Skyrim, or, How I Ruined My LifeFollow

I, too, completely forgot this was an option.

I put Banish and Paralyze on all the Ebony weapons I find... and the only time I can sell them for full value is if I buy a bunch of stuff first to pad the npc's pockets. Fences just don't have enough gold, I'm afraid

When I finally got around to magic skills, I would enchant a weapon, stack on the fortify barter gear, then sold my weapon to the npc that I bought spells from.

Since I had not done Thieves guild quests, the "sell anything" perk helped a lot.

I found a mod that makes a merchant you frequent have more gold, in case there's that one merchant you regularly dump stuff off at.

I think the "base" gold for most merchants (i.e. the amount that auto-replenishes every 24 hours) is generally 500-750. It does build up over time though.

Also, unlocking the first fence via Thieves Guild quests is easy as pie. It's just two short, simple quests in Riften, and the first fence is 2k gold to start, which increases for each additional fence you unlock.

I don't even understand why they included Speech skills, to tell you the truth. Maybe it's just me, but I'm finding gold WAY easier to come by in Skyrim than in earlier versions. I've never had any need for cash, really. I pretty much always just use drops, since merchant gear levels up with you, but drops are often set to slightly higher than you. First thing I do with light armor users is find a Thalmor, take them out, and steal their Elven Armor...

The Brotherhood questline is the most epic in the game IMHO. The main quest had some cool moments but nothing as epic as near the end of the Dark Brotherhood.

Yeah. I killed Alduin and am head of the Mages College but people still shrug when I walk by and the idiot wizard in Dragonsreach still says "If you think you have the aptitude, you should try applying at the wizard's college..."

Went pure mage through the whole thing; only weapon I used was an enchanted dagger for soul trapping. All cloth "armor" as well. Didn't feel underpowered (lots of dual enchanted +Magicka Regen/Destruction bonus gear helped) but I haven't played melee to actually compare. Maybe I'm horribly underpowered but have the luck not to notice since I haven't felt the alternative.

Only issue with that is you are a new dude and the games generally take place several hundred years apart. So if you were the hero of Oblivion, it makes sense no one knows you in Skyrim because it was 200 years prior.

Am I the only one who sided with the Stormcloaks?

My brother-in-law did, I think.

I just couldn't do it. I can understand the anger of the Stormcloaks, but I can't support Ulfric as a leader. He's weak, he's selfish, he's racist, he's a Spoilertool of the Thalmor, he doesn't care who he hurts with his campaign, he's created a polarized system where you are either with him or deserve death (where the Empire supporters are free to be critical of its actions). His actions towards the Dark Elves and Argonians is horrible. And if that wasn't enough, his attack on Whiterun (considering it was remaining truly neutral) was unacceptable.

Plus, the Stormcloak supporters in general are idiots. Ulfric talks about raising up strong Jarls, but all his supporters are the most pathetically weak leaders in Skyrim. Seriously awful, awful leaders. We have that corrupt one down in Riften who doesn't care at all for her people or their problems. There's the senile leader of Dawnstar, who is just kinda pathetic. And finally the Winterhold leader, who hates mages despite the fact that the college is the only thing keeping his hold from becoming completely desolate (not to mention the fact that he hates them for something he has no reason to suspect they did).

HA, no.

Not to say Imperial Jarls are awesome--they aren't. The spoiled kid in Falkreath is pathetic, as is Igmund of Markarth (for being way too corrupt, though he's definitely a better choice than the Silver-Blood that Ulfric wants).

Best Jarls (as far as being leaders goes) are Idgrod Ravencrone and Balguuf the Greater. One's pro-Empire, the other is neutral (and eventually pro-Empire). I can actually respect Elisif, too, since it seems to me that she is lost (not having expected this level of responsibility), but is genuinely looking for the best way to help her people. And, unlike the Stormcloaks, she openly acknowledges and validates their concerns, without polarizing the issue between one side or the other. She also doesn't seem to be acting out of desire for the crown.