Does anyone else feel like each new character is the same as before but just aesthetically different? In oblivion each race felt defined by all it's racial stat bonuses and it's different traits which I know some are in skyrim but because there aren't any classes anymore I feel as though my character is basically the same as before. Im finding it really hard to motivate myself to replay (had a two month break btw).

No problem here. Or more precisely my problem is making too many characters. Yes, for the most part your character starts out exactly like any other, but with the perk system you can choose to play a certain playstyle completely different from another right out of the tutorial. You can be a focused character in Stealth, Magic, Melee, Archery. A combo of two of these. For RP reasons limit yourself like a completely non magic using character or a character who only wears fur armor.

You start at the same point, but can diverge in so many different ways I don't see how you can have a problem. But maybe that's just me.

nope

The start feels no different no matter what race or character you create, but once you play a couple hours and start to define your character it is worth it.

My main file is a Orc Warrior, my second character is a Dunmer mage and both have completely different play styles.

Yep.

As Races are essentially picking which aesthetical features suit your taste the most I usually use the same race and end up at a similar point.

Though I've just started a Kahjiit thief/assassin. Only reason I used a Kahjiit is because it seemed fitting lore wise.

Actually my characters all feel very significantly different. I find race does have an impact also. Moreso at the start. but still later on. Maybe you need to consciously vary your playstyle and consciously creat as warrior , wizard. stealth character etc. Role playing thme also is very helpful if you are into that.

I find it too easy to change playstyles, without a class system I always end up tilting toward two-handed combat even when I try to play a mage or a thief.

LOL, where does the cross over from mage to great sword wielding barbarian happen!?

Racial differences have never been a major factor in the Elder Scrolls games. Skyrim is no exception.

My own experience is similar to Orchish's: I feel that my characters start out feeling similar, but the longer I play the more they start to feel very different. But then again I roleplay, so stats are not the most important thing to me.

Because of the lack of class system I did all three in my first character lol. I'm trying a pure sword and Shield Nord and it isn't going too bad.

I get this problem too. I feel that every time I want to wander off and do somthing original like hunt animals or join forsworn I cant because I always end up being forced into a city like Markath or Whiterun and then spoonfed quests left right and centre from gossip. Its not that I dont find there to be choices, but a lack of area's in which the choices are made.

I am glad to know I am not alone in playing multiple characters. I enjoy creating new characters. I am starting to feel that I enjoy level 1 up to level 10 the most. I start to get bored with them after that. I currently have five different characters (two different Dunmer males, and Imperial male, a Nord male and a Redguard female). They all are different plays styles, so I am able to "mix it up" to keep it interesting. All this drives my son crazy as he erases his old character whenever he creates a new one.

for example, I wanted to play a kind of druid styled character (human) who was more like a protector of the forests but I cant do that because every wildlife attacks you on sight.

By the way what ever happened to Scamps?

...and Minotaurs?

well Minotaurs are more that imperial area in the game oblivon, but scamps are oblivion creatures and it seems strange that you cant even summon them.

There isn't a class system, but you can recreate old TES classes if you so wish. In terms of gameplay, there are many unique builds. Here is a formula for the basic unique combat builds:

[no weapon | one-handed | two-handed | dual-wield | archery] {magic}

That's 19 basic builds (2*5*2 minus 1 for no stealth no weapon no magic, and possibly subtract another for stealth and no weapon or magic although there are people playing pacifist builds like that) Of course, the spell schools you choose will also change how the character plays out, but that's getting into more specific builds.

I don't think animals are supposed to be friendly to druids, even in DnD. They have the ability to charm animals, but that's temporary, just like in Skyrim with the Bosmer racial or Animal Allegiance shout. Remember, nature isn't about friendliness, it's about balance. It's perfectly natural for a bear to attack and kill a druid, just as it is for a druid to attack and kill a bear, so long as there is a valid reason for doing so (ie. the druid or bear need to feed). Nature can be as cruel as she can be sweet, and druids respect that.

You can roleplay a druid in Skyrim, but most of it will have to come from your imagination. You have elemental summons in the Conjuration school, elemental damage in Destruction, healing spells in Restoration, and shouts such as Storm Call and Animal Allegiance / Kyne's Peace. Wear apparel such as the savior's hide or forsworn gear.

No problem here. If anything I have too many different characters going with a lot of ideas for more.

The biggest difference for me when it comes to making a new character is that Skyrim allows me to create a more unique character at higher levels then oblivion did, while Oblivion allowed me to make a more unique character in the early levels. My problem with oblivion was that once I had built my character up I kept training all the other skills for the extra levels and for [censored]'n'giggles. The problem was no matter what my starter class was I always ended up as a Jack of all trades, I could sneak around being a assassin and in the next second pop up and rain fire and ice on the enemies in front of me. Don a heavy armor and start charging into battle like I was immortal. And my starter class was assassin... Of course I could have limited myself by not allowing myself to level up the other things, but I did it because why should I make a new character when I could simply just become master of all skills? Skyrim I do like better in that aspects as I can create an assassin that is a lot more specialized in being a thief and assassin, my next playthrough I can make a warriormage that uses heavy armor a swordand spells. Both of them starts similar, but the more I play them the more different they become in playstyle.

The removal of classes and stats is a change I like. I like better when I can play what I want rather then play a preset and in previous games I always pent a lot of time thinking I need to train that skill this much, this skill that much to get the best result to place on stats. It automaticly made me min/max my playstyle simply because at higher levels if I gimped myself by not doing this I could break the game in the ways where I was good at only one thing and useless in any other situation. I had it happen on 2 playthroughs in Oblivion and it annoyed the crap out of me, so the third character I started planning ahead and spending a lot of time planning my character. And when I got to the same point as I was previous I was a much better character in sevaral situations. In Skyrim I was skeptical at first when I heard and saw no stats and no classes, but when starting to play it I was won over to the dark side. The game felt natural, it was more me playing my character and enjoying it then me planning my character ahead making sure I trained the things I knew I would need. I'm on my 4. character now 2 of the previous was also assassins testing different builds, and one was barbarian type. And at level 47 I still find myself enjoying my character, doing dungeon crawling, looking for new places, talking to people and reading books in hope of hints and clues to things I can look into. There are things that they can do to improve the game, but the way the character building is I can easy see myself make a second character at some point that is totally on the other side of my stealthy assassin. A big bad warriormage with heavy armor, weapons and that in general cares little about going about the world unnoticed. Even if he gets 100 in sneak he will be a lousy sneaker compared to my assassin due to perks. And that is what gives me the replayability.

This is where role playing comes in! If you do the same things with each character, they will all be alike. A lot of us will MAKE them different. For example, make a Nord warrior with no magic. Make a High Elf with no combat skills. They have given you the tools to do what you want. Go the opposite. A Wood Elf with heavy armor and a greatsword. Just set your own boundaries to make them each unique. I'm happy not to have to play a certain race just because it's "better" for the class I want to play.

you have to make each new character "new" and not do the same as before. I have 2 characters i switch between, a nord battleaxe barbarian and a high elf wizard...i play them both completely different, rp and all, and they never feel like repeats. Don't make a jack of all trades, focus on a specialty and trade for each character to make them unique

Every one of my characters play differently.

I do make my characters different btw.

My mage feels and plays totally different from my thief/assassin. It has more to do with how you play the game than how the game plays you.

I've played 5 different characters, and they're all different from the others. My main is a lvl 58 Redguard battlemage with 235 hours. He's the only character I've had to really go into the main story arc (he finished that almost 100 hrs ago), and has done the College of Winterhold and Companions. Thane of 3 holds, he's also tracked down all the Dragon Priest masks, and he's trying to find all the Words of Power for the Shouts. He's pretty much a do-gooder (outside of the times he turns into a werewolf) and neutral in the Civil War. Now that the latest patch has taken care of the lag issue for me, I'm having blast playing him again, and have discovered several new locations in the last 3 days.

The Dark Elf thief/assassin I put about 100 hrs into was wholly evil. Had a lot of fun with him before deciding I was about done with him, since I did what I set out to do: take over the the Dark Brotherhood and Thieve's Guild.

The High-Elf mage was going good before the 1.3 patch wouldn't let his save load. Only put in 15 hrs, so no terrible loss, I guess.

My dual-axe wielding Orc Warrior was a monster, decapitating many of his enemies over the 50+ hrs I played him. He fought for the Empire in the Civil War and was about lvl 25 when I was done with him. I'll have to something similar with a Nord warrior soon.

My newest mage, a Breton, is starting off good, but I'll slowly turn him evil as he gains more power. He's only lvl 15 now (15 hrs), and I need to get back to him for a bit, but I'm having too much fun with my main.