Elder Scrolls V

[Arianna Sterling]

Originally Posted by Satsya

Now I'm looking forward to starting the Dark Brotherhood quests. That was my favorite quest line in Oblivion. Hopefully this game's version holds up.

I refuse to be spoilery but...don't get your hopes up. DB was my absolute favorite in Oblivion (may or may not be totally in love with Lucien Lachance) but in Skyrim it just made me angry. A lot. Other than one awesome thing where they give you a spell that lets you summon Lucien's ghost once a day and he talks to you randomly.

[Satsya]

Originally Posted by Arianna Sterling

I refuse to be spoilery but...don't get your hopes up. DB was my absolute favorite in Oblivion (may or may not be totally in love with Lucien Lachance) but in Skyrim it just made me angry. A lot.

*avoids spoilers* Dang. That is a shame. I could have played a whole game filled with the Oblivion assassin missions. Well, I'll know now to keep my expectations low. At least there are plenty of other things to occupy my time, it sounds like.

[JohnnyGottaKeyboard]

Originally Posted by Satsya

Aside from the geeky story: I like the leveling system very much. It's rewarding and interesting without making me feel as though I need to second-guess my decisions to min/max stats.

Actually I was referring to the lack of levelled monsters (e.g., the frost troll that squashed me). Now that I've stopped hyperventillating every time my level increases, I don't mind the new simpler system either.

But I worry that since I have decided against smithing and alchemy, whether I'll ever get the best gear. I was kind of hoping to find a smith that would improve my armor for me. (And maybe an enchanter to enchant it.)

[Arianna Sterling]

Originally Posted by Satsya

*avoids spoilers* Dang. That is a shame. I could have played a whole game filled with the Oblivion assassin missions. Well, I'll know now to keep my expectations low. At least there are plenty of other things to occupy my time, it sounds like.

The Companions is pretty fun, and there's side quests galore. Now, I will say that if you want to be minorly freaked out, DB this time around can definitely provide THAT.

Originally Posted by JohnnyGottaKeyboard

But I worry that since I have decided against smithing and alchemy, whether I'll ever get the best gear. I was kind of hoping to find a smith that would improve my armor for me. (And maybe an enchanter to enchant it.)

You can raise your smithing pretty easily, actually. If you talk to the smith in Whiterun and offer to help her out it boosts you a fair amount...I did that and don't plan to go any further with smithing, but it was effective.

[Satsya]

Originally Posted by JohnnyGottaKeyboard

Actually I was referring to the lack of levelled monsters (e.g., the frost troll that squashed me). Now that I've stopped hyperventillating every time my level increases, I don't mind the new system either.

My comment was just my opinion in general, not a response to anything in particular. Though now that you mention it, I prefer the non-leveling monsters as well. Having monsters level with you ruins most of the satisfaction of leveling (for me, anyway), and as you point out, the system tends to become unbalanced in favor of the monsters at higher levels.

Originally Posted by Arianna Sterling

The Companions is pretty fun, and there's side quests galore. Now, I will say that if you want to be minorly freaked out, DB this time around can definitely provide THAT.

I'll have to check the Companions out, then. I'd avoided them because I wasn't sure whether joining them would prevent my joining other groups.

[Arianna Sterling]

Originally Posted by Satsya

My comment was just my opinion in general, not a response to anything in particular. Though now that you mention it, I prefer the non-leveling monsters as well. Having monsters level with you ruins most of the satisfaction of leveling (for me, anyway), and as you point out, the system tends to become unbalanced in favor of the monsters at higher levels.

I liked how in Oblivion you would come across stronger enemies as you leveled up, and that seems to still be sort of happening in Skyrim. I mean, if I'd been fighting Scamps still in Oblivion Gates at level 25 instead of Spider Daedra, I would have felt a little cheated, and the same thing applies here.

[efkelley]

Originally Posted by Arianna Sterling

I liked how in Oblivion you would come across stronger enemies as you leveled up, and that seems to still be sort of happening in Skyrim. I mean, if I'd been fighting Scamps still in Oblivion Gates at level 25 instead of Spider Daedra, I would have felt a little cheated, and the same thing applies here.

That's actually something I dislike about the game. I certainly don't mind it for certain areas, but later on all the wolves seem to disappear to be replaced with ice wolves. Then the ice wolves get changed into bears. Then the bears become trolls. Then the trolls probably become dragons. Before you know it, Cthulu is a random encounter.

I certainly see the need to keep things challenging, but the global power ramping seems a touch overdone. I liked how Fallout handled it. Bad things were within five levels of you, plus or minus with level caps on lower level things. So you might be level 30 and the skamps are level 10, but at least the bandits are also level 30.

It's tricky. Level-based games like this lend themselves to power-creep. I'm not sure there's a brilliant solution to it all.

[Arianna Sterling]

Originally Posted by efkelley

That's actually something I dislike about the game. I certainly don't mind it for certain areas, but later on all the wolves seem to disappear to be replaced with ice wolves. Then the ice wolves get changed into bears. Then the bears become trolls. Then the trolls probably become dragons. Before you know it, Cthulu is a random encounter.

Really? I never had that issue. I noticed that it always depended on where exactly I was. Closer to the Imperial City, it didn't matter what level I was--I ran into wolves (regular ones) and mountain lions. In the icy areas (near Bruma and throughout the rest of the Jerall Mountains) I found timber wolves and brown bears. In the middle of the Great Forest I always found a ton of black bears and spriggans (which in turn summoned more black bears, those bitches...).

[efkelley]

Yeah, it's been a problem for me already in Skyrim here.

I distinctly remember the ruins just north of the Imperial City being infested first with bandits then with necromancers then with trolls. I even accidentally trained one back to the city gates where it killed a half dozen guards before we brought it down. Brutal.

[JohnnyGottaKeyboard]

I think EF is talking about Skyrim and AS is talking about Oblivion. Cos I never saw Ice wolves in oBlivion and I mapped that mf down to the point where I could pretty much describe every plant.

One thing I didn't like about Oblivion was that at level 30 all the bandits should have been considered great heroes and I should have been a considered a demi-god. We were all too powerful compared to the populace at large.

In Skyrim, what I don't like is that you can wander into an icetroll and die without really veering too far off the beaten path. I personally think things like that should be in caves and dungeons, etc.

[efkelley]

No, no ice wolves or ice trolls in Oblivion as I recall.

I'm kind of talking about both. Bethesda's style of random encounters is a bit odd.

You're totally right about the bandits being heroes while you're a minor deity.

I believe they took out the ability to make your own spells for Skyrim. Granted, I've only just gotten to the college, but I don't believe there's any way to craft your own spells. I'd like to say that's brilliant. Creating your own spells was game-killing. Items and enchantments are one thing, but creating a PBAE life/magicka drain was just plain silly.

[Torgo]

Originally Posted by efkelley

That's actually something I dislike about the game. I certainly don't mind it for certain areas, but later on all the wolves seem to disappear to be replaced with ice wolves. Then the ice wolves get changed into bears. Then the bears become trolls. Then the trolls probably become dragons. Before you know it, Cthulu is a random encounter.

I certainly see the need to keep things challenging, but the global power ramping seems a touch overdone. I liked how Fallout handled it. Bad things were within five levels of you, plus or minus with level caps on lower level things. So you might be level 30 and the skamps are level 10, but at least the bandits are also level 30.

It's tricky. Level-based games like this lend themselves to power-creep. I'm not sure there's a brilliant solution to it all.

I'm about lv23 at this point and I am still seeing all kinds of wildlife; it's not like in Oblivion where the global scaling was really obvious and ridiculous. I'm bumping in to bandits in crappy gear still, which is good. So I think it's actually working more like the Fallout system you describe - there are level caps on groups of enemies, all of whom stick around, and occasionally they add some new tough baddies on the top when you can handle them. I had a Wisp Mother turn up the other day, which was pretty hairy for a minute there; but the next thing I ran into was a pack of plain old wolves, or as I call them, 'leather'.

[Torgo]

Originally Posted by efkelley

I believe they took out the ability to make your own spells for Skyrim. Granted, I've only just gotten to the college, but I don't believe there's any way to craft your own spells. I'd like to say that's brilliant. Creating your own spells was game-killing. Items and enchantments are one thing, but creating a PBAE life/magicka drain was just plain silly.

Yep, that seems to be entirely gone.

[Jamiekswriter]

So I'm on the fence with buying Skyrim. I used to play Warcraft until I max leveled and got bored with raiding. I loved Dragon Age 1, really didn't like DA-2. Love Final Fantasy and I'm working my way through the 13, but feel disconnected with the characters and plot. I'm wondering if I would get bored with Skyrim? Any thoughts?

[Torgo]

Originally Posted by Jamiekswriter

So I'm on the fence with buying Skyrim. I used to play Warcraft until I max leveled and got bored with raiding. I loved Dragon Age 1, really didn't like DA-2. Love Final Fantasy and I'm working my way through the 13, but feel disconnected with the characters and plot. I'm wondering if I would get bored with Skyrim? Any thoughts?

I predict you will like it a lot. It's terrific, and there's so very much of it.

What's nice is that feeling, even 23 levels in, of thinking, I'll strike out from the city and see what's out there, and still being surprised by stuff.

[Kyra Wright]

I've only managed to put in 11 hours, so I'm just level 5.

I'm wandering around Riften a lot, and one of the interesting things I noted is the way the attitude toward the Thieves Guild has changed since Oblivion. Looks like they're not necessarily seen as the Robin Hoodish champions of the people anymore, even by the downtrodden. I can't wait to jump into that storyline.

[Cybernaught]

My favorite part of this game is how all the Nords sound like Arnold Schwarzenegger.

[Torgo]

Originally Posted by Cybernaught

My favorite part of this game is how all the Nords sound like Arnold Schwarzenegger.

JA

[efkelley]

Started up a full-blown mage a few nights back with the intent to head straight to the college. Fifteen hours played later, I'm level 20 and only JUST NOW got to the college. There were a half dozen things that seemed more important at the time.

[Arianna Sterling]

I went to the College, started doing something for them, got distracted by another quest on my way out, was sent back to the college by THAT quest, and then ended up down in the town and got distracted by yet another thing.

But I'm limiting my play time now, because I have serious work I need to be doing.

[Cybernaught]

I just realized that I was supposed to warn a town of impending doom about twenty-hours ago as my first main quest. I guess it's too late for that now. Hopefully Skyrim found another hero. I'll just settle down with Dark Brotherhood.

[Zoombie]

I may have just agreed to an evil compact with a faceless demon.

Yay!

[JohnnyGottaKeyboard]

Originally Posted by Cybernaught

I just realized that I was supposed to warn a town of impending doom about twenty-hours ago as my first main quest. I guess it's too late for that now. Hopefully Skyrim found another hero. I'll just settle down with Dark Brotherhood.

Oh, good, you too. I've just hit the 25 hour mark, I'm at level 16, and have not seen a single dragon (altho I have discovered three dragon words). I'm just now finishing up the Bleak Falls Barrow (which was my like second quest in the Main Story). And I've only been to Riverwood, Whiterun and Windhelm.

So, do Soul gems no longer recharge magical weapons? Because when I try to use them in my inventory, the game just helpfully tells me I can't equip that. (Arianna?)

And the swapping between magic and weapons is really taking some getting used to, especially since when you swap back from say, a heal spell, to your sword, the character pauses a moment before drawing said sword. Giving, you know, that animated corpse with the sharp axe, plenty of time to swing at you. And just cast the spell already. You have to push the button, then hold the button, then release the button??? Jeez. I've tried to get in the habit of being on the run whenever I swap.

[Arianna Sterling]

Originally Posted by JohnnyGottaKeyboard

So, do Soul gems no longer recharge magical weapons? Because when I try to use them in my inventory, the game just helpfully tells me I can't equip that.

They're supposed to, but I haven't a clue how. I never used that in Oblivion, either.

ETA: I like that you edited it in to specify that maybe I should know xDDD

[Zoombie]

You need to fill them with a soul. Then when you select the ENCHANTED WEAPON, then there is a button that charges it.