The OFFICIAL Anandtech Forums TeS V: Skyrim Thread

[zinfamous]

Yes, but you dont gain as much benefit per skill point, nor does the skill advance as quickly as it would with a shield.

apparently, the physical size of the shield is important, too. I imagine this is why blocking with two handed is way less effective for leveling--simply less potential space to block damage and record experience.

 

[Gheris]

Over the weekend I have been learning why the Light armor and 2H combo is less survivable. Going to get to that Thalmor location where they are holding the Nord pronto so I can get my hands on some Elven armor. Going to Melt it down and make some of my own. Anyone else try the 2h/light armor combo?

 

[Qbah]

I started a new char, a 1h+shield heavy armor Breton. Master difficulty. It's manageable but man, those dual wielding Forsworn hurt like hell! Was going after the Molag Bal mace and it was a close call every single time 1-on-1 (with me dying sooo many times...). I was lvl9. Good thing I stole that Elven Sword from Jarl of Whiterun, at least I had some punch going with the protection. Otherwise it'd be impossible

Can't wait to get the higher tier block perks to show them who's boss :awe:

 

[zinfamous]

I started a new char, a 1h+shield heavy armor Breton. Master difficulty. It's manageable but man, those dual wielding Forsworn hurt like hell! Was going after the Molag Bal mace and it was a close call every single time 1-on-1 (with me dying sooo many times...). I was lvl9. Good thing I stole that Elven Sword from Jarl of Whiterun, at least I had some punch going with the protection. Otherwise it'd be impossible

Can't wait to get the higher tier block perks to show them who's boss :awe:

yeah, it's rough for a little while, but then you become invulnerable. Shield bash is your friend, and you need well over 300 stamina.

Your goal should be Boethiah's Ebony Mail, though. ...but i think that's level 30. :\

 

[coloumb]

Over the weekend I have been learning why the Light armor and 2H combo is less survivable. Going to get to that Thalmor location where they are holding the Nord pronto so I can get my hands on some Elven armor. Going to Melt it down and make some of my own. Anyone else try the 2h/light armor combo?

Not yet, but I think that would be suicide. Or maybe not once you pick up some nice Elven or Glass Armor [that's what my destruction/thief hybrid uses].

However, if you have a staff that paralyzes the mob then you can run in and smack them over the head with your 2h weapon.

 

[Gheris]

Not yet, but I think that would be suicide. Or maybe not once you pick up some nice Elven or Glass Armor [that's what my destruction/thief hybrid uses].

However, if you have a staff that paralyzes the mob then you can run in and smack them over the head with your 2h weapon.

To be honest I am not sure the Elven armor will help. I am seriously getting blasted when faced with power attacks from enemies. Also with my fighting style I think I will be going back to 1h/shield+heavy armor. Heck 1h/shield+Light armor would even be better at this point. Once you get used to the shield and start bashing faces it's hard to stop.

 

[Atomic Playboy]

You can make glass armor and dragon scale armor that meets the max armor cap, so after you've leveled your light armor smithing with the appropriate perks, you should be fine with a light armor two-handed build... but I can't fathom why you'd want to do that early on. Heavy armor will be hugely beneficial to you early on since the lack of a shield will be a massive obstacle for defense, and you'll end up burning through 20 health potions every battle. Once you've got your smithing and enchanting leveled you can make virtually any gear unbeatable.

 

[zinfamous]

To be honest I am not sure the Elven armor will help. I am seriously getting blasted when faced with power attacks from enemies. Also with my fighting style I think I will be going back to 1h/shield+heavy armor. Heck 1h/shield+Light armor would even be better at this point. Once you get used to the shield and start bashing faces it's hard to stop.

I find that light armor isn't terribly helpful for a caster--rather, not much different from using cloth.

You know what does help?

Conjure Dremora lord and/or Sanguine Rose staff. It's also highly entertaining.

I did download a mod that lets me craft and enchant my own Nightingale set, which is tits, but really just aesthetics.

 

[Patt]

I had to post because it has been more than 24 hours without any activity ... well, and I finally finished the main Quest, which was pretty anticlimactic. That said, I did enjoy it, and am by no means finished, as I haven't touched either the Dark Brotherhood or Thieve's Guild quests. Not sure which I'll start with ... hell, there is a quadrant of the world map I've barely touched

 

[zinfamous]

I had to post because it has been more than 24 hours without any activity ... well, and I finally finished the main Quest, which was pretty anticlimactic. That said, I did enjoy it, and am by no means finished, as I haven't touched either the Dark Brotherhood or Thieve's Guild quests. Not sure which I'll start with ... hell, there is a quadrant of the world map I've barely touched

both quest lines are quite good. I think DB is the best quest line in the game, despite the typical issues with Skyrim mechanics (sneak doesn't really matter, too easy to commit crime and get away with it)

 

[cytoSiN]

both quest lines are quite good. I think DB is the best quest line in any RPG game in recent memorythe game, despite the typical issues with Skyrim mechanics (sneak doesn't really matter, too easy to commit crime and get away with it)

Fixed.

 

[zinfamous]

Fixed.

that good, you say?

:hmm:

I'll buy it.

/waits for Borderlands 2 and kickass characters.

 

[Patt]

OK, I'll work at the DB quest next ... though I don't even know where to start it off ... but I'll figure that out quick enough.

 

[Spydermag68]

The DB quest starts in Whiterun. Get clues from people near the entrance.

 

[zinfamous]

Yeah, I believe it starts just from overhearing rumors as you're passing by--I think it can start anywhere, no?

I imagine you have it in your log if you've already gone to the end of the game--The first intro mission is in Windhelm. And after that bit, and this is very important:

Spoiler

If you are a werewolf, and anything like me as a werewolf, you haven't slept at all because it is pointless for a werewolf. Because of this, it took me a long, long time to really initiate that quest....

 

[cytoSiN]

that good, you say?

:hmm:

I'll buy it.

/waits for Borderlands 2 and kickass characters.

There are some pretty amazing quest chains in Amalur, but the art style in that game (which I happen to love) makes them seem less sinister than Skyrim's DB chain, at least imho. So overall I enjoyed the DB chain more because the subject matter requires a certain dark/creepy/sinister/assassination vibe. That said, the Scholia Arcana chain and the main story chain are both pretty awesome in Amalur (as is the game itself).

 

[Skott]

Lately in my spare time I been checking out youtube videos and there are some pretty good Skyrim guides, tutorials, and how-to posted. Trendkillv01 and HostMikePushkin have some of the best I have seen so far.

 

[RavenSEAL]

Been slacking with the OP, updated.

 

[Concillian]

Over the weekend I have been learning why the Light armor and 2H combo is less survivable. Going to get to that Thalmor location where they are holding the Nord pronto so I can get my hands on some Elven armor. Going to Melt it down and make some of my own. Anyone else try the 2h/light armor combo?

It's rough in the midgame, but no less viable than any other combo in the endgame if you have some items with + smithing on them.

I ran elven + 2H sword to level 52 and was over armor cap with max smithing and some items with +smithing. I may have used a potion too. It's pretty easy to become godly at the end with any style you choose unless you restrict yourself from taking enchanting, smithing and / or alchemy.

 

[NoSoup4You]

This is Elder Scrolls, there are no "bad builds" in the game. Sure, powergamers will always find their niche, but there's no such thing as a character build that can't work... provided you're resourceful enough to make it work. 2-handed + light armor will 100% work, just like dual wield + robes will work. Obviously it won't be quite as easy... but you already knew that going in.

 

[cytoSiN]

Speaking of "any build will work" -- Hey Rhezuss....how's Conan working out for you?

 

[queequeg99]

I’ve seen some interesting bugs in the game. I once saw a horse just start to fly off into the sky like a pegasus, only to plunge to its death after getting about 100m or so off the ground. Very weird. But its the non-bug “bugs” that are the funniest.

Yesterday I fast travelled to some little settlement to bring some crimson nirnroot to some woman who was researching the plant. About 5 seconds after I appeared, the whole settlement started to freak out. Not a surprise since three dragons attacked all at once. I eventually had to resort to hiding in a windmill and taking pot shots at the dragons outside. After 20 minutes of this, I finally killed the last dragon and ventured outside. The settlement was completely wasted. There must be been 20 or so bodies scattered around the place. Some bandits, some Imperial soldiers, and a bunch of villagers. But that woman (the only one other than me who was still standing) had a single minded focus because all she said was "Do you have the nirnroot?" She didn’t seem too concerned that her entire village was in ruins. Or that there were two massive dragon skeletons lying in heaps in her nirnroot garden.

 

[zinfamous]

I’ve seen some interesting bugs in the game. I once saw a horse just start to fly off into the sky like a pegasus, only to plunge to its death after getting about 100m or so off the ground. Very weird. But its the non-bug “bugs” that are the funniest.

Yesterday I fast travelled to some little settlement to bring some crimson nirnroot to some woman who was researching the plant. About 5 seconds after I appeared, the whole settlement started to freak out. Not a surprise since three dragons attacked all at once. I eventually had to resort to hiding in a windmill and taking pot shots at the dragons outside. After 20 minutes of this, I finally killed the last dragon and ventured outside. The settlement was completely wasted. There must be been 20 or so bodies scattered around the place. Some bandits, some Imperial soldiers, and a bunch of villagers. But that woman (the only one other than me who was still standing) had a single minded focus because all she said was "Do you have the nirnroot?" She didn’t seem too concerned that her entire village was in ruins. Or that there were two massive dragon skeletons lying in heaps in her nirnroot garden.

on second playthrough, I decided not to steal Frost (Maven Blackbriar's horse), and let Louis Letrush (or whatever his name is) run off with it. Later, I stumbled upon one of Maven's thugs hacking him to bits outside of Twilight Sepulchur. (I didn't see that on first playthrough).

A few game days later (or not, not sure how long), I was walking down the path outside of Whiterun I stumbled upon a weird looking man standing outside of the Whiterun stables. There he was, in full standing, and just next to him, embedded in the ground, a torso and head, of the very same man, Louis Letrush.

odd.

 

[Atomic Playboy]

The bugs can be funny, but they can also be annoying. I took a job from the Jarl of Markarth to clear out a dragon. No biggie. Snuck up on it, it saw me, and we started our little game of death. We exchanged blows, and all was going swimmingly... until I blasted it with a shock spell and it shot hundreds of yards into the sky. OK, that's odd.... I'll wait til he lands. No dice; he was permanently stuck a mile in the sky above the map (the icon would show up there and everything). And it left me with a quest that can never be completed because the dragon is no longer part of this material plane. Bummer.

I lost Shadowmere because I spawned on the Bard's Leap Summit and went over the edge, and the horse decided it was a good idea to follow me. He never respawned.

I've had to use the console a bunch of times to advance quest stages or remove inventory items that were never properly taken out when a quest was completed. I'm on my second playthrough and I've already had quest issues prevent me from advancing in The Golden Claw or Blood on the Ice. Lydia decided that she was going to stop following me in the middle of fast traveling and I randomly ran into her in the wilderness outside Falkreath (carrying a bunch of expensive shit I wanted to sell). I'm onto Elder Knowledge on my second playthrough and I figured I'd do the optional quest that involves talking to Esbern, but he's more interested in hitting dummies with a sword and refuses to talk to me. The game's a little bit silly with all the random bugs.... And yet it's still damned addicting, which is a testament to just how compelling it is.

 

[zinfamous]

I had a problem with 2nd playthrough of blood on the snow as well. I was stuck with "gain the help of the steward" bullet point, even after talking to him a few times, following the clues, receiving his help several times and identifying the killer and all that.

what's her name outside the tavern never would speak to me directly about it, though. I finally realized that I actually needed to pick up one of the butcher fliers inside the house to trigger her conversation with me, well after the murderer was found (by clues--still not progressed to the part of dealing with the murderer).

this allowed me to complete talking with the steward and advancing. Granted, not really a bug, as I didn't activate something specific, but damn annoying.