The Elder Scrolls

[Friendly Primarina]

It's not just that, you literally enter the Thieves Guild and Mages Guild through the main questline. And I think the mages guild even has dialogue that kind of emplies that Dragonborn specifically is needed to stop the eye of magnus (but maybe I'm not recalling that one correctly)

The best part about siding with the Dawnguard is that you don't end up leading their order.

It's not even the short length of time it takes to lead the College/Thieves' Guild I find the most silly. I've never been the Archmage of a Mages' Guild nor the Guildmaster of a Thieves' Guild, but I'm assuming those roles are very hands-on. The leader of an organization like the guilds can't really just fuck off to raid burial crypts for months on end. They have to at least be present.

Not only that but you also end up leapfrogging multiple high-ranking members for the role, too. And they are just totally fine with it. Why couldn't Tolfdir be Archmage with you as Master Wizard? If you could go to Tolfdir for radiant tasks to do with keeping the College running it would make far more sense thematically.

At least in the DB questline, there's the excuse that The Night Mother™ spoke to you alone. And anyone who might have a problem with it is dead (Nazir stikes me as a "go with the flow" type guy). I don't remember the Companions questline because I never really seem to get around to it.

 

[xXx: State of the Union]

I've always wondered why Bethesda just doesn't do a system where like...the questline has a "story", and you can do that story without becoming the leader of it.

But then when you're done with that story, just like set up a thing where if you do enough radiant quests for the faction you can get promoted and maybe then eventually become the leader of it.

It doesn't feel like it'd be that complicated to do, and it's like...their big thing with Skyrim were the radiant quests so it would just be another reason to have more avenues for them.

I don't know. I probably wouldn't do them but I feel like some people would. It's been so long since I played it but you didn't actually become leader of factions in Morrowind, right?

 

[Mega Black]

4. [Attack] Reeeeee!

You can choose this option but the guards will be flagged essential so you just soft lock yourself.

 

[Super Hans v2]

And I think the mages guild even has dialogue that kind of emplies that Dragonborn specifically is needed to stop the eye of magnus (but maybe I'm not recalling that one correctly

Labyrinthian has an undead dragon guarding the entrance hall. So, not explicitly needing a dragonborn, but may as well.

 

[Prophetic Spirit]

I don't remember the Companions questline because I never really seem to get around to it.

The rank of Harbinger is just a mere guide of the circle and the low-rank companions.
At least fits more better than being the guildmaster in the Fighters Guild in Oblivion. But even in that game all the administrative shit belongs to Modryn.

 

[scathefire]

I've always wondered why Bethesda just doesn't do a system where like...the questline has a "story", and you can do that story without becoming the leader of it.

That seems to be the case with Starfield, though the whole "become leader at the end of the questline" is more of a TES thing.

 

[Übertroon]

Anyone have any recommendations for a modlist for Skyrim? I don't want to deal with all the shitty mod drama, and is just looking for a pre configured list of mods that makes the game more interesting but avoids anything that isn't lore friendly or adds too much gay or weeb shit

 

[Prophetic Spirit]

Anyone have any recommendations for a modlist for Skyrim? I don't want to deal with all the shitty mod drama, and is just looking for a pre configured list of mods that makes the game more interesting but avoids anything that isn't lore friendly or adds too much gay or weeb shit

I gotchu fam.
https://dragonbornsfate.moddinglinked.com/

You can thank me later.

 

[LORD IMPERATOR]

Because up until Skyrim (and some still debate this) it wasn't the intention that the "hero" does *every* faction. Simply that they all happen.

To be fair, that didn't start with Skyrim at all. I did all the guild faction quests in Oblivion as well as all the DLCs before giving the Amulet of Kings to Jauffre.

A lot of the things people blame Skyrim for, like quest markers, being able to join and lead all the factions, as well as the game being more casual, started with Oblivion. Skyrim just cut out the fat, like how classes were canned because they became worthless. I tried to turn my Hero of Kvatch into a wizard, she wound up being a warrior who can pound minotaurs to death with her bare fists.

The only thing Skyrim did that was major in terms of mechanics was removing spellcrafting; and given that some folks create spells that break the game, it was more of a balancing issue than a casualization one.

As for how the Skyrim mages' college questline was far smaller than the Oblivion version, remember that magic in Skyrim isn't as valued as in Oblivion. The most they use magic for is enchanting blades or healing people. Magic has gone on a steep decline, to the point where the folks at Sovngarde state that the modern Nords have lost their ancestor's love for the ''clever craft''. If the Oblivion mages' quest was you trying to get into a university, the Skyrim mages' quest is like getting into a local community college.

Outside of the Companions, every other guild in Skyrim is far more minor than its counterpart in Cyrodiil, because they're not the center of the action. That, or they're in decline. The Skyrim Dark Brotherhood is a band of punks, far unlike the Oblivion Dark Brotherhood which was far stronger and more organized. If the Dark Brotherhood in Oblivion is comparable to the Sicilian Mafia, the Dark Brotherhood in Skyrim is comparable to a small-time gang of hoodlums hiding in some dilapidated ruin in East Harlem.

 

[Asian tech support]

I tried to turn my Hero of Kvatch into a wizard, she wound up being a warrior who can pound minotaurs to death with her bare fists.

At least hand-to-hand was a valid playstyle. Skyrim doesn't really offer any off-kilter playstyles, sans stuff like necromancer and bonus ritual/crown of aetherius zombie army shenanigans.

The only thing Skyrim did that was major in terms of mechanics was removing spellcrafting; and given that some folks create spells that break the game, it was more of a balancing issue than a casualization one.

You're probably right but I hate this idea of sacrificing entire systems at the altar of balance. It's lazy and breeds more animosity than just leaving broken crap as is. It's a single player game; players should be able to cleverly break the game, just with maybe a bit more effort than it took in Morrowind/Oblivion.

 

[Übertroon]

You're probably right but I hate this idea of sacrificing entire systems at the altar of balance. It's lazy and breeds more animosity than just leaving broken crap as is. It's a single player game; players should be able to cleverly break the game, just with maybe a bit more effort than it took in Morrowind/Oblivion.

I'm pretty sure only a fraction of players actually managed to break the game with spells and potions. Nerfing magic because 1% of players manage to break the game with it is gay

 

[LORD IMPERATOR]

You're probably right but I hate this idea of sacrificing entire systems at the altar of balance. It's lazy and breeds more animosity than just leaving broken crap as is. It's a single player game; players should be able to cleverly break the game, just with maybe a bit more effort than it took in Morrowind/Oblivion.

I'm pretty sure only a fraction of players actually managed to break the game with spells and potions. Nerfing magic because 1% of players manage to break the game with it is gay

Problem is, with the internet, that 1% can easily tell the 99% how to do it. Once one man breaks the game, he blabs to the internet about his discovery, and the whole world finds out about it in days. And yes game designers utterly hate it when you break their game, because it nullifies the challenge they worked so hard to build.

 

[Friendly Primarina]

Anyone have any recommendations for a modlist for Skyrim? I don't want to deal with all the shitty mod drama, and is just looking for a pre configured list of mods that makes the game more interesting but avoids anything that isn't lore friendly or adds too much gay or weeb shit

I gotchu fam.
https://dragonbornsfate.moddinglinked.com/

You can thank me later.

If it's your first time playing Skyrim I would use all the mods in the "Base" section, but restrict the mods in the "DBF Extended" section to "User Interface" and "Visuals." Looking at the mods in the other sections, the gameplay changes they introduce go way beyond what I personally would consider "Vanilla+."

Judging by various so-called "Vanilla+" modlists I've seen elsewhere, I have way more restrictive criteria for "vanilla gameplay" than most people, so take my opinion for what you will.

 

[Asian tech support]

Problem is, with the internet, that 1% can easily tell the 99% how to do it. Once one man breaks the game, he blabs to the internet about his discovery, and the whole world finds out about it in days. And yes game designers utterly hate it when you break their game, because it nullifies the challenge they worked so hard to build.

Bethesda definitely thinks about it that way while at the same time designing some niggerslop that's meant to be completed by the average ten year old. Motherfuckers will load up a new save and console command in full daedric armor and a max level chillrend or whatever. It's the wrong series of games to enforce some flawed semblance of challenge in.

What I think they really really don't like is the player ignoring some "high effort" setpiece or a character with an expensive VA or whatnot. They're definitely livid that no one likes Delphine and Sara Morgan.

 

[LORD IMPERATOR]

Bethesda definitely thinks about it that way while at the same time designing some niggerslop that's meant to be completed by the average ten year old. Motherfuckers will load up a new save and console command in full daedric armor and a max level chillrend or whatever. It's the wrong series of games to enforce some flawed semblance of challenge in.

That's for the PC. And again, they designed the game to be easy enough, so they thought that allowing people to make OP spells would make it too easy.

I don't know what the problem is. Just set the game to Legendary, and the game is hard again. Unless of course, you spam the ''Marked for Death'' shout.

What I think they really really don't like is the player ignoring some "high effort" setpiece or a character with an expensive VA or whatnot. They're definitely livid that no one likes Delphine and Sara Morgan.

Really? I never heard that. Especially since Paarthunax was voiced by Mario, and everyone loves him. Delphine is mostly hated because she will not work with you unless you kill Paarthunax, which made a lot of people unhappy. I just ratted her out to the Greybeards and then told them that Paarthunax is safe with me.

I loved the part where the Greybeards told Delphine to get fucked. Delphine's like "we helped guide the Dragonborn to this path" and the Greybeards are like "we know what you tried to get the Dragonborn to do, bitch. But Paarthunax is still safe from your barbarism."

 

[xXx: State of the Union]

To be fair, that didn't start with Skyrim at all. I did all the guild faction quests in Oblivion as well as all the DLCs before giving the Amulet of Kings to Jauffre.

That's not what I'm talking about.

I'm talking about the fact that you basically have to half ass join, or at least get involved with, the thieves guild and the mages guild in order to progress the main quest. A lot of people like to point to this as being evidence the Dragonborn canonically "does it all". (yes yes I know there is a way around doing the job for the thieves guild but you basically have to know that out of game as the game never even hints at it)

The most you do in Oblivion IIRC is talk to the Argonian at the Arcane University about the Mythic Dawn. You don't have to do a test or join the guild to do that though.

Also the idea that spellcrafting wasn't implemented due to balance is fucking hilarious considering all of the alchemy schenanigans that were found in the first week and never patched.

 

[LORD IMPERATOR]

That's not what I'm talking about.

I'm talking about the fact that you basically have to half ass join, or at least get involved with, the thieves guild and the mages guild in order to progress the main quest. A lot of people like to point to this as being evidence the Dragonborn canonically "does it all". (yes yes I know there is a way around doing the job for the thieves guild but you basically have to know that out of game as the game never even hints at it)

The most you do in Oblivion IIRC is talk to the Argonian at the Arcane University about the Mythic Dawn. You don't have to do a test or join the guild to do that though.

Also the idea that spellcrafting wasn't implemented due to balance is fucking hilarious considering all of the alchemy schenanigans that were found in the first week and never patched.

I never joined the Thieves Guild to finish the main quest, and that was me not knowing a thing. Granted, I did the Mages' Guild quest, but that was to just get some loot, as well as a place to stay and store my shit without paying a Jarl for a house.

They did patch the Oghma Infinium glitch.

 

[xXx: State of the Union]

I never joined the Thieves Guild to finish the main quest, and that was me not knowing a thing.

So you just magically knew to go ask the innkeeper about Esbern even though Delphine/the game specifically tells you to go talk to Brynjolf? Or did you just magically know to go poking around the Warrens?

And I'm not talking about the Oghma Infinium glitch. I'm talking about the Enchanting/Alchemy/Restoration loop but also I'm now remembering the Necromage/Vampire exploit as well.

 

[LORD IMPERATOR]

So you just magically knew to go ask the innkeeper about Esbern even though Delphine/the game specifically tells you to go talk to Brynjolf? Or did you just magically know to go poking around the Warrens?

I fucked around until I figured out the way. It's basically a tradition video games had since the Zelda days.

I mean, don't most people complain that Skyrim was too easy and casual? This was the one time where I actually had to use my brain to get through, Zelda-style, since I was dead-set at the time to not join the Thieves' Guild, to the point where I'd even attack them since I was RP'ing as a lawful good character at the time. The next time I played, I joined the guild ahead of time since I was going for a 100% run, but the first time I played, I didn't join that guild until long after I met the Greybeards.

And I'm not talking about the Oghma Infinium glitch. I'm talking about the Enchanting/Alchemy/Restoration loop but also I'm now remembering the Necromage/Vampire exploit as well.

Yes, those exploits were well-known. I suppose they couldn't patch up more glitches like the Oghma Infinium glitch since players seem to love breaking the game. But again, it would be a lot easier to break the game if you had spellcrafting. An already-easy game would become a joke. Take those glitches and add spellcrafting on top. It would just make breaking the game even easier.

 

[Snekposter]

Actual side quest in Summerset chapter with a stunning and brave transwoman.

Complete with Gender Euphoria.

Tell me about joining the House of Reveries."I've always been performing. I used to sing to my parents after dinner, and put on little shows with Rinyde. I loved the sound of applause, the smiles of the audience.
I always knew, deep down, that I was born to be an actress."