Skyrim IV: Oblivion

[SlyGuyMcFly]

@Even Human: That's what I was getting at. Skuldafn was different from the rest where you just had to memorize a combination and you were through.

Oh, Skuldafn. That was indeed a cool variation on the turner puzzle.

[TheEmerged]

Okay, so an update for me.

>Remember mine asking if it was unusual to have already seen 4 dragons and fought 2? Y'all answered that random dragons are random. Good advice -- I haven't seen one since.

>So, I'm a werewolf now and running quests for the werewolf faction. So far, it seems just about the only way to take out those Silver Hand bosses is to turn into a werewolf -- otherwise I get killed pretty quick (and I've been putting almost all of my level-ups to health). Is that intended (it is a werewolf quest chain, after all) or am I missing something obvious (RTFM and all that)?

>Question related to the above. So I've tried the Summon Flame Atronach spell against those bosses and it seems to work rather well (I have the perk for making it last a bit longer & be tougher, Conjuration is my best skill at the moment). However, during the last one I got the impression that I took damage from one of its attacks that seemed to target an area. Now I know there is friendly-fire in the game, so is that what happened -- or was the Atronach targetting me because I was a werewolf and therefore not "me".

>Build \ "what next" advice. Currently I'm using the Mage Stone (+20% magic skill leveling) since most of the skills I'm interested in are under that list. I've been using Bound Sword (I have the perk) in one hand & using the other for spells, and I'm wondering if that's part of the reason I'm having trouble with those Silver Hand bosses. I've picked up a shield but haven't really used it much yet (Block 16, and that was from a book IIRC). I've been using Light Armor. I have an improved Orcish Bow but I'm not finding many opportunities to use it outside of 'pulling' distant mobs. I have a smattering of the production skills, which I've been 'doing' but trying not to grind just yet.

Per advice from coworkers I've 'paused' the main quest at the step of going to the Graybeards. I've seen several suggestions that I don't want to put it off too long or I'll start getting into fights that presume I have dragon powers (I currently just have the first one, an unspent dragon soul, and the ability to learn fire breath). What I'm seeing is to pick that up again circa 20-25. I'm wondering in particular if I should continue questing for the Companions or move onto to the mage college.

Currently I've spent most of the perks on a smattering of skills I use, rarely more than 1 point yet -- exceptions are Conjuration (my best skill, with several points), 1 hand weapons, and Light Armor. I'm taking a good solid look at the Restoration tree (that mana regen perk interests me). Advice I've been given is to ignore the Speech & Lockpicking trees for now under the "don't nerf your combat skills"

Critiques/further advice?

[Flickerdart]

I would advance the main quest a ways. There's a side quest you get to do which results in a huge boost to one of the three areas of skills, and if you hit a certain bug, you can get the boost more than once. You actually don't need to advance the main quest for Shouts - simply Shout in a city, and eventually a courier will deliver a letter with the location of the next Shout. Or simply go raiding Nord barrows and dragon's nests and see what you can find.

Speech and lockpicking are useless trees because you can do everything without needing to put points in.

[NEO|Phyte]

Speech and lockpicking are useless trees because you can do everything without needing to put points in.

Personally, I drop three points into speech for the ability to sell anything nonstolen to anyone.

[Muz]

It means that you can not get extra experience until

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you use witch heads to cure Kodlak and yourself of Lycanthropy!

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Witch heads! Witch heads!
Roly-poly witch heads!
Witch heads! Witch heads!
Eat them up, yum!

Sorry. Couldn't resist.

[Knight13]

Per advice from coworkers I've 'paused' the main quest at the step of going to the Graybeards. I've seen several suggestions that I don't want to put it off too long or I'll start getting into fights that presume I have dragon powers (I currently just have the first one, an unspent dragon soul, and the ability to learn fire breath). What I'm seeing is to pick that up again circa 20-25. I'm wondering in particular if I should continue questing for the Companions or move onto to the mage college.

I generally continue the main quest until I get to the point where I kill a dragon named Salokhnir, then break it off there. That'll give you the full Fus Ro Dah, as well as a few other useful Shouts like Whirlwind Sprint and Become Ethereal (which is great for jumping off cliffs). Also, once you get to that point you can just ask the Greybeard where you can find more Shouts and they'll mark them on your map one at a time.

Also, when you're wandering around the map, if you see a symbol on your compass ring that looks like a dragon head, that's an outdoor dragon wall. You can get a new Word there, but it'll be guarded by a dragon (and possibly a dragon priest), so make sure you're ready to fight one. You can also find dragon walls at the bottom of some of the ruins, like where you got Fus in Bleak Falls Barrow.

Currently I've spent most of the perks on a smattering of skills I use, rarely more than 1 point yet -- exceptions are Conjuration (my best skill, with several points), 1 hand weapons, and Light Armor. I'm taking a good solid look at the Restoration tree (that mana regen perk interests me). Advice I've been given is to ignore the Speech & Lockpicking trees for now under the "don't nerf your combat skills"

Just make sure you don't spread your perks too thin. Typically, you'll want to pick 4-6 perk trees that you use a lot and invest most of your points in those. If you want more, I recommend a great mod that allows you to trade dragon souls for perks, since that gives you a way to get more points without cheating.

>So, I'm a werewolf now and running quests for the werewolf faction. So far, it seems just about the only way to take out those Silver Hand bosses is to turn into a werewolf -- otherwise I get killed pretty quick (and I've been putting almost all of my level-ups to health). Is that intended (it is a werewolf quest chain, after all) or am I missing something obvious (RTFM and all that)?

The werewolf transformation is kind of a double edged sword. It gives you huge offensive power, but you also have no armor and can't heal, so your survivability goes straight to hell. I tried using werewolf form against the first Silver Hand boss after I became a werewolf and he two-shotted me with a lightning axe, so it mostly depends on how you play.

[The_Jackal]

Typically, you'll want to pick 4-6 perk trees that you use a lot and invest most of your points in those.

I would like to reinforce this advice, and supplement it with my own: Plan your perk build, from the beginning, and keep your planned perk total to 49 perks (enough to see you to level 50). You can certainly get more perks if you raise every skill in the game to 100, but you'll find that a long and tedious journey.

[Silverraptor]

How do you get the werewolf killing blows (i.e. pin the target and hack and slash at them or bite their head off) when they are close to full? It happens alot at random, but I'm wondering if there isn't a way to improve the odds of that happening. Its great for getting rid of high health enemies quickly then to swipe and dance around them.

[Knight13]

I think those are just the random "finishing move" animations for werewolf form, same as you get for any weapon. They happen randomly when you get a killing blow.

[Silverraptor]

I think those are just the random "finishing move" animations for werewolf form, same as you get for any weapon. They happen randomly when you get a killing blow.

Weird, because sometimes I get random killing blows when the enemy has full health, yet another of the exact same enemy takes like 6-7 sword/claw swipes to kill.

Oh well.

Edit: Another question. When is it optimal to go werewolf over regular self?

[NEO|Phyte]

As I have heard it, and this is with no actual data to confirm/deny things, in the unmodded game, you can get a killing blow if 1) Your attack would do more damage than the target has health (disregarding armor reduction) and 2) It is the only hostile target left.

[Qwertystop]

I saw somewhere that killing blows happen if you attack an enemy while holding the movement button toward them, when your attack would do enough damage to kill.

[Knight13]

Holy quadruple post, Batman!

[TheEmerged]

I would like to reinforce this advice, and supplement it with my own: Plan your perk build, from the beginning, and keep your planned perk total to 49 perks (enough to see you to level 50). You can certainly get more perks if you raise every skill in the game to 100, but you'll find that a long and tedious journey.

Here's what I have planned right now...

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• Light Armor = 9, everything but Matched Set
• One Handed = 9, Armsman, Stance, and Bladesman
• Conjuration = 8 (currently) - Novice, Dual Cast, 1pt Summon, Atromancy, Potency, Twin Souls, Binding, Soul Stealer. Not sure on Oblivion Binding.
• Restoration = at least 5, possibly more. Novice, Regeneration, Necromage, 2pts Recovery.
• Enchanting = 10 - everything but the fire/frost/storm line
• Illusion = at least 4 - the chain down to Quiet Casting. This is primarily about sticking to my old "concept", so probably going to take these regardless of actual power or impact.

This will put me at 46th. I think I've already got Novice Destruction, Alteration, and Lockpicking, which would make it 49th. I'm not going to sweat a few misplaced points that badly, I hope

RE: Long & Tedious Journey. This is the fourth Elder Scroll game I've played (exception = Oblivion). My Daggerfall character had every misc skill up to level 50, and I capped out his level. My Morrowind character wasn't quite that crazy but, yeah, if I keep enjoying the game "every skill to 100" is a possibility that approaches challenge.

[AsteriskAmp]

I saw somewhere that killing blows happen if you attack an enemy while holding the movement button toward them, when your attack would do enough damage to kill.

Wasn't it said somewhere and there is a mod for it to be otherwise that finishing blows only apply to the last enemy in a group?

[t209]

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Witch heads! Witch heads!
Roly-poly witch heads!
Witch heads! Witch heads!
Eat them up, yum!

Sorry. Couldn't resist.

Actually

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You burn them in Ysgrammor tomb!

[Triaxx]

Yes, Killing blows only occur one on one, and yes, there's a mod to change that. Can't recall the name though.

[Hazzardevil]

Yes, Killing blows only occur one on one, and yes, there's a mod to change that. Can't recall the name though.

A mod creatively named: Killmove+

[Silverraptor]

Okay, so I have an amusing story to tell that happened to me last night.

So, I head to solitude after "Failing" to get the horn for the greybeards since there was quest that took me to solitude (I decided to not fast travel unless absolutely necessary and damn this game is built for people with ADD like me. Oh look! A mine! What's in here? Oh, a quest to take me to Solitude? OK!). So, I arrive in Solitude in time to see the execution. So I quicksave since its a habit of mine and then wait for the people to cut off his head, since he has the amulet of talos. The moment the head comes off, I start making my way up the stage. The guard tells me to wait, but I slip past him. Immediately the guards and the captain draw their swords and start wailing on me and kill me since I don't want to fight back.

I arrive back at the quicksave waiting for the execution to finish. I resolved that I needed to wait for everyone to leave to get the amulet. However, they were taking to long getting off the stage that I decided, "Lets fill this sould gem while I'm here." So I use Soul Trap on the body, and the guards all raise their swords to attack me. At this point, I'm like "Really?" as the guards start approaching me. So, I decide to have some fun by turning into a werewolf and rampage through town. I got about half-way through before they put me down (Only level 16 since I started over). They killed me when I was feeding and 5 arrows came out of no where at the same time Ffftftftftfttt *Dead*

So this time I decide to wait and eventually the guard at the top of the stage gets off. I then get onto the stage, no problem. I loot the body and take the amulet, no problem. I then trap the guy's soul, and the captain draws his sword on me.

*10 seconds later*

"I'M HAVING FLESH TONIGHT!!!" Omnomnomnomnom!

I get through 2/3 of the town before accumilated damage and a blacksmith with an empty wine bottle comes up behind me and bashes me over the head with it for the killing blow.

.......Okay....

So, after hearing the exection a 4th time, I finally get on, grab the amulet, and grumble off the stage since I couldn't steal the guys soul.



Also, I discovered a cool bug with block. You know the perk that slows down time when you are blocking a heavy blow? (First off, its increadibly cool. Time slows down and you rotate the shield until it shifts to block the blow causing the enemy to stagger and you take almost no damage!) Well, when big creatures, such as giant spiders and bears, do a power attack, the make a second power attack immediately afterwards. So the first swing, everything is in slow motion as you move the shield to block the attack. However, after that, you start moving at normal speed, but everything is still blurry in slow motion and the second power attack of the creature is in slow motion. For 10 seconds, you can easily dodge around the attack to behind the crature and get free swings at it while its in slow motion power attack at thin air. Its pretty cool!

[Knight13]

So, after hearing the exection a 4th time, I finally get on, grab the amulet, and grumble off the stage since I couldn't steal the guys soul.

1) I might be wrong, but I don't think you can steal souls from people that die as part of a scripted sequence, like the execution.
2) To trap a soul the victim has to die while the Soul Trap spell is on them, you can't use it once they're already dead.
3) Casting Soul Trap on someone is considered an attack, so you can't use it in towns without the guards getting pissed at you.

[The_Jackal]

Here's what I have planned right now...

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• Light Armor = 9, everything but Matched Set
• One Handed = 9, Armsman, Stance, and Bladesman
• Conjuration = 8 (currently) - Novice, Dual Cast, 1pt Summon, Atromancy, Potency, Twin Souls, Binding, Soul Stealer. Not sure on Oblivion Binding.
• Restoration = at least 5, possibly more. Novice, Regeneration, Necromage, 2pts Recovery.
• Enchanting = 10 - everything but the fire/frost/storm line
• Illusion = at least 4 - the chain down to Quiet Casting. This is primarily about sticking to my old "concept", so probably going to take these regardless of actual power or impact.

This will put me at 46th. I think I've already got Novice Destruction, Alteration, and Lockpicking, which would make it 49th. I'm not going to sweat a few misplaced points that badly, I hope

Consider shucking some points out of light armour for Smithing. 2 perks in smithing for steel/elven will enable you to quite trivially reach the armour mitigation cap (just make a smithing outfit, quaff a +smithing potion, then improve all elven pieces), with only 1 point of 'Agile Defender'. I'd also seriously re-think taking anything in enchanting outside the centerline. Soul-squeezer is pointless when you consider you'll have the Star of Azura/Black Star to refill your magic weapons more or less at will.
Also, Bladesman is garbage. The crit damage you inflict as a result of it is unaffected by skill, smithing, enchants, etc. So for 2 perk points you'll improve the damage of a Daedric Sword by a whopping seven points. Big wup.

[Silverraptor]

1) I might be wrong, but I don't think you can steal souls from people that die as part of a scripted sequence, like the execution.
2) To trap a soul the victim has to die while the Soul Trap spell is on them, you can't use it once they're already dead.
3) Casting Soul Trap on someone is considered an attack, so you can't use it in towns without the guards getting pissed at you.

I cast soul trap on dead bodies. My conjuration goes up, my soul gems get filled, and yes, it seems that guards attack me even when I target dead bodies. Oh well.

Alternatively, I'm going to look for dwarven scrap so I can forge dwarven armor. Does anyone know any dwarven quests I can start so that I accomplish them as well while I charge through there.

[Arcran]

I cast soul trap on dead bodies. My conjuration goes up, my soul gems get filled, and yes, it seems that guards attack me even when I target dead bodies. Oh well.

Alternatively, I'm going to look for dwarven scrap so I can forge dwarven armor. Does anyone know any dwarven quests I can start so that I accomplish them as well while I charge through there.

Near Markarth there is a tower with unguarded scrap.

[Tono]

I cast soul trap on dead bodies. My conjuration goes up, my soul gems get filled, and yes, it seems that guards attack me even when I target dead bodies. Oh well.

Alternatively, I'm going to look for dwarven scrap so I can forge dwarven armor. Does anyone know any dwarven quests I can start so that I accomplish them as well while I charge through there.

If you are level15(? I think) there is a -really- neat quest in the Riften Docks that helps a lot with Dwarven armour and smithing in general.

[TheEmerged]

Consider shucking some points out of light armour for Smithing. 2 perks in smithing for steel/elven will enable you to quite trivially reach the armour mitigation cap (just make a smithing outfit, quaff a +smithing potion, then improve all elven pieces), with only 1 point of 'Agile Defender'.

I'd also seriously re-think taking anything in enchanting outside the centerline. Soul-squeezer is pointless when you consider you'll have the Star of Azura/Black Star to refill your magic weapons more or less at will.

Good to know, I was hoping to get some points into Smithing & Alchemy anyway (I'm a tradeskiller at heart). Which points in Light Armor are cut-worthy? Oh, dur, reading comprehension fail. So, how soon should I be getting that Black Star? I think I already have the breadcrumb quest.

Also, Bladesman is garbage. The crit damage you inflict as a result of it is unaffected by skill, smithing, enchants, etc. So for 2 perk points you'll improve the damage of a Daedric Sword by a whopping seven points. Big wup.

Ooo, one of those "looks a lot better in theory than practice" things. Got it. I confirmed I do have Novice Destruction & Alteration but not Lockpicking.

[Silverraptor]

If you are level15(? I think) there is a -really- neat quest in the Riften Docks that helps a lot with Dwarven armour and smithing in general.

Near Markarth there is a tower with unguarded scrap.

Awesome thanks.

[Flickerdart]

The best thing to do at the execution is cast Mayhem from a scroll (and you will have a scroll, Mayhem scrolls are everywhere, it's ridiculous). You only get fined for one casting of a spell, and in exchange get to loot pretty much everybody's stuff. Do you know how awesome the headsman's axe is? It is so awesome.

[AsteriskAmp]

The best thing to do at the execution is cast Mayhem from a scroll (and you will have a scroll, Mayhem scrolls are everywhere, it's ridiculous). You only get fined for one casting of a spell, and in exchange get to loot pretty much everybody's stuff. Do you know how awesome the headsman's axe is? It is so awesome.

You can also get it by going into the dungeon (or getting jailed) and killing the executioner.

[Silverraptor]

So, I got side tracked (Again. Thanks ADD) from getting dwarven scrap to hunting down every dragon guarded word of power I can find from direction of the Greybeards. I now have the entire Frost breath learned and soul powered up. I have a number of other words but need dragon souls. Is there any way to run into more dragons frequently so I can unlock all the word I have?

Also, I went to Riften Docks. I don't know which quest it is, unless its this weird cube that I got from a weird argonian that wants me to return it to the cave she got it from...

[AsteriskAmp]

So, I got side tracked (Again. Thanks ADD) from getting dwarven scrap to hunting down every dragon guarded word of power I can find from direction of the Greybeards. I now have the entire Frost breath learned and soul powered up. I have a number of other words but need dragon souls. Is there any way to run into more dragons frequently so I can unlock all the word I have?

Also, I went to Riften Docks. I don't know which quest it is, unless its this weird cube that I got from a weird argonian that wants me to return it to the cave she got it from...

That's the quest.

Also, walk more, fast travel less, other than that, small towns seem to attract dragons.