Skyrim III: Get rich selling protective knee gear!

[nhbdy]

OK, so let's assume that you want to use Destruction, Conjuration, Illusion, Restoration, and Alteration. But not Enchanting, Smithing, Alchemy, One Handed, Two Handed, Archery, Block, Heavy Armor, or Light Armor.

You follow and complete the Mage's Guild quests early (you are a dedicated mage after all), and get the Archmage's Robes (+100% magicka regeneration, +50 magicka, 15% reduction on all spells cast) and the Morokei dragon mask (+100% regeneration). But you do take the Recovery Perk twice (Restoration Skill, total of +50% regeneration), and the appropriate Novice/Apprentice/Adept/Expert/Master Perks in the Skills you use most heavily, which reduce the casting costs of spells at their level by an additional 50%. Just by adventuring and using the mage Skills, the Radiant AI will give you other magic items which reduce the casting costs of specific magical Skills by 5 to 22%, and/or Fortify Magicka which increase your base Magicka by 10 to 50 points each. If you're lucky, you stumble across the Vokun mask (Conjuration, Illusion and Alterations spells cost 20% less to cast) - or the Atronach Stone (+50 Magicka, 50% absorb spells, Magicka regenerates 50% slower) - but let's assume that you don't.

Just using the above, you're likely to have a base Magicka of 200ish (base 100, +50 Archmage's Robes, +50ish from various Fortify Magicka items), and a -65%ish decrease in casting cost (-50% from Perks, -15% the Archemage's Robes). That alone allows you to cast most spells in the game. And if you're spamming any particular spells (like Destruction) then you can get the casting cost down to 0%ish just by using Perks + Archmage's Robes + random Fortify Destruction items. And given a Magicka regeneration rate of +150% to +250%, your Magicka can be replenished from 0 to full in 5-10ish seconds. And you have plenty of common Restore Magicka potions for boss fights, when you can't afford to wait 5-10ish seconds in between spells.

ok, so I can concede that it is by and large technically useless, but I for one will still use it to feel "magey" so you're right, but I choose to be different.

[ObadiahtheSlim]

Casters are super easy for Atronarch bretons. That's how I beat the mages guild quests. I'd hit my racial ability for 100% absorb magicka.

[Tekren]

Playing an High elf Mage, wearing light armor, going slowly up the enchant/armor/alchemy route, but just noticed something.

As I will eventually start using two handed weapons, i'm going up the heavy armor side of the tree. I'm wearing light armor, but Lydia is decked out in full Orcish, all upgraded and beautifully enchanted. She carries all of my empty petty and lesser soul gems, along with the Mace of Molag Bal. (never seems to run out of charges while she uses it)

I'm wearing unupgraded elven with no enchantments, and carry no weapon.

I'm starting to question whether I'm in charge of her, or the other way around.

[Deth Muncher]

BTW, in case no one saw, the BethBlog updated today saying that the PC patch 1.3 is out, and will be made available for consoles ASAP. Which means I can go back to playing! Yay!

[Anderlith]

Someone help please! I can't find Marathal (guy who starts the marriage quest) He doesn't seem to sleep at the temple & I can't find him anywhere. Does anyone know where he might be?

[Volthawk]

Someone help please! I can't find Marathal (guy who starts the marriage quest) He doesn't seem to sleep at the temple & I can't find him anywhere. Does anyone know where he might be?

Tried the tavern?

[Jimorian]

Tried the tavern?

Pfft, a quest starting in a tavern? Ridiculous!

[Thanatos 51-50]

Someone help please! I can't find Marathal (guy who starts the marriage quest) He doesn't seem to sleep at the temple & I can't find him anywhere. Does anyone know where he might be?

It might help when you realize his name is Maramal

[Gaelbert]

So when I make my next character, I'm hoping to do a mage. I'm thinking either Breton or Altmeri, but beyond that I really don't know. I've heard folks in here say that destruction doesn't scale and I've heard people say conjuration doesn't scale, so is there a way to make a good mage? What perks, what schools, what type of armour (light or clothing), that sort of thing.
And how does combat work with a mage? I'm not so used to combat, as I typically hide and sneak attack with double daggers.

[nhbdy]

So when I make my next character, I'm hoping to do a mage. I'm thinking either Breton or Altmeri, but beyond that I really don't know. I've heard folks in here say that destruction doesn't scale and I've heard people say conjuration doesn't scale, so is there a way to make a good mage? What perks, what schools, what type of armour (light or clothing), that sort of thing.
And how does combat work with a mage? I'm not so used to combat, as I typically hide and sneak attack with double daggers.

Conjuration has given me no trouble, and from what I hear, two dremora lords wrecks even higher leveled stuff. Also from what I've played and read it is arguably the most powerful. Destruction doesn't scale and can be quite mana hungry, but can also be used and is plenty of fun, with enchanting you can even get it to 0% cost (though it will never do as much as optimized melee/archery in damage)! As far as armor, it is personal preference, if you do go light, you'll want to get enchanting up quickly, so you can put caster-friendly enchants on it, if you go cloth, you'll find a lot of usable ones for most of the early game. Other schools of magic to note: illusion is very all or nothing, it requires heavy perk investment and can monopolize your build for a while, but the payoff is good, as you can crowd control almost any enemy with fear/calm/frenzy effects and you'd have a panic button (invisibility). Alteration is your defense without armor, the perks are pretty sweet higher up, mage armor helps if you like robes, but is ultimately not needed at endgame (there's a spell that gives you a flat 80% resistance), it also has paralyze, so it is useful. Restoration is great against other mages and dragons, for one reason... WARDS!!! they can nullify spells and breath done correctly, but they too can be a bit mana hungry, but with maxxed enchanting you can get two schools to 0% cost...

the rest is fairly self explanatory, and I didn't cover everything, just what I felt was easier to miss, hope you enjoy your mage!

[Deth Muncher]

So when I make my next character, I'm hoping to do a mage. I'm thinking either Breton or Altmeri, but beyond that I really don't know. I've heard folks in here say that destruction doesn't scale and I've heard people say conjuration doesn't scale, so is there a way to make a good mage? What perks, what schools, what type of armour (light or clothing), that sort of thing.
And how does combat work with a mage? I'm not so used to combat, as I typically hide and sneak attack with double daggers.

I'm a Breton Mage. It works well. Refer to Person_Man's posts in this thread about how to tweak your mage skills how you want. Also keep in mind that you can grind your destruction in the beginning before you leave the tunnel on whichever guy you try escaping with. I didn't, but if you want to start the game with an advantage I'd start off by training your Destruction, Sneak and Arching. That way, you can snipe things before they know you're there, and if they're big enough that they won't die to lots of Sneak damage, then you start going all Emperor Palpetine on them.

[Archpaladin Zousha]

I was wondering what to do with my latest character. As he's just starting out, he's got a lot of leeway at the moment, but I'm not certain of efficacy.

Spoiler

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He's a High Elf, but instead of going all-out mage, he's a warrior. It's basically the paladin I was playing earlier but with a different race. The skills I want to focus on are:

One-Handed (to wield Dawnbreaker)
Block (seemingly the best choice to use with One-Handed)
Heavy Armor (to wear the Ebony Mail)
Restoration (to better simulate a paladin's powers)

As well as the following "basic" skills.

Smithing (to improve my armor and weapons)
Enchanting (again, to improve my armor and weapons).

I'm also wondering about some of the items out there. I know Spellbreaker is the best shield in the game, but if my suspicions are correct, the shield curves outwards, so it looks like you're carrying around a sattelite dish, which I frankly find ridiculous. I know that there are other shields out there, but not how well they'd fit in my whole ensemble. The Shield of Ysgramor looks attractive, but the coloration may be better suited to Steel Plate than Ebony. Same with the Masque of Clavicus Vile. I also understand you get a unique Shield of Solitude by doing a quest for Jarl Elisif, but I can't seem to find pictures of it. I'm an incorrigable slave to fashion in games like these. Combat efficacy is secondary to lookin' cool.

Also, what jewelry should I consider looking into. The Amulet of Articulation from the Thieves Guild is something I've been drooling over since I got it in my last game, since it allows you to succeed in nearly all Persuade checks, but I don't know how many Persuade checks I'll have to MAKE in the game, so if it's not many, this item may not be worth it. The Gauldur Amulet is cool, and it's got a relatively useful enchantment, if a bit mundane. I'm torn between wearing Hircine's Ring or the Band of Matrimony, namely for sentimental reasons.

Am I being ridiculous for asking questions like these?

[Calemyr]

I was wondering what to do with my latest character. As he's just starting out, he's got a lot of leeway at the moment, but I'm not certain of efficacy.

Spoiler

Show

He's a High Elf, but instead of going all-out mage, he's a warrior. It's basically the paladin I was playing earlier but with a different race. The skills I want to focus on are:

One-Handed (to wield Dawnbreaker)
Block (seemingly the best choice to use with One-Handed)
Heavy Armor (to wear the Ebony Mail)
Restoration (to better simulate a paladin's powers)

As well as the following "basic" skills.

Smithing (to improve my armor and weapons)
Enchanting (again, to improve my armor and weapons).

I'm also wondering about some of the items out there. I know Spellbreaker is the best shield in the game, but if my suspicions are correct, the shield curves outwards, so it looks like you're carrying around a sattelite dish, which I frankly find ridiculous. I know that there are other shields out there, but not how well they'd fit in my whole ensemble. The Shield of Ysgramor looks attractive, but the coloration may be better suited to Steel Plate than Ebony. Same with the Masque of Clavicus Vile. I also understand you get a unique Shield of Solitude by doing a quest for Jarl Elisif, but I can't seem to find pictures of it. I'm an incorrigable slave to fashion in games like these. Combat efficacy is secondary to lookin' cool.

Also, what jewelry should I consider looking into. The Amulet of Articulation from the Thieves Guild is something I've been drooling over since I got it in my last game, since it allows you to succeed in nearly all Persuade checks, but I don't know how many Persuade checks I'll have to MAKE in the game, so if it's not many, this item may not be worth it. The Gauldur Amulet is cool, and it's got a relatively useful enchantment, if a bit mundane. I'm torn between wearing Hircine's Ring or the Band of Matrimony, namely for sentimental reasons.

Am I being ridiculous for asking questions like these?

Spoiler

Show

First off, you know what you have to do to get the Ebony Mail, yes? You're still tempted to consider yourself a paladin?

With max enchantment (and especially with max alchemy on top of it), there is very, very, VERY little that you can find that can rival what you can build. When I play married characters, I craft my own wedding rings that actually have some muscle to them.

Amulet of Articulation is good, but most of the time you might as well just use the Amulet of Dibella - +10 to speech and as common as any of the amulets of the divines. If it really bugs you, there's an infinite persuade bug on an elf in Riften, you can max out Persuade easily that way.

Spellbreaker is not only the best shield in the game, it's about the only one that has a power you can't replicate, combining a free lesser ward spell with the muscle of a powerful shield, including the block perks. It'd look better with a dwemer suit, though. If you want great power and good looks, just make your own shield. If you want a really nasty anti-magic shield, get the Shield of Solitude and disenchant it. It's a +10 magic resist rather than the standard +8, and the two are treated as distinct so you can have both of them on anything that allows magic resistance. You can get 85% (the cap) very easily this way, without even having to do Agent of Mara, have the Lord Stone, or be a Breton.

Shield of Solitude itself is just a standard Solitude guard shield. Same model, same texture.

And if you're a slave to fashion, one thing to consider is that in the end game (assuming you max all three craft skills), all styles of armor end up pretty much equal, only falling into two groups: those effected by smithy perks and those that are not. You can wear Steel armor and have as much effectiveness as Daedric, without the weight, expense, or perk requirements.

[nhbdy]

Spoiler

Show

First off, you know what you have to do to get the Ebony Mail, yes? You're still tempted to consider yourself a paladin?

With max enchantment (and especially with max alchemy on top of it), there is very, very, VERY little that you can find that can rival what you can build. When I play married characters, I craft my own wedding rings that actually have some muscle to them.

Amulet of Articulation is good, but most of the time you might as well just use the Amulet of Dibella - +10 to speech and as common as any of the amulets of the divines. If it really bugs you, there's an infinite persuade bug on an elf in Riften, you can max out Persuade easily that way.

Spellbreaker is not only the best shield in the game, it's about the only one that has a power you can't replicate, combining a free lesser ward spell with the muscle of a powerful shield, including the block perks. It'd look better with a dwemer suit, though. If you want great power and good looks, just make your own shield. If you want a really nasty anti-magic shield, get the Shield of Solitude and disenchant it. It's a +10 magic resist rather than the standard +8, and the two are treated as distinct so you can have both of them on anything that allows magic resistance. You can get 85% (the cap) very easily this way, without even having to do Agent of Mara, have the Lord Stone, or be a Breton.

Shield of Solitude itself is just a standard Solitude guard shield. Same model, same texture.

And if you're a slave to fashion, one thing to consider is that in the end game (assuming you max all three craft skills), all styles of armor end up pretty much equal, only falling into two groups: those effected by smithy perks and those that are not. You can wear Steel armor and have as much effectiveness as Daedric, without the weight, expense, or perk requirements.

so they capped magic resistance? at 85%?!?!?

[sucatraps]

Just like physical resist. Elemental resist, however, is uncapped, which is makes fighting Dragons hilariously easy.

[Archpaladin Zousha]

Spoiler

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First off, you know what you have to do to get the Ebony Mail, yes? You're still tempted to consider yourself a paladin?

You know what? You're right, I wouldn't be able to forgive myself for doin' that. But that opens up the question of just what armor to wear. Elven is too cliche. Dragonscale and Bone are too organic-looking. Daedric is too evil-looking. Steel Plate? Glass?

With max enchantment (and especially with max alchemy on top of it), there is very, very, VERY little that you can find that can rival what you can build. When I play married characters, I craft my own wedding rings that actually have some muscle to them.

In that case, what SHOULD I make? I'll be honest, I've never been certain of just what enchantments are the most beneficial, so I just wear whatever I find. Skyrim's really the first Elder Scrolls game where I've made dedicated crafting efforts, but up until now I've only done Smithing to get better armor, mainly due to monetary issues. Enchanting seems very daunting, needing to buy soul gems, trap souls, come back, etc.

Amulet of Articulation is good, but most of the time you might as well just use the Amulet of Dibella - +10 to speech and as common as any of the amulets of the divines. If it really bugs you, there's an infinite persuade bug on an elf in Riften, you can max out Persuade easily that way.

If I exploit that bug, then what amulet would you suggest. Ignoring everything I've said about Persuasion, what would you say is the best amulet?

Spellbreaker is not only the best shield in the game, it's about the only one that has a power you can't replicate, combining a free lesser ward spell with the muscle of a powerful shield, including the block perks. It'd look better with a dwemer suit, though. If you want great power and good looks, just make your own shield. If you want a really nasty anti-magic shield, get the Shield of Solitude and disenchant it. It's a +10 magic resist rather than the standard +8, and the two are treated as distinct so you can have both of them on anything that allows magic resistance. You can get 85% (the cap) very easily this way, without even having to do Agent of Mara, have the Lord Stone, or be a Breton.

I see. What's a good-looking shield, then? None of the shields I've seen have really jumped out at me as knightly-looking.

Shield of Solitude itself is just a standard Solitude guard shield. Same model, same texture.

That'd go with the Wolf Armor maybe...

And if you're a slave to fashion, one thing to consider is that in the end game (assuming you max all three craft skills), all styles of armor end up pretty much equal, only falling into two groups: those effected by smithy perks and those that are not. You can wear Steel armor and have as much effectiveness as Daedric, without the weight, expense, or perk requirements.

That's reassuring, but it brings me back to the question of just WHAT armor to wear. None of them stand out as being very "knightly." There's "barbarian" (Iron, Steel, Orcish, Wolf, Forsworn, etc.), "Roman" (Imperial), and "just plain weird" (everything else).

[sucatraps]

Does anyone know of a list of all the unique items in the game? I am considering tracking them all down.

[Archpaladin Zousha]

Does anyone know of a list of all the unique items in the game? I am considering tracking them all down.

Unique items are kind of an odd thing in Skyrim, in that there are three types: Artifacts, which have a unique appearance and/or powers and generally can't be disenchanted, Leveled Items, which are generally rewards for certain sidequests and are more powerful depending on your level, and Unique Items, which are fixed in terms of stats, but generally don't have a unique appearance like Artifacts. Here are lists of all of them:

Artifacts

Leveled Items

Unique Items

[sucatraps]

That third one was the one I was missing. Also, that will take a while.

[Calemyr]

Spoiler

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You know what? You're right, I wouldn't be able to forgive myself for doin' that. But that opens up the question of just what armor to wear. Elven is too cliche. Dragonscale and Bone are too organic-looking. Daedric is too evil-looking. Steel Plate? Glass?

Depends on what you're looking for.
* Ebony Armor has a "black knight" feel to it, but black knights weren't necessarily evil, they just didn't have a lord they were beholden to - either because they abandoned their liege or because they were beholden to their own ideals above all others. As I understand it, the black lacquer they used on their armor made it easier to maintain (less rust, more visible damage), since they didn't have a lord's resources to keep the armor in fighting shape. An altmer paladin would make sense as a black knight - a conscientious objector to the facist policies of the Thalmor.

* Orcish Armor has a "samurai" feel to it, and is probably the most practical balance of power and weight to be found in heavy armor. It's not all that colorful and rather looks like someone who wants to get the job done rather than ride in parades.

* Steel Armor is classic Skyrim. It's simple, it's decorated, it's effective, it's the perfect fusion of quiet style and protection. It also only needs the first perk on the Smithing tree to get over 600 Armor, which is all you need to hit the 85% damage resist cap.

* Dragonscale Armor, though I know you said you didn't like it, actually looks pretty impressive in my book. It also acts as a rather subtle boast to anyone who sees you: this armor is made of dragons you personally killed. The fact that you can get the best light armor AND the best weapons on the Heavy Armor smithing track is a nice factor.

In that case, what SHOULD I make? I'll be honest, I've never been certain of just what enchantments are the most beneficial, so I just wear whatever I find. Skyrim's really the first Elder Scrolls game where I've made dedicated crafting efforts, but up until now I've only done Smithing to get better armor, mainly due to monetary issues. Enchanting seems very daunting, needing to buy soul gems, trap souls, come back, etc.

I usually have multiple sets to do different things.

* I have my "Artisan" clothes, that have the best smithing (armor, gloves, amulet, ring) and alchemy (helmet, gloves, amulet, ring) I can eke out. The boots usually have carry capacity on them, for convenience's sake.

* A pendant with fortify haggle and the thieve's guild hood are very nice to keep around. It can earn you up to a 44% discount at stores, which helps a lot.

* My main suit generally has these effects:
* Helm: Fortify Archery + Fortify Destruction
* Armor: Regenerate Magicka + Fortify Destruction
* Boots: Fortify X-Handed Weapons + Fortify Carry Weight
* Gloves: Fortify Archery + Fortify X-Handed Weapons
Then I have several amulet/ring pairs for various situations:
* Fortify Archery + Fortify X-Handed Weapons (Upward of a 200% bonus to damage combined with the armor)
* Fortify Destruction + Regenerate Magicka (Free destruction magic + very quick recovery time for any other kind of magic)
* Fire Resist + Frost Resist (Up to complete immunity to fire and ice, rendering any dragon pretty much useless at a distance, and most Draugr magic-less.)

If I exploit that bug, then what amulet would you suggest. Ignoring everything I've said about Persuasion, what would you say is the best amulet?

Amulets and Rings are beautiful things: they have a lot of available enchants, are easy to mass produce, and weigh around half a... whatever weight measurement they're using here. Don't stick to one set of jewelry, use them for your incidental enchantments, the ones you want available on the fly. The way I used them, the suit covered half of about any of the applications I'd use it for, then I had different sets of rings and amulets I could switch around to finish any application: physical offense, magical offense, and draconic defense. You could also use both Magic Resist enchants on both a ring and a necklace to obtain insane resists without requiring any specific armor or powers/active effects.

A note should be added for the Amulet of Talos, which reduces Shout cooldowns by 20%. If you make heavy use of Shouts, this is a handy one to keep around.

I see. What's a good-looking shield, then? None of the shields I've seen have really jumped out at me as knightly-looking.

Ebony and Orcish both have pretty cool looking shields that would fit their stylistic idiom. If you don't like any shields, you can also go with two-handed weapons, which are capable of blocking and can take advantage of all the bash perks, the quick reflexes perk, and the basic 5-part perk in the blocking tree. You get a lot of offense, some functional defense, and get to look good to boot.

An alternative is to use the off hand for various magics. Wards would be a good defense, while destruction spells would make good offense at various ranges beyond melee.

That'd go with the Wolf Armor maybe...

Never really looked at the wolf armor. Don't have much constructive to say about it.

That's reassuring, but it brings me back to the question of just WHAT armor to wear. None of them stand out as being very "knightly." There's "barbarian" (Iron, Steel, Orcish, Wolf, Forsworn, etc.), "Roman" (Imperial), and "just plain weird" (everything else).

Ebony is the closest you'll come to knightly, and it's very much that. Blades armor looks nice, but is pretty weak and doesn't upgrade well. As I've already said, however, steel is for the true nordic champion and orcish is works very well for the samurai/ronin style hero.

[Archpaladin Zousha]

Looks like I'll go with Ebony Armor and Dawnbreaker, then. Are the archery enchantments essential? I like to get in an enemy's face and strike them down. Bows really will only be used for dragons until I get Dragonrend.

Also...and this is gonna seem like an odd question, but which of the Stones/Birthright would fit Tiber Septim best? Better yet, are there any books that state when he was born so I could pinpoint the month? At the core of my concept, he comes to eventually believe that he's Talos reborn as an Altmer, much to the consternation of the Thalmor.

[Calemyr]

Looks like I'll go with Ebony Armor and Dawnbreaker, then. Are the archery enchantments essential? I like to get in an enemy's face and strike them down. Bows really will only be used for dragons until I get Dragonrend.

Also...and this is gonna seem like an odd question, but which of the Stones/Birthright would fit Tiber Septim best? Better yet, are there any books that state when he was born so I could pinpoint the month? At the core of my concept, he comes to eventually believe that he's Talos reborn as an Altmer, much to the consternation of the Thalmor.

No, the archery is not essential. I just said what I did. The key thing is to put on fortifications you use. You could swap Fortify Block for Fortify Archery on the gloves, amulet, and ring if you like, though that might be overkill. You could swap archery on the helmet for Waterbreathing (which is very handy). You could swap destruction for restoration or any other school of magic.

I'd probably say Warrior and then either Lord or Steed depending on if you get the Conditioning perk. Heavy armor without the slowdown is a beautiful thing.

One last detail, however: Dawnbreaker is a cool weapon, but it is by NO means the best. It doesn't have a smith perk, and while the enchantment is awesome against undead, it's pretty weak otherwise. If it were me, I'd have another weapon handy for killing the living. The Blades sword in Delphine's secret room is an awesome weapon: light, stylish, unenchanted, and upgraded by the Steel smith perk. Dragonbane at Anduin's Wall is a good mate to that sword, though it's only really great against dragons - Blades Sword + Dragonbane + Orcish Armor = Classic Samurai.

The enchant for the Blades Sword depends on your perks. Fiery Soul Trap is always a good call. If you have either the elemental perks in the Enchanting tree or some of the augment element perks in the destruction tree, use the most favorable element. Otherwise Absorb Health is a very effective standby.

[Avilan the Grey]

Okay, as I said...

My new Orc girl, Urzul, is on her way... She just made her first iron dagger! (Sniff! all these proud moments!).

I went the dark route (look wise) when creating her, darkest skin tone, black hair, black war paint, black lipstick. I decided to go with the bright blue eyes again though; it's something with the idea of a blue-eyed orc girl that gets to me . Besides they will match the spell effect for the bound weapons, anyway. Right now it makes her eyes VERY visible too, in that face.

Anyway... As soon as I am done making a Fine Leather Armor for myself I will start doing all the other quests and buy a spellbook or two in town before heading to the Bleak Falls Barrow.

Also, this is my planned build:

Thief / Arcane Archer:

Use Bound Sword for most melee fights so I get to 40 and can buy the Bound Bow as soon as possible.

However the bound weapons will be the only things she takes from that school of magic, she will also dabble in Illusion and spend more points there.

She will also learn Smithing, one-handed, archery and stealth and probably enchantment.

My idea for Smithing would be to only up the actual skill level and then only spend two perks, so she can upgrade magical things she has found. She has no need of actually making her own things; she will be wearing the Nightingale Armor a lot anyway.

I know this stretches her a bit thin but only putting perks in 3-4 skills seems to severely limit the character.

How many perks in enchantment is necessary to make really good gear?

[Calemyr]

How many perks in enchantment is necessary to make really good gear?

In this situation, 8. 5 in the basic perk, Insightful Enchanter, Corprus Enchanter, and Added Effect. That said, if you're intent on Nightingale armor and Bound weapons, your really only going to get amulets and rings out of this deal. They'll be very nice jewelry, but possibly not worth the time and perks to attain them.

[Avilan the Grey]

In this situation, 8. 5 in the basic perk, Insightful Enchanter, Corprus Enchanter, and Added Effect. That said, if you're intent on Nightingale armor and Bound weapons, your really only going to get amulets and rings out of this deal. They'll be very nice jewelry, but possibly not worth the time and perks to attain them.

Good point... We'll see how it plays out.

[Calemyr]

Good point... We'll see how it plays out.

You may end up wanting to do it, anyway: Nightingale armor is probably the most stylish light armor in the game, but it has pitiful enchantments and no smith perk, which means you'll be able to craft far better leather armor than anything the Nightingales might have.

But that's just my bias talking - I love customizing gear, and would favor custom gear even when artifacts are more powerful. The fact that the artifacts are actually weaker than custom gear in this game makes crafting all the more preferred in my book.

[Avilan the Grey]

You may end up wanting to do it, anyway: Nightingale armor is probably the most stylish light armor in the game, but it has pitiful enchantments and no smith perk, which means you'll be able to craft far better leather armor than anything the Nightingales might have.

But that's just my bias talking - I love customizing gear, and would favor custom gear even when artifacts are more powerful. The fact that the artifacts are actually weaker than custom gear in this game makes crafting all the more preferred in my book.

My biggest problem, apart from the risk of "wasting" perks, is that I really, REALLY, loathe grinding of any kind. I was only up to 40 something in Smithing after passing lvl 25 in my last character, for that very reason, despite prioritizing the skill (planning to take all perks on the left side and the middle one) and my alchemy skill was based on "randombly combine things and see what happens".

Sneak and lockpick, for a thief, goes automatically, and so does the other skills you actually use in daily life. I always sneak when I am in the wild, both because I am weaker than a warrior but also because quite simply the eye works as a radar. If it suddenly starts opening, something is coming.

[factotum]

I didn't, but if you want to start the game with an advantage I'd start off by training your Destruction, Sneak and Arching. That way, you can snipe things before they know you're there

Doesn't that kind of defeat the point of being a pure mage, if you're getting most of your kills from sneak arrow attacks? I mean, the character I'm playing does those, but that's because I built her as a sneaky sniper to start with (it's been one of my favourite character types since being very successful in the original Fallout with one); if I was going pure mage I wouldn't use archery, because I think it would become a bit of a crutch later on.

[Deth Muncher]

Doesn't that kind of defeat the point of being a pure mage, if you're getting most of your kills from sneak arrow attacks? I mean, the character I'm playing does those, but that's because I built her as a sneaky sniper to start with (it's been one of my favourite character types since being very successful in the original Fallout with one); if I was going pure mage I wouldn't use archery, because I think it would become a bit of a crutch later on.

Oh. I mean...yes? But I've pretty well used bows to aggro things. If you want to go PURE pure mage, though, you need some magic with range so you can do the same thing as arrows - which means you need the second level of Destruction. Doable, but you have to train it up and you don't have that option for a little bit (until you get to the first major city). Hence why I ended up using bows on my pure mage, which...yeah, I guess he's a little diluted. My whole point with the bows, though, is that you need something to compensate for when you inevitably run out of mana (before you've enchanted your armor to make your casting cost 0, of course).

[Nargan]

So, to me, assassin is officially the best way to play skyrim, and here is my story of how I learned that (warning, obvious statements incoming):

One of my flatmates plays skyrim a LOT, and he loves mages, so first off he made a dark elf with mage-y characteristics (basically everything in magic perks), but the save got corrupted. At he time, I had a thief archer, and he thought that was cool, so his new character was a thief, but he went with daggers instead.

Dear lord, I have never seen anything so ridiculous. When he said "30x sneak attack damage" I thought he was badly translating (happens). Not only that, but he has illusion and sneak skilled to 100, so he can 1 hit kill something, go invis, 1 hit kill the next thing, etc etc. I saw him 1 hit a giant for god's sake. I saw him kill the whole of Whiterun just because he could, it was ridiculous, and pretty cool.

Cool story, bro. I know, thanks amigo.