Elder Scrolls V in the works - direct sequel to Oblivion

[frau kaleun]

Originally Posted by Takeda Shingen

Don't you have to run across Meridia's Beacon before the quest will activate? I always found it first.

Nope, I've been given the quest with both characters played so far and I hadn't found the Beacon yet in either case. All you have to do is climb up to Meridia's statue. It's worth the trip anyway as there's something very close and right out in the open that is worth visiting and you don't even have to kill anything to get to it.

If you haven't already found the Beacon she instructs you to find it and bring it back. I presume if you've already found it she just skips that part and tells you what to do with it. She doesn't tell you where it is, though. IIRC the Beacon's location is randomized so you could run across it anywhere and even if you are told to go look for it (as I was both times) it won't necessarily be in the same place for one character that it was for another.

I hope it's not in the same place for me this time around, last time it was in the Dwemer ruins that you access from Understone Keep in Markarth, and I had to go in there I don't know how many times for different things, even after I'd cleared it of hostile creatures completely I would suddenly see in my Journal or on the map that I *still* needed to go back there and retrieve or do something else. And I never knew if whether or not all the hostiles were going to magically respawn like "new" bandits taking over a cave or mine that I've already been through.

Anyway I *HATE HATE HATE* those ruins. Actually I find pretty much all Dwemer ruins creepy, the fact that they seem to be crawling with Falmer doesn't help, but in general there's something about them that is worse to me than a barrow full of Draugr.

[frau kaleun]

Originally Posted by reallydedpoet

Did not realize that, nice to have the option ( fast travel ). Perhaps I'll fire it up again and try both ways. Thanks for the reply

Originally Posted by Krauter

I like Drewcifers option, where you travel to the nearest main city. Travelling to some obscure mountain pass does seem kind of cheesy.

Originally Posted by seaniam81

I will admit I will take the carriage between towns. But I usually walk to a quest but might quick travel back, unless there was something I wanted to do on the way.

I will take the carriage between major towns, because that seems less like "cheating" than using the fast travel function. I mean, you're using an actual convenience provided to your character by an NPC, your character isn't teleporting anywhere. But typically I will only do this if the *only* reason I need to get to a capital is to deliver some random item or report to a specific NPC in order to finish a quest.

Um watch out guys on the Fast Travel thing, though, I am doing that less and less and almost never to an important location like a hold capital or settlement or someplace with people/services/etc. that are valuable to me. Too much fast traveling = DRAGON. I think the "random" dragon attacks are scripted to occur so many times in a given timeframe or something, and fast traveling a lot keeps advancing the time in-game and then so much time passes and *boom* suddenly you're killing dragons IN DOWNTOWN RIFTEN I kid you not.

[mookiemookie]

Originally Posted by frau kaleun

Anyway I *HATE HATE HATE* those ruins. Actually I find pretty much all Dwemer ruins creepy, the fact that they seem to be crawling with Falmer doesn't help, but in general there's something about them that is worse to me than a barrow full of Draugr.

You never know when the Dwemer will return. Perhaps their punishment for using Kagrenac's tools on the Heart of Lorkhan was only purgatory, not outright annihilation. You could be wandering around the in the dark, when all of a sudden....*POP!* you're surrounded by angry dwarves.

Muahahahahaha...

[frau kaleun]

Originally Posted by mookiemookie

You never know when the Dwemer will return. Perhaps their punishment for using Kagrenac's tools on the Heart of Lorkhan was only purgatory, not outright annihilation. You could be wandering around the in the dark, when all of a sudden....*POP!* you're surrounded by angry dwarves.

Muahahahahaha...

Meh, they could just be grumpy.

Or bashful, which would explain why you never see them.

Anyway the Nzadchoowhatchamacallit ruins won't be too bad this time with the Magigolo in tow. Even the actual fighting bits weren't too bad with Vilkas the last time around, it was just the place I hated. Later on with that character we were traveling somewhere else out in the wilds and I started up a side path into some ruins I hadn't seen before and halfway up the climb Vilkas suddenly says something like "These Dwarven ruins always make me a little nervous" and I was like "did you say Dwarven? mmmmkay not even going there" and back down we went toot sweet.

I remember I tried Shimmermist Cave way too early with the current character, with Lydia along for backup. BAD IDEA. I'd forgotten about what's waiting at the end of that one. Died several times - hell, died several times just getting through the Chaurus, GET OUT OF THE WAY LYDIA I'M BEING EATEN ALIVE HERE - before I finally gave up and reloaded an earlier pre-i'msostoopid save and resolved to go back later which I did.

With an intelligent, actually-knows-what-he's-doing combat mage at my side? Easy peasy lemon squeezy. My current combat strategy is to debilitate the most dangerous opponent in the area with a poisoned arrow or a shout if it seems warranted and then hide behind something until he wears them down or (usually) finishes them off.

I can't even count the number of times we've been running along through the wilds and all of a sudden I hear a *sizzle pop* back behind me and I turn around and he's just killed whatever it was that was about to attack me that I didn't even know was there. And it's not uncommon for him to charge ahead of me in dungeons as soon as we're detected and clear out an entire chamber before I even get there. I took a bounty to kill a giant in a camp and got there and killed him but there was another giant and a couple of bandits just outside the camp, I think they were fighting each other and hadn't even addressed our presence yet altho we had been detected. He took out everyone and everything in the general vicinity, including two mammoths, just on principle. I think he may have... issues.

I swear everytime I go to Jorrvaskr and see Vilkas I haz a sad because I didn't marry him again but there is no way I'm giving up the wizard.

I'll just have to have a torrid affair with Vilkas when I'm finishing out the Companion quests and the Magigolo is safe at home mixing potions and cooking dinner. Heaven knows Lydia is too stupid to take advantage of the situation.

[frau kaleun]

Originally Posted by soopaman2

I never tried an outright smith. I want to, but do not see the point.

I just feel as if I would be gimped if I do not perk up my combats. I find shield skills, and stealth multipliers so much more useful, and by the time I have points to spare for smithing, I am finding better gear on quests, and in dungeons/caves.

The thing with smithing is that the "better" gear you find is not actually as good as it can be in terms of protection provided or damage done until you improve it at a grindstone or smithing workbench. For the higher end stuff, you need the smithing perks to improve it to its full potential (or at all)... plus the more perks you have, the more stuff you can actually *make* and then improve yourself instead of hoping you can cobble together a good set from loot or what you can buy. Granted this may be more important if you are going to be wearing and carrying a lot of gear anyway. But if you are wearing armor and carrying weapons of any kind, it is well worth getting to the point where you can at least get the best protection/damage from what you are actually going to be wearing and using.

Improved gear is also more valuable for bartering purposes, especially so at the higher skill levels. I'm at 100 in smithing altho I have not taken the Daedric and Dragon perks yet. Nevertheless any lower level stuff that I find can be resold at a huge profit even if I have to outright buy all the raw materials needed to improve it.

The first two skillsets I went after this time around were enchanting and smithing - both are at 100 now with full perks in enchanting which means I can make and/or improve just about everything I want or find, and then double-enchant all of it with the bonuses of my choice. I still have a couple enchantments to learn, but nothing that I will ever use as a combat-based character unless it's just for fun on something I will sell or give to a follower.

Honestly I don't even bother enchanting stuff I'm going to sell any more, unless it's really low-level gear just to get the price up a bit. I don't need the practice any more and for higher level gear adding an enchantment plus the first couple of Speech perks I took makes it all so valuable that I spend way too much time looking for someone with enough money to buy it.

However I have made a lot of coin by pursuing smithing and enchanting and then selling off all the stuff I did along the way for practice. Plus I've provided myself with some really great gear that gives me bonuses in all kinds of (to me) crucial areas and does a great deal of "special" damage to anyone that gets the business end of one of my weapons. I will not need to trade any of it in for a good long while so the last smithing perks can wait while I level up in other areas.

[Krauter]

Just make sure he doesn't find out! Or else those awesome potions he makes you might turn poisonous

Edit: Didn't read the post directly after that frau, and I totally agree, Smithing is essential if not for the gear, than for the fact I can double if not triple the cost of a piece of gear only by paying 60~160 septims for a piece of ore, if I haven't mined it already.

[frau kaleun]

Originally Posted by Krauter

Just make sure he doesn't find out! Or else those awesome potions he makes you might turn poisonous

I don't buy any potions from him, I make my own. Then I barter whatever I don't want for stuff I will actually use, although if I can make enough of those myself the homemade stuff is usually better than what I can buy or find.

Edit: Didn't read the post directly after that frau, and I totally agree, Smithing is essential if not for the gear, than for the fact I can double if not triple the cost of a piece of gear only by paying 60~160 septims for a piece of ore, if I haven't mined it already.

Yep, I think even if you have settled on a stealth or magic character but are still wearing armor and/or carrying a physical weapon of any kind, it is worth it just to get to the place where you can improve it as much as possible.

And you're right, everything I find now that I don't want to keep - which is most of it - I can improve to the point of making a huge profit on it. Generally I end up buying a lot of raw materials from the blacksmiths I'm selling it to just so they have enough money to buy it from me... which means the next load of found gear I bring home, I've already got most of what I need on hand when I want to improve that lot.

But at one point I had so much ore and leather and so many ingots in storage that I just went to Warmaidens and made as much as I could with what I had on hand, leaving enough ingots to improve every piece I made. Then I managed to sell it all by visiting every blacksmith I passed the next time I went out.

Now that I don't need the practice I just pick up what I can, buy whatever I need to improve it, and resell it.

I also got a lot of smithing experience making jewelry - it counts! And I find tons of gemstones, plus with the Transmute spell I can just buy or mine iron ore and make all the silver and gold that I want. But even having to buy the ore or ingots, I still turned a profit on it by enchanting it before selling it.

Between that and the enchanting and making potions to sell off (which usually means trading some of them for an alchemist's entire stock of ingredients, which means more potions to make and sell down the road) I currently have between 25 and 30 thousand in gold on hand which at this point will probably all go for training in other areas. The only other property I'm qualified to buy right now is the one in Solitude and so far I'm taking a pass on it, unless I finish out my next batch of quests with a really huge surplus. I still want the house in Windhelm eventually and that's not only cheaper but from what I've seen is a much better property anyway. Unless you hate Windhelm, which I don't.

[Krauter]

Ah gotcha,

Just a question, where do I get this transmute spell? My main character has loads of random gems but no use for them.

Also, a good pass time is hunting. Currently playing my newly created character (2H Nord warrior) and hunting moose and elk. Just tracked a fricken moose from Whiterun all the way down to Falkreath. My archery is so bad I've stuck him twice now but he's still not dead!

[frau kaleun]

Originally Posted by Krauter

Ah gotcha,

Just a question, where do I get this transmute spell? My main character has loads of random gems but no use for them.

Like any other spell you have to acquire the Spelltome and then read it, or rather the option is "use" it because what happens is that you select the tome in your inventory and then hit E to Use it and *boom* you learn the spell. The tome disappears from your Items inventory and the spell will show up in your Magic menu. Then you equip it to one hand or the other. When the spell is cast it will search first for silver ore in your inventory and turn any silver ore it finds into gold. If you have no silver ore but have iron ore it will turn the iron ore into silver.

It's problematic if you want to make nothing but silver, as you have to drop each silver ore before you cast the spell again otherwise the spell will turn the silver you just made into gold since it always searches for silver first, and then iron. Learned that the hard way.

Unfortunately, the Spelltome for Transmute can't be bought, at least according to the wiki. I have found it both times. Hint: one location is very close to Whiterun and I'm pretty sure if you hang around there and keep asking for work you will eventually be sent to clear it out if you don't go there on your own. I can't remember if it was a bounty that sent me there, or a Companions side/radiant quest though. But that's how I found it so early with this character, the last time I found it somewhere else just by chance.

Also, a good pass time is hunting. Currently playing my newly created character (2H Nord warrior) and hunting moose and elk. Just tracked a fricken moose from Whiterun all the way down to Falkreath. My archery is so bad I've stuck him twice now but he's still not dead!

I do hunting for the pelts and hides, sometimes the ingredients that can be harvested, and also to keep the smaller soul gems filled up for recharging weapons. Plus it does help you get a handle on archery. Mine has really improved that way.

[Ducimus]

Any word when the creation kit will be out?

[frau kaleun]

Originally Posted by Ducimus

Any word when the creation kit will be out?

I think the current official info is still "sometime in January 2012" with no date set.

[Ducimus]

Bummer. I keep hoping it comes out soon. Sky edit isn't bad for little things, but i find myself wanting to do a little more.

[Takeda Shingen]

Originally Posted by frau kaleun

I remember I tried Shimmermist Cave way too early with the current character, with Lydia along for backup. BAD IDEA. I'd forgotten about what's waiting at the end of that one. Died several times - hell, died several times just getting through the Chaurus, GET OUT OF THE WAY LYDIA I'M BEING EATEN ALIVE HERE - before I finally gave up and reloaded an earlier pre-i'msostoopid save and resolved to go back later which I did.

Exactly why I don't travel with [humaniod] followers. I am a big fan of non-humans like Dogmeat, Rex, ED-E, and in this case, Meeko. They don't seem to provide obstructions like others. Also, my in-game activies tend to be......morally questionable at best.......and they don't mind either way.

[kiwi_2005]

1 mod I can't live without

Lockpick pro
- yea ok I am not pro using lock pick pro but I am dragonborn I kill dragons! Yet I have to fiddle round with locks! I should just have to stare down that chest and it will open. Every time you go to open a lock chest or door a bar shows up with red, blue or green colors just direct the arrow to blue part and bingo!

[frau kaleun]

Originally Posted by Takeda Shingen

Exactly why I don't travel with [humaniod] followers. I am a big fan of non-humans like Dogmeat, Rex, ED-E, and in this case, Meeko. They don't seem to provide obstructions like others.

O RLY? Have you met Barbas? Lol. Okay he didn't get "in the way" so much during combat, but he did make everything else a PITA by constantly bumping and pushing me when I was trying to do things not directly related to his personal business. I finally realized I could open up a dialogue and dismiss him like any other follower and just meet him later when I got to the designated location. That was a relief, but sadly the damage was done... long story short, let's just say The Rueful Axe is currently on display in Breezehome.

I've had a couple of goggie followers - Meeko twice, the first time he rushed a bear that crossed our path about five minutes after leaving his shack and was immediately killed. The second time we picked him up on the way to a rescue mission at Northwatch Keep and he waited while we cleared out some minor trouble in a cave along the way and I was happy to see he was still alive and waiting when we came out. But we got attacked by three sabrecats while sneaking up to the Keep and of course he rushed right in on them. Not sure if the cats got him or if he got in the way of one of the Magigolo's destruction spells but when it was all over we had three dead bad kittehs and one dead good goggie.

Tried out a couple horses just for fun but they never last long either. Riding them is problematic, they don't seem to be able to carry anything (except you) so even if you decide to walk with one in tow they're just something else to rush into trouble and get killed. Now if somebody could make it possible to use a horse as a "container" for carrying extra gear, that would be worth something.

Also, my in-game activies tend to be......morally questionable at best.......and they don't mind either way.

Eventually I'm going to have to try playing a less... righteous character, just to see what it's like. I don't even like taking the things that are freely available to me in, say, a friend's home or shop, unless I need the item to fulfill a specific quest and am really desperate.

Originally Posted by kiwi_2005

1 mod I can't live without

Lockpick pro
- yea ok I am not pro using lock pick pro but I am dragonborn I kill dragons! Yet I have to fiddle round with locks! I should just have to stare down that chest and it will open. Every time you go to open a lock chest or door a bar shows up with red, blue or green colors just direct the arrow to blue part and bingo!

For some reason I have never had any trouble with lockpicking, I picked it up really easily. It probably helps that I generally carry 100+ lockpicks and am very, very persistent.

It's actually one of the few "puzzle"' type things that I really enjoy. I think I'm getting way up there in that skill and it's all through hands-on practice. I learned to buy or take every lockpick I could find and with this character, I have yet to meet a lock that I could not pick with a little care and patience. And sometimes a lot of broken lockpicks.

Oh and whoever said that thing about setting the timescale to 2, I tried it and it is awesome.

Is there anyway to set that and the FOV in one of the .ini files so you don't have to go into the console and do it every time you launch the game? Because that would be fantastic. There was something out there about permanently setting the FOV but I tried it and it didn't "take" in the game.