Current Events > Just started Skyrim, game is pretty fun

(+) Yeah! (+)

Have you found the singing tree?
Everything just works even 50+ years since vanilla release

Avirosb posted...

Have you found the singing tree?
Everything just works even 50+ years since vanilla release

no

no glitches yet, a few crashes

i did the house of horrors quest (started it) and it just makes me think of how basically all the dungeons are people cyclically sacrificing people

Shotgunnova posted...

[drinks milk from Thalmor's skull]

Does that affect the taste?

If you like sacrifices, you'll definitely find some more quests to suit that fancy, haha.

GeraldDarko posted...

Does that affect the taste?

No, but you might contract bone break fever. Fair trade-off.

Look out for books around the world. Some of them are interesting reads.

My favorite comedic one is Hallgerd's Tale. You can find it at Jorrvaskr and simply read it without picking it up AKA stealing it.

It should be on a table in the main floor. You'll know you have found it when you see a red book.

MedeaLysistrata posted...

Got any tips?

oh do I ever

When it comes to what to pick up/loot and what to leave behind, I typically use a loose 10:1 ratio strategy for value:weight. So anything worth 10x or more of its carry weight, I keep to sell. If the listed value is high enough, I don't stick to that ratio (for example, Iron Armor is valued at 125, but has a weight of 30. I pick it up anyway). This helps me make the most money while not over-encumbering myself too frequently.

To level up Smithing (which is very important), focus on making Gold Ingots and smithing Gold Rings. NNW of Whiterun is a bandit camp where you can find a book to learn a unique spell to transform Iron Ore into Silver Ore and Silver Ore into Gold Ore. At Smithing level 30, get the Dwarven Smithing perk, then find Dwemer Ruins and take as much materials as you can (especially heavier ones like Struts and Solid Dwemer Metal. They weigh a lot and have low value, but can be smelted to make LOTS of Dwarven Metal). From there, cut Firewood (stumps can be found in towns and at some home locations where you can make firewood so long as you have a Woodcutter's Axe). With Dwarven Metal and Firewood, you can spam-smith Dwarven Arrows. This will level up Smithing faster and the arrows themselves are pretty decent if you have a good bow, and you can make so many of them that you won't have to worry about ever running out of arrows (I have like 50k of them in one file).

Muffle is great for levelling up Illusion. Even if you don't use Illusion, you can level it up so fast that it will help your character level up overall more quickly.

Same with Telekinesis for Alteration (and it's fun as hell to fuck around with that spell)

Get a house/property and horde stuff using containers available on site. I recommending organazing. Hoarde alchemy materials. You're gonna want them. Hoarde food and cook it whenever you can (ALWAYS TAKE EVERY SALE PILE YOU FIND ANYWHERE) as cooked food heals you more. With enough food, you can conserve potions by eating to restore health instead. This is especially helpful for Survival Mode, though you probably aren't trying that on your first playthrough lol.

Get a good follower and know how they operate. Some followers are unkillable. Others will never die to enemies, but can be killed by friendly fire at low health, so know how to move around them and engage in combat without hurting your follower, otherwise you risk resets due to accidentally killing follower.

Get good at lockpicking. Lightly jiggle a lot at different positions on the lock until you get some movement. You can minimize broken picks this way and then micro-adjust when you get close. I like to use specific visual points on the lock to narrow down where the appropriate section is. Once you master the technique as a player, you won't ever need to buy lockpicks or use perks that making lockpicking easy. You can get it done like a pro with the picks you find through looting and exploration and never run out. I can pick Master level locks without too much trouble even with a new character.

Pickpocket is super easy to level up, but it requires patience. It's always a good idea to level it up enough for the "Extra Pockets" perk. That gives you an automatic 100 carry weight bonus, which is HUGE early on. Gemstones are among the best items to steal in the early game. They are valuable, they level up the skill super fast and they are lightweight, so even if you can't sell them right away (stolen goods require unlocking Fences through quests and/or a Speech perk), they won't weigh you down.

Strategize your selling based on vendors. Sell gear to smiths, duplicate spell books to mages, fancy clothes to clothes people, general goods to general stores. It's easier to unload unwanted stuff if you optimize your selling this way (eventually, you can get perks in Speech that will allow you to sell anything to any vendor and even increase the amount of money vendors have to barter).

When you get a Dragon Claw and find a door that the claw unlocks, the correct combination to the door is shown on the claw itself. A lot of new players don't realize this, and I didn't initially when I first played either, causing me to try every combination until I got it right >_>

If anything in a home or shop or dungeon or whatever says "Take <item>," it's safe to take. It's not stealing even if you're in someone's house and they're standing right in front of you. It's only a crime if it says "Steal <item>" with Steal being red. Often times, completing quests for NPCs will make them more friendly to you, so items that may have been Steal-only at first may become available for you to just take without any issue once the corresponding NPC(s) are friendly to you via anything you've done for them.

thanks. i am not playing blind btw, so i figured out some of this stuff but there's lots of useful tips there. i will keep the value:weight ratio in mind especially because i carry a lot of iron ore around. muffle is good to know as well, my illusion is 15...

MedeaLysistrata posted...

thanks. i am not playing blind btw, so i figured out some of this stuff but there's lots of useful tips there. i will keep the value:weight ratio in mind especially because i carry a lot of iron ore around. muffle is good to know as well, my illusion is 15...

If you have Anniversary, Hendrahelm (sp?) is my favorite home. It's out of the way, but that's nothing if you're not playing Survival and can use fast travel. It's a mead hall style property with tons of storage, all crafting including a smelter, both types of cooking locations, lots of gear display options and a collectors' room for things like Dragon Claws, Masks and Daedra items. iirc it costs nothing to get, but you have to be at a certain level and take out the previous owner, who is fairly tough. It's also susceptable to dragon attacks outside.

Finding it won't be a problem though, because iirc, when you are at the minimum level to get it, you get a courier letter about it and it's auto-marked on your map to pursue whenever you feel like it.

Also, adopting kids is a good idea. They can randomly give you stuff, like alchemy ingredients or jewelry, as well as some temporary perk that I think helps with speech? If you didn't already know, there's an orphan kid in Whiterun who you can adopt as soon as you have a home. I would recommend girls only though. Boys are programmed to this annoying thing where if you cast a spell near them, they'll spam questions about magic and it gets annoying, especially if you're at home spamming spells to level up magic. It's disruptive. Girls won't do that.

hmm... might do the darklight tower quest

Big_Nabendu posted...

Actually for maximum enjoyment, you want to avoid the main quest. Don't wake the dragons.

Enjoy :)

different strokes and all that, but I heavily disagree with this.

dragons in the wild is huge for immersion, and general combat challenges.

The Blades are confused and inconsistent.
Do not believe their lies.

lww99 posted...

different strokes and all that, but I heavily disagree with this.

dragons in the wild is huge for immersion, and general combat challenges.

Only thing is, they can quickly get easy to kill, but just take a long time, especially if you're melee. They drop some valuable materials tho, so that's nice.

GeraldDarko posted...

Only thing is, they can quickly get easy to kill, but just take a long time, especially if you're melee. They drop some valuable materials tho, so that's nice.

Once you've punched one to death you feel like a god

Have you stumbled across any of the mask guys yet?

think theres around 10-12 total?

lww99 posted...

Have you stumbled across any of the mask guys yet?

think theres around 10-12 total?

maybe? i don't think so

i reeeeeally need to spend perk points because certain enemies fuck my shit up fast

MedeaLysistrata posted...

maybe? i don't think so

did some searching, and they are called Dragon Priests

Each mask has unique properties
https://elderscrolls.fandom.com/wiki/Dragon_Priest_Masks_

ps, if you havent noticed yet, stealth is busted. Particularly at range.

lww99 posted...

did some searching, and they are called Dragon Priests

Each mask has unique properties
https://elderscrolls.fandom.com/wiki/Dragon_Priest_Masks_

ps, if you havent noticed yet, stealth is busted. Particularly at range.

my sneak is low atm, i also have yet to use a bow. i know stealth archer is kinda the peak but i might just do that on a different play through.

i will check out these masks

ohhhh is that what the dragon icon is on the navigation bar? i have been avoiding those

MedeaLysistrata posted...

ohhhh is that what the dragon icon is on the navigation bar? i have been avoiding those

Nah, those are dragons.
What he's talking about will start as a random encounter after you reach level 10.

GeraldDarko posted...

Nah, those are dragons.
What he's talking about will start as a random encounter after you reach level 10.

Dragon Priests? They are all static encounters. TC will eventually come across one doing the main questline IIRC. Or perhaps it's the Winterhold College questline.

TheSavageDragon posted...

Dragon Priests? They are all static encounters. TC will eventually come across one doing the main questline IIRC. Or perhaps it's the Winterhold College questline.

They can be both.

A dragon head on the map is usually a spawn point for a dragon, with a bigass chest and a Word Wall.

Occasionally there will be a Priest there (Krosis definitely, don't know others offhand).

The Dragon icons on the map are generally where you'll be sent on a bounty by one of the Thane's dudes if you get a dragon-killing one.

MedeaLysistrata posted...

my sneak is low atm, i also have yet to use a bow. i know stealth archer is kinda the peak but i might just do that on a different play through.

i will check out these masks

I always end up doing jack of all trades. Stealth archer+Spellsword mostly (switching between tri-elemental destruction spells which are creation club/anniversary and healing, while using whatever 1 handed weapon is best at any given time. I like mehrunes razor but on my best character, I made an axe that does fire damage, chaos damage and soul trap with a total damage rating of around 900). My bow is about the same damage, paralyzes and I forget what the 2nd enchantment is. My elemental spell does 240 each fire, shock and ice damage, with a good sized blast radius. Even Legendary difficulty is a cakewalk for me, though dragons can be annoying, just because they take longer to kill and use up a lot of charges unless I only use my spell. Armor is well over the cap, so I actually went one of those circlet things instead of a helmet since I couldn't have more armor rating anyway and I wanted to be able to see my character's face. Health is over 1000 (including gear boosts). Stam/Magic are around 500. Carry weight is boosted to 800 something (excluding follower and pet). All regens are boosted. All magic resist is capped. Have waterbreathing. Destruction spells are damage boosted from gear too (not sure if I factored that in to my damage that I listed). Character level is in the 160s currently. If I want to actually see her die, I pretty much have to jump off a cliff. I was hoping I would be able to survive a fall off the Winterhold bridge, but unfortunately, that fall was too far even for a character this OP.

Also I didn't use any exploits like the restoration loop glitch. I just maximized potion values for all crafting-related potions. In fact I even rounded down in some cases because I'm a bit OCD about numbers and I like all stat values to remain at multiples of 5 (so I would take a +115 Health enchantment over a +119 Health enchantment just because 115 is a better number imo >_>)

DrizztLink posted...

They can be both.

A dragon head on the map is usually a spawn point for a dragon, with a bigass chest and a Word Wall.

Occasionally there will be a Priest there (Krosis definitely, don't know others offhand).

The Dragon icons on the map are generally where you'll be sent on a bounty by one of the Thane's dudes if you get a dragon-killing one.

Yeah, Dragon Priests are generally near a Word Wall. But they're all static encounters, they don't pop up one time and not the other time. Each and every Dragon Priest can be found at the same locations each and every playthrough.
IIRC Krosis is the only one that can even be found at a Dragon's Lair in the open world. Technically Volsung is also in the open world, but you need to go through a dungeon to reach the peak he's at or Skyrim your way across the mountains.
Most are in dungeons that require certain questlines to enter,/complete, like the one during the main questline and the one during the College questline. Some are in dungeons you can always enter.

conjure unyielding ghost is pretty op

MedeaLysistrata posted...

conjure unyielding ghost is pretty op

ML's sidekick coming at a Giant for the fourth time:

https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/a/user_image/8/9/4/AABUaRAAEgTe.jpg

will anyone in this game steal all my fucking gold from me at any point?

The Undying Ghost does level with you. So it's an easy pick for someone who otherwise doesn't want to get involved with magic.

If you don't mind unleashing the toughest mobs into the game the Plague of the Dead zombies are stronger for their cost. IIRC they're tweaked to take about 100 magicka to cost when you have the appropriate skill level in Conjuration. It's just that the random encounters with zombies at night can overrun most things in the game. Once they hit Dread Zombie status you're looking at a wall of over 7,000 health in the group coupled with passive regen as they pummel you, and everything else, into the dirt.

MedeaLysistrata posted...

will anyone in this game steal all my fucking gold from me at any point?

No but iirc if you get thrown in jail all your stolen items are confiscated

Northlane posted...

No but iirc if you get thrown in jail all your stolen items are confiscated

stolen gold counts too

but Im not sure about profit from fencing stolen items, I think thats safe

lww99 posted...

stolen gold counts too

but Im not sure about profit from fencing stolen items, I think thats safe

Yeah, that doesn't count as stolen in your inventory. Stolen gold takes up a seperate slot.

Fair enough. Its been about 10 years for me, I should give it another play through

Skyrim will have infinite quests

MedeaLysistrata posted...

Skyrim will have infinite quests

Radiant Questa I think people call them.

They are the same set of quests repeated at random infinitely. I love it cause it's a reliable way to earn gold and keeps you having something to do. Dark brotherhood is probably the most reliable and profitable but it's always the same kinda mission. Go assassinate a person. College pays more but is less frequently available and also is always the same type or quest. Think the thieves guild has the most variety even if it boils down to steal stuff it just approaches it from different manners

Sufferedphoneix posted...

Think the thieves guild has the most variety even if it boils down to steal stuff it just approaches it from different manners

i might do thieves guild now cuz i kinda want chillrend. although i did get smithing to 70 and unlocked glass gear so i'm pretty good on gear for now. but that means i finally have to spend my perk points...

MedeaLysistrata posted...

i might do thieves guild now cuz i kinda want chillrend. although i did get smithing to 70 and unlocked glass gear so i'm pretty good on gear for now. but that means i finally have to spend my perk points...

Despite all its flaws I love the thieves guild. The main quest line just sucks imo. The story focuses waybtoo heavily on the inner politics of the guild and not enough on what the guild is all about. Oblivion had the best thieves guild questline. Stealing the elder scroll at the end was epic as fuck to me.

oh holy fuck, alchemy is a thief skill. i should pay more attention.

what are good cheap offensive spells that aren't summoning? firebolt? elemental bolt? i'm willing to put up to apprentice perk to get the half mp cost

The options are quite limited. Paralysis Rune or Cloak spells, really, but they're Adept and not Apprentice.

Ugh this makes me want to play Skyrim again

MedeaLysistrata posted...

i might make the thalmor my enemies because i want elven gear >_>

If you encounter Thalmor on the roads, talk to one of them and goad them into attacking you by saying 'You got me, I believe in Talos' or 'I can worship whoever I want.' You'll get a bounty if you just attack them outright, but goading them into attacking first sidesteps this (Skyrim does have a mechanic that lets you clear bounties if you 'kill all witnesses,' but I've personally found this to be a bit buggy and unreliable over the years).

Also, keep in mind that you can change Standing Stone blessings any time you want by revisiting them. You'll probably want to trade up as you find more powerful ones while traveling. The only ones I wouldn't recommend on a 1st playthrough are the Apprentice and Atronach stones, which are generally more 'dedicated build' abilities for experienced players.

And like others have said, it's a bad idea to be a jack-of-all-trades skill-wise, because mid-game enemies (especially draugr) will crush you if your stats are spread too thin. Focus on leveling 1-2 combat abilities and 1-2 magic schools at first, then you can start mastering everything beyond level 40 or so.

AloneIBreak posted...

Ugh this makes me want to play Skyrim again

https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/a/user_image/3/9/1/AAYThEAAEgq3.jpg

Are you a stealth archer yet?

Yeah, fun fact: the mannequins in Skyrim are actually NPCs. They CAN move, and will likely do so when you least expect it.

Which is kind of funny in that Fallout 4 is the series that tries to make mannequins scary: but in that game they're nothing but lightweight plastic props.

MedeaLysistrata posted...

elemental bolt?

All the "elemental _____" spells are great. They are listed as Fire/Shock but include Cold too (just too long to display it in the description, and the visuals don't show anything ice related, but they get the same damage boosts from Augment Cold or whatever as they do from Augment Fire and Augment Shock (perks). Additionally, the magic costs are very low for the amount of damage they deal, and they all have splash damage afaik. As soon as I got them (which iirc they are all from one quest and you get them all together), I favorited them all and started using each successive one as soon as I had the perks to reduce cost for their destrictoin level

Sufferedphoneix posted...

Radiant Questa I think people call them.

They are the same set of quests repeated at random infinitely. I love it cause it's a reliable way to earn gold and keeps you having something to do. Dark brotherhood is probably the most reliable and profitable but it's always the same kinda mission. Go assassinate a person. College pays more but is less frequently available and also is always the same type or quest. Think the thieves guild has the most variety even if it boils down to steal stuff it just approaches it from different manners

When doing radiants for money I like to do the one for the thieves guild to steal 500 gold worth of valuables from a city. You get paid for doing the quest and you can keep what you stole to sell to a fence for more money.

Tsukasa1891 posted...

When doing radiants for money I like to do the one for the thieves guild to steal 500 gold worth of valuables from a city. You get paid for doing the quest and you can keep what you stole to sell to a fence for more money.

Never noticed that....

I just knew brotherhood was easy 1000