MidevalGuy

I can't give out spoilers here, but the only reason to do the Civil War quest first is so you don't have to have a peace conference during the main quest. That, in itself, effects certain quests & side quests related to becoming Thane of a hold. Doing the Civil War first impacts the Thane quests depending on who is Jarl when you go to become Thane. Depending on the outcome (which side you choose), some of the prerequisites e.g. Help so many citizens in a certain town are automatically fulfilled which makes purchasing a house, or land (Hearthfire) the only thing you have to do a.k.a. it makes becoming Thane easier and faster. What I am doing for my current play though is this: -Main story line up until Diplomatic Immunity (MQ) -Side quests & general exploring (small fetch and relay quests; Misc Quests for people in The Rift & other holds) -Become Thane of Solitude / Haffingar (default Imperial side; Elisif; Help the people and The Wolf Queen/Potema secondary quests) -Azura's Star, Dawnbreaker -College of Winterhold Quest Line (completed) -Civil War Quest I am playing a female mage-slash-spell blade/archer, so CoW was a no-brainier, but also getting a head start on earning Proudspire Manner (that cost 25,000) as well as doing the related Wolf Queen / Potema story quests allows me to level up and save up as I go since I already have Breezehome as a base of operation. I am using the Civil War Quest Overhaul mod which I have never used before and am looking forward to it. I want to finish the CW before I do "Season Unending" because I've read that if the CW is over it skips (what I consider) the boring peace conference and goes directly to you capturing the dragon at Dragonsreach. I hope this also avoids some of the bugs I've ran into along with others, namely the "Message to Whiterun" bug that can break the MQ if doing that and the CW quests simultaneously.

Vladamir Kulic does have one hell of a cool voice. Just think, he also played a Viking/Nord in the 13th Warrior 14 years ago: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-e9bZD86s3g

Just for the record, I've run into this bug a couple of times, too. Meaning, I fight Potema's Drugar minions in the main chamber, but the doors to the throne room where her remains are never open. So, I have to use the console to disable the door, pick up her remains, fast travel back to Solitude, give Styrr the remains and then go pick up my reward. It's a shame because not only is it a fun quest that isn't too long, or too short, but it counts toward becoming Thane of Solitude, too.

Interesting find. Truth be told, I don't think many players even look at their statistics in terms of role playing? I think people look at stats outside of the game (during the game) just to see how many things they have killed, how many places they have discovered, how many quests they've completed, etc, etc.

In my opinion, this is one of the pieces of the narrative Bethesda wanted you to fill in for yourself to help make it your (Player Character's) own unique story. The reasons for the PC being caught in an ambush crossing the border are more important than where they were caught, IMO: -Maybe the PC's family all died of disease, or was massacred by bandits? So, distraught and suicidal, the PC decides to just wander the land, slowly drinking and brawling themselves to death and just happens to wander into the Imperial ambush? -Maybe the PC was in fact a criminal? They don't tell you the charges you're being executed for, just that you happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time... Like the horse thief from Roriksted. -Maybe the PC felt the call of the Dovahkin and decided to journey to Skyrim to figure out why they were compelled to travel to such a far off and hostile land and like previously mentioned, were just in the wrong place at the right time? I think the major disconnect we bring to the game's opening is why would an innocent PC be in a cart with the leader of a rebellion, his loyal troops and a horse thief? This is why I believe it is more important why the PC was in the car versus where, or how they came to be there if that makes sense? Good theory, by the way :)

The mod sounds pretty cool. The best part is it makes small, but significant changes to the game, so it's a much better gaming experience overall. Contrary to popular opinion, mods don't have to rewrite the entire game. All they have to do is make the game more fun to play. I know this because I was the development lead on a mod for a major title, and it was the smaller improvements people responded to positively more than the massive overhauls we released. So, don't let the idiocy of the internet dictate what is a good, or bad mod. Don't let the popularity (or lack thereof) a.k.a endorsements determine a mod's quality, either.

No. You're not the only one. I've done numerous play throughs role playing different races & political affiliations and never once had the Thalmor come after me outside of the Embassy quest. I even did a play through as a hardcore Stormcloak Nord who would free every Nord prisoner he saw being escorted by the Thalmor, and never once did I get an assassination bounty for any of those multiple ambushes. Like others have posted, it's just a random event that is not tied into the main game at all. I did, however, witness a Giant beating down a dragon in one play through and that's the only time I've seen it since.

I strongly recommend the OP uninstall all the mods he/she has in their current Skyrim installation before doing the upgrade and re-installation. If they just copy the folder with all of their downloaded mods and load up a new install of NMM... The Mod Manager is going to report all of their mods installed on the new Skyrim when they are obviously not. Having them uninstall all of their mods in their current Skyrim is to prevent the new NMM from getting confused and thinking the older mods are already loaded since it can't tell the difference between a fresh and older install of Skyrim.

1) Check to see if you are infected with Vampire disease. If you are, even if you are first stage, their might be a bug that is making the NPCs think you are a stage four vamp and thus, being openly hostile toward you. 2) Did you accidentally kill one of the guards, or citizens during the Vamp attack? This will cause NPCs to be hostile, too... Although, you should have also received a bounty notification, too. 3) Try loading a save BEFORE the vampires attacked. If they don't attack, this bug might not exist from that point on. In general, it sounds like a bug where the game hasn't gotten the NPCs out of combat from the Vampire attack. Thus, the citizens mistakenly think you are an enemy, regardless.

I agree with PsYchotic666joker. Too many players seemed to be obsessed with power-leveling and not playing the game. They are free to play play however they want, but it almost defeats the purpose of buying the game if all they are going to do is power-level because that's only 1/100th of the game's content, IMO. They might was well just use the console and give themselves max levels, perks, items, etc. if that is all they care about. The only real bonuses to armor are some invisible bonuses (100 points) you don't even see if you get something like the "Well Fitted" perk (Heavy Armor). Unlike other RPGs there are no special requirements for a character to be able to wear different armors in the game. Wearing heavy armor only differs from light armor in that heavy armor slows you down... And not even by that much once you're actually playing the game; it becomes negligible. Blocking is the same way. If you are a melee character who uses shields, you will naturally level this up since it is part of your typical sword & board style of play. TL;DR Stop worrying about being a God after Bleak Falls Barrow. Just play the game and have fun. Life is too short to turn this into yet another competitive endeavor especially since it is a single player game and the only one you are comparing yourself to are the power leveling idiots on Youtube and the internet who call themselves "gamers", but don't actually play the games they way they are meant to be played.

The main advice I can give to new players as far as what mods to install (beyond personal preference, of course) is to classify them into two main categories: 1) Mods that enhance realism and difficulty 2) Mods that enhance the base game and extend the playability The first category includes popular mods like Frost Fall, Imp's Complex Needs (you must eat and drink to survive!), The Dance of Death, etc. These mods aim to make the game more like a simulation and to increase and improve the realism of the medieval combat. These kinds of mods make Skyrim the equivalent of "Day Z" for ARMA 2. The second category is more about making the overall game play experience better. These mods make no bones about the fact you are playing a game and are usually made with the intent to correct certain flaws in the game and enhance the overall enjoyment versus trying to being realistic. I find I fall into the latter category because Skyrim is a game and I play it to escape from the real world, not replicate some of its more mundane hardships. The main mods I use are ones that allow me to tailor the game to how I want to play it and when something happens. I use mods like 'Timing is Everything' and other mods that give me the most freedom by not forcing certain quests or events on me until I am past a certain skill level, or a point in the main quest. For example, I have "Dragonborn" and the accompanying Cultist attacks happen AFTER I finish the main quest. If you have the Legendary edition of Skryim, they attack you after coming down from the Throat of the World after you visit the Graybeards the first time. Having the cultists attack after I complete the main Skyrim quest just seems more logical to me because DB is a sequel to the main quest, more or less. The same goes for "Dawnguard" and the annoying Vampire attacks. I have mods that either disable the attacks, or protect certain NPCs in towns and cities because they are quest givers that may die before I even have a chance to get a certain town. No matter what mods you choose (or don't choose), the great thing about Skyrim and its modding community is that 90% of the time there is a mod for almost anything you can think of. Even if it seems trivial, do a search on the Nexus and you will often find what you are looking for. It may not have thousands of endorsements, but as long as the general feedback comments are good, that's all that matters if it is what you are looking for to make YOUR game better. :)

My end game is always to become a vampire so my character can live forever. That's why I marry Serana and then have her turn me! Yeah, it's selfish, but look at all the crap you have to go through during the main game and two DLCs - LOL ;) Besides, if you're the Thieves Guild Master as well as the Dark Brotherhood Listener, you've pretty much sold yourself to the Daedra anyway, so why not go all the way and make it three for three with Molag Bal? It's kind an immortal loop hole and when my character does finally return to the void... I wonder who gets first dibs on my eternal soul and servitude? Hmm...

I highly recommend AFT. If you want your followers to use bows and arrows against distanced enemies, select "General". This means they will use ranged attacks against ranged enemies (including Dragons) and then switch to sword & shield for CQB (the default). If you have Mages as followers, you can tell them to only use magic and/or a staff if they have one, or give them one to use. This way they won't charge into battle against bandits, or Drugar armed with only a dagger, or their bare hands!

FYI, this is because Adrianne and Warmaiden's are considered two different shops (even though she works there) since she can sell things to you OUTSIDE (she has a separate chest you don't see). This is confirmed late in the game when you have enough gold and speech levels and have the option of investing in both of their businesses and not just the main Warmaidens shop.

Know your enemy types and know the character you are role playing: If you play ranged, and/or sneaky characters your biggest advantage is stealth and distance. Kill enemies before they can even see you and can close the gap to your position. The same rule applies for cloth Mages (vs. Battle Mages), too. These kinds of characters are the so-called glass cannons of the game. They can dominate almost all encounters, but they have to use the skills they excel in as well as a handful of different tactics e.g. low profile, speed, breaking line of sight, silence (muffle), different magics like Illusion, Conjuration, etc. There is nothing wrong with bringing a follower along... Or conjuring one up... To act as a nice big distraction for mobs of enemies, either. Just make sure you take advantage of this small window and return the favor to your follower/summon and kill as many of the baddies as you can once they gang up on him/her/it. Melee characters biggest advantage is knowing how to effectively fight close quarters battle (CQB). Up close and personal is what melee fighters excel at in contrast to the glass cannons. Know your surroundings and don't get backed into a corner because then you are on the defensive when you should be taking the fight to them. Stagger (shield bashing) at higher levels is one of the most effective tactics even though some view it as overpowered and "cheap". Staggering allows melee characters to get in their shots and without it, some fights would never end. This is how the game is designed, so use it. All character types can use effective crowd control methods because they are Dovahkin and have Shouts. That's what the shouts are for: Offensive powers that can be used to weaken enemies and give you time to regroup and then prioritize your targets whether it be bandits, trolls or even dragons. Target priority... Knowing who poses the biggest threat in a mob... Is the key to crowd control because once that Drugar Deathlord, or Dragon Priest who deals as much damage as you can is dealt with first then the lesser minions should be no problem. Target Discrimination is also a crucial part of battle because you don't want to inadvertently hurt your followers, or scripted NPCs like Delphine, or Esbern who may be accompanying you into the fray. Even if they are marked as essential, if they go down on one knee that means they have been neutralized and are no longer an effective fighter and this means the mob is now going to concentrate on you! And of course... The best strategy of them all is being able to use different tactics on the fly, so you are not forced into a corner just because you started the fight one way and expected it to end the same way. Battle is a dynamic and fluid situation and being able to adapt quickly to it can be the difference between life and death. Like Farengar says... "Remember, your mind is the best weapon". :wink:

You know that old song, "Did It All for the Nookie"? Well, in Skyrim, I do it all for the Septims! ;) Kill, loot, steal, craft, enchant, trade, sell, fence, transmute, forge and every other thing to finance my life of luxury in Proudspire Manor, and Lakeview Manor, baby! Oh, yeah...

How could you get tired of Claudia Christian a.k.a. Commander Susan Ivanova of "Babylon 5" calling you her love? :wink: *Runs and hides nerdy knowledge of arcane pop-culture in shame*

First, everything I wrote in my previous post is documented on various TES and Skyrim Wikis and also in interviews with the developers pre and post-release. Second, the flaws of Bethesda's leveling system become most apparent in non-quest dungeons and random encounters out in the wild. It makes no sense (for immersion and game play mechanics) to have Bandits and creatures who are not capped at a max level that is below the player. Bandits and other "weak" creatures should be just that: Weaker, with a max level cap the player surpasses at some point. However, another part of the problem is there should also be a requirement that after so many items are crafted and/or enchanted, the player HAS to go out in the world and kill either low-level, or preferably tougher creatures in order to level up. They closed the iron dagger exploit, but you can still power level without killing using other items like jewelry since the XP is now tied to the amount of potential gold you can get for a particular piece of jewelry crafted. This is why Bethesda has to resort to an illogical leveling system because most other RPGs have limits on certain skills that force the player to adventure out and play the game instead of just go from city to city crafting, enchanting and selling things.

Yes, and no. Some dungeons, quests have a range of levels associated with them and lock the level the first time you enter them. If you are level one and go into Bleak Falls Barrow, it has a (approx.) level rating of 1-5. So, if you enter it at level one, all the enemies in BFB are level one. If you go back when you are level 60, for example, all the enemies will only be level five, the max level for BFB. Enemies in BFB will never go beyond five (the max) which is why it is classified as an easy dungeon, regardless if it is part of any main quests (which it is, of course), or not. Other ruins and places follow this system, but with a much higher range of levels e.g. Dwemer ruins and Falmer have a minimum level of 18, and it goes up from there. So, this is why characters lower than 18 will have a tough time in those places regardless of whether you are just randomly exploring, or going through them as part of a quest line like the College of Winterhold where you go get the Elder Scroll. So, my guess is the challenge of playing the way the OP suggests will probably be the higher leveled dungeons & ruins that have higher minimum player level rating like the Dwemer ruins and other places that take place later on in the game's story line, but that are also static in terms of their higher level rating? P.S. -- I tried some of the scaling stoppers and found they severely limit the free roam experience the game is built on since it turns the open world into strict encounter zones, even more so than the default game does. At least the vanilla game tries to level certain enemies whereas with scaling stoppers, you MUST be at certain levels to go certain places and do certain things which boxes you in.

You're going to want to read the Unofficial Elder Scrolls Wiki, Skyrim edition: http://www.uesp.net/wiki/Skyrim:Skyrim Also, Sneak is one of the easier skills to max out because all you have to do is... Well, sneak. Whenever you go into a dungeon, crouch (sneak) instead of barreling forward and alerting the Drugar and other NPCs. When you do a radiant Bandit quest, stop a few yards away from the camp, go into sneak mode, wait until you get red dots and a health bars and THEN snipe them. All skills improve when red dots and enemy health bars become visible. Archery and sneak are so overpowered that late-game you will probably switch to a melee, or even a magic character just to make things more interesting even if you are rolling a thief, or ranged fighter.

First, I third (or fourth, or fifth!) the sentiment all these Anime-style "hot chick" follower reskins/meshes are just dumb, IMO. I'm not disparaging the artistic and technical effort that went into making them, but it's obvious (to me) the authors probably made them because they are most likely adolescent (or early 20s) males who aren't that good with the real thing, yet. Now, this doesn't apply to every mod author, obviously, but there is enough evidence to suggest this isn't an unfair generalization, either. Second, players have to realize the limitations of the game's engine. The biggest complaint about vanilla Skyrim is the game is too easy because the AI is so basic you can glitch, exploit or just out think it unlike other games where the AI is more advanced. OK, fine. If players know this, then they should install mods that do their best to correct and enhance the game's AI... And there are plenty of those kinds of mods on the Nexus that effect both friendly and enemy NPCs if players are willing to look for and install them. Third, I use followers early in the game for support since your main character is relatively weak and he/she needs some of the heat from enemies taken off them so they can build up their skills. I use AFT (Amazing Follower Tweaks) that addresses a lot of the complaints leveled in this thread e.g. ATF allows an "invisible" mode for your followers when you are sneaking, so the enemy AI won't detect them AND they won't attack enemies unless the player is hit, or detected. AFT also has a plug-in that makes them ignore friendly fire/spells damage/hits, too. So, if you are a Mage, you can just spam as many destruction spells as possible without worrying about accidentally killing them. AFT also allows all followers to be set as "essential" as well. Some may consider this immersion-breaking compared to permadeath, but this goes back to accepting the limitations of the AI and sacrificing realism in favor of less frustration and multiple restarts due to the followers incompetence and not your own. However, there comes a point late-game where you are so God-like followers become a real hindrance and are best left at home watching the kid(s) and hearthfires. This is the point where you don't need them to distract enemy mobs anymore because you can just Fus Do Rah them en masse and then follow it up with your dual flaming Dedric swords that do 212 damage each, for example. Fourth, most of the vanilla followers in Skyrim sans Serana are devoid of any real personality whatsoever. They are robots in every sense of the word, and I use them in precisely the manner I described above a.k.a. Drugar and Bandit magnets. If it wasn't for Lara Bailey, and the enhanced Serana mods that improve her combat AI, I wouldn't use any followers whatsoever because that is how boring and annoying they are.

If you play on PC, there is a Marry Serana Mod that does what the name implies: http://skyrim.nexusmods.com/mods/28685/? It's very well done because the author used and edited samples from Lara Bailey's other voice work (in other games) to complete similar marriage dialogues Bethesda never recorded for Serana because they never intended her to be married during, or after Dawnguard.

:wink:

I apologize if this is considered flaming by the Mods, but... I can't believe people are still feeding the OP's ego by responding to this thread. It now has 45 responses and five pages of masturbatory garbage! This thread is basically one big Troll thread, IMHO. The OP makes some hypocritical and flat out wrong assertions about Skyrim and Bethesda, and then has the gall to shout down (using all caps) anybody who disagrees with them like some petulant 12-year old This thread reeks of narcissistic and naive conclusions made by somebody not very experienced in the world. It even reads like a piss-poor college essay where the author desperately wants to change the world, but doesn't know how to do it, or even what is wrong with the world in the first place. Everybody is free to participate if they want, but the more you keep trying to disprove the OP, the more they are going to ignore it and continue to try and push their agenda because that's what they want: They love the conflict, but don't know how to effectively argue any coherent point enough where it has any real persuasive value in the face of opposing facts versus their own skewed opinion.

What Skyrim does RIGHT: I feel the main thing Bethesda did right with Skyrim aside from the free roam aspect is the Thu'um, a.k.a. Shouts. It's a seamless balance of story telling and game play and that is very rare in most games these days. The Shouts serve as mini-quests (along with Dragon slaying) which drives game play along side official quest lines. The use of Shouts in-game also gives your character that extra "X" factor other characters lack. The Shouts are the equivalent to Jedi powers in the Star Wars universe. I bring this up because the vanilla game suffers from a lot of technical shortcomings and artistic elements, so it's a lot easier to criticize Bethesda than acknowledge what they did right. It's just like when everybody bashed "Avatar" for being a "Dances with Wolves" clone in space. True, the basic premise is the same, but people failed to acknowledge what James Cameron did right with the story and that was the Na'avi's ability to literally plug into the world around them. Most stories... Including "Dances with Wolves", "Pocahontas", etc. all claim the native people can connect with the land whereas in Avatar the Na'avi can literally do that with their braid tendril. It's little things like this that people take for granted, or wrongly criticize because they don't understand how effective those things are on a subconscious level... Just like the Thu'um in Skryim is equivalent to rage (shouting!), but having your words actually having a real effect in the world.