The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim

Subject: The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim Fri Dec 02, 2011 2:41 pm

Skyrim is not a direct sequel to Oblivion; rather, it is a new chapter in the Elder Scrolls series, set two hundred years after the events of Oblivion. In the premise to Skyrim, the Empire began ceding territory to the Elven nations it once ruled, because there was no heir to the Emperor's throne. The Blades had no-one to defend, and gradually died, were murdered, or secluded themselves from the rest of the world. After the king of Skyrim was assassinated, a civil war broke out amongst the native Nord race-the majority being those who wished for Skyrim to secede from the Empire, and the rest being those who wished for Skyrim to stay in the Empire.
As with previous Elder Scrolls games, Skyrim begins with the main protagonist an unknown prisoner. The player eventually learns that Skyrim's civil war is last in a sequence of prophetic events foretold by the Elder Scrolls of the return of the Nordic Alduin, god of destruction. Taking the form of a gigantic dragon, Alduin is prophesied to consume the world. The player assumes the role of the last Dovahkiin (Dragonborn), a dragon hunter anointed by the gods to help fend off the threat Alduin poses to Skyrim and Tamriel. Aiding the player is Esbern, one of the last of the Blades. The main quest of the game currently takes an estimated twenty hours to complete, in addition to the side-quests and guilds also available across Skyrim.

Skyrim retains the traditional open world gameplay found in the Elder Scrolls series. The player is free to roam the land of Skyrim at will. Within Skyrim lie five cities, and expanses of wilderness and mountainous ranges. When visiting cities, the player can complete activities such as cooking, farming, mining and smithing. The player levels up by raising skills, and doing so allows for better items to be bought or looted from dungeons; it also increases the strength and variety of wilderness monsters. Eighteen skills are present in Skyrim, and the class system from Oblivion has been removed. Perks are skill-specific abilities, organized in a system of branching groups called "skill trees". Each rise in level allows for another perk to be picked. There are 280 perks, which are selected over the course of fifty levels; however, the player's level can be raised past fifty indefinitely. The on-screen heads-up display only appears when the player's health, stamina, or magicka is being depleted. Items can be saved to a "favourites" menu, and the pause-screen inventory menu is presented in a simplified compass-style overlay. While in the inventory, the player can view, rotate and zoom in on every in-game item in full 3D.
Weapons are assigned to each hand individually, allowing for dual-wielding of weapons.A menu has been introduced that will allow the player to swap between different weapon and armor loadouts quickly.At the cost of stamina, the player can sprint and jump. Shields can be used with a bashing attack, and timing is required for blocking with a shield. Blunt, bladed, hacking and stabbing weapons each have specific advantages and roles. Spells can be used in ranged and close combat forms. Spell types have specific qualities - a cold spell slows and drains stamina, whilst a fire spell causes prolonged damage through burning, and may also ignite the environment. Spells can be cast two handed, but combining different spells two-handed is not currently available in the game, though it may be implemented. When practicing archery, arrows take longer to draw back than in previous Elder Scrolls games, but do greater damage. Because of this, arrows are expensive and considered rarities. A player equipped with a bow can use it defensively in close combat, in a charging counterattack; two handed weapons can also be used, as can shields, which are the most effective. Sneaking returns, and when NPCs detect the player's movements, they will become alerted and actively seek the player. Daggers are specifically effective when used in a sneak attack, inflicting devastating damage

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