[obv] look here 4 col hax!!1

[SpiritWarrior]

*Ahem* Sorry, been playing too many MMO's.

So I'm finally ready to sit down and really play this game. I mean, really play as in get into it rather than just messing around like I have been. So far I have created a thief-type char and a crusader/paladin type. However, because of me hearing that rogues are kinda gimped right now and since I get kind of bored with paladin over time, I decided to reroll once more with this new committed energy I have going.

I have some questions, even though I've been messing around alot with NPC's and PC's I still don't know the long-term impacts of skills and traits for a class. Like...

1) Are there any skills that are an absolute *must* no matter what you roll?

2) I was considering a fire mage but I am a purest. I want to start with nothing but fire spells. Does the game work like this or am I stuck with the basic flare and cure wounds etc.? From what I can see I can't customize my seplls at the start at least. Can I later specialize or gain specific spells by choice or are they just "thrown" at you every level or so with no focus on 'schools' (like ice, unlocking spells, fire, summons)?

3) The whole 'Repair' thing is already at level one, a pain. Are there any mods to make it so your stuff lasts longer or even eradicate the need for repairing items altogether? To me fixing stuff half of the day is annoying, not fun.

4) Essential mods? I'll download whatever I need, just name it don't be shy. I really don't wanna get into the game and live with something I hate, later finding out theres a mod that changes or makes that something easier. I don't like the item/spell interface. It's like Fable and looks too..'console-like'. Has anyone gone as far as to make a mod that changes the UI?

5) Horsey! I want one but uh...I don't want one like Luvian's that dies when it runs too fast or gets too many cuts from grass. I want a horsey who survives. Any good mods out there for that?

5) Anything else I need to know? Tips, advice or whatever?

kktnxbye

[Ilander]

hmm...The world of single player crpg's is a wholly different one from MMO's

First off, you don't have to fix your armor, you can pay merchants to do it...and when I'm rapid clicking while repairing things, only after particularly nasty dungeons does it take me more than 25 seconds to repair everything (I click quickly )

You never get any spells for free, you have to purchase them...look around for merchants.

Armorer is a fantastic skill most people need, but that doesn't mean it HAS to be a major skill...Alchemy is pretty fantastic, too.

Paint Horses are "the most robust" of the horses, but protect them from bears. Actually, just don't ride your horse in the wilderness if you're looking for a fight.

The only mod I've got so far is the color map, so I can't help much with that, though I hear the mod that decreases the size of the fonts and pictures inside your inventory is quite nice...allows you to see more of your stuff.

[TheCrimsomBlade]

I have had a Chestnut horse since the begining
or not far after starting and it has killed three
bears I have also had 2 Paint horses and they both
died. Rather they were killed, one by a bear and
the other was killed by a Spriggen. Avoid the Paints
they suck and they cant jump worth a damn.

[Ilander]

...hmm...well, my Chestnut's not fared so great against bears, as they've killed it in one hit. Brown bears, incidentally. Not black ones. Those suck. My horse has also helped me kill Ogre's...I'm not saying they're not better, I'm just spouting what Bethesda says in their game [img]smile.gif[/img]

[Bozos of Bones]

Must skills for me were always Athletics and Acrobatics, as they are a great help in steady leveling, and a good mobility at the start is a nice bonus.
Your starting spells are always one of Destruction, one of Restoration, and then you gain bonus spells if you took any Spell Schools as majors. Atleast that's how I figured it. Durin the game, you buy your own spells, and later you can craft them.
The repair thing really is no pain, and it takes a while for your items to degrade at later levels.
I play with the Velocity mod and revised strength(carrying capacity is a bitch). I found a few more mods that I'd like(unrestricted enchanting, official mods like horse equipment), but they are on pay sites.
Horses help alot. They're not as weak as Luvian described. You have your fast horses, your strong horses and your uber horses. There are two uber horses in the game, and I am a proud owner of one of them
Things you need to know? Don't rely on enchanted weapons while until you're an Armorer journeyman. Learned that th hard way, in the middle of an Oblivion plane.

[JrKASperov]

I installed Durable Equipment mod to deal with the rapid deterioration of items. They last twice as long, but you can choose 5, 10 or 20 times as long.

[SpiritWarrior]

So from what I am seeing though, i'm dreaming by thinking I can 'get by' just on fire spells alone. This wouldn't make me a viable caster right? I'd need at least basic heals and manipulation spells etc.

[Bozos of Bones]

There are things that are resistant to fire damage.
There are things that are vulnerable to fire damage.
There are things that will reflect fire damage back at you.
There are things that will resist all kinds of spells.
Just like any other RPG out there.

[SpongeLikeCow]

So from what I am seeing though, i'm dreaming by thinking I can 'get by' just on fire spells alone. This wouldn't make me a viable caster right? I'd need at least basic heals and manipulation spells etc.

If you're going to be a pure mage you need all spell schools, except maybe Mysticism. They don't all have to be major skills, except for Restoration and Destruction they all raise very quickly. You could just go with the standard Mage class.

Here's my spell hotkeys:

Weakness to Shock 100% ranged (critical, could be fire or ice)
Shock damage 80 pts ranged
Paralyze touch
Restore Health/Restore Fatigue self (critical)
Invisibility self (critical)
Shield self
Summon (Daedra of choice) (critical)
flex spot - Charm, Heal touch, Feather, Open, Conjure weapon, whatever

By critical I mean absolutely necessary. Without the weakness to elemental damage you'll be hard pressed to kill some enemies with your entire mana pool. Healing is a no brainer, Invisibility will save your life over and over, and summons can tank for you. I stay Invisible all the time in hostile areas. Walk up to an enemy, Paralyze him, and shock him to death before he gets up.

Do the first Mages Guild quests right away so you can get into the Arcane University and create combo spells, like Heal and Restore Fatigue in the same spell. This saves hotkeys. Also stick to picking locks so you don't have to use Open spells.

As for plugins, there's Magicka Fortification which doubles your mana, and numerous leveling mods that do away with the stat multipliers and the utterly stupid hitpoint calculations based only on current endurance. I use Tom Servo's. This also does away the the training cap so you can train up to 50 armorer and repair anything as soon as you have the cash.

[ 04-15-2006, 12:01 PM: Message edited by: SpongeLikeCow ]

[SpiritWarrior]

Ok sounds good. Last question...why wear light armor as a caster? I mean is there any reason or benefit as opposed to gaining the extra AC from heavy? I see battlemage wears heavy. Exactly what do they mean about utilizing light armor better?