From the one quest in Oblivion I didn’t do…but I thought it was appropriate for this post.
Since it’s Valentine’s Day today, and I’m bored, I figure’d I’d talk a bit about love in some Bethesda games, and the interesting points about them. Yes, there is love there, not the love of killing, or stealing, no, I mean actual person-loves-another-person (or themselves) kind of love.
Minor Spoilers for Oblivion, Skyrim, Fallout 3, and Fallout: New Vegas.
Cheese, cheese, cheese. I love cheese. Cheese for me and none for you!
I’ll admit, I’m a bit of a button masher. I get impatient to get quests to move on quickly if I’m caught up in the middle of the action. Which, sometimes, equals accidental thievery.
For example, I’ll walk into a store, any store really, doesn’t matter if it’s Skyrim or Oblivion. The storekeeper greets me with a hello (or an insult, depending on who it is exactly), and asks what I’d like today. I run up to his table and press “A”.
Cup has been added to your inventory.
“GUARDS!! THIEF!!” He screams bloody murder.
Wait, what?!
You are over-encumbered.
“I’M SORRY!!” I scream, throwing the cup across the room and a few extra cheap items that I didn’t know I had or needed in hopes of forgiveness. “IT WAS AN ACCIDENT!!”
“STOP RIGHT THERE, CRIMINAL SCUM!”
Fack.
And all the items I meant to steal get taken away from me as well. ALL BECAUSE I ACCIDENTALLY GRABBED A CUP, WHICH, BY THE WAY, I GAVE BACK AS SOON AS I REALIZED.
Of course, that obviously isn’t good enough and you either pay the court a fine or rot in jail.
You know, shopkeepers, maybe it would be a lot more helpful IF YOU DIDN’T STACK ALL YOUR SHIT ON THE COUNTER IN FRONT OF YOU, SO I CAN ACTUALLY CLICK ON YOU AND NOT THAT SHIT ASS IRON DAGGER.
Also…I wasn’t aware it was customary for shop owners to leave their gold lying around everywhere. I mean, really?! And that’s like the EASIEST shit to take, because gold is gold and guards can’t tell the difference between your gold and your recently “acquired” gold.
(Also, is it safe if you store your stolen stash on your follower? Do they take it off of him/her as well when you get arrested…?)
So, yeah.
And I’m not just talking about The Elder Scrolls series either, this shit happens in other Bethesda games, too (does it happen in Morrowind also? I’ve never played it, help me out here!). Fallout 3 and New Vegas…
In the wasteland, you steal shit, you get your head blown off. That’s it, no questions asked. There are no guards, at least, none that I can remember in Fallout 3, except maybe Rivet City (had to look up the name, it’s been a long time since I’ve played, heh), and in New Vegas, on the strip…and even then, they just blow your head off. So either way, you end up with your brains splattered against the wall.
BUT…
When I do want to steal, I find the stores in Skyrim to be absolutely pathetic. I break in, and find there’s hardly anything really WORTH taking and bringing all the way back to Riften to sell to the fence. At least, in Whiterun it’s been like that…I’ll have to try other places later.
Oblivion was nice for stealing…well, the jewelry store was, anyway. 😀
Plus, it always helps having Detect Life when you’re a thief, so you know if someone’s coming and if you’re about to get busted or not. (Or, alternatively, in Skyrim, just do the ol’ “bucket on the head” thing. Usually works, unless they have a magic force field around there head that sends it flying…what? It did happen… Just make sure not to accidentlly take the bucket instead of carrying it.)
Also fuck those guard dogs in Imperial City.
Back to Skyrim…
I did break into that alchemy dealer in Whiterun a few days ago, and snuck around as a cat burglar, stealthy as can be, raided all the ingredients (making potions from stolen items doesn’t make the potion counted as stolen, yay!) and potions I could carry. And then, as I’m about to grab some ice wraith teeth and a potion of minor healing I hear…
“We sell all kinds of alchemy ingredients and agents!”
Spinning around as quick as I can, I scanned the floor for any movement. Nothing. Then I realized the crazy bitch was talking to herself on the second floor. So I continued to steal, all the while listening to her brag about her shop full of items.
Not anymore, sister, not anymore!
Also, sorry if I stole a goddamn cheese wheel, Ulfric. The sweetroll wasn’t considered stolen, so I thought the cheese was okay, too. I guess you just really like your cheese, huh? Regardless, I’m not paying a fine, nor going to jail, because I have about 40 other stolen cheese wheels (among other things), and I don’t want to put the effort to get them back from you guys. See ya!!
“Let me guess…someone stole your sweetroll.”
Nah, nope. I do the sweetrolling stealing around here, baby.
Delicious.
Image Credit: Unknown source.
By the way, I suck at pickpocketing. Stupid keys for stupid doors that need the stupid key. Stupid… (grumbles)
Next Post: Glutton for Punishment
I can't believe I paid for this guy 3 times.
Alright, alright, Marcurio. I’ll try to remember that for the next time. Now here, hold onto these dragon bones, this iron mace, and this ebony shield, and about half a dozen corundum ingots for me, kthnx.
(sigh) “Oh, very well, butmakeitquick!”
To be honest, I find followers good for these 3 things (in order):
1. To hold all my extra loot so I don’t become over-encumbered.
2. To provide support while fighting enemies.
3. To provide company and insight during a trek across the land. Because let’s face it, sometimes it gets lonely out there.
For the few followers I had, few were useful, and more were just annoying. The 3 reasons why they’re bad:
1. They’re an extra person to take care of.
2. They set off traps. All. The. Damn. Time.
3. They’re usually terrible for sneaking. I mean, really.
Would I rather travel on my own then? Well, it depends. Sometimes, yes. Other times, no. It just depends on what kind of character you chose to play as, and whether or not they’re up to par to actually help you out (i.e., pairing the opposites: ranged/melee, warrior/mage, etc.).
These are the following followers (heh), I’ve had the pleasure of traveling with so far:
Lydia
"Honored to you, my Thane." PLZ GTFO MY HOUSE.
I think for most people, Lydia was probably their first follower (that, or Sven/Faendal from Riverwood). I kept her around for a little while, but I just found her line, “I am SWORN to carry your burdens…” to be incredibly annoying, especially HOW she said it. I parted ways with her pretty quick. I don’t even remember how good she was at fighting. I don’t think I would have kept her anyway.
Jenassa
"I like to kill things. Therefore, you should hire me."
Jenassa was my first hired helper. She was pretty damn good, once armored up with some Elven armor. She held up on her own pretty well, but I parted ways from her eventually (I think it was because of a Companions’ quest, which sometimes removes your followers). I say hi to her in the bar sometimes, other than that, haven’t really thought of her since. At least I earned her respect, provided she still holds true on that offer to join me again for free. Yay.
Marcurio
"So you think you can make it on your own then. We'll see about that."
I’m not sure why exactly I hired him, maybe it was his laughable arrogant attitude or something, but he far surpassed the previous companions I had before. I found him drinking away on a bench in Riften the first time I entered the city. It seems like he has endless magicka, or at least a lot of it, and, he tends to observe the actions and the areas we visit, and provides his input on it. I quite enjoyed exploring Skyrim with him, yes, even with his constant complaints about having to carry things. Geez. Unfortunately, he was removed as a follower several times as I completed quests for The Companions. Thus, I actually paid 1500 gold for his services. Worried that I’d have to waste money on him AGAIN, and plus he kind of grew on me, I equipped the Amulet of Mara and promptly married him. Damn, he makes some good home-cooked meals! Plus, I still take him on adventures sometimes (I’m less worried about him dying now that I have Healing Hands equipped). At least now, it’s free. Just wish he’d stop walking into traps all the time…and stop trying to sell me the stuff I give him to equip! 😛
Aela the Huntress
The only one who stayed as a...wait, spoilers.
I kinda kept her around for a bit here and there during Totem or Animal Extermination quests. Being an essential follower, she’s quite useful to use as a distraction. Unfortunately, due to a glitch, she keeps her default hunting bow, even when giving her a much better bow to equip. Also, I’m a bit disappointed she doesn’t use her other “power” once and awhile. That would have been cool. Us shield sisters watch each other’s backs. 😉
Ria
One of the few nice ones that actually welcomed me into the Companions. Yay!
She was okay. I didn’t kept her long, though. I just happened to be in Whiterun at the time, and she was just on hand. She’s prone to dying way too easy.
Farkas
"Did I scare you?"
I fell in love with Farkas’s voice almost immediately after I met him. My love was further reaffirmed during the quest Proving Honor. I just thought he was so cool and sweet. I definitely had a hard time between choosing him, Aela, or Marcurio to marry. He was pretty useful, and his phobia is pretty relatable. He’s my bro.
Vilkas
Supposedly the "smarter" one of the two brothers.
I can’t really remember him to much (in terms of having him as a follower, of course. He’s pretty prominent in the Companions’ questline. I guess he was pretty good, never really had an issue with him that I could remember. I still like Farkas better, though.
Uthgerd the Unbroken
"I could take you. I could beat anyone in this city."
After a nice brawl near the beginning of the game and getting my 100 septims, I asked for her help a lot further in the game. She was pretty tough, but I lost interest in her quickly.
Kharjo
"If anyone sneaks up on us, I'll smell them coming. Or I will not. We'll see."
“Khajiit will watch your back.” Indeed they do. I asked him to follow me once I found his Moon Amulet. It took me awhile to track him down, considering he works as a guard for the Khajiit Caravans. Unfortunately, I didn’t get to keep him long (I just got him today, actually), before he was dismissed due to Aela giving me a Totem of Hircine quest. Hopefully I’ll be able to track him down again soon.
J’zargo
"J'zargo can learn magic from these men and elves, but they cannot learn to be as dashing as he. J'Zargo comes out on top."
Charming indeed. As charming as a Khajiit mage trying to kill me could be. Fortunately, you gain his respect after surviving the effects of his fire-cloak scrolls. To be honest, I actually found them useful (besides that one time I accidently hit Kharjo with it, and he tried to kill me. Whoops. I died anyway.), running kamikaze style at Draugr and annoying mages. Seeing as I just recruited him today, after hearing how useful he is (apparently his level cap is 81–the same as yours), I haven’t had much of a chance to use him, but his charming personality and strong magic attacks have won me over so far. I’ll just see how long this holds up.
It’s funny how I usually become over-cumbered even with a companion to hold all my stuff…guess it’s that greedy-ness.
Misc. Followers:
Meeko
Bark! Bark! (pant, pant)
He’s a cute dog I stumbled across while venturing through the woods aimlessly. I felt sorry for him, plus I love dogs, so I took him with me (and took extra precaution to make sure he didn’t get killed–he’s actually at lot tougher than he looks). Unfortunately, he barks way too much (somehow I feel the other three dogs are probably the same way. Heh, Three Dog. XD), so I usually made him sit at my home in Whiterum in front of the fireplace. And, like all followers, he usually leaves if you make him wait too long. I retrieved him a second time after that, but the same thing happened and I haven’t bothered since. Nice dog, though, and a good fighter. Just really annoying. I wish he was a bit more like Dogmeat from Fallout 3 and bark a little less (Dogmeat actually very rarely barked, and when he did, it surprised the heck of out me). If he was a bit more like that, I’d probably make the effort to go get him for a third time.
Horse (Black, Palomino & Frost)
I like to run into battle and get eaten by dragons. 🙂
Quite useful when at lower levels, not only are the horses a way to travel quite quickly across the harsh terrain of Skyrim, the horses you actually own will assist you in battle when you dismount (which may or may not be a good thing, depending on what it is. Wolf=Fine. Elder Dragon=Not so fine). Especially in a party with a human and dog companion, plus an optional summon, it’s another useful aid to assist you in battle. If only my Palomino and Frost hadn’t disappeared on me…I swear they didn’t get killed, which leaves me with only my original horse, which I wanted to retire. At least now, with Katla’s Farm and Riften Stables (thanks to winning a brawl with the stable owner!) I can rid their horses for free. Just too bad they leave you as soon as you dismount.
There’s plenty of other followers to find, and perhaps I’ll switch them up even more. Perhaps they’ll be a second post about followers, perhaps not. We shall see.
Anyway, it’s quite late now and I’m ready to go to sleep. Until next time!
Image credits: UESP Wiki, Elder Scrolls Wiki.
Next Post: ??? (pending)
Hello, and welcome to Monahven, or, as the citizens of Skyrim call it, The Throat of the World; a blog dedicated to my thoughts, experiences and rants of The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim.
But, I suppose I should introduce myself first.
My name is Ren. I first started playing Bethesda games about a year ago. I’m still relatively new to their catalog.
I started first with borrowing Fallout 3 for the XBOX 360 after hearing my boyfriend tell me about it. I got into it right away, the expansive dialogue choices and story kept me enticed though the 65 hours I put into it. It was the kind of game, while not only was fun (who doesn’t like shooting super mutants in the face…?), but it had a large area to explore and discover, which kept me occupied long after the main questline was finished. I found myself playing more and more, wanting to find out what happened next, where your father actually disappeared, what other sorts of bizarre irradiated creatures I would find next. I finished the game at level 17 with good karma, and a satisfied smirk on my face. I immediately reloaded an earlier save and went to do more exploring.
Shortly after I decided to play Fallout: New Vegas for the PC (after hearing how bugged it was, I figure it would be easier to obtain patches on the PC rather than a console without XBOX Live). Unfortunately, I almost gave up playing it, as at first it lagged horribly on my PC and was almost unplayable (not due to specs, but a known issue with a missing .dll file). Fortunately, I bought a laptop that summer and decided to try giving it a go again. I put another 50 hours into it, a good portion of that was spent trying to get out of the Sierra Madre casino in the DLC Dead Money. I haven’t completed the game yet, and don’t think I will for awhile. There just seems like a lot of things to do.
I also borrowed Oblivion in the Spring of ’11 after asking to for weeks. I finally got it and was rather excited to try it. Unfortunately, it was plagued by frame rate issues and long loading times on my 360, so I stopped playing shortly after. In October, I picked it up again, in anticipation of Skyrim. This time I cleared the system cache and the loading was tolerable, and I went and put in 61 hours in it. But more about my thoughts on Oblivion in another post.
I got Skyrim for Christmas, and after a few hiccups with the 360, began playing it feverishly. What I had looked forward to the most was the dragon fights and the possibility of becoming a werewolf. To this day exactly, I have put in 121 hours into it and I’ve almost completed the main quest. The game is absolutely stunning, and MASSIVE. Yes, there were a few bugs here and there, but they were relatively minor (i.e., low-res textures even WITHOUT installing to the hard drive), occasional frame-rate drops in Riften, and a certain spinning dragon. Other than that, I hadn’t found any issue, but my save file is dangerously climbing to about 14 MB now. Hopefully, I can put many more hours into it without any huge glitches or slowdowns.
And that’s basically it. My experiences with Bethesda games. I’m not a Bethesda fangirl by any means, but I certainly enjoy their games, and thus, with Skyrim being so huge and everyone’s experiences being so diverse, I thought I would use this blog to share mine.
Besides, I like ranting.
Next Post: Oblivion – My First Elder Scrolls Experience.
The Throat of the World 