Skyrim

Anybody still playing this? I recently started again after losing my save and have decided to use nothing but magic. Just completed Bleak falls barrow so the first thing I'm doing is all the side quests.

I might give it another go soon, I was a mage predominately last time so do the opposite!

I always think of playing it again, but don't think it'll ever be as good as that first time. One of the few games that lived up to huge expectations I think, it was better than I could have ever hoped and Bethesda cemented their place for me as probably the best games developers in the world.

What I plan to do is buy all the DLC, hoping it goes on sale after Christmas as that's what happened with Fallout 3 (which I bought all the DLC for and ended up with over 100 hours on one save, think I'm already over that with my Skyrim one).

It has taken me less than a minute after posting that comment to not be able to resist and switch my Xbox on to play Skyrim.

I stupidly sold this a little whole ago and now I'm itching to play it again.

It's £15 on Play at the moment, what a bargain. I absolutely love Skyrim, I play about 2 hours a week because I don't want to finish it. Some weeks all I get to do is improve my smithing, sell some stuff, and enchant some weapons. Other weeks I get to kill dragons, maybe finish a quest...

One of my top 3 games of all time, without doubt.

I'm just hoping the MMO version isn't a complete flop.

There is a sale on today only on Xbox360 for the first two DLC for skyrim. Hearth fire and Dawnguard are both 50% off. 800 MSP for Dawnguard and 200 MSP for Hearthfire.

I didn't sell it after all! Nowhere near finished the main story yet... Playing FarCry 3 at the moment, which is excellent by the way.

Traded in PS3 at the weekend as it was on its way out and picked up a 360 with Skyrim, spent the last two days smithing iron daggers to get my dragon armour! Will upgrade to Daedric as I do the quests but so far I've done very little.

hampo171 wrote: spent the last two days smithing iron daggers to get my dragon armour!

That's one of the few things that bugs me about Skyrim, how levelling up skills can be done but it literally does suck the life out of you. Two days is far, far too long to max up ANY skill, I've not bothered with any of them (think my enchanting is on about L70 at the moment).

Gutted I missed the 50% off sale, I'd have downloaded both of those DLCs.

Reminds me of Ultima Online where you'd spend an afternoon catching rabbits and chickens etc

Ultima! Yes! Never played Online, but one of my top 5 all-time games is Ultima Underworld, that game was immense! And I'd say Skyrim is the first game since then to truly grip the inner RPG lover in me.

K-PX0110 wrote:There is a sale on today only on Xbox360 for the first two DLC for skyrim. Hearth fire and Dawnguard are both 50% off. 800 MSP for Dawnguard and 200 MSP for Hearthfire.

I can't believe I missed this.

Due to this thread I blew the dust off Skyrim lat last night and restarted it, aiming to go sneaky sneaky rogue this time as last time round I was a proper pyro mage.

I'm one of those cowards who fights with two swords, then retreats to use magic to heal (while casting a flame atronach to keep my opponents busy), then charges back in to finish the job.

I couldn't possibly imagine NOT having heavy armour and sword in hand, it's unnatural.

I had the staff that summoned a demon to assist me which was a fair bit harder than the atronach, often I'd just send that in immediately to tank whilst I nuked from a safe distance.

See I find most of the quests quite boring, so I just roam the countryside killing stuff. I've got 4/5 of the main storyline quests still to do!

Just started playing this guys. I'm a nord.

Any tips for a noob? I'm in Whiterun at the moment.

Get a follower who's a fighter...I spent time making potions, some can sell for large amounts of money. Smithing does the same thing. Basically, save frequently, talk to everyone, and do the quests sooner rather than later. If you leave a quest until level 40, the enemies you face will be level 40 as well. Which can be tough without the right follower.

Whiterun is the focal point of my adventures, I just pick a direction and wander off killing stuff. There's a ruin nearby (NW I think) with a few guys waiting for you, plus the Moonstone smithy or somesuch name. Once I cleared that out, dragons always seem to appear there.

Had an hour last night - was crafting and tempering a few items for some woman in Whiterun.

Tried working on my archery a little - which is still awful - but I quite like the idea of sneaking around and getting a shot in before they've seen me. I paid some cat-like creature to teach me how to sneak.

My archery is about Level 40 now, but I still can't get to grips with it / like it. It IS useful for taking our mammoths from long range though, otherwise you get massacred.

I've gotten bored of swords now so going purely with magic. Seems alot easier this way as well

I can't ever get bored with swords. Being a medieval re-enactor means I sleep with the things...

I prefer the traditional weapons...not too keen on magic.

Archery and swords all the way for me, blood and gore!!

I found some woman in the drunken huntsman inn (something like that?) who was a mercenary, wanted money for her to join me. Anyone know if she is a decent fighter? Does she then just follow you around permanently?

Yes you can get a henchman from a few places (as well as a pet dog). If you're a magic user then they're really helpful for pulling aggro off you whilst you nuke from a distance.
Some as well just join up with you and you don't have to pay them as long as you complete some quest etc.

Note sure about how decent she is, but the best followers I've had have cost me 500 gold a pop. They do follow you everywhere, except when a quest makes you do stuff on your own. I always make sure I have a fighter with me when I'm dungeoneering.

I'd wait until you get given your first follower by the Jarl Fists, the other way is to help Fangel in Riverwood trick some girl in to thinking her fella is an arse. That way he followers you and can help you improve your archery.

Have to say playing a rogue style approach makes the smallest of dungeon takes flippin forever compared to burning everything in site.

Hero wrote:Have to say playing a rogue style approach makes the smallest of dungeon takes flippin forever compared to burning everything in site.

I bet

I love how this game just ropes you back in, like you've never been away. I hadn't played it for nearly two months, but I've had it on the last three nights!

I kept getting killed in this one dungeon by Whiterun...a bandit, a chief bandit and some magic guy...managed to deck them with my warhammer in the end though.

There are some nasty ones out there. I stumbled across a random cave, and got attacked by three vampires and a horde of men. I used up quite a few healing potions on that bad boy!

Can anyone tell me if it is worth levelling up magicka (I'm a nord)?

So far I have levelled up twice but used one on health and one on stamina.

All depends on your build. I'm a fighter, so I chose 1 health, 1 stamina, 1 health, 1 stamina. But if you want to be a fighter-mage, do 1 of each. A mage-only would be lots of magicka.

I use my magicka to heal myself, that's about it really. Oh, and the atronach conjuring

There are plenty of ways to boost your magicka though - enchanting at higher levels gets you some pretty good boosts (I did one recently that gave me +50 magicka heavy plate boots, so I had great protection plus magicka for healing).

How do I even use this magicka? Haha. I'm planning on just using swords and bows to be honest, so probably better suited following a similar levelling pattern to yourself.

I noticed I had some commanding shout or something similar, not sure how to use that though?

If you level the bow skill high enough the game is pretty easy.

Depends on your console Fists, on XBOX I think it's one of the shoulder buttons. Basically, you can speak the language of dragons, so throughout the game you can find new words to speak. You unlock these by killing dragons in the wild, then using their souls to 'unlock' the words on the menus. The shout you have will knock your opponents back; with all three parts of that shout unlocked, it'll knock them flying and make them vulnerable.

I'm surprised at people saying that they used followers, I can't stand them, didn't like them on Fallout 3 either, they always just get in the way.

When I play, I tend to use light armour so I can carry more, a one handed-sword (Ebony) with Close Wounds usually the spell selected. Tend to just hack and slash everything, but sometimes will use magicka and shouts. Very occasionally I'll sneak and use bow and arrow.

I get lonely. Plus, if a draugr scares the bejeezus out of me, I can run away, compose myself, then run back in

I think it depends on the build Crimey, I was pure mage last time, every xp went on magicka so if I got rushed by a mob or a boss my pyjama level armour didn't really defend much from the onslaught. Sending in a demon or a follower to herd up the baddies which I could safely barbeque from a distance was great.

I'll probably not bother with a follower though this time round as whilst I'm sneaking through the shadows and blading people in the back of the neck a flame atronach wandering about beside may give the game away somewhat.

I've read people moaning about their followers wading into combat rather than sneaking around with them...it never occurred to them to cut their followers loose! Sneaking is definitely a solitary role, no room for hack-and-slash accomplices.

I think my next quest is to go to some barrow or other. Might hang around in Whiterun for a bit first...see if I can find any improvements.

Bleak Falls Barrow was my first one, loaded with goodies, I did the lot before I ever stepped foot in Whiterun and without a follower. I went back 5/6 times for all the loot I left behind.

Oh right so I should be ok to go there solo, then?

You could do, I did it and I'm generally rubbish at games like Skyrim! If you take a follower, you can load them up with goodies - so it'll cut down the time it takes to clear it out. May as well.

Fists go back to Riverwood before the Barrow, find Faendal and do what he asks, he'll then follow you for free and can train your archery.

Might pay that mercenary woman in the pub...

Fascinating game, can't wait to have another go when I get home from work.

EDIT: Hampo, thanks for that buddy, that sounds like a smarter idea.

That's a good tip, also the shop in Riverwood has a side quest involving an item you need for the barrow. Gives you a good profit too.

Ah thank you gents, I'll perhaps get an hour on it tonight so will try and do those things then.