Skyrim for the Unwashed Console Masses

I would do my best to keep stuff near where I would need it.

All my jewelry & soul gems for enchanting - by the enchanting table.

All my alchemy items - sack next to the alchemy table.

But it still gets overwhelming.

McIrishJihad wrote:

I would do my best to keep stuff near where I would need it.

All my jewelry & soul gems for enchanting - by the enchanting table.

All my alchemy items - sack next to the alchemy table.

But it still gets overwhelming.

Heh, good ol' jewelry for enchanting spam. The number of rings and necklaces I have lying around that add 1 to Carry Weight is ... dozens. They're hard to sell because no one has enough cash to buy more than a few at a time. Who knew it would be so hard to trade jewelry in bulk?

Felix Threepaper wrote:
McIrishJihad wrote:

I would do my best to keep stuff near where I would need it.

All my jewelry & soul gems for enchanting - by the enchanting table.

All my alchemy items - sack next to the alchemy table.

But it still gets overwhelming.

Heh, good ol' jewelry for enchanting spam. The number of rings and necklaces I have lying around that add 1 to Carry Weight is ... dozens. They're hard to sell because no one has enough cash to buy more than a few at a time. Who knew it would be so hard to trade jewelry in bulk?

My go to item for enchanting were iron daggers (which I had crafted obviously) with a really weak fire enchantment. And yes finding someone who would take them off of my hands was tough. Let just say I was never hurting for crafting supplies since the smiths tend to have the most money and lots of raw materials for more crafting.

Rykin wrote:
Felix Threepaper wrote:
McIrishJihad wrote:

I would do my best to keep stuff near where I would need it.

All my jewelry & soul gems for enchanting - by the enchanting table.

All my alchemy items - sack next to the alchemy table.

But it still gets overwhelming.

Heh, good ol' jewelry for enchanting spam. The number of rings and necklaces I have lying around that add 1 to Carry Weight is ... dozens. They're hard to sell because no one has enough cash to buy more than a few at a time. Who knew it would be so hard to trade jewelry in bulk?

My go to item for enchanting were iron daggers (which I had crafted obviously) with a really weak fire enchantment. And yes finding someone who would take them off of my hands was tough. Let just say I was never hurting for crafting supplies since the smiths tend to have the most money and lots of raw materials for more crafting.

I was playing post-patch, where crafting increases was tied to value of the end product.

For me it was:

1) transmute Iron Ore to Silver then Gold Ore - smelt to Gold Bars
2) use up all those "useless" gemstones to make crazy expensive jewelry
3) throw weak-ass sneak enchantments on the rings and pendants
4) buy out everything an alchemist vendor has in their inventory
5) sell off a few rings/pendants to empty the vendor's wallet
6) use an alchemy tracking program to make crazy expensive potions

Very effective for leveling Smithing, Alchemy, and Enchanting at roughly the same speed. You can pick up a copy of Transmute Ore at the bottom of Halted Stream Mine, just outside Whiterun. Too bad it doesn't raise Alteration too quickly

Just a reminder, all the DLC for Skyrim is half price this week on XBL. $10 for Dawnguard and Dragonborn, $2.50 for Hearthfire. I picked up the two D's.

Arise!

Well I took that long between plays, I found myself somewhere, with no recollection of how I got there, what I was doing, or why I had 100kg more stuff than I could carry.

Time for a restart.

As I trundled along in the wagon, awaiting my fate, I made an important decision. I was going to play this one differently. I always play the sniper/thief.

Not this time. I wanted a warrior. I settled on an Orc, because, you know, tusks and scars. Smithing I thought could be handy as a bonus, why not, bring on the hurt! Grrrrrr.

I'm only at the beginning of my quest, but I'm already finding a lot of subtlety in my character. While he has a face that could curdle milk, he is, in fact, a gentle giant, an artisan even.

So I find myself, in the small town forge, toiling over my work bench, crafting armour, and looking to the next adventure. Not because of the thrill of the kill, but because I might find a new ore, or material.

I know I will be in this land for a while. There is no rush. Just the babbling of the nearby river, and the sound of the wind in the trees.

That reminds me, better buy a pick axe before I head out again...

The orc racial ability, if you're trying to avoid being OP, is something you'll probably want to avoid, just as an FYI.

It's pretty badass.

I may pick this up. I've been teetering on the edge for a long time. Part of me is done with Bethesda's visual style and part of me feels the game would take me over if I did get into it.

Higgledy wrote:

Part of me is done with Bethesda's visual style

Really? I feel like each of their games looks pretty different: Morrowind - Oblivion - Fall Out 3 - Skyrim...

Duoae wrote:
Higgledy wrote:

Part of me is done with Bethesda's visual style

Really? I feel like each of their games looks pretty different: Morrowind - Oblivion - Fall Out 3 - Skyrim...

To me there is an underlying look to their landscapes, rocks and people that I tolerate rather than like. Fallout 3 had some moments where distant sunsets were attractive but, close up, everything was pretty ugly (I realise that's partly the point in that game but games like Left 4 dead and Bioshock can be ugly while being graphically accomplished.)

One thing that has turned me around a little on Skyrim is seeing more visuals and getting the impression it is a better looking game than the previous ones.

For reference I'm talking 360 versions.

That's fair enough - everyone has their own preferences. Graphics don't matter much to me and it's why I didn't mind the PS3 version or vanilla (Okay, HD-pack) version on the PC. I never bothered installing the graphical mods to make it look amazing like everyone else did.

It just never struck me that the graphical styles were so similar to be a turn-off!

Higgledy wrote:
Duoae wrote:
Higgledy wrote:

Part of me is done with Bethesda's visual style

Really? I feel like each of their games looks pretty different: Morrowind - Oblivion - Fall Out 3 - Skyrim...

To me there is an underlying look to their landscapes, rocks and people that I tolerate rather than like. Fallout 3 had some moments where distant sunsets were attractive but, close up, everything was pretty ugly (I realise that's partly the point in that game but games like Left 4 dead and Bioshock can be ugly while being graphically accomplished.)

One thing that has turned me around a little on Skyrim is seeing more visuals and getting the impression it is a better looking game than the previous ones.

For reference I'm talking 360 versions.

I'm embarking on my journey after three failed starts since release. It has been about 3years since I spent quality time with Oblivion. I haven't started Fallout 3 'seriously' because of Bethesda Burnout.

As far as the 360 goes, it's a good leap in terms of visual upgrade from Oblivion. Some of the characters still look a bit dead in the eyes, but overall, it's an impressive package. Install to your HDD to remove pop in, and access times between regions.

Also, DRAGONS!

Duoae wrote:

It just never struck me that the graphical styles were so similar to be a turn-off! :)

If I liked the style more I'd be ok with it

m0nk3yboy wrote:

Also, DRAGONS!

Yeah. Dragons in the 'pros' column cancels out at least five things in the 'cons' column.

Funny - for me the dragons aren't that great a part of the experience! LOL!

m0nk3yboy wrote:
Duoae wrote:

Funny - for me the dragons aren't that great a part of the experience! LOL!

I like that they are in the lore, and that you might happen to see one in your travels (I'm supposing here, given how 'un-far' I am in the game).

One of the most affecting moments I ever had in a game was in Skyrim with a dragon: it was early days so I was fairly low-level, and just walking along—I think just past the bridge outside Riverwood, on my way to Whiterun—when the ground around briefly darkened from a very large shadow, that appeared then disappeared.

No dramatic music, no narrative reason, no interface overlay, no cut scene, no wrested camera. Just a random event brought to my attention only through the coincidental interplay of the sun, a large object aloft, and me happening to be under it.

Dozens of hours later with that character, I'd be cutting down dragons as easy as stealing sweet rolls. But I'll always remember that moment, certainly more affecting than the first scripted encounter with a dragon. Video games can be excellent for evocation, but that moment was more direct than evocative. It was genuine immersion (Occulus Rift not—never—required). I was there—the ground darkened—I took a second to put two and two together, then looked up...

Gravey wrote:
m0nk3yboy wrote:
Duoae wrote:

Funny - for me the dragons aren't that great a part of the experience! LOL!

I like that they are in the lore, and that you might happen to see one in your travels (I'm supposing here, given how 'un-far' I am in the game).

One of the most affecting moments I ever had in a game was in Skyrim with a dragon: it was early days so I was fairly low-level, and just walking along—I think just past the bridge outside Riverwood, on my way to Whiterun—when the ground around briefly darkened from a very large shadow, that appeared then disappeared.

No dramatic music, no narrative reason, no interface overlay, no cut scene, no wrested camera. Just a random event brought to my attention only through the coincidental interplay of the sun, a large object aloft, and me happening to be under it.

Dozens of hours later with that character, I'd be cutting down dragons as easy as stealing sweet rolls. But I'll always remember that moment, certainly more affecting than the first scripted encounter with a dragon. Video games can be excellent for evocation, but that moment was more direct than evocative. It was genuine immersion (Occulus Rift not—never—required). I was there—the ground darkened—I took a second to put two and two together, then looked up...

I found that same feeling, at the forging pit, just listening to the 'ting ting' of metal on metal, in the early hours of that crisp morning. Hell, I was sitting in an Ikea chair, in front of a television, in Suburbia, approaching midnight, but here I am, describing the crispness of the morning air?

PLAY IT HIGGLEDY!

Duoae wrote:

Funny - for me the dragons aren't that great a part of the experience! LOL!

I like that they are in the lore, and that you might happen to see one in your travels (I'm supposing here, given how 'un-far' I am in the game).

Higgledy, given your love of walking along tracks (I forget the correct term, is it rambling?) I see a lot in this one that might appeal. Very little, other than some of the light flora, and I'm talking nearly nothing at all, feels like the 'cardboard cutout props' in Oblivion. They have squeezed a LOT out of this engine on the 360. If this is slumming it, I could be tempted to see what the PC title goes for at the next Steam Sale, because that version must be gorgeous.

Invest 3 hours. Get through the first area you need to escape from, then when you get 'outside' just have a wander down to the first village. If that doesn't sell you on the feel of the world, then I'd say skip it.

m0nk3yboy wrote:

Invest 3 hours. Get through the first area you need to escape from, then when you get 'outside' just have a wander down to the first village. If that doesn't sell you on the feel of the world, then I'd say skip it.

m0nk3yboy wrote:

PLAY IT HIGGLEDY!

I think I will. I do love exploration games and Wordsmyth has already told me the herbalism is good, which is a big selling point for me. I'm all about the herbs. Herbs and dragons.

Btw, your Halloween avatar is the scariest I've seen.

Higgledy wrote:

Btw, your Halloween avatar is the scariest I've seen.

Who knew Hannah Montanna/Miley Cyrus could look scarier than when she was twerking

Higgledy wrote:

I think I will. I do love exploration games and Wordsmyth has already told me the herbalism is good, which is a big selling point for me. I'm all about the herbs. Herbs and dragons.

You may also want to look into Miasmata if you haven't already. The entire game is herbs and mapping. And occasionally being chased.

One of my early dragon experiences was being stalked by one whilst traveling through a mountain pass that was too narrow for it to get to me in. At least with the early really bad flight pathing code they had. It was pretty tense because I was very low level at that time.

Sonicator wrote:
Higgledy wrote:

I think I will. I do love exploration games and Wordsmyth has already told me the herbalism is good, which is a big selling point for me. I'm all about the herbs. Herbs and dragons.

You may also want to look into Miasmata if you haven't already. The entire game is herbs and mapping. And occasionally being chased.

Oooo thanks.

I just spoke to the Grey Beards, after a very long and satisfying walk from Whiterun to where they live.

I am bogged down with loot. Where the hell can I unload all this stuff locally?

The dude that gets you to take the stuff all the way up to the top doesn't appear to actually be a trader, so I can't sell it to him, and the dudes at the inn only want to buy ingredients.

I'm also carrying all the scale and bones I received from the battle outside Whiterun, is that a mistake? Do I sell it off quick smart, or keep it for crafting?

Same with the 'upset people' that meet me in the village after taking the 7,000 steps. Do I keep their masks for a later mission?

The bones and scales are handy for crafting. I suggest fast traveling to Whiterun (or if you have the Heartfire DLC buying and using one of those homes if you don't have the one in Whiterun) to stash your crafting and alchemy stuff and any random thing you aren't using but want to keep (I don't remember anything about masked people so I suspect you can get rid of them if you want).

Rykin wrote:

The bones and scales are handy for crafting. I suggest fast traveling to Whiterun (or if you have the Heartfire DLC buying and using one of those homes if you don't have the one in Whiterun) to stash your crafting and alchemy stuff and any random thing you aren't using but want to keep (I don't remember anything about masked people so I suspect you can get rid of them if you want).

How do I fast travel? I thought that was a shout I needed to acquire. I must have missed that in the tutorials...

Thar Interwebs wrote:

You first need to have discovered the area. You do this by visiting the area by any means but fast travel. Once you've done that, open your map and click a location. It will ask you if you want to fast travel to that location. You can't fast travel with enemies chasing you, or while indoors (I think).

Well don't I feel f*cking stupid right now

Also, the masked people:

Spoiler:

They are the cultists that meet you when you first return to the village at the bottom of the 7,000 steps. There is a note on them, outlining the need to kill the untrue dragon born (me). When you take them out, there is a side quest to go to Stronheim(?). I figured if I kept the cultists outfit/armour I could infiltrate their base of operations better.

Thanks for the info Rykin

Edit:
One last question. What is cheaper, build or buy? Does the making of the house, and the gathering of materials, etc add to any of the skills? I have about 3,000 gold at the moment, so I am a long way off the 5,000 to buy the property in Whiterun.

m0nk3yboy wrote:

Also, the masked people:

Spoiler:

They are the cultists that meet you when you first return to the village at the bottom of the 7,000 steps. There is a note on them, outlining the need to kill the untrue dragon born (me). When you take them out, there is a side quest to go to Stronheim(?). I figured if I kept the cultists outfit/armour I could infiltrate their base of operations better.

I believe those people show up when you get back to any town, after buying one of the DLCs. Or, at least, happened to me after I bought the Dragonborn DLC.

McIrishJihad wrote:
m0nk3yboy wrote:

Also, the masked people:

I believe those people show up when you get back to any town, after buying one of the DLCs. Or, at least, happened to me after I bought the Dragonborn DLC.

Awesome, thank you for that. I shall put that particular quest on the back burner then. No use perusing DLC when I'm still a 'wet behind the ears' level 7 character.

I am not sure about the costs of build versus buy. I know that to fully deck out the built houses costs a lot of money but I was rolling in cash by the time I did that DLC (think I had something like 500,000 gold). Building the house does let you build up your smithing a little I think. Not as much as mass producing iron daggers though.

Now in Whiterun outside of the smiths there are two barrels that make a great places to stash stuff. There are actually many such places all over the world where you can stash stuff like this, but you have to remember to visit them every so often in-game or your stuff will vanish (unlike in your house). Not sure what the required frequency of visits is but when I did the Dragonborn DLC I was away for about a month (in-game) I think and when I came back my stuff in those barrels was gone (I used one for crafting supplies and the other to store items I wanted to sell but didn't feel like selling right away). The Whiterun house is a good one because it is sort of centrally located.

Thanks Rykin. I'm going to have to do 'something' with those dragon scales and bones. While I'm getting around with a character who's level is single digits, having 70kg of inventory around is making loot runs almost impossible.

I'm actually trying to play this game very differently, so I may just crack everything open, and sell what I don't want/need/use immeadiately.

I would usually hoarde everything that was slightly different. Dagger of this effect, sword of that effect, etc. I would have literally hundreds of items stashed around my house in Oblivion that I never used.

With my Orc Warrior, I think I'll deconstruct every item I won't use, so I can learn their enchantments, and then be a super crafty tank that can 'add' enhancements at will, as needed. I will however, still pick up every book I can find.

I intend to have the Skyrim equivalent of Hank McCoy/Beast in Orc form, substituting scientific knowledge for enchanting and magic.

I'll second the two barrels next to the smith shop in Whiterun. I think the reset threshold is weekly, so don't spend more than a few nights away, and touch both of them whenever you're in town until you get a house, and you'll be fine.