Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim

Baba... What did you do to Bethesda?

So is there anything you can do with dragon bones and/or scales other than just sell them? I've been hording them thinking that an opportunity for actually using them for improving or enchanting stuff might come up, but I'm not seeing any evidence that that is going to happen.

Finished my latest Fallout NV playthrough and am finally firing up Skyrim.

This will be the first game ever that I mod before I play through the first time. A few graphical mods, the old nude-body mod, and maybe a couple others. All I'm going to do before modding it is fire it up to make sure it works and test the interface a bit.

I've never done this with a game before so it'll be interesting to see how it turns out. I discovered the nexus with DAO and it freakin' rocks. DAO, FO3, FONV I play with a list of mods as long as my arm. There are some really talented folks out there!!

Now, off to Skyrim....

Got a sneaking suspicion that Skyrim will be in my stocking so haven't bought it yet.

Santa has two weeks to deliver the goods.

Ahhh Jeez....

About thirty five hours in with my Nord Viking Dragonborn and wreaking havoc all over Skyrim. Joined the Stormcloak rebellion and it's Red Bloody War...

Technically the game is great - huge depth, significant upgrade to the graphics, the dragon attack scenes are phenomenal. I'll play this one through, but I guess I'm just over the generic fantasy setting. This one has me more than Dragon Age, but I'd put it a notch below games like Mass Effect and Fallout, though I realize technically it's done better in many ways.

I'm running two different characters, seeing how the story changes.
My first one ran off with the Stormcloaks, the second is sticking with the Imperials.

The first one generally goes along with the storyline, the second has hit all the major cities first before ever going to Whiterun, and has started the Dark Brotherhood first off.

The first is trained in light armor and weapons, the second I'm going to see if I can do heavy armor and two handed weapons without dying too often.

I still like bows though. I still use stealth.

I'm going with a generalist first time through - we'll see how bad lack of specialization hurts me, I'm guessing it will be harder as the game goes along. As it stands now he's a battle mage, focusing on one handed, bows, heavy armor, conjuration, with decent enchanting and smithing skills.

The game is a bit too high fantasy for my tastes, give me a more gritty fantasy in the Howard-Leiber-Martin mold. I like the Imperial/Stormcloak story line, but I'm already a dragon eating werewolf capturing souls to put into my armor battle mage.

I'd also like more interaction with my followers. I'm just a ways into the game (16th level), but I've traveled with 5 different companions and haven't seen much difference between them to this point.

But wow, is the world gorgeous, and the huge amounts of quests and NPC interactions are a definite strength.

I've used a follower once over the course of two separate characters, and that time it was simply to use him as a meat shield. Followers are definitely overrated.

Not for carrying your loot they aren't.

I let her sit at home to think about the attitude she gives me.

I run stealth based characters. Tough to be stealthy with followers running in and attacking anything in sight.

Picked up the 360 version last week and finally had time to give it a shot. Pretty good! I just killed my first dragon!

Hopefully my copy will arrive before the weekend. (PS3) Im going to go straight melee first. (Orc/heavy/2handed)

I've been looking up some You-tube videos... here are my top three so far.

(Informative) "The perfect warrior" : http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P6o8Iz0E7dU

(Stupid) "Knee shot!" : http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9lK7hxu3Kq8

(Cheezy) "No pun intended" : http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fCrhDamN82k


PS: There are some funny comments on the knee shot vid.

Damn that is some high processor power.

Update on where I'm at:

Level 45 Nord viking badass. Heavy armor / sword/board maxed out, 2-handed in the 70's.

Master Smith when it comes to steelwork, and forges/enchants his own gear: armor and weapons are legendary. Fairly decent enchanter as well.

Owns two fully furnished houses (Solitude and Winterhold), and is married to Jordis the Sword-Maid from Solitude.

Skyrim has been liberated from the yoke of Imperial control. Alduin has been defeated (preliminary bout.) In the process of forcing the final confrontation there.

Getting to the point where dragons are making me yawn and I can take down a full Lich in about a half dozen swings. Starting to think about next character, a dashing rogue sort who dabbles in magic, very much like a Deryni...

I had no idea there were going to be so many dragonshouts in this game, but I guess they need to accomadate all styles of play...

OK... I'm at level 16 right now and I've kIlled about 4 dragons. The one at Dragon Tooth crater is kicking my ass, however. I'm wearing elven armor with an enchanted shield that gives me 40% protection from fire.

I found an Arcane Enchanter near DawnStar. Are there anymore? What do I do with all the dragon souls I've absorbed? I know I should be more patient, but I'm ready to do more powerful enchantments and level up faster.

Killing a dragon is like....The Quickening!

And the shouts I feel like I'm on DUNE.

Has anyone gone to the College of Winterhold and studied the Arcane Arts? I'm fighting some undead ex-asshole Draugr Deathlord who kills me in two hits with his sword no matter how much armor I have on. I found him in some excavation site named Saarthall or something like that near Winterhold. I'm at lvl 17 and obviously I should not have done this mission until much later. Does anyone have any idea how to defeat this guy?

Saarthal is the first part of the College of Winterhold plotline. You get some help on that one from Tolldir, a fairly potent mage, though I don't remember if he was with you in the final fight.

If you are planning on going to the College eventually, I'd hold off on Saarthal - it's very important to that plot.

If not, I'd probably come back at a higher level anyway.

Overall I'm disappointed in the politics and role playing of the game. Its great that everything is voice acted, but it also seems to limit the number of responses. There just isn't a lot of options in the dialogue - most of the time you are pigeon holed into the conversation they want you to have, as opposed to having any options at all. This is particularly annoying due to the political aspect of the Civil War.

I have the same issue with this one that I did with Morrowwind. When I become the Guild master, it should mean something - it should certainly change how the locals interact with me more.

The Archmage of the College of Winterrun should not be hearing from a local wizard to a Jarl that his magic is too much for me to understand. There should be ass kissing involved, or perhaps resentment to the College itself if appropriate, but there shouldn't be condescension.

I'm constantly hearing from the Guards that I'm the newest Companion - which is true, but I'm also the Harbringer at this point, the most respected member.

It really ticked me off when I joined the Stormcloaks after achieving those two positions, and had to talk to Jarl Baarlgruf and offer him a treaty with Ulfric. I had no input in that conversation, instead just had to wait and watch. My guy has a decent speech at this point (mid-fifties), is the Harbringer, a Thane in the city with a house, dragonslayer, and oh by the way the Archmage of Winterhold. None of that mattered, nor was even noted.

Or what if I wanted to work to remove the Imperials without pledging allegiance to the Stormcloaks - there's evidently no opportunity to do these things, because if you don't swear allegiance, the Imperial/Stormcloak war scripts don't fire.

Very much liked the depth and richness of actions available to me in Fallout New Vegas compared to this. I'd like less meaningless quests (I don't care that there are a hundred little quests where I have to fetch, carry or dispatch monsters). I want the experience of being the Dragonborn to be as rich and offer me as many options as possible.

What I'd really like to see and pay for would be - a) the Dragonborn story with as many different options as possible, then DLCs for each of the major guild options. I don't only want to become Archmage, once I'm there I want it to mean something and I want to run the College.

I will say the Dark Brotherhood Quest was very fun, and one of the best ones I've seen in a FRPG.

Ha! That's exactly what I did! I lured him down a long hall and hit my Whirlwind shout and ran right by him! worked like a charm and I finished the quest!

I've been running from Trolls, powerful dragons and now zombie assholes. I'll be happy when I power up enough to take some of these guys on. I'm hoping I can cast some powerful enchantments and conjurations when I finish this College of Winterhold business.

Sky-crack is pulling me in. I even bought an Xbox just so I could get my sky-crack fix.