Just wondering if this is worth the purchase & how helpful it really is? I see prima has a guide online you can buy for abt 10 bux that has interactive maps, walkthroughs & all the quests...thinking abt buying it but would like something that I could have next to me when I play so wondering who has bought a guide & has it helped them?

Skyrim and all the TES games are thoose kind of games that you should stay a hell aways from any kind of guides, the game is all about exploration, adventure and discovery, with a guide you would loose all of this, the game would lose it's fun and purpose simple as that q-

i bought the paperback copy, its nice, saves time from digging through the wiki although you will still need to browse the wiki occasionally for more in-depth info.

however, if this is your first play i would suggest avoiding all spoiler type information and just setting off and learning as you go. after you've played for a bit and know what your looking for its much easier to use these tools without spoiling too much of the sense of discovery

Guides are fancy but this is the age of the Internet. You don't need a guide. Last time I needed one was when I bought Guild Wars in 2005. Didn't have Wikis back then as you know. Unfortunately the Wikia format has made short work of game guides.

very true in most regards. except that in case's of designing a class, perk selection, and the ins/out of armor and weapon stats you will eventually need to seek outside sources. and also, the in-game descriptions of various abilities, shouts, and perks are quite vague and newer player may not realize what they may or may not be utilizing to its fullest potential.

I would say no.

You can use Skyrim wikis to find out about information you are curious about. or ask on this forum.

http://www.uesp.net/wiki/Skyrim:Skyrim <--- I recommend this one.
http://elderscrolls.wikia.com/wiki/Skyrim <---- I do not recommend this one, but it's quite popular because they use cheesy search engine optimization tricks.

yeah, go for the UESP as linked by the guy above me. Also, those guides often have a lot of stuff wrong in them. They will often make claims that are completely and utterly false. The UESP wiki is more reliable. It's also been around since the first elder scrolls game so it has had time to become more refined.

I bought the guide when I bought the game and, as a first time TES/RPG player, considered it indispensable. I still consult it on occasion because when I'm in the middle of playing I don't really want to pause or stop the game so I can get an online wiki open in another window if the info I need is right there in the book on the shelf next to me.

It seems that the OP is talking about some sort of online version of the guide. Not a paper book.

I think he/she is talking about that Abeona guide.
Just realized it said Prima... yeah don't get it, my friend got it and it just ruined skyrim for him... it's one big spoiler. it won't tell you anything you won't be able to find on the forum or on the wiki. There's no right or wrong way to play Skyrim, just your own way.

Ah, that is different. I wouldn't pay money for an online guide, if you're going to have to go online anyway there are more than enough free sources of info as people have already stated.

Nope. Absolutely not. Everything you need can be found at UESP.net, or from free iOS/android apps. It's a waste of money to purchase game guides nowadays. Besides, we can help you with anything you can't find elsewhere.

I use it because it is so convenient that it can be accessed right next to you, but only in situations where I fear I might make the wrong decision, and I hate reloading.

They make great reading material while on the crapper.