Ive been playing skyrim since release date on Xbox.
I currently feel burnt out on the game having one character at lvl 81 ( assassin) and multiple characters at around lvl 30 or so.

I'm looking to extend the shelf life of the game by making more interesting characters. I would love to hear some fresh ideas in terms of longevity with a character. I have currently all the generic builds ( thief,2 hand warrior, one hand, Mage, battlemage, assassin, cleric, archer, ranger, dragon born, ect.)

I'm looking for a way to spice up the game. Any ideas?

Go play something for two days , then you'll want to come back
Or just buy a PC.

Nothing wrong with taking a break from Skyrim. I've been playing Halo Reach lately and it's going to be great getting back to Skyrim again. But if you would like some help grasping at some fun in Skyrim, have you ever tried being a Nightblade? They use both magic and stealth. Magic skills being mostly Illusion and Alteration, but you can always improvise.

Try limiting your characters in some way that would make sense rping wise...for example you might have a diehard supporter of the Empire who wears Imperial Armor throughout the whole game.

Sooner or later, every game gets to be old hat. I had some wonderful times with other open-world games, just like I've had them with Skyrim. There were games before it (including Fallout 3 and F: NV), there'll be games after it. Sounds like you've enjoyed your Skyrim experience thoroughly, so no harm in spending some time in a different game world for awhile. Maybe someday you'll be ready to come back.

I would just stop playing for a while. The game has been out for over 6 months, and you're just now getting burned out? That's a game worth 60 bucks right there, but it can't last forever. I was burned out back around May (couldn't play for more then 20 minutes at a time), so I stopped playing it all together for a month or so (until the beta for DG started), and bam, flame rekindled.

8 months , I'm pretty sure 9 already.

Oh yes, money well spent IMO. Maybe it is indeed time for a break. My buddy let me borrow ME3. ( I played through ME1 + ME2) so maybe ME3. For a bit ) although, curse you ea! You've done to ME what skyrim has brought to RP games

I just started with my first "historical" character Markus Brutus after burning around 7-9 characters I never got to above level ten before I got disinterested (on those characters, before I went through four really long lasting fun characters.)

Just take a break not to be a debbie downer but what is with these threads, if you've gone for months on a single player game why is it so alien to shelve it for a bit?

Your right! Need to stop playing for a bit.

If you still need a TES fix, I recommend III or IV if you haven't played either of those before.

I hope you get the answers you need because I never want to get tired of the games I love. I took a Skyrim break recently because I'd been mostly playing since release too and had a great time in the Capital Wasteland playing Fallout 3. It's been a while and it was a great experience. When I was nearing the end, I was missing Skyrim a lot and went back to my beautiful Nord, Olina Westgard after FO3. She got married and headed back out on the road. It was time. Do whatever you have to do to keep it interesting and good luck!

Been Playing tes since morrowind, loved all since. Just need a major jolt of creativity. gonna get a new pc in maybe a month or two( hopefully) till then I want some cool ideas.

Do not Sell Skyrim, do not trade. just put it away for awhile. the thing about TES games is when you leave and come back its like a breath of fresh air

Found your problem. TES is not an MMO; getting to the level cap is not the point of these games. Seems to me that a bit of RP would rekindle your love of the game, but you have to be willing to put in some effort.

I recently took a couple of weeks' hiatus from Skyrim, for the same reason: burnout. When I came back, I downloaded the DLC and have been having a blast with an old character, who was around level 40 or so. It's been a riot, really, and the fun is rekindled.

Yeah, just stop playing for a little while, I did that then started a new game and it's like new again, and I can't wait until DG is released on PS3 although I was hoping it would be this summer because now I'm going to be addicted to it during term time and for a college student that's bad. Have you played Dawnguard yet? or are you a PS3 player like me, that could help