So, we know 16 of the 18 total skills that will be in Skyrim. Despite the fact that the class system is gone and that "major skill" choice is now a whole lot more open-ended, lets pretend for a bit that we ARE selecting which skills to focus on before playing the game.

To put it simply, which skills will your primary character be focusing on/using the most come 11/11/11?

Assuming we are still able to pick 7 skills (it is likely it will be reduced to 6), I pick my skills in this order:

One-Handed Weapons, Light Armor, Marksman, Two-Handed Weapons, Block, Heavy Armor, and Sneak.

Off-topic but is Smithing actually a skill? I was informed that it was a job, not a skill.

My first character will probably be an Orc barbarian who focuses almost exclusively on Two-Handed weapons.

no armor, no blocking, no archery, none of that girly-man stuff.

some alchemy perhaps

Although I'm waiting to see the Argonian pics before deciding.

Other possibilities:

• Khajit dual wield Assassin: One-handed, Sneak, Alchemy, Enchanting, Security, Light Armor (exclusively)
  
• Dunmer/Breton Necromancer: exclusively Conjuration, Destruction, Illusion, Alchemy (exclusively, no Restoration at all)
  
• Argonian Shaman: Alchemy, Illusion, Alteration, Enchanting, one-handed Axes (exclusively)
  
• Bosmer Archer: Archery, Light Armor, Smithing, Sneak, Security, Alchemy (exclusively)

Smithing is a skill and we aren't picking a set number of skills at all any more. If we use them, they just go up. Starting on an even slate this time around (with a few racial modifiers)


Edit: might as well post mine

I'm going with an Imperial or Nord battle-mageish character. I use the term loosely because primarily he will be a combat archer, with 1h axe and destruction as a close quarters backup. Added bonuses of smithing and speechcraft to feel like a nice city slicker...not one of those hippy ranger archers

Btw, it's not Marksman; it's just Archery.

Yeah, bro. Smithing was confirmed as a skill.

One-Handed, Light Armor, & Smithing (Assuming you can smith Light Armor)

My character will be focusing on one-handed(Axes Specificaly), light armor, smithing, and speechcraft. I'm role playing a lightly armored barbarian warrior who duel-wields axes, he has quite a way with words...but when words don't make the cut his axes sure do.

Unknown Stealth Skill 1: Advanced Sneak.
Unknown Stealth Skill 2: Kick in the quads and run away.

Smithing is definitely a skill and you can't pick 6 skills they've said many times that you just pick up the game and play without picking a class. you just play the way you want and you're skills will level up according to what you use.

Sounds a lot better.



Anyways, I have no idea.


Hopefully security is one of those stealth skills.

Thanks for that, fixed

Wait, won't dual wielding be a skill as well?

Well I guess since i'm no longer allowed to focus on athletics and acrobatics... i'll go with marksmanship and light armour. Those are the only other skills i'm really interested in.

No, it will be handled as 1 handed from what I've heard. Well at least in the E3 demo it wasn't in the combat section of the skill constellations

if could be a stealth skill, very, very doubtful though

It's most likely got a perk or two under the 1h constellation.

Yeah I'd take a bet that security is going to be one of them, seeing as locked doors/chests did play quite a large role in oblivion (despite the fact that very hard ones could be opened pretty easily at novice level once you get the timing down). If they do make it a skill I'm hoping for a revamped system...fallout was a nice improvement, so hopefully we'll get something good.

As for the second one....I really don't know. Something in me wants to believe that it will be something related to athletics or acrobatics...and yet them saying that they cut those skills because they weren't useful enough kinda goes against my belief. Climbing seems too far fetched as well. Might end up being something completely mundane like mercantile...which honestly would be the first change that would annoy me...seeing as of all the skills in oblivion mercantile was the most useless and is the easiest one to merge with another - speechcraft. So who knows, maybe something survival related?

I would have to say Security is one of the stealth skills. There is no way it couldn't be since Bethesda has already said lockpicking is back, and is a mini-game.

The main skills I would focus on are:
>One-Handed
>Destruction
>Restoration
>Heavy Armor
>Alchemy
>Enchanting
>Smithing

It is sort of a Battlemage character with a few twists here and there...

Archery
Sneak
Light Armor
Illusion
Alchemy
Sneak Skill > Security

Thats how i usually play any of my starter characters.

One-handed Weapon
Archery
Destruction
Smithing
Restoration
Light Armor
Enchanting

There are going to be skills you intend to use to define your character, but chances are there will be a few you end up using anyway in order to survive. For example, a pure mage with only a dagger will still end up increasing one handed if that dagger has to be used, as an out of magicka situation last resort.
To me, a more interesting question is which skills will your character never use. I play a mage type, and using a weapon, or at least fists, is sometimes unavoidable; that doesn't stop you being a mage. If, however, you play a mage who refuses to use conjuration, that actually says something about your character.

Unknown Stealth Skill 1: Hand to Hand
Unknown Stealth Skill 2: Throwing weapons

I'll be focusing mostly on the 5 magic schools, as well as heavy armor.

I completely agree.

I'm predicting a much greater flexibility to customize each characters as a result of the changes to the skill system and perks.

For the first time in any TES game, I'm looking forward to playing some warrior, assassin and archer characters that won't use any magic whatsoever. likewise, some mages that will focus on one or two schools of magic.

Certainly over the course of a very long playthrough, a few lesser used skills will eventually increase, but there will be some we absolutely don't use at all, unlike Oblivion.

And with perks we have the capacity to specialize completely in one skill, getting all of the first 20 perks from the Archery perk tree, for example, or 2H, or Illusion, etc.

That is why a Redguard is a no brainer warrior choice for me. Don't have to come up with any backstory, which even though fun is just in your head, these guys have an in game lore reason for not using spells. Again, says more about the character then whether you use blade, axe or mace.

Conjuration.. always has been my favorite skill..
secondary skills will probably be:
Illusion
One-Handed
Heavy Armor
Archery

pretty much like my Oblivion character.