Don't know, don't really want to use that...
A sh1tload of potions would also do the trick, and I just have to get them.

Next run I'm going to stay around whiterun, farm money and farm a high amount of potions, and invest more time in potion crafting as well.
Then I'm ready for the other area's.

Just because you aren't, doesn't mean "no one" is.

Me personally, have always found DiD interesting but can't do it myself. I die too much because I mess around more often than not. Haha.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eqSDitKv3kE&hd=1

Are you not using restoration spells? Dual casting that starting one lets you tank almost everything after a few perks and levels, including point blank dragonbreath

good idea... I don't usually like getting help, but I was already planning on perking restoration..

I had 2 points in archery, heavy armor, and two handed, and I was likely to spend the next in restoration because I had to wait to be able to continue on the rest.

I tried playing without a compass, but sense I'm on Xbox, I can't do that without turning the whole HUD off.

I'm on my way to the bearded men, but I'm kind of stuck since I have to think find a route me and my companion go on since one I think will lead there is blocked by 2 giants...
I want to keep my companion so have to think of something.

So far this has been the only rpg that has it all. (could be because of DiD - no map - no compass - no fast travel)

I am overthrown with joy (ok not that much) when I find salt...
So I can make a meal that is effective and weighs less.

I'm browsing stores for potions.
I'm testing ingredients to make my own potions.

I'm glad I feel well rested.

I'm worried about diseases from wild animals.

I'm happy with plucking lavendel and butterfly wings...

I just had a pretty intense fight with 2 necromancers on the way, using pause to use items and figure a way to continue the fight (very rpg like)


Remember that originally an "rpg" had a dungeon master...

The "dungeon master" was good when he was very harsh and when he was your enemy.

Game developers (except for a few) forgot that...
And of course they have to sell their game...

That's the problem.

We have a "dungeon master" that makes a game for us and a lot of people that want to play casually...
So we just have to set some fixed "dungeon master rules"

And of course it's logical people complain about imbalance and dumbing down...
People that say: "just don't do it then" fail to realize what an rpg and a dungeon master's task is.

You are the real deal rotemetoot. This is awesome haha

Not really, I'm in some [censored] situation now, while playing tired, but it's interesting.

I'm trying to find another way up to the mountain and came across some camp where they have silver swords (the hand or something?)

They were all pretty easy to deal with but then ..., oh, I wanted to say: "I took a spike wall to the face"...
It drained me to very low health and for once I was lucky, but should have seen it...

After clearing the room with ease I saw a werewolf in a cage, first I went further and forgot about it, but thought: "ah well let's just finish that fella and take his hide."
So I opened the cage.

Was it intuition? Luck? Divine help whispering in my ear?

But I accidently equiped battle cry instead of the wind shout thing and used it...
The werewolf fled back into his cage and continued running against the wall.

Because of the succesful battle cry (I think it doesn't work against high level opponents?) I was even more convinced that this is just some random critter.
I proceeded to attack it...
I immediately realized that there was either a glitch/bug going on, or this is some huge mistake I made...

zero damage - zero damage- zero damage...

I stopped for just a moment thinking what's wrong?
I understood what was wrong = Me standing there for just a moment...

I ran away as [censored]...
I also heard an elf voice screaming "something something ,I yield"
Must be my companion...But if I'm not mistaken it couldn't be the werewolf when she said that (tired right now, bad memory.)
Who is destroying my companion then? another werewolf? couldn't be, but where is she?

So I ran into the other room and into new opponents but I was happy with that, since I knew those weren't bugged/extremely strong...

Now I'm standing here on top of a staircase receiving arrows in my body while hearing grunts and a sword in the next chamber...

Is my companion tanking the werewolf? Is she dying? Should I run away as fast as I can?
Is the werewolf bugged or extremely powerful and I shouldn't have unlocked its cage?
Will my next reason of death be: "Curiosity"?

It's hard to just leave without looking.
Gonna fraps it and see what's going on.

lol, I was playing like that earlier today. I was just following roads as an Argonian Warrior and checking out random encounters and getting dominated by necromancers and spriggans. It was fun

Lol, I was searching for the werewolf and my companion but apparently she did kill him, because she was suddenly standing besides me...

I was pretty lost afterwards and because of the heavy snowfall I couldn't see anything.
Cleared some dungeons though and learned a new shout.

Finally I found signs on a road...
I'll just go back towards Whiterun and sneak past the Giants, towards the bearded men, alone... I'll tell my companion to wait in an inn or so.

I had an interesting surprise on the road to the gray beards. Good luck to you that you don't hit the same.

There's no such thing as "the first dungeon" in an Elder Scrolls game!!!!

:tes:

*Tutorials not included*

Haha Icetroll? (I hope it's the ice troll you mean)

Yeah, so I left my companion behind, but I forgot you don't actually need to get past the giants...
The actual road towards the small village in front of the steps is to the right, and not around the mountains...
So I could have gone there with my companion...

Beginning the steps I encounter a frost spider and ice wolf, they are pretty strong so I used a lot of potions...

Further along the way I came across an Ice Troll... I already figured because of the wolves, the Ice version is much stronger and yes, it was...

First I fled back with the mindset to go back to Whiterun to get my companion.
The Troll had a fight with a girl pirlgrim and I got the attention back to me...

But I decided to flee the other way, up the mountain...
Maybe it was the last enemy??

The girl also attacked me because I accidently hit her with flames, so I had to gently bash her in so she would slow down her chase and let me enjoy the scenery...

Now I'm alone again... Hope there won't be anymore enemies because I don't have a lot of potions anymore, even though I started with 40+ minor health potions...

Yes, it was the ice troll. I have now developed a method to dispatch these guys easily and enjoyably but that first encounter with one utterly did me in until, like you, I fled the scene.

On your way down the mountain, assuming the troll is still there, you will have an added method to avoid doing battle with it.

I approached through that village after a VERY long time wandering around trying to find a way up that mountain. There was a nice minor quest you could have gotten if you'd approached from the villiage which may still be there when you wish to go up again.

What is this fus ro thing???
Whirlwind sprint all the way baby..

But going down isn't a problem at all.
At a certain point, with a few jumps down the mountain you can get down in seconds.

For the new quest I really don't have a clue how to get there...

Bethesda should make a new difficulty which includes not using a map, but there should be more ingame helpers on how to find stuff. That would be awesome.
Might have to break the no map rule, but will search for a long time before I do that.

Yeah, I whirlwinded by the ice troll on the way down. I can now defeat them using a combo of a conjured being to distract them while I run, hide and pepper them with arrows.

I admire your purity of gaming enormously but remain skeptical that the game is doable under the strictures you've imposed upon yourself. I'm not going to hint you where to go because you haven't asked, but I think you will experience great frustration as you move along because you will dead end time and time again.

I also disagree with a comment you made earlier in this thread that when you die, it's your fault. I've been killed many times in this game under conditions that, even in retrospect, I can't see what I could have done to save myself. In a nutshell, in all too many instances, I am engaged with some foes in front of me and something materializes behind me. My survival depends on being able to retreat / run in cases of things going south, but in cases like those, I have nowhere to run.

Even out in the open, I've had snow bears or saber tooths materialize out of nowhere. The sabers travel in pairs & attack front & back. I can't out run a bear and can't win face to face so once engaged close up, only a luck hit on my part will save me.

I am interested in hearing of your progress including if you have to break a self imposed rule soon.

I have invisibility potions, "summon scrolls" to use as decoy, battle cry, the ability to carry around 200kg+ worth of potions, and now also the whirlwind sprint.
And don't forget companions...
So your examples of being trapped should still be flee-able, I think.

Although I'm still avoiding giants like the plague, and I wouldn't want to encounter a dragon right now.

The only rule I might break soon is the (later imposed) no map rule...
I really think I need my map for this new quest but I'm gonna stroll around for clues a bit more.

I remain skeptical. I have many if not all of those options. I was particularly disappointed in invisibility. I used that and sneak extensively in OB. The combo doesn't seem nearly as effective in SK although I am about 50 sneak and 76 illusion (invisibility).

I find no problem with giants. Find a hiding place, move to sneak. peek out, shoot an arrow into them and then go back into deep hiding. Repeat until it's dead. Works on mammoths too.

Dragons have been much easier for me than saber tooths or snow bears. YMMV.

Anyway, I'm gonna kick back and lurk awaiting your further reports.

Luckily I didn't read the spoilers on how to fight them, I just try to not deal with them since I try to roleplay a "normal" person (so no murder for no reason etc.).

There are so many escape options, I'm sure that I'll finish the game like this... With or without companion...
Just have to remember to carry a sh1tload of potions when I'm approaching lvl 10.

So far, I only died by my own fault... There was never an unavoidable death for me, especially since health drains most of the time
Except when you're stuck in a horrible finisher that starts at 40% health or so.

Get hit, use potion, get hit, use potion... Only greed for not using potions kills me.

And btw, I just died because of greed... someone was selling skuma and tree sap potions and I bought some skooma...
I found the sap potions to expensive but wanted them anyway, and I knew how to lure him into attacking me saying: "I don't think is legal"

But I did it purely to greed his potions for free...
Another lesson learned: Don't underestimate unarmed dudes...

And I totally deserved to die, because not only did I act because of greed, as far as to even murder him for potions...
I also even made excuses to myself: "hey I'm just following the dialogue"
And when the dialogue finished I attacked him first without him even being able to say he was gonna attack me.
I knew that I could get his potions for free when I lured him.

His unarmed freaking finisher surprised me. I thought I had him in the pocket but he also healed himself prior to making a finishing move on me

But now I know the route to the bearded men very well so I'm back to where I was in no time.

Next run improvements... - Use a potion or food after EVERY hit, with an unknown enemy...

I will complete this game on DiD, I know for sure.

Reading about how your experiences is pretty interesting.

I might've missed it but I'm not sure if you know you need a silver or enchanted weapon to kill a werewolf. My apologies if you already knew this.

I guess I never thought of that potion heavy method. My experience hasn't shown potions to be that available that I can take a hit, take a drink and so forth.

Part of our differences is that I'm not very good at this or an other game. So what I see as an unavoidable encounter which leads to death may not really be. It may simply be I don't know how to play it properly.

Anyway, I'll be interested in reading your progress.

Really? I have potions flowing out my ears. I have a whole cupboard designated just for potions. Whenever I need to kill some weight, I use potions, food, and ingredients. I usually use healing magic to restore my health, so I don't have a great need for them but my hoarding nature in these games rarely allows me to leave them behind.

i'd be more apt to play a "dead is dead" character if running into shattered vases and skeletal rib cages didn't kick the crap out of me when there is a lot of litter on the floor.

I need to find new vendors.