The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim

[Thomkal]

Originally Posted by CleBrownsfan

Thanks for the post SA - that makes sense to me

Anyone know if there any decent mods out there yet?

The 10 best Skyrim mods so far | PC Gamer

[JonInMiddleGA]

ping thesloppy, re: your spoiler -- I don't believe there's any prerequisite for that particular thing to work. I used it last night (not even remembering what it did until after I used it) and haven't done anything related to that subject at all.

[Grover]

Originally Posted by JonInMiddleGA

ping thesloppy, re: your spoiler -- I don't believe there's any prerequisite for that particular thing to work. I used it last night (not even remembering what it did until after I used it) and haven't done anything related to that subject at all.

Ditto, I randomly found it today, assuming it's probably the same one. Went right up and used it without issue or anything related to it.

[Izulde]

My archery skill is in red at 15 when it should be 39 even after I cured the bonebreak fever at a temple. Very frustrating, because it's killing me, quite literally. Not sure if it's a glitch or what.

[Crapshoot]

Question - does Extra Pockets increase your weight limit from 300 to 400? If so, godsend.

[TroyF]

Originally Posted by Izulde

My archery skill is in red at 15 when it should be 39 even after I cured the bonebreak fever at a temple. Very frustrating, because it's killing me, quite literally. Not sure if it's a glitch or what.

Make sure you go to the magic section and then effects. My guess is you have a disease. Usually red means there is something affecting it.

[SackAttack]

Originally Posted by JonInMiddleGA

I don't disagree with your description of how "XP" is being handled in Skyrim at all, but the quoted part of your comment jumped out at me as being a weakness of both Oblivion and now Skyrim.

It feels as though there's benefit to things that really shouldn't be beneficial, sneaking gets a boost -- and appears to be the same boost -- regardless of whether there's anyone around to catch you. I occasionally find myself crouched/sneaking at times when I really don't mean to, walking through a town between shops or whatever, somewhere I've just clicked into crouch without realizing it basically ... and suddenly I find out that my sneaking skill has gone up a level.

Do kids get better at catching a baseball if they bounce it off a wall, even if there's nobody there to hit it or throw it to them?

Similar principle. You'll improve either way, but you'll improve more when you have a tangible measurement against which to test yourself. For what it's worth, the vast majority of my sneaking boosts have happened when people are actually around. The ones I've gotten when apparently nobody's around, it may be that there were animals in the vicinity (I think they also count for stealth upgrades).

I know, I know, it's the same kind of metagaming that could be done with the old Acrobatics skill in Oblivion just by jumping everywhere you went. It can be a cheap way to level, you're only cheating yourself, blah blah blah, I know all that & I agree with that interpretation to a fair degree. But isn't that a weakness of the leveling system to some extent? And is it an area where we might someday see an evolution that takes context into consideration more?

Better question maybe: is this an area where we gamers really want to see a more sophisticated evolution?

Yes and no. I mean, there's only so much metagaming you can DO anymore. Stealth is pretty much it, unless there's an 'infinite XP' glitch somewhere where you can persuade someone over and over again to get a boost to speech, for example.

Lockpicking? Learn by doing (some by failing, more by succeeding).

Smithing? Learn by doing. I've yet to fail at smithing, so I don't know if the risk/reward thing applies there, but still.

Armor/combat? Learn by doing. I don't think randomly swinging your sword about gives you any boosts. You have to actually hit/kill shit.

Magic? Same thing. Now, I don't know if you can spam destruction or conjuration or what-have-you for boosts, or if, like armor, you have to actually be using it to a purpose.

I feel like the Skyrim XP system is probably the best of any RPG I've played to date. It's tough to build an organic growth system that's free of weaknesses, but Skyrim's manages the job pretty well, IMO.

[Izulde]

Originally Posted by TroyF

Make sure you go to the magic section and then effects. My guess is you have a disease. Usually red means there is something affecting it.

Yeah I cleared out the disease and it was still red. It corrected itself once I went up another skill point, though. Be damned annoying if I was far away from a skill point increase, though.

[JonInMiddleGA]

Originally Posted by SackAttack

Magic? Same thing. Now, I don't know if you can spam destruction or conjuration or what-have-you for boosts, or if, like armor, you have to actually be using it to a purpose.

Pretty sure you can, I mean, a candlelight spell is a candlelight spell (although as dark as Skyrim is there aren't too many places where it doesn't come in handy other than outside in broad daylight)

[BYU 14]

Originally Posted by JonInMiddleGA

Pretty sure you can, I mean, a candlelight spell is a candlelight spell (although as dark as Skyrim is there aren't too many places where it doesn't come in handy other than outside in broad daylight)

I actually tested this with my flame spell (don't know what prompted me to) and applied equal usage in combat and just torching the countryside out of combat.

Never did go up out of combat. Also regarding sneak, I seem to level up quicker in this skill in combat when I am firing arrows hidden and then ducking back into cover FWIW.

[Simbo Klice]

Originally Posted by PurdueBrad

Probably. Although the most important thing I learned today is that if you're walking along and several people warn you about wolves then the last thing you need to worry about are the wolves.

I had a dragon descend on me when I was on the 7,000 steps, killed it in one landing. This woman watched the whole thing, and her parting words to me were "watch out for wolves." Did you not just see me slay a f'ing dragon???

[JonInMiddleGA]

Originally Posted by BYU 14

I actually tested this with my flame spell (don't know what prompted me to) and applied equal usage in combat and just torching the countryside out of combat. Never did go up out of combat.

Fair enough, I'll gladly stand corrected.

Also regarding sneak, I seem to level up quicker in this skill in combat when I am firing arrows hidden and then ducking back into cover FWIW.

Maybe I'm just leveling it infrequently enough to not notice the differences. Off hand, I don't think I've ever (maybe once) leveled sneak when I was intentionally using it to avoid something.

[Simbo Klice]

Originally Posted by Crapshoot

Question - does Extra Pockets increase your weight limit from 300 to 400? If so, godsend.

Yes. And yes, it's a godsend, especially because by the time you get it you're a good enough pickpocket that you tend to acquire things quickly!

As for powerleveling, Pickpocketing and Smithing have been two places where I've jumped levels fast by spamming something. I think pickpocketing leveling is tied to the value of the item you steal, and if you find a person who has quite a few items of value you can move up a couple levels in the skill right off of them. Smithing, I just kill a lot of animals, make a lot of leather, and smith leather bracers ad nauseum.

[JPhillips]

Originally Posted by Simbo Klice

Yes. And yes, it's a godsend, especially because by the time you get it you're a good enough pickpocket that you tend to acquire things quickly!

As for powerleveling, Pickpocketing and Smithing have been two places where I've jumped levels fast by spamming something. I think pickpocketing leveling is tied to the value of the item you steal, and if you find a person who has quite a few items of value you can move up a couple levels in the skill right off of them. Smithing, I just kill a lot of animals, make a lot of leather, and smith leather bracers ad nauseum.

I don't know about pickpocketing, but smithing needs to be nerfed. You get way too much advancement for each item crafted.

[Simbo Klice]

Originally Posted by JPhillips

I don't know about pickpocketing, but smithing needs to be nerfed. You get way too much advancement for each item crafted.

It seems to flatten out once you get to the 40's, where it takes maybe 3 or 4 items to level. I think maybe diminishing returns should come into play- my guy is a 46 in Smithing and 95% of his experience has come from making leather bracers.

[BYU 14]

Originally Posted by JonInMiddleGA

Maybe I'm just leveling it infrequently enough to not notice the differences. Off hand, I don't think I've ever (maybe once) leveled sneak when I was intentionally using it to avoid something.

It is really sporadic, I had one 15 minute marathon of duck and cover where I went up 3/4 of a level sniping mages, doesn't happen as much when I am just avoiding creatures, so I agree there.

[thesloppy]

Raising your stamina also raises your carrying capacity (thanks, loading tips!)

[DataKing]

Originally Posted by thesloppy

Raising your stamina also raises your carrying capacity (thanks, loading tips!)

Correct. Each time you increase your Stamina by 10 from leveling up you also gain 5 lbs. of carry capacity.

[Izulde]

Originally Posted by BYU 14

I actually tested this with my flame spell (don't know what prompted me to) and applied equal usage in combat and just torching the countryside out of combat.

Never did go up out of combat.

That's because Flames is a combat spell and combat magic only gives you experience when it's used to attack a legal target according to one of the loading screen messages.

[DataKing]

5 Personality Flaws Skyrim Forces You To Deal With | Cracked.com

[GrantDawg]

Originally Posted by DataKing

5 Personality Flaws Skyrim Forces You To Deal With | Cracked.com

So right on:

"If you had come up to me a year ago, disc in hand, hopeful glimmer in your eye, and said that you'd designed a game about butterfly catching and leatherwork, and asked would I mind giving you some feedback? I would have spat in your eye and thrown it in the sewer, then harvested your tears to sell to a Chinese herbalist.But in a world where you allow me to do anything -- fuel a political coup, join an assassin's guild, slay giants, battle dragons -- apparently green-sourcing my cooking ingredients becomes priority #1."

[Chief Rum]

Originally Posted by Crapshoot

Question - does Extra Pockets increase your weight limit from 300 to 400? If so, godsend.

I don't have the game, so i can't be sure, but I can tell you that Hot Pockets increases your weight from 300 to 400 if you eat enough.

[Icy]

Finally bought it today for PS3 and wow, the most beautiful game i have played in PS3 ever, even when i was in love already with BF3.

I tried yesterday a torrent PC version to decide if i wanted it for PC instead, but i decided to go with the PS3 version as graphics are not really that far unless you run it at very high resolution and ultra quality and as my PC is a notebook, i would need to plug it to the TV all the time to see it in a big screen, while the PS3 is just turn on an play.

I might buy it from steam in the future if the mods are too good or add much more to the gameplay and story, but by now the consoles version very good.

[mckerney]

Originally Posted by GrantDawg

So right on:

"If you had come up to me a year ago, disc in hand, hopeful glimmer in your eye, and said that you'd designed a game about butterfly catching and leatherwork, and asked would I mind giving you some feedback? I would have spat in your eye and thrown it in the sewer, then harvested your tears to sell to a Chinese herbalist.But in a world where you allow me to do anything -- fuel a political coup, join an assassin's guild, slay giants, battle dragons -- apparently green-sourcing my cooking ingredients becomes priority #1."

For me it's having someone tell me they're going deer hunting and the only thing I can think to say is, "Be sure to crouch so your sneak attack will deal double damage. Will be good to get some deer hides so you can practice making leather armor, but be sure to be on the look out for iron ore deposits, iron daggers are the best way to level up smithing. Probably best to leave the venison, its not worth how much space it takes up with how little you can sell it for. Potions are better for healing anyway, you should spend most your time picking flowers."

[Grover]

Originally Posted by mckerney

For me it's having someone tell me they're going deer hunting and the only thing I can think to say is, "Be sure to crouch so your sneak attack will deal double damage. Will be good to get some deer hides so you can practice making leather armor, but be sure to be on the look out for iron ore deposits, iron daggers are the best way to level up smithing. Probably best to leave the venison, its not worth how much space it takes up with how little you can sell it for. Potions are better for healing anyway, you should spend most your time picking flowers."

I am terrible at spotting iron ore deposits. Any tips?

[Crapshoot]

15 hours in, and I just got to Whiterun - I want wandering off to some caves I found (some "pass"), and some Fort overrun by bandits which I cleaned out. Its just pure sandbox mode, and I love it.

[mckerney]

Originally Posted by Grover

I am terrible at spotting iron ore deposits. Any tips?

I had been missing quite a fee before I figured it out, I think it basically comes down to noticing the lines in the rocks that ore has. I'll see if I can find some screen shots when I get home from work.

[Grover]

Just finished the Red Eagle quest, pretty sweet weapon drop from him.

[bhlloy]

Wife: we need to stop spending money on anything but essentials
Me: cool, no problem
FOFC: posts a bunch bout skyrim and how awesome it sounds
Me: shit

[thesloppy]

I deem it essential that you play this game.

[lighthousekeeper]

Originally Posted by Grover

I am terrible at spotting iron ore deposits. Any tips?

there is a mod on skyrimnexus with more noticable ore texures

[Crapshoot]

Yeah, I have no clue that iron ore was available anywhere - figured you had to mine it. Any tips for the console?

[Izulde]

Ran into one boss that's a real assfarmer. I'm at lvl 20 so maybe I'm not strong enough for him yet. Might be a case of having to leave and come back later.

[Coffee Warlord]

...Assfarmer?

[Peregrine]

For Iron Ore, check all the Mines you see - I know there is some in the Embersomething mine near the first town you start in. All the ores look like rocks with threads of different colors through them - until you get the hang of it just run around looking at all the rocks and look for the option to activate them. You can also buy iron ingots and sometimes ore from most blacksmiths.

Also, you know you are playing too much Skyrim when you are driving to work and pass some flowers in the median and immediately think you better press E and collect those for alchemy.

[SackAttack]

I get ore/ingots from blacksmiths, yeah. I've also noticed, like...Oblivion was like this with plants - the ones that were bright and vibrant were harvestable, where the ones that were duller were part of the background. Same here.

Same also with the rocks. It seems like the mineable rocks are shinier than the regular rocks (except the ones with moss growing on them that makes them look like gold deposits).

[JonInMiddleGA]

Originally Posted by Peregrine

Also, you know you are playing too much Skyrim when you are driving to work and pass some flowers in the median and immediately think you better press E and collect those for alchemy.

I think that's how you know you're meeting your daily recommended allowance of Skyrim, not "too much"

This happened so frequently with me during my Oblivion binges that my son actually mentioned it the day Skyrim came out, that I'd now start taking more of an interest in flowers & plants around me. Sure enough, I've flinched at the sight of numerous "snowberry" bushes & shrubs here around town this week.

[BYU 14]

Originally Posted by JonInMiddleGA

I think that's how you know you're meeting your daily recommended allowance of Skyrim, not "too much"

This happened so frequently with me during my Oblivion binges that my son actually mentioned it the day Skyrim came out, that I'd now start taking more of an interest in flowers & plants around me. Sure enough, I've flinched at the sight of numerous "snowberry" bushes & shrubs here around town this week.

I will admit I threatend to tan the dogs hides today and turn them into leather strips

[Qrusher14242]

dang, was wandering around and

Spoiler

ran into some Falmers. They also had some other guys who kept spitting stuff at me and thats when i turned and ran lol Think i have to wait a while to fight them.

[MizzouRah]

Ok, my daughter wants to play too and I don't want her playing my save, so I assume she can start a new game and save on her own? How does the game saves work.. I just want to make 100% sure she doesn't play my save or over write it. (x360)

Thank you.. I'd have to send her away if she did that.

[mckerney]

Finally came across some iron ore tonight.


First, just a regular rock, outdoors I don't remember seeing any ore on rocks like these, though I haven't explored that much of Skyrim.


A bed of iron ore. When outdoors they're usually on a flat rock area like this. You can see the shiny parts that are the ore.


Another angle.


After the ore has been mined to see what shiny parts indicated ore.


Daytime for a little better view of shiny. Also, click on images for fullscreen shot.

I'll post some picks of ore in caves, though I've found that's a bit easier to spot. Went searching through a cave to find some but only found a vampires den. Thankfully they were no match for my bow and I got some nice loot out of it.

[TroyF]

Originally Posted by MizzouRah

Ok, my daughter wants to play too and I don't want her playing my save, so I assume she can start a new game and save on her own? How does the game saves work.. I just want to make 100% sure she doesn't play my save or over write it. (x360)

Thank you.. I'd have to send her away if she did that.

Just to be safe, I'd throw my save on a memory card and pull it when I was through. They can easily get overwriten when you aren't paying attention. (as someone who has screwed up saves before that way)

[SackAttack]

Originally Posted by MizzouRah

Ok, my daughter wants to play too and I don't want her playing my save, so I assume she can start a new game and save on her own? How does the game saves work.. I just want to make 100% sure she doesn't play my save or over write it. (x360)

Thank you.. I'd have to send her away if she did that.

I wonder...if you set her up her own profile on the 360, will your saves show up while she's signed in to her profile?

[Grover]

Thanks for the pics mckerney!

[thesloppy]

I have succeeded in filling up the favorites bar, to the point that it is no longer any more efficient than just going to my inventory. Congrats to me?

[MizzouRah]

Originally Posted by TroyF

Just to be safe, I'd throw my save on a memory card and pull it when I was through. They can easily get overwriten when you aren't paying attention. (as someone who has screwed up saves before that way)

Good idea!

[MizzouRah]

Originally Posted by SackAttack

I wonder...if you set her up her own profile on the 360, will your saves show up while she's signed in to her profile?

Another great idea, I'll try that!

[Grover]

I have found the iron ore motherlode.

[JonInMiddleGA]

re: saves -- It looks as though they work similar to Oblivion, but with an extra auto-save (or two) thrown in. You can save numerous times on your own (don't know if there's a limit) but make sure that you've got solid save points of your game rather than relying on autosaves, yours will get overwritten with hers as she plays.

Then you just have to make sure that she loads her saved game and you load your saved game when you return to play the next time. The ones that are close together in the save list are where it becomes easy to screw up a different person's game (or your own different playthrough).

[Mantle2600]

Originally Posted by Grover

I have found the iron ore motherlode.

Location plz. K thx