point on a dead body in order for it work. It doesn't work as an actual conjuration spell but more or less as a re-animated type.

[Matt Defis]

This game is

Magnificent.

[Jamin]

You have to point on a dead body in order for it work. It doesn't work as an actual conjuration spell but more or less as a re-animated type.

Ah, thanks for the confirmation. Wish I hadn't wasted 200 gold buying the damned spell now, the Oblivion one was much more useful! That said this new system could make for some rather entertaining battles versus two undead - focus on one, kill him, cast spell to reanimate him, he then fights for you. Awesome.

[Guest]

So I am experimenting with alchemy but I want to give enchanting a go. Is there an enchanter person in whiterun? I can't find one.

Also the help said you need an enchant spell? Does the enchanter person give it to you?

The enchanter and table is in Dragonsreach. He sells spells too. Go into Dragonsreach in Whiterun, up the stairs and it's the first right.

To put enchantments on weapons or items you need to first dechant a weapon or item with an enchantment on.

That destroys the item yet you learn the enchantment from it.

Thing is, at lower levels (without perks too I think), your early enchantments won't match that of the item your destroyed. Yet you need to do it to learn the enchantments.

One difference I've just found is soul trap. I got a sword with soul trap on it and dechanted it...the sword was "soul trap if enemy dies within 3 seconds" - I could choose between 1 and 5; lower meant more charges. I've applied this to my Orcish Bow, with 1 second, as I'm going to try to sneak/kill in one shot. Immediate soul trap.

Soul trap is needed to suck souls into soul gems, and you need a soul gem to enchant a weapon too. I think the larger/better the soul gem the more powerful the enchantment - at the moment I've not had anything other than common soul gems.

[JLR]

Ah, thanks for the confirmation. Wish I hadn't wasted 200 gold buying the damned spell now, the Oblivion one was much more useful! That said this new system could make for some rather entertaining battles versus two undead - focus on one, kill him, cast spell to reanimate him, he then fights for you. Awesome.

As far as I'm aware, it can be any dead dude. Not just undeaders. Get a punk ass bandit on your side

[snowbind]

The map is shite... And the paper one that comes with the game is useless as well. Got totally lost trying to find the grayheads and clairvoyant wasn't finding a path for me

The map is the actual world viewed from pretty high on up. Getting lost and stumbling on new things is half the fun of the game.

[JLR]

The map is the actual world viewed from pretty high on up. Getting lost and stumbling on new things is half the fun of the game.

Aye, definitely. This isn't Zelda

[locke_211]

First slight problem, involving random cave clearing while wandering and a mission from Riften:

I was hunting the Skooma dealer and found they were being supplied from a cave. But I already got the 'cleared' tag to appear on this cave. So I go there, and two new people have appeared, but killing them does nothing to progress the quest. And there's no quest marker over the cave, even though it's the one the quest says to go to. I guess I'm stuck with this one uncompleted. I wonder if it's because it chose the cave to be the hideout as soon as the quest started, but I cleared the cave on a random run through between starting it and being told to go there.

[snowbind]

Aye, definitely. This isn't Zelda

Trollololololol

[Talk Show Host]

Ah, thanks for the confirmation. Wish I hadn't wasted 200 gold buying the damned spell now, the Oblivion one was much more useful! That said this new system could make for some rather entertaining battles versus two undead - focus on one, kill him, cast spell to reanimate him, he then fights for you. Awesome.

I thought the same but suddenly the raise dead spell proved really helpfull in some quests for me. Killing a bandit chief and then raising him to draw fire from some bandit archers, while I replenish, was pretty great - especially as it was a last second solution for me.

[Guest]

Undead Elks FTW. Sparkly.

Tried my apprentice level raise dead spell on a mammoth...wasn't powerful enough!

[Lorfarius]

I haven't come across any weapons or spells that let you drain souls into gems. Any idea where I can get some?

[snowbind]

I randomly picked up a staff which drains souls. I haven't used it yet though. I think it was one a quest in the companion arc.

[scottcr]

The map is the actual world viewed from pretty high on up. Getting lost and stumbling on new things is half the fun of the game.

I know what it is - its just now very helpful. The least it could do is fill in roads and paths as you find them. Just as it does with places.

It is not a useful map.

Regardless - I'm very much enjoying game

[Jamin]

I haven't come across any weapons or spells that let you drain souls into gems. Any idea where I can get some?

There's a dark elf who sells the soul trap spell I'm currently using in the

Inn (forget its name but it's the only one!) at Winterhold.

There was also an axe which has a soul trap enchantment which I picked up for completing a quest from

the Jarl in Whiterun. However Elder Scrolls wiki suggests the enchantment you get for this Axe is random so the odds are you won't get the Soul Trap effect (unless you save and reload when he gives you it!).

[Mallet]

I haven't come across any weapons or spells that let you drain souls into gems. Any idea where I can get some?

I've seen them for sale, I think the blacksmith in Riverwood has one and the court mage in Whiterun sells the spell

[Guest]

I haven't come across any weapons or spells that let you drain souls into gems. Any idea where I can get some?

You can buy a soul trap spell in Dragonsreach from the magey chap.

[snowbind]

From RPS

Ah, this meeting brings back memories. Childhood days, alto wine, romance! My life was wrapped around the quests. Her name was Lydia. I met her at the Stormreach Castle in 4E 201, marked down from 4E 241.

Ahhhh, Lydia. She was the most glooooorious creature under the suns. Marie, Ajira, Akorithi. Rolled into one.

Oh Lydia, oh Lydia

Now have you met Lydia?

Lydia the uuuuuuuseless companion

She has eyes that folks adore so

And a breastplate even more so

Lydia, oh Lydia, as much use as chlamydia

Oh Lydia the queen of to-dos

In a doorway she’ll stand, if given the chance

Blocking access to chests is her foremost romance

Her ultimate goal is to block your advance

You can’t go anywhere with Lydia

La la la, la la la, la la la, la la la

When her bow is unfurled, she’ll fire arrows at the world

But targets need not bother her

She’ll miss rats in Ivarstead, spiders, the undead

And not trouble the wolves of High Hrothgar

La la la, la la la, la la la, la la la

Oh Lydia, oh Lydia, say have you met Lydia?

Oh Lydia the uuuuuuuseless companion

When you go into a basement

At the entrance she’ll make her encampment

Lydia, oh Lydia, get lost in Kolskeggr

Oh Lydia the queen of to-dos

To both combat and tact you only bring shame

With every yawn you emit, my ire I proclaim

Yet whenever you die I load my savegame

You can’t go anywhere with Lydia

La la la, la la la, la la la, la la la

[snowbind]

Here you go scottr, a map mod that lets you zoom all the way down.

http://www.rockpapershotgun.com/2011/11/15/dragons-eye-view-skyrims-ultro-map/

[NecroMorrius]

So I hear destruction is no good at higher levels because it doesn't scale very well giving that there aren't any enchants or the like to increase spell damage, anyone else having trouble at high levels if they went completely mage?

Wondering if I should start training archery before it's too late...

I haven't found this yet, you continually increase your mana pool and mana regen speed, and then augment that with enchants which further increase mana regen, decrease casting costs etc. Then you can spam master spells until the cows come home. Right now I have two items which increase mana regen by 100%, two items which give me +50 mana, an item which gives me -20% casting cost on destruction and an item which gives me -20% casting cost on all types of magic. Throw in a conjured atronach and the weapons you pick up during the mage quest, and you're a walking nukeslinger. The lack of armor means you need to keep your distance and let your companion/atronach tank. I suppose you could always tool up with high-level enchanted heavy armor and make a crazy magetank. One thing I will say is that mages should do the mage college questline as quickly as possible, by taking a coach to winterhold. It will set you up very nicely for the rest of the game.

[Majora]

I probably just haven't done the right quests but after 30 hours the vast majority have basically been 'go to some caves and pick up an item somebody needs at the end.' I'm a little bit disappointed in them compared to the quests in Fallout 3, where they felt more varied and like the player had more input into how they played out. Hopefully the thieves guild and dark brotherhood will add the variety I'm after.

[Mallet]

So I bringing my new character through bleak fall's sanctum and I get to the dungeon boss. I have a great game of cat and mouse with him but when I kill him I can't loot him, so I reload my last save in the dungeon and try again and I still can't loot him.

I've just redone the dungeon from start to finish and I still can't loot him

[a big boy]

Is there a specific point in the main quest where you get a horse, or is it a set place or what? I'm paranoid about missing out because I never got the dog in Fallout 3, and the horse seems like half the fun of the game in this.

[NecroMorrius]

@majora

You're probably doing all the miscellaneous quests, which funnel you into dungeons you haven't been to yet. There are a fair few dungeon crawls either way, but the named quests tend to take you through the bigger dungeons with story/setpiece stuff. I know what you mean though, there's nothing as open and player-choice focused as tenpenny tower yet. I've been dicking around dipping my toe into everything though, the only thing I've gone into deeply was the mage quest which was really good and not confined to dungeon crawls (though involved two really good dungeons)

Is there a specific point in the main quest where you get a horse, or is it a set place or what? I'm paranoid about missing out because I never got the dog in Fallout 3, and the horse seems like half the fun of the game in this.

You can buy a horse any time, or steal one without many repercussions.