I love that I can go anywhere, whenever. Today I climbed, or jumped my way to the top of the Throat of the World before I was allowed too.

I was only thinking about this just now, but it's the non-essential details in the game that give it that added depth and "realism". When I came across that Giant, who's standing by a dead Mammoth that's lying in a bit of a stangnant pond, it was quite touching really.

Imperials.

Im a Stormcloak, and we love to have a few Imperials walk the roads with a prisoner that we free, it makes me feel like im fighting for a nooble cause. I always go on guerrilla missions and slaughter any Imperial guards of enemy cities just to tell myself i fought for Skyrim. For me the small things matter more then anything else, it what keeps the game interesting. Imperial patrols and Thalmor death squads are some of my favourite, but wandering travelers and people offering me ale to keep my spirit up, to see a fellow nord farmer walk the roads on he′s way to Windhelm to join my cause, to walk with the Kajjit cats as they sell [censored] here and there, to kill off anyone that ambushes me, and to just enjoy places like the spa LOL (its a place somewhere cant recall where) and the assassins creed easter egg (bards leap i think it is).

Giants and Mammoths are amazing.

But i have to say that a little "lore" and more attention on the player's behavior perhaps would have guaranteed more challenge,especially for the evil characters

Edit: Well,perhaps the fact that they're "neutral" and "peaceful" explain these attitude..they ignore all of the "surrounding" events... i was clearly wrong here,at least partially

http://www.gamesas.com/topic/1361852-whats-your-favorite-little-detail/page__fromsearch__1

The passing Priest of Mara Sylgja in Shor's Stone speaks of, is Erandur, the Priest who helps you end the nightmares that have been keeping the people of Dawnstar sleepless.


Sylgja's mention of a priest of Mara heading to Dawnstar (around the 1:54 mark):
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=33C8FQpPSi4

Erandur's history:
http://elderscrolls.wikia.com/wiki/Erandur


I thought that was a cool little thing to throw into Skyrim. I also liked bumping into the odd survivor from Helgen.

On the shore, shooting birds in the sky..

i think you have pinpointed why I like traveling so much more in Skyrim than in Oblivion--both the exciting things happening and the detailed eye candy. I like the bees, too, and would like them even more if I could figure out how to find a honeycomb.

I'm still in awe of the books. There are hundreds of them. I know most our recycled from older games, but the cumulative effort is still impressive. How many other series do something like this?

Yeah of course they are recycled, but i doubt all the books from previous games were added alongside the new books, but i havent checked, and probably never will. Yeah its really special what they are doing with the books and extra lore added in those books. You can just study them for hours. Also some books are funny

I'm so happy to see a topic like this on here. Granted I haven't been around long but it seems to me that most topics are devoted to complaining about the game as opposed to praising the good parts.
My favorite little thing would be the giant luminescent mushrooms in some caverns. The first time I saw them I just stopped what I was doing and panned around. I like a lot of the scenery in this game though.
Reading these though makes me realize I need to stop fast traveling I'm missed a lot of the little details. I may actually fire up the x-box in a few and go exploring for a while.

there is a lot but i will just name something that has ruined other games for me: the ability to pick up almost anything, i cannot live without that now

Thanks Good Sir for your words of appreciation.

Yes i hardly fast travel in Skyrim. Its just too much fun walking around and discovering so many fantastic things and situations. I usually fast travel one to three times a month in real time and only because its a busy day with things to do in real life.

Some more things that make Skyrim awesome for me-

The warpaint and being able to choose what color i want it to be.
Facial hair and eye brows. The rough looking hair.
Everything about the landscape from the different colored grass to the stone roads and highly realistic looking water one can see objects from without being underwater. Thats some amazing transperancy and wavey waves

Coming out of High Hrothgar to go back down the mountain for the first time on my very first playthrough. While I was inside, night had fallen and the aurora was out in full force. First time I'd seen it. Granted, Skyrim is the first ES game I've ever played, and the first game I got and played when it was *new* because this time around I actually had a system where I could do that. On high settings even! Glorious! So I was always inclined to be thrilled by the graphics. But standing on the mountain looking up at the amazing, imposing structure I'd just walked out of, pondering what had just happened to me inside, with the lights filling the sky behind it... I was not prepared for that. It was awesome.

Speaking of first playthroughs, starting up the game for the first time and getting that wonderful opening sequence. Again, first time ES gamer here, so had no idea what to expect. And so I was probably as taken aback and confused as my character was, except in a good way. And then the way *that* turned out... oh my. I really was scared playing through that for the first time, and not being an RPGer at all, had very little idea what I was doing or was supposed to be doing but somehow I got through it and it was terrifying and amazing and quite a rollercoaster of experiences and emotions all stuffed into that opening tutorial which I didn't even realize was a tutorial until it was all over. Mostly I was just running for my life all the way through.

The first time I met Paarthurnax. I guess I should've put two and two and two and so on together and figured it out beforehand, but I was totally not expecting that either. And with every character I'm inclined to go back up there when the events of the "life" I'm living down below get a little too overwhelming, for no other reason than just to stand in his presence. Scripted moments of the MQ aside, for me it's the most peaceful, relaxing place in Skyrim. And I would probably marry the big lug if it were possible, I love him that much.

Taking up that drinking challenge and then, after a couple drinks, realizing that something very strange was happening... oh crap what have I gotten myself into. Then waking up and gradually realizing what a long strange trip it had been. "I sold a what to a what? Aw man..." I spent the entirety of that adventure running around trying to find the guy I'd been drinking with, wondering what had happened to him, thinking that he was probably in danger or had been kidnapped by bandits or necromancers and it was my fault and I had to save him. And then... surprise!

Those are just a few of my highlights so far.

You're very welcome my good man. One I forgot to mention was the first time I saw a giant in the wild away from his camp. I intended to see if I could take him or not, but I saw he wasn't hostile. He just looked down and me and went about his business. So I let him go. I like that they're hostile if you invade their territory but otherwise it's live and let live.

I read that there are 90+ random events but I just keep seeing the prisoner, thieves and skooma dealers. I know theyre based on levels and certain quests but I have 400 hours in the game. How rare are these events.

Haven't seen too many random encounters, myself. I've seen the Headless Horseman a few times, M'aiq the Liar, a random bandit trying to rob me once, and I think the wandering chef trying to meet the Gourmet.

I read somewhere on the wikia that there is a random encounter where a werewolf will be fighting some vampires. Anyone know if this can really happen, I have not seen it? But everything else listed on there sounds like stuff you can encounter because most of it I have encountered.

Well, in the spirit of this thread, with the new character I made the other day, I intend to travel either by foot or horseback as much as possible so I can just experience the world better, and try to fast travel sparingly. Who knows? I might find something I never encountered on my first character.

Well, found something i had never seen before in Skyrim just now. Just norhwest of the marker for the fast travel location for Whiteruns main gate, there's a stream that terminates in a small pond. In the center of the pond is a skeletal arm sticking out of the water, a steel sword in hand.

Unfortunately, you can't catch the salmon in plain air like bears do.


For some reason, everytime I decide to visit P'nax, I arrive there at night and with auroras showing in full force. I swear he must have some shout like Storm Call which summons auroras, so he can look super cool to me.


Yes, that's a reference to the Lady of the Lake from King Arthur.

I myself visited a giant camp recently, and what do I see roasting atop a camp fire? A painted cow. Seems like SOME farmers at least manage to deliver their offering safely to the giants.

Today I looked closely at a Torchbug. You can really see the bug inside of the glow...such a wonderful detail. Catching insects for ingredients is great. I love the way they've found an actual use for many more items/objects in Skyrim.

The taverns are well done and feel more alive then the past games.

For me it was adwarven sword in the skeletal lady of the lake's hand.

I took a long range shot at a falmer and triggered a kill came that missed but by inches ( I mean like <--> much) and it was my first one, I was !! Bugged or not it was awesome.