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Here is a fun way to make some cash early on in the game.

Requirements:
- Any type of long range damage capacity (the Firebolt spell will do fine)
- Knowledge of where guards can be found around Whiterun (just explore the general area outside the gate, notice the road patrols and the small settlements around).
- Be quick on your feet (don't try this in heavy armor or with a full inventory).
- Some skill in avoiding getting hit.

Now, find a giant. Get him angry at you (from a distance) and run to the guards. The guards will attack the giant and get owned. This means you can loot them.
There are platforms, ramps and walls (especially around the city gate) that you can use to create more distance between you and the giant.
To stop the giant from chasing you, simply enter the city.
Sell the gear you looted, or enchant/improve it first to level the crafting skills.

The guards don't re-spawn that fast so you can't do this as often as you may want. It's a great way to get your first thousand or so gold though.

Dragons respawn, though, and giants kick their asses too. And dragons actually seem to prefer to attack anything other than you if there's anything somewhere remotely in the area. Though probably not too profitable either.

To be honest, though, if you vendor everything with a reasonable value/weight ratio while playing, you'd pretty quickly get enough money to grind up enchanting and smithing to max level, after which you won't really need much money at all.

Also, looting is kind of a good way to do it.

So I've heard.

Just a heads up, before doing this at Whiterun, talk to the gate guard if you haven't gone in yet.
I accidentally got him killed, and I couldn't get into Whiterun for about a week in-game.
It might have gone on longer, but I accidentally wiped all save data from after that happened.

Or you could just kill the giant like i did when i first saw one. I just shot him, then ran to a high rock he couldn't get on and shot him with about 40 arrows well he knocked m companion silly. At a low level the loot you get from a giant is really good.

I killed one at level 3 and got a Giants toe.

CriminalScum wrote:I killed one at level 3 and got a Giants toe.

Combine that with Wheat and you get a quite expensive potion.

I'd say Dragons are more profitable, and less hazardous too. You can take far more damage from that grumpy dragon there than you can from Freddy Flintstone. Those scales and stuff plus the gold adds up to a fair bit.