The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim [ Page 2 ]

It Ended With an Axe

I've played Skyrim all the way through once, and started multiple characters, but decided to run through the unification of Skyrim as fast as possible.

I started a new character and the first thing I did was run to Solitude to join the Empire. I've normally played as part of the Stormcloaks, and I wanted a different game this time. I also decided to go with a different play style. Usually I'm most comfortable in games as a tank type, but decided to be a sneaky caster for this character. So I worked on my Sneaking and Illusion skill trees, along with Destruction at times. I found that far enough up the Illusion tree, there's a perk to cause all your magic casting to be... Read All

jdodson Admin wrote on 07/19/2013 at 12:40am

I haven't decided in terms of if I am with the Rebels or Empire. Travis says I need to go Empire because the Rebels are evil, but so far they both seem just as bad as the others. Haven't been down either path very far to be fair.

AdamPFarnsworth Post Author wrote on 07/19/2013 at 01:37am

After unifying Skyrim under both groups, neither one feels more like the "good" guys. But, the Empire feels more politically correct. "Just trying to do our job and keep the peace"

Azurephile Super Member wrote on 01/25/2014 at 06:04am

Awesome! I created a new character a few months ago and the last thing I was doing was some of the quests in Solitude, which is not the direction I took with my first character (whom I spent over 300 hours with). I haven't played much further with my 2nd character, probably because other games have grabbed my attention (like Terraria).

AdamPFarnsworth Post Author wrote on 01/25/2014 at 05:19pm

I know what you mean. I actually haven't played this character since I wrote this post!

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It's about the stories you find for yourself...

I somehow missed out on playing Skyrim when it first launched, and as such, was bereft of the wonders it had to offer until I picked up the legendary Edition recently. I have been a big fan of Bethesda's work, with the better part of a thousand hours devoted to exploring the Capitol Wastes and the deserts surrounding New Vegas. I'm rounding 100 hours now, but the most poignant moment I've experienced so far happened quite early in my adventures.

Like many of you, I found myself throwing in with the stormcloaks upon escaping Helgen. Being part of a rebellion to place a man who should be High King on the throne was an idea that held a certain appeal to me. I learned that... Read All I somehow missed out on playing Skyrim when it first launched, and as such, was bereft of the wonders it had to offer until I picked up the legendary Edition recently. I have been a big fan of Bethesda's work, with the better part of a thousand hours devoted to exploring the Capitol Wastes and the deserts surrounding New Vegas. I'm rounding 100 hours now, but the most poignant moment I've experienced so far happened quite early in my adventures.

Like many of you, I found myself throwing in with the stormcloaks upon escaping Helgen. Being part of a rebellion to place a man who should be High King on the throne was an idea that held a certain appeal to me. I learned that the man that rode with me and spoke to me even before I knew who I was (a nord woman with a complicated marriage to a hot lady werewolf. Don't judge. You know you like it too...) tore the old king apart with only his voice, and that sounded like the kind of badass I would follow into Sovngarde, if only I were that lucky.

I tore myself away from delving in tombs and picking wildflowers long enough to find my way to Wndhelm, and left with a quest to face down an Ice Wraith, a daunting prospect at level 8. I bought a new fire spell, and happily wandered off to prove I'm worthy of being called a Stormcloak.

As many of you know, ice wraiths are not nearly as scary as they sound, and I quickly found myself on the march back to share tales of my fight with Galmar, Ulfric's advisor. He bestowed on me the armor of the stormcloak, and, after counsel with Jarl Ulfric, invited me along to find the Jagged Crown, an old symbol of power, and an irrefutable sign of Ulfric's intentions on becoming High King. I set off at once.

Ten levels, three new shouts, the entire Companions questline, and a Dwemer ruin accidentally stumbled upon later, I found myself back on the trail of the Jagged Crown. Distractions happen. You know how it goes. I meet my little band of rebels, and we rush in ready to fight off some Imperial scum.

We rush the ruins, taking down anyone unlucky enough to have signed up with the old High King. After all, Ulfric belongs on the throne, right? I hear the battle cries of my fellow rebels, and am bolsterd on, when suddenly the group stops and asks me to find another way through. They fear an ambush, and give me the task of scouting ahead.

I sneak among the higher stories and find myself with a bird's eye view of the next chamber. No ambush is waiting. A single legate is guarding the doors that lead ahead. I crouch, nock an arrow, and steady my aim. The arrow flies true, though not enough to kill him. My bow does have a paralyzing enchantment, so my fellow soldiers come rushing in, and slaughter the imperial without any trouble.

I drop to the lower floor, intent upon witnessing my handiwork, and to collect the praise of my fellow rebels. As I approached my kill, I notice something. Most of the soldiers I have struck down have been old grizzled men with hard eyes and glowering faces. These men have seen many years of hard fighting, and look forward to the comfort of Sovngarde. The soldier dead at my feet looks barely old enough to have joined the legion, and where I had seen cold eyes and scowls, I only see wide-eyed fear and a silent, eternal scream. This boy was no soldier. I kneeled, and checked his posessions. Around his neck was an amulet of Mara. My heart sank. This boy had a girl back home he was eager to get back to, a life just waiting to be lived. Instead, he was struck down, not for glory, or for the protection of the realm. He spent his last moments paralyzed and terrified, all for the sake of politics.

I dashed into the crypt, eager to be done with this quest. The mindless Drugar served as a target for the anger seething in me. I struck down the dead and claimed the Crown. Windhelm awaited.

Upon standing before Jarl Ulfric, stormcloak leader and 'rightful' king, the wonder his halls filled me with were now drained. Standing in front of me was not the noble hero that slew the High King with nothing more than his voice. In his place was a tired, angry old man that struck down the Boy King, simply because he had the bad fortune of being in the one position Ulfric wanted. A Nord keeps their promises, so I turned the crown over, and turned my back on Windhelm. There was no honor to be found here.

Forget politics. I have dragons to kill.

Travis Admin wrote on 07/10/2013 at 02:58am

Dude, where have you been? I've missed your writing. :)

Awesome story, as always, Nick. I could never throw in with Ulfric. I saw what his rule was like, how racist he was, turning out non-Nords and especially non-Humans, and how Tullius and the Empire really were just trying to keep it together, hating the Thalmor as much as anyone, but realizing they had little choice. I understand Ulfric's ideas, what he claims to be fighting for, but he's just a kid on a power binge who has lost sight of what's best for the people he wants to represent.

Nick_Donahoo Post Author wrote on 07/10/2013 at 03:30am

Work, work, work. Real life gets in the way, you know? I've felt the need to do some writing, and finally found the time to do so. I'm hoping to get back into writing more soon. Feels good to write. The soul needs an outlet, ya know? I'm just glad to see i'm not boring, and someone enjoys it.

Yeah. I found myself swept up with the legend, and let down by the man behind it. The sense of wonder this game imbues is countered with these fantastically flawed characters. Though I've come to be disappointed in Ulfric, he still weaves a hell of a story. My wife just broke 100 hours of playing, and just finished the Aetherium wars quest. She informed me that she spent her day off gathering herbs and capturing butterflies, and I can totally see that, with a game like this. It's just. So. Damn. Pretty.

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Skyrim Legendary Edition Released

If you were wanting to wait to dive into the world of Skyrim, now might be a good time to do that. Bethesda released the Legendary Edition that wraps up all the Skyrim expansions into one game. Featuring Dragonborn, Hearthfire and Dawguard this should keep you in Dragon slaying heaven.

If you buy large game tomes, Prima is also releasing the Skyrim legendary edition Game Guide. Last game guide I bought was for Fallout 3 and all its DLC and was quite large but this looks like it covers much more stuff. You know, if you were into reading game hints on actual... paper and all.

http://store.steampowered.com/sub/28187/
... Read All

Legen... wait for it... dary release of Skyrim

http://cdnstatic.bethsoft.com/bethblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/04/skyrimtribox-1024x747.jpg

Now that Bethesda has decided to move on from Skyrim development, there's a new release coming that packages Skyrim and all its DLC into one package. The Skyrim Legendary Edition will release on June 4 for $59.99 on PC, PS3, and XBox 360. If you haven't visited Skyrim before, this is the best way to play it.

http://www.bethblog.com/2013/04/25/legendary-release/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+bethesdablog+%28Bethesda+Blog%29

jdodson Admin wrote on 04/25/2013 at 04:48pm

You should have written:

"Legen ... wait for it DAIRY" but you didn't so...

Legendairy is the new Game of the Year, but regardless of what they call it this is good to see. I have the base game and when I exhaust its content will be picking up the DLC or the Legendairy Edition, whichever makes the most sense price wise.

CapnCurry Supporter wrote on 04/26/2013 at 05:27am

Welp, there's another chink in my not-upgrading-my-computer wall. My PC handles everything I throw at it with *reasonable" aplomb. But it handles Skyrim like Smart cars handle freeways: good enough to get you there, but you never lose sight of how inadequate your vessel is.

Sadly, I'm a video card away from Skyrim goodness. Which, in turn, is a power supply away. Which is a case away, which is a motherboard away, which is aw hell that's a new computer.

My resolve, it weakens.

jdodson Admin wrote on 04/26/2013 at 04:35pm

I have a new PC as of a year or two ago and it runs things very well. Skyrim on full settings with the HD pack is playable but I get a few less FPS than normal. Haven't had any troubles on any other games at all save Diablo III where you go underground and they have all the water effects. I am running on a GTX 400 card that came stock with the Desktop and it works really well. Coolest thing about all that is the GTX 400 is rather low end now so just buying a new desktop PC with horsepower will most likely get your something better than that. :D

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Bethesda has stopped development on Skyrim

http://cdnstatic.bethsoft.com/bethblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/03/teamphoto_new_3-1024x643.jpg

The Bethesda team has announced today that they're moving on from Skyrim, with the exception of minor updates as needed. There's a new big project (I'm hoping for Fallout 4) that's gotten to the point where it needs the team's full attention.

I was personally hoping for at least one more kickass DLC, but I can't complain. I've put hundreds of hours into Skyrim, and I've certainly gotten my money's worth.

It's sad though, that there won't be any more content for what may be my favorite game of all time.

Ah well, time to start a new character!

http://www.bethblog.com/2013/04/15/moving-to-our-next-adventure/

jdodson Admin wrote on 04/15/2013 at 07:09pm

I wish the team well on their next endeavor! They shipped a good game here and supported it for a long time. Looking forward to the GoTY wrapping up all the extra bits :D

jdodson Admin wrote on 04/15/2013 at 07:31pm

Oh Travis, this:

http://www.pcgamer.com/2013/04/10/bethesda-will-be-announcing-new-stuff-later-in-2013/

BR Supporter wrote on 04/15/2013 at 07:56pm

Oh man...I hope its fallout 4. I LOVE the fallout games! I might have to give up on the rest of my life if its fallout 4 in order to get max playtime in.

Travis Admin Post Author wrote on 04/16/2013 at 02:52am

I KNOW. I SAW THAT. MY BODY IS READY.

BR Supporter wrote on 04/16/2013 at 03:15am

I'M FREAKING OUT, MAN! I'M FREAKING OUT!

jdodson Admin wrote on 04/16/2013 at 04:45am

Spoiler Alert! FALLOUT 5000! Beth is skipping 4996 versions to make the most epic game ever!

/this comment may not actually contain facts

Blue_Element wrote on 04/16/2013 at 05:04am

I'm not hinting at anything, but I really wish I could like/favorite/+1 comments right now.

AdamPFarnsworth wrote on 04/16/2013 at 07:02pm

+1 @Blue_Element

jdodson Admin wrote on 04/16/2013 at 09:35pm

Ill add that to the list.

Blue_Element wrote on 04/17/2013 at 12:17am

+1 @jdodson :P

jdodson Admin wrote on 04/17/2013 at 02:05am

:D

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Ancient Claw & Tundra Solitude for The Wind Stone

Over the last few weeks I have heard a fair amount of praise about the Skyrim score but only just recently picked up the 4CD set. Over the last week or so I have been listening to Jeremy Soule's score and needed to say a few words about it.

If you love ambient, earthy scores weaved with the right amount of classical you need to pick this up. The song featured in the video above "Masser" showcases how elegantly Soule weaves various elements to immerse you in Skyrim's Nordic ascetic.

Often times with other game scores I come to a song that is thematically out of place or more pomp and show than substance. The Skyrim score contains songs that are woven elegantly together... Read All

Skyrim High Resolution Texture Pack Update

"In a continued effort to support our PC fanbase, we’ve released a Steam update to Skyrim’s (free) HD Texture Pack. In addition to high resolution textures in the main game, the update adds improved textures for Dawnguard, Hearthfire, and the newly-released Dragonborn.

Before you download, make sure your PC has the horsepower to support it. Make sure your system requirements exceed Skyrim’s recommended specs before attempting to install, and that your PC has Windows Vista/7, a minimum of 4GB of system RAM, and a DirectX 9.0c compatible NVIDIA or AMD ATI video card with at least 1 GB of RAM and the latest drivers."

Its pretty crazy how large game updates are getting. I... Read All

Skyrim: Dragonborn Feb 5 for PC, PS3 DLC coming!

http://cdnstatic.bethsoft.com/bethblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/01/dragonbornsony-2.jpg

On February 5, the Dragonborn DLC is coming to PC finally.

In bigger news, all three DLCs for Skyrim are coming to PS3 in February, each for 50% off in their first week!

Full story here: http://www.bethblog.com/2013/01/18/the-dragonborn-comes-in-february-and-hearthfire-dawnguard-too/

There is Another Skywalker... Err Dragonborn!

Bethesda just announced a new expansion for Skyrim called "Dragonborn." As always it will be released on XBox 360 first for a mere 1600 Microsoft points($20).

The trailer boasts Dragon mounts and a new quest line for Skyrim where you find out your not the only Dragonborn in Skyrim. From the video I couldn't tell if this new Dragonborn is evil or not? I guess he/she must be because they wear some pretty scary armor. That said, it could be like the Arnold Schwarzenegger & Danny Devito film Twins. Plenty of "Ill be back" references and your Dragonborn twin yelling loudly.

That or something about evil resurrected and a bunch of stuff hanging in the balance or whatever.

... Read All

Gary_Butterfield wrote on 11/06/2012 at 05:07pm

I bought the other DLC for Skyrim but haven't brought myself to get far enough to get them to proc. I played so much of that game when it came out, the thought of even getting to level 10 to unlock the vampire lord stuff is a little repugnant. I guess I should have kept my old save.

BR Supporter wrote on 11/06/2012 at 06:32pm

Thank god its an expansion and not another crappy dlc. Hopefully it'll be something like the shivering isle in Oblivion. That would be amazing. A whole new continent to explore would be nice.

jdodson Admin Post Author wrote on 11/06/2012 at 08:17pm

Yeah it would be. I hope some more details surface over the next few days.

jdodson Admin Post Author wrote on 11/06/2012 at 08:18pm

@Gary: You should be able to do anything in open world games on day 1. Well maybe day 2, but you get the point. :D

Jacob_Richardson wrote on 11/07/2012 at 01:39pm

I agree with that. If Morrowind did one thing exceptionally right. It was immediately dumping you off the boat and into the game to do whatever it is you want to do. Doing Skyrim's beginning for every character is a bit annoying. I remember using a mod in Oblivion that also got rid of the beginning.

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What if there was no meme?

http://sphotos-b.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-prn1/149845_547402005275829_1334101876_n.jpg

I think I heard about "I used to be an adventurer..." before I had a clue what Skyrim was. But now... what if?