Despite being released by Bethesda 11 years ago, there are still many things some players don’t know about everyone to make mistakes in Skyrim, both beginner and experienced players alike.
It can take hundreds of hours to complete all the quests in The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim. This means it can take a while to fully optimize the Dragonborn's skills, armor, and weapons. It is not unusual to play Skyrim with added mods that alter aspects of the game to make it easier and faster to play. However, some mods for Skyrim (such as those to alter lockpicking or allow for infinite carry weight) are unnecessary if the player avoids making these mistakes.
Although it is still possible to play Skyrim by making the following mistakes, learning how to make the most of the game's experience will save time and make it more fun. Furthermore, discovering how to play Skyrim without even the best gameplay mods is arguably more rewarding. There are many subtle mistakes players make like opting to drop items because they are over their carry weight or not reading in-game books. Luckily, these errors can be easily fixed.
Choosing The Wrong Skyrim Follower Can Be Lethal
It may be tempting to go with any follower that offers their services. Followers in Skyrim will travel, fight, carry out tasks, and take items for the Dragonborn, making them great companions. Each follower also possesses a different set of skills and combat styles. While players may appreciate the company, they might not know that each follower has a different character level cap and morale.
When a follower s the Dragonborn they will match the Character Level of the player at the time. However, most followers can only level up with the player to a certain point. Usually, this is between levels 25 and 50. Sven and Roggi Knot-Beard, though, are the worst followers in Skyrim because their character level cap is only 20. This means that once the Dragonborn reaches level 20 and beyond, Sven and Roggi will not get any better. Both of them are part of the civilian job class which means their health stats are low, and are not particularly skilled in combat. Both these companions tend to flee conflicts if seriously injured, making them weak fight partners.
Not Reading Books In Skyrim's Open World Is A Huge Mistake
Skyrim has many books scattered across its world that can be found almost everywhere, from caverns to homes and temples. Upon a first playthrough, it is common to stop reading the books due to their vast number, however, opening books in Skyrim has many benefits. Books can increase the Dragonborn’s skills (with Skyrim's Black Books being especially powerful), update the map, or highlight new quests. To do this, players only need to open and close a book rather than read all its pages.
Although it may be hard to distinguish skill books from ordinary books, they often have a higher value (50-70 gold) than ordinary books (2-15 gold) and sometimes have a symbol on the cover. It is also possible for the Dragonborn to gain more than 1 skill point per skill book if they have the Scholar’s Insight ability from the Dragonborn DLC. Books are often overlooked in Skyrim, but opening them up can increase the Dragonborn’s skills without the need for XP or paying a trainer.
Dropping Items In Skyrim Due To Being Over-Encumbered Can Be Avoided
Struggling with Carry Weight is a common problem for players of Skyrim. With so many items to pick up or steal and sell in Skyrim, it becomes hard to leave stuff behind. While it may be easier to install an infinite Carry Weight mod, there are ways to get around Skyrim’s encumbrance mechanics in the base game itself.
When the Dragonborn is over-encumbered, they are unable to fast travel by foot anywhere and cannot run. Usually, the solution to this is to drop heavy items. However, if a player mounts a horse, they can fast travel anywhere in Skyrim. This way, players can reach a merchant to sell their stuff, even if they are over-encumbered.
Another alternative to dropping valuable loot is asking a follower to carry it. A companion can carry any number and weight of items, making them incredibly useful when over-encumbered. Typically, players will have a follower with them making this a handy solution to a common scenario.
Lockpicking In Skyrim Is Unnecessary
Another mechanic that can become tedious, due to its real life inaccuracies, is Skyrim's lockpicking. An infinite lock pick mod is commonly resorted to during a playthrough. However, the Dragonborn can gain access to locked chests and escape out of a prison cell without any lockpicking.
Like being able to carry items, companions can also unlock chests for the Dragonborn when commanded to do so. What makes them even more useful is that companions possess infinite lockpicks and can unlock a chest of any difficulty. Next time players find a lock difficult or have run out of lockpicks they should resort to using a follower.
When the Dragonborn is arrested and taken to a prison cell, they are not jailed with their companion, making it tedious to break out of the cell. Typically, players are only given one lockpick to escape one of the nonsensical prisons in Skyrim, but if this breaks there is an alternative method of escaping. The Dragonborn can shout at the wall causing a guard to come and investigate. When they have finished investigating they will leave the cell door open and a player can freely escape. Please note that this method will not work in all prisons. Only in Morthal, Dawnstar, and Falkreath.
Don't Buy Weapons And Armor From A Skyrim Merchant
Players should not buy weapons and armor from merchants in the long run. A bought weapon or piece of armor will have the same stats as a crafted one (set to the Dragonborn’s skill level). However, smithing allows players to upgrade the stats of an item well beyond its original state. To get the best weapons and gears, Skyrim players should level the Smithing and Enchanting skills. They also should invest in Smithing and Enchanting perk trees.
Not Sleeping In Skyrim Makes Leveling Up Slower
With such a large open world and so many quests to complete, it is easy to forget that the Dragonborn also needs sleep. A usually neglected aspect in Skyrim, sleeping in a bed with the owner’s permission gives the Dragonborn the Rested ability. If the player sleeps in an inn or their bed, they will obtain the Well Rested ability. And if they sleep next to their spouse, they will get a Lover’s Comfort sleep-related ability. These abilities give the Dragonborn 5%, 10%, or 15% more XP for eight in-game hours, making it beneficial for leveling up.
While these actions have been described as mistakes, it is possible to play Skyrim with these mistakes and still enjoy it. This goes to show how Bethesda's attention to design allows for many play styles and unique character builds in Skyrim. That being said, to enhance their experience of Skyrim, players should avoid making these mistakes to save time.
