Farewell Lydia

Something interesting happened to me in Skyrim this week. My faithful housecarl from Whiterun, Lydia, died in a fight with a dragon.  This seems to be a somewhat popular topic this week, but I assure you that you will find no interesting uses of her corpse here.

There we were, taking on a dragon.  I generally use a 1h sword and Flames, so I need to be up close and personal. Lydia was using a Warhammer, so she was right up there with me.  I guess she took too much damage and went into her 'don't hurt me' stance.  Since the dragon does AoE,  it didn't save her.

Before that encounter, I purchased the Breezehouse house for a cool 5,000 gold.  Since Lydia is my housecarl she also lives there. After the fight with the dragon, I returned home to store its bones and scales.  I happened to notice Lydia's room was empty but somewhat decorated. It did looked lived in. She won't be coming back.

It's not often that I have that kind of realization in a video game.  Something as simple as an empty room can do it.  I briefly thought about reverting my save to just before the fight, but resisted the urge.  I think that would do a disservice to the game and possibly my memories of it once I've stopped playing.

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Out with the old nemesis

My journey through Skyrim is going well, albeit slowly.  There is just so much to explore in this game.  I intended to make my way to the Greybeards yesterday, but got sidetracked several times en route.  I did manage to complete one goal though, defeating the Hagraven and obtain Nettlebane.

Her massive fireball was causing me serious trouble.  I ended up using Raise Zombie on one of the witches I had slain earlier.  The key part was to do this while in-combat, so she would go over and attack the Hagraven. This bought me enough time to get close.  Turns out, she doesn't cast when you are in melee range.

Thinking back on it, an invisibility potion would have been a lot easier.  Live (or die many times) and learn I guess.

Mages are still wrecking me though.  If there is more than one, I'm usually done for.  I did discover a cheesy way to beat some difficult enemies.  If they are inside and near a door you can just hop in out, heal (sleep), then go back inside.  I've found they do not regain health during your rest.

I also learned heavy armor does NOT mitigate magical damage.  Looks like I am going to have to start really looking into enchanting my current armor with magic resists and building up a stockpile of potions.

I also have a new nemesis, Spriggans. These suckers are just tough, and they can heal themselves.  I can defeat one, with some potion guzzling   Sadly, the ones I need to kill are not alone.  Not sure a companion will be of much help with this many.

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Skyrim So far

I've been spending most of my gaming time playing Skyrim the last few days.  It's a pretty fun game.  I'm not sure if it a game of the year kind of game, but it is quality none the less.  The atmosphere is fantastic, especially with the mountains.

Here are some interesting things I have found, no story spoilers.  My character is currently Level 8 and I've only done the Whiterun part of the main quest.

Mining.  I've got my smithing up to 24, thanks to being better at spotting ore.  I've found that veins can by in caves, mines or just on rocks laying about.  If you want some precise locations for all types of ore, check out this thread.

Lunar Forge.  I found a forge in some ruins which had special weapons.  Basically they do extra damage when the moons are out.  You can disenchant these to get access to that effect.  You can find the forge near Whiterun, a quest there will actually take you directly to it.

Hagraven.  These, things, are giving me a pretty good beating at the moment.  They toss these huge fireballs at you which do AoE damage.  I'm not sure if they are just at a higher level than me, or if they are always a pain.  I think I am going to look into Resist Fire gear and potions.  Or maybe I'll just come back after I get a few more levels.

Fort Neugrad.  I found this fort while exploring near Helgen.  It had a treasure map, which are always fun to do.

Witches be trippin.  Magic damage seems to hurt a lot.  I'm using Heavy Armor (with several perks) and they just tear me up with their fire and lightning combo.  I end up guzzling potions and eating all of my food just to take them down.

Stray Dog.  While exploring, I came across a Stray Dog.  That was his name.  He started to follow me around and fight with me.  Sadly, he was killed by a bandit during a fight.  I hate having dogs in games, just because I'd rather them not die.

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Mining in Skyrim

Did you know you can mine ore in Skyrim?  It took me a bit to realize it, but you can!  It's pretty easy...

First, you need a pick axe in your inventory.  Various merchants sell them, or you can find them in mines.

Next you need to find some Ore to mine.  You can try Embershard Mine, which is near Riverwood.  Someone made a video to help find it...





Once in the mine, look around for some ore veins.  It can be on the ground, walls or ceiling, it'll treat it like an object when your target reticle goes over it.  On the 360, the texture is not very obvious.  You'll just have to hit the button and he'll (or she'll) mine the ore until the vein is finished.

Note:  You can get gems when mining too.  Reminds me of a certain MMO...

Having Ore is nice, but to craft we'll need to make an ingot.  For this you will need a Smelter.  Riverwood does not have one, so you should take the ore to Whiterun.

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Skyrim Black Falls Barrow Tip

When I was adventuring in Black Falls Barrow, I came across a little problem when trying to use The Golden Claw to enter the Inner Sanctum.  None of the 3 rings were able to be interacted with and the door would not open.

To solve this, I left zone (not the whole dungeon, just the previous loading screen) and came back.  After that, it worked fine.  This was on the 360 version, not sure if it applies to the PC or PS3.

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Skyrim Plan

Today marks the much anticipated release of the latest in the Elder Scrolls series: Skyrim.  It just so happens today is a holiday for some of us in the US (Veterans Day), so much gaming should be had.  Well, probably not by me.  I ordered the 360 version and will be waiting for UPS.

Why not Digital Download the PC version?  I really just enjoy playing those games on my 360.  Plus, when I am at my computer I want to be playing other games.  So I have been thinking about what kind of character I will make in Skyrim.

Race.  You can toss out all of the Elf races cause that isn't going to happen. Imperial looks like the choice for me, I know... pretty plain choice.  But they have a skill bonus I am interested in.

Speaking of skills, in Skyrim you can get them all to 100.  The customization comes in the form of Perks, which you only have so many your able to choose.

Heavy Armor.  Maybe it is my Dwarven tendencies, but I can't resist Heavy Armor.  I think it is usually much more interesting looking than lighter armor, and just plain cooler.

Smithing.  If I am going Heavy Armor, then it makes since to have a way to forge the pieces.  Hopefully crafting isn't too tedious in the game.  Usually it does not interest me much when it comes to single player games.

Conjuration.  So this skill (and perks) let you summon creatures and raise the dead.  Yeah, that sounds like something I want to do.

So those are 3 main areas I am looking at for Skyrim.  I guess that makes me into a Battle Mage.  We'll see how it plays out when I finally get my hands on the game.

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