Annie - nothing wrong with wet dogs. I wish the morph were faster though but I like being a w'wolf.

Finally got to level 34 and a suit of ebony armor and he's so handsom but his face is blotchy. Oh well. When I finish the companions - maybe on to the Dark Brotherhood. In Oblivion the DB quests were quite good. Also I have Molag Bal's Razor so will use that for DB

And Rowan, you have a good excuse to game now.

Happy gaming all

Thanks,all, for your kind comments. It's amazing how much adventuring I can do with my foot raised and my mouse finger in high activity. I love the game so far as I loved Morrowind and Oblivion before. This game seems bigger but maybe that's because I haven't been through it all yet.

Some questions:

Can you spoil quests by entering a location ahead of time before the quest has been given? Do dungeons/caves repopulate?

Is there a perk or something that will show you all missed locations so that you can eventually explore evrything? Won't be there for a long time yet but I don't want to miss anything.

Hagatha, I need you to watch my back. I know you usually play the same character as I do. I have the most trouble fighting mages.

Rowan,

So far I haven't been penalized for entering a dungeon too soon, but then I'm the one who hasn't begun the main quest or completed any guilds at level 38, so what do I know?

As usual, Sneak+Archery=Dead Mage.

I've made myself an enchanted Superior Elven Bow that not only does 40 damage, it casts Soul Trap (yes, bows will do it in this game)so filling gems is easy. I was even able to fill a Black Soul Gem from thirty paces. Soul Gems aren't lying around all over the place in this game, though. I miss that.

Next will be a bow that Absorbs Health. Why not, I say? I haven't trained my magic skills, so archery it is.

Rowan, I did notice with those radient story quests, the ones you can get indefinitely from certain characters, can get screwed up. Aela from the Companions and the steward from Whiterun have both given me tasks to do involving taking out some bandits in certain locations. I've already cleared both of those locations while just exploring. Now neither one of those tasks is completable and I don't think I can get another task from either of them.

So far I've screwed up an escort mission. Who was to know that just then a dragon would attack and my protege would fall down a waterfall? After the dragon died I fast travelled out and back. My protege reappeared but he won't follow me any more even though my journal still lists the quest as active.

The problem with mages is that they are too cowardly to attack me alone. I die when I get a bunch of them at once. They are in such a bad mood when they spot me.

I actually found the combat a bit harder in this game. My assassin rarely uses a blade, unlike previous characters. Mages have until very recently required a divide, conquer and run strategy. I have also backed away from certain areas where Master Vampires lurk. I have yet to take on a bear or Sabretooth successfully.

The dragons attack at the most inopportune moments. One time my horse got scared and ran away and got lost somewhere. I had to reload the area and start again.

There are so many quests in this game that I can't keep up. I'm trying to stay focused on Thief/Assassin quests for the time being just to stay on top of things, but the Dwemer ruins in this game are absolutely stunning and I just can't resist exploring.

Hey guys, Anne G especially.....I was looking at Skyrim mods on Skyrim Nexus and found one that takes the face paint off of Farkas and Vilkas! I might do this because I like Farkas but he and his brother have that kind of demonic look about the eyes from that paint and when I saw screenshots of them without it, wow....much more handsome! LOL

Just wanted to let ya know in case it's time for for anyone's hubby to have some "work" done.

LOL

Tracy

From another point of view...it also works on Aela the huntress

Oh, that's a good find, Tracy. Thank you! There were times when Vilkas would seem to almost have no eyes at all cause the warpaint around them was so dark. I have it installed now but I'm down deep in some dwemer ruins at the moment. I can't wait to see what he looks like in game!

Here's a question - how do I equip two weapons or a weapon and shield? I seem to end up with combinations a of weapons and spells instead of what I want. I give each one a number but equipping one seems to cancel out equipping the other.

I haven't tried two single handed weapons yet. To get a weapon and a shield it must be a single handed weapon otherwise a double handed weapon will bump out the shield. For using spells you can choose right or left hand by clicking the right mouse button. Beside the spell you will see L or R or LR for a spell in each hand. Perhaps this works for dual single weapons as well. What I find confusing is that the right mouse button activates the left spell and vice versa. But I have a new gaming mouse so I may not have the buttons set up properly.

I am beginning to have better luck at killing mages although it is still a tough fight. What helps is that I finally figured out how to recharge a weapon. It didn't help running out of charges which was happening too soon. I've made it to level 26.

Rowan, that was confusing as well til Son pointed out that R meant Right Hand, not Right Click....Do you use potions to resist magic, frost, fire, or shock when killing mages?

I've always found the best way to kill a mage in any type of game is to melee them down as they don't have high armor but can normally do more damage with their magic than I can with a bow.

Looney4labs, I do use potions but I find them useless if they last only 30 seconds or so. By the time I've changed weapons or attack method the potion has run out. All my strong potions get used up too soon. But I do enjoy my revenge when I finally get them.

I saw these two pics on another forum and had to post them here. They made me LOL.

Merry christmas, Skyrim friends!

http://i1092.photobucket.com/albums/i412/somnyus/SantaSkyrim.png
http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7167/6565051051_29258363b0_z.jpg

Thanks, AnneG !! A good laugh indeed

Yankee Clipper -- you are right, there's nothing wrong with wet dog, and at least they didn't say anything about my doggy breath.

Tracy and AnneG -- Are you still married? I see Oldman posted something about divorce, with a link to a Marriage Guide. Now, I'm kind of embarrassed to ask, but the guide says this: "sleeping with them gives you a "Lover's Comfort" buff (I'm serious) that increases the speed of all upgrades by 15% for eight hours." Is that really true? Because my marriage is, um, sort of not completed...

My character has decided to never get married... um, because she has no idea how to go about even attracting attention. Guess I didn't read that guide properly. I have the amulet I'm supposed to wear, but nothing.

Yes, Annie, I'm still married. I've heard about the Lover's Comfort but I've never been able to get it. I can never seem to catch Vilkas in bed except for one time and he got up right when I was going to sleep. I've tried waiting around in the bedroom at all hours. Nothing. He'll sit at a table, munching bread or something but no sleeping.

hagatha, did you talk to the priest at the temple of Mara in Riften? He gets you started.

AnneG, that's pretty much my experience with Balimund too. Sigh

hagatha -- I think you need to build up a relationship with someone, in addition to having the amulet. Eg I traded with Balimund a lot before, well, before we got together.

Hey Annie and gang. Yes Farkas and I are still married and right now I"m getting ready to go on a quest with him to help him . BUT, I like the idea of having more than one spouse, like one in each house or town, so I've been looking for mods and stuff for that and we'll see what happens. I did download the divorce mod but haven't tried it out yet. I wonder if the hubby or wife gets upset when you ask them for a divorce? LOL

sigh

Tracy, still having WAY too much fun in this wonderful game!

EDIT:Oops, I forgot to answer Annie's question about Lover's Comfort. I've never experienced that, like had a message pop up and tell me that I had more health or stamina after sleeping with Farkas. I'm not sure how that works but I'll check the Wiki and see what I can find. Also, btw, I installed that mod tonight that takes the paint of Farkas' and Vilkas' faces, and suddenly I'm attracted to my own husband again. LOL!!!

Tracy, how cool to go on a quest with your husband! Balimund never wants to go anywhere. I think I'll go look at the wiki for Lover's Comfort too.

Let us know how your adventures goes!

You know, I still ony have one house, too,as well as no love interest. I guess I haven't focused enough on town quests, though I am just about to take over the Thief Guild and soon the Assassins. Just a dungeon-crawler at heart, I am.

I'll go talk to that priest, though I think I already have.

I'm more interested in some of the characters in the Thieves Guild.

Merry Christmas to all of you Skyrim adventurers.

Me either Hagatha...

to all

Hagatha, you mean you will soon be my boss in the Thieves' Guild...give me quests, maybe? That may work for a while but eventually I'll be after your job.

Bwahahaha! That's what you think. I'm soon to be the boss of the Assassin's Guild, too.

I still haven't picked up the Main Quest. I guess I should do that soon. Also, once my Lockpick and Archery skills are maxed I won't level up so fast. Honestly, I've levelled up way too fast. Sounds like a silly thing to worry about but I haven't actually accomplished anything in this game. Just stole a bit of stuff and assassinatified a few people.