Skyrim General Discussion

[Cassandra]

Dwemer ruins are my favorite dungeons. They really allow the devs to be creative with dungeon design, and they have such a great aesthetic.

Exactly. Plus I find the Nordic dungeons more boring, with all of them being very similar.

[dremorababe]

I hate Dwemer ruins, and Bthardamz is the absolute worst. Spellbreaker is the most arduous artifact to acquire by far.

Hey now. HAIL PERYITE. Bthardamz is actually the only Dwemer ruin I like. On a side note, I love Labyrinthian

[BetaB17]

Ya, I always favored the dwemer ruins given the atmosphere they give. Personally, alot of the nordic ruins were my go-to dungeons of choice.. but thats bc the draugr dropped better gear(ebony4days) as opposed to the dwemer ruins where everything has value but is heavy as [&@%!]

Still, alot caves and especially bandit dwellings tended to be my least favorite.. all too often they were lack luster in both foe and design.. the complete opposite for dwarven ruins i I do say

I never felt that with the dwemer ruins. The puzzles, layout, and general constant threat of an ambush served well, not to mention alot of the ruins tended to feel unique on how they were.. especially the dlc ones. On of the my favorite aspects to the ruins were the potential duality they gave. Knowing that just deep enough are Falmer and a whole new set of trials. You really start to know or just feel the shift in territory.. and its so exciting to see when both are in conflict.. even if it was by your own doing

Honestly, for a packrat player, you know its going to be a good dungeon dive if you need to think to yourself 'Am I all prepped and ready for this' and its none at all a chore or a trivial task, but something to be excited over with anticipation. Now excuse me.. while I haul all these hunks of metal to the nearest merchant

[dremorababe]

Edit: nvm dwemer ruins are the best

[Aarah]

Automatons popping out from the ceiling and in the walls are most unsettling.
At least you can spot draugr coffins a mile off, although Falmer in those wall cubbies are almost as bad, but less of a foe than the metal fiends.

[Unionhack]

The surprise is great though! It makes the dungeon suspenseful.

[Aarah]

I've never been a lover of suspense. Especially that involving sudden attacks.
I like the steam and pistons though. Makes me wonder what it's all powering.

[The SheoDovah]

Solid Skeevers and Naked Wolves were the main cause of my "OH GOD!? WHERE DID YOU COME FROM!?" brown pants affairs. Mainly because of a bug on the PS3 if Dragonborn is installed where they all go silent. One moment, minding me business. Next? AARGH! WHERE DID YOU!?

Then an elder dragon eats me, i ragequit, i punch the game and i headbutt Todd Howard. I may have made up a few parts.

[Aarah]

Solid Skeevers and Naked Wolves

I'm glad you were specific, cos otherwise I would have thought you were talking about the ghost skeevers and the wolves wearing cardigans.

I remember when sabre cats were the bane of the game. One time, I'd just spent a good while defeating a dragon, then triumphantly sauntered down the hill, and then BAM, damn sabre cat jumps out. Seemed I could survive a ruddy great dragon, but not a prehistoric cat.

[The SheoDovah]

Oh, they are still silent buggers but wolves and skeevers have been taking lessons in how to become Solid Snakes. Goddamn wolves and skeevers.

A dragon doesn't make me jump. The thalmor fall beneath my feet but wolves and skeevers? They cause me to ruin my pants!

And they say Dark Souls is unfair.

And Aarah, that is what FUS RO DAH is for. "Oh, what's that? you want to eat me?" *sends them flying* "Wait, i needed their pelts and eyes. Oh, crap..*sulks as he walks over to them aaaaaaaa.........n........nnnnndddd wwwwwwwwhyyyyy iiiiiiiiissssss the fffffffraaaaameeeraaatttt, crashes*
FUUUUUUUUUU

[Mookie]

I'm going to have to change my draw distance, just a leetle bit. As a sneak, I may hear outdoor enemies first, but unless they are hibernating in the middle of the road, I never see them before they see me.

[dremorababe]

Loaded my main save after ages. In that save, I had moved all my Daedric artifacts in Hjerim since that's the most aesthetically pleasing house in the game to me (still don't know why Proudspire costs more cause to me, that's the worst house and not just because I dislike Solitude.) After that, I started levelling my character and then went back to the house and bam. All my Daedric artifacts are gone ;_; Oh well. All the useful ones were in my inventory so that's something. Proudspire glitched out on me as well though.

[MidbossVyers]

Why does no-one like Dwemer ruins? They have such a nice atmosphere.

Maybe it's just me who hates fighting droves of Draugr.

Because most trigger skills and weapons only do so on the living and the undead. Unlike in Alchemy Meister, there are no skills or weapons here that trigger on machines.

[Dark Spark]

I received a Letter from a Friend that directed me to a Word of Power in Angarvunde. This made me realize that this particular letter makes sense, since rumours of a 'great treasure' were known to Medresi Dran. It stands to reason our mysterious guide was working with similar information.

Usually these radiant quests don't ever really engage each other story-wise. This was a rare instance where you can connect the dots.

[Mookie]

Finally reunited with my Teldryn Sero. I'd thought he had been lost in a dream, but turns out the otherDB stole him when he stole 'my' dragon soul. After much time had passed, and blood shed, the cast off dragon skeleton floated down, and there was my man. Too late, my lonely young elementalist had turned her back on a Deathlord with half a secret, and was homeward bound.

[MidbossVyers]

A yes or no question really isn't worth making a thread over, so I'll just post it here. Killing http://en.uesp.net/wiki/Dragonborn:Mirri_Severin during http://en.uesp.net/wiki/Dragonborn:Served_Cold at Severin Manor (because she changes into Morag Tong armor at Ashfallow Citadel) is the only way to legally (without theft or murder) get a full set of Dunmer outfit, correct?

[The SheoDovah]

Think it's just within the limit before it is classed as dead. If not, I apologise.

Oblivion made me realise something about Skyrim's quests and quite a bit concerning as well. If i recall correctly, Skyrim has a higher amount of combat oriented quests that are resolved via combat. Oblivion's quests are much more varied. Did a Mage's guild quest today and it was the dreamworld one. Very creative and simple. It felt like it was actually a magical experiemnt gone wrong and whilst it could be debated whether the sigil stone clones is lazy or not, it showed an insight into what mages can create. By sigil stone clones, i mean retextured ones. We physically don't have it in the inventory but they look like them. Skyrim, it has nothing like that in the COW. Different eras and organisations but it would have been interesting if we had a Skyrim answer to it. Brelyna's experiment was amusing and does a wonderful job of showing life at College but Oblivion kinda blows it out of the water in the department.

I find myself really wishing the COW was the biggest pain in the arse to get into due to it's remote location and would have felt like we really deserved to be a part of it. Oblivion's Mage's Guild could be classed as a pain in the arse to get into but it feels like you're having to actually work your way into it. Skyrim's guilds are kinda lacking.

Really wish repairing was still a mechanic. Oblivion went overboard but Skyrim was the perfect chance to fix it as a mechanic. Oh well.

[Lord Timster]

I find myself really wishing the COW was the biggest pain in the arse to get into due to it's remote location

If you play with High-difficulty / no fast travel / dead is dead then the CoW is an extremely risky place to visit even at level 30.

You can take the carriage there, but have to survive a gauntlet of bears, cats, wolves, trolls and 'wizards with tea-in-a-spray-can' on the way back. Not a decision a DiD character takes lightly.

[The SheoDovah]

I didn't mean that, Timster. I meant in terms of actually joining the guild. E.g. proving why we are worthy of joining it via doing favours for it just to get in or retrieving a minor magical artifact that requires a good understanding of magic etc..

[Lord Timster]

^ Ah. Well you're not wrong.

I always felt that the CoW Questline was pretty bad for 'missed potential'. Like those 'revelations' about the Arch-Mage you find out in Labyrinthian. I can see how they could have been a powerfully emotional plot twist - but instead it just feels like 'who's that again? Yeah whatever.' Such a shame.

Having said that, don't underestimate surviving a trip though the frozen north of Skyrim on Legendary for giving you the feeling that you have really earned a place in the CoW.

[all_freed]

I think the main voice actors in the oblivion is more entertaining and memorable too (like craig, west, Ralph, linda, katherine and linda). skyrim voices are regulary ordinary and serious, there are some memorable one too but not as memorable as oblivion voices.

[Cassandra]

I think the main voice actors in the oblivion is more entertaining and memorable too (like craig, west, Ralph, linda, katherine and linda). skyrim voices are regulary ordinary and serious, there are some memorable one too but not as memorable as oblivion voices.

I never thought of that, but it's very true. Can't say that I know the voice actors, but that female redguard voice? So memorable. And it's like that for all of them. I had kind of assumed that it was just because I've played Oblivion more (and I'm sure that that's part of it), but it's cool to hear that someone else thinks the same thing.

[The SheoDovah]

I disagree with the lack of memorable voices in Skyrim. Oblivion's is memorable but kinda limited and i swear, Nocturnal is just the Altmeri female voice actor with some modification. Balgruuf's voice actor should have just been used for Balgruuf as he is always the first Jarl people meet on average. They could have spaced out the voice actors more in Skyrim and they did get the talented Laura Bailey in as Serana. Max Von Sydrow is kinda wasted and seems to have a certain something that is noticabl in his stuff or Esbern. Loved how angry Malacath's VA sounds and bring back Wes for a certain NPC was a nice touch. Oh and Sheogorath. Did notice the Prophet in Oblivion sounding rather Sheogorath-y.

[Dark Spark]

Yeah, you'd think Balgruuf deserved a more unique voice than he got. Especially irksome is that this first Jarl we encounter in the game has the same voice as the ranting prophet you'll hear on the way up to the palace.

That got me thinking about replacing Heimskr's default face with a copy of Balgruuf's-- play a little Prince & Pauper with the two as disavowed brothers or somesuch. It would explain why Heimskr is tolerated even if Balgruuf allows the Empire into the city.

[The SheoDovah]

70 voice actors and not a single one just for Balgruuf. I mean, nothing against the voice actor, he does a good job and it suits Balgruuf but to hear that voice everywhere kinda lessens the impact of the first Jarl that most players will meet. Same with the Ireleth voice. But I can understand why, cheaper to use what voice actors you can for a lot then one expensive one for one NPC. Yeah, I'm looking at you Oblivion with your one voice actor per race because we blew the budget on a mostly monotone Sean Bean and Sir Patrick Stewart fantastic protrayal(used to think it was dull. It is not. I realised he was doing a weary approach and it worked for Uriel Septim VII) of Uriel Septim VII. Heck, i'm kinda surprised they didn't get Wes Johnson to try an entire new voice for Balgruuf just to see if it worked(I don't know if they did or not) before hiring the Balgruuf voice actor.

Oblivion's has a certain amount of charm and cheesyness to it. That and not many games forget to either disable or remove outtakes thus including several spoken by NPCs. Jaffure should have been Wes Johnson(I get the feeling i'm getting his last name wrong) due to how strong the imperial voice is. Oh well.

Oblivion just made me realise how little variety Skyrim has in melee weapons. If i recall correctly, we don't have shortswords or longswords or fine versions of Iron, Steel etc.. Granted, the differences were minor but it felt like there was actual variety and many weren't desgined for combat but for looks for collectors.

I miss being able to mix and match stuff. Bring that back, Bethesda! Let me kick ass whilst being fablous! Badasses need to look pretty/silly as well!