User:Eganio/Skyrim

After thoroughly enjoying Oblivion, it was clear to me that I would also enjoy Skyrim, which has definitely been the case. Despite the numerous bugs and glitches that I (and I'm sure many other gamers) have come to expect from Bethesda games, Skyrim delivers where Oblivion couldn't, and enriches the RPG atmosphere to a degree I was eagerly anticipating. Skyrim expanded on the core concepts in Oblivion such as battle mechanics, location design, and NPC design, yet scaled back certain aspects of Oblivion that had proven problematic, such as the cumbersome pause menu and complex leveling system. Overall, I would be very comfortable calling Skyrim a genuinely significant improvement over Oblivion, which already provided a stellar gaming experience.

Map

In keeping with what one would expect from an expansive Bethesda-style RPG, the map is very large, and provides days of exploration possibilities. Per usual, the map is entirely (with a few rare exceptions) accessible to the player at any level, but comes with the caveat of some locations intentionally being too difficult at lower levels. The map follows a general convention that the enemies (and loot) spawning at any discovered location are fixed relative to the level at which your character first discovered the location. This means returning to certain locations after leveling up becomes either a relief from the tension of leveled enemies, or an annoyance, depending on your perspective. Fast-traveling works the same as in Oblivion, where your horse will be standing nearby if your are at an exterior location, or stabled outside the city if you fast-travel to within city walls. Fast-traveling always causes the game to auto-save prior to departure. Similarly, proceeding through doors labeled with specific names will always bring up a loading screen (with mist in the lower left-hand corner), and will cause the game to auto-save on the other side of the door.

The topography of Skyrim is far more intricate and variable than that of Cyrodiil. The most notable difference is the towering mountain ranges scattered across the map. These can prove quite treacherous, where opportunities abound for plummeting off a precipice to your character's death. Furthermore, upon reaching a particular elevation while ascending a mountain, the weather and ground cover will change, and snow will predominate the landscape. Also, the spawning creatures will match the environment, where ice wolves, ice wraiths, and frost trolls will begin to appear in snowy locations. The lowlands of Skyrim boast variable scenery, ranging from expansive plains to bubbling geysers. The creatures spawning in the lowlands are generally less challenging than those in the frozen North and higher elevations, and the first locations in the main quest line are well within this boundary, which encourages the player to avoid difficult situations for the first part of the game. Of course, the adventurous type can always explore any portion of the map at any time during the game, making for a highly interactive and enjoyable map for all player types.

The map has well more than 300 discoverable locations, and most fall into major categories. However, within each category, the diversity is much more impressive than in Oblivion, where locations tended to look and feel very similar within categories. Of course, there are still several aspects endemic to each category in Skyrim that are common to most, if not all, locations contained therein.

Cities

The major cities of Skyrim are walled collections of buildings with a large administration building (usually a castle) in which lives the Jarl of the hold of which the city is the capital. The major cities of Skyrim are Whiterun, Solitude, Windhelm, Markarth, and Riften. Several minor (non-walled) cities and towns also dot the landscape, some of which act as capitals of the less important holds: Falkreath, Morthal, Dawnstar, Riverwood, Ivarstead, Kynesgrove, Dragon Bridge, Rorikstead, Helgen, Shor's Stone, and Karthwasten. An interesting aspect of the walled major cities is that dragon attacks within the cities are extremely rare. Dragon attacks in the minor cities and towns are quite common, likely due to the lighter complement of armed guards and generally more open spaces. The one exception to this is when fast-traveling from an exterior location, if there happens to be a dragon in the vicinity (but not close enough to prevent fast-travel due to nearby enemies), the dragon seems to be "pulled" with you to your destination. If your destination happens to be within a walled city, the dragon can appear and attack within the city walls. There seems to be a commonality in the mechanics governing passive interaction with your character. For example, if an NPC talks to you in passing, and you happen to pass through a door to a different location (e.g. interior of a building) during their dialog, the NPC will be pulled with you into the new location. A similar situation apparently holds true for dragons as well, who seem to have some sort of passive interaction with your character before becoming identified as a "nearby enemy", and can therefore fast-travel with you.

All cities and towns contain side quests activated by speaking to certain citizens. Therefore, as would be expected, there are generally more side quests available in the larger cities with larger populations. Also, more merchants are available in the larger cities, making them a more attractive place to trade than the smaller municipalities, where you may only have a blacksmith and a general goods merchant with whom to barter. Because merchants will only trade items specific to their specialty (until you choose the Merchant perk in the Speech skill tree), having a full complement of specialties makes large cities the best option for trading, especially when seeking a specific type of equipment. Large cities also contain purchasable property, which is only available after becoming Thane of the city, which can be achieved by assisting the city's citizens with their various needs (side quests).

Nordic Ruins

Nordic Ruins are the most common type of ruin scattered across the landscape of Skyrim. Each is characterized by tomb-like architecture and the presence of Draugr, which range widely in difficulty, and boast the greatest number of levels and types of all the enemies in Skyrim. Nordic ruins can generally be confidently explored at any point in the game, where the leveled Draugr provide a fair challenge to characters of all levels. Nordic ruins usually require a good deal of time to explore and the loot is often quite rewarding. Gold, jewelry, precious stones, soul gems, and potions are ubiquitous (make sure to check every urn you encounter!). However, the ancient Nordic weapons found on Draugr are generally unimpressive and of little monetary value, except for the ebony weapons dropped by Draugr bosses at higher levels. Draugr tend to emerge from their not-so-eternal rest when the player comes within a certain range. Some of them are standing in alcoves, while others are lying on shelves, and often will not attack immediately, and can be dispatched while still "at rest". They are distinguishable as combat-worthy enemies by the fact that they are wearing armor, unlike the lootable inanimate Draugr that are either mummified or simply dessicated with minimal clothing. In addition to Draugr, Nordic ruins usually contain traps, such as swinging blade hallways, fire traps, and poison dart traps. Most traps in Nordic ruins are activated by stepping on pressure plates in the floor, which are easily distinguished from the surroundings after some practice. Most Nordic ruins contain a throne room where a boss-level Draugr will emerge upon the player's entrance. These rooms usually contain a leveled chest in which significant loot can be found. Many Nordic ruins also contain a word wall at some point.

Dwarven Ruins

The Dwemer culture contributed intricate and beautiful architecture to the landscape of Skyrim, which can be found all over the map. These ruins are generally quite large and require a fair amount of time to explore. And although they are considered ruins, they tend to remain in near-perfect condition, save for the occasional crumbled hallway or overgrown external facade. They contain deadly traps and automatized security features which can often take a player by surprise and can prove quite challenging, especially at lower levels. They are also often inhabited by Falmer, which are quite formidable opponents, despite being blind. In general, it is better to avoid tackling Dwarven ruins at lower levels, although the rewards can be significant. In contrast to the sleepiness of Nordic ruins, Dwarven ruins are in constant noisy motion, due to the ancient steam technology developed by the Dwemer remaining in fully functional condition (which enables the automatized security). Furthermore, there is no evidence whatsoever of the original inhabitants, who seemed accustomed to sleeping on rather uncomfortable-looking stone beds. The only hint as to their possible countenance is the occasional giant metal head affixed to the architecture. Attractive golden-hued metal is ubiquitous in Dwarven ruins, ranging from display stands to struts and cogs, some of which can be melted down to yield Dwarven metal ingots, particularly useful to a character skilled in Dwarven smithing and heavy armor. Furthermore, filled soul gems are common in Dwarven ruins, as they are dropped by a large proportion of the automatized security units.

Caves

Caves are numerous in Skyrim, and range from small to very large with multiple chambers. They are common hideouts for bandits and vampires, and should therefore be explored with the appropriate precautions. Many caves also contain ore veins of various types. In contrast to the lonely silver veins in Oblivion, Skyrim boasts a wide variety of ores, which can be smelted into corresponding refinements and ingots for use in smithing. Also unlike Oblivion, where ore veins could be looted by simply "opening" them, in Skyrim, a pickaxe is required to mine ore veins. If serving as a hideout, caves usually contain a leveled chest near the boss of the gang inhabiting the space, which tends to yield valuable treasure, including leveled (and sometimes enchanted) weaponry and armor. Caves inhabited by hostile humans will generally contain traps activated by tripwires, including falling rock traps and swinging blunt object traps.

Mines

As in Oblivion, mines are essentially caves with ore veins of a particular variety (with some variation) running throughout. These are commonly occupied by enterprising humans who are often hostile to intruders. However, some mines are controlled by the holds in which they reside, and are inhabited by workers from the nearby town. Harvesting ore from these owned veins is usually considered theft, and the associated consequences will apply. As with caves, mines with hostile inhabitants will normally contain tripwire-activated traps.

Forts

In similar fashion to what is observed in Oblivion, forts are crumbled structures typically inhabited by hostile denizens, most commonly bandits. They will usually be guarded by archers on the peripheral walls and a few melee units on the ground who will run out to attack any intruders. There is generally at least one interior location within forts, many with dungeons. Most forts contain almost every type of loot: food, clothing, weapons, armor, books, dinnerware, gold, precious stones, soul gems, hides, ore/ingots, leather strips, etc. Furthermore, many contain complete or near-complete blacksmith setups (forge, tanning rack, grindstone, workbench, etc.). Some even contain alchemy labs and arcane enchanters.

Giant Camps

Giant camps are unique to Skyrim, and are fairly numerous. They contain at least one giant guarding a leveled chest who will not hesitate to attack anyone who treads near his loot. Giants are generally semi-hostile: they will make belligerent gestures if they notice you approaching, but will not attack until you are very close or attack them. Giants inflict enormous damage (especially at lower levels), and are actually quite fast despite their lumbering gait, due to the length of their stride. Mammoths also tend to inhabit giant camps, and follow the same general hostility paradigm, where they will not attack unless you approach too close or attack them. Giants and mammoths will come to each other's aid in combat, so a cautious strategy is advisable if seeking to attack them. Beyond the leveled chest and mammoth cheese, giant camps do not contain much loot, save for what can be found on the corpse of a slain giant.

Camps

Camps vary in their nature, and are among the less common types of location. Some camps are nothing more than a few tents with minor loot, while some are actually caves and mines with significant loot and numerous enemies. Most often, bandits occupy these locations, and are immediately hostile to intruders.

Dragon Lairs

Dragon Lairs dot the landscape, and provide a direct means of encountering a dragon. On approach to the lair, it is not uncommon for the dragon to notice your character and immediately take flight for the attack. Before taking to the air, the dragon occupying a dragon lair will be perched atop the word wall that exists at every lair. The loot at dragon lairs is sparse, but all contain a leveled chest. Some even contain a dragon priest, who will rise from his sarcophagus when the player comes within a certain distance. Dragon lairs are common sites for radiant quest bounties put out by Jarls, their stewards, or innkeepers.

Character Build

Building an effective character in Skyrim can be a very rewarding endeavor. Deciding what general type of character you are planning to build is the first step. You will need to select between the three major classes, warrior, mage, and thief, and choosing the race of your character is key to this process, since each race is more appropriate for a particular class. The race of your character will also influence the subsequent decisions you make regarding build to a certain degree, but the most important decisions are made in "real time", as you find items that align with certain specialties.

Apparel

You will need to decide early on what type of apparel you are seeking to use: heavy armor, light armor, or no armor at all. In general, the warrior class will favor heavy armor, the thief class will favor light armor, and the mage class will favor robes (which provide minimal armor). However, Skyrim provides a great deal of variability within these normally rigid builds. For instance, you may choose to build a spellsword that employs heavy or light armor while using magical attacks along with melee weaponry. Selecting which type of apparel you are going to focus on should be done very early in your character's build, since you will immediately begin leveling up heavy or light armor skill once you take damage in combat, depending on what type your character is wearing. The game developers ensured that making this decision very early on is very easy by presenting you with all three options (heavy armor, light armor, and mage's robes) while in Helgen.