No Potions approach for more immersive combat?

[CalibanX]

I'm going to try a character with lots of survival mods and my own self imposed limitation of using absolutely no potions or food healing. (I will only be eating to survive with the Nord Needs mod -not to heal in combat.) I'm also going to turn down the difficulty to Adept. (I prefer to make the game harder indirectly than by nerfing myself or enemies.) My thinking here is that the constant pausing to drink potions, apply poisons, eat magic healing food, etc is a constant immersion breaker in combat. EVERY enemy in Skyrim can be defeated with enough potions in one's inventory. And I'm thinking that the combat will be more rewarding if I have to rely on blocking, Restoration and terrain & tactics in order to survive instead of the constant pausing and potion guzzling. Has anyone else tried something like this? Or am i just being masochistic? :)

[scottym23]

I'm going to try a character with lots of survival mods and my own self imposed limitation of using absolutely no potions or food healing. (I will only be eating to survive with the Nord Needs mod -not to heal in combat.) I'm also going to turn down the difficulty to Adept. (I prefer to make the game harder indirectly than by nerfing myself or enemies.) My thinking here is that the constant pausing to drink potions, apply poisons, eat magic healing food, etc is a constant immersion breaker in combat. EVERY enemy in Skyrim can be defeated with enough potions in one's inventory. And I'm thinking that the combat will be more rewarding if I have to rely on blocking, Restoration and terrain & tactics in order to survive instead of the constant pausing and potion guzzling. Has anyone else tried something like this? Or am i just being masochistic? :)

 

I've tried something along these lines, and if you don't already have these mods I suggest you check them out:

 

http://skyrim.nexusmods.com/mods/21224

 

http://skyrim.nexusmods.com/mods/21535

 

http://skyrim.nexusmods.com/mods/21306

 

That mod author has many more realism mods too, but those are the few that I found to be most helpful to me.

 

In my opinion though regarding potion consumption, I do feel as though that's realistic. Obviously there's magic in the Tamriel, so some objects and ingredients must have magical properties too. And who's to say how fast they should heal you? They are potions after all, so it's up to Bethesda to tell us what is and isn't realistic for the Elder Scrolls world. I do agree about the constant pausing to drink potions being extremely immersion breaking. I'd suggest you hot key your most used potions such as health ones so you don't have to pause the game to use them. And as far as realism in other aspects go, here are a few suggestions if you are really serious about this:

 

--Don't use fast travel at all

 

--Only carry one set of armor on you at all times, and only a couple items besides that such as a sword and 2h. If you find a weapon that's better, drop/sell/store your current weapon somewhere and pick up the new one.

 

--Don't use companions, or if you do don't rely on them too heavily. If you're using them for storage then tell them to wait outside of a cave or dungeon you're about to raid so you can take it on by yourself like a true Nord ;).

 

--Don't glitch to get an advantage! You said in your OP that you were going to use "terrain & tactics" to your advantage in combat. That's an awesome idea, but don't be cheap with it. If there's some invisible wall that you know an enemy won't attack you past, so you stand behind it and take pot shots at the enemy until he's dead, then you might as well use console commands to kill it.

 

I hope these tips help!

[StayFrosty05]

I use poisons...though never take in healing potions in battle, never use magic aside from 'Shouts' if they count as magic (and his a Werewolf) and never use enchanted items (aside from one enchanted ring and necklace)...My Dovahkin eats twice a day (high protein, what I think a Werewolf/Warrior would need)), drinks four times a day (have a mod that offers milk, juice and water), sleeps roughly 8 hours a day, never fast travels and never takes carriages, carries at the most only as much as I think a person could unhindered, he never picks up armor or weapons....As a primarily stealth Archer, the poisons make sense for me.

 

I get what you mean by immersion breaking, I don't like it either....so play by a strict set of self imposed rules....more fun for me that way.

 

Edit: Just noticed scotty's post....My Dovahkin only carries light in what he has with him at all times....only the armor he is wearing, two one handed Swords (duel wielding), Bow and Quiver, some jewellery, food, drink and poisons....that's about it....I don't use companions either, they don't go well with stealth... :blush:

Edited October 2, 2012 by StayFrosty05

[CalibanX]

I agree that Potions are a part of the lore and belong in Skyrim, it's just that from a gameplay perspective, they are just so easily abused. They really make killing everything 10 times easier: more boring. I have tons of "survival" style mods that disable fast travel, food needs, better bartering, etc. I love them all. Primarily, I want combat to feel more intense and the constant pausing to use consumables during combat has been an immersive breaking feature in every character I've made no matter how different they've been. So, now it's time for me to try just abandoning the Potions all together and try fighting like a real man without the crutch of Potions & magic foods. I'm looking forward to the increased challenge.

[fraquar]

I never agree with going cold turkey on anything - it's a denial mentality - especially for something that can enhance your gaming experience when done in moderation.

 

EVERYTHING in this game gets abused at one time or another, it just that people either don't accept that or aren't really in tune with that fact. Whether it be a favorite tactic, favorite spell (or combination of them), shout, item, you name it - it eventually gets abused. You just want to limit what gets abused to your core build, i.e. using say Elemental Fury to augment your swing speed if you play a berserker type - because the build is built with that factored in.

 

Better to make subtle changes to your gameplay to ensure you never have either the potency or quantity to abuse in the 1st place. I've never had a problem with either, and this is what I do to make sure I never do:

 

1) I don't craft potions or poisons, period. There are more than enough of them in the game if I need to use one. This makes sure I'm never in possession of gamechanging items in the 1st place (potency).

2) On all house trips I empty my inventory of everything except my equipped gear and 1 lockpick. Again, I'll find stuff as I start adventuring again. I don't play the realism mods, if I did I'd keep some food too but not much because there is plenty to be found. (quantity).

3) On extended adventures where I don't travel home I sell off those items whenever I visit a merchant (including bumping in to the Khajiit Caravan). (again, quantity).

[fraquar]

I'll add that there are probably some items you want to remove from your gameplay if abuse is a problem:

 

1) Elsyweyr Fondue

2) Vegetable Soup

3) Venison Stew

4) Beef Stew

 

Especially #1 - that is a complete joke if you want to play normally.

[The7Sins]

I usually just favorite and hotkey the potions I use so as to not be pausing the game when I'm healing. This gives the AIs a good shot of killing me and does not need a mod to use.

[Dudeman325]

Peronally, I use Phitts Alchemy and Food Overhaul to help make health / magicka potions a bit more balanced. Instant potions are gone, and replaced with a heal-over-time mechanic that ticks a small heal every second for (usually) 10 seconds. Instant damage poisons receive the same treatment.

 

I'm not sure how well this works with needs mods, but if you put Phitts higher up in your load order than your needs mod, Phitts changes to food should be overwritten by the needs mod.

 

Edit: I should add, this also makes Restoration heals a bit more viable, as you can no longer pause, drink potions to heal to full, then unpause and continue fighting.

Edited October 3, 2012 by Dudeman325

[StayFrosty05]

There's always my solution.... :biggrin: ...if your health drops too low in battle, turn and run like a girl.... :biggrin: ....get yourself out of combat range and either heal without potions help or only swig the potions then...then charge back into the fray.... :happy:

 

I really don't like the take a swig in mid combat mechanic....honestly how on Earth could he (the Dovahkin) do that, it's too impossible so really breaks immersion.....So I tend to buff against magics, fire, etc...damages before the battle depending on what he is about to face and apply chosen poison to weapon then....and only re-applies if he has a breather from the combat....I don't like or use the Skill buffer potions, they make no sense....just the protection against Magic, Fire and Shock....his a Nord, doesn't really need Frost protection.

Edited October 3, 2012 by StayFrosty05

[scottym23]

There's always my solution.... :biggrin: ...if your health drops too low in battle, turn and run like a girl.... :biggrin: ....get yourself out of combat range and either heal without potions help or only swig the potions then...then charge back into the fray.... :happy:

 

Lol good tactic :P. I know this isn't what you were referring to, but she doesn't mean when you get low health to run far away enough to where the enemy automatically turns around and can't find you; even when you're 2 feet in front of him/her. She's referring to running a huge distance to the point where you could legitimately say the enemy would be unable to find you. I'm sure the OP has enough common sense to realize this, but I just wanted to clarify anyway :).