Wanted: patient people to help clueless newbie

[shamrock_uk]

Bound longbow does also cast a fortify marksman spell on you...for 10 points i think. The main reason it's superior is that it's a daedric bow with all the benefits but none of the weight.

[Oruboris]

Yes, should have mentioned that: easier to HIT with bound longbow, even if you have low marksmanship. Once I've got a character going, I never use any other bow, or spear for that matter.

As to prices, when I first got the 'Zenithar Whispers' amulet that charms 30 points, I was using it on all the merchants before I sold to them. In many cases, it actually LOWERS their initial offer. There is some point of diminishing returns that I haven't pinned down: I'm pretty sure Ajira pays much less after her affection for you hits 100%, than she did at, say, 80.

In fairness, though, it may increase the amount they'll actually pay you as opposed to offer, but I find having to negotiate EVERY sale a little tedious, after a while.

An exception to this seems to be successfully completeing a sale, though: by selling the ghostgate armor guy a ton of items, one at a time, his affection for me increased, and his asking price for glass armor decreased. To do that, you have to hit 'barter', and sell a cheap item [arrows are good] one at a time. Accept his offer, which kicks you back to the dialog menu: DO NOT exit the dialog, just hit 'barter' again, or all the increase in goodwill evaporates.

At the end of a session, you can always buy the arrows back in one swell foop, for less than he paid you.

Oru

[Aelia Jusa]

Originally posted by Oruboris: Learn Bound longbow QUICK: the bound bow can kill a golden saint with poor arrows in only a shot or two. Its your best way of getting by those early tough combats. Iron and lesser arrows still do damage to undead [etc] not normally effected by them if they are fired from a bound bow.

I don't recall that many early battles with golden saints

I just want to caution people from giving Mel too many 'here's what would make it really easy for you' tips - they're all good, but half the fun in a new game is bumbling about and learning what works and what doesn't. I think Mel is really asking for how things work, not how to get ahead fast. That's why I disagree with Promethius's post re scrapping her character and building a 'better' one - I do agree with most of the things he's said about various skills (though not about speechcraft being useless - it depends on the type of character you're playing, and also not about having acrobatics as a major skill - that is one like athletics that you can increase fast without any training when it is a misc skill - save your major and minor skills for ones that are harder to increase with practice ), but while I know he's not suggesting an uber character, I enjoyed my first go through with a character who at the end had a few major and minor skills that I wished she hadn't had, and having never snuck anywhere or had to cast a spell to open chests because my security was fairly low. The preset characters are all like that - none are perfect, and of course you can improve on them, but neither do I think it's the most fun thing to play your first time through with a 'perfect' character. Just MHO [img]smile.gif[/img]

[promethius9594]

aelia jusa,

i agree, there is no such thing as a perfect character, most of what i put was taken from a walkthrough that i use (although won't advertise here unless the mods would let me... there isnt a forum, its just a quest walthrough with super spoilers and how tos on nearly everything).

i agree that having a super character doesnt necessarily make the game any more fun, but having a character which doesnt meet your needs likewise sucks. namely, half the fun is in scrapping and rebuilding your character until you find a combination of traits you like. i was already doing the third quest for the blades when i realized that my character just wasnt who i wanted him to be and scrapped... it sounds like mel is likewise having trouble killing even minor creatures.

my point to her was that stacking up skills the way she did may not be her best bet for this time around. its her choice.

[Nanobyte]

Originally posted by Aelia Jusa: quote: Originally posted by Oruboris: Learn Bound longbow QUICK: the bound bow can kill a golden saint with poor arrows in only a shot or two. Its your best way of getting by those early tough combats. Iron and lesser arrows still do damage to undead [etc] not normally effected by them if they are fired from a bound bow.

I don't recall that many early battles with golden saints

I just want to caution people from giving Mel too many 'here's what would make it really easy for you' tips - they're all good, but half the fun in a new game is bumbling about and learning what works and what doesn't. I think Mel is really asking for how things work, not how to get ahead fast. That's why I disagree with Promethius's post re scrapping her character and building a 'better' one - I do agree with most of the things he's said about various skills (though not about speechcraft being useless - it depends on the type of character you're playing, and also not about having acrobatics as a major skill - that is one like athletics that you can increase fast without any training when it is a misc skill - save your major and minor skills for ones that are harder to increase with practice ), but while I know he's not suggesting an uber character, I enjoyed my first go through with a character who at the end had a few major and minor skills that I wished she hadn't had, and having never snuck anywhere or had to cast a spell to open chests because my security was fairly low. The preset characters are all like that - none are perfect, and of course you can improve on them, but neither do I think it's the most fun thing to play your first time through with a 'perfect' character. Just MHO [img]smile.gif[/img] [/QUOTE]In other words, Mel's only asking how to play, not how to win.

[Kakero]

As you can see, people here in Ironworks are very very helpful. Ask a little and they'll tell you everything.

[Oruboris]

Well no: no 'early' battles with golden saints, but my first character kept dying from running into critters that can't be touched by iron or lesser weapons, including scamps [got lost on my way to balmora] and ancestor ghosts [tomb raiding along the coast].

And I have a bad habit of wandering into the Daedric ruins early and often. A hit and run technique with the bound bow is highly effective against dremora if a single blow from one will kill you.

I'd hardly consider bound longbow to make one 'uber': for me, the game is essentially un-playable without that spell, teleport, the boots o' blinding, etc.

Oru

[ 05-01-2004, 04:20 AM: Message edited by: Oruboris ]

[promethius9594]

heh, you got beaten by a scamp. thats one claim to fame i can't yet make. although i did wander into a mission where i found a flame atronarch guarding the woman i was supposed to protect. i killed her, but to get the needed money to cover what i was supposed to collect from her, i had to go into her cave... flame atronarch BLAM hit with a spell, level 4, DEAD as a charcoal in a flaming barbeque pit.

if you see weird looking ruins, especially as a character who has little fighting ability to speak of at this point, go the other way... the long way around them. dont fight daedra until you are sure you can handle something that eats ten cliff hangers and asks for seconds.

[promethius9594]

Originally posted by Dalamar Stormcrow: Well, I'm glad you chose Blunt Weapons, try and look for a certain, oh, idont know, skullchrusher, the . BIGGEST SPOILER IN THE GAME . . . . . . . . only hammer in the game that is weightless!!! Also does minimunm 50 damage -maximum 50 damage IIRC. Look for daedric ruins near Tel Fyr, and then you find out you can't get in there! Fight tons of golems around them, find the slternate route through a nest of daedra and frost atronachs, and past a door with 100 lock level.There is a room with 4-5 daedra lords and a chest that floats over a pit of lava................With a lock of 100.

um, where is it EXACTLY in relation to Tel Fyr... i've searched almost all the nearby islands from tel aruhn to sadrith mora and all around tel fyr and can't find the ruins youre talking about. is it on the mainland? what direction from tel fyr?

[Nanobyte]

Originally posted by promethius9594: quote: Originally posted by Dalamar Stormcrow: Well, I'm glad you chose Blunt Weapons, try and look for a certain, oh, idont know, skullchrusher, the . BIGGEST SPOILER IN THE GAME . . . . . . . . only hammer in the game that is weightless!!! Also does minimunm 50 damage -maximum 50 damage IIRC. Look for daedric ruins near Tel Fyr, and then you find out you can't get in there! Fight tons of golems around them, find the slternate route through a nest of daedra and frost atronachs, and past a door with 100 lock level.There is a room with 4-5 daedra lords and a chest that floats over a pit of lava................With a lock of 100.

um, where is it EXACTLY in relation to Tel Fyr... i've searched almost all the nearby islands from tel aruhn to sadrith mora and all around tel fyr and can't find the ruins youre talking about. is it on the mainland? what direction from tel fyr? [/QUOTE]Seeing as how Mel has specifically asked not to be spoiled, perhaps you two should continue this over PM.