My Skyrim Review 8.7 out of 10

[Splash_King]

What's wrong with Online?

Still, I cannot see why anyone would want to focus solely on wizardry, when you can do both, with magic spell on left hand and an axe on right hand.

The broken ol' Impact perk. Destruction magic dual-casted with both hands, except the lowest level ones like Sparks or Frostbite, will cause all enemies to flinch on impact as though they were hit with a weapon's power attack. With a large Magicka reserve it's possible to literally flinch the highest level bosses and even Dragons to death without them fightin' back lol.

... And aside from breakin' the game, some people just love spell slingin' that much, just as certain people will defend sword 'n board to the death, or exclusively sneak around with daggers and poison only. Me, I couldn't possibly live without my bow, regardless of whether I'm shootin' lightning bolts at range or choppin' heads off up close. In other words, strong personal preferences. I actually don't like dual-wielding a spell and weapon, truth be told. It's what I started off doin'; Flames or Healing in one hand, a sword in the other; but I really didn't care for it and switched to other roles rather quickly.

On my own save file as a dedicated wizard, the only time I whip out any steel for the slashin' is when my Magicka reserves were drained and I had no potions on hand t' restore it... although that was early on, since said wizard now has infinite magicka for Destruction. No need to ever take a breather from spellcasting and fight via blade lol.

 

[WiiAssasin]

What's wrong with Online?

Have you played any mmo's these last several years? All the same dull WoW clones with minor differences. They refuse to change. Most of us hope that the exploration, complexity, and immersion of the Elder Scrolls will give it the boost it needs to stand apart and revitalize the genre. As you probably realize, it's a ludicrous claim. If Skyrim was as streamline lined and barebones as it is, then it won't survive bearing the burden being anything special. Moreso since it has to accommodate the brainless majority that Skyrim attracted. It's utter garbage. Fails as an Elder Scrolls game. As a generic mmo, it's nothing more than a generic mmo.

Oh, and it's being made for consoles. That's always been a great help. Pfft.

 

[Splash_King]

never played a mmo loooooooooooooool

But I do know that MMOs these days tend t' be rinse and repeat clickfests, known for not at all bringin' anythin' new to the table. And yet everyone still plays 'em, so I don't see how this is a problem for TeS: Online's chances at success.

Oh, and it's being made for consoles. That's always been a great help. Pfft.

Well, that's a valid point.

 

[WiiAssasin]

never played a mmo loooooooooooooool

But I do know that MMOs these days tend t' be rinse and repeat clickfests, known for not at all bringin' anythin' new to the table. And yet everyone still plays 'em, so I don't see how this is a problem for TeS: Online's chances at success.

Who said anything about success? The success of the game is as inevitable as FFXIII's, in spite of being crap. Sports games and CoD are also successful.

This inevitable "success" is one of the biggest factors on what is wrong with ES Online.

 

[Mush]

What's wrong with Online?





The broken ol' Impact perk. Destruction magic dual-casted with both hands, except the lowest level ones like Sparks or Frostbite, will cause all enemies to flinch on impact as though they were hit with a weapon's power attack. With a large Magicka reserve it's possible to literally flinch the highest level bosses and even Dragons to death without them fightin' back lol.

... And aside from breakin' the game, some people just love spell slingin' that much, just as certain people will defend sword 'n board to the death, or exclusively sneak around with daggers and poison only. Me, I couldn't possibly live without my bow, regardless of whether I'm shootin' lightning bolts at range or choppin' heads off up close. In other words, strong personal preferences. I actually don't like dual-wielding a spell and weapon, truth be told. It's what I started off doin'; Flames or Healing in one hand, a sword in the other; but I really didn't care for it and switched to other roles rather quickly.

On my own save file as a dedicated wizard, the only time I whip out any steel for the slashin' is when my Magicka reserves were drained and I had no potions on hand t' restore it... although that was early on, since said wizard now has infinite magicka for Destruction. No need to ever take a breather from spellcasting and fight via blade lol.

I got your drift. I know a bloke who loves playing this sort of games as a rogue, backstabbig enemies and sneaking through caverns and stuff.
-Personally I could not do that, because I do not have the patience to sneak through a dungeon, when I can run with a great big sword, shouting a battlecry as I do so! And just think how many dungeons Skyrim contains. As a rogue, clearing them would take years!!!
BTW, thanks for the magic tip. I had no idea two hand casting was so much better.

 

[Splash_King]

I'm the same way, I love t' just run in swingin' and playin' offensively like nothin' else. Can't stand slow or defensive play at all when given a choice... but at the same time, I really, really enjoy sleuthing about a battlefield. I blame Assassin's Creed for that. :lol:

I'll never understand why someone who games so aggressively and fast-paced such as myself loves stealth, just can't explain it. There's simply somethin' satisfyin' 'bout a successful, undetected stealth kill.

BTW, thanks for the magic tip. I had no idea two hand casting was so much better.

They gotta give some incentive to not just use sword 'n spell, yeah? There's always perks (hah, see what I did there?!)... well, 'cept for usin' sword and shield over two one-handed weapons. The latter is nearly as broken as Destruction magic lol. Only reason t' use sword and board over dual wielded one-handed is if you like shields.

 

[Mush]

I found shields useless. I mean with spell in one hand you can attack from distance also. But with shield and sword, you are a sitting duck for archers and the like.
I know there's perks for shields, but none of them really seemed that great...

 

[Splash_King]

Not at all. A perk you get early on; Deflect Arrows; does just that. Throw your shield up right before an arrow hits and, 'less they shoot ya in the knee, you'll deflect it for absolutely no damage. Elemental Protection literally halves all elemental damage, particularly useful when unable to dodge Destruction spells in time, especially Lightning spells since they're much harder t' dodge. When paired with Block Runner (no speed penalties with shield raised), these two perks let you charge an opponent with your shield up, negating arrow damage and completely halving spell damage. When combined with Magic Resistance on armor and the shield itself, you can literally 100% nullify magic damage to you when your shield is raised. Shields are actually the very best anti-mage tool. Even before you can get Block Runner, Elemental Protection lets you tank their spells until they're low on Magicka, thus allowin' you to go on the offensive with minimal risk.

Shield bashing is also the most reliable way to flinch a foe and get in two or three free hits, safest method too. Spamming dual wield power attacks is still way better than sword 'n board once you've got the dual wield perks, but it's not like the shield is useless. Not at all. Just completely inferior lol. For a character with less stamina, "perfect shielding" attacks is also the most ideal way to stagger enemies. I don't know the proper name for the technique, but you'll essentially do a mini-shield bash for much less stamina if you do a normal block right before a foe's weapon hits ya.

Oh, and I guess usin' a shield is actually much more effective than dual wielding when you're at a low level. Since you'll not be overleveled at all and your maximum health is still low, defending and countering is much more useful than just spammin' attacks. Especially when playin' on Expert or Master difficulty.

 

[Mush]

I did use shield and sword on Oblivion. Indeed, I went through oblivion without flinging a single spell!

BTW, I thought ability to throw spells with heavy armour was very unique to elder scrolls. Then I remembered playing cleric in Baldurs Gate. Now there was a character that could dish it out in combat and cast kick butt spells!