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[Mr Furious]

Can't remember what level exactly. In the 30s. I was rich in the 20s though, and it's easy to get rich real quick with Alchemy maxed out. And had I known what I know now, I probably could have been pretty rich in the teens like 17, 18 or 19 or so. Then I could have had all my stats maxed out without a cap and the game would have been unbalanced.

Thanks to your advice, I am finding it easy to make about 1000 gold at one crack now and I am only Level 10.

I also raided the guilded carafe. I cleaned her out of everything. Then I made tons of potions to sell her! I love that.

 

[ElyrionX]

Ummm, can someone please answer the question I posted above with regards to the leveling and difficulty in this game? Is it really necessary to get the +5 attributes per level?

 

[Dr_Cogent]

Ummm, can someone please answer the question I posted above with regards to the leveling and difficulty in this game? Is it really necessary to get the +5 attributes per level?

I don't think I even understand the question. Just play it and have fun with it.

 

[Confidence Man]

Finally got the hang of scripting. Maybe I'll have something to download pretty soon.

Question for Vark or SteveMeister - is there a way to adjust the length of time dialogue displays? It seems to be set at a couple seconds no matter how long the responses are.

 

[ElyrionX]

1) Enemy scaling. I personally find it problematic that they scale directly to your level. On my first playthrough, I was a warrior / mage type character who just levelled naturally and didn't try to maximize my skill modifiers at level up. By level 8, I was getting the crap kicked out of me by regular enemies, and I had to turn down the difficulty. My second time I made sure to get at least 2 +5 modifiers every level (plus 1 point for luck), and the game difficulty is just right. I don't think you should be forced to plan out your skill modifiers to get a natural progression of difficulty.

I was referring to this.

I'm worried because I don't plan my leveling and am currently just playing the game naturally. However, I really don't wish to get shafted at the later levels just because I screwed up my attributes distribution in the lower levels.

Currently, my major skills comprise of five schools of magic (Alchemy, Alteration, Restoration, Destruction, Illusion) which means that I would level up pretty fast. However, this also means that I am unlikely to be able to add +5 to my attributes every level.

I have read on GameFAQs that Endurance is the game's most important attribute and I don't see how I am going to be able to increase my Endurance by +5 every level unless I make an effort to.

 

[raYne]

Ummm, can someone please answer the question I posted above with regards to the leveling and difficulty in this game? Is it really necessary to get the +5 attributes per level?

Nope. It only means you use that aspect of your character a lot, so it'll level up faster than the others. It isn't a requirement at all, even with the scaling.

It's in your best interests to put it to use to get the most out of your character early on though. Depending on your character type. Intelligence for magic users, blade/blunt/strength for warrior types etc.

RE: levelling- The only way you'll end up hurting yourself is if you did something stupid like only "train" your characters speed/agility and the like while not upping your health or defenses. That's the reason why people really have trouble with the scaling. If done that way you'll end up coming across the harder enemies just because of your level, and not have the tools to fight them with.

 

[Dr_Cogent]

I was referring to this.

I'm worried because I don't plan my leveling and am currently just playing the game naturally. However, I really don't wish to get shafted at the later levels just because I screwed up my attributes distribution in the lower levels.

Currently, my major skills comprise of five schools of magic (Alchemy, Alteration, Restoration, Destruction, Illusion) which means that I would level up pretty fast. However, this also means that I am unlikely to be able to add +5 to my attributes every level.

I have read on GameFAQs that Endurance is the game's most important attribute and I don't see how I am going to be able to increase my Endurance by +5 every level unless I make an effort to.

I always take the modifiers when leveling that give me the most. I believe they do this on purpose to try to sort of push you in the right direction. What they stress depends on your class as well.

 

[Kung Fu Jedi]

Ummm, can someone please answer the question I posted above with regards to the leveling and difficulty in this game? Is it really necessary to get the +5 attributes per level?

Some people have complained that the game gets too hard at higher levels thanks to the leveling of the creatures around you. I personally have not found that to be the case, and feel that the game continues to offer a nice challenge as I've scaled up. I believe my main character is currently at level 31 or 32.

As for the +5 attribute, no it's not necessary at all. I have focused on increasing the stats that have the most benefit for me. But as Cogent said, just play the game, have fun, and build your character the way you want to.

 

[ElyrionX]

Ok, thanks for the replies. I'll just roleplay my character and see how it goes.

 

[GhaleonEB]

Ok, thanks for the replies. I'll just roleplay my character and see how it goes.

The only advice I can give is to try to develop your character with complementary skills. For example, I'm a Battle Mage, and I got myself booted from the Mage's Guild early on for stealing. This cut off my access to the decent spells. Because of that, my combat (blunt, blade, block) is very high, but my magic is weaker.

However, when leveling I kept up my Intelligence and Wisdom stats, as if I had access to spells and I used what I had often. Despite this, I was getting whomped in combat the last 10-15 hours since I wasn't balanced. I was not enough of a fighter, and my magic was weak. Now that I have access to the better spells, I'm back in the game and doing well.

Had I stopped leveling my intelligence and wisdom, I would not even be able to cast the better spells and I'd be toast right now. You can balance out your character lots of ways, just make sure you don't neglect any area for too long or it can bite you hard. I'm Level 19 now and the enemies just took a turn for the NASTY.

 

[Nerevar]

Ok, thanks for the replies. I'll just roleplay my character and see how it goes.

Yeah, just have fun. If you notice the enemies get too hard, don't be afraid to turn down the difficulty. I had to do it at around levels 12-15ish when I was playing on the xbox because mountain lions and grizzly bears were beating the fuck out of me. Eventually I was able to put it back at normal though, once I got my conjuration high enough to summon things that could actually help me fight back.

 

[Nerevar]

Shamelessly stolen from the Oblivion recall thread ...

http://www.gamasutra.com/php-bin/new...php?story=9159

In a major announcement, the Entertainment Software Rating Board (ESRB) has changed the rating assigned to the game The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion from T (Teen 13+) to M (Mature 17+), following the revelation of a topless game skin contained within the game.

According to the ESRB itself: "The content causing the ESRB to change the rating involves more detailed depictions of blood and gore than were considered in the original rating, as well as the presence of a locked-out art file or “skin” that, if accessed through a thirdparty modification to the PC version of the game, allows the user to play with topless versions of female characters."

 

[SatelliteOfLove]

Shamelessly stolen from the Oblivion recall thread ...

OFFS. Ugh.

 

[Kai Dracon]

Yeah, just have fun. If you notice the enemies get too hard, don't be afraid to turn down the difficulty. I had to do it at around levels 12-15ish when I was playing on the xbox because mountain lions and grizzly bears were beating the fuck out of me. Eventually I was able to put it back at normal though, once I got my conjuration high enough to summon things that could actually help me fight back.

I wonder if more people would use the difficulty slider if each end had been labeled EXPLORATION <-------> COMBAT instead of easy/hard?

 

[Nerevar]

OFFS. Ugh.

what?

 

[pilonv1]

Is there a list of trainers somehwere? I've just been training skills I never use much (like Heavy Armor) each level cause its' the only guy I can find.

 

[Nerevar]

Is there a list of trainers somehwere? I've just been training skills I never use much (like Heavy Armor) each level cause its' the only guy I can find.

um, gamefaqs? If you have the PC version there's even a mod you can install that puts a book in the game with all the trainers in it. Go to TESSource to get it.

edit: here's a link to the mod: http://www.tessource.net/files/file.php?id=2115

 

[pilonv1]

Last time I checked gamefaqs it wasn't there, but there's one now.

 

[FeedMeAStrayCat]

Is it possible to buy lockpicks anywhere in this game? I had a huge abundance of them in the beginning levels, but now (level 7 or 8, can't remember) I need them for some quests (Dark Brotherhood and such) and I can't find any, or if I do.. I only find like one. I want to go to a store and buy a 100. Any help?

 

[Nerevar]

Is it possible to buy lockpicks anywhere in this game? I had a huge abundance of them in the beginning levels, but now (level 7 or 8, can't remember) I need them for some quests (Dark Brotherhood and such) and I can't find any, or if I do.. I only find like one. I want to go to a store and buy a 100. Any help?

as a member of the thieves guild, you can buy lockpicks from any of your fences (Ongar if you're a beginner level thief). Otherwise, you're pretty much SOL as I don't think any other merchant sells them. There are a bunch of PC mods that add in vendors for non-thiefs guild members though, but that is (kinda) cheating.

 

[aaaaa0]

Is it possible to buy lockpicks anywhere in this game? I had a huge abundance of them in the beginning levels, but now (level 7 or 8, can't remember) I need them for some quests (Dark Brotherhood and such) and I can't find any, or if I do.. I only find like one. I want to go to a store and buy a 100. Any help?

Spoiler

Level up to 10 then do the Nocturnal daedric quest

and you'll never need another lock pick again...

Spoiler

The shrine of Nocturnal is north-east of Leyawiin near the road which is on the east side of the river. Here's a map: http://planetelderscrolls.gamespy.com/screenshots/?ss=833

 

[Spruce Moose]

Can someone tell me where I can find a chapel in the Imperial City? I'm diseased and have no money or potions.

Thanks in advance.

 

[BigJonsson]

So whats performance like with the geforce 7800 GS? P3 3ghz and 1 gig of ram

 

[SatelliteOfLove]

what?

That was my reaction to reading it for the first time, not the quoting.

 

[GhaleonEB]

Confession time.

I have no freaking clue how the lockpicking mini-game works. I'm 62 hours into the game and I have NEVER ONCE picked a lock by hand - 100% using the X button to do it automatically based on my skill. Near as I can tell, you press up to tap the chambers up and down, then press A to break your lockpick. I went through over 20 of them on a Very Easy lock, then just hit X and opened it. That's what I've done ever since.

The manual does not even tell you what button to hit to open locks. I'm really starting to run short so I need to learn (not joining the theif guild for a while yet). Can someone describe how to do it?

 

[Zensetsu]

Confession time.

I have no freaking clue how the lockpicking mini-game works. I'm 62 hours into the game and I have NEVER ONCE picked a lock by hand - 100% using the X button to do it automatically based on my skill. Near as I can tell, you press up to tap the chambers up and down, then press A to break your lockpick. I went through over 20 of them on a Very Easy lock, then just hit X and opened it. That's what I've done ever since.

The manual does not even tell you what button to hit to open locks. I'm really starting to run short so I need to learn (not joining the theif guild for a while yet). Can someone describe how to do it?

I can pick just about any lock with almost no lockpicking skill because of this mini-game. Never need to take "security". Basically what you do is move the pick up and you see the tumbler sticks and then falls down. Do it a couple of times and you'll see it moves at different speeds each time. Now what you want to do hit it when its at the top, on the slowest speed. Heres the trick: The slowest speed allways follows directly after the fastest. Then its just a matter of timing. Ie: Keep jiggling it till you know what the fastest looks like on that pin, then when you see it pop up, hit the one immediatley after it.

On more complex locks they move a bit faster, but once you get the timing down its not hard at all. I have picked a "very hard" lock with about 13 points in security.

 

[B_Rik_Schitthaus]

I can pick just about any lock with almost no lockpicking skill because of this mini-game. Never need to take "security". Basically what you do is move the pick up and you see the tumbler sticks and then falls down. Do it a couple of times and you'll see it moves at different speeds each time. Now what you want to do hit it when its at the top, on the slowest speed. Heres the trick: The slowest speed allways follows directly after the fastest. Then its just a matter of timing. Ie: Keep jiggling it till you know what the fastest looks like on that pin, then when you see it pop up, hit the one immediatley after it.

On more complex locks they move a bit faster, but once you get the timing down its not hard at all. I have picked a "very hard" lock with about 13 points in security.

I'm useless at the lockpick mini game, your completely right that is the perfect technique but I couldn't do it, I just pressed X and then got the skeleton key later on, which is an absolute godsend. Easy to get aswell.

I think this is my first post in this thread, if I'm repeating myself I'm sorry but this game is mind blowing, I didn't believe in video game addiction, I do now.

 

[Brannon]

That's the technique I use, but he put it in words better than me. Every time I see a lock, I think nothing of taking a crack at it. Within 10 seconds all the pins get clicked into place on a very hard lock. You should just sit there and poke at the lock for a while.

Now that I think about it, it's pretty funny that in Morrowind there is a book that, when read, raises your security level, and in that book is the story of a girl who was being trained by a locksmith, and all she would do is pick at the lock for hours, just to see how it went. Of course the story takes a completely different road, but it's where I got the basic idea.

Cross-game knowledge ftw!

 

[belgurdo]

So whats performance like with the geforce 7800 GS? P3 3ghz and 1 gig of ram

I'm on a 2.6 P4 with a 6800 and outside of some chugging on the overworld when you're in a congested area the game plays very smoothly. I don't think you'll have much of a problem (might want some more ram to take out some chunkiness, though)


Oh yeah....you know what the best thing about becoming Guild Arch-Mage is? Being able to legalize necromancy.

 

[Nerevar]

The slowest speed allways follows directly after the fastest.

I'd like to point out that this isn't necessarily true. If your security is low, the fastest speed can repeat for a number of times before you see a slow drop. Just work on your reaction time, you'll get good at it relatively quickly. After breaking about 80 lockpicks and learning how to do the game, I can pick any lock level and almost never break a pick with a security skill in the 30s.

 

[Dr_Cogent]

Can someone tell me where I can find a chapel in the Imperial City? I'm diseased and have no money or potions.

Thanks in advance.

Is there a chapel in Imperial City? I don't remember seeing one. You may have to travel to another city. I think all the other cities have them.

 

[Nerevar]

Is there a chapel in Imperial City? I don't remember seeing one. You may have to travel to another city. I think all the other cities have them.

qft.

There is no chapel in the imperial city. I remember getting a disease from a rat in the sewers early on in the game and searching the city high and low without finding anything, before I eventually gave up and hightailed it to Chorrol for the cure.

 

[Kung Fu Jedi]

When it comes to lockpicking, it takes a little practice, but once you get the hang of it, it's fairly easy. However, I personally wait until I find the slowest drop of the tumbler, then hit "A" when it goes up fast. It works better for my reactions I suppose. :lol The slow ones were throwing off my timing, but I found I was hitting the fast ones dead on 95% of the time.

 

[LakeEarth]

I'm on a 2.6 P4 with a 6800 and outside of some chugging on the overworld when you're in a congested area the game plays very smoothly. I don't think you'll have much of a problem (might want some more ram to take out some chunkiness, though)


Oh yeah....you know what the best thing about becoming Guild Arch-Mage is? Being able to legalize necromancy.

Who do you talk to to make Necromancy legal?

Okay, help me 'get' lockpicking. So I push the one part of the lock up, then I can't move the key until that part of the lock falls back down. What's the trick?

 

[Do The Mario]

LOL I forgot that you can turn the difficulty up! I might try it to give my high level char some challenge.

 

[Nerevar]

Okay, help me 'get' lockpicking. So I push the one part of the lock up, then I can't move the key until that part of the lock falls back down. What's the trick?

When you start the lockpick, all tumblers (the little rods) will be in the "down" position. When you click "up" on the control stick / mouse, the tumbler your lockpick is under will start to rise upward at a varying speed (sometimes really fast, sometimes really slow). When the tumbler is at the top of its shaft, you press the "a" button (IIRC) or click the action button of the mouse to try and "lock" the tumbler in place. If you succeed in clicking the button when the tumbler is at the top of the shaft, it will stay at the top and you can move onto the next tumbler (there are 1-5 in total, 1 for very easy, 2 for easy, .. up to 5 for very hard). When you lock all the tumblers in place at the top, you've successfully picked the lock and the door / chest automatically opens.

Be aware that if you screw up, and try and lock the tumbler in place when it is not at the top of its shaft, the current tumbler will fall, your lockpick will break, and a certain number of other tumblers that you've already "locked-in" will fall as well, depending on your skill level. At novice, all tumblers fall, at apprentice the four rightmost tumblers will fall, at journeyman the three rightmost will fall, ... and at expert none will fall. For an example, if you're an apprentice picking a very hard lock, and you manage to "lock-in" the first two tumblers, if you fail on the third these three things will happen:

1) Your current tumbler will reset back to the "down" position
2) The second tumbler will fall back down, but the first will stay locked in at the top (due to being at "apprentice" skill level), so now you have to go back and lock-in the second tumbler.
3) your lockpick will break.

I know it sounds complicated, but its actually pretty easy. Try saving it somewhere when you have lots of picks and practicing on a door, reloading when you run out. You'll get good pretty quick.

 

[LakeEarth]

Ahh I get it now, thanks. But then how does security skill make this easier?

 

[Do The Mario]

Ahh I get it now, thanks. But then how does security skill make this easier?

The tumblers move slower/stay up longer, its super easy to pick locks at level 100.

 

[Spruce Moose]

qft.

There is no chapel in the imperial city. I remember getting a disease from a rat in the sewers early on in the game and searching the city high and low without finding anything, before I eventually gave up and hightailed it to Chorrol for the cure.

Ahh... you don't want to know how much time I've put in wandering around the Imperial City looking for a ******* chapel. One good thing: I know the place like the back of my hand. :lol

So now I'm just going to finish off my first quest and then get the hell out of there! I'm sooo sick of the place that I hope I never have to go back to it. (I know I will probably have to at some point)

 

[LakeEarth]

It all makes sense now. I usually rely on spells to open locks but some doors, the spell just goes right through. So this knowledge will help.

 

[belgurdo]

Who do you talk to to make Necromancy legal?

Spoiler

finish the mages' guild questline and on the body of the "boss" you have to kill is a staff you can use to reanimate people. I was just makin' a funny

 

[LakeEarth]

Oh, I was hoping there was an actual way to make these decrees. I wish becoming the leader of a guild would actually amount to something.

 

[Kung Fu Jedi]

Oh, I was hoping there was an actual way to make these decrees. I wish becoming the leader of a guild would actually amount to something.

I agree. It would be cool if you had more of a sense that you were in control of something, although the Fighter's Guild does give you a tiny bit of that.

 

[belgurdo]

Oh, I was hoping there was an actual way to make these decrees. I wish becoming the leader of a guild would actually amount to something.

Yeah, I wished that being the leader of the Thieves' Guild meant that you could order people to raid houses or some shit, instead of getting

Spoiler

that stupid hood that lets you steal stuff and hurt people without getting into trouble, more or less

 

[drohne]

i think i may have hit a major glitch in the final thieves' guild quest

Spoiler

i'm at the place where i'm supposed to shoot the arrow of extrication into the statue -- i've stood on the pressure plate and opened the keyhole, but when i try to equip the arrow of extrication, it says "you cannot shoot this quest arrow." is there something else i'm supposed to do, or is this a glitch? i've had tons of glitches with gates that won't open in ayleid ruins -- some of them on this very quest -- so i'm worried that something's gone wrong. restarting the game doesn't help. this game can be such a bummer.

 

[EviLore]

i think i may have hit a major glitch in the final thieves' guild quest

Spoiler

i'm at the place where i'm supposed to shoot the arrow of extrication into the statue -- i've stood on the pressure plate and opened the keyhole, but when i try to equip the arrow of extrication, it says "you cannot shoot this quest arrow." is there something else i'm supposed to do, or is this a glitch? i've had tons of glitches with gates that won't open in ayleid ruins -- some of them on this very quest -- so i'm worried that something's gone wrong. restarting the game doesn't help. this game can be such a bummer.

Did you get the message where it says that you should practice first and make your shot count? If so, well, yeah, seems you're fucked. Try reloading a recent previous save maybe.

 

[drohne]

i got that message, and i shot a couple practice arrows. i kept a bunch of saves, fortunately...i'll try going back to an old one, though i'm not confident that it'll work. maybe i should just take a couple weeks' break and hope the patch fixes this shit. :/

 

[belgurdo]

i think i may have hit a major glitch in the final thieves' guild quest

Spoiler

i'm at the place where i'm supposed to shoot the arrow of extrication into the statue -- i've stood on the pressure plate and opened the keyhole, but when i try to equip the arrow of extrication, it says "you cannot shoot this quest arrow." is there something else i'm supposed to do, or is this a glitch? i've had tons of glitches with gates that won't open in ayleid ruins -- some of them on this very quest -- so i'm worried that something's gone wrong. restarting the game doesn't help. this game can be such a bummer.

I got this and just used console commands to skip that part. Confused me for a couple of hours, though

 

[drohne]

alright, tried it again and it worked -- either i didn't shoot enough practice arrows the first time, or going back to an old save fixed it. who cares. i'm happy.

 

[firex]

Is it possible to buy lockpicks anywhere in this game? I had a huge abundance of them in the beginning levels, but now (level 7 or 8, can't remember) I need them for some quests (Dark Brotherhood and such) and I can't find any, or if I do.. I only find like one. I want to go to a store and buy a 100. Any help?

Go to Leyawiin and ask some NPCs in the mages' guild about daedra shrines. You should get a map marker for the Nocturnal Shrine, then go there and accept the quest and when you complete it, you've got all the lockpicks you'll ever need.