I do this and I think "creating a character" really makes it fun. I've dabbled in a little bit of everything but I decided to go full beserker this playthrough. I am an Orc that **CHARGES** (yes full blown out runs) towards any sign of conflict. He loves the fight and will get involved in almost any fight. Dual weilding axes, banging some heavy armor, and he enchants weapons and smiths for money. He is still a basically good character but for any Imperial he comes across he turns evil and homicidal. I even created a backstory to him. He fled to Skyrim after his stronghold was attacked by Imperials and then he was imprisoned while stumbling near the Stormcloaks. It adds MORE p[urpose to your chracrters adventure then just killing the final boss.

I'm trying a play through on Expert difficulty using the same gear that the Dovahkiin uses in all the pre-release trailers. Right now I'm level 26 with the following skills

Light Armor (studded armor, bracers and boots)
Heavy Armor (iron helm and banded iron shield)
One-Handed (steel longsword)

I've only invested my perks in the One-Handed and Blocking skills. I haven't really touched Smithing (or any other crafting skills) at all. This setup can be also a royal pain in the (expletive) at times, but it's a real nice challenge. I suggest trying this if you're looking to test both their patience and discipline.

In all, I can agree that limiting yourself can be a fun way to play this game.

If you are going to use a terrible joke, at least get it right.

Npc warrior classes are skilled in bow and so is mine. I concentrate on one handed, heavy armor, block and archery with little smithing. If theres a locked chest i either have my followe do it and if he cant, it doesnt get opened. If you play as a character who can do anything when situation arises it makes for boring play with someone with no identity

My beserker couldn't pick a lock if his life was at stake..... and I didn't know I could have a companion do it either.....

I tend to limit my playstyle to a class aswell. It gives the game some more replay value imho. But I don't limit myself to just pure stealth, warrior or magic classes. Mixed classes like battlemage, spellsword, nightblade, etc, can be a lot of fun.

So I'm currently playing a coldhearted assasin, but playing as a bard - agent mix.

Not only is it fun having limitations, but it also means the skills you DO use are higher compared to your level, and probably have more & better perks assigned to them.

My barbarian can pick locks rather well (he's an argonian, and I have the knack as a player) but he's got next to nothing in terms of spellcasting, one handed, block, light armor, sneak, bows, etc. He does just fine, despite (or maybe rather because of) the fact that his two handed skill is double or triple any other skill he has.

i always decide how my characters act and what kind of fighting style they prefer.


i mostly end up with shield using warriors, that use bows, if the situation asks for it.

I used to get it right ...

But then I ...

took an arrow ...

to the knee ...

Thats what i realised recently as i was playing a strictly conan anti-magic warrior type. For some reason i couldnt relate and connect to a pure warrior to my surprise after playing him to level 8. Just seemed too limited and none of my real life self felt part of the action. It was like playing a robot. So i went back to my playstyle from Oblivion of a warrior first and magic user second setup and now am having a ton of fun again raising dead bodies to distract the enemy while i acttack from a better vantage point etc with a one handed weapon. Even with this more free playstyle i find myself naturally limiting myself as i stay away from two handed weapons and archery which from my limited real life experiance i would do poorly at. So when in doubt my best bet is to think what would i do in real life as i mold my character.

Yeah, this is really the best way to play in my opinion. I think that is the way the game is designed to be played.

This is one thing I really like about Skyrim. Challenging the logistics of traditional archetypes that is.

There are many skills to minor in, but you can always major in whichever select few. Because there are always going to be times where a dragon isn't going to land, and that Warrior may need to pull out a bow. There will be times when a thief can't hide in the light of day and has to rush into the fray, there will be times when an archer can't land an arrow and has to rush in as well.

Just because the skills are there to use, doesn't mean you have to get 100 in them or spend perks in them.

The perks in Skyrim, and Standing Stones and guilds to an extent, are there to help you settle into whichver archetype or sub-build you want to play as.

That is to say that purposely limiting yourself to certain skills is fun, adds a certain dynamic and level of difficulty, but I just don't find it realistic to think that a Mage wouldn't pull out a sword to stab someone when he's out of magicka. (Gross oversimplification)

Which honestly... if you're playing a sub-archetype then you're already edging towards the bigger point that combat and character creation in Skyrim (and modern gaming as a whole) is suggesting.

I'm playing a WarriorMage
OneHanded
LightArmor
Conjuration
While I'm not playing a pure Class type there's still many other Character types to play. Pure Mage or Thief , Assassin Archer just to name a few.

A thief using only the skills in the thief section is pretty challenging. (I had to eventually expand out to using scrolls and staves for some unavoidable fights where I couldn't pickpocket poison onto them)

That's why I dont like "pure" classes. I dont like the concept of selecting a "class" and thus being limited to what you can use or do.

I do like having a specialization, and not being able to master everything, but I dont like mechanics that limit what kind of combinations I can put together.

That's why I love Elder Scrolls so much because it's pretty much the only RPG series out there that truly allows me to build my character in my own vision.

I think I would agree, but I think it is also heavily dependent on how you play your character. For example, I am also playing a wood elf archer, but my character is also a complete self sufficiency character. I don't stay in town, and with the exception of a few instances where it was required by the game for a quest, I have never bought or sold anything from a merchant.


Of course, I'm also a thief, so I've robbed more than a few of them blind, but never bought anything

Given that I only use what make or find, some of my skills that I use can get quite high. Alchemy and archery and sneaking are all70 plus. Smithing is in the low 60's, enchanting is in the 40's, and so is resto. I have no perks in anything else ,including light armor, which is a measly 35. I think my low light armor testifies to my alchemy and archery skills given that I'm about to hit level 40

I basically do what I want. I wear furs and fur type armors to look the part (saviors hide, boots and gauntlets of the old gods, enchanted stormcloak officers helmet), and focus on having fun and not just powerleveling.


This game is hella entertaining as soon as you stop smithing out iron daggers and enchanting every hide bracer you find.