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With the launch of The Elder
Scrolls V: Skyrim
today, RPG
enthusiasts
can look forward to losing many hours to this addictive game. Ten Ton
Hammer’s href="http://tentonhammer.com/reviews/elder-scrolls-skyrim">review
of Skyrim
details the sandbox nature of the
gameplay, both in character development and questing. As that players
today are unused to having an incredible amount of choices available to
them in games, this freedom can lead to some preventable problems with
players. However, have no fear as that Ten Ton Hammer is here to give
you ten tips to keep you heroically questing.


Tip #1 – Save Early,
Save Often

Skyrim
is a fairly punishing game- the bad thing about the concept that
a dragon can swoop down on you at any time is, well, that a dragon can
swoop down on you at any time. Worse, the game isn't too conscientious
about auto-saving. Get in the habit of saving before and after every
encounter and you'll save yourself a lot of backtracking. It is also
helpful to save before making a big decision that could have a
tremendous impact upon your game.


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The world is dangeous. Save
yourself grief and save often.


Tip #2 – Study the
Skills

It is very prudent to thoroughly study each of the skills in the game
and decide which ones you will concentrate on for the specific
character you are playing. Concentrate your choices within a few skills
and don’t spend your points across the board, thereby
diluting your effectiveness. A wide variety of combat disciplines are
at your disposal, but the more you stick to a single style - one handed
blunt, destruction magic, etc. - the more your skills will grow, the
more feats you can train, the less time you'll spend playing the menus
to play the game, the better the equipment you'll feel compelled to
invest in, and the more powerful a warrior you'll be. Save the other
options for other characters, because (chances are) you're going to
feel like playing this game more than once.


Tip #3 – Be a Smart
Looter

Just like in Oblivion,
just about everything that isn't nailed down is
yours for the taking. Whether or not you want to use the red hand of
theft (and reap the consequences) is your business, but everyone has to
be concerned about inventory space. The game is fairly generous with
inventory size, but you'll still want to carry only high value stuff
away from long dungeon runs. A good rule of thumb is to only pick up
items worth 10+ times their weight in gold.  Make sure that
you grab the gold off of every corpse you see as that gold does not add
any weight. Also, don’t be afraid to come right back to a
dungeon after selling your excess inventory to grab any loot you left
behind the first (or second) time.


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The companion in the
background looks healthy and could carry a lot of loot.


Tip #4 – Always have
a Companion

Even though companions can (literally) get in the way, game difficulty
is clearly balanced with the assumption that you'll be bringing a
companion along, so do it! Some potential companions you'll nearly trip
over, others are yours for the price of a conversation, and some others
require a little more effort. Each companion is different so make sure
you pick one that complements your combat style. Don’t be
afraid to use companions as mules to carry extra loot that you pick up.
You’ll be surprised by how much some of them can carry!


Tip #5 – Buy a House

Players can purchase a house in each major city. Houses are useful for
a number of reasons, but the primary reason is that it’s a
great place to store your stuff. As there are no banks, you will need a
safe place to store all your goodies. To cut down on travelling for
specific tasks, you can upgrade your house to allow you to cook and do
alchemy. The bookshelves are especially handy for easily storing your
book collection. After you purchase house upgrades, thoroughly search
them as you will find inventory items and even some gold.





Tip #6 – Talk to
Everybody

One of the strengths of The
Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim
is that
everybody
has a story to tell. A smart player will talk to everybody that he
possibly can, which can lead to further side quests, rumors of
interesting events, and the location of various groups. By engaging in
conversation, players will have a better grasp of the current
situation, both local and kingdom-wide. Knowledge is power, my friends.
Talking can also lead to the discovery of new companions or trainers
who can boost your skills.


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Talk to everybody. Who knows
who may have a quest or become a companion?


Tip #7 – Stay Mobile
and Stay Alive

The key to surviving most boss encounters, especially for DPS and mage
types, is to avoid getting hit. Shield blocking is better than nothing
(though, to my mind, underpowered at first) but you'll still likely
take damage unless your character is built as a tank. You might find it
easier to play in third-person as you bob and weave, but bob and weave
you must. Don’t be afraid to run away to give you more time
to use your precious healing magic (if you have some). Use your shouts
to give you some much needed room to maneuver.


Tip #8 – Consumables
are your Friends

There's no shame in leaning on consumables, such as potions and
scrolls, in a single-player game, but you'll want to know the
characteristics of scrolls (in particular) before a frantic fight. For
example, you won't want to find out that your Scroll of Harmony
requires a 5 second cast when a charging frost troll has you in his
sights. If you're wielding magical weapons, you should keep some soul
gems handy, too - these work like ammo, and if your weapon runs dry,
its effectiveness will be greatly decreased. If you’re
playing on an Xbox, keep some potions handy in your
“favorites” menu.


Tip #9 – Pace
Yourself

Skyrim
is a game that will punish you for trying to rush headlong
through the main story. It's tough for some of us, but ignore the
apparent urgency of the core quests and spend some time exploring each
area, completing side quests, amassing loot and fortune, leveling up,
finding spell books or training combat disciplines, building up
secondary attributes like frost and fire resistance... treat the game
as you would a traditional hero's journey and you'll spend far less
time dirt napping later in the game. Remember that the world of Skyrim
is vast and that you shouldn’t cheat yourself of exploring
and experiencing the richness of this fantasy world. Most gamers
complain about how most games today are played in fifteen hours or
less. Now here’s a game world where you should be, at the
most, at the second major quest hub in the game by that time period, so
enjoy the ride!


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The world is vast. Take the
time to explore it and enjoy it.


Tip #10 – Stuck?
Look Around!

The environment often contains clues to help you through the puzzles
you'll run into, so keep a torch or magelight spell handy. Not only
that, but the 3D item viewer accessed through your inventory isn't just
for Bethesda's artists to show off their elite skills. We'll leave it
at that.



The ten tips given above should help you navigate your way through the
perilous world of The Elder
Scrolls V: Skryim
. Follow these
tips and
you’ll not only be a smarter and richer player, but your
character’s survival chances will go up dramatically.



To read the latest guides, news, and features you can visit our The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim Game Page.

Last Updated: Mar 13, 2016

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