Five spoiler-free tips for getting your Skyrim character off to a good start:
- Buy Clairvoyance. Pick this spell up early to compensate for the lack of a proper map and save yourself some headaches. It’s available from the start of the game and it’s inexpensive. Casting it creates a Fable-esque ‘breadcrumb trail’ to lead you based on what quest you have selected.
- Take a follower. The NPC followers might be annoying when they clog up a doorway or stand between you and an enemy, but they are almost literally worth their weight in gold. They make excellent pack mules, carrying your loot out of dungeons and some of them can perform other tasks like picking locks. There are a couple of free companions to be found early on, as well as for-hire mercenaries.
- Get a job. Yes it might be mundane, but working as a smith, alchemist or wood cutter is a great way to get some coin early on as well as boosting your level by increasing the corresponding skills. While you’re out exploring, pick some flowers (like I need to tell you that!) and hunt some game; when you get back to town, brew up potions, tan hides, etc. and sell the products to your local merchants. Experience plus gold is a win-win.
- Shop around. Look everywhere for free goods to use as ingredients and to sell for gold. If you’re using the alchemist’s apparatus at a store, check the shelves for ingredients. You’ll find many are free for the taking. Just don’t get too trigger happy with that action button, or you could unintentionally end up stealing something that belonged to someone. If you join one of the guilds, there are items on tables and shelves that are free for the taking as well.
- Sell slowly. Buying and selling items counts towards your speech skill (my personal favourite). Each transaction with a merchant gives you experience, which even if you don’t care about unlocking new speech perks, can help increase your level. If you have more than five of one item, you have to option to sell them as one transaction. Instead slide it down one item, complete your transaction, rinse and repeat. All those goblets and plates you picked up early on might not be worth a lot of money, but they’re also giving you a bit of experience every time you sell one.
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Great tips! Also: don’t feel pressured to spend your level-up perk points right at the start; you can hang on to them for a bit until you’ve learned which sort of play style you prefer.
That’s another great tip, and I did exactly that. I spent a couple on Speech (a great way to get more gold early on) and a couple of first level perks, and held the rest until about level 13. I wasn’t sure what kind of character I was going to end up playing, and didn’t want to waste any!
[...] of LFI and fellow gamer Maranda (@HotelQueen) has posted a great article on her Momicon site with 5 Spoiler-Free Tips on Getting Started in Skyrim. Be sure to check it out and leave your own tips for other fellow Skyrim lovers. Did you like [...]
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