Swift playthrough idea

[urthdigger]

So, there's an odd playthrough I've done once before in Oblivion, and would like to try again in Skyrim. It's of a hero seeking to save the world before things get too bad... an in-character speedrun. The rules are as follows:

1: Success is measured in game time, not play time. This means waiting, sleeping, and fast travel are less useful than in a standard speedrun.

2: No cheats/glitches. The intent of the run is to see how shortly Alduin's return could conceivably last, and the dovahkin doesn't IC have the power to fly through walls using plates, even if the game lets you.

3: No omniscience. Basically, not using prior knowledge to skip steps, only using knowledge the character has access to: in Oblivion this meant waiting for the map to appear at noon, in Skyrim it means things like only going to Bleak Falls Barrow when the court mage asks you rather than when you first arrive in Riverwood.

So, with these stipulations, anyone have some possible advice, or wish to try this themselves? I’m likely going to play a khajiit just because I like them, but I’m still uncertain of what skills to focus on. Warrior seems like it may be the fastest due to readily obtaining weapons and armor and encouraging a “run in and smack things” style. Mage may potentially be quite strong, as the lack of opportunities to really buff weapon damage helps keep the gap close between spells and swords, but spellbooks tend to be more expensive and rare than weapons IMO, unless you expect Flames to carry you the whole game. Thief may also be useful as an alternative warrior, as you will likely want light armor over heavy anyway, and the thief stone still increases archery.

[DarkEastwood]

Wow I actually really like this, since it's a challenge that actually makes sense RP-wise. I'll definetly try this over Thanksgiving break.

[Dark Spark]

When tasked with getting the Dragonstone you can make your way directly to Bleak Falls Barrow from Whiterun by a mountain trail near Secunda's Kiss. There's no need to return to Riverwood and take the obvious path.

Don't even bother talking to Arvel the Swift. The quest direction even says "Cut Arvel down", so just keep on swinging away...

And there's a mountain pass that acts as shortcut between Whiterun and Ivarstead. The entrance to the pass from the Whiterun side is slightly east of the Whiterun Stormcloak camp. It exits just north of the trail that takes you first past the Wispmother's well and then the Troll's hollow just below Ivarstead.

[Exmanter]

This is a great idea! I am thinking of testing this.

[urthdigger]

I've been doing some work on this, though progress has been slow due to life and work. Going as a warrior and so far have retrieved the dragonstone after one day.

So far, it seems warrior may not have been that smart of an idea. While I can charge right up to enemies and beat them down, I had to waste time getting the gold for better armor and weapons. Considering either going as a warrior in light armor and forgoing having an xp bonus for my armor skill, or going thief with arrows for the actual run.

A few things I did that I feel helped somewhat were grabbing Utherd for a companion and extra 100 gold, and making a small stop in Riverwood on the way back to give back the claw. Both were a big help in getting the funds together to legally own a horse (so I won't have to steal one each time I leave a town), which should be a great help in getting around. Next stop, the Greybeards!

[Lord Timster]

Looking forward to seeing how this works out.

Just curious about how you manage conflicts with the "No omniscience.... only going to Bleak Falls Barrow when the court mage asks you rather than when you first arrive in Riverwood" rule when (for example) you can pick up a side-quest in Riverwood that sends you up to Bleak Falls Barrow anyway? Any self-respecting adventurer would complete the dungeon and rob the Bad Guy's stuff (ie the Dragonstone) while they were there, main quest or no.

Are you ignoring side-quests?

[urthdigger]

Yes, ignoring sidequests. The whole point is that with the end of the world looming, the hero actually focuses on that instead of screwing around. Sure, if he had the foreknowledge that bleak falls barrow was required he'd save some time, but he can't in-character know that. This same adventurer who hits up the barrow for loot would also stop in random caves, do the companions questline, go find some guy's sword, and take years to defeat Alduin instead of mere days (when I did this for Oblivion, the crisis lasted a mere 5 days).

The whole point is to have it make sense in-character, and I can't have him only doing the screwing around that saves time.

[Lord Timster]

Okay, cool.

I was just trying to think things over from a purely 'in-character perspective' and wondering how the main character (who isn't even really a 'hero' yet) actually knows what the main quest is, and what is just screwing around.

The Main Quest in Oblivion was a bit of a roller-coaster. You were on and off it went, urgency being implied at every point. But Skyrim is a lot slower and more open. 'If someone allied with the Rebels has a dragon then only General Tullius can stop them' sounds more urgent and meaningful than taking a message to the Jarl, doing a favour for the Court Wizard or even visiting a monastery on the off-chance that this 'Nord Nonsense' has anything to do with it. It all seems rather 'open to alternatives' in many places.

Anyways, don't mean to de-rail the thread.
Best of luck in your quest.