Skyrim Tip #62 Leveling Illusion

   If you want to level up your Illusion skill quickly, it’s pretty effective to just cast muffle or illusion repeatedly while you’re walking around.

Skyrim Tip #61 Leveling Smithing

If you’re leveling up your Smithing skill by crafting Iron Daggers, then you’re wasting your materials. Smithing levels by the value of the item created, so it’s far more effective to craft the most valuable items (with the least amount of materials). This means crafting armor, bows, and jewelry.

People of Skyrim: Astrid

Astrid

Class: Assassin

Race: Nord

Morality: Will become hostile upon being attacked a number of times, Will become hostile if another assassin is attacked

Skills: None

Location: The Dark Brotherhood Sanctuary (Falkreath)

Quests Given: Dark Brotherhood Quest: With Friends Like These…, Sanctuary, Mourning Never Comes, Whispers in the Dark, The Silence Has Been Broken, Bound Until Death, Breaching Security, The Cure For Madness, Recipe for Disaster, To Kill An Empire, Death Incarnate

Quests: Dark Brotherhood Quest: Destroy the Dark Brotherhood!

Info: Astrid leads the Falkreath branch of the Dark Brotherhood. She believes in a new breed of assassin and has rejected the Five Tenets. Her only rule is loyalty, above all. She is married to Arnbjorn, a werewolf and carries the Blade of Woe (which has a health drain enchant). Astrid asks the Dragonborn to kill Cicero (and later, herself). She is voiced by Cindy Robinson (Amy Rose from Sonic the Hedgehog), can be reanimated used Dead Thrall, and is marked an essential character except during specific quests. 

People of Skyrim: Tolfdir

Tolfdir

Class: Spell Vendor, Skill Trainer

Race: Elder

Morality: Will report seen crimes.

Skills: None

Location: The Hall of the Elements (The College of Winterhold), The Hall of Attainment (The College of Winterhold)

Quests Given: See below.

Quests: College of Winterhold Quests: The Eye of Magnus, Under Saarthal, First Lessons, The Staff of Magnus, Aftershock, Finding Tolfdir’s Alembic, Alteration Ritual Spell

Info: Tolfdir is a master of Alteration-level magic and will offer skill training. Upon near-completion of the College of Winterhold quest line, Tolfdir becomes Master Wizard.

Skyrim Tip #60 White Kids

In Skyrim, there are no redguard children. Redguard couples (somehow) have Nord children.

Character Archetype: The Berserker

Race: Orc

Gender: Male

Statistic Focus: Health 50% Stamina 50%

Primary Skills (you’ll want to level these ASAP): Two-Handed, Heavy Armor

Secondary Skills: Smithing, Block

Stone Ability: Lord Stone

Essential Perks: Barbarian (Two-Handed), Champion’s Stance (Two-Handed), Juggernaut (Heavy Armor), Well-Fitted (Heavy Armor), Tower of Strength (Heavy Armor), Power Bash (Block)

Weapons: The strongest Two-Handed weapon you can find.

Armor: Heavy Armor, for the most defense.

Follower: Find a follower who can keep up with you and jump right into the battle with you. Stenvar is aggressive, but Belrand offers more versatility. If you’re in the wilderness (as opposed to a cramped dungeon), don’t hesitate to take a war hound along to distract enemies.

Advice:

·       As an Orc, you have solid skill bonuses and the racial ability: Berserk (which lets you take half damage and output double damage for a minute).

·       A berserker will charge right into combat. Their attacks will be slow, but will deal high damage and have a higher chance of staggering foes.

·       Power Attacks are critical to using Two-Handed weapons effectively, so boost your Stamina and perks that improve power attacks, like Champion’s Stance.

·       You are in most danger when you are surrounded. Keep followers or war hounds around to divide the attention of your enemies and keep their numbers manageable.

·       When you do get surrounded, use Berserk to fight your way free of the fray.

·       Heavy Armor is necessary for a berserker because it replaces the protective spells, shields, or stealth skills that other archetypes have. The right Heavy Armor perks can shrug off direct hits from the most powerful of foes.

·       The Lord Stone improves your defense even further, which lets you focus on beating the living daylights out of enemies instead of on your health.

·       Though you won’t have much use of shields, you still have the ability to parry with your weapon. This lets you take advantage of Block perks like Power Bash or Disarming Bash.

·       Combat relies directly on your weapons and your armor. Leveling up your Smithing skill will allow you to make/improve your gear high above that of your enemies early on in the game.

Skyrim Tip #59 Dungeons and Traps

Delving dungeons? Keep your eyes to the ground for pressure plates and tripwires. Don’t think you can just run around if you’ve got the Sneak perk that makes you invincible to them: your follower will most certainly step on them and hurt you both. Also keep an eye out for long hallways with sudden, wide openings or rooms that are long to the left or right, but thin. The kind of room that you walk past and a battering ram hits you.