Most definitely because of the story

Well, Master difficulty proved to be Pandora's Box.

Basically, the difficulties are as such:

Adept: PC does 100% damage, NPCs do 100% damage
Expert: PC does 75% damage, NPCs do 150% damage
Master: PC does 50% damage, NPCs do 200% damage

Melee combat on Master is simply AWESOME. The damage modifiers lead to a give-and-take tactical battle that is very fulfilling.

However, after reaching about level 6, the random wandering bandits and soldiers became random wandering mages, novice vampires, and FLAME ATRONACHS. I couldn't even close on them - instantaneous death.

I tried everything. I just reloaded and went to someone else for a mission. It was for the companions where you can talk to three different people about missions.

I am now a werewolf too.

The gameplay system was crap. I turned the difficulty all the way down and couldn't kill a simple bandit. A weak monster equal to a mudcrab took me to the limit. You also have a chance for your magic to fail. I didn't even stick with the game long enough to complete a single mission.

That is too bad. I loved the difficulty and everything about that game. I'm not sure what to tell you if you couldn't kill a mudcrab...perhaps video games aren't your thing?

I found it incredibly boring as well, just didn't grab me like the rest of the series. I've been playing them since the original Arena game, and thought it was the worst of the series. I don't count Battlespire either since it was the worst pos game possibly ever made.

So who played on standard Adept difficulty?

Does it get harder for melee fights later in the game?

I play on Adept and it's ridiculously easy. I play on Expert or Master and it feels great until about 10 hours in and then it's a ****ing nightmare.

Didn't say I couldn't kill a mudcrab, but it took me to the limit. I've finished Oblivion with several different types of characters. Gameplay in that was much better.

Fair enough. <iframe width="560" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/QsogswrH6ck" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>

I still think Oblivion is the best looking of the series but man I hate those dumbass oblivion gates...had to mod those out..incredibly boring.

I ended up answering my own question. After leveling up a couple more times, it became apparent that Expert and Master aren't really any harder than Adept most of the time. The game is just easy, that's the way it is.

The only thing that turning up the difficulty REALLY does is change the occasional tough boss fight into the occasional "I just got one-hit killed and my last save was an hour ago" smash-the-TV nightmare.

Also, I think I discovered that playing on a higher difficulty made at least one part of the game WAY EASIER. It appears that changing the difficulty doesn't just change the damage output of ENEMIES but rather ALL NPCs. I was in Riverwood when it was attacked by a generic dragon (it didn't have a name, it was just labelled "dragon"). I couldn't force it to land because my bow just didn't do enough damage. As I stood there contemplating what to do next, three Whiterun guards showed up with their bows and I watched in horror as the dragon's ENTIRE health bar disappeared in 3 large chunks. 1, 2, 3 - he was dead in less than 5 seconds! ****ing Whiterun guards stole my kill!

If its like Oblivion the harder setting changes the amount of damage you do, and the damage that enemies deal to you.

Considering you only have to close 2 gates in the entire game to win, what's the point of editing them out? One of those gates is the great gate of Bruma. There is only one other mission that you would need to close a gate in and that's the mission to rescue the son of the Count. There is a daedic quest that sends you to a plane of Oblivion, but that mission is not dependent on you closing that gate. I don't even think it has a gate to close.

It is. I posted it earlier.

I'm basically out of anything to do... I need PS3 expansions now!

They keep saying they're working on it.

I'm willing to bet they have no idea how to get it done.

I just thought they were poorly designed and got old very quick, other than that Oblivion is my favorite in the series barely edging out Daggerfall which was 10 years ahead of it's time.

Some nerds found some PS3 expansion talk in the latest update for the first time... so it might be close!

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Fantastic games! I don't even play missions!

Daggerfall was so buggy it was almost unplayable. I enjoyed it yes, but never ended up finishing it due to all of the bugs.

It's follow-up, Battlespire, was such a disaster that I never even played Morrowind or Oblivion. I actually pre-ordered the game from Bethesda and never got it.

http://www.chiefsplanet.com/BB/showp...1&postcount=28

Code remnants like that happen all the time in games. Most of the time, it's meaningless.

It's probably test code that didn't work and they forgot to remove it.

You can also never visit Jauffre or Kvatch and they won't show up. And you're basically right, I think there is only 7 different kinds of gates. Only thing that changes is the demons you run into as your level goes up.

I don't even count battlespire as part of the series, it belonged locked away in the oblivion gates. Yes Daggerfall was buggy but it was still incredible for its time.

I haven't played this game since January. But it is a ****ing amazing game. And my girl got me the strategy guide to it...Am I a bad boyfriend?

no. Just read the strategy guide anyway. It might be interesting. Be a happy man and appreciate that she pays attention to what you like to do.

I'm just ****ing thoroughly addicted to this game.

I've been fighting in 3rd-person and have a whole new appreciation for the combat, especially with power moves and critical hits.

The switch from 1st to 3rd-person (for fighting - I still explore in 1st person) made the game for me.

This is one of the best I've ever played. EVER. :D

I don't typically like strategy guides, but the one to Skyrim is pretty awesome. It's a giant, thick book.

There's a trailer for something Skyrim related coming out Monday. Rumor has it the DLC will include ability to ride dragons.

They need to add multiplayer, I don't want an MMO either.

I have seen a commercial for TES MMORPG.

I played the hell out of skyrim and I enjoyed it, but after eternal load times, I just walked away.

What platform?

The load times on PS3 aren't all that bad.

On PC the load times aren't bad unless you have a gazillion mods installed.

On the PC they were basically nonexistent

Yeah they didn't really bother me either. But the lack of DLC on PS3 is whats pissing me off!

The new one looks pretty sweet too.

Anyone have any mod recommendations? I'm starting over on this wonderful game and am going to mod this baby so it looks/plays beautifully.

:drool:

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Hell yeah! There was one shot in there of a guy riding a dragon. I. Want.

I'm guessing its just similar to when you ride the dragon in that one mission... but I could be wrong.

The PS3 issues have been solved, and the expansions are coming to PS3! No release date yet.

I'm hopelessly addicted to this game. I just wish the difficulty level was easier to figure out. I've restarted 3 times now. I've probably spent 60 hours playing the game and I've just barely scratched the surface.

Playing a Nord now. The combination of light armor and 2H weapons is pretty interesting. I'm learning how to block and that makes the game even more tactically fun.

I decided to play again and I am on painkillers and muscle relaxers and I accidentally bought everything off the first merchant instead of selling my stuff to him and I rage quit lol. I forgot about Console Commands.

Just recently started playing this again myself. Very hooked at the moment. I'm hell on companion characters though. I can't quit killing them off... I guess my fireballs are a little errant sometimes. I've decimated a few towns too, because the stupid ****ing locals won't GTFO the way when a dragon swoops in. I'll launch a fireball, and sure as shit some dipshit guard runs up to the dragon and accidentally gets flamed. Then the entire town is fighting me, along with the dragon.

The first time I played this game....I was ****ing around....swinging my sword around when I was in one of the towns. Stupid ****ing dog runs by and kill it instantly. I had to reset the game because the entire town started chasing me. Stupid ****ing dog...

I asked this earlier and got no answers :(

Anybody have suggestions for mods to run on my second time through Skyrim?

This DLC looks rad. Morrowind shit in it.

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http://i.imgur.com/OUSkh.jpg

http://i.imgur.com/r19k3.jpg

http://i.imgur.com/1uoTp.jpg

oh shit.. a little Morrowind crossover? Those look like Silt Stiders :)

Can't wait for a PS3 expansion so I can get back into it!

Considering Skyrim and Morrowind share a border and Skyrim has the 2nd-largest population of Dunmer in Tamriel, it shouldn't be hard. :D

ROFL

I have a very good friend who just got a PS3 and is picking up games (better late than never). He picked up Oblivion to get acclimated to the world and gameplay; if he likes it, he'll pick up Skyrim.

I'm envious.... to be able to go back and play Elder Scrolls for the first time!

I didn't like Oblivion nearly as much as Skyrim. I actually don't think I even finished it.. I got stuck in some volcano and returned it to Family Video.

That was an Oblivion gate.

Got my 2-handed skill up high enough that I get a clean decapitation about 1 in 5 fights now. ****ing brutal.

I love this game.

Heh, my HW used maces; brutal smash w/ decapitation = satisfying. :evil:

Of course my stealth character w/ one-shot sniping (bow) and instant throat-slash kills w/ dagger (sneak attack) were pretty darn fun...

That's one style I've never tried... two-handed weapons are so slow. I'm a stick-and-move kinda fighter.

My latest character was a thief, so I've worked a lot on pickpocketing. If you've not played that style, I highly recommend it. I'm lever 48 or so and have trained every level... I haven't paid for even one session of training, even my first level.

I use bow/stealth at times. 1-shot kills are rare (skill is still too low) but when they do happen, they are inspiring. :D

Actually, I'm playing stick and move too. 2-handed weapons with high Block skill and light armor.

I basically walk into every battle with my 2h sword in block position. I move around and let them hit me until that inevitable pause and then I swing once and they are dead. ;)

You can accomplish the same using followers. Just train and then have them give you back your gold. :D

Yes, but there aren't too many trainers that can be followers. That's how I started - at level 1 got Faendal in Riverwood as a follower, then did training in archery until I could level a couple perks in pickpocket. Then you can train wherever you want and just steal the money back.

My sneak is at a perfect 100, archery and destruction spells at 80, so I try to kill from afar, but I end up losing a lot of followers that way.

Yeah, it really depends on what skills you want to train because the selection, if you're depending on followers, is limited.

I can't pickpocket, my character isn't a thief. And I can't train with Faendal - he hates me. No way I was siding with a ****ing elf over the true Nord, Sven. Free Skyrim! :D

Hehe.

I keep screaming Lydia to get out of the way as I hit her in the back with my 2-hander. LMAO

http://www.bethblog.com/2012/12/03/d...pc-early-2013/

I gotta stop starting over. Some of the bugs in this game are maddening as hell.

Kinda wish I was playing it on 360 but oh well.

At least PS3 is finally getting something.. bleeeh sick of waiting!

Anyone else download Dragonborn yet? It kicks ass so far.

I sent those bitches packing once I was able to obliterate any groups of targets stupid enough to cross my path. The mules just got in the way.

Besides, Lydia's whining "I am sworn to carry your burdens" (I swear I can see her roll her damn eyes as she says it) was as annoying as her jumping in front of my attacks.

Early in the game, when dealing with freaking Falmer, those mules were invaluable. Hit level 40, they lose purpose.

I'm playing on Master difficulty and I'm currently only 10th level - never would have gotten even that far without a follower.

On Master, followers become super turtle tanks, able to absorb massive amounts of damage. So when you come up against a 2-hander or fire mage (which do double damage on Master), you bait them into attacking your follower instead of one-hit killing you. :D

Plus, I need her to carry stuff because I pick up EVERYTHING. Damn OCD.

ROFL

My wife even laughs when she says it - she says it sounds like her. ROFL She's so submissive and polite in EVERYTHING she says - until you ask her to carry something for you and then she becomes a ****ing nag.

I got so tired of hearing it, I actually considered keeping Sven and telling her to sit at Breezehome and cook me some vegetable stew.

It wouldn't be an elder scrolls game if your allies didn't get in the way of your attacks.

That's what I did. Every once in a while I pop in to drop off some loot in the upstairs chest. I'm all like "sup b*tch? gonna nag me for storing my 'burdens' here too?"

Master level sounds intense...may be time for a new character :D

You need to get her skimpy Daedric armor. When she looks like this, you don't care how whiny she sounds. :D

It's WAY intense.

Spellcasters = one-hit death (I'm a Nord so frost spells I can take. Fire spells = reload).
Foes with 2-handed weapons = one-hit death
Dragons = RUN AS FAST AS YOU ****ING CAN IN THE OTHER DIRECTION

ROFL

The thing I like about Master is that it forces me to do things I otherwise wouldn't do.

Forget about smithing or alchemy - I COOK. That's right, I actually USE food. The stamina regen from vegetable stew is indispensable.

I don't fast travel at all. I need to explore because exploring means random encounters with lower level foes plus exploring means more reagents. Without those reagents and fights with wolves and skeevers, I couldn't survive the majority of dungeons because I wouldn't be powerful enough.

I actually sleep to pass time. The "well rested" bonus is one of the best in the game early on.

And you simply can't rely on leveling up organically. One, some skills like block are supremely useful (particularly the one that slows time when foes power attack) so you HAVE to pay someone to train you how to use them or they won't level up fast enough. Two, if you do too much smithing, alchemy, pickpocketing, or lockpicking, you level up TOO FAST. NPC levels are set by your level but their skills are specialized by their type. So if you're level 12 but you've spent a ton of time making iron daggers, don't plan on going toe-to-toe with a bandit chief. He's the same level as you but his one-handed skill is DOUBLE yours and you're going to die.

Uhh...is this code for something?:drool:

Considering that outfit, I'd say yes...definitely.

ROFL

Considering I am screaming it at MY WIFE, yeah.... :evil:

So I found a GREAT use for the otherwise useless horse.

Obviously you can't run or fast travel when you're over-encumbered. But you CAN ride a horse.

So I went to Fort Greymoor and parked my horse outside. Cleared the courtyard of bandits and stashed all of their stuff in a barrel right outside the door to the inner keep. Went and got my horse and left him next to the barrel.

Went inside, cleared out the whole place. Looted everything and every time I got close to my carry limit, made a quick jaunt outside and left everything in the barrel. Once I had cleared the whole place, I went outside and did a "take all" on the barrel.

I was carrying over 900 pounds worth of stuff. So I take the 5 seconds to walk over to my horse, mount up, and ride back to town.

I figure this method saved me 3 trips back to town. Between running, loading screens, sleeping to make sure it was daytime (so vendors were actually open), and sleeping to make sure vendors had enough gold to sell stuff, I saved myself OVER AN HOUR OF REAL WORLD TIME.

:D

You can fast travel while on a horse over-encumbered.