Elder Scrolls V

I finally went with shooting her from across the room. She emitted her usual death-knell (sp?), the kids cried out with joy, and poor Constance ran around screaming "mercy mercy!" and I don't think she was speaking French. No one seemed to notice me, however and no bounty or trouble with guards resulted so I'm sticking with it.

Over all, my time in Riften was not very enjoyable. There appeared to be no honorable thieves (a la Oblivion) and, as a result, I have no interest in pursuing that storyline.

I've finished the main quest and... it was a bit of an anticlimax. Did those of you that ended the main quest feel that? It was a bit too short, mainly. Not that it matters because there's so much else to do beside the main quest.

Right now I've apparently had one hell of a party that's got me a fiance, and thrashed temples, and all sorts of bad karma all over Skyrim. How long was I gone? Can't remember any of it... And I stumbled into a Daedric temple while looking for something else.

Maxinquaye said:

And I stumbled into a Daedric temple while looking for something else.

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I'm going on a hundred and thirty hours and have found only one daedric shrine and it appeared to have been broken (it didn't do anything). I have that Boadecia book and a quest (I picked up somewhere) to visit Azura's shrine but haven't got around to it yet. As for the Main quest, I'm suppose to meet that saloon keeper back in Riverwood (after she watched me absorb a dragon soul near Whiterun), but i only pursue the Main Quest when I happen to be in the right area...

Well, I picked up an object that belongs to Azura. Don't want to be cryptic, but don't want to spoil it for the people that haven't done it yet. I just found a dungeon and did it, and ended up with it. So, I assume it was a Dadric temple of some kind.

100 Ways to Die in Skyrim

That Paarthurnax doesn't half witter on. I was tempted to shut him up by sticking a longsword in his thorax.

I tried to kill Ulfric today, but I couldn't. It would have ended the civil war, but he was immortal, and so were most of his guards, to that ended very badly for me.

Maxinquaye said:

I tried to kill Ulfric today, but I couldn't. It would have ended the civil war, but he was immortal, and so were most of his guards, to that ended very badly for me.

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I was thinking of doing exactly the same. His uber-nationalistic speechifying rubs me up the wrong way.

Has anyone else exploited Barbas? I just found him (at about 100 hours in) and spent most of my time playing today with him following me. He's awesome, but I'm beginning to feel a little guilty; he might be making things too easy! I know I'm gonna miss him when he's gone...

JohnnyGottaKeyboard said:

Has anyone else exploited Barbas? I just found him (at about 100 hours in) and spent most of my time playing today with him following me. He's awesome, but I'm beginning to feel a little guilty; he might be making things too easy! I know I'm gonna miss him when he's gone...

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Oh, yeah! There's nothing like a bitey immortal dog following you around. But I quite quickly made the decision that it wasn't fair on the dragons, and went back to finish off his quest.

Priene said:

I was thinking of doing exactly the same. His uber-nationalistic speechifying rubs me up the wrong way.

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I still have to decide whether to join the Legion or the Stormcloaks. I'm kind of leaning toward the former, because they just seem a bit less dickish.

Still I imagine I'll only make that decision once I'm Master of Everything.

Dammit, given in and bought this today. There goes another another 300 hours of should-be-writing-time! Just patching it now and I can't wait...

(yes it's pretty sad for a full-grown, supposedly mature man)

Torgo said:

Oh, yeah! There's nothing like a bitey immortal dog following you around. But I quite quickly made the decision that it wasn't fair on the dragons, and went back to finish off his quest.

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It's interesting that Vile's quest in Oblivion offered an equally nifty exploit (in that you could simply keep the Umbra Sword and, as long as you never finished his quest, it weighed nothing). I wonder if that was done purposefully...

Torgo said:

I still have to decide whether to join the Legion or the Stormcloaks. I'm kind of leaning toward the former, because they just seem a bit less dickish.

Still I imagine I'll only make that decision once I'm Master of Everything.

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I'm leaning the same way. Not because of any rational reason, I suppose, but I did put some effort into keeping the theocracy of the Septims in power in Oblivion, and like Priene says the Stormcloaks sound about as appealing as the leadership of the BNP.

Maxinquaye said:

Stormcloaks sound about as appealing as the leadership of the BNP.

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Not to mention the ugly bit of ethnic cleansing the Nords have been carrying out in Markarth. My character's wholly on the side of the Forsworn.

I'm following the Stormcloaks precisely because of how iffy they are. I want to see what they'll do with power. I'm hoping to some day play a second game, where I choose everything I didn't choose this game (Imperial, Battle-Born, different race, different fighting style, etc).

So I got turned into a werewolf. Once you are, the guards say things to you: "You smell like a wet dog", and the like. But one of them passed by me and said: "Is that...fur? Coming out of your ears?".

...Dude. It's called being a Khajiit.

Apparently the game makers didn't expect anyone to play as a Khajiit -- no one comments on it, even though the NPC Khajiits wandering around tell me they're not allowed inside the cities.

Satsya said:

So I got turned into a werewolf. Once you are, the guards say things to you: "You smell like a wet dog", and the like. But one of them passed by me and said: "Is that...fur? Coming out of your ears?".

...Dude. It's called being a Khajiit.

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So you're a cat that becomes a wolf? Do you chase yourself or something?


Anyway, I'm officially pissed. Now that I have time and money, all Skyrim copies are sold out at the only game shop in this stinktown. The power of eBay tempts me, but I want to hunt some more before I hand the internet my extra cash.

Torgo said:

I still have to decide whether to join the Legion or the Stormcloaks. I'm kind of leaning toward the former, because they just seem a bit less dickish.

Still I imagine I'll only make that decision once I'm Master of Everything.

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I am not rushing to make that decision myself. I am leaning toward the empire on hazy philosophical grounds...er, and the fact that I'm playing as an Imperial...

Satsya said:

But one of them passed by me and said: "Is that...fur? Coming out of your ears?".

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My (least) favorite guard line is: "Let me guess...Someone stole your sweetroll." There should be an "I'm the dragonborn dickhead, steal this!" option followed by a decapitation animation.

Guard: Let me guess...Someone stole your sweetroll.

Dragonborn: What, no one's ever stolen yours? Thought a Nord wasn't a man until he'd given up his sweetroll. Or were you not going for the euphemism, and I should just set you on fire?

Alas, not enough dialog options. ;-)

efkelley said:

Guard: Let me guess...Someone stole your sweetroll.

Dragonborn: What, no one's ever stolen yours? Thought a Nord wasn't a man until he'd given up his sweetroll. Or were you not going for the euphemism, and I should just set you on fire?

Alas, not enough dialog options. ;-)

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This should definitely be submitted to Bethesda...for immediate inclusion in the DLC.

One of the things I love about this game is the often morally ambiguous choices you have to make with respect to picking factions.

For example, you can legitimately see why the stormcloaks would lead a rebellion. The Empire basically pussed out and capitulated to the Thalmor, and in exchange had their god taken away. It's easy to support them, but then again you can see a lot of the trappings they've got, and how their rebellion would basically allow the thalmor to win. I went Imperial, because I think ultimately the Thalmor threat needs to be addressed, and by Akatosh, the Dovakiin is going to use his thu'um to open up some dragony woop ass on the thalmor.

The thing I've got my fingers crossed for, is that the Dwarves come back in a later DLC. If you read up on the lore for them, they're pretty damned fascinating.

Yeah, the more you get to know the Stormcloaks the more despicable they seem. Ulfric isn't quite the legend his press makes him out to be. And if not for one bitchy imperial captain, they wouldn't be winning the war!

Now the Thalmor, those fuckers are just asking for a meteor.

In other news, I just got to Riften with my 40-ish mage. Thing is, I'm not playing a thief. I'm going to get into soooo much trouble there. Bet I end up with a bounty.

Kaiser-Kun said:

Anyway, I'm officially pissed. Now that I have time and money, all Skyrim copies are sold out at the only game shop in this stinktown. The power of eBay tempts me, but I want to hunt some more before I hand the internet my extra cash.

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Steam has it for digital download. Unless you were looking for the console version, of course.

I keep comparing this game to The Witcher 2. Personally, I was more engaged by the Witcher than by this game. Which says a lot. TW2 was, whatever that is worth in this type of games, more realistic. Whatever that means. More grey. Not so 'high faludin' fantasy' with chanting monks and big magical swords.

But this game, and TW2, just goes to show how the games field can engage the players - far beyond the mere "plot". BioWare better watch out.

Anyone else playing on PS3? Has the patch changed your experience?

It appears to have helped with the lag problem for me, but my game has crashed twice now since patching, and never crashed prior. Also, one of the citizens standing outside Whiterun cloned himself, but only from the waist up. He and the half/clone are standing(?) there, side-by-side on the road. It looks very creepy.