To make the most of the game I would suggest that the player, thats you. Put some restrictions on them selves
to play Skyrim more then once and enjoy it. For example: you could play with out using weapons as a all out mage.
You could play as through the mage colleaguege and do nothing else but the main quest and some other side quest that
would appropriate for your mage...

You could play as a character that can't pick locks. So there would be no point in carring lock picks. Or you could restrict
your character to novice or what ever. Maybe play only using duel weild or with just one sword and magica in the other hand...

The bottom line is that you can make this game work for you for a long time if you place restrictions on your character or come up with
themes like a Redgaurd named the Champ. He would only get to use heavy boxing gloves with the perk that lets you do extra damage and
he would only get to use healing and some fortifys that incress stanima or health. He could only waer comman garments and boots. I did all this
equivalentlly in Oblivion...

or i could play the way i want, which is that i am a god among men with my powers and skill in combat, i will then go back in time and have my DNA altered to be a breton.

I dont really get your post, like the english and stuff. But I get the theme. I play without using smithing or enchanting and the game is still pretty easy, yay!

I do it this way:

Each character can have a MASSIVE strength, but most also have an equally massive weakness. Furthermore, they may only join one faction (Thieves' Guild, Companions, etc.), as well as a civil war faction. They all have to have a certain alignment, which effects the types of quests they can and can't do (my Thief won't do the Molag Bal, Meridia, or Boethiah quests, nor will my orc).

This allows a LARGE amount of replay value, as well as a large amount of tactics for each character to overcome the weaknesses with their strengths.

I've also added in a few 'fluff' limitations:
-You can only fast travel if you own a living horse. If you don't have a horse, you can use a carriage to fast travel.
-You can only 'wait' inside inns, your own house, or the houses of those who consider you a friend.
-You have to eat three 'raw' foods (potato, raw rabbit leg, raw beef, etc.) or one 'cooked' food (stews, cheeses, bread, etc.) every day.
-You cannot eat food in combat.

Things like that, to add a bit of challenge and length to the game, so the playthroughs are longer, and all that.

Personally, I'm playing a Paladin-like character that does actions according to his role (meaning no Dark Brotherhood, and no Thieves Guild). Completely ignoring crafting because it can be abused quite easily (and temptation will be there if I'm having troubles with a particular fight, so I might as well leave it like it is). Finally, in order to add more immersion to the game, I'm avoiding fast traveling and carriage to get to places. It's either walking or riding a horse.

In the end, though, it narrows down to a personal preference. At least we have the option to choice what kind of character we really want.

The lock pick restriction applies to me. A pure Mage wouldn't have skills to use a lock pick and since there aren't any lock picking spells (Unless I have the Tower sign), I have to leave locked chests be.

It's difficult at times but I shouldn't be searching for random loot, just artifacts to increase my power.

The only way to play IMO. Niche builds. I find myself raising skill that I don't even want just to get perks in the skills I do want at later levels. (since I usually only focus on 3-5 skills, per character)

As to locks...bring back open spells. And not just one Expert open lock standing stone. It only took 200 years to forget how to open locks magically?

I already do this. It is a roleplaying game after all.

This is hardcoe. I hate leaving chests and not knowing what's inside them, and the game lets you pick any lock without skill or perks. I could see how a mage might have an interest in lockpicking, but that's also a lame excuse given the game setup.

I roleplay only in a fairly vague way. I try to always act within a character's personality type (i.e. a do-gooder will never refuse a chance to help, etc.). And I only play 1 (maybe 2) factions that match the character "class" and personality. Some characters are loners, some have companions. For all characters, I limit but don't entirely exclude fast travel, and I sleep every night. All of my characters are curious wanderers, too, with a tendency to run off to see what's over some random hill (unless there's a quest that feels like it should be time-sensitive, then I try to appropriately hurry). The wandering thing feels legit to me, though. No TES denizen should be immune to wanderlust, it just wouldn't be right.

I am playing a Redguard Huntress/Warrior. She only uses one-handed and blocking and archery, and as far as armor she relegates herself to fur, hide, and leather, because the Skyrim is much colder than her home Hammerfell. She makes her money off selling hides/ leather and basic smithed goods, meaning she only loots what she needs. Lastly, because she thrives off the wild life, she also specializes in taking ingredients she finds while hunting and turns them into potions/poisons (Alchemy).

I also follow basic role-playing guidelines, i.e. no fast travel, eat 2 to 3 times a day, sleep, drink, one guild, etc.

Good guide lines. I'll have to follow quite a few of those to make things even more interesting then they already are. Buying food for daily meals will add one more reason to spending money wisely. Then theres always hunting animals which i have yet to do because i cant find myself to kill them but by roleplaying hunger and needing to eat i think i can kill a moose or two :hubbahubba:

I do exactly like the OP is saying. I have always put restrictions on myself in TES games and I find it is the most enjoyable way to play. It also helps to extend the re-playability.

I have been making a new character for each faction, and each of my character uses a limited amount of skills.

I agree.
It is partly how I spent over 1,000 enjoyable hours with Morrowind and Oblivion (ok modded Oblivion).

My first and current Skyrim character is a Pure Thief, who hasn't cast a single spell.

People that try to be as efficient as possible every step of the way, to "beat" the game, tend to get bored quickly (and then post here telling us all about it).

Just a few of my warriors current restrictions

- no magic (no spells/enchants/potions)
- only three weapons (sword/bow/dagger)
- a charitable act in every city trip
- loot limit
- use only the whiterun shield picked up at level 8
- must use torches in dungeon/at night
- cant wear a helmet
- underpowered 'fitting' weapons (uses imperial bow when glass is floating about)
- underpowered 'fitting' armour
- no crime or morally ambiguous quests
- no guilds other than the companions
- no trainers
- arrow limit
- basic RP rules around food/travel

I forget them if in not playing. Makes for a surprisingly fun way to play and a test of willpower at times!

Haha! Whether you meant it to or not, that was pretty funny.



I play almost exactly the same way. :foodndrink:

That's not how I see a pure mage. A mage is a scholar, taking in any knowledge that may come across his path. This includes knowledge of mechanical items, anything helps in the pursuit creating new practical spells. I don't find it hard to believe that a mage would have quite the understanding of locks and how their mechanisms work. This whole "pure mage, can't do anything but shoot some fireballs and make pretty lights" attitude a lot of people have is no better than playing as a hard headed warrior, if your end goal is only to kill things, then why not just club them? I believe mages are better than that, they live to invent and revolutionize the way we see the world. So yes, picking a wittle lock is childs play to them, especially if it's in the way of their research.

Something happend to make some of my words bunch up together into one abomanation. I don't know what caused it to happpen...

I play with normal smithed armour and weps (no improving). Even normal daedric armour and weps can get you pwned if you're not careful. I find it excellent for balance on Expert. Low level creatures are no probs, as should be, but higher level creatures are tough.

Then I have my roflstomp set of armour and weps, for when I just want to go killing [censored], and sometimes, ya just do!

I restrict myself by following the personality I've given my character, and allow that to influence my choices in the game. So far it's made it so that I've only barely touched the Thieves Guild and Dark Brotherhood because even my test character refused to be forced to endure them with the meager personality I gave her. I probably could do more, but too many restrictions tend to limit my enjoyment.

i play without ANY perks at all atm. it works and without the perks nothing gets overpowered

These are ones I didn't think of that remind me of hard core mode in Fallout New Vegas.
I was thinking how there shouldn't even be a fast travel mode in-game. What ever happened
to the mages in the game telliporting us to are destynations...