One Lydia is really enough. I don't know about the other followers, but she seems to get lost or left behind quite a bit. I'm a bit ambivalent about her - she is an okay tank in most situations, and can carry my stuff, but she sure does require babysitting in some situations.

Is there a follower who can sneak well and wants to wear light armour? Lydia can sneak, but she INSISTS on wearing the heaviest armour I give her to carry, so I gave up on her for my sneaking missions. I also question her weapon choices, since I made her an absolutely skookum enchanted sword, yet she keeps using any old hammer or mace in her inventory, even if their damage is far less. I think perhaps Lydia is not the brightest bulb in the box, if you get my drift.

Shadowmere, on the other hand, just finished off a wounded dragon for me, so she's in the good books right now. She does get a bit too enthusiastic for her own good sometimes, though. We had to do some remedial leaving-at-home for one bandit camp in the mountains, since she kept rushing in, and then farther in, and in, and in, until she was dead. Inn fact, for that one both Shadow and Lydia had to stay at home.

Annie---aww. Thanks. I'm sure Jasper would love to put on some armor and kick dragon-butt along with his Mommy. lol!

btw everyone, I've been meaning to ask someone this since Skyrim first came out and I keep forgetting so I'm going to do it now while it's on my mind. Does anyone know if you can have subtiles in Skyrim? Sometimes I have trouble hearing NPC's words and turn up the volume so high that it keeps my hubby awake, and so I'd love to be able to see the words on the screen too so I can keep it down.

Thanks!
Tracy, wondering if there's time to play more before hubby comes home from the late shift.....?

Tracy -- I had been meaning to ask the same thing, but I just figured it out. Go to Settings, then Display and scroll down (or arrow down). You will find two boxes to check. I think they are Subtitles and General Subtitles.

Farkie and I had such fun last night. We went dragon hunting up on Shearpoint Ridge. And wow! that old dragon, instead of landing gracefully, it landed on its belly and skidded about 100 yards, leaving a streak of dirt in the snow, and smashed into the word wall. And just as we were killing it,


Here's a link to a picture of the event. Hope you can see it. Dragon streak As Farkas says, now that was a fight!

Hagatha, sometimes I lose Lydia and Barbas, too. I have found that pressing T and waiting an hour brings them back right beside you. The only time that doesn't work is if they were left locked in a different location. If they are not locked they should come back.

I just got Skyrim today and can't wait to start. I just have to finish Book of Unwritten Tales first. Should I just add onto this thread whenever I have questions? I'm probably not going to read through all of these pages. I may skim them.

Hi ya JeanK and yes please. It's easier to follow that way.

Annie--thanks SO much for the help w/ subtitles! I've had this thing almost 2 months and am just now finding that out. LOL! Oh well, at least now I can turn the sound down but still "hear" what people are saying to me.

btw--sounds like you and my hubby had a good time together! LOL I had the pleasure of taking Farkas and Vilkas (on separate occasions) to see their first dragon, and to get rid of their werewolf beast thingamajig. Even though Vilkas is the smarter one, I think I still like Farkas better.....actually, he's just more filled out than his brother and looks more "manly" in his armor!

sigh

Tracy, wondering if real husband would put on armor just for fun.

Tracy -- I know what you mean! Farkas's gravelly voice makes me feel all dippy. BTW did you know that Farkas and Vilkas both mean wolf?

I didn't know Vilkas ever went dragon hunting. I'll have to see if I can get him to go.

Sigh. I guess my character is doomed to be a lone ranger for most of her life, with a dopey sidekick and undead horse, instead of a nice, supportive spouse.

Next game, for sure I'll be working on the romance options in this game. For now, I'm still trying to completely finish the Thieves and Assasins, and then maybe take on the Mages Circle, too. And someday, the Main Quest, I guess.

In previous Morrowind/Oblivion games a level 52 fighter/thief would be able to kill just about anything with no trouble, but I think this game is a bit more challenging. It's good. Gives me something to keep playing for.

Oh hagatha, I hope you find the spouse of your dreams! But it sounds like you are too busy for romance anyway.

I'm innocent!! I didn't do it! Who me? impossible!! I just landed in Falkreath and the guards want to arrest me. Apparantly I have a 1000 bounty on my head. I quit and reloaded so I can think about what to do. I really don't remember how I got that bounty. Is there a way of getting the bounty removed as in Morrowind? I've already done so many favours for the people of Skyrim I really should be forgiven.

Rowan, I understand you can pay the bounty off, or go to jail. But if you go to jail then you will loose points off your skills.

We know you are innocent, and we would forgive you anyway. I found one site on the web that gave the console code as: player.setcrimegold 0
(To start the console thingy press ~)

However Yahoo said you also need the id code for the city in which you own the bounty. I don't have bounty so I can't try it out. Hope this helps!

Well, I guess I will pay the fine...after all I've done for those ingrates. I was hoping the thieves or assassins would pay it for me as in Morrowind. I guess the Falkreath citizens are a bit touchy with the Black Brotherhood living nearby.

Annie--I didn't know that, how cool! And wow, yeah, I like Farkas' voice too! SIGH!

Hagatha---don't worry, husbands are just waiting for ya to marry them anytime you want. Besides, the "interested in me are you?" part is the best.....it's a little boring afterwards. lol

Tracy

This does not follow the conversation here, but I do not know where else to post. I am doing The Horn of the Jurgen Windcaller. I have been following my guide, so I have the necessary shout(Whirlwind Sprint) needed to open the portcullises Underground in Ustengrav. I have lined my character up between the three stones, I use the Shout, but my character can not make it through the gates and I can not use a second shout quick enough to get him through the three portcullises. Will someone who has accomplished this feat offer me some help. I have read the guide and used the picture to line my character up for the run, but no success.

Kazz, that was really hard. I finally got it by using a double tap, which I didn't know was possible before that.

Line him up and then do an extremely short first tap followed immediately by a longer one. I had tried and tried and tried and couldn't do until I watched a video on you tube.

Kazzmo -- my experience was slightly different from Looney's. Double tap wouldn't work for me. What did work was one tap which took me to the middle of the doors, and then immediately another to put me all the way through. Good luck!

Oldman -- I keep forgetting to thank you for your hilarious account of your Skyrim marriage. Guess we are none of us finding comfort and joy.

I don't like the hunters who are wandering around Skyrim. I think they are unethical, shooting animals for the heck of it and then just leaving them. But until yesterday I hadn't realized they are also stupid. I heard one yesterday order a deer to put its hands up.

Kazzmo, I had trouble here, too. You have to use the regular Sprint key first, then the Shout as soon as you stop sprinting (the first sprint gets you right in front of the doors as they open; the Shout propels you through).

Regarding your recent legal woes, just go to jail, then escape with your stuff for an achievement, then when you get recaptured, go back in and serve your time. Why not? The loss of points wasn't even noticeable for me.

Looney, Annie and Hagatha, thank you all for your suggestions, with your help,I made it through.

Well I have finished all my faction quests and have been roaming around trying to find all the side quests I can by clearing all the caves etc that have yet to be cleared.

I stumbled on the quest for the 24 unusual gems and now have 23 of them and am not far enough along in the main quest for the last one.

I am now looking for Treasure maps and have obtained 8 of them. Once I get them all then I will proceed to go after the treasures. I probably won't be wild about the treasures but at least it is an accomplishment that I can say I finished.

Having a lot of fun Skyriming.

Oldman, I have 14 of those stones and I found one treasure map piece. I didn't even know there was a treasure map in this game. That reminds me of the treasure map hunt in Divine Divinity. The smithing in this game reminds me of the Gothic games. It seems a lot of good ideas from other games were adopted into this game. The other thing I'm religiously collecting is nirnroot. I already finished the nirnroot quest but after hunting it forever in Oblivion it has become almost obsessive/compulsive in this game. The one collecting item that I am having difficulty finding are the jazbay grapes.

Wooohoooo Kazz...glad you got it.

Oldman, I didn't know those treasure maps were something we needed to keep. I think mine is in a trunk at my house.

Rowan, I pick everthing cos I never know what I'll be a able to use. But I haven't found much nirnroot.

I'm doing a quest puzzle I just can't solve: The quest is called Revealing the Unseen for the College of Winterhold. I'm in the ruin called Mzulft and I have to focus some lenses with some spells. I'm really not good at spells. To make matters worse, I'm not even sure at what I should be projecting my spells. Can anyone help me with this? Otherwise I will be stuck in this ruin forever.

Rowan, I haven't done that one yet.

Does this video help at all?