Hi all, as some of you who've read my other topic probably know, I've just yesterday installed Skyrim for the PC after playing for a few years on the 360 and wanting to experience the different gameplay offered by mods etc. Now, one of my major problems with the console version (and I guess the game in general) is a terrible case of re-startitis. I spend a lot of time online looking at builds, coming up with awesome RP ideas for my characters and such, then launch into the game, play this out for a couple of hours and, inevitably, feel like there's something "wrong" with my build; maybe I've joined a faction I didn't intend on joining, maybe I've got 20 quests in my journal with no direction on where I should progress, maybe even something as silly as thinking "I should've gone Altmer" when I'm a Breton etc. Consequently, I end up back in the same cycle, reading up on builds, RP ideas, trying out skills I've not used before but ultimately end up starting over to the point where after only a day on the PC version I've done Helgen 4 times thinking "this is the one!"

I wonder if this is just me or if others suffer the same problem; I absolutely adore Skyrim and TES in general but this chronic addiction to starting over is souring the experience for me to the point where I start growing bored with the game simply because I've done the intro so many times.

If there are other psychos like me who can't stop restarting, I'm asking what ways people have found to counter this and preserve their interest in the game without obsessing over the right build or the right race etc? I'm by no means a power gamer, but I'm also starting to think that being a "veteran" almost is detrimental to the starting-out-playstyle of jumping right in and getting on with things.

Appreciate any help guys, thanks.

There is no problem with restarting as long as you are having fun.

Admittedly, I am having fun, however I'm not really getting anywhere or doing anything. In the last 2 weeks or so I've done the Main Quest up to The Horn of Jurgen Windcaller probably 8 times.

I wonder if I shouldn't just get out of Helgen and spend time in the world, doing side quests and dungeon delving rather than trying to follow any kind of guided path.

I think the more you fight it, the worse it gets. However, the good news is, on PC you don't have to keep doing Helgen. There are at least three mods which let you choose a different start, all of which have good points, although my favourite is Skyrim Unbound (only available on the Steam Workshop, which I'm generally not keen on, but it's worth it for this one mod, IMO). It requires you to use SKSE and SkyUI (also well worth it, IMO) so that you can access its 'mod configuration menu' - this then lets you select where you want to start (or you can randomise it) what gear you want to start with (can also be randomised) and whether you want dragons and word walls active or not. So, if you want, you can basically play as not-the-Dragonborn (although obviously this will cut you off from the Main Quest and certain other stuff).

The others are Alternate Start - Live Another Life which has some really fun roleplay starts (e.g. you can start as a Thalmor agent, a vampire, a new member of some of the guilds, a landowner, or someone who's been shipwrecked or robbed and left for dead) but in my experience it bugged out my game, particularly the main quest. Still, it's a lot of fun for a shortish playthrough with a very specific start. And Random Alternate Start, which is particularly designed for combining with Character Creation Overhaul, lets you choose a set of (generally slightly beat-up) gear by class (Battlemage, Knight, etc - there are about twelve, I think, all pretty classic ones) and then drops you in one of... I think about two hundred start locations - some pretty gentle, some TERRIFYING (first one I got was at Shearpoint...) Again, great for short playthroughs, never used it on a long one so don't know if it causes any problems.

I think you'd definitely enjoy Skyrim Unbound, you can set it not to have dragons until you want them to appear (then go back to the menu thingy and enable them) and as soon as you kill your first dragon you get summoned by the Greybeards - completely skipping all that back and forth between Whiterun, Riverwood, and Bleak Falls Barrow.

Use the creation kit to make unique followers and locations that contribute to your character's story, as well as some mods. On console, I can't provide much advice. Played console for a good year and a half before switching to PC, best thing I've ever done.

I think I'm going to try to avoid doing the main quest or any faction quests until I've found my feet in the world proper and with a character I'm happy with. Usually I've tried to level as I quest, resulting in me flailing around at level 10-15 and without any clear direction as I've just taken on any and every quest presented to me.

Is there any disadvantage to spending a lot of time dungeon delving and levelling prior to jumping into the major quest lines? I presume enemies will be tougher as I level but that's a good thing. I've always worried about levelling too fast but I'm starting to think that time spent in the world and developing the character is probably a better way of ensuring longevity for someone like me who keeps finding reasons to start over.

That's exactly what I've been doing this time around and I am *really* enjoying it. I've been playing this character for... probably a month now? I've also avoided going into too many draugr places because I actually enjoy them more at higher levels when you get more of the interesting ones who can Shout at you and so on, but I've done a couple of Dwemer ruins, a bunch of caves, a load of Forsworn camps, and various side quests, become Thane of the Rift and bought a house. Usually, even my longer playthroughs are getting pretty much burned out by the level I'm now at (I usually end up restarting around level 20 but I've had about three that got to the high 30s/low 40s - highest was level 46) because I generally rush into Major Questlines and then finish them all and go 'oh, what now? I'm Someone Important, would I really be going around doing fetch quests just to pass the time?'

I've also got some pretty nice gear, and a good supply of potions, know lots of useful enchantments for when I get round to levelling that skill and deciding what enchantments I want on my favourite armour, have picked up a fair few Shouts on my travels, etc.

Edit - wow, I've been playing this character since the 10th of March, that's AGES for me, and like I say, there's LOADS I still want to do with her.

there is no cure.

The only one I found was to play another game for a while and then hope when I played Skyrim again, I missed my current characters so much I stuck with them.

That hasn't worked well enough I am afraid.

Same as the OP. Done it so many times, I hate it LOL. I have never finished a TES game because of it. Only game I ever finished was Fallout 3 (before Broken Steel) so I can say I finally finished a Bethesda game.

I just installed Skyrim on PC, finally got it to where I want it. I just said to myself, no more restarting. If I restart again I need to restart TES from Arena. Don't want to try and get TES I and II to work on Win 8.1 so making sure I don't restart again.

i have 40 subjects under my control...even dragon priests have restartitis...but a majority of them are 3 "bloodlines"

1. the hiomaste bloodline
2. the shocksta bloodline
3. the oddavvinn bloodline?

?i might be making some kitty cat mages (the first one being m'aiq the illusionist)

i do not think there is a "cure" for restartitis

i have started over so many times i lost count. i have played thousands of hours. i have played every race and every archetype. i have been playing since 11-11-11. i always think i have it worked out then a patch or dlc comes out or some type of bug or glitch hits. sometimes i come on the forums or go to the wiki and that gives me some reason to start over. so coming from someone who has put in alot of time into skyrim and knows what you are talking about. research all the lore find out about all the bugs and glitches. do not try and play a jack of all trades. i have done this thinking it would work. it doesnt it is so boring to play a jack of all trades. i always get sick of that and i start over. so pick one race. make one character with such an amazing role play that you wont ever want to stop playing that character. only focus on four skills two primary and two secondary. my one and only character uses one handed,blocking,archery,light armor and smithing. i plan on adding more skills later like two handed,heavy armor,restoration,enchanting,alchemy,speech. but it is better to focus on four skills early then add more later if you want. because it took me all that time to find out who i am. i just had that special moment today. he asked me who are you and for the first time i knew the answer. so my queston to you is who are you?

This last time I modeled my character after a fictional book character I really like and I have been able to move forward. Dubious that this will work for anyone, but it worked for me.

Ultimately, THIS. It is about fun.