So, I will probably be getting Skyrim in the next few days, and I wanted to get some general advice for how to approach the game - tips on what builds/towns to avoid, what to do to get the most out of the game on a first playthrough, the sort. No spoilers please, since I want to come to the game fresh in terms of story.

In Oblivion I defaulted towards a sneaky archer/swordsman. I'm guessing this is still a viable build in Skyrim? Or am I better off as a pure tank swordsman? (As in, will I get more out of the game that way?) I'm a decent player, and am comfortable on medium difficulty on most games, if it makes a difference at all.

riften and morthal are my warriors least favorite areas, but if you are playing a sneak riften is your best bud. also make sure to ask around windhelm about certain things.

That build is very viable, moreso than oblivion.

I think to get the most out of the game. Do not google for answers or cheats, AND DO NOT FARM OR GRIND AWAY.

I say this from experience. If I would not have used certain "tactics" to level up Smithing, Alchemy, Enchanting,...the game would have had its life and difficulty extended a bit.

A big problem that comes up here every day is that people quickly level up both Smithing and Enchanting, and then the game becomes too easy.

I also recommend staying away from the forums for a few weeks unless you have a problem. People post spoilers in General Discussion constantly, and also it can bum you out reading about complaints which some people treat as immutable facts but are actually a matter of taste and opinion.

When I started out I made two characters, one pure thief (bow and sword+shield) with no magic of any kind, and one pure mage with no weapons or armor. Each one did separate quest lines. That way you kind of get two games in one. But that is just an idea of course.

If that was your default build it will probably be your default build in Skyrim as well. The game seems tailored for playing as a sneaky archer/swordsman, so it's a fairly enjoyable and natural way of getting into the game, learning it's mechanics and exploring the content. But you can experiment with every build you like, what's most enjoyable in Skyrim is highly subjective after all.

I would avoid scouting too much outside offered quests while you're new to the game though.

Personally, I'd say relax and enjoy it. I too started with a sneaky archer/swordsman (I was thinking Ranger, btw) and it was a great run. I'd fully explore each town and the options they provide before moving on. Some general thoughts:
1. Try to keep fast travel to a minimum if possible: you'll get a lot more out of it if you explore.
2. Early on, take advantage of the woodman's axe, lol. Seriously, chopping wood is a great way to make money early in the game (and even later in the game, if you need a bit more cash to get something you really want).
3. In general, I agree with Houseparty. However, I'd suggest clearing Evershard mine (you see the path leading up to it as you travel from Helgen to Riverside) before heading to Whiterun. You should be able to easily clear it out, giving you some much needed experience and coin.
4. I also agree about farming smithing and enchanting. I try to keep them about level with my main skills (wearing steel plate armor at lvl 10 takes all the fun out of it, lol.

I know there's a lot of complaining about various things in these forums; ignore them. It's really a great game and I think if you liked Oblivion, you'll enjoy Skyrim greatly.

You don't want spoilers but you ask what cities to avoid.

I would recommend that you just avoid watching any videos or reading spoiler forums until you start playing the game. Just sit and enjoy it. Don't check sites to see what to do on a quest... to see which path brings you more reward... choose if you want to be good or evil, set some skills you want to use with the char, and try sticking to that... visit any city or places you want, and you will slowly get to know the whole world. And play the char type you have more fun with... you can always create another one later...

Have fun.

I think the best advise is to not use any perks until you reach about level 15 apart from a few basics. there is not really that many perks that will give you much of an advantage anyway at level 15 and by that time you should know what perks will be best suited to your playing style. I started off playing the game thinking I was going to be a master mage in destruction then by level 15 realised that I wanted to be a warrior that specialised in conjuration and one handed weapon combat. And also I'd play the main quest at the start of the game until you get your first 3 word shout then just go off and explore the world maybe do the thieves guild. But take your time don't spam your skills and you should have a great time.

You really don't have to do one or the other.

Why not have two characters, and play them by alternating daily.

I just started my fourth character - I have an assassin/thief/bow user; pure destruction mage; warrior/2H sword and a conjurer mage.

I change characters every day; have them do different quest lines to keep overlap to a minimum.

It makes the game last longer, and by doing different things, it keeps the game fresh.

I'm at 299 hours this morning, and still going strong.

Sneaky is still very much possible. And their are specific skill trees for Archery and Sneaking. One handed skill tree for iproving your sword skill, too.

There are also two specific factions which would suit such a character.

The best advice I have is to walk everywhere and roleplay your character. Kyrie (my aspiring Skald) got into more trouble because she was curious and I had a ball with her. Just finished main quest with her at level 53 (well over 200 hours of play time) and only have one other quest line done. That's the beauty of roleplaying a character - every playthrough will be different because each character will have his/her own goals, motivations and moral character.

Immerse yourself in the world and have fun.

I'll go counter to the above advice and say that for people who super-gamers and who like to have their fate more in their own hands, crafting (smithing, enchanting, alchemy) is a way to level the playing field by being prepared for the fights instead of letting them happen to you and relying on your superior playing skills to keep you alive.

Here's one piece of advice though. You can't take perk selections back so you might be very frugal in perk selection till you find out what you like to do in the game (fight with a sword or axe or dagger or magic or bow etc.). You don't have to select a new perk immediately. Just remember you will need those perks later and if they are in the wrong tree (as they are in many cases with me) you kick yourself forever.

Sorry that last post should have said for people who AREN'T super gamers (don't have mad gaming skills). I am one of those and crafting helps me to fight effectively and enjoy the game.

Thanks for the advice, all! Much appreaciated. Especially good to know that it'd be better to not pick perks immediately.

Well, I wish someone had told me before I played Fallout 3 to avoid Rivet City until I reached the GNR part of the main quest. I didn't even know I could meet Three-Dog in person until my second playthrough. Some open-ended games are also more enjoyable when you play them a certain way, at least the first time. When I first got Fallout New Vegas I played it like I played Oblivion and FO3, with the result that I got really frustrated a few hours in. If someone had told me to approach it more like a linear journey I would have had much more fun those first hours. It's this kind of advice I was looking for, mostly.

LOL. No mad gaming skills here (have been playing RPG's since table top D&D in the 80's but I'm terrible at anything that requires coordination). When I first started my character I died alot until I got the feel for the mechanics of this game and I did take the Archery perks that slow time so I could actually hit something that wasn't standing still. I did use the crafting skills because they fit my character's backstory - and as I said she's curious, but almost no magic. I also limited my smithing to things that she would use - light armor, no daedric weapons because using daedric weapons goes against her moral code (daedra are evil- at least in her view). She and her follower both have full sets of dragon scale armor though - if you're stuck being the dragonborn you should get some perks.

I will say that following the main quest, at least for the first little bit, is probably a good idea. I didn't do this and I wandered of toward Markarth which is probably not the best place for a low level character (even with level scaling).

As someone mentioned, don’t exploit Smithing and Enchanting. Level them naturally if you’re going to spend time with them. In other words, if you have some fur or pelts, go make some leather and make some armor and improve it as much as you can at the skill you are at. Go play some more, and of you end up with some more pelts or iron, make what you can and go on about your business. Don’t worry about travelling to every smith you can find, buy all their ingots and leather and power level the skill. Do it naturally – you’ll appreciate it much more in my opinion.

This might be heresy to some (myself included!) but be VERY careful where you randomly explore. There are quests you can absolutely break because you went somewhere before the quest told you to go there. (It svcks I know! But the fact remains there are some MAJOR scripting and quest variable bugs that STILL need fixing.) Almost EVERY dungeon has a quest of some sort associated with it, so if you just play the game you’ll eventually go to them all anyway if you do all the quests. As much as I hate suggesting this, to keep from breaking your own game, I recommend you play in a pretty linear manor until the big patch comes out this month. Hopefully it will fix the scripting but I’m not holding my breath. If Beth don’t fix it, modders will as soon as the CK comes out.

It’s no problem to have multiple quests going at one time though. So I like to hit the road, get as many quests in my journal as I can, and simply do them when I’m in the area of my next location in that quest. But I know everybody won’t like to play like that. (For that matter I don’t either. But I’d rather do that than totally break another character.)

My favorite build is a sneaky archer so it’s definitely a great way to play. Go see the guy at “The Drunken Huntsman” in Whiterun as he has about the best archery selection in the game (especially arrows). I’ve made the guy wealthy with my characters, lol. If you play an archer here’s a spoiler for you if you want it:


Most of all, have fun!

http://www.gamesas.com/topic/1320886-the-dummies-guide-to-skyrim/page__fromsearch__1

^Dummies Guide^, feel free to ask there if you want

One thing that really helps with the mechanics of the interface that some people missed at first is binding your 1 through to 8 keys on your inventory objects such as weapons/potions etc and or magic skills/spells. To do so go into your items list and tag what you want key bound as a "Favorite" (by selecting it and pressing the F key)
Once you have tagged some skills or items as favorites go back to the main live screen and press Q this will bring up your favorite tagged items/skills. Just mouse over whatever skill and press any of the 1-8 buttons on your keyboard to assign it to that key.
Pretty basic stuff I realize but I remember seeing quite a few posts about not knowing how to do this when skyrim first came out.