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The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim beginner's guide

Need help building your Dragonborn? We got you covered

Words: on November 10, 2011
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52 comments

  • rob619 - November 11, 2011 7:36 a.m.

    I have never played a Skyrim game, this guide will help alot! Thanks alot Gamesradar, you have again read my mind! :)

  • jack-brannigan - November 11, 2011 7:40 a.m.

    Also, read some books in the game. For instance, I picked up a book off some random table called Dragonborns and it gave a short but useful summary of a bunch of stuff: dragons, the definition of dragonborn, Emperors, and how dragonborn was related to them.

  • misfit119 - November 11, 2011 8:55 a.m.

    As I mentioned above the world is Nirn. That's actually what it's supposed to say but I made a flub since I was looking at notes relating to Oblivion. The worlds name is mentioned in several books in previous games. I was trying to refer to the world since Alduin is known as "The World Eater" and just ended up typing Cyrodiil instead of Nirn.

  • Kyo - November 11, 2011 10:33 a.m.

    Ha yea I ended up getting the guide because.. well it's beautiful(big damn book) and it pretty much backs up what this guide and you've said. Long story short I wanted heavy armor, made an orc. IGN is sad.

  • GamesRadarMatthewKeast - November 11, 2011 12:37 p.m.

    All right you nerds we fixed it.

  • GamesRadarMatthewKeast - November 11, 2011 12:42 p.m.

    Most of the racial abilities are crap, but for instance I played as a High Elf pure mage and the magicka regen ability was huge during boss fights.

  • GamesRadarMatthewKeast - November 11, 2011 12:43 p.m.

    You don't need to play Oblivion at all. There are a few offhand references to that game here, but you're not missing anything really.

  • JonnyJon - November 11, 2011 8:09 p.m.

    I have no idea what this game is about. But i really wanna play it because everyone says its gunna be amazing. It looks really complicated though, i was never really a fan of rpg's. Ill probably buy it sometime soon.

  • nicholas-aube - November 12, 2011 11:12 a.m.

    As far as individual characters it wont be a problem because its an entirely different place. There might be a few minuscule details that that could vaguely suggest something from an earlier game but for the most part it is its own world. If you ask me, not having the previous games would not be a problem at all. But hey, the other games are still fun if you want to play something old school.

  • lime2149 - November 12, 2011 1:02 p.m.

    I busted into this game knowing i was going to be a khajiit with a axe and a flame. reading this makes me feel idiotic

  • Mamudo - November 13, 2011 7:59 p.m.

    A well written guide with some useful tips. I NEED to get my hands on Skyrim soon.

  • jasoncarter - November 13, 2011 11:34 p.m.

    Honestly do whatever you feel is best. I like magic, and khajiits, thus khajiit mage/thief. Love it to death.

  • BladedFalcon - November 14, 2011 1:43 p.m.

    I'd imagine the Adrenaline rush from the Redguards must be pretty cool in some situations as well. That's the race I'm probably gonna pick anyway. Used to be a fan of the Nords and I picked them for both Morrowing and oblivion. But I honestly felt like they ruined them in this game. I mean, not saying they are worthless by any means, but I think they are definitely not as great as they sued to be before. Even ignoring racial abilities, the fact that they have bonus on both one hand and two hand seems a bit redundant, since most people are probably gonna focus on one style anyway.

  • TheMasterJeef - November 15, 2011 9:01 a.m.

    Personally? Im bitterly disappointed by Skyrim. I would have LOVED to buy and play this game. But having enchanted weapons needing a 'battery change' drives me insane. To the extent I just can’t play this. I only lasted one weekend with Oblivion due to this. Why Bethesda couldn’t have implemented the system from Morrowind, where weapons charge over time, beggars belief. I can’t recall any fantasy literature when the hero has to worry about how many charges his mighty flaming blade has left!! Plus has Bethesda actually made straight stealth a viable play option? In Oblivion straight stealth (no magic, or two handed weapons) was nigh on impossible. Even critical stealth shots from my bow in Oblivion would just irritate bandits, who would then call all their friends over to bludgeon me to death. It seemed to me that you could only really play as warrior, mage or a hybrid of the two. If someone can confirm if this is playable as a straight ranger/thief/assassin type character (including selling stolen items to normal merchants) and that enchanted weapons aren’t a must have, i would love to pick this up. P.S. I am not trolling, or hating Skyrim. It looks a phenomenal game. However there are elements of gameplay that make this unplayable for me.

  • Mr.Bobicus - November 15, 2011 10:36 a.m.

    I think not playing this game because of the "charge" is a big mistake, I personally love it. I agree, I was a bit annoyed at first, but you can recharge them I believe. I'm also a (more or less) straight up Wood Elf stealth ranger, and it has worked well so far, although I dabble in one-handed swords and destruction magic (trolls are a nightmare without fire magic).

  • TheMasterJeef - November 15, 2011 11:22 a.m.

    Thanks for clarifying that Mr Bobicus, seems your pretty much playing the sort of character I would (including the race). Its not so much the charges, as recharging it. I remember the cost (in gold) being quite steep, that or having to level up magic to cast soul trap & cart round shed loads of soul stones. Plus casting soul trap on someone before trying to backstab/shoot them in the eye kind of removed my stealth advantage. Does anyone know if soul trapping or paying for recharges is handled better in Skyrim?

  • PieFlingingNinja - November 15, 2011 11:56 a.m.

    You guys probably already know this but, for all you thief/rouge types that prefer dual wielding. Daggers don't use stanima at all, unless you use a charged attack. Plus they don't make as much noise as swords or battle axes, adding to the stealth.

  • Hobojedi - November 15, 2011 3:21 p.m.

    Simple - give your companion a weapon enchanted with the soul tap ability along with your empty soul gems. Then, let your companion get a little damage near the end of the fight and watch the gems fill up with soul-juice.

  • TheMasterJeef - November 16, 2011 4:36 a.m.

    Hmmmm. Thats something I never thought of. Thanks. I may pick up a used copy in the new year. I have Battlefield 3, Arkham City, and AC: Revelations to occupy me until then!

  • D0CCON - November 16, 2011 3:47 p.m.

    The Morrowind way for recharging would have been better, but I personally noticed that recharging was smoother here. Soul gems are everywhere and are sometimes even filled and I got an Axe of Whiterun very early on that was enchanted with soul trap so it was easy for me to get souls (not to mention I got access to a Soul Trap spell sooner. A lady in Solitude sells one). It's also not a requirement. Sure, shooting arrows that electrocute your enemies or something like that is awesome, but it isn't needed to beat the game. Also, I've noticed quite a few more improvements that make stealth actually work. I wear heavy armor and my sneak skill is low, so the enemy finds me a lot, but they are never instantly aware of your location when you attack and new spells and shouts let you trick enemies or set up traps (magic runes are deadly traps and a shout lets you create noise in a specific area causing people to check that area. It's range is huge and you can put it on top of traps). It's also nice that guards aren't instantly aware of your crimes and if you have a crime with witnesses, killing them all before they report you removes your bounty goes away. Bows are also way more powerful and there is a perk that lets sneak attacks with daggers do 15X damage. Combine that with a stronger dagger and you have a weapon that can one hit kill practically any non-boss human if you are stealthy.

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