I'm stuck in Oblivion (and stuck in 1993)

[OdinReborn]

I'm still stuck in Oblivion when it comes to Skyrim.

I've spent a good 20 hours so far in Skyrim, and I have yet to progress past level 10 or past "Kill the very first dragon in Whiterun" in the questline. No matter what I do, I find myself restarting or putting myself into a hole:

1. Restarting because after researching online what people use the most, it turns out my choice of "spec" (Shield + Axe) is sort-of popular. (Fun tip: The least used type of weapon is Maces, and the least type of weapon wielding is Two-Handed)

2. Restarting because I feel that I either over or under-leveled because I still think everything works like Oblivion, when it doesn't, nor does the game tell you what is or is not level appropriate for you. ("Am I supposed to just gain four levels after forging all these Iron Daggers from all this Iron ore and Leather Strips I've been collecting? Well, if I don't use this, then I'm never going to level Smithing...")

3. Restarting after dying only a couple times because I'm stuck in 1993 and I still think dying in today's games means something more than just a tiny inconvenience.

4. Running out of things to do because I refuse to do the main quest due to me thinking it should only be right to actually do the main quest when near max level. ("Oh goody, I beat the main quest...and now I still have 15 more levels to go and thus, I'm still able to get much stronger...This doesn't really make sense from a roleplay perspective. Of course, I wouldn't know how close you get to max level by the end seeing how I've done a whopping 3 main quests")

5. Restarting at the very beginning because I didn't "optimize" my skills before the tutorial was over. ("Well, there's no two-handed weapons in the tutorial, so I guess I'm just going to sit here and let what'syourname kill everything.")

[Bobblast1886]

Sounds like a case of OCD, gamer edition.

I have the same condition!

The strive to achieve perfection eludes me.

[Lindai]

Play through the game first. "Perfect it" afterwards.

[Akiraka]

1. Restarting because after researching online what people use the most, it turns out my choice of "spec" (Shield + Axe) is sort-of popular. (Fun tip: The least used type of weapon is Maces, and the least type of weapon wielding is Two-Handed)

If you're using Heavy Armor, there's no reason Shield-and-Axe shouldn't work. Take my advice; focus your Perks on your armor and damage output, get the standing power attack Perk ASAP, and ignore the want to up Health, and up Stamina instead (I like 2:1; Stamina two levels, Health one), because the massive increases in Armor Rating from Perks/ Smithing more than cover the difference in Health than does high Health and low AR.
Bash everything. Power attacks are dangerous, but most have long, visible wind-up times, and everything can have their attacks interrupted by a bash, even giants. Bash, and power attack. The bleeding caused by your axe will even let you keep doing damage between PAs.

2. Restarting because I feel that I either over or under-leveled because I still think everything works like Oblivion, when it doesn't, nor does the game tell you what is or is not level appropriate for you. ("Am I supposed to just gain four levels after forging all these Iron Daggers from all this Iron ore and Leather Strips I've been collecting? Well, if I don't use this, then I'm never going to level Smithing...")

There is a marginal difference at best in difficulty between levels. Getting from level one to level 7 smithing daggers won't break your game or set you behind an impassable wall of difficulty.

3. Restarting after dying only a couple times because I'm stuck in 1993 and I still think dying in today's games means something more than just a tiny inconvenience.

It doesn't. It just means you ate too many power attacks, or an enemy got a lucky critical hit. Try again, and try a different tac.

4. Running out of things to do because I refuse to do the main quest due to me thinking it should only be right to actually do the main quest when near max level. ("Oh goody, I beat the main quest...and now I still have 15 more levels to go and thus, I'm still able to get much stronger...This doesn't really make sense from a roleplay perspective. Of course, I wouldn't know how close you get to max level by the end seeing how I've done a whopping 3 main quests")

This doesn't really allow for 'advice' per se. There's nothing wrong with starting the MQ, especially because after you kill the first dragon, you gain a(n optional) follower, whom having around makes the game tremendously easier.

5. Restarting at the very beginning because I didn't "optimize" my skills before the tutorial was over. ("Well, there's no two-handed weapons in the tutorial, so I guess I'm just going to sit here and let what'syourname kill everything.")

There's one Iron Warhammer, held by a female Stormcloak Rebel you'll encounter when you get to the torture chamber. If she doesn't die during or by the time you stumble into the couple Imperials with bows, there's no harm in just killing her; whoever rescued you won't care, and she dies in the ensuing cave-in, anyway.

[azuarc]

1. Don't knock something just because it's popular. Play the character you wanted to play. Who cares if others are doing it or not. You can be unique on your second playthrough.
2. I started off as a stealth archer, and have evolved into sword-and-board. Did I "waste" levels because I have my archery and sneak skill up? I like to think not, considering I do use those skills, just not as extensively as anticipated. I get by just fine.
3. Just turn auto-save off. Then you don't have to go all the way back to the beginning. Playing hardcore is fun...until you get gutted by a random auto-death. And if you're playing three lives, isn't that more like 80's arcade?
4. Do you only feel like you can do quests? I'm running off in various directions from my starting point looking for locations to explore. And at least do the first couple steps in the main quest. You can choose not to go up to the monastery until later, considering that the climb isn't exactly for weaklings. (I couldn't do it at 14, came back later at 22.)
5. Now you're just being AR.


I have chronic restarters syndrome. I've dealt with CRS throughout my time playing just about every game, and its worse in games where I can design or customize my character, but the desire to reboot is suppressed considerably by the fact that there's simply so much to do that I don't want to relive the first couple levels worth of material over and over yet. That alone should be enough to enable you to pick a character and stick to it.

[CriminalScum]

2. I started off as a stealth archer, and have evolved into sword-and-board. Did I "waste" levels because I have my archery and sneak skill up? I like to think not, considering I do use those skills, just not as extensively as anticipated. I get by just fine.

That's what I love about this game. I started out as an Argonian shield/mage, and I ended up an Argonian sneak/archer/rune/shield lizard.

[Siken]

I go weri slow whit this game and trie not to read mach in forums to not get spoiles ruin my game.
Mast say im greatful for new sistem whit no atribute becouse power levleling in Olivion ruined game for me.
Bu knowing my self i trie to control now what i need to know and focus on geting mosst fun from game.
And axe and mace are my choice to fany wen you mention that sword arent so popular ...
It sims shield and probably mace will be my choice for now.

[adamflint]

I have this too. Just fight the urge to restart and keep in mind that at level 10 you can still easily switch to another playstyle.

[MaKo]

I am finally starting to get over from Oblivion syndrome. At the beginning, if I lost the fight, I felt compelling need to analyze what went wrong and why is my character over-leveling even if I tried to do The Right Things But luckily I am getting more relaxed and do not worry too much if loosing fights or being forced to flee if meeting too strong enemy

[Avron the S'wit]

I'm going to go against the "don't restart" advice. If you want to restart - hey, restart! What are you going to lose if you do - a few hours? Big deal!

I restarted twice before I even got to Whiterun, mostly because I wasn't feeling the game or my character (essential because I roleplay) and I wanted to make sure I discovered the game with someone that I really, really wanted to play. I myself like to pace how I tackle the main quest. When I played Oblivion I didn't even finish the MQ until I was around level 25. I actually paced it in intervals due to what I thought made sense for my character;

Spoiler:

after all, someone at level 5 might go to Kvatch, but after going through the first gate and getting their behind handed to them defending a fallen city, they might say, "Hey, I really, really need to get stronger and learn some things about this and what to expect before I can tackle this."

So I thought out in my head about what level I thought would be "appropriate" and what skills I would need to really progress as a character. I'm not sure if you want to think that much when you're playing but it really has helped me - and it gives me the advantage of really getting into my character and picking up the little "side quests" that I discover, naturally, as I'm moving about the world.

So, don't be afraid of the restart.

And as an aside, I don't "optimize" my skills in tutorials, either. You're new - you're not a pro yet. Try to focus on learning the basics and getting familiar with the controls (as a player) and your mission and environment (as a character).

The rest is just a case of the typical OCD. Don't force yourself to play. If you're not getting along with Skyrim, step back. I've started up the game and got bored 10 minutes in, and I just turn it off and come back when I'm energized and ready to go. Everyone has a different playing style; you need to find what's best for you.

[enyamerT]

5. Restarting at the very beginning because I didn't "optimize" my skills before the tutorial was over. ("Well, there's no two-handed weapons in the tutorial, so I guess I'm just going to sit here and let what'syourname kill everything.")

There's one Iron Warhammer, held by a female Stormcloak Rebel you'll encounter when you get to the torture chamber. If she doesn't die during or by the time you stumble into the couple Imperials with bows, there's no harm in just killing her; whoever rescued you won't care, and she dies in the ensuing cave-in, anyway.

From having done the intro both ways:

If you follow the Imperial, you will only get light armor (except for one iron shield), but should get your choice of two-handed weapons.

If you follow the Stormcloak, you can get heavy or light armor, but will only get a two-hander if one of the other Stormcloaks dies.