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novicius
January 6th, 2014, 11:56 AM
[Continued from here (http://gtxfrefuge.freeforums.org/post78754.html#p78754).]

My Redguard Blades Grandmaster lost control of the gifts from Daedric Lord Hircine over the weekend and ended up mauling hundreds and hundreds of victims, both Man and Beast (with the Dawnguard DLC, you now get a stat that says "People Mauled" and mine is over 300+ at this point -- needless to say I completed all of the new Werewolf Perks ;)). Just an unstoppable swath of blood cut across the north and western edges of Skyrim over a period of several (in-game) days.

In the end, he struggled with his frenzy alone upon a mountain peak for over a full day to burn off the last of it...


(This was done without using Hircine's Ring; considering you start with 2.5 minutes of werewolf time after you transform and gain 30 additional seconds for every victim's heart consumed, that's a long time and a lot of victims -- each day in Skyrim is 48 minutes and I let the game sit for close to an hour while watching football before he transformed back just to see how much time he had banked, not including the time spend running around, hunting and fighting! :lol: )

Phil_SS
January 6th, 2014, 06:37 PM
The amount of stuff in the game is mesmerizing.

I haven't played for a few months but I need to get back into it. I never did get involved in any of the main events going on in Skyrim and I've gotta give them a try.

Freude am Fahren
January 7th, 2014, 04:12 AM
Yeah I had barely scratched the surface when I stopped playing for a while. Then I had only barely gotten much further before moving and packing it up. I can't wait to take it out again (along withe GTA V and GT6)

novicius
January 7th, 2014, 07:02 AM
I find that while the swordfighting in Skyrim is highly simplistic and partially abstract (success derived in part by your Block, Armor and weapon skills), it's still action-y enough to entertain me. I play on the 'Master' level of difficulty and that's a nice balance of action, chance and death -- a warhammer, a two-handed sword or even a mace can end you pretty quick if you're not careful. Ending a duel with a beheading or some other kill animation is very satisfying.

Alternately, I wasted some Perk points trying to develop my Redguard into a dual-wield fiend but it's a poor choice: the action becomes very arcadey, reckless and honestly it's hard to win battles at this difficulty level (at least for me -- I'm just not getting the timing right, most likely). I much prefer the simplified block-and-slash/stab/bash options available with a single weapon.

novicius
January 8th, 2014, 11:14 AM
I haven't played for a few months but I need to get back into it. I never did get involved in any of the main events going on in Skyrim and I've gotta give them a try.
(Old) Pro Tip: Befriend companions that can also train you in a skill you don't normally use. For example, if you're either magic-centric or a straight brawler and don't normally use bows, visit Aela the Huntress and pay for lessons in Archery. You can buy a maximum of 5 ranks in Archery from her every time you level up. That, plus hammering out Iron Daggers to rank up in Smithing, should see you level up pretty quickly.

Then, since she's your companion, you can look into her Inventory and take that money back! :D

21Kid
January 8th, 2014, 07:17 PM
I wish I had the time to get into this game again. :( I'm not even 1/4 way thru probably.

novicius
January 9th, 2014, 07:07 AM
Well, take it in small bites: work on a portion of the main plot, sell some gear, grind up some Iron Daggers, save and quit for the night. Skyrim is a great book that'll be there when you come back to it. ;)

21Kid
January 9th, 2014, 09:06 AM
But, there's GTA V, Far Cry 3, Diablo III, and a few others vying for my attention right now, too. :( Tough choices, I know.

novicius
January 9th, 2014, 09:07 AM
Oh I mean play a little bit before switching to another game, not kill an entire evening on it. :D

21Kid
January 9th, 2014, 11:58 AM
Killing an entire evening for me = 1-2 hrs, now-a-days.

novicius
January 10th, 2014, 08:51 AM
Last night I completed the final Thieves' Guild quest with my Level 37 Redguard Blades Grandmaster and Aela the Huntress (I've been averaging about one character level per evening of play between action, buying levels and hammering out Iron Daggers). Being a close member of the Guild hierarchy helps provide a Skyrim-wide intelligence and support network, thereby lessening the reliance he might have on Ulfric Stormcloak once he decides to help the Rebellion overthrow the Empire. ;)

Walking out of Falkreath, my Wolfpack of Two encountered a large grey dog named Barbas. This is the beginning of the "A Daedra's Best Friend" quest, where Barbas becomes a 2nd unkillable companion. He doesn't have a lot of power of course but he's another target to take the heat off of you. The downside is that he makes sneaking impossible since he's a barker (and will bark pretty regularly so if you don't like that, don't accept his service). But that big sloppy Irish Wolfhound will happily charge into melee combat with who or whatever you encounter -- and that, combined with Aela firing flaming arrows or squaring up with foes herself in shapely Nordic platemail armor, makes for either excellent crowd control or multiple targets when fighting the Big Bad.

If it's a particularly big foe I might also summon a Flame Atronach, just to be a dick and max out my number of followers. :finger:


Aela isn't necessarily the best follower; I like her because she's versatile (can deliver relatively big damage-dealing hits at range as well as up close), wears armor, can train me in a non-essential skill for leveling purposes and narratively-speaking she's a werewolf like I am.

The mage Mercurio in Riften is also an excellent follower if you want shit killed dead -- hell, he's too good IMO since he literally destroyed everything before I got so much as a blade stroke in. Unfortunately for him, he saw me invoke the Gift of Hircine and shift into a werewolf, and in his fear he attacked me (I may have feasted upon his heart *coff*) but that doesn't mean he wasn't good at his job. :lol:

novicius
January 14th, 2014, 07:18 AM
Working through the Dawnguard DLC and not playing a vampire for the first time, only to find that it's rather discordant playing as a Dawnguard soldier. :erm:

Dawnguard Leader Isran tells me to investigate some barrow or cave that has been a focus of vampire activity and instead I unlock Serena the Daughter of Coldharbour. She's also carrying an Elder Scroll. This can't be good. Unfortunately I can't kill her on the spot and instead am forced to escort her to her father's castle. Hrmm.

Upon my return to Castle Good-Guy, Isran berates me for not killing her and instead taking her and her Elder Scroll to her father -- oh by the way, she's also now waiting upstairs with the next part of your quest... :rolleyes: #wtf #shittywriting

novicius
February 3rd, 2014, 11:26 AM
I put in some more time over this weekend into my now Level 44 Redguard Blades Grandmaster.

After maxing out Aela the Huntress' Archery levels, I swapped her for a new Companion, Vilkas. He's a straight-up tank specializing in Two-Handed Weapons and since my skill in that is nigh virginal, he's an excellent follower to have to teach me new skill rankings as I keep leveling up. #homoeroticadventures

I finished the Dawnguard missions again and this time I actually bothered to learn to summon the "undead" dragon, Durnehviir from the Soul Cairn. For those who've completed the main quest, you can learn the "Call Dragon" shout to summon the straightforward Odahviing, Alduin's right-hand man. But Durnehviir is quite different (and arguably more useful): he can also summon wraiths to fight with him! Looks wonderfully evil, if you're going for that sort of thing (I'm not but I thought I'd try it out).

In addition, Durnehviir did something I've never seen Odahviing do: he picked up an enemy and dropped him from a great height! :lol:

Vilkas the Companion, Barbas my hunting dog and I were walking the wintery wastes of Northshore, west of the capital Dawnstar, when we came across a popular bandits' hideout. Wanting to try summoning/attacking with Durnehviir, I summoned him from the Soul Cairn before we surprised them; the undead dragon took to the air immediately. We rounded the corner and I set my party to the attack by sniping one of the bandits with my Nightingale bow. Vilkas and Barbas charged the group of bandits (heh, fishermen?) and I continued to fire arrows from a distance.

Two of their number fell quickly when, just as I had loosed my arrow at the remaining enemy, Durnehviir snatched that poor soul up. My flying shaft missed that guy by mere inches! I whirled around only to watch that massive winged shape drop his small burden onto the rocks of the icy beach a hundred yards away... :hard: #fuckingcool #skyrimdoesitagain

Mortavian
February 4th, 2014, 03:43 AM
Plot twist: that group of "bandits" was a fellow group of ragtag adventurers seeking shelter when they were set upon in the dead of night by a wandering psychopath and his merry murderband. #LoLfellowship

;)

novicius
February 4th, 2014, 05:49 PM
Yeah, could have been but I'd wandered blithely into this campsite before and been caught dead-to-rights tho', so hey -- unfriendliness on the tundra will get you killed just as justifiably as if you'd been up to no good, I say. ;)

Also, immediately after that fight a pack of vampires out hunting swarmed us. Durnehviir glided to a landing and summoned the shadowy forms of Bonemen, Mistmen and Wrathmen to fight them. All told, those suck-heads died painfully and quickly without me having to fire a single arrow. :lol:

Mortavian
February 5th, 2014, 12:52 AM
unfriendliness on the tundra will get you killed just as justifiably as if you'd been up to no good

That sounds like a line from a Steven Seagal movie. :3

novicius
February 5th, 2014, 11:24 AM
Well, one could certainly make the observation that they were caught On Deadly Ground (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/On_Deadly_Ground). :assclown:


It's tedious trying to max out my Smithing skill so I can go Legendary, switch those perks to Enchanting, and keep leveling up. Damn but this is slow going towards the end. :|

novicius
February 12th, 2014, 11:12 AM
I've pretty much finished my Redguard Blades Grandmaster @ level 49. I can make 50 by finishing the Civil War missions but I'm ready to park this guy for awhile at least. Armor values of 520ish and doing hundreds of points of damage with each sword swing makes the game silly-easy (and I'm not even near the potential max values for either).

Which really brings me back to the reason I burned out before: making your own hyper-powered gear breaks the game for me. You can complete the game in challenging fashion with stock gear or you can complete the game easily by grinding Smithing, Enchanting and Alchemy skills. I feel that the last few 'toons I've made have killed my interest in the game when I can't die. It became more interesting when I was managing two Followers + conjured Daedra but beyond that, I'm back to just being unstoppable -- and bored. :thppt:


So all of that said, I've restarted with a brand new 'toon on Master level: J'Ovahkiin (see what I did there?), a male Khajiit sword-and-board Fighter/Archer that will not grind Iron Daggers or grind any other skill inorganically. I *will* take advantage of buying skill levels from Followers but other than that, no grinding and only using whatever gear I encounter.

Beginning this way, I started off by escaping Helgen with the Stormcloak Ralof's help. Even tho' I am pro-Imperial, something about escaping the dragon Alduin's attacks with the Stormcloaks' help (and thereby always being in their debt) appeals to me. Following Ralof to Riverwood and discovering how pro-Nord/anti-everyone else they are made me thank them for their time and reassess my needs. Chatting with the locals netted me enough coin from the sale of the Imperial gear I brought with me to buy a suit of Iron Armor, sword and shield. Also Faendal, a Bosmer woodworker and sometime archer that was working in Riverwood agreed to accompany me and teach me what he knew about the art of the longbow.

Armed, armored and partied-up thusly, we stormed the wintery columns of Bleak Falls Barrow, hunted and battled both bandits and Draugr, and eventually liberated the Dragonstone within...!! :hard:

novicius
February 13th, 2014, 04:56 AM
I'm never happier playing Skyrim than I am when I have a new 'toon: every creature must be respected, every room in a crypt must be taken slowly, and confronting dragons is to be avoided at all costs unless there's a city garrison of troops about. Skirmishes with bandits are grim, tense and chaotic affairs while sabercats, bears and trolls fill me with dread. :up:

tigeraid
February 13th, 2014, 07:08 AM
There's a modding team working on converting Morrowind in its ENTIRETY into Skyrim. I'll reinstall the game for that. :hard:

GreatScawt
February 19th, 2014, 06:38 PM
This shit is like ten bucks on 360 right now. Digital download. Grab it now if you haven't.

http://marketplace.xbox.com/en-US/Product/Skyrim/66acd000-77fe-1000-9115-d802425307e6?cid=majornelson&DownloadType=Game#LiveZone?cid=majornelson

21Kid
February 20th, 2014, 07:04 AM
If only the HDD was bigger. :( I would buy it and trade my disc in for $10-12

Yw-slayer
April 2nd, 2015, 02:06 AM
2 of my friends got it. I bought it as I was attracted by their tales of 200v200 PvP in siege battles. I've installed it but have never even started the game.

novicius
April 2nd, 2015, 07:30 AM
The vids look impressive. :up:


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SUzFW0Y11BM

speedpimp
May 7th, 2015, 01:59 PM
Definitely on my list to get.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1tR4U_DXyGE&feature=youtu.be