So now that major and minor skills don't exist and everything goes towards leveling up, is there no real need for builds anymore? I know race will likely effect starting skill levels, but is there much else? I suppose there will be some room for "builds" when it comes to which stats you raise when you level. For example, I love to play balanced, some melee with lots of magic and light armor. My brother usually plays all melee with heavy armor and maybe a heal spell here and there. So while I split my stat points when I level over both heath and magic, he'll conventrate more on health and have higher health at any given level than me. But other than that, given time and assuming initial racial bonuses and reductions can be over come, can any character effectively be the same as any other?

Correct, in a sense. The whole point of the new system is to allow you to define your build on your own rather than by selecting one from a pre-made list. I prefer the logic behind this new system to the old, which shoehorned you into a specific role right from the bat with no wiggle room. Now, as it is, should you decide you want to play something else half-way into the game, you won't need to roll a new character, but just pick up different weapons or spells. There will be a cost to that, of course, but nothing like in previous games.

The idea is (was) to use perks for the additional specialisation of characters but considering the examples we saw until now I wouldn′t get too excited

Your still going to be limited by the kind of character you want to make. If you try to level everything up evenly you'll probably end up being really weak after 5 or 10 levels, you need to focus on the skills you want in order to make your character powerful.

There never were any real builds. The class creator was pretty much just used to game the system in every TES game other than Arena (which had no builds, period).

Well there will still be builds. Just a lower number than there were before (but all the viable builds are still there).

We can still choose our birthsign right? Plus we now have perks to give us different unique builds than before!

birthsigns are no more.

Now the build goes on through the whole game rather than just being at the start. Much prefer this new way.

From what I gather, and I am probably wrong, guardian stones are now the builds. If you select to follow the warrior path, for example, you will gain warrior based skills quicker. It was said that the mage/thief/warrior guardian stones were just the basic ones, hinting that there are other stone paths to follow (probably linked to the old class system such as an assasin or spellsword).

I have been told before that i am mistaken about this, but it is the only way i can see to interpret the infomation we have been given so far about guardian stones.

I like the new system better because whilst the old one worked to a good degree in Morrowind once Oblivion hit it seemed kind of silly and redundant.

PLEASE TELL ME YOU AREN'T SERIOUS.


After I spent YEARS planning my character's history... to find that she will not be born under the Shadow?

WHAT THE HELl! ASDFGHKADGFHASKFDAGHSKFDSGHKAGFHASKFDSGHAFKD

Yeah, good point. I didn't think of it that way, only end game. But especially lower levels, having 10 levels in 8 different skills may not be as powerful as 20 levels in 3 skills.

I'm afraid he's very serious, no more birthsigns.

Is it not possible to roleplay that your character was? Besides a few stats and spells, I don't see what birthsigns really offered in terms of gameplay.

Birthsigns aren't in but guardian stones do something similar (note: They do not replace them I know, before I get flamed). So far the three shown are based on three of the constellations from past games which give level specific skills quicker. These though are apparently the three basic ones, one previewer mentioned one which raised maximum health and I wouldn't be surprised if there is a guardian stone for each constellation.

The first part is right, they did say that, we will have to wait and see about the second part. Seems a bit odd though and not quite 'use the skills' logic since it means that skills used a lot but not part of the skill set affected by the stone won't develop as quickly.

Why can't you include a birth sign into your backstory. I don't get. Backstories aren't "real" gameplay elements anyway.

Builds are still very relevant in Skyrim; all that's changed (and what sets it further apart from most other RPGs) is that they're now more complex. Instead of classes, we effectively have playing styles; the resulting levels, attributes and specific abilities (okay, _perks) remain, but the paths that lead there are less restricted and more organic.

True but ultimately this will make my roleplay weaker as the game will not react to the fact I have chosen a specific birthsign. I'd have to pretend it was relevant and that characters cared when none of them would. The reason I don't go full pen-and-paper is because I have to act out a lot more and work out every character interaction. The game is meant to take over most of that work for me so I can focus on being the character alone.... but now this... I am shocked.



If there are only three I will be very disappointed. If I do, however, discover the Shadow stone... my character will pray to it every week (or every day it is in alignment).

This is easily the dumbest change BGS have made in my opinion. They should've gone back to Daggerfall's character creation.

My character is a fully grown advlt when I create them, and they're a blank slate? :confused: really, Bethesda? ... All they have to justify this change is the ridiculous paranoia that some people end up building a character they don't like, and storming off in a huff after half an hour, too lazy or impatient to restart. It's nonsense!

It has been seriously hinted at there being more than the "three basic guardian stones".

Please be correct!

I fiure Builds are in more than ever. Build usually represent a specialization, and you have to specialize in Skyrim to survive (or so it seems).

im glad theres no starsigns anymore, all they did was give you some extra stats at the start.... which could be easily surpassed within a few levels...

these stones sound much better, im gonna be a warrior Nord so ill be picking the warrior based stone every time :toughninja:

There aren't only three. Birthsigns are still in in a sense, but you don't pick them at the start; You first have to discover their guardian stone. :shrug: