All Things Skyrim.....Part 2

Hello fellow Skyrimmers

Our original thread was getting a bit long in the tooth, so here is a brand new bouncy baby thread for us to play in.

If you want to check out the old one, Click Here. After all, it holds some good info.

Hagatha, I answered your question in the original thread, but will copy it here also.

You don't need to use the quick menu to take potions or eat or change what you are doing in battle. Just hit Tab (which brings up the menu while pausing the action), then select items or magic and select the one you want to have active. You can also use "P" to change the magic or shouts.

However, if you Push "F" while an item is selected it will be in the "Q" menu. You can push "Q" at any time, including during fights. That will pause the action and allow you to look at all your Favorites and just click on it...or assign a number to it (1-8). If you want to use the quick items without using the number, just click on it. Just be sure you know which hand you assigned it to and which mouse button that corresponds to.

I was having such a difficult time because I thought the "R" and "L" next to quick items meant Right Click and Left Click, but it really means Right Hand and Left Hand and the Right Hand is controlled by the Left Click.

You can eat during battle too.

Thanks Looney.

Also thanks for the info Smoosh. Unfortunately I already took the crown back to the Imperial Legion, so I guess my only options would be to go back to a saved game WAY before that happened or to start a brand-new game altogether. Yikes! LOL Since I'm way too lazy to do either one of those I guess I'll stick with things for now and maybe go back later on and see what the other side is like.

PS I've been so caught up in this game all of these weeks that I FORGOT (if you can believe that) that it was the Legion that was going to chop off my head. OMG! lol

Tracy

Tracy I forgot that too, but fortunately son reminded me. But maybe you just have an extremely forgiving nature.

LOL! Man I would have to, wouldn't I?

PS--I wonder what it was they were going to execute me (us) for anyway? Heck, I'm an Imperial as my race, you'd think they'd cut me some slack. LOL

Hagatha,

You can also hit the "i" key to bring up the items stored in inventory.

Linda

Tracy, it was just a kind of "You were in the wrong place at the wrong time" thing.

Thanks Lindy, I forgot to add that one.

Whoever mentioned not messing with the giants, you were right.

I went to get a Mammoth Tusk for that one woman and a giant attacked me. I got one hit and went flying into the air and died.

I enjoyed the ride, but not so much the landing.

I was only Level 6 at the time though.

Templeton, yep...those giants and those mammoths don't joke around. I was so frustrated at all the mammoth skulls with tusks just lying around, but could I take one....just one? Nooooooooo!

Thanks for the tutorial on selecting quick items.

I'm at level 17 and a bit worried that I should have spent my money on training instead of buying that house! The skill trees take some getting used to. I have great sneaking skills, unless I'm up against, say, the Master Vamp I just came across, in which case I might as well be running in full metal armour and singing a battle song for all the good sneaking does me.

I gather that enchanting is different? Are there people who can enchant items as in the other two games? Or do you have to do it yourself?

I see Steam is self-updating. Guess I won;t turn off my computer just yet.

My only real quibble with this game is the relatively small size of the dungeons. I loved finding a great sprawling ruin in the other two games. These ones are mere caves in comparison.

I don't believe people can enchant things. It's a skill now so you have to do it yourself. You'll run into those arcane enchanter-type table things which you need for enchanting, usually in witch's lairs, sometimes in useful places. I couldn't buy one for my home, unfortunately.

To enchant things, you need to first destroy an already enchanted item to learn its power. Then you need your new item and a soul gem. Combine your power of choice, item of choice, and soul gem of choice on the arcane enchanting table and voila: brand new shiny item.

They won't be very good at low levels but as you practise you'll get better.

I personally miss the sigil stones, but this is also fun.

And I agree the game seems to be getting smaller.

Hagatha, Smoosh is right....you do your own enchanting. There is a table right next to the alchemy table in Dragonsreach. I just discovered if I go enchant my loot before I sell it, I get more money. Who knew?

I never played the previous game, but I like the small dungeons. It makes it easier to leave and go sell loot, come back, hack and slash, leave to fast travel back to sell, etc.

Is there a way to find out what ver.the game is?
I'm not sure my game is getting the patches, because I have never seen Steam do an update.

Linda

I'm doing the last quests of Thieves Guild. But I haven't done many of their other little quests given by Delvin & Vex
Would you be able to do the other little quests that Delvin & Vex give you, after you finish all the thieves guild quests?

Are there any quests that won't be available after you take some kind of action?

Yes, those quests are available as long as you're playing the game. In fact, you can finish the main quest and still go back and do any unfinished quests. I had so many contracts in Dark Brotherhood that I finally gave up. I'm wondering if they ever end.

Lol, I was wondering the same although I haven't done many. Thanks

I'm hoping there probably won't be any quests in Skyrim that won't be available later on.

The current version of the game is 1.3.7. It says the version number in the menu when you hit escape.

Steam automatically updates your games. So if you have the Steam client open (and aren't already in a game) it will just download away.

The patches for Skyrim are fairly small, so they most likely downloaded and you just missed it since all you get is a little progress bar at the bottom of the screen. If you click that bar, then you get to see more detail.

Also, when you go to launch the game, if it's out of date Steam will update before letting you play. So essentially you are already running version 1.3 if you launch the game and there is no update that pops up.

Thanks Templeton, I clicked around in my gaming looking for a version number but couldn't find it.

Hi again everyone. I just had to post and say that out of curiosity I went back and loaded an early save where I hadn't yet joined the Legion and then went and joined the Stormcloaks. Well, after hanging out w/ these guys for awhile I decided to go right back to my latest save and stick with the Empire! lol Okay, they did try to chop my head off (lol) but I couldn't deal with the racism of Ulfric and the Stormcloak guys, plus since I began my game with the Legion, I felt horrible killing them when I was on a Stormcloak mission! I have to admit though, I love the uniforms that the Stormcloaks have, that blue color and then those neat helmets---I wish we could have cooler uniforms over on the Legion side. Maybe some wonderful modder will give us a choice for a new uniform someday soon---hint, hint.

Tracy, happy to be back with her "boys" and realizing something disturbing......Ulfric is a jerk, BUT, I love his voice and he's kinda cute. If he were different on the inside I'd wear my amulet of Mara around him and see what happened. lol lol lol

You know, Tracy, I joined the Stormcloaks ages ago and the more I learned about Ulfric, the less and less I liked him. I kind of stopped doing the civil war quests because of that. I may see about joining up with the imperials at some point because I never got very far in that line of quests.

Edited to say: Sheesh, 85 hours into this game and I'm not even halfway through the main quest. @ me

Just a side note while I take a breather from this game.

Back in early November I had just downloaded Episode 4 of TSL, had the Blackwell games and The Next Big Thing all loaded and ready to dig into and while deciding which to tackle first, along came 11/11/11. I got my copy of Skyrim really fast and installed it just to see how it was and now here it is almost 1 month later and I haven't even looked at the other games I had in the wings.

This game has me completely hooked. I hurried through the first time to see how the main quest worked and now I'm on a second go around doing every side quest I can find and loving every minute of it. I am a High Elf and am kicking some serious bad guys tails.

Guess it will be a while before I emerge from Skyrim long enough to consider going back to the other games. Oh well, King Graham and the others will just have to wait I need to kill some monsters.

Thanks Templeton for that info. I went to the menu and saw that I have version 1.3. I have never noticed it before because it is light print.

Thanks again.

Oldman, that is me...except for completing it already. I just roam around doing whatever looks fun and occasionally go, "Oh yea, there is a main quest. Let me go do one step before I go back to meandering."

There is now a divorce mod.

http://www.skyrimnexus.com/downloads/file.php?id=2224

Oh my goodness AnneG

How does the Dark Brotherhood work? Do I need to sleep to get the quest to progress?

Thanks, everyone for the information in Enchanting. I've been selling things but I'll kee the enchanted stuff now and "collect" regular weapons when I see them. How about an Enchantment trainer? Is there one anywhere?

Hagatha, I haven't done that yet so I'm no help.

I think there is an enchantment trainer in the Wizard's School up north, but I think I remember he was extremely expensive.

AnneG--OMG! lol

You know I might use this if then the actual marriage part of the game was better. I've seen several other handsome dudes I wouldn't mind hooking up with, but it would just be the same thing, darn it.

Maybe someone will get on the ball and make a good marriage mod for us soon---cross your fingers!

Tracy, who laughed out loud when she read in her Skyrim strategy guide that Farkas, compared to his brother, is "a bit slow". ROTFLOL!

Hagatha, answer under the spoiler:



On a separate note, does anyone know if I can clean up that house I bought in Windhelm? The skellies and the blood are really offputting.

I know there was an option from the steward, Smoosh, to clean up the mess in that house. For a price, of course.

Okay, I have a major issue with Enchanting; specifically that I can't rename the item I am enchanting. Or rather, I can rename it, but if I do I'm stuck in the enchant screen forever, going in circles.

Here's what happens: I select my item, no problem, I select the enchantment, no problem, I select the filled soul gem, no problem. I hit the "f" key to rename the item, no problem. Except that once I have typed the new name, I can't get out of the renaming screen, because when I hit the "R" key to create the item, it thinks I'm adding the "R: to the name I am creating, and so it just types an "R" at the end of the new item name. And so on, ad nauseum. I can't tell the game to get the heck out of the naming screen and back into the item creation screen without losing my new name.

Can anyone help?

Hagatha, I've never tried to rename...I will give it ago and get back to you but it most likely will be tomorrow as my head is snapping. It hurts when my forehead hits the desk, so off to bed I go.

I just did it and after you rename the weapon you have to hit return and then you can hit the "r" key to enchant the item.

Thank you! I had to reload from an earlier save because apparently if you upgrade the Living Room, the option to clean up the mess disappears. But it's all squeaky clean now and I'm very happy with my new home.

Thanks Oldman, I was just getting ready to load up and check.

Smoosh, so glad it's sparkly now. I wonder if the stewart would arrange to clean up my house?

I just had this great little random moment in the game. I was in Windhelm, in the market area, and I was checking through some barrels that were near the market stalls. I found some salt piles in one and I took them. Then, from just a few feet away from me I hear one woman say "Was she just sifting through the trash?" And then another woman said in reply "Well, sometimes it pays to check every nook and cranny."

I love this game.

LOL......I almost jumped out of my skin during one quest when I was routinely looting and the NPC said, "Hey wait a minute, that's my family's stuff."

Something seems to have gone awry with entering the College of Mages. The first time I went there, I had to cast Fear and didn't have the spell, I went and bought it, but then it turned out I didn't have nearly enough Magica. I went away levelled some more, and came back. Now she doesn't offer the test, and the marker is gone for where I have to cast the spell. Can you get timed out of this test? I really need to get in there, but I've played for a whole day now and no way can I retrace my steps. Also, every time I get to the College, a dragon comes by, which is very annoying. Is that supposed to happen?

Hagatha, I think the dragons are random, though I've noticed more of them at night. Is it daytime when you are trying to go there?

I didn't have any problem getting in there, but I have noticed that the one time I was there while a dragon was around, no one would talk to me.

Hi everyone. I'm having a weird issue tonight and was hoping that maybe someone else had figured out how to fix it. I'm doing the Theives Guild quest where you go into Irkngthand with Karliah and Brynjolf (who is really cute btw!) and everything's fine until we get to the sanctuary. When I open the door I can hear Mercer speaking to Karliah, but I can't see him, and then I just become frozen on that ledge, unable to jump down. Then I'm just sort of stuck, and so I checked the wiki to get the console codes to see if I might move the quest along that way, but even though I received updates saying "Skeleton Key found" or whatever, nothing actually happened in that room.

Now I'm not sure how to get out of there or how to get the quest moving, and so I'd LOVE some help!

Thanks so much guys,
Tracy

I was also wondering how this was done, thank you John works perfectly.

Tracy, I found the 2 fixes in Wiki...did you try them both?

I found lots of videos indicating folks had problems being stuck underwater, but not being stuck on the ledge like you are.

Thanks Looney. I'll go check the wiki and look at them. I just did the codes that brought you through each part of the quest, but didn't realize there were bug fixes.

They many not be helpful for your problem. Glitches are the pits!

They sure are! Can't wait for whatever new Skyrim patches are coming out--hopefully they'll fix some of these little irksome issues.

Tracy

I recently ran into a very annoying glitch myself. After wandering around killing dragons for a while, I got a random message telling me, out of the blue, to return to Esbern. When I found him, standing gormlessly at the edge of a cliff, all he kept saying was the same line over again, and I couldn't talk to him. The quest is still active and there's a small arrow over his head, but I can't do anything about it.

Anyone know the cause or fix for this? Shall I push him off the cliff?

Smoosh, I vote for pushing him off

L4L, thanks. It was the dragons that were doing it. And I have to say I'm awfully annoyed that a college full of allegedly powerful mages couldn't help one tiny thief fend off a dragon attack, with just a bow and arrow no less.

Sayyy, has anyone here ever captured a dragon soul in a gem? Is it even possible? I have a very useful longbow...

I've piled up about 75 quests, and I suppose I'd better start completing them. But I do have question - what is the main quest? I lost track of it a long time ago (reminding me of my first Morrowind outing).

Hagatha, the main quest is the one at the Greybeards....learning about being dragon born...or so I think.

I don't think you can capture a dragon soul in a gem because you need those to activate your shouts when you learn them the first time.

Hey guys. Can anyone tell me how to put a mod in my Skyrim folder? I think I'd found this out last month but lost my notes and since I found a new mod tonight, I really want to install it but since we're using Steam, I'm not sure how.

Thanks and hope you all are having a great time with this!

Tracy

Tracy, I don't mod, but I found lots of videos on you tube on how to install these.

For instance There is a short one here and a Longer one here.

Tracy the mods that I know are installed by drag and drop into the Skyrim data folder. I have Windows 7 64 bit and it is found at:
C:\Program Files (x86)\Steam\steamapps\common\skyrim

probably a 32 bit would be C:\Program Files\Steam\steamapps\common\skyrim

then you just cut and paste the mod into the data folder.

Speaking of mods, I downloaded the divorce mod and have divorced my wife and remarried and it worked fine. I now have Jarl helpers (I forget what they are called but they accompany me when I ask them to) at everyone of my houses and a wife who gives me money and food every time I visit. I also have a helper at the Dark Brotherhood place and have done Azura's Star quest so the girl at that shrine will accompany me when asked as well. So I have a regular Army of companions but can only get them one at a time. I also use my wife to sell my stuff too until she runs out of money.

I am about to decide between the Imperials or the stormcloaks and since I did the stormcloaks the first time through will be doing the imperials this go around to get the different quests. I have been doing the continueing quests of the Dark Brotherhood and the Companions (which seem to be on a continuous loop) in order to build up my character but now think it's time to join the war.

Thanks Oldman

Tracy

I'm trying to do a side quest and for the life of me I can't find Steepfall Burrow. I see it on the map, I set a marker right on it and then go to that spot, only to see nothing there.

I must be missing something obvious, but I can't seem to find the darn thing anywhere.

On another note, my favorite quest to date has to be the one with the Daedric Prince of Madness. It was a nice change of pace with some funny moments too.

Okay, I realize that my character is an assassin/thief and spends most of her time sneaking around and when she isn't stealing things she's murdering people, but seriously, how does a girl get a date in this game?

Maybe some of you happily married Skyrimers out there can give this elf some advice?

Hagatha this marriage guide should answer your question.

Thanks so much Looney and Oldman! I've gotten my mod installed and am eagerly looking for more now!

Sounds like you're having quite a time Oldman btw---awesome!

Tracy, who still can't make up her mind about factions and so is in the Thieves Guild, the Dark Brotherhood, and is the Archmage at Winterhold College.

Templeton, I'm sure you looked there but just to be sure. According to Wiki,

I don't think I've been there yet. I do know that sometimes the place I'm looking for is on the other side of the mountain even though it looks like I'm in the right spot according to the marker.

Tempelton - sometimes the exit and entrance are quite a distance from the actual location and mountains don't help in finding them. Would following nearby mountain paths help?

Am involved with a pesky frost dragon, boy, he's tough. I've gotta get past him to get to Azura.

This is an amazing game however Oblivion ran alot smoother. Playing on PS. Skyrim dungeons/caves etc are much more interesting.

Alot of work, thought put into Skyrim. Hooray!!

Thanks everyone. I finally found it. It was quite a ways away from where it actually seemed like it would be.

It seems like it should be right next to the Thalmor Embassy according to the map, but it's not even close.

That was the most difficult location to find so far, usually I don't have a problem.

Wooo Hooo Templeton, so glad you found it

Oh cool, the forum is so festive.

I'm wondering why when I obliterate the Imperial camps, the camp's Legate is always unkillable. Has anyone else had trouble with this? I've been specifically told to obliterate the camps, so is it a bug and is there a way around it?

Smoosh, what is the name of the quest?

no bug, smoosh. i've finished the imperial quest and was told the same thing as you. but the stormcloak captain never dies. maybe you need the leader in case you replay the quest but on the other side

finally got that dragon but had to use sneeky tactics. must improve the bow and arrow thing.

no capital letters because kitty is asleep on my lap on my left arm and must not disturb her.

Yankee, I love your last sentence.

To kill dragons I

Have fun!

Dragons:

Hi all,
I'm doing town quests now. Have finished all the factions and am now just looking to find as many quests as possible before I resume the main quest. I just finished with the greybeards I think as far as the main quest goes.

Anyway in the process of hunting for quests I've found a talking dog who led me on a merry chase and I saw a headless horseman ghost. I followed the ghost for a long ways and then lost him. I'm just wondering if he is just an easter egg of sorts or if it is a quest that I lost because I lost him. Hmmm, think I'll google it.

Anyway this is the most fun I've had in a game since Witcher. I'll probably pick another character and play through once again when I finish with my high elf even though King Graham is waiting in the wings impatiently.

Talking dog.....awesome!

Hi again. Tonight I was in a Daedric mood so I've been doing the Daedric quests, but when it came to Boethiah, I'm having a problem. I found her shrine (sacellum) but no one is there and I haven't found a copy of the book that I need either. I'm not sure if this is just a bug or something, but I'd love to be able to do this quest and so I was wondering if you guys had trouble, and if you did, how you fixed it?

Thanks so much!
Tracy

Oldman: I've seen the headless horseman three times now, always in different places. I believe it is an Easter Egg, and I think he's leading us somewhere. I just finished a merry romp with my drinking buddy Sam.

Hi everyone!

I've come to join you in Skyrim. The game was supposed to be a Christmas present but last Friday I missed a step and broke a bone in my ankle. Since I now have to stay off my feet and can't do housework, my husband decided to give me the game early. So here I am in my cast which doesn't prevent me from sneaking and setting all Skyrim problems aright.

I'm playing as a thief/archer with one-handed as a backup. That's my favourite game style. I'm surprised that the wilderness isn't quite as dangerous as in Morrowind and Oblivion. I hardly run across any bad things while exploring. I had a hard time finding the difficulty level but when I found it it was at the midle difficulty level so I have just left it there for now. I'm really enjoying this.

Tracy, you are way ahead of me.

Annie, that's the best thing about gaming...no hangover.

Rowan, so glad you got to join us..though sorry it had to be because of a broken bone.

Welcome, Rowan, and happy bone-mending.

I ran into a bug yesterday, in the "Revealing the Unseen" quest. If you leave the area without finishing the puzzle, when you return the puzzle is "frozen" and you won't be able to finish it. Sigh. Well, next time...

And werewolf unhappiness: after spending a whole night trying to avoid being killed, I returned to my human self only to have people sniff loudly and make comments about wet dogs.

Hey, Rowan, glad to see you here in Skyrim.

I was initially a bit put off by the lack of enemies in the wilderness, but I think they balanced everything nicely. All in all, I'm impressed. The map is much bigger than I'd originally thought, there are hundreds of places to explore, and I'm only just starting the main quest at level 37 (oops).

In fact, at level 37 I haven't even completed any of the guilds, having sneaked and archered my way up the levelling screen without really thinking ahead. Got sidetracked for two weeks, actually. You're playing the same character class as me, as usual, I see.

Rowan---I'm so sorry to hear about your broken ankle! But I guess the good news is that you'll get to play Skyrim to your heart's content now.

Tracy

Annie - nothing wrong with wet dogs. I wish the morph were faster though but I like being a w'wolf.

Finally got to level 34 and a suit of ebony armor and he's so handsom but his face is blotchy. Oh well. When I finish the companions - maybe on to the Dark Brotherhood. In Oblivion the DB quests were quite good. Also I have Molag Bal's Razor so will use that for DB

And Rowan, you have a good excuse to game now.

Happy gaming all

Thanks,all, for your kind comments. It's amazing how much adventuring I can do with my foot raised and my mouse finger in high activity. I love the game so far as I loved Morrowind and Oblivion before. This game seems bigger but maybe that's because I haven't been through it all yet.

Some questions:

Can you spoil quests by entering a location ahead of time before the quest has been given? Do dungeons/caves repopulate?

Is there a perk or something that will show you all missed locations so that you can eventually explore evrything? Won't be there for a long time yet but I don't want to miss anything.

Hagatha, I need you to watch my back. I know you usually play the same character as I do. I have the most trouble fighting mages.

Rowan,

So far I haven't been penalized for entering a dungeon too soon, but then I'm the one who hasn't begun the main quest or completed any guilds at level 38, so what do I know?

As usual, Sneak+Archery=Dead Mage.

I've made myself an enchanted Superior Elven Bow that not only does 40 damage, it casts Soul Trap (yes, bows will do it in this game)so filling gems is easy. I was even able to fill a Black Soul Gem from thirty paces. Soul Gems aren't lying around all over the place in this game, though. I miss that.

Next will be a bow that Absorbs Health. Why not, I say? I haven't trained my magic skills, so archery it is.

Rowan, I did notice with those radient story quests, the ones you can get indefinitely from certain characters, can get screwed up. Aela from the Companions and the steward from Whiterun have both given me tasks to do involving taking out some bandits in certain locations. I've already cleared both of those locations while just exploring. Now neither one of those tasks is completable and I don't think I can get another task from either of them.

So far I've screwed up an escort mission. Who was to know that just then a dragon would attack and my protege would fall down a waterfall? After the dragon died I fast travelled out and back. My protege reappeared but he won't follow me any more even though my journal still lists the quest as active.

The problem with mages is that they are too cowardly to attack me alone. I die when I get a bunch of them at once. They are in such a bad mood when they spot me.

I actually found the combat a bit harder in this game. My assassin rarely uses a blade, unlike previous characters. Mages have until very recently required a divide, conquer and run strategy. I have also backed away from certain areas where Master Vampires lurk. I have yet to take on a bear or Sabretooth successfully.

The dragons attack at the most inopportune moments. One time my horse got scared and ran away and got lost somewhere. I had to reload the area and start again.

There are so many quests in this game that I can't keep up. I'm trying to stay focused on Thief/Assassin quests for the time being just to stay on top of things, but the Dwemer ruins in this game are absolutely stunning and I just can't resist exploring.

Hey guys, Anne G especially.....I was looking at Skyrim mods on Skyrim Nexus and found one that takes the face paint off of Farkas and Vilkas! I might do this because I like Farkas but he and his brother have that kind of demonic look about the eyes from that paint and when I saw screenshots of them without it, wow....much more handsome! LOL

Just wanted to let ya know in case it's time for for anyone's hubby to have some "work" done.

LOL

Tracy

From another point of view...it also works on Aela the huntress

Oh, that's a good find, Tracy. Thank you! There were times when Vilkas would seem to almost have no eyes at all cause the warpaint around them was so dark. I have it installed now but I'm down deep in some dwemer ruins at the moment. I can't wait to see what he looks like in game!

Here's a question - how do I equip two weapons or a weapon and shield? I seem to end up with combinations a of weapons and spells instead of what I want. I give each one a number but equipping one seems to cancel out equipping the other.

I haven't tried two single handed weapons yet. To get a weapon and a shield it must be a single handed weapon otherwise a double handed weapon will bump out the shield. For using spells you can choose right or left hand by clicking the right mouse button. Beside the spell you will see L or R or LR for a spell in each hand. Perhaps this works for dual single weapons as well. What I find confusing is that the right mouse button activates the left spell and vice versa. But I have a new gaming mouse so I may not have the buttons set up properly.

I am beginning to have better luck at killing mages although it is still a tough fight. What helps is that I finally figured out how to recharge a weapon. It didn't help running out of charges which was happening too soon. I've made it to level 26.

Rowan, that was confusing as well til Son pointed out that R meant Right Hand, not Right Click....Do you use potions to resist magic, frost, fire, or shock when killing mages?

I've always found the best way to kill a mage in any type of game is to melee them down as they don't have high armor but can normally do more damage with their magic than I can with a bow.

Looney4labs, I do use potions but I find them useless if they last only 30 seconds or so. By the time I've changed weapons or attack method the potion has run out. All my strong potions get used up too soon. But I do enjoy my revenge when I finally get them.

I saw these two pics on another forum and had to post them here. They made me LOL.

Merry christmas, Skyrim friends!

http://i1092.photobucket.com/albums/i412/somnyus/SantaSkyrim.png
http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7167/6565051051_29258363b0_z.jpg

Thanks, AnneG !! A good laugh indeed

Yankee Clipper -- you are right, there's nothing wrong with wet dog, and at least they didn't say anything about my doggy breath.

Tracy and AnneG -- Are you still married? I see Oldman posted something about divorce, with a link to a Marriage Guide. Now, I'm kind of embarrassed to ask, but the guide says this: "sleeping with them gives you a "Lover's Comfort" buff (I'm serious) that increases the speed of all upgrades by 15% for eight hours." Is that really true? Because my marriage is, um, sort of not completed...

My character has decided to never get married... um, because she has no idea how to go about even attracting attention. Guess I didn't read that guide properly. I have the amulet I'm supposed to wear, but nothing.

Yes, Annie, I'm still married. I've heard about the Lover's Comfort but I've never been able to get it. I can never seem to catch Vilkas in bed except for one time and he got up right when I was going to sleep. I've tried waiting around in the bedroom at all hours. Nothing. He'll sit at a table, munching bread or something but no sleeping.

hagatha, did you talk to the priest at the temple of Mara in Riften? He gets you started.

AnneG, that's pretty much my experience with Balimund too. Sigh

hagatha -- I think you need to build up a relationship with someone, in addition to having the amulet. Eg I traded with Balimund a lot before, well, before we got together.

Hey Annie and gang. Yes Farkas and I are still married and right now I"m getting ready to go on a quest with him to help him . BUT, I like the idea of having more than one spouse, like one in each house or town, so I've been looking for mods and stuff for that and we'll see what happens. I did download the divorce mod but haven't tried it out yet. I wonder if the hubby or wife gets upset when you ask them for a divorce? LOL

sigh

Tracy, still having WAY too much fun in this wonderful game!

EDIT:Oops, I forgot to answer Annie's question about Lover's Comfort. I've never experienced that, like had a message pop up and tell me that I had more health or stamina after sleeping with Farkas. I'm not sure how that works but I'll check the Wiki and see what I can find. Also, btw, I installed that mod tonight that takes the paint of Farkas' and Vilkas' faces, and suddenly I'm attracted to my own husband again. LOL!!!

Tracy, how cool to go on a quest with your husband! Balimund never wants to go anywhere. I think I'll go look at the wiki for Lover's Comfort too.

Let us know how your adventures goes!

You know, I still ony have one house, too,as well as no love interest. I guess I haven't focused enough on town quests, though I am just about to take over the Thief Guild and soon the Assassins. Just a dungeon-crawler at heart, I am.

I'll go talk to that priest, though I think I already have.

I'm more interested in some of the characters in the Thieves Guild.

Merry Christmas to all of you Skyrim adventurers.

Me either Hagatha...

to all

Hagatha, you mean you will soon be my boss in the Thieves' Guild...give me quests, maybe? That may work for a while but eventually I'll be after your job.

Bwahahaha! That's what you think. I'm soon to be the boss of the Assassin's Guild, too.

I still haven't picked up the Main Quest. I guess I should do that soon. Also, once my Lockpick and Archery skills are maxed I won't level up so fast. Honestly, I've levelled up way too fast. Sounds like a silly thing to worry about but I haven't actually accomplished anything in this game. Just stole a bit of stuff and assassinatified a few people.

Well, I finished up the main and civil war quests last night. I was pretty satisfied with both of them except for after the main quest....



I took Lydia out with me during the civil war quests, in hopes that she would bite it. Didn't work though. I sent her back home finally. I've picked up a stray dog by accident (note to self: must stop clicking on everything I see) I put him in the Whiterun house because I refuse to have a pet until I can make him unkillable with mods.

So what's next? Well, I think I'm going to go through my journal and try to finish all the unfinished quests that I can. There's a few that I didn't want and am never going to finish because they just aren't in tune with my character.

My next character is going to be a breton, I think. I've never played one before and it'll be interesting to be a different race in Skyrim. I'm going to try walking everywhere, no fast traveling, not buy a horse at all. I'm not going to get married unless I can get someone to make Jorn the bard in Solitude marriageable. Oh, and I think my breton is going to be kind of mean spirited. I may actually play through the Dark Brotherhood quests this time. I've also heard that if you don't go into Riverwood after the start, that the dragons never show up again. I'm going to give that a try.

Something else of note, I bought the game again, collector's edition this time, on ps3. It was on sale and my husband says he's been feeling a bit left out with all the arrow in the knee jokes going around and since I'm not about to give up the computer, I thought, what the heck, get it for him on console. Merry christmas, honey.

AnneG, it is so funny that you can't kill Lydia off...I have a hard time keeping her alive

I've got Lydia, too. Sometimes I appreciate her, sometimes I don't. It is most annoying when she jumps in front of me during a battle and blocks me from the enemy. She often gets an arrow in her back from me because of that. Right now I am in the depths of a ruin. I had to jump a level down and she refused to follow and left me to fend for myself alone. I'm too far into the catacombs to backtrack and hope there isn't too much danger left.

When I surface I'll consider getting a new follower. Any suggestions who may be good?

Rowan I recommend Illia from the repentence quest .

She stays out of my way most times and is a very powerful mage. Plus I equip her with various staffs that I find along the way.

I have Illia with me right now and my trusty steed Shadowmere. I have done all the quests for the potential brides that I could find in the game and am now off to shop for a wife. I haven't taken an arrow in the knee so what more could an adventurer want?

Oldman----"I haven't taken an arrow in the knee, what more could an adventurer want?" LOL!!! It kills me whenever a guard says that, especially when they say it with a voice that sounds like Arnold Schwarzenneger! I have to smile every time that happens.

PS Your follower sounds great, I haven't used a mage as a follower yet but I think I'll go hunting for her and see if she'll be my backup too.

Tracy

So what happens after you become the champion of Evil Deadric Prince? Does he need his share every time I kill an enemy? Or would the game be same like I competed just another quest? I just did this 'Abandoned House' mission ('House of Horrors' I guess) that you get at Markarth? I didn't want to do any deadric quests but you get this accidentally.

It's always the opposite way of what you want, isn't it?


You could marry Aela from the Companions, oldman. Then she could go out and fight with you, I think.

I'm playing my new character now. A breton named Annick. I notice I get a lot of snide comments from nord characters about her heritage. Here she is wearing her fancy new outfit.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v215/cira1/annick.jpg

Oh, and Tracy, those lines just get stuck in your head that you hear over and over in this game. I'll find myself at work, watching my coworkers standing around and I'll think to myself "no lollygagging"

AnneG, my poor Kadjhit is looked at askance from all the townsfolks and Lydia talks to her in a "oh my goodness I can't believe I have to serve you" voice. Son says she sounds differently when she talks to his character.

I believe it. I'd almost hate to be an argonian or khajiit in this game. They seem to really get the shaft, along with the dark elves.

Hey L4L - haven't they taken a shine to your Khajiit yet, shame on them. That's all right she slays dragons. BTW I'm so thrilled because I'm on my way to Dawnstar to my 1st Dark B'hood assassination. In Oblivion after my Khajiit closed the 1st Ob Gate all Cyradill revered her.

When I replay this game I'll be either a Khajiit or Argonium. If it's some consolation, Bruno, my Nord, doesn't even look at Lydia.

Where's mcc she was playing this.

Skyrim truely is an outstading game. Most of the caves, ruins etc are ++++++

L4L it just occured maybe if you joined the companions they would like you because everyone greets them well. And you'll get to be a werewolf.

Yankee, I am at that point where I can join the Companions.....just haven't done it yet. I just had to laugh at son's surprise when he heard Lydia talking to my toon.

I won't get to play again til next week. Hubby is off all week.

Actually I have plenty of helpers and the companions will go with you whether you marry them or not so I'm looking around for a wife that strikes my fancy. After seeing your breton, if she were in my game I might just put on my ring for her.

I am in Whiterun, have killed dragon Jarl has told me I can buy house there and to see Avenicci. Guide says he is usually in Dragonsreach, but I can not find him. Any suggestions where he might be?

Kazz what time is it? If it is night or early morning you probably just need to advance the time by sleeping or changing the time (T button).

Yes, That did it, Thank you!

Yeah, she is pretty adorable, isn't she?

Wow Anne G your Annick is very cute! Wish I looked like that in my RL. LOL And I'm so glad to know that I'm not the only one who hears those lines in her head during RL stuff.

PS I have a question for anyone/everyone....I've thought about becoming a vampire just to see what it's like and if I like it better or worse than being one in Oblivion, but despite hanging out in vampire locations and getting into fights with them, I never seem to catch the disease. Do you know if I need to do something special in order to get it?

Thanks!
Tracy

Oh, me, too, Tracy. I don't think I've been that tiny since I hit puberty. I'd kill for that figure now.

I have no answer to your question regarding vampires. I've run into them very little in Skyrim and like you, I've never caught the disease either which is strange considering that every time I turn around in that game I'm catching rockjoint or whitbane.

Joined the Dark Brotherhood yesterday and made one of my 1st assassinations as a werewolf - what fun. Fluffy mopped up the river bank with him and noone in Iverstad knows who the murderer is HaHaHa. So now I have 4 quests going on.

Strange about the vampires - I was always getting infected. Is there something in your active effects causing immunity or being a werewolf prevents infections.

Is nybody else playing on the PS3

Vampire information for all who are interested.

Anne G--Me too! SIGH......

Oldman-Thanks for that link, I didn't realize that because I was already a werewolf that I couldn't become a vampire. No wonder it wouldn't work! lol I don't really like the werewolf thing anyway so I'm going to go see if I can cure myself like I helped cure Farkas and Vilkas.

Wish me luck!

Tracy, hoping for fangs and living in Broken Fang Cave in the meantime just for fun

Oldman, I haven't done the repentance quest yet. I still have Lydia. Other than getting in the way of my arrows, she is not all bad. I love her sarcastic comment that she is sworn to carry my burdens when I make her carry some of my loot. I always get a sick feeling in the pit of my stomach when she announces that she has a bad feeling about some of the dungeon rooms we enter. She's always right as there is always a particularly nasty person or group ambushing us. I appreciate the warning.

I came across a dog who is now following me everywhere. He gets in my way way even more than Lydia. However, he is virtually indestructible as he has been attacked by huge mobs of evil beings and he just never dies. I think he is a "quest object" so he can't die which makes him invaluable as an ally. I don't think I'll give him back to his owner as then he may become mortal again.

I used to have a horse named "Frost". I lost him somewhere and have no idea where he disappeared but he used to help me fight, too.

For every quest that I finish I seem to pick up five more. I think I will be playing into old age.

Rowan, your horse normally shows up at the stables in whatever town you are in unless he was killed. I stopped riding mine though cos I like to herb along the way and whenever my horse died I'd reload and play the fight over.

Here's something interesting perhaps someone knows about (I did a search but could not find anything)

I was fighting some wrath-things outside the college - I noticed Lydia just standing there (not really fighting) but she had some black smoke coming out of her neck - I went away to kill a couple wraths hiding up the hill... when I came back Lydia was gone... but there was a chicken with black smoke where Lydia was... Did she get turned into a chicken?

Anyone know if that is part of the storyline? or a bug?

I reloaded several times... I even tried to keep her in my sights as I walked away to kill the other wraths... but its almost like the game waits for me to turn away before she disappears and the chicken appears.

Wow, that is odd....can't say I've had that happen yet.


Update: Are you using the Wabbajack?

That's the cool thing about skyrim... many different experiences for everyone...

No... not using that.

I reloaded and found that when I get near her... she is called "Arniel Gane's Lydia" then turns into a pile of ash... I did a search and I guess other people have experienced this too (or one other person atleast - however no one seems to know if this is supposed to happen or not.

Yes, it definitely is a different experience for each person......That's part of what makes it so fun!

The strangest scene I saw was a man riding along the path while standing on his horse.

This hasn't happened to me but I've heard of several people getting messages from that courier that goes around Skyrim. Nothing much odd about this except that the courier is in the buff at the time.

I haven't had Lydia with me at all, but if she can carry loot, she's coming with me from now on. My problem with hangers on is that they tend to mess up the stealth aspect of the the game - the fools DO rush in, and there's nothing worse than that if you were planning a cunning ambush from the shadows.

Wouldn't mind a dog, though. Maybe I'll hang around with that Barnabas for a while. He's still waiting for me.

I now rule the Assassins, too, I guess, though I still have a couple of things left to do. Completely lost track of main quest, though. No idea what to do or where to go.

AnneG, I've had the Courier but he's always been dressed.

Hagatha, Lydia can indeed carry stuff, which is why I always take her with me and replay the area if she dies. I don't know if the other companions can carry.

Hagatha, I've only played the Main Quest to just past the GreyBeards. Are you past that?

Hagatha, my dog is Barbas and he is indestructible and great at luring the bad guys away from me. I can just stand there and target them with my bow and arrows. He barks a lot, though.

Hmmmmm Rowan, I'd love an indestructible dog.

Son just called and said he accidentally deleted all his saved games

L4L how awful - can he do that system restore thing if he's playing on the computer. Or is there a file somewhere or the registry Or maybe glitches would know what to do.

I'm pllaying on PS and it doesn't play well at all and sometimes I just quit playing. When PS is online I'll get some updates and maybe that will help. All other games play just fine.

Met Barbas - is he an Irish Wolfhound - fine dog

Barbas is involved in a daedric quest. As long as he is in the quest he is indectructible. I'm not sure if he loses his indestructible status once the quest is over. So I'm not completing the quest for a long time just so I can keep him with this benefit. Is anyone else using him? Is my guess correct?

I saw the funniest thing last night (game time) as I was crossing the tundra -- a wooly mammoth fell from the sky! I laughed myself silly. It was the funniest thing I've seen since the multiples of Louis Letrush (I keep thinking of him as Louis Le Tush), one of whom was buried up to his waist.

Annie-"Louis Le Tush"!! I love it! LOL LOL LOL!

Thanks for a laugh, it was good timing.

Tracy, who is really loving Skyrim, BUT, getting tired of the Thieves Guild people telling her that SHE needs to do more work when all they do is sit around the Ragged Flagon and drink and eat all day. Hmph!

L4L,I've been to the Greybeards the one time, that's all. I think they gave me a quest but I can't remember which one it is.

Anyway, I'm already level 50 (!!!) and not even really done with Thieves or Assassins. Thought I was, but no...Next time I'm not buying any training at all. Early on I did, not realizing that the skills are all easily learned by doing, in this game. I won't make that mistake again.

I had Lydia with me on my trek to one of the ruins but I ran into an Ancient Dragon and we ended up having to take another route because Lydia and Shadowmere kept getting toasted. Neither one died, but there was no way we were getting past.

I tried to upgrade the new Assassin Guild HQ but for some reason the Master Bedroom upgrade doesn't install. Judging from the pictures I've seen on line, the upgrade looks pretty dreary anyway, so I think I'll keep the cash for a deluxe house somewhere. I miss my beautiful Oblivion houses.

This game is HUGE. I haven't really done any exploring. Normally by about level 35 in Morrowind or Oblivion I've taken a trip around the entire coast and wallked across the whole land at least once. I need to drop everything off at my house and go for a long trip.

Rowan, I hadn't thought of using Barabas as a long-term companion, but that's a good idea. What kind of dog is he supposed to be? I want one.

Barbas is an Irish wolfhound. He can be annoying when he blocks a doorway and just stands there and wags his tail and thinks you are the most wonderful person on Earth. Or he'll sit and scratch himself. He doesn't care if you steal or kill for a living. He barks while you are sneaking but no one seems to pay attention to him but if I make an almost inaudible sound then I'm spotted. But in spite of all his annoying faults he is most lovable. So who needs a husband when you have Barbas for company? Besides you can still have an extra companion plus Barbas. he won't carry anything though but he is priceless in holding off baddies and even groups of baddies.

Shoot Hagatha, I know that at the end of the Greybeard quest you

Have you retrieved The Horn of Jurgen Windcaller from Ustengrav?

You get that quest after you have done all the quests with the Greybeards in the Monastery.

Aha. Another shout, is it? I haven't been using them - mostly because I can only ever remember three or foour of my quickslots and i can never remember which shout or ability I have stored in Z.

I did figure out that you can upgrade companion equipment, so Lydia is much more useful now, with ebony sword and shield and a decent helmet and Health ring. She actually killed the nasty bad thing/ghost/whatever at the end of the First quest for the mages - Saarthal, was it? Anyway, she had it on the floor before I could get a shot in. It was disappointing, actually, I had hoped to collect the soul with my vampire bow.

I find them handy for when I get mobbed.....

Hey everyone. I was reading posts about Lydia and it reminded me that I wanted to ask you guys something. She was my housecarl, but whenever I've gone back to my house in Whiterun the last few times, she's not there. I wonder if there is a way to get her back and to make sure she stays there? LOL I've seen that she apparently likes to take off on her own so I figured I'd corral her while I have the chance.

PS I have to say that I am hopelessly in love with the following: Farkas' and Vilkas' faces, Brynjolf's voice, Rune's body and hair, and another Thieves Guild guy who says something like, "You wanna talk to me? Okay..." and it's like a sexy, California sort of voice that just gives me shivers. SIGH! I might have to create my own perfect man when the Creation Kit comes out by mixing all of these guys together! LOL

what do you think ladies?

Tracy, wishing she could climb into the pc and go running through Skyrim for real.

Tracy, have you checked in the extra bedroom in your house? And also in Dragonreach? I lost her one time but it was night and she was in her bedroom. I went upstairs to store stuff and she came popping out.

Thanks Looney! I'll check in her room and in the castle, maybe she's flirting with the guards or something. LOL

PS Happy New Year everyone!

Lydia is usually sitting at the table in my bedroom: I always feel like telling her to use her own room!!! Once I had not seen her there and used the console ti find her, and there she was!!!

Jacline that is too funny 'cos I've never seen her even 1 time in mine.

Jacline, that's where she always was in my house too. In there eating bread all the time, spraying out bread crumbs as she declared "Long life to you, my thane!" Used to scare the [blip] out of me every time I went in there to put something in the chest.

Edited to say: Oops, I said a naughty apparently.

I have to say that I really (REALLY) wish that we could have more dialog with our housecarls, and with all NPCs really. Wouldnt' it be great if you really could say to Lydia or whoever, "Get the heck out of my bedroom, [insert cuss word here]!!!"

lol

I think it would be fun if anyone who plays the game could insert their own conversation choices while they're playing btw. Maybe once we have the Creation Kit we will all be able to do that.

Tracy, still having way too much fun, but ready for more clothes and more dialog.

I have a problem with Lydia in my bedroom too. And I didn't know we weren't allowed to say bleep. I will have to watch it. Tracy -- when you mix up that dishy guy, send some my way! He sounds dreamy. Currently I have a thing for Idolaf Battle-Born, but I guess I'm too lowly for him. Sigh.

Argh. One of the sweep jobs for the Thieves Guild keeps failing, and after a lot of research I just discovered that it's because a long long time ago, in a completely different city, I got arrested for something completely unrelated to the Guild. I hope I can keep gooin with quests for this crew. Very annoying buf.

Eeek Hagatha, not fun at all...I hope you can work around it

Well, you can give up the quest, but then you get a lecture. Hopefully I can get around this by doing another sweep job instead.

I really enjoy the crafting aspects of this game. I've put a lot of skill points into enchanting and blacksmithing, and have made some nice pieces. Lydia is now wearing enchanted ebony armour and with her ebony weapons is a huge asset in a tough fight, though this means I have to leave her behind on sneaking missions.

Nex time around I'll focus more on the quests for the Jarls so I can have different companions to choose from, and more than one house. For now I've stopped levelling up so fast and am tying up some of the many quests I have in my journal. I've found 12/24 of those Barenziah Stones.

Annie---I promise to send a guy your way as soon as I learn how to create him! LOL



btw---Hagatha---I've found 18 of the Barenziah stones but am afraid to get a few more because several of them are in caves with spiders and I just can't go there. UGH SHIVERS!!! It's so cool though that you've learned how to craft your own weapons and armor. I don't have a clue how to do that but it sounds fun. Maybe I'll check out the wiki and give it a try one of these nights.

Tracy, does the mod to change spiders to bears not work for you in there?

Hey Looney. I have been using the mod that changes spiders into bears, but weirdly, I'm still terrified. There are tons of spider webs and the bears are standing up on their back feet and come sliding towards you....ack! PLus you can still hear the sounds of the spider's legs as they come towards you. I just feel super-sick to my stomach even trying some of these places and so I probably won't get all of the Barenziah stones, but that's okay....I'm still the head-honcho of the thieves guild anyway.

Tracy

Ahhhhh I can see how that might be a probably. I'd feel the same way if I were hearing wasps. As long as you are able to play and enjoy, that is all that matters.

I also have 12 barenzia stones. I've also reached 22 achievements. I've got so many quests I can't count them. I've also got this question: Are those dragon bones and scales of importance later in the game? I saved some, sold some, and now I'm not even picking them up as they are so heavy. Just want to know I'm not making a mistake.

You can use the Dragon Bones and Scales to create a set of the best type of armor in the game (assuming you have the appropriate smithing perk).

Smithing and enchanting are ridiculously easy in this game, actually. You really only have to have the appropriate materials and perks. There's no hit and miss like there was in the original Morrowind, which created a huge disincentive to learn Enchanting; the chances of creating anything really good in that game were pretty small. Here you just click on the item you want to make, and there it is, 100% (you also have to have the right Smithing and Enchanting perks, of course). I am now at the point where I can make Epic armour and weapons, and then enchant them with decent enchantments. I'm not going for all of the heavy armour perks, though, so no dragon armour for me, but Epic Thieves Guild Armour is pretty sweet.

thanks for the info about smithing and stuff Hagatha. I'm looking forward to making my own armor now.

Tracy who is deep into Blackreach again and wanting to live there forever! (once the darned Falmer disappear)

Tracy, do the bears descend from the ceiling like the spiders do? I really feel for you, it must be ghastly. I feel the same way about snakes and just reading that there are escaped pythons in Florida has me terrified.

Annie--Yeah, some of them do, while others just come flying towards you super-fast. UGH!! Either way, it's freaky and I've gotten to the point where I'm actually relieved to see "real" bears out in the wild because they're on all fours and I know they aren't spiders in disguise. lol

PS I was looking at your signature and it reminded me of Atrus, the boy's father and how I had a crush on Rand when Myst first came out. I will still never forget how that game made me feel when I first played it. Amazing. ;)

Tracy, jumping genres in one post and hoping it's okay.

AnneG -- I started the game over and I married your husband. Hope you don't mind, haha

Tracy -- Myst was my first game and like a first love there has never been anything like it. It was amazing.

*lol* Tracy, that's too funny. I was totally crushing on Robyn. Used to click on Sirrus's book, just to see him. What a wonderful game though. That's the game that would start my big love affair with point and click adventures. *le sigh*



Annie - I don't mind a bit. My new character has been giving the eye to Jorn the bard in Solitude. So far, he's quite oblivious. I'll have to fix that when the Creation Kit comes out. *lol*

Annie and AnneG---So glad to know that I'm not the only one who was in love with Myst---that game seemed to start alot of us onto the adventure games path! sigh....

Wonder what Rand and Robyn look like now, btw?!

PS I have a feeling we are ALL going to have fun making new or extra hubbies when the CK comes out. I hope it's not too hard to learn because I never did get the hang of the construction kit.

Tracy, dreaming of many Skyrim husbands someday and wondering if ol' Farkas will get jealous. (i hope to make that a part of the whole thing too! Wouldn't that be funny? "Who are YOU?" says one handsome Nord. "I am Nicole Heartsone's husband!" says the other. "Then we have a bit of a problem, for I am her husband!" And so on and so on until they have duels over my character. How fun that will be! (unless of course, they kill each other! LOL)

AnneG and Tracy, you are both too funny! Please invite me to all your weddings.

Annie---LOL! I will! Hopefully we can get the hubbies to actually STAY in the Temple after the ceremony though. I went hunting all over Skyrim for Farkas which tells me that the guys are really eager to get the heck out of there once the vows have been said. LOL!

Tracy, who loves your little wedding smiley btw

Tracy-- and I love your little cheerleader. So what is it about these guys? And are wives as bad? How come no one who has married a wife has any stories to tell?

And about that comfort thing, I finally happened upon Vilkas in bed, but I couldn't climb in with him because it was an "owned" bed. Sheesh.

Annie, I found this article that may shed some light on that. I think we all have the same woes.

http://www.wired.co.uk/news/archive/2011-11/22/marriage-in-skyrim


This is also worth a chuckle, to anyone who might love LOLCats.

http://icanhascheezburger.com/2011/12/04/funny-pictures-i-found-u-a-skyrim/

AnneG, that cat pic is adorable Thanks

You guys are having more fun with this game. My poor handsom Nord can't mess around until he gets me some of that clunky daedric armor - then maybe.............

Playing this on PS and didn't play well at all. Monday my son put PS on line and is so much better. Oh Joy - now I can enjoy the game.

Aproaching the 43 level and found some dragonscale gauntlets but the ebony ones are better.

I put that kittycat picture in favorites - it's so funny - just like a cat

AnneG--I LOVED that article about Skyrim that you posted the link for. That guy that wrote it is a trip! LOL Also, the cat pic on the other site looks just like my Jasper looked when he was younger. Awwww! He's 19 years old now and so it was fun to remember him as a young, fiesty boy again.

Tracy, realizing she hasn't seen any cats in Skyrim except the Sabre kind.....

AnneG -- thanks for the Weird Wife link. I'm glad to know the wives are just as bad. And that I'm not the only one to have to break into my marital home.

Tracy -- I imagine your Jasper as dreaming of being a dragon slayer.

Well, I married Ria and didn't have too many guests attend (a rather small affair). I then caught her before she split and told her to join me in my home and figured it would take a while for her to travel there so I started doing another quest before I checked on her at home. Well while traveling around on my quest who should I find on the road headed in the opposite direction? You guessed it, Ria. So I stopped and talked to her and she was all lovey dovey and even gave me some money and traded goods with me. I tried to tell her to go home but she wouldn't listen and wandered off again. So, I finished the quest and went home and then waited an additional 24 hours and she finally showed up sitting on a chair in my bedroom. I went to bed but she just kept sitting in the chair and was still there when I woke up. So much for married bliss.

Also I lost lydia so I used the command "placeatme" to retrieve her and all was well. Then when I went to the Whiterun house, Breezewood, there was another Lydia sitting in the chair waiting for me. So, I told my accompanying Lydia to leave and then was able to talk to the duplicate and asked her to join me so now hopefully, I only have one Lydia.

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?

L4L those maps are not necessary and I don't think you get any credit for them. I guess the game makers just through them in for kicks. I've gotten all the maps and have found 3 of the treasures and to tell you the truth the treasures are not any better than what you find in normal chests around the game. I was just finding things to do to prolong the game etc.

I'm also finding additional side quests by visiting all the caves and sites that I haven't cleared yet. Doing all this before I continue with the main quest because this is my second go around.

Looney4labs, thank you very much. That video did help. But I have to confess that my brain was fried with all those mage spells. I can hit a fly with an arrow but my spellcasting can't hit a wall. One of the spells I was using was the wrong kind. Duh!

Rowan I'm still struggling to hit the broadside of a barn with my arrows but I'm decent with spells......we would make a good team.

I just made Archmage without ever wearing a robe and only using spells when it was part of a quest. What I wore and what I did in the various dungeons just wasn't any mage's business. My trusty bow did almost all of the work. My spellcasting is really embarrassing. I'm close to being in charge of the thieves but I just want to hang on to that unbreakable lockpick a little while longer.

Rowan, sounds as though you're blazing ahead.

I'm not even close to finishing a guild at this point. Though I'm done with the Thieves main quests, I still have some redecorating to do, apparently. And the Assassin's Guild goes on forever, it seems. Mages? Don't get me started.

I'm currently on a walkabout of the entire map. Found a couple of shouts way up in them thar hills, some very nasty undead that fill a black soul gem very nicely, and a whole lotta loot. I spend a lot of time crafting and enchanting, determined to get up to 100 in those skills in this game.

Level 52 and sticking - and not needing to advance any to keep the game engaging.

I finally settled on using the house in Solitude as my base of operations. I think it's the nicest house and I really like that it's three levels. The porch overlooking the water is a nice touch too.

I had to save up a fair amount to get it, which was a bit of a pain at 25,000 gold + all the upgrades on top of that.

I don't have any speech perks, so shops have limited gold and that took a bit of time to do.

I used the time to max my smithing to 100, as well as my enchanting to 100 though. I find the loot you get from various quests and just looking around to be somewhat lacking, so smithing + enchanting seems to be the way to go.

I also finally landed myself a wife. I only had to murder two people to win her favor too!

Sounds like you're having fun Templeton! I have to confess, I wanted that house in Solitude so much that I used the console to get a big amount of gold so I could buy it right away. I forced myself to not do that again for the others though, and oddly enough, i seem to like them better because I actually "earned" the money to get them! Although, I do think the Solutide one is gorgeous and I wish I could climb into the monitor and live there for real. SIGH!

btw--to all, I just had to share this. I went back to Riverwood for the first time in ages and the guy at Riverwood Traders said, "You and I are the only people around here that aren't complete fools". LOL! I just died laughing and now I'm wandering around other towns to see if anyone else says that to me.

Tracy

Tracy -- That awful Erikur says something similiar. Gives me the creeps everytime. I don't want to share anything with Erikur.

I've heard the occasional person complain that I have bad breath. Must be Namira's Ring that I am wearing.

Bad breath! I haven't had that one, but people have asked if that is fur coming out of my ears! And I'm no longer a werewolf!

Annie--eeww. I know---I can't stand Erikur. Or his resentful sister, "I'm Gisli, but you can call me Erikur's sister-everyone else does".

Nice family. LOL!

Tracy

Uhm, Annie, this bad breath issue, uhm, uh, maybe, has something to do with..uh, someone I ate.

Okay, I'm now absolutely going to get that house in Solitude, once I've passed the 100,000 gold achievement. How do you go about buying it? I can't seem to work out what quests I have to do first.

It'll take me a full day of real-time playing to upgrade and sell all the stuff I have in my Whiterun home, but I think it's time. There's a lot of junk sitting around in there, including a huge library and about 500 pounds of alchemical ingredients. Thre must be 50,000 gold worth of stuff in there, all told, what with the lovely elven armour I created but never used, not having the right enchantments.

hagatha, have you done that quest that Falk Firebeard gives you about taking care of necromancers in Wolfskull Cave? I think that's one of the big ones. The other quest that's essential for the house is given to you by the jarl, Elisif. You have to take her husband's war horn to the shrine of Talos.

Hagatha, I don't remember a specific quest but if you visit the jarl of Solitude he will give you a problem to solve. Then you have to do 3 additional smaller quests/favours for local residents to gain further recognition. Then you will be recognized as thane and given the opportunity to buy a house. You will then have to talk to the jarl's bodyguard to buy it.

Rowan -- Oh dear! Could I, um er, ask if they tasted, you know, um, like chicken?

Tracy -- The way Erikur behaved at the party at the Embassy! Male Chauvinist Oinker!

It should be in order:

1) Talk to Falk Firebeard in the Blue Palace. He'll give you a quest called "The Man Who Cried Wolf". Which invovles investigating a cave. Note: there is a second part to this, but you don't have to do it right away to get the house.

2) Talk to Jarl Elisif the Fair after completing "The Man Who Cried Wolf". She should give you a quest called "Elisif's Tribute".

3) After completing "Elisif's Tribute". You will be told you also need to Assist the People of Haafingar. You need to assist 5 people. In all likelihood you've probably already done this if you've been questing at all in the area.

4) At that point you can buy the house from Falk Firebeard and become a Thane of Haafingar.

Annie--You got that right! What a pig. I'd like to kill him, except I think he's set as "essential". LOL

Thanks for the house buying tips. I know what the special item is -- I peeked, of course, because I'm a completist and had to have them all, quest or no.

I seem to have lost the point in this game, but I'm sure having fun. Now I have 100 in Enchant and Blacksmithing and with potions and enchantments am creating some pretty neat stuff. Some of my Morrowind/Oblivion games have been like that, too - where I spend most of my time making stuff and carting things all over hell's half acre looking for merchants with money. Forgot the plot. Next time I can maybe focus on quests a little bit.

I don't make Ebony armour, though, and I am still -- still - looking for ebony boots to complete Lydia's set. At level 55 you'd think I would have come across one lousy pair of ebony boots, wouldn't you?

Hagatha, I think the point of the game is to have fun, and you are

Hagatha, have you done the quest called Boethia's Calling?

Well, I finally loaded Skyrim this evening and played for a little bit. It took me forever to decide what I wanted to look like, lol.

So far I'm a female Imperial and all I've done is run around and got into the keep. I'm going to spend the rest of the evening looking at the skimpy little manual so I can have an idea of where the controls are.

JeanK-hope you have fun with the game!

And, everyone and anyone else, I need help! I'm doing a miscelleous quest for someone in the Riften prison and after I went to get their item and returned, every time I try to open the prison door to enter the prison, I get booted out of the game completely back to the desktop. GRRRRR!! I guess this is a bug or something but it's driving me crazy so I thought I'd find out if anyone else has run into it, and how you got past it.

Since I was just playing Morrowind right before Skyrim came out, this quest was kind of meaningful to me and I'd really like to finish it if possible! (hope that's not a spoiler! lol)

Thanks so much you guys,
Tracy, who alogn with this quest is STILL wishing for more dialog with everyone in the game. I'm so bored with the same old stuff! lol

Tracy, I haven't been to Riften yet.

JeanK, if you're playing on a PC the game interface is quite easy. Hit J for the journal and in-game stats, hit I or Tab for your inventory, Hit tab to level up or select spells, inventory items, etc.

Rowan, I haven't finished that quest. I'm on quest cleanup right now, so it won't be long. I'm not taking an Ebony Armour skill just so that Lydia can have matching boots. She can use her Orcish boots. Speaking of Lydia, her favourite fighting style is two magic staffs. No matter what else I give her, she always chooses the two staffs. Now who would have guessed? Anyway, she's pretty hard on dragons, as long as I remember to recharge her stuff.

Tracy, I haven't had that problem so I can't help, unfortunately. My Dark Brotherhood quests seem to be bugged, though.

I finally have my house in Solitude and am ferrying all my stuff from Whiterun. Such a lot of stuff I have. Too bad there aren't any rich merchants around

Thanks Hagatha. I guess some of the quests are just buggy, unfortunately.

We need a really good mod that can help us all move stuff from house to house btw. I hope that someone will make one when the Creation Kit comes out, OR that I'll have the guts to try my hand at it myself! LOL

Tracy

I am working on the Companions Radiant Quest(which will never end!) Vilkas wants me to find an escaped criminal roaming the Rift. The map marker telling you where to go to find criminal moves from place to place on the map. Sometimes it is in Riften at various places and sometimes it is outside Riften at other various places. Did anyone else have this problem? Can I skip this quest and still proceed in game? I have chased the criminal about five hours now and I am tired.
I must have a "buggy" game. I have completed seven Animal Exterminations, five Family Heirloom Quests, four of the other quest and there are five quest I can not trigger.

The Creation Kit and 1.4 patch for all platforms will be out soon. Looks like the patch fixes several quest bugs, among other things. That's good news.

http://www.bethblog.com/2012/01/19/news-on-the-creation-kit-and-game-updates/

Kazzmo, unless those are the main questline (they don't sound like they are), you can skip them.


Thanks AnneG

Ok, all, be patient with me. I just got back to the beginning after a few days, and have got some questions. How in the world do you pick potions up? I have it targeted and it says press E to pick it up, but all it does is the potion floats in the air in front of me.

I use the Xbox controller for Windows, JeanK, but I've noticed that if I go to pick something up and hold the button down a little too long, then I wind up grabbing the item and dragging it around the screen instead of picking it up and putting it in my inventory. When you go to pick something up, just hit the key you need quickly and then let off it, and see if that helps.

looney4labs, Thank you, they are not main quest, so I will move on.

Thanks AnneG

Great Kazz, glad you are able to progress now. I'll be playing this game for years!

Looney-"I'll be playing this game for years". Me too!

I'm having such fun just wandering around, finding places by accident, kicking butt on occasion, and just recently finding that someone was selling a beautiful set of glass armor which I bought right away. It's gorgeous and my character looks awesome! LOL

btw---I found a little shack and have fallen in love with it. I can't wait til I can either learn the Creation Kit OR have a modder do it for me, but what I'd love to do is to fill in the blank walls where there are missing pieces of wood, to put a door in the empty doorway, clear out the cobwebs, and put a few decorations on the walls. I'm excited about that and hopefully I'll be able to do it or to have it done soon!

(This is Anise's shack btw, in case anyone else wants to check it out)

Anyway, I'm ready to climb into my monitor and live here so if you don't see me for a few days, I've left my body behind and am going to live in my character's body for awhile! (she's alot thinner than I am btw, so this would really be fun for me right now. lol)

Take care everyone and see ya soon,
Tracy

Thanks for your suggestion Anne, that worked.

Now, I'm on my first quest to get the golden claw from the bandits at Bleak Falls Barrow. I killed a bunch outside and went into the temple. Can't find the claw. There is a chest on upper level but I broke all my lockpicks trying to open it. Is it in there? Maybe I should go back to the trader and see if I can get some lockpicks from him.

I went further into the temple and now am stopped at a gate where if I pull the lever arrows shoot at me. Still trying to figure out if I need to go there, lol.

Hi everyone. I've been playing Skyrim for 260 hours now (with breaks ) and have not yet chosen which side to fight the Civil War with. For those of you that have chosen is there any advantage or difference between either side. I am sort of leaning towards the Imperials. Any thoughts?

I have played through twice and have chosen each side and in my opinion there is no difference in how it effects the game. So I would assume that it is just a matter of taste in which faction you prefer. I, myself, am more of a rebel so the Storm Clouds attracted me initially.

I've done the companion quests up until the one where you get lyncanthropy. Is this curable? I don't want the disease for the rest of the game although I'm willing to try it out on a temporary basis.

Rowan, yes it is curable. You can do it or not do it. I still have it in my quest book as I don't think I want to be a werewolf though son likes it.

Glad that's sorted for you, JeanK!


Tracy, I do like that cabin a lot. I thought Anise was this sweet old lady for most of the game and then I picked the lock to her basement and saw what she had down there. Then when I came out she yelled "now you know my secret." and attacked me and I had to kill her. *lol* I've read that most of the containers in her house are safe for storage. I'd check that out though, just to be sure. The Creation Kit should be out this week or next Monday/Tuesday. I can't wait!

First thing I'm doing is making all the animals friendly to me. I'm so tired of going out to pick herbs and getting attacked over every hill by something. Then I'll start making houses. One of the first ones will be for sure a dwemer home, like the kind you see in Markarth. If any of you have been in The Hag's Cure, the alchemy shop in Markarth, it'll be a copy of that interior and I'll be adding a basement to it. I just want to get started. I haven't modded anything since November. I hope I'm not too rusty and that the Creation Kit is not too different from GECK, the kit for the Fallout games.

oooo - a video game where you get a sickness, and you have a choice of whether to have that disease for the rest of the game or to get cured of it....this sounds a lot like my life, folks. my best friend compares life to a video game regarding the choices we make on a daily basis. I'd like to know more about this disease in this game, how you get it, what it does to you, what it is, and how you get cured?

Hi Oldman , Thank you for the response. I will definitely choose one and start working on completing the quest.

I just found this on Youtube and thought I'd share.

That one makes me giggle, Annie. Especially the pickpocketing part. *lol*


I found a mod that actually disturbed me....
http://www.rockpapershotgun.com/2012/01/19/unlock-your-inner-brony-in-skyrim/#more-90008


And for any members here that might be fans of the show Futurama, you'll probably get a really big kick out of this mod here.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Od-b82jxj4E

Annie, that was funny
Thanks for the laughs.

Annie, that was funny!

Annie just wishes she were that clever herself.

AnneG -- thanks for sharing that one. I will remember to watch the skies!

How do you cast the "Clairvoyance" spell? It supposedly helps me to find quest targets. How close do I have to be before something shows up? I was thinking it would show like a light trail or something, but I don't see a thing.

Ok got that figured out. Now how can I assign hotkeys for weapons or spells? I need a strategy guide.

AnneG--that's cool that you've found that cabin too. I had the same thing happen btw...there she was in her robes looking all elderly and "normal" and the next thing I know I was having to kill her. Wow. LOL

Love your ideas for a Markarth-style house btw. I am in love with all of that Dwemer architecture in Markarth and so I'd love to see what you end up creating!

btw---since I am a total newbie to modding, I was wondering if sometime down the road I might get a few lessons and tips from you? I'd still love to learn the Construction Set for Oblivion, but also the Creation Kit when it comes out, and I just haven't known how to get started when it comes to modding.

Take care and btw, no pressure! If there is another person or website that gives modding tips I'll be glad to use that instead. I just figured since I was here GB-ing I'd ask.

Tracy

Of course, Tracy. I'll be happy to help. I'll look and find you a few good tutorials that helped me but I tell you, I learned most everything by good old trial and error. It almost seemed like cheating but I think I figured out things the most by opening up other people's mods and looking and seeing how they did things. I'd add things, delete things, change things around, just to get a handle on them. It can get overwhelming at times but it's so exciting to see the changes you can make in the game.

Hi fellow Skyrimmers
I have been lucky enough to get 23/24 of the unusual gems. The 24th, unfortunately, is in the Thalmur Embassy where I am unable to enter anymore. Hopefully the ps3 patch 1.4 will fix this quest ender.
Did anyone here find a way back in after the Diplomatic Immunity quest has ended? (I have seen the ones on YouTube and they are difficult).

Manxman, I just went back to see but I also can't get in. The door needs a key which I don't have. The guards outside don't carry a key. I tried entering through the cave where I exited before but I can't jump up on that ledge. I guess I won't be able to collect that b.stone either. When I was in the embassy before I was too worried about staying alive that searching for stuff that wasn't in the direct path just didn't enter my mind. I hope a patch will solve it. Guess i just have to wait.

Well you could always cheat using the console.

Anyway a funny thing just happened to me. I gave my follower, Illia, a circlet to wear so she wouldn't show that ugly hood all the time and it worked fine. But now, out of the blue, she shed her robe as well and is wearing nothing but her bra and panties (or it could be just shorts and halter). Anyway I thought it strange and maybe a while later will try to dress her again but for now I'm getting a kick out of it.

I thought of striping down to my shorts as well but it's a little cold in the snow capped mountains.

sounds like your playing the x rated version of Skyrim oldman

Rowan, Bethesda is saying that the patch will allow reentry so there is hope yet. I just hope the patch doesn't require another patch later on like the first two patches did. My saves are upto 15mb and the game lags terribly at some times.

Yes Illia is "buggy"! The first time I used her, She used to walk around in her bikini et got dressed to fight... sometimes! ( a nice Mage outfit with necklace and ring and a staff she used to blast me half the time!!! I took back my stuff and sent her home after a while: I felt too cold, in a snowstorm, seeing her in her bikini!!!

This time around I gave her an enchanted leather outfit with enchanted jewellery and a fire staff. She looked very nice!Now She is back with her old blue dress and she has lost the stuff I gave her: it is not in her inventory!!!She has lost the Daedric dagger I gave her and is using an ebony dagger with an enchantment for undead that I have never seen!!! Enough is enough, I sent her home!!!

manxman - can't you go into a file somewhere and delete the older saves. I'm playing on the PS and deleting is so easy - too easy sometimes, oops!

For some reason I become impatient with this game.

L4L - met a lovely doggy in the wild but she/he wouldn't go home with me and Meeko ran off boohoo.

I've quit playing for a bit because I had to kill a mammoth. I really enjoy killing the giants but this time his mammoth charged me and I ran but dumb Shadowmere picked a fight so I killed Mamm because I didn't want Shdwm to get killed.

Also L4L did your son retrieve his deleted saves.

Hi guys, this topic is becoming unwieldy so I'm going to lock it and pin it and start a new one.

AnneG-Thanks. And btw, I think that the old trial and error is a good thing--what better way to learn than to do? I think I will get the Creation Kit when it comes out, fiddle around and maybe when I need help hollar out to you!

(and possibly do the same w/ the Construction Set!)

Tracy, SO eager to make her own houses in Skyrim AND in the Shivering Isles in Oblivion!