I've been lost in Lordran for a while, but I'm getting bored (also the online community svckS). Once I finish the achievements, I'll be back to play a game that lets my imagination run wild. I'm getting very excited (it's almost like pre-release again) seeing as lots of stuff has changed since I last played on 1.3 ... can someone fill me in on what's happened since then? Have there been rumors of DLC?

Don't say you're getting excited to come back to Skyrim, especially when it lets your imagination run wild. Quick, take it back before haters/killjoys/trolls come in and tell you how boring and repetative it is because they've grinded skills and used several characters to play exactly the same way and become all powerful.

Let them come.
I'm currently playing Dark Souls. NO game. I repeat: NO game, makes you grind like that game does. Well... Maybe Dragon Warrior, or some of the older NES RPGs, but they hardly count.
A game where my character can have a full day? Eat at meal times? Hunt, gather, trade, travel... SLEEP!? These are the things I miss. Time does not even pass in Lordran because the developers are lazy - er - wait "the flow of time is convoluted".

I can't tell you everything that has changed but learning smithing is now harder, we have new kill cameras (also bows and spells have them now), NPCs can use decapite-finishers, some shouts takes more time to recharge than before and what's best there are several decent mods you may find enjoying to have. Two mods I like to recommend are Crimson Tide and Ultimate Follower Overhaul. (CT makes game way more bloodier and UFO makes followers better in many way, with it you are able to have them more and they are able to ride)

Couldn't help myself with that comment.

Seriously though, Skyrim eagerly awaits your return. I can't say too much about the 1.4 patch, because I didn't know there had been any patches until 1.5. Patch 1.5 has improved the look of water, apparently, but that's not something I took much notice of. There's been Archery and Destrusction Magic kill cams added, and they seem pretty cool so far. Archery kill cams can mess up and show you a near miss but that's only happened once to me. Lycanthropy kill cams have been messing up, occasionally you'll freeze for a few moments during combat when the kill cam would be triggered, but normal functionality returns. Last time I "wolfed out", I was equipped with a Scimitar, which I was still holding in beast form while running, sprinting and during the kill cam. It was a bit weird seeing a werewolf tear into someone with a scimitar, lol.

There are kill cams for ranged weapons now, underwater screen effect looks better, and the CK is out (but you may already know that). We've got an HD texture pack for PC and a tiny DLC that adds the space core from Portal 2 to the game (as a joke). Oh yeah, Xbox 360 users can (or will) be able to play the game with Kinect's voice features.

Besides those things, there's no serious DLC yet, but April isn't over and Bethesda has promised us a surprise before the month is out.

It really is one of the best adventure/roleplaying games out at the moment.

Dark souls was the first game that made me physically angry at console game. Id hold out for DLC though, that way you will have a lot more to come back to

I think I have noticed, and some others have reported, new conversations between npcs. Might be imagining it/just didn't notice the first time, though. One way or the other, sometimes it's nice just to lurk in the shadows and eavesdrop.

Welcome back! There's always plenty to do in Skyrim
There are some DLC rumors - Bethesda trademarked 'Dawnguard', for example. Patch 1.5 included killcams for archery and magic, and made the underwater visuals spectacular.

Oooh, it was the underwater visuals that got improved. I'll have to pay closer attention next time I'm able to.

You should, they're beautiful! Beware the slaughter fish, though

They should really put back underwater combat, at least for Argonians.

Yes the new changes are very nice. I'm personally looking forward to the Kinect feature since I have one and have had little reason to use it til now. We got it for our kids to play the dance games and now it just sits. It worked great on the ME3 demo so I'm really hoping it will work just as smoothly with Skyrim. Other than that and the other things mentioned not a whole lot has changed. It's still the same great game though. I have Witcher 2 on the shelf waiting to be played but I'm in the middle of a new character so it'll have to wait a bit more.

.

I left Skyrim for a month to play Amalur, but it turned out to be a bit of let down - and with no console you can't get past bugged quests (plus my inventory got bugged with a multiple stacks of a quest item). Also the storage space for items was hardly anything compared to Skyrim - I'm a hoarder.

For the kids. If they are under 5... there are three games they should enjoy: Adventures, Fruit Ninja, and Happy Action Theatre. My boys love those games. Just FYI.

No matter what other games I play, I always come back to the Elder Scrolls. Vvardenfell, Cyrodiil and Skyrim are second homes to me.

I wouldn't say the developers of Dark Souls are lazy, its just not that kind of game.

It may just be me, but I've haven't had ther game freeze once since 1.5 (360 user) and it seems like some of the bugs were cleaned up, at least on 360. I'm sure some of my old character still have the same bugs though, haven't tested, but it seems much better with my newer characters. Not saying its perfect, just improved.

I'm sure someone on 360 will reply with the exact opposite response.

^ This

Oh my God so f'ing true.

To the OP: Welcome back. I recently "came back" as well (I kinda took a break when I accidentally wiped by X-Box hard drive, and I had made a couple new characters here or there, but nothing that stuck), and I have been enjoying every minute of it.

There is so much content out there - people who say there isn't don't know what they are talking about. I've gotten myself nearly to level 20 (I'm level 18 currently) just in the "setting up my character" phase (I.E.: starting the main quest, getting the Standing Stones that I want, getting some of the Daedric artifacts that my character would use, joining the guilds that I want to join - and I haven't even gotten to the College of Winterhold yet), I don't feel like I've even really hit the ground yet with my character, and I'm already about 15 hours in. Sure, some of the content can get repetitive when you learn the triggers for a lot of it, but there is still loads of it.

Glad to see a positive thread around here for once, glad to see you are returning, hope you enjoy your second stay.

I'm making a return to Skyrim today, too My main character has also got some new stats. I removed Enchanting, and I'm about to include Two-Handed apart of One-Handed (+ Dual-Wield perks) and make him a "master-at-arms". Normally I wouldn't consider it, as I'm fine with 1h-Block, but http://static.skyrim.nexusmods.com/downloads/images/15494-1-1334851788.jpg is so great it made me seriously doubt...

Awesome!!!! I'm very excited now... Kill cams? Bug fixes?! NO FREEZING?!?! Did the fix the quest bugs? Can I attack under water?
Herp derp, thanks for all the posts!!