SUGGESTIONS:

Skills & Levelling

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ATTRIBUTES:

The player-character has three attributes: Strength, Intellect and Dexterity, with an overall level as represented by the average of these attributes.

 

Strength increases with “Warrior Class” skills: heavy weapons, heavy bows and blocking, smithing and carrying heavy loads and armour. The benefits of being physically strong are:

• A power blow will render x% / 2 more damage (x being the player's Strength).

• Unarmed attacks are more powerful.

• The player staggers and topples less.

• Dexterity and Stamina penalties under load are reduced.

• Stamina drains slower and regenerates faster.

• The player can bash open low-level locks (Bashing doors and chests generates noise).

• The player can lift heavy objects, allowing short cuts in caverns by moving heavy fallen boulders, or rescuing someone by shifting debris.

• Especially strong players can equip Super Heavy Armours (refer ARMOUR).

• Strong player-characters can lift heavy objects and throw them at opponents.

• The player can smash through weak walls.

• The player appears more muscular in third person view.

• High Strength can provide additional dialogue options.

 

Intellect improves predominantly with “Mage Class” skills: the schools of Alteration, Conjuration, Destruction, Enchanting, Illusion, and Restoration, some finer smithing, alchemy, learning from trainers and literature, persuading NPCs, and when the player is struck by hostile spells. An intellectual player-character will enjoy the following benefits:

• Learned spells only become available for use at certain Intellect levels.

• Spells cool-down quicker.

• Increased resistance to hostile spells.

• High Intellect can provide additional dialogue options.

 

Dexterity improves predominantly with “Rogue Class” skills: Picking locks and pockets, archery, light weapons, sneaking, stealthy attacks, alchemy, surviving the wilds, landing from falls, dodging and moving in light armour. A dexterous NPC will see the following benefits:

• Improved jogging speed.

• Improved stamina (to a lesser degree than through Strength).

• Quicker, tighter dodges.

• Reduced damage from high falls.

• Higher leaps.

• The player can contort into tight spaces, like crevasses in a cavern.

• High Dexterity can provide additional dialogue options.

 

The following activities improve multiple attributes simultaneously, but at reduced efficiency: Light Weapons (Strength, Dexterity at 50%), Smithing (Strength, Intellect at 50%), Alchemy, Cooking (Intellect, Dexterity at 50%).

 

DAEDRIC ARTEFACTS:

The vaunted Daedric artefacts do not "level up" with you in the traditional sense, but their condition will be affected by the level at which you attain them. Acquiring Mehrunes' Razor at level 20 will yield a tattered blunt weapon at around 20% condition that requires serious reparation (available as an advanced perk). You will find however, that in relative terms, a Deadric weapon is magnitudes better than a similar weapon of 'mundane' materials. Once repaired, few weapons of that type will compare.

 

LEVELLED ENEMIES:

The notion of enemies leveling up with the player is now “fuzzier”. Fighting lowlife bandits clad in full Ebony and Glass armour sets is a nonsense. Enemies have generalised levels and are consistent throughout the game. This means the player may encounter a range of differing challenges and encounter high-level enemies in certain areas of the open map, and have to adjust tactics accordingly. There is no shame in fleeing a losing battle.

 

In quest-related dungeons however, the game is more considerate of the player's level and will adjust enemy statistics to suit. This is because closed, linear interiors bottleneck the player in with potentially insurmountable threats, especially if the quest requires the destruction of a particular foe or the acquisition of an item in a heavily guarded room.

 

LEVELLED ITEMS:

As with enemies, loot won't level up with you as obviously and your enemies will carry weapons and armour suitable to their standing. Bandits, generally considered low-to-moderately challenging enemies, will wear a mishmash of common apparel like leather, iron and steel. Guards and specialist faction members are better drilled and better equipped for a generally tougher challenge.

 

Loot in chests is more realistically endowed. Raiding a bandit camp will largely yield ragtag rewards. Dwemer ruins will largely yield items relating to the Dwemer. The same goes for Orcs, Necromancers and so on. There is a rare chance of discovering an item of significant value, while remaining true to your location. Generally speaking, the reward reflects the risk, encouraging a player to gamble in search of a powerful piece of gear.

 

It may be possible to find very good weapons and armour early on in the game, but likely in a state of disrepair. It is then up to the player to either unlock advanced smithing perks to repair them or sell them at a meagre profit.