Elder Scrolls : Skyrim

[TarionzCousin]

As far as i can figure out the game uses some sort of sorting algorithm to chose what a follower will wear. Lydia kept putting on a steel plate helm when she had been previously been wearing a glass helm that had a far higher armor rating.

Illia stayed naked instead of putting on Magicka regenerating robes. Go figure.

BTW, how are the magic using followers in the friendly fire department? Do they often hit the player? I've had my dog try to kill a plot based ally over a fireball the dog charged into, so I've been leery of taking caster allies.

Illia fires ice bolts that stick around for a while. I've had a few stuck in my character. Friendly fire happens.

I just wish she would stay back and cast spells; when she charges in to melee I have hit her a couple times on accident. Then she complained as I was standing there with an ice bolt in my chest.

 

[TarionzCousin]

I didn't start using spells until my character was level 15. I have been casting Healing and Sparks all over the place, as soon as my Magicka regenerates. But I don't think my skills are increasing.

Do magic skills not increase outside of combat?


There is a neat skill builder here, if you want to try before you buy: The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim Skills Builder - IGN

 

[Agamon]

I don't think any skill increases if it's not actually being used for something. Sneaking in middle of nowhere doesn't help, but there's usually something or someone around to hear or see you. But just casting spells doesn't seem to help any more than swinging a sword around will increase one-handed.

A tip for when you have an NPC with you that's not a follower. Unlike followers, when you accidentally hit them, they attack you. You just have to transition between areas and all is forgiven.

 

[frankthedm]

I didn't start using spells until my character was level 15. I have been casting Healing and Sparks all over the place, as soon as my Magicka regenerates. But I don't think my skills are increasing.

Do magic skills not increase outside of combat?

Restoration builds if you are healing damage, so taking fall damage and then healing it should work.

Destruction does take a while to build since you need enemies. I don't even think allies count UNTIL you turn them hostile. You are going to want to get gear that cuts down casting costs if you plan to rely on destruction magic. Even after you start casting Destruction spell for free, it will take a while to build the skill to max.

Illusion has the Muffle spell that you can spam yourself for leveling.

Conjurations can be spammed, but i think you get more XP if the summon actually dies. I was nuking my own zombies for a while and my conjuration built MUCH faster than my destruction.

Block can be built VERY fast... If you can survive sparing with giants. It will probably give your restoration a workout too.

 

[LightPhoenix]

Restoration builds if you are healing damage, so taking fall damage and then healing it should work.

An easier way is to find an arrow trap to keep triggering.

Conjurations can be spammed, but i think you get more XP if the summon actually dies. I was nuking my own zombies for a while and my conjuration built MUCH faster than my destruction.

I think it's if you summon while in combat. The easiest way though is to use one of the Bound Weapon spells repeatedly in combat.

 

[Goodsport]

Since this game is a sequel to The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion (or at least the next game in the series after it), should I get Oblivion first (which I'm sure I can buy at a reduced price, although its official strategy guide is now undoubtedly nowhere to be found ) and finish it so that I could then understand the story and past game references in Skyrim?

Also, is Skyrim played only in first-person view or does it also have a third-person view option? The only type of game I can't use a controller with is the first-person shooter (I need a keyboard & mouse for that). However, I can currently only play Skyrim on my PS3 as my PC is way too underpowered for it (as it was even when Oblivion was released in my PS3-less days, though it previously handled Morrowind okay).


-G

 

[Alan Shutko]

Skyrim is set several hundred years after Oblivion. There are some references to help tickle the fancy if you've played previous games (including Morrowind, and the older ones) but it's certainly not necessary to play. I never finished the main quest in Oblivion because it got grindy but the side quests were fun.

You can choose between first and third person, and switch between them as you wish.

 

[Agamon]

There are PS3 (and Xbox) mouse and keyboard peripherals. They seem to work well enough by the sound of it, but console games aren't optimized to mouse look, of course.

I didn't play Oblivion a whole lot myself, and Morrowind hardly at all (Daggerfall a whole bunch though...that was a while ago). Anyway, yeah, it's just the same world; that's the only real connection between games.

 

[Janx]

There are PS3 (and Xbox) mouse and keyboard peripherals. They seem to work well enough by the sound of it, but console games aren't optimized to mouse look, of course.

I didn't play Oblivion a whole lot myself, and Morrowind hardly at all (Daggerfall a whole bunch though...that was a while ago). Anyway, yeah, it's just the same world; that's the only real connection between games.

Yeah, the Elder Scrolls series is more like playing in a GM's world where past campaigns have been run. Plenty of references to old stuff, but enough game time elapsed between so that your PC is not expected to know about past events.

As for controllers vs. mouse... I advise forcing yourself to use it and over time you will get used to it. I know PC FPS guys claim the mouse/keyboard combo is the bomb. But from a human interface perspective, it's not very intuitive. I suspect it's only better because it is practiced (and any speed bonus is because the UI lets it be fast).

For perspective, I used to play FPS on keyboard only (no mouse in the quake/doom days). When I switched to FPS on console, I configured the controller so that I could move/turn on one stick (so I could drive with one hand, like you can on keyboard). When I hit a game that didn't let me reconfigure, and it became apparent the new default standard for console FPS was Left=forward/back + strafe, right=turn & pitch, I switched to that.

It totally sucked for awhile as I moved jerkily and couldn't lock in on targets fast enough. But eventually you get used to it and are able to zoom around just as well as before.

 

[Banshee16]

Yeah, the Elder Scrolls series is more like playing in a GM's world where past campaigns have been run. Plenty of references to old stuff, but enough game time elapsed between so that your PC is not expected to know about past events.

As for controllers vs. mouse... I advise forcing yourself to use it and over time you will get used to it. I know PC FPS guys claim the mouse/keyboard combo is the bomb. But from a human interface perspective, it's not very intuitive. I suspect it's only better because it is practiced (and any speed bonus is because the UI lets it be fast).

For perspective, I used to play FPS on keyboard only (no mouse in the quake/doom days). When I switched to FPS on console, I configured the controller so that I could move/turn on one stick (so I could drive with one hand, like you can on keyboard). When I hit a game that didn't let me reconfigure, and it became apparent the new default standard for console FPS was Left=forward/back + strafe, right=turn & pitch, I switched to that.

It totally sucked for awhile as I moved jerkily and couldn't lock in on targets fast enough. But eventually you get used to it and are able to zoom around just as well as before.

I agree....I used to be PC only, and laughed at consoles. Then I dipped my toe in via the original XBox so I could play Jade Empire and Ninja Gaiden, and liked it, and then moved to the 360 and you get used to the controller. I can target pretty well now.

And there's something to be said for being able to relax on your couch and play a game like Oblivion or Skyrim on a 50" screen with full surround sound etc. It's more immersive than trying to get proper surround sound out of my 5.1 PC system....there's just not enough space on a desk (even a big desk) to get good sound separation (IMO). And I say that *as* a PC fan.

I've been able to get alot further into Oblvion on XBox than I ever could on PC.....it's just more comfortable at this point.

I understand the graphics aren't as good etc. But they're "good enough"....and my PC could likely only play it on low to medium settings anyways, so the graphics advantage of being on a PC is lost to me anyways.

Banshee