Forums » Elder Scrolls

• Tunasailor

  

  • 3 posts
   

  May 25, 2012 6:40 PM EDT

  These are the hardcore rules I made to enhance the gaming experience and make it more realistic(I'm playing on ps3 so I have no mods)

  1. Play on Expert/Master for obvious reasons

  2. No fast travel, very common rule for hardcore players

  3. No enchanting, makes finding new equipment a lot more rewarding and limited/legit smithing, no grinding and only use it when making and tempering equipment.

  4. Only save on rest, got to settings-gameplay and only mark the save on rest, not travel and all the others, makes it more tense and forces you to sleep

  5. Get the necromancer amulet ASAP it has -75% regen to stamina and health which forces you to recover after battle, Spoiler you get it as a reward from Blood on the Ice quest and here is a walkthrough because it might get complicated to get it: http://www.uesp.net/wiki/Skyrim:Blood_on_the_Ice It also takes away the necklace slot but that only makes you less OP

  6. Turn music off, you can then hear the nature and you have to be more careful when traveling in the wild because the battle music doesn't kick in when ever there is an enemy

  7. Roleplay! This makes it fun, cook your food(this is actually going to help a lot because of the necromancer amulet, eat well before going out adventuring!). Go with realistic outfit like fur armor in snowy areas normal clothing when you are in town, two weapons each signed to the quick select in the favorites menu 1 and 2. for example for me I have sword(and shield) on 1 and my bow(and arrows) on 2.

  8. Set the brightness a bit lower from what you usually have it, but not to much because light sources will also grow darker and become unrealistic. This is so you will have to use torches in dungeons (if you are not kahjiit)

  I just started it yesterday and it is giving me a challenge and it's lot of fun, I'm also using "no magic rule" but that's just me.

  For those who want to know here is my characte:

  Male Redguard specialized in one-handed, block, archery, light armor and minor skills are sneak and speech. Currently using warrior stone and faendal is my companion. 

  I might change something and you can come with ideas but that's it for now and thank you for checking in.

• Depth_____

  

  • 1 posts
   

  May 28, 2012 12:50 AM EDT

  Preetty sweet. Nice to know someone else is taking this route--sometimes it feels like all I hear is people talking about powergaming in regards to skyrim. Smithing+Enchanting, Daedric at level 20, blah blah blah.
  
  I also restricted Enchanting completely, and for Smithing I ruled out buying any raw materials from blacksmiths (hunters and general good store I allow, but I can't see blacksmiths selling their iron and leather, they'd be doing so at a loss compared to the end product they'd make with it). It makes me have to actually hunt for my components, and spend my ore wisely.
  
  The bed idea is great, its like half a step away from Dead is Dead.
  
  Never thought about the music, good call. Wish there was a way to get rid of the compass and enemy health bar while leaving your own and the cross-hair (Im on the ps3 as well). As it is, I just fade them out halfway

• Eva V

  

  • 14 posts
   

  May 28, 2012 5:35 AM EDT

  This all sounds pretty awesome except for no Fast Traveling. It's just that I'm way too lazy for that but I admire everyone that doesn't do it. I have never been the one to be into smithing so I got my Deadric armor and wepons through the Atronach Forge. I think it's way more awesome because you can say that the armor came straight from Oblivion ,courtesy of Mehrunes Dagon's stones

• Tunasailor

  

  • 3 posts
   

  May 28, 2012 2:09 PM EDT

  That is brilliant idea and I totally agree about the blacksmiths, adds even more realism when you have to mine your ore and go hunting for leather (hunting is actually very vital to get ingredients for food). In regards to the bed idea I wanted to have some limitations about saving so it would be worse to die and not just restart from the last doorway and it also makes loading screens shorter.

• Tunasailor

  

  • 3 posts
   

  May 28, 2012 2:16 PM EDT

  Yeah, sometimes it is very hard not to fast travel, I tried on another character some time ago but it didn't last very long so now I wrote down "NO FAST TRAVEL" on paper and have it with me when I play, it works pretty well. I like that idea about getting the armor from oblivion, kind of silly to make that armor in a normal forge, but I would still get the perk just for improving it.

• Eva V

  

  • 14 posts
   

  May 28, 2012 5:55 PM EDT

  I think it's harder to get the Daedric armor and wepons this way because you need the Sigil Stone. The only way to obtain the stone is through the Conjuration Ritual which you do after you have 90+ conjuration and you have to talk to Phinis Gestor at the College. Then you have to kill an unbound dremora lord who wants to murder the hell out of you with a deadric war axe. Oh , and you have to kill him 3 times before he submits and brings you a Sigil stone Without the stone the Atronach Forge is useles. The good thing is that there is a recipe for enchanted wepons and armor , and let me tell you these guys on the other side know how to enchant to the max

• Paul Skavland

  

  • 9 posts
   

  June 16, 2012 9:11 PM EDT

  I know this thread is a bit old but here's an interesting bit of RP:

  When you first go to Whiterun there's a conversation between a Battle-born and the blacksmith, where he's putting in a big order for arms and armor for the Imperials. I decided to "help" and I promptly began making complete suits of Imperial Armor to help the war effort.

  At least it required me to use a lot more different items than iron daggers ... and felt like it was part of the story ...

• Leedsy

  

  • 1 posts
   

  July 17, 2012 7:57 AM EDT

  Nice tips. Never tried hardcore but will give it a try on a character I have not set strict RP limitations on, otherwise might be a little hard. Really like the smithing and enchanting rules. Would take away the 'yippee, yet another enchanted ebony cuirass to sell' anticlimax

  I struggle with fast travel etc, sometimes long trek across the whole map is too much to face. When I can I try and limit myself to a) only using horse and carriage or b) only fast travel between the 9 major cities and then have to travel on foot / horse from there My gripe with not fast travelling is the horses.

  I don't mind travelling by horse but foot is too slow. My issue is that your horse tries to get involved in every fight, including dragons, so they die too often, leaving you stranded in the wild. lets be honest, no horse would stand its ground against a frost troll

  If they fled as soon as you dismounted , it would be much better. Maybe even have a marker on the map so you have to search on foot for your horse to find it again, and let them flee quite some distance. Anything to make them last a little longer in the wild

• RuneRed

  

  • 856 posts
   

  July 17, 2012 12:51 PM EDT

  I fairly much do everything you mentioned with some variations.  Using the OP's numbers:

  1.  I keep it on Master with Ironman rules (see '9' below).  I've lost quite a few characters before they make it out of Helgen.

  2.  I use some fast travel (rarely).  It's mainly due the fact that I switch characters around a lot, so I like to 'save' my character at some familiar spot (such as their house).  I also 'fast travel' to where my character is currently located - so I don't actually go anywhere.  I do that to gather my stray horse or companion (if any).

  3.  I only invest in one crafting skill, at most.  The actual crafting skill (if any) depends on my character.

  4.  I don't recommend this one.  It's a bit disheartening to have your game glitch and lose 30 minutes of play.  I save often.   But yes, I do sleep (and eat). 

  5.  I don't recommend this one either.  Doesn't make sense from a role-play perspective (eg. why would my berserker care about/ wear a necromancer amulet.  A 'conjurer' character, on the other hand may wish to acquire it)

  6.  I've mentioned this before, but I've done this since day one (same is true with all games of this type) - no music.  I am considering making a 'bard' character  - I may turn the music on for that one.

  7.  Definately - I have many different characters to get the full game content (it just doesn't make any sense from a role-play point of view to do 'everything' with one character).

  8.  Yes, fun, fun.  I also play in a darkened room.

  Here's an extra one I use:

  9.  Ironman.  Dead = dead.  If your character dies, then it is time to create a new character.  I've lost quite a few characters (more than I can recall).  It is especially painful to lose one that's gained quite a few levels.  (The highest level character that I've lost was in the low 30's.)

   

• RuneRed

  

  • 856 posts
   

  July 17, 2012 1:02 PM EDT

  Skyrim really mucked up the horses.  Why would an unmounted horse (even a war horse) charge a dragon - not a chance.  Horses are 'prey' animals - they should try to escape, and only fight if cornered.  And Bethesda, instead of fixing the stupid horses, decided to make some half-ass mounted combat.

• Deleted Member

  
   

  July 17, 2012 2:23 PM EDT

  Yeah, I would love if there was a mechanic where the Horse might just bolt out from under you if you went near a dragon or something.

• Juniorrat

  

  • 144 posts
   

  July 18, 2012 9:31 PM EDT

  Yeah, I like the idea, however, I just don't find it to be all that fun to be honest. Every now and then I try to do the "no fast travel, dead is dead, eat drink sleep route." Play style, but in the end I always get too impatient with the game so it doesn't make it fun for me.

  But good on you for doing it if it makes you happy.  

• Todd

  

  • 557 posts
   

  July 18, 2012 9:37 PM EDT

  I play on master, no fast travelling, no using transmogrify, no glitches or exploits, only saving on rest/sleep, i make my own potions and poisons, and eat daily, and only fight dragons with swords, daggers, and maces