» Fri Dec 14, 2012 1:19 pm As a side note, I play in Adept difficulty and heavily RP my characters, creating a background and personality for them, and playing the game according to their knowledge, preferences and personal targets.
1. Do not spread too thin. It might seem nice to play a character who can do a bit of everything, but as you level up too many skills, you will find yourself in pretty hairy fights, especially against ”boss” enemies. I try to have 2 or 3 main Skills (damage dealing and damage avoiding) followed by 2 or 3 supporting Skills (crafting, speech, lockpicking, secondary damage source…). I normally spend perks in a 3 to 1 ratio between main and support skills.
2. Always check your gear before adventuring. It might sound obvious, but it is easily forgotten if you are in a rush or have picked up bad habits. I have found that sleeping during the night helps reminding yourself of the little details, as paying a visit to the local alchemist if you are short of potions. Apart from the obvious, it is always a good habit for warriors to carry a backup weapon, some enemies can disarm you and put you against the ropes faster than you can say fus roh da.
3. Do not die rich A.K.A. do not let your killer become rich by looting your corpse. Try to spend your money training your main skills, buy potions, ingredients and soul gems as needed. Magical apparel is especially useful, and a regular visit to the local general store or court wizard can provide unique purchasing opportunities.
4. Know what you can and cannot do. Pick enemies and quests suitable to your strengths and avoid the ones that will test your weaknesses. I learnt this lesson the hard way, when my level 15 Argonian witch hunter, in a fit of hubris after singlehandedly slaughtering a dragon, decided he could easily take a bandit lair; sadly, a tight spot and two heavily armoured Orcs branding huge great swords proved him wrong. If you are not sure what type of enemy you will be facing in a specific quest or dungeon, ask the locals and look for clues in books or around your enemy′s lair. If you absolutely HAVE to go there, be sure you are purposefully geared for the job; a warrior might need a good stack of resist element apparel and restore health potions to fight Destruction mages , a mage might need to purchase a high level Turn Undead or Illusion spell if facing tough fighters.
5. Play it safe. Do not go exploring unknown wild areas or dungeons unless you are feeling extremely sure of what you are doing, and do not hesitate to retreat if you feel is not worth the risk. Do not be overconfident; one of my best characters, an Imperial soldier, died when he ventured too far into a Dwenmer ruin for first time in his career, ambushed by a pack of revengeful Falmer. A sad event, considering he only entered there to pick a few scrap metal for his new armour; when he had enough, he found a diary, got further and lost his life for nothing.
6. Always have safety measures with you, in case you face an enemy you cannot defeat and need to run away. Invisibility potions are a life saver, but do not underestimate the power of stamina ones when running away from a cave bear or some other nasty creature. Certain Shouts that are irrelevant when you can just reload after a death gain a new relevance in DID games; Become Ethereal can be the difference between having your skull bashed against a wall and living to tell the story, Whirlwind Sprint is perfect when closely chased by some brutes and Kyne′s Peace a blessing when your thief is in the open field, trapped between the chasing town guard and a furious black bear. Do not forget to use your racial powers often; do not hesitate to go bersek with your Orc is facing a dragon′s head, or to cry for battle when your Nord is surrounded by pesky witches; after such a feat, go for a break, have some food in a local tavern, get some sleep and you will be ready to do it again tomorrow if necessary.
7. Use your resources wisely. Think of weapons, spells or scrolls that can be most useful against the enemy you are facing, you will save in the more valuable generically useful potions (restore health, stamina and magic). Scrolls, easily forgotten in the inventory until they are underpowered or traded for cash, can make a huge difference in certain situations; surrounded by vampires, that fire cloak scroll might come useful.
8. Make a good use of followers and horses. Followers can very helpful in difficult fights, covering your back or pelting your enemies with arrows while you fight. They can also be annoying at times, but if you use the right one for the right character and the right job, they make things way easier. Always make sure you give them good equipment, including spare health potions and amulets. If your follower gets entangled in a fight you really want to avoid, do not hesitate to run, if properly geared they will probably survive and catch up with you later; and if they die, well, they were not the main character, the story continues and if you lack the scruples there are loads of expendable fools in Skyrim willing to carry your burdens. Horses, equally, can be a great asset, especially for quests when you have to go into the wild with a character that is not too powerful or combat oriented. Be careful, though, before taking the decision of dismounting, Nord horses have some crazy suicidal tendencies and charge against enemies if not properly tended, and come became a cash sink if you rely too heavily on them.
9. Praise the Gods. Visit temples and shrines often, unless your character is against it for RPing reasons. Especially at low levels, those tiny bonuses at Magicka or Stamina can be the key to make the ride easier. Proper use of the right Stones, if your character has located them, is also useful.
10. Know the world. Reading books or talking to NPC′s can offer clues about the strengths or weakness of certain enemies or what type of enemy to find in certain locations.
11. Enjoy life, because it is short in Skyrim. Eat, drink and may the gods accept you in Svongarde when you die.
