Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim

[Distinct muttering]

I figured out the alchemy/enchanting loop myself, but did check what the upper limit was (and then didn't bother hitting it, lol).

Sneak, Archery and the Thief stone meant I levelled up nice and steadily until I maxed both skills, but then Alchemy, Smithing and Enchanting provided quick levelling after. Once you've got good enchanting you can also boost low skills to make it easier to level them up.

What does the thief stone do again? I remember it was the first one I found, but I have since just activated each one I have found since without even thinking about it.

What do you mean about enchanting boosting lower skills makIng them easier to level up?

I have only really dabbled in smithing, enchanting, and alchemy in the last week or so, but can already see missing out on a massive part of the game, especially if your aim is to reach god like status! However the alchemy especially remains a massive enigma. I have eat the odd thing, and mixed some random stuff, but mainly I get potion failed. Do you find books with ingredients or is it all hit and miss? I wish there was some sort of mini game that allowed you to find links between ingredients to help you along.

Oh, and my next step needs to be to visit the Mage college, I'm still only rocking my fire destruction and healing spell!

So much to do!!!!

[robdood]

@nap: there is no XP in Skyrim, well not like fallout anyway. You level up by levelling your skills, ie by using them

@syntax: re the enchanting to help boost levelling of low stats.. basically, if you have a crap skill (eg my 2 handed is on about 18 still) you can enchant a set of equipment to give you "2 handed damage +XX%" bonuses, which will make you much stronger with that skill than you should be at low levels, making it easier to use to kill shit and level up.

[robdood]

PS I'm on 83 hours and lvl 44, archery and sneak on 100, a few other skills (smithing, enchanting, alchemy) in the 90s, and the rest I have no idea. I recently bumped the difficulty up one from 'normal' since I'd literally not had any challenge since about level 15.

[Vorgot]

Bah, since I can't find this anywhere cheap I've gone back to Oblivion. Never did do Shivering Isles to I'm going to try to that, but I'm on a new xbox with no old save file so had to start again. Blasting through the main quest without levelling up so the mobs are easy to kill, then I'll go pootling.

Thing is, reading this thread is just showing me just how much more refined Skyrim is, with a lot of new funky ideas. Ah well, first world problems eh

[Monkeyspill]

I've done too much hoarding, my house in whiterun has:

Ground Floor

In the Alchemy nook - chest full of ingredients above the bookshelf

On the back wall - a cupboard full of shitty potions

In the main room by the fire - container I use to either keep all my companion's gear if I send her home, or all my gear if I need to go smithing in my underpants

1st floor

Lydia's Room

Misc shit (jewels, dragon bits, other shite I picked up by mistake) in her bedside table

Drawers full of scrolls

1st floor landing:

Chest full of smithing stuff

Chest full of filled Soul gems

My Bedroom (where Lydia sets reading a book, silently hating me)

Chest full of armour, weapons, rings etc

Bedside table full of dragon priest masks

Other bedside table full of bounty notes and stuff of that nature (I was originally just dropping tyhese on the floor but I started getting slowdown)

all of the containers will overencumber me if I empty them, but the weapon one is a total disgrace, easily 10k of weight in that fucker.

I'm in the same position and it's difficult to sell as I've got items worth 5000ish when traders only ever have about 1000 gold.

[Distinct muttering]

PS I'm on 83 hours and lvl 44, archery and sneak on 100, a few other skills (smithing, enchanting, alchemy) in the 90s, and the rest I have no idea. I recently bumped the difficulty up one from 'normal' since I'd literally not had any challenge since about level 15.

I tend not to have too many problems as a I am mainly an archer/sneaking dude, with some handy two handed skills to back me up when things get a little more up close and personal.

However sometimes when in an enclosed space it all gets a bit much and I tend to get overwhelmed. Case in point last night was with the quest in finding the redguard woman. Got to the bandit hideout where the Alikr where hiding out and I really struggled to defeat them, so just decided to side with them in the end.

[jonamok]

If it's like Fallout 3 the easier the difficulty the slower you level up.

Ahah!! This is the first time I have ever read this, and now my ratio of significantly less than 1 level gained per 2 hours played makes more sense. Upping the difficulty level immediately.

[Stolly]

I'm not working hard though ... I've just bought my house and I'm still level 10 after something close to 50 hours. But I spend a lot of time just walking around and taking in the sights, doing odd jobs and easy questing. I tend to avoid conflict resulting in a small amount of kills too. I find that when I go into dungeons proper the levelbar moves pretty swiftly, but days pass without actually going into a dungeon but rather doing more mundane stuff like going around town and talking to everybody and reading books. I've got the difficulty at the default setting, haven't touched it. Unlike Fallout 3, completing quests doesn't seem to give any XP.

I've been similar to you Nap and now, at 90 hours, I'm just short of level 30. I haven't been very conventional - my biggest skill is sneak, followed by archery and then heavy armour which are all in the mid 60's to low 70's (I can't remember to be honest). My enchanting isnt too bad nor my one handed and, unless I run out of interesting perks, that gang of five skills are the ones I concentrate on while levelling up. I tend to pay for whatever training I can get on whatever skill is available though. I'm playing on default too (adept). I don't use much magic and I suspect my most used spell is healing and tend to arrow most things to death or single hand axe/sword or dagger them, with a suitable spell rather than a shield in my left hand.

They don't seem to have a 'moseying about' stat listed but, if they did, I'd have maxed out by now

[Cheyenne]

Also, for anyone starting a new game, it's worth noting that the person leading you through the tutorial can't die and won't turn on you, so you can pummel them endlessly to level up skills. I was level 12 before I'd finished the opening (Two-Handed and Sneak were 40, One-Handed 35, Destruction 32, a level or two in Restoration and Light Armor). Handy exploit.

[Nicky]

blergh, what's the point?

[TheSlugFormerlyKnownAsNap]

Also, for anyone starting a new game, it's worth noting that the person leading you through the tutorial can't die and won't turn on you, so you can pummel them endlessly to level up skills. I was level 12 before I'd finished the opening (Two-Handed and Sneak were 40, One-Handed 35, Destruction 32, a level or two in Restoration and Light Armor). Handy exploit.

That's not really the spirit of roleplaying though, is it? Good find though I suppose, only a Bethesda game is completely breakable before it has even properly started

[Cheyenne]

It depends on your laziness. I exploited it for my second character, as I find that despite trying to specialise in different areas, the opening hours are pretty similar as you will more often than not be relying on melee weapons and a shield. At least now my character has enough Health, Stamina and Magicka to be able to properly stand a chance at whatever it is he's trying to be.

I am also incredibly lazy.

[Teeohbee]

Seems an odd question but has anyone tried any of the iPhone apps for Skyrim.

After a quick search there seems to be loads of them and it'd be quite cool to have a companion app of some sort, especially if it could do the following.

- Keep track of cleared dungeons

- Keep track of ingredients etc and what potions can be created

- Annotated Map

I know it's all superfluous but is there anything out there like it?

[TheSlugFormerlyKnownAsNap]

I got the app with the map, which is quite nice. You get all the locations on a zoomable affair (artwork fits in the style of Skyrim), every location has a link to the Skyrim Wikia and a notes section with remarks put in by the developers of the app and you can add your own (like cleared dungeons and the like). It's called SkyrimMap .

[SpagMasterSwift]

SPAGGLEHORN hasn't checked in for a while so here's a quick update on the questing. After saving Skyrim it was time for the real challenge, the one SPAGGLEHORN had been building up to, the ultimate showdown at Shearpoint! He dropped in on his wife Uthgerd, who was sat by the fire chomping on a loaf of bread, and decided that he should finally repay her for all the work she had done at the store with a bit of action. And so it went, together they smote that mean old dragon, but tragically his love fell against the Dragon Priest. SPAGGLEHORN heaved her corpse into the awaiting tomb, shed a tear and grabbed back some weapons and cheese. A bitter sweet ending to his time in Skyrim, he was master of everything except death itself.

As the snow fell and the lights in the sky danced SPAGGLEHORN suddenly became angry, he had saved this world from darkness, slain dragons with his bare hands, helped all who had asked, he was practically a saint! And this was to be his reward? No, it was time for a new evil to rise.

Once he arrived in Windhelm, in search of the Dark Brotherhood, SPAGGLEHORN picked up the trail of a likeminded soul who had been slicing up the local women. But this 'Butcher' turned out to be some lame old wizard...or did it? SPAGGLEHORN did not care for there was a new Butcher in town. After slashing the throats of some local guards and townsfolk he got them naked (of course), dumped their bodies in a fire and waited. Surely this deed would be enough to get the attention of those he sort?

Before he knew it SPAGGLEHORN was a brother of darkness, he decided to wear the black mask of his first victim as he set out on his new mission...a mission of EVIL!

This game just doesn't stop!XD

[MDY]

Really enjoying this, though got another comedy glitch..

Went to see the Greybeards to learn about shouting..

"Prove you're Dragon-born" they cry.. "Do not fear, your shouts cannot harm us"

Yeah? Tell that to the one of you who got his head stuck in the wall after you upgraded it..

[Wickedkitten]

Does anyone use the dragon shout app?

[fasteasyfree]

Does anyone use the dragon shout app?

I was about to check it out, but it's got some dodgy permission requirements...

[Tangent]

So I did what I always seem to do in these games – I got a bit overpowered, I got a bit tired of my chosen specialisms, and I eventually gave into my urge to complete the main storyline quests.

So I started a new character, with completely different race, a different emphasis on skills, and a different chosen weapon (sneaky bows ahoy!) with the aim of doing completely different quests this time around. I hadn’t touched the daedric, thieves guild or dark brotherhood quests first time around. Can’t wait for the next 30 or 40hrs

[robdood]

Ahah!! This is the first time I have ever read this, and now my ratio of significantly less than 1 level gained per 2 hours played makes more sense. Upping the difficulty level immediately.

I honestly can't see how the difficult has any bearng on your levelling.

[gospvg]

Does anyone use the dragon shout app?

Yes good for remembering locations I have discovered but not yet visited.

[spork]

So I'm going to get back into this tonight since not playing since before Christmas. Are there any must have mods yet that will fix things like the ui and map etc?

[sir stiff_one]

Every time you hit someone with your one handed sword, you are improving the stat for one handed weapons. Every time a skill goes up a level, you get a bit of progress on your character's levelling bar until eventually you level up.

Thusly, you go out battling stuff, you level up your one handed skill a few levels by bashing people in, you earn a few levels on blocking by blocking a lot, you earn some levels in heavy armour as you get hit a lot - all these level ups push your character level bar up, maybe pushing you from level 14 to level 15 while adventuring. Sweet.

So the way it works is: the better you get at things (fighting, enchanting, alchemy, magic, etc etc) the higher level character you become. As you level up, so does most of the world around you, so those dopey drahgrs in the dungeons you managed to kill at level 9 should still pose a challenge at level 19 and 29 and 39 and so on.

In fact, if you focus on levelling crafting skills, your character level will go up, enemies will get harder and you'll go into a dungeon and find it even harder than you did at an earlier level, because the game knows you're level 25 but you've earned it by fannying about with potions instead of earning your stripes smushing up bears and trolls.

Napoleon's way of playing is cool and requires that he continue to play in that way. If he wants to get good with a sword, as you'd expect he needs to go out and find the Hattori Hanzo Skyrim equivalent (buy a sweet blade from somewhere/find it/steal it), and get training in the forest, bashing sheep and mudcrabs, grazing his knees and getting blisters until after a montage backed by excellently inspiring music he emerges from the glades, muscles flexed, all trained up and ready to lop some heads off.

[Teeohbee]

Skyrim is one of the games that would benefit most from an official companion iOS/Android app that links into your game.

Imagine a map that updates as you explore the world, tap to add a note to your phone map and the waypoint will show up on your game map.

Don't have enough gaming time to read the in-game books, add them to a bookshelf at any of your homes and have access to it from the app!

Stat tracking, lots of misc. info to trawl through. Check your current quests and mark the ones on your phone you want to crack on with when you get back on the big screen.

I think stuff like this has loads of potential (maybe because I loved the Dreamcast VMU!) but I'm surprised that so few official apps make it onto the appstore.

[jonamok]

I honestly can't see how the difficult has any bearng on your levelling.

No idea, just going on dng's authoritative sounding post - and no-one has mentioned this (or denied it) before. Assume if true it's something to do with more "XP" per skill use at higher game difficulties?

Upped the difficulty anyway - we'll see.

[Aardvark]

No idea, just going on dng's authoritative sounding post - and no-one has mentioned this (or denied it) before. Assume if true it's something to do with more "XP" per skill use at higher game difficulties?

Upped the difficulty anyway - we'll see.

It would be crap. Put up difficulty, do Smithing, Enchanting, Alchemy, etc. and then put it back to normal.

[TheSlugFormerlyKnownAsNap]

Skyrim is one of the games that would benefit most from an official companion iOS/Android app that links into your game.

Imagine a map that updates as you explore the world, tap to add a note to your phone map and the waypoint will show up on your game map.

Don't have enough gaming time to read the in-game books, add them to a bookshelf at any of your homes and have access to it from the app!

Stat tracking, lots of misc. info to trawl through. Check your current quests and mark the ones on your phone you want to crack on with when you get back on the big screen.

I think stuff like this has loads of potential (maybe because I loved the Dreamcast VMU!) but I'm surprised that so few official apps make it onto the appstore.

Give this man a marketing job.

I'd happily pay a fiver for an app like that.

[Kryptonian]

Skyrim is one of the games that would benefit most from an official companion iOS/Android app that links into your game.

Imagine a map that updates as you explore the world, tap to add a note to your phone map and the waypoint will show up on your game map.

Don't have enough gaming time to read the in-game books, add them to a bookshelf at any of your homes and have access to it from the app!

Stat tracking, lots of misc. info to trawl through. Check your current quests and mark the ones on your phone you want to crack on with when you get back on the big screen.

I think stuff like this has loads of potential (maybe because I loved the Dreamcast VMU!) but I'm surprised that so few official apps make it onto the appstore.

Is there a way to tweet a link to this to Bethedsa in the hope they do something along those lines? I tried getting the link on my phone but it seems technology hates me.

Shame they probably / definitely won't do anything though, it's a fantastic idea

[gospvg]

Skyrim is one of the games that would benefit most from an official companion iOS/Android app that links into your game.

Imagine a map that updates as you explore the world, tap to add a note to your phone map and the waypoint will show up on your game map.

Don't have enough gaming time to read the in-game books, add them to a bookshelf at any of your homes and have access to it from the app!

Stat tracking, lots of misc. info to trawl through. Check your current quests and mark the ones on your phone you want to crack on with when you get back on the big screen.

I think stuff like this has loads of potential (maybe because I loved the Dreamcast VMU!) but I'm surprised that so few official apps make it onto the appstore.

Excellent idea & only a matter of time I think before it is likely to happen with a triple A game. COD MW3 app is being released (or maybe already) which gives you some in-game info.

[MrPogo]

Finally getting round to the "civil war" quests at level 50, and see the difficultly level has been set with the expectation that you'll tackle them a lot sooner. Actually makes it pretty cool though; single handedly slicing your way through an entire battalion of troops, then entering a building, seeing five bodyguards charging towards you and dispatching the lot with a single exploding fireball