just bought the game and so far i am completely confused, the mini book that came with the game doesnt have alot of information.
the book they were selling at gamestop for the game was huge, i mean how many weeks will it take to read it?
so where on earth do i start? how will i know where to go and what to do?
sorry but i am lost already and i just started the game, did i waste $60?

Hi... have a fishy stick!

http://www.uesp.net/wiki/General:Fishy_Stick

BTW: That link sends you to a website full of spoilers, so watch what you click. But it's information for new players (and old) is too good to not utilize.

Welcome to the crazy world called Nirn!

I now what you mean. My first 15 hours was chaos! I was so confused. Dont worry thou. I recommend messing around a little bit with your current char, and then create a new one when you know the lay of the land!

Welcome to Skyrim!
Just follow the tutorial - skyrim was my first Elder Scrolls game as well, and the tutorial was my best friend. Play around, and don't be afraid to make mistakes - your first character is always a learning experience. Explore the world at your own pace, and don't be afraid to ignore a quest. Enjoy what Skyrim has to offer!

You'll figure it out. Part of the fun is exploring and learning new things in this game.

Or did you have a more specific question?

Hi and welcome.

http://www.uesp.net will help you a lot.
And an advise, save a lot because some Quest can be buggy. (manual save, not autosave)

Great advice. The UESP is an amazing resource for Elder Scrolls information, and I can't stress enough the importance of making multiple saves in case you mess up or the game bugs out (which is it's known to do).

well right now i was running and because i dont know the button set up i am now walking, how do i get back running again?

I assume you're on the PC correct?

You most certainly did NOT waste $60!!!

Where to go, what to go? .. welcome to Elder scrolls my friend.. you do and go where you want! ..

caps lock i believe

i am using a playstation 3

Just look at the controls in the options menu, that's probably faster than waiting for someone who plays on PS3 to wander into this thread.

And one more thing, this map is very handy. It has every location in the game, just your mouse wheel to zoom in/out. http://www.uesp.net/maps/srmap/srmap.shtml

You may have pressed the L3 (left stick) down to go into sneak mode. You're not gonna move around very fast in that mode. If that's the case you'll be crouched down. Just press the left stick down again.

The other possibility is that you're carrying too may items and will have to drop some loot you've picked up. Go into your inventory and get rid of stuff you're not using and/or won't make much money on at a shop.

how do i drop these items? sell them?

Don't read the book unless you need or want more details on a quest.

As for getting your feet wet, here is what you do. Make a character, the one you have now is fine, and just play the game for 15 or 20 hours. Try a bunch of different things. Don't worry about what you do or don't do, your throwing this character out when your done. Once you have an idea of both how the game works and what you like to do, then roll a new character and play that character for part of the game. You can take one character through the whole game, but it is better to make a few characters that do different things (Thief, Warrior, Mage at the basic level).

I'd suggest buying the guide book. Some people think it spoils the surprises in the game but some don't. The uesp link does have everything you need but personally, I didn't want to have to stop midgame and go searching around a website for what I was looking for. I could just sit in front of the TV and look it up in the book. I still do sometimes. The internet is good for looking up potions though because while the book does have an extensive list of them and their ingredients, it won't tell you how to create the ones that make serious $.

Good advice!!! I always start this way just to get the hang of the game play.Always stop into the local pup for info. or just stop and have a gabb with whomever, be careful though and pay attention to what is being said, my fisrt play through on Oblivion I talked alot but never paid any attention and ended up being overwhelmed with quests and little missions.This is quite easy to do in Skyrim as well just pick and choose what you do and you should be fine, stay in Riverwood and get the hang of things before you go walk- about.

The most important thing is just playing the game. The first few hours in a game are always the toughest, and the same goes for Skyrim. Fiddle around with the controls a bit, and once you figure does out, things will start to go smoother. The best part of Skyrim is that you don't have to do anything, everything is pretty much optional, so you can't really go wrong. Just play the game, and you will eventually find out the best way to play your character, different skills to use, and more.

Also, if you go down to Settings, and then Gameplay (which you can find under the Start-button), you can turn the difficulty down to Novice. This makes the game easier, and gives you more room to figure out how to play it. Good luck!

As has been said just wander the world and explore, it will gradually get into your psyche and you will begin forming a plan of action, then your adventure will begin, welcome to The Elder Scrolls.
As your on the PS3 I will no doubt see you over in the Playstation technical issues forum at some point as a quest will bug out on you or you grabbed something before you were expected to.

Unless patches finaly sort it enough that is, we live in hope.

Another welcome to the mad house and the thing that, if you are not careful, can become the biggest time vampire yet invented (this game will svck time out of your life like you wouldn't believe).

However, if you want to enjoy it to its full I suggest you take you time with it, and stay curious. None of the quests are time limited, they will be there when you want to come back to them, so you can take as long as you like wandering the world and thinking, "What is that over there?", "What happens if I...."

And if you get stuck the Hints, Cheats and Tips section of these boards is one of the most friendly and helpful you'll find on the net for any game.

Your $60 was well spent, at $/per hour entertainment value Skyrim must come out as one of the best value games ever produced (I have nearly 600 hours in, that's 10 cents an hour and I am a long way from being through with it yet).

Yeah, one of the best pieces of advice, is to definitely take your time when you are first getting started. Just go exploring and get a feel for the controls and mechanics. Thers no big rush to complete, or in most cases start, any quests. Some quests may require a minimum level, or to have completed a prerequiste quest, though. There are even people who ignore the main quest line, and just go exploring, or doing side quests and guilds.

The single most important thing you can do is learn the controls. You will find them in the game menu. You can also adjust the options of the game in the menu. Saving is very important also. I believe quicksave will overwrite the same save file every time so it's no good as a backup. You'll need at LEAST two save game files, and probably more than that. I play on PC so I can afford to be sloppy with saves and I currently have more than 1500 saves. (someone in the tech forum told me that would probably be around 2 gigs of data). So, anyways, save often. Don't rely on auto saves.

Also, it's important to learn how "favorites" work. I'm not exactly sure how it works for PS3 but on PC if can favorite a bunch of items like weapons and potions. and I can also set it up so that I have different weapon sets preset, so when I press the number 1 on my keyboard i pull out my dual wielded war axes. when I press 2 a different weapon set combo comes out, etc.

I own the game guide and it's full of great info. But trying to read it like a novel proves fruitless. The best way to use it is only when you need it or think you may have missed something. The maps are also pretty handy. But it's really best to explore the world without prior knowledge of what you'll find. Keep the mystery in the game and learn to love the mystery as it will only enhance you gaming.

Skyrim is a huge world, with a LOT to do. And then alongside all of the quests there is even more you can do that doesn't pertain to quests. The bottom line is that you control that character and it's up to you to decide how your adventure will play out.

And learning the lore and the lingo used on these forums is very helpful.

Welcome to Skyrim and remember to have fun, that's the most important thing, after learning the controls.

OK basically like in any good RPG there is an element of exploration. On your quest menu it should tell you where to go and stuff you know. Which bit are you on?
I might be ale to help you.

Google is also your friend remember i reccomend it.

Have fun

http://elderscrolls.wikia.com/wiki/The_Elder_Scrolls_Wiki

thank you for all of the advice i really appreciate it, i am sure i will return with plenty more questions.
oh yeah and i am sure i will get laughed at for this, BUT i cant afford a flat screen TV, paying 500 bucks for a 40 inch isnt my idea of a good time
i am using a old tube tv 36 inch, will this ruin my game play?

P.S. i dont want to buy a 32 inch for 300 bucks either
they are too expensive for me to afford, sorry but i am not rich