Skryim Master Thread

[GrimlocksPS]

Hi, I'm a level 35 Redguard.  I specialize in archery with shield and sword as my back up.  I spent entirely to much time leveling blacksmithing all the way to 100; I just forged my first set of dragon armor. 

I have a question though; for some weapons the game says I do not have the skill to upgrade them more, yet I'm at a hundred.  Is there a way to boost your skills past that, even if only temporally. 

I also got this game a week before finals and literally had to have my sister hide it after playing it for a couple of hours because I knew I would not study if I knew where the disk was. 

You can make smithing potions but i'm not sure if they will put you over 100. Also enchanting armor to increase smithing might work too.

[Atticus]

I've never been a PC gamer, but in reading the Skyrim stuff online, it's clear that the PC angle has perks in the form of the command console. If you're into that sort of thing, you basically are GOD in the PC realm, and can add/tweak almost any aspect of the game at your leisure.

Your post reminded me of this great article someone wrote on the "Metaphysics of Morrowind." If you're interested in how the command console actually affected lore, check it out: http://fallingawkwardly.wordpress.com/2010/08/29/the-metaphysics-of-morrowind-part-1/

It does have spoilers for Elder Scrolls III though, but none for Skyrim.


And yeah, enchanting your armor to increase your smithing, as well as blacksmith potions, increase your smithing skill, even if you have already hit 100.

[PercussionMasta]

Epic Skyrim session today.  I won't spoil anything, but when you travel to a place called Blackreach in the main quest line...your mind is going to be blown.

This game is unreal.

[Kamakazi010654]

Spent about 3 hours taking my Smithing from 20 to 100 and Enchanting from 20 to 61.

Went from level 29 to 38 and stockpiled a bunch of perks to use as a get more levels in archery.

Definitely going to have to spend some serious time questing now, I have basically zero money due to soul gem and smithing costs.

[steinkrug]

Making slow progress... but I've found out something interesting about the Companions after finishing the first true initiation quest and joining them... then ventured northeast to Windhelm and started the quests to become a part of the rebellion.. My character is a Nord and I'm roleplaying this in my mind. Also visited the town of Winterhold while up there and did a few things for the Jarl, all while killing my 2nd and 3rd dragons. Really enjoying the firebreathing power, making me feel like a dragon myself.

[Wood]

Love hearing about people having awesome experiences in places I haven't even heard of yet. Reminds me of how massive this game is.

I FINALLY bought a house, and while it's useful, I'm kind of pissed. I bought an alchemy set from the steward and then also bought a living room set (to get a bookshelf). When I rolled to my crib the living room was there but the alchemy set wasn't. 

Another strange occurrence. I was rolling over to the Lovers Stone to get my 15% x3 bonus on, and all of the sudden some Tharvol (sp?) Justificators appear out of nowhere and attack me. I dispensed them quickly enough (but not before I had to reload a save point b/c I killed Lydia the first go around) and found a note on one of them that said I had become a thorn in their side and deemed an enemy.

What's up with that? Last time I saw those clowns I was HELPING them by uncovering some fool who was worshipping Talos and reporting back. Now I'm their enemy?

[Stupendous Man]

I played a ton last night. I completed the whole Blessings of Nature quest with had me going hither and yon all over Skyrim. I had to go to to Orphan Rock to obtain the Nettlebane and then all the way to Eldergleam Sanctuary (Where I fought another Dragon) and back to Whiterun.

Honestly my favorite part of the whole thing was honestly the journey from Whiterun to the Eldergleam Sanctuary. This game is freaking gorgeous! Even on a crappy old tv. I turned a corner into this river vally and I could see two towers connected by a bridge over the river off in the distance. Sure enough when I got there there was a group of bandits that needed driven out. It's a special game where the running around from point to point is a reward all its own.

I also joined The Companions. This game has me so hooked it isn't even funny.

[Kamakazi010654]

I played a ton last night. I completed the whole Blessings of Nature quest with had me going hither and yon all over Skyrim. I had to go to to Orphan Rock to obtain the Nettlebane and then all the way to Eldergleam Sanctuary (Where I fought another Dragon) and back to Whiterun.

Honestly my favorite part of the whole thing was honestly the journey from Whiterun to the Eldergleam Sanctuary. This game is freaking gorgeous! Even on a crappy old tv. I turned a corner into this river vally and I could see two towers connected by a bridge over the river off in the distance. Sure enough when I got there there was a group of bandits that needed driven out. It's a special game where the running around from point to point is a reward all its own.

I also joined The Companions. This game has me so hooked it isn't even funny.

After Blackreach I think the Eldergleam Sanctuary is my favorite spot in the frame, it just looks so awesome.

[Jeff B.]

Played for about 3 hours last night.  I killed my first dragon, was named Thane of Whiterun, joined The Companions and did a bunch of quests for them and pretty much puttered around Whiterun just figuring stuff out.  I hadn't really played around with magic too much so I was trying to get a feel for that as well as doing my usual lockpicking and talking to random people.  The depth of this game is ridiculous.

I have noticed some wonky parts which were both funny and frustrating.

1) I went into a bar in Whiterun and talked to some chick that wanted to throw down for 100 coin.  I said why not, I was feeling froggy.  So we sparred and maybe I didn't understand what was going on, maybe I won and didn't realize it (I did hear the sound of coins in the background during my flurry of haymakers) but it didn't make it very clear to me it was over so I kept punching her.  Next thing I know it tells me my companion left me and I had people coming out from everywhere trying to kill me, including this chick who unsheaths her sword and starts hacking at me.  The most frustrating part is the autosave must have hit right before this or something because it just kept spawning me inside or right outside the bar where this chick would take her sword out and I would barely get two steps away before getting hit by her or taking an arrow from someone else.  I had to go back a couple of autosaves till before I talked to her and I just kept my distance the second time around.

2) After talking to the Jarl and heading off to find the dragon when I left Dragonreach my game just froze when it was loading the new location. Grrrrrrr.  Not a huge deal but I had to replay the whole Jarl scene again.

3) A funny thing was when I first joined the companions.  I had Faendal in tow and we went outside to talk to Vilkas (think that is his name) and he tells you to take a couple of swings at him.  Again not sure what happened but I took my sword out by accident instead of raising my fists and he got all bent out of shape and took his sword out and kinda came after me and Faendal.  Well I ended up putting my sword away and completing the task by punching him but not before Faendal got all worked up and started slinging arrows at the guy.  So the guy is sitting there at the end giving his speech to me about completing the quest, joining the Companions, blah blah blah and the whole time he is talking he is just getting plugged with arrows.  It was hysterical because the game was on autopilot doing its thing at that point so he is just talking and you keep hearing thwip! arrow in the chest, thwip!  arrow in the shoulder, thwip!  another arrow to the chest  and by the end of the talk he has like 7 arrows sticking out of his torso and he walks away.      I should have snapped a picture, it was too funny.

[Lawrence]

@JeffB Admittedly the game is a little over zealous when it comes to stuff like that. Obviously we all applaud them for doing their thing but yeah the game has frozen up on my barely used brand new 360 a couple of times. I swear when I play this game for a really long stretch of time I also end up feeling like half of that time is load screens. It's still the best thing in the universe.

I also learned the trick that if you want to up a mountain you can just keep running sideways back and forth and the game will keep letting you go up. 

I worry I wont really get to play again until Friday though, freaking life. 

[Jeff B.]

@JeffB Admittedly the game is a little over zealous when it comes to stuff like that. Obviously we all applaud them for doing their thing but yeah the game has frozen up on my barely used brand new 360 a couple of times. I swear when I play this game for a really long stretch of time I also end up feeling like half of that time is load screens. It's still the best thing in the universe.

Amen to that. 

I feel like there are so many other games I want to check out that are sitting around my house from the holiday season but when I boot up my Xbox there is no doubt that I want to play Skyrim and I just don't see that changing anytime soon.  I am really in awe at what Bethesda did here.

[PercussionMasta]

I also learned the trick that if you want to up a mountain you can just keep running sideways back and forth and the game will keep letting you go up. 

Ohhhhh, you guys gotta use the backwards shimmy trick.  It's almost identical to this, but you turn around backwards while doing it.  It's a little glitch that also worked in Oblivion.  If you turn around and walk backwards while also strafing side to side and jumping, you can summit most of the steep slopes in Skyrim.  You'll snag on rocks and outcroppings and shimmy up the side.

I use this when I'm too freaking lazy to find a road to where I want to do.  Only the absolute sheerest faces are impossible to scale with this method. 

[Sean M.]

Had a major crack on last night- I'd got bored stealing stuff.

[JR]

When I rolled to my crib the living room was there but the alchemy set wasn't. 

what town did you buy your house in? if it's in whiterun, the alchemy lab is in a little side room on the first floor. i missed it the first time i went looking for it, too.

[Wood]

what town did you buy your house in? if it's in whiterun, the alchemy lab is in a little side room on the first floor. i missed it the first time i went looking for it, too.

Ah! I could kiss you sir.

I assumed the lab was supposed to be in the very front where that large square indentation sits.

[Greg Leclair (greg1ca)]

Ah! I could kiss you sir.

I assumed the lab was supposed to be in the very front where that large square indentation sits.

Also, if you bought all of the furniture, there should be a storage chest above the book shelf. I used this as a place to dump/ store all of my crafting items (leather, ore, ingots, dragon bones, etc) between quests.

Upstairs there should be another storage chest if you bought the bedroom furniture. Interestingly, this is where Lydia waited for me when I sent her home.

Q: Wood, what perks have you been buying? I presume a lot of pickpocketing and archery. Anything else?

[JR]

I assumed the lab was supposed to be in the very front where that large square indentation sits.

that's where the firepit for your kitchen goes if you purchase that.

[JR]

also, if you're going to buy the bedroom set for you house, make sure to remove everything from the crappy chest next to your old cot before you upgrade to the swanky new bedroom furniture...otherwise, you'll lose everything in it when the new furniture gets added (like i did).

[Wood]

also, if you're going to buy the bedroom set for you house, make sure to remove everything from the crappy chest next to your old cot before you upgrade to the swanky new bedroom furniture...otherwise, you'll lose everything in it when the new furniture gets added (like i did).

Another good karma! I have a TON of stuff in there.

[PercussionMasta]

Also, if you bought all of the furniture, there should be a storage chest above the book shelf. I used this as a place to dump/ store all of my crafting items (leather, ore, ingots, dragon bones, etc) between quests.

I was also doing this (if you're talking about the bookshelf by the alchemy table), until I realized that it is more efficient to store crafting materials in the cabinet closest to the door of your house.  If you do so, then you can load up ALL your crafting materials at one time, and even though you walk super slow from being over encumbered, it's a short distance to the forge.  Storing crafting materials in the back of the house just makes the walk longer...