Improving Skyrim / Recommended Mods thread (Mostly about Requiem)

[Esquilax]

Light armor basically provides insufficient protection. The upsides are that you can hit hard, hit fast and move quickly. The downside is that you have to keep moving - The light armor isn't for tanking, even if you're building a barb and religiously pumping HPs. The bottom line is that light armour allows you to avoid getting hit while still making some difference in case you do get hit. Which means that if you do get hit regularly you're doing it wrong.
The skill comes from learning from your trial-and-error. Luck is only involved in surviving something dumb and (rarely) in Beth's superb code glitching or gracing you with killmove the moment the enemy *starts* to swing (even if you could easily avoid it). If there is no enemy killmove or glitched controls involved, then the problem is you. Even with enemy killmove involved the problem is usually still you because more often than not it means you got cocky and did something you wouldn't afford to if you were fighting an actual human.

With the fact that light armor, at the moment at least, is about as protective as tissue paper for my guy, should I make some investments in smithing? Would it make enough of a difference in my survivability at the moment to be able to take a hit or two that would otherwise kill me?

Then it means the arrow took its sweet time reaching you so you could have been somewhere else already.

Not really. Oftentimes the arrow will hit you and it's basically "boom, you're dead". Of course, you can reload right away, but it's still irritating to get killed by a shot that is very far away. I thought there were penalties to damage the further the arrow has to travel.

So AI not being (easily) predictable is now bad?

Please, don't put words in my mouth. What I was getting at is that I don't know what strategy will be conducive to success - basically, right now what I do is that I reload a shitload of times until I get it right. There's nothing that I do that makes me think that I'm going in with the right gameplan for a particular foe that I can consistently reproduce. If I need to go through dozens of reloads to get through a fight, it probably means that the one time I did get through, I managed to get lucky and survive despite using the wrong strategy.

For example, I somehow managed to get through the Silent Moons camp this way by drawing out Ron the Crow and while avoiding getting pincushioned by arrows. He started to chase me down as I fled towards Whiterun (I could easily outrun him in my light armor)

First thing first - keep moving. You are just a dude - even if strong, fast and resilient dude - with some fur or leather on. You can't afford to be stuck full of sharp sticks tipped with metal. You can't afford being repeatedly hacked and slashed.
When charging archers try not move in straight lines and try to exploit anything to break their line of fire - terrain, architecture, even their own allies.

Yep, I figured this out pretty quickly. Getting to the archer before they get to me is my only hope. The dodge perk from the Evasion tree helps a little because if you time it right, you can sidestep an arrow just before it hits you, then cut them down. But it's still not very reliable, because your timing has to be perfect.

Also, sprinting is your friend, especially in light armor. Sprinting into your typical archer or wizard with a heavily muscled guy (especially when wearing heavy armor, but if you're strong enogh light will work too) will knock them off balance and onto the ground. An enemy who's trying to get up is an enemy that isn't shooting you, switching to melee, blocking or running away to shoot you moments later.

Holy shit, you can bullrush an enemy to knock them down? I didn't even know this. I thought my only recourse was to either use dodge, and swing, or to charge and pray that my slow swing hits the enemy before they can get a shot off.

Second, practice in melee. Low level Draugr (but try to postpone BFB, maybe try doing companions) are ideal practice dummies, they are slow, meaning it's easy to learn how the melee works with them, and they are tanky meaning no fluke victories.
They are also dumb and reckless so you won't get to learn fighting blocking and bashing enemy from them, but you will learn basics - when to block, when to dodge and when to interrupt by bashing. If you can melee two draugr at once you're probably pretty good.

I went through the Companions quest to collect the fragments of Wuuthrad, overall it was very tough. I can definitely handle two draugr at once, because the end of that quest had at least twenty that I had to flank to protect Farkas (who is a fucking monster in combat) from getting downed. If he is hit enough to the point where he can no longer get up in that quest, then the draugr swarm you and you are fucked. That being said, even when I somehow survived that at like level 5 or 6, I still don't know how the fuck I survived.

Bandits are harder but more versatile practice targets. They are much faster, more proactive and more concentrated on their own survival. They will block and interrupt. Learn to not get flanked - even a tincan can get 1hk'd by an unblocked powerattack with as much as lousy iron hammer or battleaxe. Your own powerattacks are good for breaking through blocks, but the blocking party can interrupt them with bash. Use length of your weapon to your advantage. With 2h you can hit them before they can hit you, bashes also only work up close - a shield or pommel has limited reach.

Learn to sidestep - see a guy running at you swinging a mace or hammer for overhead strike? Don't block, even don't interrupt, move aside. Then turn around quickly and split their ass.

Get a follower, possibly one complementing your own tactics. For example a 1h+shield+plate tank will have good staying power and will also provide good flanking protection and allow pincering single attackers and exploiting openings (enemy strikes, your fellow blocks while you cut the attacker down).

Yep, I managed to figure this out thus far. If you're up against a two-hander, especially a draugr, sidestep or get the fuck out of the way and counter-attack. If you're up against a one-hander, keep him at the end of your reach like a fighter using a jab.

Lastly, pick your battles and improvise when in over your head. Sometimes it's a good idea to turn your tail and flee.
Sometimes you can use something that isn't really part of your skillset well enough in the context to turn the tides of battle.

I've done a lot of the first one, but not much of the second, which is why I'm thinking that my guy is in need of a little branching out. Given that I have the Warrior sign that allows me to learn archery quicker, it makes the most sense to go with that, I reckon.

Sometimes you can use something that isn't really part of your skillset well enough in the context to turn the tides of battle.

This is really important, I always say this about Requiem. You have to be prepared, even if you specialize in two-handed, see if you can carry a shield and a one-handed, and some ranged weapon, to thin down the herd before getting up-close, at least early-game.

This is probably the crux of my issue. I have a very specialized build and I've used two-handers pretty much exclusively. I think I have melee combat down, but I need to branch out and try things that my character might not be that good at if I want to be successful. I'll report back in a bit after I experiment with my strategy some more.

 

[DraQ]

With the fact that light armor, at the moment at least, is about as protective as tissue paper for my guy, should I make some investments in smithing? Would it make enough of a difference in my survivability at the moment to be able to take a hit or two that would otherwise kill me?

TBH I've never pursued crafting-centric playstyle so I wouldn't know. What I do know is that light armor is less of reliable protection and more of a safety margin - the difference between being 1hk'd and almost 1hk'd allowing you to pop a potion and keep fighting.
Before you get absolutely high-end stuff don't even think about tanking anything. OTOH it does let you move and swing faster, so you can weave in and out, dodge and disrupt attacks.

Not really. Oftentimes the arrow will hit you and it's basically "boom, you're dead".

You miss the point. If it was fired from a distance you had time to react. If you had paid attention you'd have dodged.

I thought there were penalties to damage the further the arrow has to travel.

Indeed, unless you have ticked "better archery" in the menu.

Please, don't put words in my mouth. What I was getting at is that I don't know what strategy will be conducive to success - basically, right now what I do is that I reload a shitload of times until I get it right. There's nothing that I do that makes me think that I'm going in with the right gameplan for a particular foe that I can consistently reproduce. If I need to go through dozens of reloads to get through a fight, it probably means that the one time I did get through, I managed to get lucky and survive despite using the wrong strategy.

Two points:
1. Never have just one plan. At the very least you need plan B to GTFO if plan A fails miserably.

2. If the best plan you can think of relies on massive amount of luck, then you're in over your head.

For example, I somehow managed to get through the Silent Moons camp this way by drawing out Ron the Crow and while avoiding getting pincushioned by arrows. He started to chase me down as I fled towards Whiterun (I could easily outrun him in my light armor)

Silent Moons Camp is p. scary for a low level character. Best way to take out Ron without hitting double digits involves sniping remaining bandits from cover, then trying to get a drop on him with paralyzing poison. At range the guy will just kill you dead.

Holy shit, you can bullrush an enemy to knock them down? I didn't even know this. I thought my only recourse was to either use dodge, and swing, or to charge and pray that my slow swing hits the enemy before they can get a shot off.

You can. In some cases it may make up for around 20 lvls of difference. You might also be able to disarm archers with bashes. As for slow swings, maybe try carrying around a 2h sword instead of just axe/hammer. It's faster. Bashes are also fast. Also it's critical that you keep your stamina high in combat - low stamina = slowed down movement, very weak attacks, no power attacks nor bashes (so basically being dead) and weapon dropping.

Yep, I managed to figure this out thus far. If you're up against a two-hander, especially a draugr, sidestep or get the fuck out of the way and counter-attack. If you're up against a one-hander, keep him at the end of your reach like a fighter using a jab.

Now try to fend off 1-2 draugr without losing ground. It's doable, but you must rely on bashes and blocks more than dodging. Mastering bashing and blocking is critical to melee combat in Requiem, otherwise you end up just running backwards swinging your 2h desperately in front of you and draugr are perfect practice dummies for that as they don't use any particularly dynamic techniques and give you plenty of time to interrupt their power attacks.

I've done a lot of the first one, but not much of the second, which is why I'm thinking that my guy is in need of a little branching out. Given that I have the Warrior sign that allows me to learn archery quicker, it makes the most sense to go with that, I reckon.

I don't really consider it branching out if you don't spend perks. In any case, stuff you're not skilled with is usually impractical but rarely unusable. Even without archery skill/perks you should still be able to shoot a bandit with piece of fur stuck to his ass or dude in a bathrobe without protective spell up at low to mid range. That's around the distance you need enough time to cross to let a mage raise their protective spell than fry your ass with a nuke. Then you have poisons (that can be delivered with ranged weapon), scrolls and occasional staff. A ranged weapon can also be used to trigger traps by shooting tripwire or pressure plate. Maybe carry a dagger if you have no room for 2h sword along with your primary 2h head basher? You won't be very good with it, but it will still be fast (and capable of delivering poisons). It will also let you wield something in the offhand, be it shield, scroll or torch for lighting your way and bashing trolls (though 2h character shouldn't have trouble just splitting trolls in half).

If you have trouble fitting stuff in your inventory, consider carrying around something you can afford to throw away. Basic long or hunting bow, or low level crossbow with basic iron ammo will still shoot targets, trigger pressure plates and deliver poisons.
You can always hoard a handful of high quality arrows (say ebony) or bolts if you find them for taking out problematic targets.

Basically use whatever it takes to survive, even if you stick to your build and don't branch out as far as perks are concerned don't discard an idea or piece of equipment just because it doesn't fit your archetype.

For example if you were to play no/low magic heavy armoured tincan basic flame sparks spell would take some thousands of magicka per second doing laughable damage making it completely unusable for killing things. But it would still be enough to ignite spilled oil or trigger runes.

This is probably the crux of my issue. I have a very specialized build and I've used two-handers pretty much exclusively.

Yes it is. Even if your system allows extreme specialization, if it allows all situations to be solved by application of the skill the character is specialized in, in this case running in and hitting the problem with a sword/axe/hammer, it's a shitty system.
Thankfully Requiem is better, so being highly specialized only means that you will need to solve some situations by applying some combination of skills you're shitty at.

BTW: Does anyone know if there is any better replacer for invisible entities than Requiem+? Soul Torn Entities are awfully mundane.

 

[Grathanich]

1.8.2 is out! This time I shall stab at the heart of darkness with a mighty vengeance descending back to the older versions! (but I believe I shall have to stab at skeevers and goats for a few hours first).

 

[DraQ]

1.8.2 is out! This time I shall stab at the heart of darkness with a mighty vengeance descending back to the older versions! (but I believe I shall have to stab at skeevers and goats for a few hours first).

>You're attacked by 2 skeevers!
>You swing your iron greatsword at skeever, cleaving it in half!
>Skeever dies!
>You are winded!
>Skeever bites you in the left ball!
>You collapse and die out of shock!
>Load last saved game? (y/n)

 

[RK47]

Funny, I don't feel lucky when I won in Requiem. I won cause I'm prepared to kick ass out there. I don't come outside and 'do whatever, be whatever, whenever' ala Vanilla-tards. I came outside cause I'm done preparing to kill shit outdoors with poison flasks, silver bolts and good healing potions I pickpocketed from the guards.

You want to explore with no preparations, there's a game called Dragon Age Inqusition where you can return to camp for free potions and close demon portals with your green hand of Andraste or some shit. I hear it's Game of the Year.

 

[DraQ]

0:39

 

[Clockwork Knight]

Let's take a look at dat changelog...

Oops, it looks like that file doesn't exist!

edit: oh nevermind, I was trying to open the bitbucket link on the Readme tab on the Nexus, which has been abandoned. The correct one is on a sticky at the Comments section. He should update that readme tab, though.

>You're attacked by 2 skeevers!
>You swing your iron greatsword at skeever, cleaving it in half!
>Skeever dies!
>You are winded!
>Skeever bites you in the left ball!
>You collapse and die out of shock!
>Load last saved game? (y/n)

Based on a true story.



(mine )

 

[Somberlain]

I've played with Requiem for a few hours now and mostly it seems very good, but one thing bothers me: the perks trees seem even smaller and more boring than in vanilla Skyrim. Are you only supposed to reach like level 30 with this mod, or am I missing something? The whole lockpicking tree has only four perks (which isn't that big of a deal, since I don't think most people want to spend a huge amount of perks to stuff like lockpicking and pickpocketing), but the overall amount of perks still seems very small.

 

[DraQ]

I've played with Requiem for a few hours now and mostly it seems very good, but one thing bothers me: the perks trees seem even smaller and more boring than in vanilla Skyrim. Are you only supposed to reach like level 30 with this mod, or am I missing something? The whole lockpicking tree has only four perks (which isn't that big of a deal, since I don't think most people want to spend a huge amount of perks to stuff like lockpicking and pickpocketing), but the overall amount of perks still seems very small.

I was under the impression that the perk trees were mostly vanilla-sized with some alterations, like removing bullshit perks and reducing the size of clearly auxiliary trees (like lockpicking) and expanding the others (like heavy armor, speech, alchemy, etc.).

 

[hell bovine]

I've played with Requiem for a few hours now and mostly it seems very good, but one thing bothers me: the perks trees seem even smaller and more boring than in vanilla Skyrim. Are you only supposed to reach like level 30 with this mod, or am I missing something? The whole lockpicking tree has only four perks (which isn't that big of a deal, since I don't think most people want to spend a huge amount of perks to stuff like lockpicking and pickpocketing), but the overall amount of perks still seems very small.

I was under the impression that the perk trees were mostly vanilla-sized with some alterations, like removing bullshit perks and reducing the size of clearly auxiliary trees (like lockpicking) and expanding the others (like heavy armor, speech, alchemy, etc.).

I think the perk number got reduced to remove the redundant (your skill got 10% better) vanilla game perks (never played unmodded Skyrim, so I can't comment on those much). The problem is that because perks have a bigger impact on the effectiveness of a skill than skill level, this results in visible "jumps" in character development, which I personally don't like much. Lockpicking is a major culprit, it's literally " no, can't open it" for a long time, and then once you get better perks, the skill levels up like crazy, because more difficult locks give more experience. Whereas I prefer the opposite, faster leveling at the beginning, so that you are not stuck in the "skeever slayer" phase forever, but slow leveling later on, so that you have to work for power.

 

[ERYFKRAD]

And now I got Volendrung.

SHIT. THIS THING.

 

[DraQ]

I think the perk number got reduced to remove the redundant (your skill got 10% better) vanilla game perks (never played unmodded Skyrim, so I can't comment on those much). The problem is that because perks have a bigger impact on the effectiveness of a skill than skill level, this results in visible "jumps" in character development, which I personally don't like much. Lockpicking is a major culprit, it's literally " no, can't open it" for a long time, and then once you get better perks, the skill levels up like crazy, because more difficult locks give more experience. Whereas I prefer the opposite, faster leveling at the beginning, so that you are not stuck in the "skeever slayer" phase forever, but slow leveling later on, so that you have to work for power.

Well, you can start taking on small groups of bandits pretty much right away if you're careful and have good plan/preparation (meaning "don't get shot", "don't get gangbanged" and "still have stamina to work with after dispatching consecutive bandits").
Depending on build you may also be able to take on stuff like Draugr, Spiders, even low level wizards if you can snipe them before they get their magical shields up and blow your dick off with a fireball.
Then you get perks with each level.

And now I got Volendrung.
SHIT. THIS THING.

:D
Though Volly is best as special purpose weapon - something you use when you really need to smash something hard or keep a horde of powerful enemies from raping your face. Against most enemies a weaker but faster 2h weapon works better, especially if it's something that doesn't discharge as rapidly.

 

[ERYFKRAD]

Though Volly is best as special purpose weapon - something you use when you really need to smash something hard or keep a horde of powerful enemies from raping your face. Against most enemies a weaker but faster 2h weapon works better, especially if it's something that doesn't discharge as rapidly.

Yeah, Wuuthraad. Equally bad/good. Also an elf-killer, which is always welcome.

 

[Grathanich]

For complete perkgasm (a ton of perks that do something other than only increasing/decreasing numbers), you should look into Perkus Maximus, but in order to reach the level of assblasting difficulty and hardcore approach of Requiem, you need to add a lot of mods and tailor the game further (even then it won't feel the same).

 

[DraQ]

The main appeal of Requiem is that it's more or less a cohesive whole and that you can spend time actually playing the game rather than creating and maintaining a maddening collection of individual mods independently messing with individual aspects of mechanics.

I have admittedly a consoletard approach to modding - I want it done and I want it to work. I don't want to follow arcane, insufficiently explained procedures, sieve through thousands of tits inflation mods to find a handful of interesting, mechanics affecting ones that refuse to play nicely with each other, or play mod tetris to have my conflicting mods only overwrite each other in minimally offensive way, all while reading tons of poorly written documentation that may or may not exist.

This kind of mental, and, more often, menial, callisthenics is very time consuming and rarely yields returns justifying the costs.

 

[RK47]

Thanks, Tully.

 

[ERYFKRAD]

Motherfucking Soul Cairn guise.

 

[Echo Mirage]

Does requiem change the way Skyrim handles leveled items like the Nightingale gear?

 

[ERYFKRAD]

Does requiem change the way Skyrim handles leveled items like the Nightingale gear?

I don't think items are levelled any more.

 

[DraQ]

Motherfucking Soul Cairn guise.

Either persevere or get Requiem+.

If you're a summoner, try employing spectral troll as distraction. Should be able to hold internet explorers off for the entire duration, being a massive wall of regenerating HPs.

Does requiem change the way Skyrim handles leveled items like the Nightingale gear?

No item leveling in Requiem.

 

[Sykar]

Thanks, Tully.

4300 gold value? Seriously?

 

[Perkel]

Well buying it could mean a lot of trouble to buyer considering he is general of empire, especially that he is actually in war right now and doesn't seem to mind choping of head of dude who was just strolling in woods along with other travelers.

 

[Perkel]

in other news:

 

[Grathanich]

I wish I could play long enough to see General Tullius' sword without rage quitting.

 

[DraQ]

I wish I could play long enough to see General Tullius' sword without rage quitting.

In soviet Requiem the game quits you.