Hi,

I just got Skyrim on Monday, and have only played a little. I created a High Elf (because I like ranged damage in other games) and got to the first town/city OK. Then I got the quest to go to Barrow Downs to fetch the Runescape (sp?).

Anyway. When I got there, I did fine until I met the Spider. There's no way I can kill it, so I had to run away.

Questions:

1. Am I primarily a Magic user? I think so, so I guess I should be using magic (Flames?) in my right hand?

2. I can have something else in my other hand, right? Would a dagger be appropriate, or should I have a shield?

3. How do you heal yourself? I finish combat and have about 1/4 life and it doesn't seem to regen very fast. It seems that the food only gives you back a tiny amount.

I have so much to learn. When I started, I had a 2h Longsword, and found that very effective, but then realized I should probably be using my Magic to try to get it to higher levels.

Any advice is appreciated. If you could point me at some beginners guides, that would be great also.

Cheers.

probably best to gain a few levels before hitting bleak falls burrow.

Left and right click on the spell you want to cast

Take a little walk north of that first town and you'll see another town called white run, talk to the jarl there and ask around for work. Kill bandits for bounties to get you some cash for healing potions, and yes food is a lousy source of healing, it primarily fluff. Tinker with a few different weapons to see what you like, no rules really. Just play the way you want.

the skyrim wikis are a good place to start. pick whichever you like, just google for them.

To answer your questions:

1 and 2) that's up to you to decide, why not mess around a bit and find out what you fancy.

3) You can use potions (find, craft or purchase), or you can use your starting healing spell (equip and cast).

Health potions are better for healing than food.

You are given the healing spell for free when you begin the game, along with the fire spell. Your mage could have the fire spell in one hand and healing in the other.

Keep in mind that you can lower the difficulty if you have trouble in combat. Since it's your game and offline, we'll never know to make fun of you (just kidding...).

At the risk of spoilers, here's some sites that can help:
http://elderscrolls.wikia.com/wiki/The_Elder_Scrolls_Wiki
http://www.uesp.net/

*For the first question; if you're asking if your character is supposed to be a magic user, the answer is up to you. Your character can use melee weapons, archery, magic, and everything in between. You can make any type of character that you like. My character happens to be a Nord warrior who uses a sword+shield and makes his own potions for healing with alchemy, though any type of character can work. There is no wrong way to play, so try everything. Feel free to make multiple characters and try out the different playstyles to see what you like best.

The game may seem overwhelming at first, but stick with it and Skyrim may quickly become a game you can't put away.

Thanks very much for all the advice. I'll try out that healing spell.

This is brand new for me. I have never played any of the other Elder Scrolls titles. I got this because I partitioned my Mac to run Windows so I could get SWTOR. I'm primarily an MMO player, but wanted to try this because it looks awesome and has rave reviews.

I think you've answered all my questions for now. I'll be back when I have more

Cheers.

Despite what some people might tell you here, there is no wrong way to play Skyrim.

IMO I've found that if I'm getting my @$$ handed to me repeatedly by ohhh just off the top of my head... A F'N ICE TROLL... I just reload and go do something else....

but later... once I have amassed power and skill beyond measure then... then I return and rain down a fire storm of destruction the likes of which would make the gates of oblivion pucker up.

And then... once they are obliterated, them and their family and friends and friends family and friends... only then do they realize the foolishness of messing with me..... /stare off into the distance....

But yeah, no just have fun with it and figure out what works best for you!

OK - one other question. My initial follower left me after I got to town. But I've been reading around a bit and it looks like I can pick up a new follower. Is that right? How do I do that?

Cheers.

You can usually pick up a follower in a tavern. But you're initial follower should either be in the Jarls Palace in Whiterun or, if you've purchased it, your house in Whiterun.

Ralof/Hadver are part of the main quest, though primarily, they are there to guide you through the events at Helgen. To recruit a new follower, you have to find them and do some task or pay them. Check out any of those web sites and search "followers".

I used to play mmorpgs too, though the nice thing about the Elder Scrolls games is that you can play anytime you like, not around other peoples' schedules, and still have a large, open fantasy world to play in. The ES games feel somewhat like an offline mmorpg, and your character (and possible follower) is the group/party.

Rule #1 of skyrim: Do w/e the frack you want

You want to be a magic wielder high elf who hacks enemies in half with a 2hander?... go for it.

1 thing you might want to be aware of is that in end game, magic damage stops scaling (it caps out) whereas melee and archery keep going past ridiculous levels. It's not that magic dmg doesn't go high enough, it does.... it's more that the weapons allow you to get even more powerful. They don't have a damage cap. Still magic IS fun, and you CAN play and beat the game using it (I wouldn't recommend master difficulty though )

I'll drop some magic wielding advice though...

forget daggers/shields. You can have spells in both hands. Most of the time it will probably be 2x whatever destro spell you're using. You can double your DPS by doubling up your flames... makes sense right?

Magicka regen is slowed in combat (as is health and stam regen) and you only regen magicka while NOT casting (or holding spell ready to cast) So you need to get used to managing your magicka. cast for a bit, then rest and dodge for a bit while it regens. This pretty much will be your play-style throughtout your mage career. You will find staves over time giving you something you can do while allowing your magicka to regen as you progress... but early on it's just cast and run... cast and run.

You know how you can 2x flames to double dmg output? Well you can 2x heal to double your healing rate too. This can be critical.. ESPECIALLY with the first tier healing spell.

You'll want to take perks in Restoration, Destruction, and Conjuration. You have a choice of either wearing armor or using Alteration for your defenses. You might find light armor as a better choice as a new player since it requires a LOT less management on your end. Alteration on the other hand gets some bonuses in the form of magic resistance and paralyze, but you really don't NEED these. You might even decide to go with heavy armor for maximum physical damage reduction... but you can hit the armor cap with light armor anyways.... and you might like the look of Elven or Glass on your mage (their lighter and flashier). Alteration is the "Pure mage" way to go, but generally considered more challenging. (until you max it and start absorbing magicka from enemy spells O.o ) Alteration also takes up a fair # more perk points (though they are good perks)

Conjuration is your summons.... you'll want to summon pretty much ever fight if for no other reason than to advance your conjuring skill. Summons are really one of your primary forms of both damage and protection all wrapped up into 1. It's not very "active" though (you cast and then do nothing) so you back it up with your own destro

Illusion can be fun... but undead and mechanical enemies are immune, and it also has level cap on every spell and the school is pretty useless unless you fully perk it out. Illusion is more suited to thief/assassin types IMO but you can fully spec into it if you really enjoy it. There is some fun to be had, but IMO you're best off with your core 3 schools.

I also recommend Enchanting as your crafting skill. You'll want to be recharging staves anyways, and enchanting gear will help you make some pretty epic and useful gear later on.... including a set of alchemist gear allowing you to create better potions without even perking for em!

Riverwood? Talk to the people in the town. There is a Bosmer (wood elf) archer that will follow you if you help him with his love problems.

After you go to Whiterun palace, and then do the Jarls quest for him, he'll assign you Lydia... you're first Housecarl... who's more like a tank and a great follower for budding mages.

After taking care of immediate business in Whiterun I recommend booking passage to Winterhold to join the College of mages. This questline is tailored for mages and you can pick up mage followers here. Lydia becomes problematic when you start tossing area of effect spells and killing her on accident. 2x mages blasting at range with summons is more effective and safer generally speaking.

Absolutely terrific advice.

Thanks very much.

I was new to TES (and I guess by all rights, I still am). When I bought Skyrim I also bought the game guide. It's a really thick mother but I highly suggest getting it. It's got maps and lists and tips and tricks, everything a noob could need. And the UESP (linked above in kaidan's reply) is a must. Learn to love those site. They have all the answers.

The best part of Skyrim, as I see it, is exploration. If you enjoy exploring then you will love Skyrim. So explore. Explore the landscape. Explore your character creation. Explore and meet and talk to all the people you can. You will get to know what is worthwhile and what might not be worth your time.

The best thing a noobie can do is walk around and become familiar with the world and how the system it lives in works. You level up based on how you play. Swing an axe and you get better at swingin' axes. Block a lot and you get better at blocking. etc.

Some things to keep in mind: Leveling takes longer at higher levels. It was hard for me to understand when I started playing. I didn't really care about my speech skill until about level 30 when I started having items that were really worth selling. If I could do it again (I should say "when" I do it again) I would like to focus on my speech skills earlier on. Buy and sell a lot. Later in the game you will probably have a lot of gold coin but money can make life much easier earlier on in the game. So, travel around, get to know your merchants and it will probably benefit your gameplay.

Also, get to know the controls. Using your favorites and setting up a few weapons sets is a good idea. You can, for example, put a fire spell in your right hand and a healing spell in your left and then set it so that when you press the number 1 (on PC keyboard) you have that as your weapon set. If you find a magic staff you like you can put in one hand and have another spell or dagger (or whatever) in your other hand and set that as the number 2 (or any number) weapon set. Weapon sets are great and as a new Skyrim player I highly recommend getting to know this capability.

theres a trick you can use on that spider.
For a mage, if thats what you going for i suggest you use restoration, that school has a perk any mage should have, so training that is a good choice. A healing spell and probably the best in game, wich is rediculous (if you ask me) is given for free on start on every toon. Also equip flames in both right and left hand, more damage, if you need to heal equip heal in same manner. Your magicka regenerates faster then hp and its good training on both restoration and destruction.
What i described in spoiler you can easily sit and wait for magicka regen and go again.
On another note theres another systemfailure you can exploit

Like others have said, there is no "wrong" way to play the game, so it all depends on what is most fun for you. If you want a magic oriented character, your Altmer (High Elf) is a good choice because of the racial bonuses an Altmer gets (+50 magica and a once a day power that increases magicka regen).

On you question about what to do with your off hand, the answer is anything you want. A sword, a shield, a torch, or another spell. The dual casting destruction impact perk is very powerful (some say overpowered) once you are high enough level to get it, so dual casting the same spell is an option. Or, if you are having trouble with loosing too much health, you can equip your healing spell in one hand and your flames spell in the other and heal while you blast your enemy with flames. There are also defensive ward spells you can use in your off hand, but they use a lot of magicka.

As for that particular frostbite spider, my recomendation if you are having trouble is to use the terrain. Remember that the terrain can be your friend because it is fairly easy to outsmart the NPC artificail intelligence. The post by Tenebrea above has the trick for defeating that particular spider. (got to learn me how to do those hidden "spoiler" posts). Once you deal with that spider, you should be able to handle most of the rest of that barrow without too much trouble, althoguht he boss at the end can be a challenge.

Good luck and enjoy the game!

I suggest turning it down to the lowest setting if you have not already.
It starts on normal as default. Turn it to novice.

Then duel wield flames and sparks or frostbite or both flames. And flambe the spider. Use potions to heal. Healing spells don't work well when being pounded by enemies.
You can also use a weapon in one hand. But it's better to duel weild magic sometimes.
Especially if you can be disarmed later at higher levels. I hate disarm attacks on games.
Just flambe everything in the place, they're all weak to fire.

Another quick question comes to mind after all this advice. If I have flames in both hands, how do I cast both? I know I use RMB for left hand and LMB for right hand, what about both hands?

Cheers.

hit both buttons

When you unlcok dual-casting, if you press both at the same time, it will combine them together for a single stronger attack. Its something close to 215% effect at 230% magicka cost... so you actually LOSE magicka efficiency to gain small DPS. However it REALLY blooms when you get Impact which has your dual-cast ranged destro spells (not the first level flamethrower types though) stagger enemies... interrupting attacks/charges/dragon breath attacks/etc

If you hit one button, then the other... you can single cast the same spell with either hand instead of dual-casting if you want better mana efficiency.

when you get the Bolt class of spells, you can alternate left/right with proper timing to maximize your DPS... however when you do this your constantly casting, giving yourself NO time for magicka regen. That said it can be good to chain fire 3-6 in a row, then let it recharge as you dodge.

there is a perk for dual casting. And that spider is hax. The key to that fight is to

Welcome to Skyrim!

If you are a high elf, I'd recommend becoming a magic user. Just like I'd recommend an Orc becoming a two-handed or dual-wielding warrior of some sort.

The game guide has some great character archetypes, although they are mainly spread out to insert one of each stone into every one of the class/race styles.

Although I don't normally do this, turning the game down to novice would greatly help killing the spider.

I do not recommend turning difficulty down. that spider is there for a reason its early in the game and it tells you what you can expect further in the game. And unlike that particular situation, there isnt always the option to use terrain in the same way. Everything you described tells me you want to be a mage, and you did the right choices so far. mages tend to be smart, use those wits instead of turning difficulty down and feel cheated afterwards.
Bleak Falls Burrow is a great training ground.