Skyrim is worse than Oblivion in every way

[Gord]

Actually I found the Soul Cairn to be done quite well.

 

[DraQ]

Regarding the books, I don't see how else they could do it...the lore just says they contain amazing shit that shows we don't even know what we don't know. So either they write that amazing shit (NOPE), fill the shelves with all the books in the game (NOPE) or they prevent you from reading the books somehow (and being incredibly old tomes, you can describe them as ruined tomes you can't read in passing - according to that story about the plane-hopping mage, even a dedicated scholar had to spend a while there).

Make clicking on any book result in game over.

Isn't Apocrypha haunted by ghosts forever searching knowledge?

As for Soul Cairn, it was a location in Battlespire, no?

 

[Manjuice Nutella]

Isn't Apocrypha haunted by ghosts forever searching knowledge?

They are called Seekers in game.

 

[Manjuice Nutella]

it makes you blind if you stand around too long - try replicating that in game

 

[roll-a-die]

Forgot how bad Oblivion level bloom was thank you for reminding me.

 

[Wyrmlord]

Okay, unlike the pussy Arch-Prelate Vyrthur, this Miraak guy from Dragonborn DLC is a bit more promising.

Basic stats

Level 50
Health 1490
Magic 545
Stamina 0

He has 0 Stamina, so he is a pure magic enemy who will probably never fight you in meelee. That is good. So he's forced to use his best spell selection, rather than just swing uselessly his sword at someone who probably already has 85% damage resistance.

What about his special abilities? If he is going to be a pure caster, he better have something worthwhile, right? As far I can see:

Absorb 25% of the magicka from and spells. (15% from Robes special ability and 5% from Gloves special ability and 5% from Boots special ability)​

Ability to absorb stamina​

Ability to spray tentacles on ground that poison everyone in area of effect​

100% Immunity to Poison​

So not only is he a magic based character, but he also has Spell Absorption. That's doubly nasty. Plus, it's nice to have a poison-based enemy and put some real use to poison resistance in this game. And he'll probably be able to weaken a fighter style character by attacking his stamina. So far, so good.

Now what spells does he have?

Lightning Bolt

...
..
.
Seriously, that's it? Lightning bolt? How will that help against someone with 80% Magic Resistance or 85% Shock Resistance? The worst that will do is 38 points of damage to health and 19 points of damage to magicka. If Miraak faces a level 50 fighter - an enemy of equal ability - then he'd have to fight someone with 250 to 500 points of base health. 38 points per lightning bolt might dent him, but not seriously hinder him. But I suppose that if he can stagger the player, then he can repeatedly keep casting lightning bolts, while the player staggers hopelessly. That's one. Plus, lightning bolts can't be dodged and always hit the enemy.

What dragon shouts does he have?

Fire Breath
Bend Will
Dragon Aspect
Whirlwind Sprint

These look more promising. Dragon Aspect gives Miraak a dragon's natural armor and resistances, while Bend Will allows him to control any dragon and assist him in a fight. Whirlwind Sprint might make him very fast.

So all in all, Miraak will use a mixture of fire damage, electric damage, and poison damage, while being very fast, having spell absorption, and having a dragon's armor and resistances. And dragons will help him out.

Most boss fights in TES since Morrowind have been 2/4 in difficulty. This one might at least be a 3/4 or in a really optimistic case 4/4. At the very least, he seems like more of a challenge than Vivec, Almalexia, or Dagoth Ur. If Miraak is level scaled, and if I can get him while he is level 40, then he might make a really good thrall for a conjurer.

 

[DraQ]

Vivec, Almalexia, or Dagoth Ur.

Gedna Relvel?

 

[Manjuice Nutella]

Okay, unlike the pussy Arch-Prelate Vyrthur, this Miraak guy from Dragonborn DLC is a bit more promising.

Basic stats

Level 50
Health 1490
Magic 545
Stamina 0

He has 0 Stamina, so he is a pure magic enemy who will probably never fight you in meelee. That is good. So he's forced to use his best spell selection, rather than just swing uselessly his sword at someone who probably already has 85% damage resistance.

Multiply his health x4. Once you get him on low health, he becomes ethereal, whirlwind sprints to the center, summons a dragon to one of the four corners, absorbs his soul and fights you again on 100% HP.

And then when

Spoiler

he tries to do it for the fourth time, Hermaeus Mora impales him

He also bugs out into immortality if your damage output is too big

If Miraak is level scaled, and if I can get him while he is level 40, then he might make a really good thrall for a conjurer.

When you absorb a dragon's soul, all that's left is a skeleton.

 

[Manjuice Nutella]

Vivec, Almalexia, or Dagoth Ur.

Gedna Relvel?

Gaenor

P.S. If you're level 81 (hard cap in vanilla), an "Ebony Warrior" approaches you and says he has done everything possible and you are the only thing that can pose a challenge . He's supposedly the hardest enemy in-game.

 

[Wyrmlord]

Multiply his health x4. Once you get him on low health, he becomes ethereal, whirlwind sprints to the center, summons a dragon to one of the four corners, absorbs his soul and fights you again on 100% HP.
You have convinced me not to play Dragonborn. This is terrible design.

 

[Bahamut]

You have convinced me not to play Dragonborn. This is terrible design.

 

[wormix]

You have convinced me not to play Dragonborn. This is terrible design.

You needed convincing?

 

[G.O.D]

You have convinced me not to play Dragonborn. This is terrible design.

Pic

Fix'd

It's too easy and tempting.

 

[DraQ]

You have convinced me not to play Dragonborn. This is terrible design.

Pic

Fix'd

It's too easy and tempting.

That reminded of the time M'Aiq shared his insight about mysticism in Skyrim.

FusRoDah'd him off the cliff.
Felt good.

 

[G.O.D]

You have convinced me not to play Dragonborn. This is terrible design.

Pic

Fix'd

It's too easy and tempting.

That reminded of the time M'Aiq shared his insight about mysticism in Skyrim.

FusRoDah'd him off the cliff.
Felt good.

Then you probably also liked:

"It does not matter to M'aiq how strong or smart one is. It only matters what one can do."

Another 'classic' Bethesda prank.

 

[abnaxus]

Multiply his health x4. Once you get him on low health, he becomes ethereal, whirlwind sprints to the center, summons a dragon to one of the four corners, absorbs his soul and fights you again on 100% HP.
You have convinced me not to play Dragonborn. This is terrible design.

Yet the fight with Dagoth Ur was kind of the same.

 

[DraQ]

Well, I actually find M'Aiq much more tolerable in Skyrim than in OB. He seems a bit less obnoxious, and you have unreleting force to fling him off a cliff when he says something that pisses you off.

Multiply his health x4. Once you get him on low health, he becomes ethereal, whirlwind sprints to the center, summons a dragon to one of the four corners, absorbs his soul and fights you again on 100% HP.
You have convinced me not to play Dragonborn. This is terrible design.

Yet the fight with Dagoth Ur was kind of the same.

You miss the part where Dagoth Ur got stuck on some bit of scenery and fell into lava - that's quite a difference.

 

[Turjan]

You miss the part where Dagoth Ur got stuck on some bit of scenery and fell into lava - that's quite a difference.

Yup. As much as I love Morrowind, that wasn't exactly the high point of the game. I wonder if there was anyone where this did not happen. And if so, I wonder how this got released.

 

[DraQ]

You miss the part where Dagoth Ur got stuck on some bit of scenery and fell into lava - that's quite a difference.

Yup. As much as I love Morrowind, that wasn't exactly the high point of the game. I wonder if there was anyone where this did not happen. And if so, I wonder how this got released.

A damn shame, actually, DU was great villain. With proper AI and good arsenal of spells and abilities, maybe also some environmental stuff, this could've been one hell of a battle.

Anyway, started playing with Requiem. Looks like it's going to be quite a bit of fun. The mod goes as far as to disable the death cam, to reduce learning by dying, and I feel dying is going to be rather commonplace with this mod.

 

[Manjuice Nutella]

How does it compare to SkyRe so far? I don't want to switch, as playing a spellsword with Apocalypse Spell Package is great fun (jumping, rapid movement, water walking, levitating, teleporting really makes you feel like a god while creatively bombarding enemies with spells and shouts) but I'll have to restart anyway for 0.99.22, but if it's particularly astonishing, I might reconsider.

 

[GreyViper]

Gosh so many tentacle, I am sure its only matter of time before japan moders will come up with a tentacle mod.

 

[ohWOW]

I'm more concerned about his multilayered toothed vagina.

 

[DraQ]

How does it compare to SkyRe so far? I don't want to switch, as playing a spellsword with Apocalypse Spell Package is great fun (jumping, rapid movement, water walking, levitating, teleporting really makes you feel like a god while creatively bombarding enemies with spells and shouts) but I'll have to restart anyway for 0.99.22, but if it's particularly astonishing, I might reconsider.

Mind you that "so far" is still a very short period of time as of now.

I switched because SkyRe was becoming increasingly contrived and concentrated on championing author's personal vision too much instead of working with what's already in the original.

Requiem has a bit of problems, it's poorly documented, sticks with "multiple spells with same effect but different power levels model" SkyRe abandoned, the author is downright horrible at renaming spells, mod obscures a lot of mechanical details without providing valid alternative indicators and there aren;t nearly as many perks in Requiem as in SkyRe.

OTOH the general gameplay model seems more sound at its core - damage is generally very high, so there doesn't seem to be much HP sponging, skills are required - for example low skill and no lockpicking skill = no go at opening locks, because it doesn't let you attempt, carry weight limit is strict, armor and weapons seem to have great effect, there is more logic in the system - for example light armour also affects all but protection when it comes to being unarmoured, heavy armours are generally just plain superior to light armours, but limiting and so on.

There are also some cool new spells, including high-end ones that seem very overpowered (like being able to TK grab and fling just about any enemy), but given how you get 1-2 shotted most of the time and how magicka hungry and perk demanding they are it may well be balanced out, and being able to just disintegrate someone, force them to an hero themsleves, fling them mile away or just nuke them with Tzar Bomba grade fireball is going to be rewarding for a dedicated caster.

Also there are teleport spells already bundled in - Mark&Recall (Daggerfall style) and LoS teleportation, while you can get levitation via separate mod.

 

[KidBoogie]

damn I wanted to play dragonborn for all the morrowind nostalgia but no tribunal and the strongest house is fucking redoran?

whatisthisshit

tentacle monster dude's pretty cool tho

 

[DraQ]

Ok, Requiem is fucking Cold Harbour of mods.

I tried to Tackle Bleak Falls Barrow yesterday and failed.
Bandits weren't that hard (by Requiem standards this means they merely instantly executed you if given a slightest chance), Huge spider wasn't that much of a deal either (thanks to the power of Requiem archery), neither was the bonus wave of its tiny offspring (due to being tiny and there being chokepoints to prevent swarming), but Draugr? Oh gods fucking Draugr.

Requiem overhauls Draugr quite a bit. First, it makes them pretty much immune to arrows (due to them not realy having much in the way of organs and blood vessels to pierce).
Second, it makes them almost immune to stagger, for analogous reasons, which means they will fuck you in melee even more than bandits.
Third, quite a few of them have bows meaning that if you play a lightly armoured fellow without much spells (yet, but spells are expensive and rare with Requiem) you have an enemy you can't damage at distance, but who can murder you in one shot if you even think about closing on them.
Fourth some are shouters.

I have dealt with Draugr, using equal parts of desperation, creative tactics and cheese, found the door with lulzy claw "puzzle", opened it and...

Giant underground cavern was full of fucking draugr, with multiple strategically placed archers, swarm of melee ones, some shouters and I think I even saw a caster or two.

I fireballed the first group with one scroll I had (remember that you *need* perks to successfully pick locks in requiem), dispatched as many I could draw out, looked at the rest (at least 4x the amount I killed so far), took a dose of FUKITOL(TM), and decided to come back when I have some followers, spells and much higher level, because dude what the fuck.

And then I've got attacked by three heavily armoured thugs in Riverwood, because I looted Anise's shack after she got killed by two bandits (random emergent gameplay), and Moira (yep., her hagraven'd sister) took offence.

Thankfully they got split up, so I managed to off them one by one and sell their stuff. Bonus points for guards don't giving a single fuck (they do if you get attacked by bandits or whatever, but not when someone sends thugs after you). One of them looked on the dead body I dragged (didn't want to carry all the damn steel on my back so decided to drag the body and loot it afterwards) and commented "what a damn shame".


I also managed to freak a kid out.

Overall I rate Requiem and a out of so far.
It puts back in "fun".



One warning, though - it really is not even remotely fucking fair. Remember those random freak deaths in Fallout when you got critted for >9000 points while in PA?
Here you have something similar, except it isn't random.
It's the norm every time you give enemy a chance.

The mod is configurable, though, by having a number of overriding ESPs.

damn I wanted to play dragonborn for all the morrowind nostalgia but no tribunal and the strongest house is fucking redoran?

Well, I'd assume Redoran is either regionally most powerful, or simply received the least rape from Argonians - Ashlands are most different from Black Marsh in terms of climate and terrain, and Redorans were the least engaged in slavery of all houses.

As for the Tribunal, two members are dead, one is gone, possibly dead, the whole Nerevarine shtick probably shaken the foundations of the temple a bit, and I'd imagine the city of Vivec getting bonked by Lie Rock, nuking the good part of the province, followed by Argonians steamrolling over everything left standing created quite a bit butthurt among the survivors.

Remainders of the temple reverting to daedra Worship that was never wholly abandoned in the golden days of the Tribunal (Anticipations) seems like a logical outcome.