THE ELDER SCROLLS CHAPTER 5: SKYRIM
Release date: November 11, 2011
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Discuss the game here.
General Game info and FAQ:
How do shouts work?
Shouts are gained by finding "Word Walls" in various dungeons and around skyrim in general. These walls are not just in main story related dungeons, but in many other locations you may just simply find yourself in. Finding a word wall will give you the base shout, but before you use it you will need to absorb a dragon's soul by killing one. Once you absorb a soul, you may use the point to advance a shout of your choosing. Shouts have multiple levels you can advance.
Shouts do not use magicka, but are all on a cooldown timer which they all share. In other words you can't switch between them to constantly belt them out. Cooldowns vary based on how powerful the spell is. Some can be used every few seconds, and some can be used every day or so.
How is Third Person Mode?
Third person has been improved since Oblivion. The new targetting retical and better animations make it easier to tell what you are hitting. Some powers, like beast transformation, cause the player to go into third person automatically. While it's feesible to play in third person mode, it's easier to view objects lying around on the ground in first person mode. Third person mode has it's advantages in combat, as you can better see enemies surrounding you; But which point of view you decide to use is up to you most of the time.
Character Creation?
Character creation is simplified this time around. You will not pick any major and minor skills, but the race you choose will have benefits in certain skills. Each race also has active and passive abilities.
Astral signs are not chosen at character creation, but rather through ritual stones you may find around skyrim. You may only have one of these stones active at a time.
How do perks work?
When your character levels up (caused by raising your skills when you use them), you will gain a perk point. This point can be spent OR SAVED FOR LATER. Each skill tree has a number of 'paths' each with different perks that augment your skill in some way. Many of these perks require you to be at a certain skill level before you can take them and you will also need to take the previous perk on that path beforehand.
How does lockpicking work?
Lockpicking in Skyrim is a bit like it was in Fallout 3. Rather than the pins system that was in Oblivion; This time there is no visual cue as to when a lock will open. You are not limited to what level locks you can pick; But picking locks above your level of expertise can be incredibly difficult and you can run out of picks very quickly. Perks in this tree allow you to pick certain level locks more easily.
Fast Travel, Carriages, and Horses
Fast travel is back, and you can travel anywhere you have already visited. There are also carriages near all major cities that will bring you to other cities for a fee, allowing you early access to most of the cities in Skyrim. Horses are also in this game. Horses can 'sprint' just like characters, but only for a short time depending on the horse. If you leave your horse behind it will show up next time you fast travel to a certain area.
How Big is the Game?
The game is very easily as large as, if not bigger, than Oblivion. I've been playing for roughly a week and I don't think I've been to 1/5 of the locations in the game.
How do spells work? Is there spell making?
Spells are gained from buying or finding spell tomes. Spells can be 'dual casted' for a better effect if you have the right perks. There are also staves and scrolls that give you limited uses of spells. Staves grow stronger if the player is skilled in that particular perk tree/skill level.
There is no spell crafting in Skyrim.
Questing and quest logs
Quests are seperated into two categories. Main quests and miscellanious tasks. Misc. Tasks are usually menial tasks that can be done quickly whereas major quests are usually longer and require you to visit multiple locales. Both types of quests are easily trackable on maps and mini maps.
Are dungeons randomly generated?
No, as far as I can tell. Most dungeons have some sort of story element to them and they all appear to have specific loot. Bethesda has done a good job in making sure each location feels unique and has something special about it. If you aren't blazing through on easy mode, these can take quite some time to complete as well. Most dungeons have some sort of boss at the end and an easy 'exit' to get back to the overworld without having to trapse back through the dungeon a second time.
Are there companions?
Yes. In fact, you will be paired up A LOT during certain quests. There are also mercenaries you can hire and companions that will come to you for work. These companions can be given orders, as well.
Whether or not certain persistent companions have their own questlines I have yet to see. More to come on this.
Housing and Marriage
Player owned housing is back.
This time marriage is also in the game. I havent discovered how this works yet, and will post more about it when I do.
Crime and Punishment in Skyrim
In Skyrim your criminal activities are tracked a little differently than they were in previous games. Each city tracks it's crime independently...so if you rack up a bounty in one city; You can still go to others without being arrested by guards.
When confronted by a guard you have a choice of paying your bounty, going to prison, or fighting back or running. If you sheath your sword to a guard; He may stop attacking you unless you have a HUGE bounty on your head (probably for multiple murders).
Going to prison becomes a quest in itself. There, you can serve your sentence or attempt to escape. These prisons are very well done and are quests in themselves...and escaping from them is actually a reason you may WANT to get arrested for.
Dragons?
Dragons are (usually) randomly ocurring boss battles that can take place almost every where outside of towns and dungeons. There are several types of dragons from what I can tell. More to come.
As for the difficulty of these dragons; I found that on adept difficulty they gave me some trouble but I was generally able to beat them quickly...whereas in master difficulty they killed me almost instantaneously.
Regardless of difficulty, it can be terrifying being 'stalked' by these creatures, as they will usually do to you before they decide to strike.
I am currently playing the game myself from a source I will not specify. Feel free to ask me stuff and I will get try to get to them accordingly. I will however specify that this is a PURCHASED xbox 360 copy and NOT a leak of any kind.
Please keep in mind that the game hasn't been officially released yet, so information on the wiki pages are incomplete (obviously).
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