Skyrim

[The Doctor Alt 8]

No no NO! Nothing like that has happened ! 

[The Doctor Alt 8]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e5yoWWZwbDw&list=PL6B7AC7030800239B

[Goaty]

After last play Skyrim last year on PS3, now finally play it on Steam on my laptop. So I start from start, any advices on what to do next on different way, how to be baddie? what different quests to do?

[Minkyboy]

Hey Goaty,

This mod 'Live another life: alternate start' is a good way to get a fresh perspective.
http://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=75889890&searchtext=alternative+start

It gives you a different backstory (shipwrecked, bandit, farmer, mugging victim etc) a different starting inventory and off you go into the world to do what you want.
It only changes the first 10 mins or so of the game but I find that the role playing start changes the way I feel about my guy/girl/lizard/cat thing!


Other than that I just suggest avoid the major skill sets you usually play in. So go sneaky thief instead of warrior tank for example.

If you have not tried much magic I recommend playing a conjuration based character. Using bound weapons, heavy on sneak, conjuring daedra and the corpses of those you have slain to fight for you. Put the difficulty up a bit higher than is comfortable, where you only win difficult fights if you are clever or run away a lot.
Oh and choose a follower that supports your playstyle. So if you are going sneaky make sure they can sneak too!

Man I could talk about Skyrim forever.

[jackstarr]

Yep, +1 for Live another Life - and for mods in general to refresh the game as you've played it before!

(Disclaimer:  I make mods and so am biased - but it also means that if you need any tips or advice on using mods, I'm always here to ask!)

Minky's suggestion to roleplay is also good - try and get into character, don't do every quest just because the questlog pops up with the objective - think about whether your character would actually do that quest - is it morally suitable for them?  I'd also recommend turning off the compass entirely, avoiding fast travel (other than carriages), and using the landscape and map to help yourself navigate.

Also make sure you get the Unofficial Skyrim Patch, as well as the unofficial patches for the DLC if you have them - they fix thousands of bugs in the game and you'll save yourself some headaches if you install them sooner rather than later.

If you take the easy option and use the Steam Workshop to get your mods, don't use more than a couple of mods.  I'll explain why in a moment.  If you use more than a couple of mods, use the Skyrim Nexus and their brilliant Mod Manager. 

Steam Workshop forces updates on you, and if a mod author removes a mod (or is banned from Steam and their mod automatically removed), or an update introduces new features you don't want, conflicts with your other mods or causes bugs or performance issues, then you're pretty much stuffed, and your savegame may be permanently broken - many people including myself have had to restart the game from scratch thanks to this issue.  The Nexus notifies you of updates but doesn't force them on you, giving you the option to update or not.

1) Load order is very important.  Download and use LOOT to make your mods load in the correct order.  At some stage you'll need to use 3rd party software such as BOSS, SKSE, TES5Edit, Wrye Bash, etc. over the course of your modding - these are all completely safe to use, and are a necessary part of getting the best from modding.  Unless you're planning on installing a bunch of mods all at once (which you shouldn't do), don't worry about installing all of these straight away though - you'll know when you need to use them - but if you want any help, just ask.

2) You can't uninstall a mod and continue the same savegame, as data from mods gets baked into your save.  If you want to remove a mod, you need to revert to a save from before you installed that mod, or start a new game.

3) Don't install a load of mods at once.  Install mods one at a time, and test thoroughly (for hours, if not days) to make sure that you're happy with the mod, that the mod is compatible with your other mods, that your system can handle the mod in extended play, and that there aren't any bugs with the mod.

4) Always read the mod description and readme file for a mod.  Common mistakes are crashes due to not reading the mod description with specific install instructions or requirements for another mod.  If your game crashes on startup, you're missing a mod that another mod requires in order to work.

5) The only really essential mods are the Unofficial Patches (and arguably other bugfix mods such as Run For Your Lives and When Vampires Attack).  Everything else is down to your personal taste.  People will be quick to recommend mods they like*, but don't rush to install anything...take your time to read up on the mods, and again - take things slowly.

*Oh, go on then - I'll kick things off - my post of must-have mods is here.

[jackstarr]

Man I could talk about Skyrim forever.

Sometimes I feel as though I am talking about Skyrim forever...

[The Doctor Alt 8]

Alright...
Now you have scared me off ever attempting to play Skyrim!     

[Minkyboy]

Alright...
Now you have scared me off ever attempting to play Skyrim!     

Naw you'll be fine Doc, you don't need to use mods at all, and if you do want to, just use the Steam workshop ones and it as easy as browsing through what you want and a one click install.

[jackstarr]

If anything the Steam Workshop has made it too easy to install mods.  As I said, stick to just one or two mods from the Workshop and you should be fine - but any more than that and you start risking your longer-term game.  You might get lucky, but then my 90 year old neighbour has been smoking 40 a day since he was a teenager so cigarettes don't do any harm either...

I may be a little paranoid, but I've spent far too many hours helping mod users try to fix their broken game.  Too many people get hooked into adding loads of mods, then get frustrated when their game starts playing up and blame it on the mods when many of the issues can be easily avoided.  If you follow the advice I give, then you've made things a heck of a lot easier for yourself, and will save yourself headaches later down the line should you choose to continue adding mods mid-game.

Oh, and Doc - most of the points I mention also apply to Morrowind and Oblivion modding...so no need to be particularly scared of Skyrim!

[Goaty]

Fuck! I just got vampirum! What I do to get rid of it! I am nearly to level 4!

[ThryllSeekyr]

There is a holy shrine to one of the gods in Whiterun....if you visit this shrine and use it. That should do the trick, but you have to do it within a certain time. Like before the day or before 24 hours have passed.

[jackstarr]

Any shrine (to any of the 9 divines) will do - but best be quick about it, otherwise the disease progresses into full-blown vampirism.

Alternatively you can use a cure disease potion - you can buy these (or find them in random loot), or can make them yourself at an alchemy table if you have the following ingredients:
[spoiler]
    Charred Skeever Hide
    Felsaad Tern Feathers
    Hawk Feathers
    Mudcrab Chitin
    Vampire Dust
[/spoiler]
I always keep a couple of cure disease potions in my inventory, just to be on the safe side.

[ThryllSeekyr]

I think there was also talk of a quest involving the contracting Vampireism and been given the cure when you  successfully hand it in.

[Goaty]

yep you right, there is quest about it, but how I take people's blood?

[ThryllSeekyr]

You contract vampirism by fighting and getting hit/damaged by them in melee.