Has anyone else noticed this? No headshots :(

[Pandamatak]

For readers
For watchers (Another)

Better catch these quick before they're removed (if they will be removed, which I have my doubts about since Bethesda officially gave IGN a copy of the game).

Who else is disappointed with no locational damage and birthsigns? Well, there's always mods

[Farlace]

It has been confirmed for a while that there is no locational damage and no birthsigns. Guardian stones take the place of birthsigns, though.

[Mefris Elmek]

Locational damage:We didn't have it before,why should I care?
birthsigns:

Guardian stones take the place of birthsigns, though.

[Frogmander]

I dont care for locational damage much, but headshots I do care for, very immersion breaking to see a guard with 12 arrows in his head running around like its nothing...

[Shadowscale]

That's a bummer and i guess there won't even be crotch shots

[Spiney]

I dont care for locational damage much, but headshots I do care for, very immersion breaking to see a guard with 12 arrows in his head running around like its nothing...

So your level 50 guy getting killed by a measly bandit in one lucky shot is immersive?

[DerangedPickle]

There never really has been locational damage TES, it would, i'm assuming be too complex to make the feature for the occasional one-shot kill headshot that looks awesome.

However I do think that because arrows are a lot less common in Skyrim it could be a good feature.

[b3rgx]

Spiney makes the best point. That's what the stealth's damage multiplier is for.

And the birthsigns being replaced by guardian stones (which basically have the same effect, you can just switch them out whenever you want) has already been mentioned.

[SpikeSpeigel]

Not too much of a big deal I guess. It could've been nice but, that feature is best used in a game where guns are the main thing. Like Fallout.

[b3rgx]

Exactly. Good point.

If it was in, what would it affect?
Swords? Spells? Or just arrows?
If i hit a guy in the head with a sword or axe, would it be an instant kill? Same goes for spells. If it was just for arrows, what's the point? Wouldn't that overpower arrows?

It just doesn't fit in a game like this.

[Pandamatak]

There never really has been locational damage TES, it would, i'm assuming be too complex to make the feature for the occasional one-shot kill headshot that looks awesome.

However I do think that because arrows are a lot less common in Skyrim it could be a good feature.

I could think of a way right off the bat to make it immersive.

Have a special arrow which is very expensive and rare. This arrow is the only kind that has the power to pierce the skull thus it has an immense headshot damage multiplier.

OR

Helmets prevent headshots so it would only work on enemies without one or animals. You will know to wear a helmet whenever you encounter an archer, and they might too. Only thing is you need to catch them off guard

You could even craft a system in which a helmet offers 100% protection against headshots from any arrows of that material or lower. Arrows from a superior metal will have a small chance of scoring a headshot, and this chance increases with factors such as sneak attack, bow, and even higher arrow types.

I'd really like to see some kind of spell that allows you to knock off other people's helmet so that you can score headshots.

OR

Headshot-capable-ness could be a perk and could be something you cannot abuse or overuse. Some mechanics I can conjure up right now are: Charge up (draw bow even more) to score headshot, headshots only from behind, sneak attack required, required arrow/bow type, or a certain shout/spell must be in effect in order for it to work.

Perks don't have to be realistic

Exactly. Good point.

If it was in, what would it affect?
Swords? Spells? Or just arrows?
If i hit a guy in the head with a sword or axe, would it be an instant kill? Same goes for spells. If it was just for arrows, what's the point? Wouldn't that overpower arrows?

It just doesn't fit in a game like this.

It could work with spells and swords as well. Maybe if you score a power attack with certain weaponry and manage to hit the head, it could result in a decapitation or instant kill (this actually might be in the game because I saw a similar finishing move)

With spells, you could have a slightly different system:
Electric spells score headshots that don't result in an instant kill, but stun and disorient the enemy.
Frost spells stop the enemies muscles from moving resulting in a brain freeze (paralysis) given the spell is strong enough and maybe a probablity system could play a part in it
Fire spells blast the victim back and the sustained fire damage could do more damage per second than normal (ex instead of 10dmg/second you would have 15dmg/second if the head is lit)

[Spiney]

Helmets prevent headshots so it would only work on enemies without one or animals. You will know to wear a helmet whenever you encounter an archer, and they might too. Only thing is you need to catch them off guard

You could even craft a system in which a helmet offers 100% protection against headshots from any arrows of that material or lower. Arrows from a superior metal will have a small chance of scoring a headshot, and this chance increases with factors such as sneak attack, bow, and even higher arrow types.

I'll just respond to this:

My character doesn't wear helmets, what do?

[Pandamatak]

Helmets prevent headshots so it would only work on enemies without one or animals. You will know to wear a helmet whenever you encounter an archer, and they might too. Only thing is you need to catch them off guard

You could even craft a system in which a helmet offers 100% protection against headshots from any arrows of that material or lower. Arrows from a superior metal will have a small chance of scoring a headshot, and this chance increases with factors such as sneak attack, bow, and even higher arrow types.

I'll just respond to this:

My character doesn't wear helmets, what do?

Same as a character who doesn't want to use bows, live with the disadvantages (such as not being able to deal damage over ranges in this case).

Not to sound like realism is everything (it plays a big role in immersion, after all), but in real life isn't the helmet the first thing you want to have if you suspect danger? Likewise the helmet, in this case, is the most important piece of armor. If this seems like too much of a challenge, there's always avoiding/dodging arrows because they don't travel that much faster in oblivion. I suspect if your not going to wear helmets you will be a mage or thief? Those two are pretty quick classes and in Oblivion I was able to dodge just about any arrow from the beginning of the game.

If all else fails, the probability that an enemy will score a headshot could be extremely low - like Halo. In Halo you can kill most enemies with a single headshot, but you can survive for a long time without shields. But there is a very small chance that they may also headshot you. It's possible, but the chances are slim to retain the good gameplay experience without making a compromise on realism (and in Skyrim's case, immersion).

[LtAscott]

maybe the headshot is the finishing move for bows, thatd make me happy, in oblivion, in the arena specifically i can remember shooting people in the face with arrows only to have them appear in the enemies chest, in their heart, which would also be an instant kill, so with sneak attacks and bows, 2 finishers, through the heart and in the head, no matter where u shoot all other arrows should appear to be "glancing"/"partially dodged" like in the arms, but i think crippling limbs would be cool in skyrim

[Pandamatak]

maybe the headshot is the finishing move for bows, thatd make me happy, in oblivion, in the arena specifically i can remember shooting people in the face with arrows only to have them appear in the enemies chest, in their heart, which would also be an instant kill, so with sneak attacks and bows, 2 finishers, through the heart and in the head, no matter where u shoot all other arrows should appear to be "glancing"/"partially dodged" like in the arms, but i think crippling limbs would be cool in skyrim

That would be an interesting aesthetic bonus, but it wouldn't have an effect on gameplay. Of course, this might satisfy a lot of people while not disappointing anyone.