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Yep, decided to do this and spend some points on smithing. I just went ahead and worked up the light armor side, but might also work up the heavy side even if just to make deadric weapons.
I am not doing the super enchanting thing with potions at this point, but the weapons I can make are still pretty dang nice. Closing in on 100 smithing.
So after playing about 20ish hours of Skyrim i've finally hit my stride with my character.
Name: Iven
Race: High Elf
Class: Spell Blade (An equal mix of magic & Sword Play)
Preferred skills: Destruction, Conjuration, Restoration, One Handed, Enchanting
Preferred Shouts: Slow Time, Whirlwind Sprint
Weapon of Choice: Bound Sword
Apparel: Archmade robes and a bunch of enchanted items that boost my magicka reserves.
Magic is really kicking ass for me, I don't get why earlier posters claimed it sucked. Its downright brutal in this game (its ridiculously easy to kite high lvl enemies) but yes you need the patience of a saint. Once you have the money, you can start buying higher level spells from the mages guild. Fast Healing pretty much makes it so you can't die ever, Summon Atronachs outclasses companions (I don't ever have to worry about my atronachs dying on me and I can summon them from a far range to ambush the opponent) and Bound Sword is extremely strong. You also get a bunch of gear that increases your magicka regen speed + magicka total. High elves who use magic are pretty much 5 lvls higher than everyone due to their +50 magicka bonus. High Born is the equivalent to ANIME POWER UP TIME. Its not as stupid as Histkin but it still gets the job done. I wasn't a fan of shouts until I got slow time. Jesus, talk about a (badass) get out of jail free card. I can stop time, use a healing spell, summon an atronach, move back a bit and get into position.I guess I can see magic being difficult for a non high elf.
In Oblivion using magic consistently was shit. Sure you could make your broken tier lvl spells, but they were way to costly and you couldn't switch between spells as easily as you can in Skyrim. In skyrim its possible to brandish a sword and use flame magic at the same time whereas in Oblivion you had to constantly switch between the too. ~_~
So far, i've finished the mages guild, fighters guild and halfway through the thieves guild. The mages guild was really fun in this game, I loved the "hogwarts for adults" atmosphere thing going on. Both the standard and radiant quests were great. My only issue was the items obtained from this quest were ass (the staff of magus is shit compared to the staff of worms) and you get like no money.
The fighters guild was a huge disappointment. A boring questline, crappy radiant quests, boring characters and REALLY BAD rewards. What the hell, the fighters guild was the perfect guild for mercs, but its a lame club in Skyrim. There's one silver lining though, its a secret.
you get the ability to turn into a werewolf, and its a power in this game + its really useful.
I'm a quarter into the thieves guild and so far so good. I hated how you had to steal a certain amount of things in Oblivion in order to proceed, and they're not goody wannabee robinhoods (so they generally don't care who you kill)
From what i've played Skyrim is a top notch game. On paper it really doesn't look THAT good (they removed way too many features, the removal of spell making was inexcusable) but they did everything right. They literally improved on everything that made Oblivion a bore to play, and the world itself is less contrived and more epic. (like others have said, watching a dude randomly get executed is awesome ~ initiating a quest line THEN watching a dude get killed isn't as fun)
GOTY contender for sure.
EDIT:
As far as race selection goes, I'd weigh the special abilities more heavily than the skill bonuses; the latter will become a lot less important over time since skills level up faster at lower levels. Orcs and Bretons seem the best off overall as far as that goes; Berserker Rage is a pretty insane buff and magic resistance is very valuable since many of the games most dangerous enemies deal magic damage and there aren't many other ways to raise it.
Actually Argonians are the best melee fighters in the game. Histkin is broken. Berserker Rage's is nice, but Histkin makes you unkillable for 60 seconds. You're a stronger threat to enemies who rely on magic or enemies that can bypass Berserker Rage's bonuses. You don't have to worry about potions or spells, you can just go nuts with that crazy regen rate. Bretons used to outclassesHigh elves, but they lost most of what made them good (ie most of their natural magic resistance) and their racial ability just can't compare to high born. Highborn is useful against all enemies vs Dragonskin is limited to magic users.
2 of the most gimped races (high elf and argonian) are now the 2 best classes in the game.
No i'm not just saying that because I like them either!
Has anyone had any luck running this on a Mac? Macbook Pro to be precise. I wanna play this so bad. Been living vicariously through youtube playthroughs haha.
I,m really on the fence about Breton or Altmer for my battlemage. Highborn is completely ridiculous (better than Dragonskin), but I,m not sure about the extra five levels of MP or the 25% Magic Resist. I'm focusing Destruction, Conjuration, Restoration, One-Handed, and Heavy Armor. Any help/what do you guys think?
I,m really on the fence about Breton or Altmer for my battlemage. Highborn is completely ridiculous (better than Dragonskin), but I,m not sure about the extra five levels of MP or the 25% Magic Resist. I'm focusing Destruction, Conjuration, Restoration, One-Handed, and Heavy Armor. Any help/what do you guys think?
The 25% magic resist is nearly useless day2day, you honestly barely notice a difference. On the other hand, 5 extra lvls of MP mean you can actually invest in HP once in a while (or go all out with magic) and like you said Highborn is fucking awesome.
Also you can make your elf look badass with patience.
Wow I didnt even know Argonion Hitskin existed till you mentioned it. I might have to try this one out, Argonians are easily the coolest looking race but until now I thought thats all they had going for them. Now that I'm more knowledgeable of the game creating the perfect blend of character should be easy as well.
So when i cast Bound Sword, how much damage does it does?Does the damage depend on my Conjuration or One Handed?Is there a stronger Bound Sword(not the axe) or the higher level spells just last longer?The spell is pretty confusing...
Wow I didnt even know Argonion Hitskin existed till you mentioned it. I might have to try this one out, Argonians are easily the coolest looking race but until now I thought thats all they had going for them. Now that I'm more knowledgeable of the game creating the perfect blend of character should be easy as well.
Argonians became my definite favorite in Oblivion and Argonians are all I have used in Skyrim, I don't see any reason to change yet. Histskin is cool but forgettable at times, while other perks such as waterbreathing definitely come in handy in certain scenarios
got my xbox fixed and skyrim today. Not a huge fan of the way the menu and map has changed, but its more realistic in a way. Also spell slinging in combat seems really nerfed which is saddening.
Argonians became my definite favorite in Oblivion and Argonians are all I have used in Skyrim, I don't see any reason to change yet. Histskin is cool but forgettable at times, while other perks such as waterbreathing definitely come in handy in certain scenarios
Histkin comes in handy in almost all occasions, while I haven't used waterbreathing once in my entire playthrough of skyrim yet. (I only ever managed to need it in oblivion once. I actually wait for 24h when i use histkin in dungeons because i'm damn sure i'll need it again.
I, too, question the things said about magic in Skyrim. I finally bought Skyrim for my PS3, and decided to go all-out mage (High Elf, of course). Maybe it's because it's so early in the game for me, but magic is just destroying everything and everyone, as long as I remember who resists what. I'm playing on Master, and I've only died 3 times: one was to a mage in a cave (accidentally double-clicked the menu, thereby opening it instead of healing), and twice to the same Ice Wolf (I got lost and it killed me in 2 hits, both times).
One of my biggest disappointments atm is the giants. I was told everyone sees a giant, tries to kill it, gets destroyed. I saw a giant, ran away, then wanted to see it knock me into the air, so I saved and then shot it with an arrow (did no damage). Then I proceeded to kill the damn thing with dual casted fire or ice, and took no damage the entire match. At level 4. On Master. I feel lied to now, lol.
But yes, the game world is magnificent. I have stopped on numerous occasions just to listen to the music/look at scenery. Also, randomly found a horse. Got off of it a minute later, and it disappeared. Weiiiiird.
Lockpicking perk tree, worth investing in? 50% greater chance of sig. treasure and extra gold loot sounds nice but how far in the game does this become good? Also sounds like the type of perk the further you are in the game, the more useless it becomes because of early dungeon clear raids
It's worthless. Lockpicking levels up at a snails pace, so actually getting certain perks is humanly impossible without abusing some glith. (I'm dozens of hours in and my lockpicking is 27...)
I would say the gold one especially is useless. You earn so much from selling loot and smithing/enchanting that past level 20 or so i never had a money issue.
Yeah, I'd recommending raising Speechcraft ahead of Lockpicking, get it to 90 and you can sell stolen items to shopkeepers you invest in (and there's a reallly easy way to grind speech in this game)
Speaking of grinding, some ways I've found to quick level in game...
Speechcraft - Go to the Meadery in Riften and talk to the guy at the counter. Ask about the family, and you'll get the [Persuade] speech option, just rinse this question sequence over and over. I went from around lvl 25 -> 90 in about 45 mins of continual talking. Restoration - Jump around in a forge fire, then heal yourself, repeat Destruction - Also seems to lvl up when jumping around in a forge fire O_O Conjuration - After you kill something, like a wolf or w/e, continually cast soul trap, then wait 1 hour after you run out of magicka. Another way is to continually cast/sheathe the Bound Sword when you locate an enemy, and let your atronach/companion take care of the damage. Illusion - Run around casting Muffle. You don't need to be near an enemy or anything. Important for Mages as 50 Illusion gives you Silent Casting of all spells. Alteration - You can run around casting Oakflesh/Stoneflesh etc but I think it only works when in the vicinity of an enemy. You also build up lvls from taking hits when the spell is active. One-Handed - In the tutorial area by the bear, just smack the guy your following for as long as you can take. It's easier here as you're the one leading.
These are the one's I've found on my own, I'm sure there's already like walkthroughs for speed leveling somewhere out there.
Smithing: I personally make loads of Leather Bracers, but Iron Daggers work too.
Archery: A Hunter in Riverwood offers to train it for you. Train with him as much as you can afford, then select the I need your help option, making him follow you. You can then take back your gold, and repeat.
And a good tip if power leveling is to make sure you have the applicable Stone (Mage, Thief or Warrior) activated. Saves a lot of time.
I have a test week next week and will be getting Skyrim after that (otherwise I probably won't study lol), and I wonder what class to make. Argonians look pretty ace, but some of my classmates said they suck big time. Most of them play Bosmer and they look pretty cool too, but the main question is if Argonians are any good?
Its really up to you, just pick which race you like most. Racial powers & bonuses are the name of game in Skyrim, its the one thing that differentiates themselves from each other.
Though the clear best imo are:
Melee: Argonian (again, histkin is broken because it means you can't die in combat.)
Magic: High elf (Highborn + 50 magic)
Stealth: ??? (I'm guessing the classes that have stealth bonuses? IDK i rarely if ever use stealth)
I really think you should go with what suits you the most, instead of whats the "best."
It makes playing the game way more fun.
Depends on what how you're aiming to build; there's been much talk about Argonians in this thread because they have amazing regenerative abilities, both naturally and through their greater power, with the latter being ridiculously powerful. Unlike many other classes, they do not start off with any bonus points in offensive abilities, though that matters less as the game progresses. An Argonian is, however, well suited for melee combat; they may lack the offensive prowess of Orcs, Redguards, or Nords, but their healing rate makes them a lot more resilient (in that aspect, they can only be compared to Orcs, and that's only due to the Orcs' greater power).
On the flip side, their Water Breathing power is almost useless, and their largest initial bonus is in Lockpicking...so you'll be weaker than most early on. But with smaller extra points in Restoration and Alteration (the defensive schools of magic) and Light Armor, you won't be dying any time soon on the default difficulty.
EDIT: Orcs are, imo, right up there with Argonians. They may not have the defense that Argonians do, but they sure do make up for it in offense, what with bonuses in one- and two-handed, and a power that makes them deal a lot more damage. As far as stealth goes, I'd say the Khajiit win that one. Powerful early attacks without a weapon, large bonus to Sneak (which is already too easy to level up), a night vision toggle, and a faster run speed than the other races.
Archery: A Hunter in Riverwood offers to train it for you. Train with him as much as you can afford, then select the I need your help option, making him follow you. You can then take back your gold, and repeat.
From my observations, the two best races in GENERAL (as opposed to specializations) would definitely have to be Orcs and Bretons based on their racial powers. Lets ignore starting stats as those hardly matter aside from the very early game and can easily be compensated for.
Orc's battle rage power is hands down the best racial power in the game. You deal double damage with anything that isn't a spell and you take half damage from all sources for 60s. Obviously, you won't make a straight Mage with an Orc, but even Spell Swords dig the double damage on their Bound Swords or whatever weapon they swing around. Shoot, even Archery based characters can use it for extra strong sniping or when the enemy gets close on you!
Bretons, first off, have the incredibly key resistance to Magic (which many find to be the most threatening kind of attack from enemies ingame) that any style of play appreciates. In addition to taking less from spells, Bretons have an ability to use Dragon Skin which allows them to absorb 50% damage from all spells and turn that into Magicka for yourself. Even if you happen to not do spell casting, you've turned spell casting enemies into easy matchups for 60s. If you are a spell caster, then you'll really enjoy the over charge.
Mind you, this is in general and if you're going to specialize then you could get some more mileage depending on what route you're going; High Elf mage, Bosmer sniper, Khajit martial artist, etc.
From a mechanical standpoint I would rate the classes roughly:
Orcs + Bretons > Argonians + Altmer + Redguard > everyone else (Nords/Khajit/Bosmer/Imperials/Dunmer)
The 10x HP/MP/Stamina abilities are great and all, but Hitskin doesn't make you tank as well as an Orc who pop's his power and Adrenaline doesn't allow you to compete with the nova damage of an Orc. Highborn is definitely what makes the Altmer the best mage class in the game but you need to remember to invest in raising Magicka to some degree otherwise your Magicka regen is outclassed by potions!!
All that being said, play Races that you like. While some are better than others they don't change your experience of the game enough to warrant forgoing a race you love lore/aesthetically-wise.
<3 Dunmer and Argonians.
My next character is going to be an alteration primary mage, for sure. I found Telekinesis with my Bard character and I can see having so much fun with it if I had a dedicated spell caster. Alteration also has Stoneflesh and Equilibrium, so that's a big thing to note.
Also, to get the best out of your enchanting ability, do the black star quest when you go to the Shrine of Azura, but return the star to Nelecar instead. He turns it into Black Star, which is a permanent black soul gem. With the number of bandits in Skyrim, and other human enemies, it's so easy to fill the soul gem each time, and since it fills it with a Grand Soul each time, it'll give you a full boost on all weapon charges. Using this, I've leveled up my Enchantment skill over 15 times in the past 2 hours, through killing humans, charging my weapons, and enchanting my own weapons. It's good money too, especially if you sell the weapons you enchant.
Nah bretons can't be #1 because its ridiculously to resist magic in this game. Enchantments, perks, etc.
EX: Lord Stone (+25% magic and physical resistance)
3 perks in magic resistance (+30%)
Shield of Ysgramor (+20% magic resistance)
The sad part is, there is a 80% cap for magic resist so that base 25% magic resist ends up being useless in the long run.
I also haven't seen many magic users (other than stray conjurors, witches and those which things) so they're powers end up being fairly situational. Don't know about orcs vs argonians though, i barely know about them. IDK you could be right, but I lovvvvvvvvve that regen.
