Guide: The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim - Top Tips And Tricks

Thanks for the tips. I bought the guide in preparation for the game over a month ago and got a little scared tbh....

@Proust I can’t stand comments like this. I had a PS3 and logged 1000s of hours of dark souls. Played oblivion, fall out 3, xenoblade x, mh4, and a few other rpgs. I haven’t played skyrim. I own a PS4 but since I heard about it on switch, I’ve held out longer. Heck, I was 1/2 through doom when I heard about switch version. Sold game and waited. I’m sure there are plenty of games out you haven’t played. I will gladly pay $60 again for a portable dark souls. I bought every AAA switch game that’s come out, port or not. Because I love being able to play the same game at home on my tv or on the go.

@Proust ok ok, but most of us were playing Zelda Skyward Sword when Skyrim came out 6 years ago! And I agree with @Donutman that once I knew this was coming to switch I held out to be able to play this at home and on the go! Bethesda has done a great job with the switch version.

"(...)are getting fed up with repeatedly bashing things in the face with an axe(...)"

I will take "Things that will never, ever happen!" for 50 gold, Ryan.

@RyanCraddock I used to be a guide writer like you... but then I took an arrow to the knee.

Protip: If you purchase a home and then adopt a child to live there with you, they will sometimes bring home a pet fox while you are away and it is hilarious.

I am so in love with this Game! Thanks for the tips, found most of them out myself by just playing the game. Started on Xbox One but quit when I learned it was coming to Switch. Never imagined it would be this good though. The motion and hybrid nature really elevate this game though. Nothing beats spellcasting and aiming with left Joycon motion while doing it, then pulling out now and shooting a deer while aiming with right Joycon motion.

@SanderEvers
Scratch that. This is the best version imo. Without question.

It's 900p docked and 720 handheld, and is practically indistinguishable from 1080p (which is why reviewers keep saying it is, they can't tell the difference). It's the full remastered version only with bugs and glitches from the PS4 release fixed, added motion controls for aiming a bow in right hand, motion for aiming spellcasting in left hand, amiibo support and one of the coolest implementations for motion and HD Rumble ever made with the lockpicking. All DLC included. 3 versions in 1- console, handheld and portable console via tabletop.

Even true PC mod support can't touch that (unless you've already played the game and want to change it up, then I think there's value to the PC version, but even then the idea of playing anywhere might trump it for some).

"Choosing Your Race at the Start of the Game" I think that's choose your species.

"Use Your amiibo!" Yes cheating is included in this game. Nintendo hates cheaters but it's ok if you pay them some money in exchange for a doll that contains a cheat code.

This Skyrim still has those goofy animations and buggy interactions between NPCs, I thought it was fixed during the last 7 years.

@Proust I'm sure that almost everyone here has a backlog that includes games even olden than 6 years. It's OK.

I can't wait.. Actually I can. I was going to get it launch day, but my wife told me to wait as my son is getting it for me for Christmas. She didn't want to spoil his surprise for me, but she also knew how excited he was to get me something that I really want. I haven't played it in years, and even then it was on PS3. I never beat it on PS3.

yeah...this article would be uselful if was released 6 years ago....

Is there a skills respec in this game?

Haven't played this before, mostly just because it always seemed like too big a time commitment... But the portability factor of the Switch makes games like this much more appealing for me. So much else out right now, I think I'll end up waiting for a sale or price cut for Skyrim, though. $80 Canadian is steep...

@Proust I also haven't played Skyrim yet and finally look forward to playing it on a Nintendo console. You'd be surprised how many people haven't played it yet and finally feel a need to.

@Akira_1975 I'm a Skyrim virgin too. Loving the game so far. Ok, it's lacking the same responsiveness and lustre that Nintendo AAA games have, but I am really getting into the fantasy of the world

@Proust I have no clue how a bunch of people took your comment as negative right off the bat.

@Savino Mother-in-law’s birthday is a perfect occassion to zoom out and concentrate on anything that is not related to the birthday. You inspired me to bring my switch next time as I always had pretended I was enjoying the party.

Hey guys, awesome tip here; when working on blacksmithing, build daggers only, they are the cheapest thing to build and weigh next to nothing. When you meet the greybeards, take off all your weapons and sneak up to them when they are praying, when the little eye becomes a line, punch them in the back for that bonus sneak attack and your skill levels up also, don't worry because they won't attack you if you the crosshair become a line to attack.

@Proust
Just tom affirm that I too intuitively understood your opening comment to be a very positive one, more of an "why onn earth did I miss this?" than anything else. Now, had it come from certain other community members, it may have been a different story, so maybe it is all about expectations...

@Firebird360
No, but it's not really necessary either, due to the "improve your skills by using them" approach. By simply switching your play-style you train different skills. You can theoretically train all skills to the top level that way (though it takes some time).

@Proust @frogopus I apologize if I (almost everyone else) misread your comment. ...broken, sarcastic sentence is how I read that. You could have said it any other way compliment a great game coming to switch. I also bought L.A. Noire despite playing it on PS3 years ago. And I’d recommend it to anyone who hasn’t played it yet. It’s a great game.

@Proust Now now, don't be so touchy.

@mikegamer
Why not just allow @Proust to clear up a misunderstanding? It's not HIS fault you know. I thought the opening comment was a very nice compliment to the game the second I read it, and I was surprised how anyone could understand it differently. It's absolutely okay for him to set this straight. I don't think an apology is required by the others, but acknowledgment is of course fine. Otherwise: Peace, bro.

EDIT: What made it absolutely clear to me that it's not criticism of the game, but self-criticism (at most), is that he wrote "...that I could have played it..." and not "that YOU could have played it...". The latter would certainly have been sarcasm. The former is not.

how does the game feel in 3rd person?
and is the combat 3rd person aswel?

i can only see ppl playing first person

@Proust That may be true but I don't own a PS3 or XBOX so I never got to play this game. I'm excited to be able to play this now!

@JunkRabbit Tonal inflections and fluctuations indicative of sarcasm are near-impossible to perceive in text alone. Without hearing voices or audio cues, sarcasm is really hard for people to pick up. Just sayin'. People can criticize the game, but they don't need to be smarmy about it sigh.

@mikegamer
I know what you mean (not to forget that many here aren't native speakers), but I genuinely thought his comment was a charming and witty compliment to the game. But because I do understand how such misunderstandings can happen, I would have set it straight myself, if others and he himself wouldn't already have had. So I think we're all good now...

Why not go into some detail on the race choice? It's a 6 year old game. I still haven't played it but from what I've read Nord is best for beginners as it gives you cold defense.

Was thinking about finally starting this last night on my PS3 - got the game 3 or 4 years ago - but now I'm getting tempted to hold out for the Switch version as it has all of the DLC and my PS3 copy doesn't.

Oh, and nice tip on inventory management. I'm currently playing "Kingdom of Alamur: I Reckon My Inventory is Full" and I've spent WAY too much time dealing w/ inventory, it's borderline broken. And the JUNK system is borderline useless. Zelda BotW was a little constraining, but it felt like it worked like they wanted it to. Find korok seeds, find the big guy, make more space.

I am a little concerned how lame Skyrim may feel like in 2017 after all the other big games I've played, but I also feel like I should play it. Decisions, decisions.

Thanks for the tips. First time playing this game and enjoying it very much.

@rjejr
Currently playing, a few hours into it... man.

Even as a 7th gen game Skyrim just lays waste to most current generation games. The world is unparalleled. I stopped playing before it got it's claws into me on Xbox, and held out for this version. So glad I did. The motion controls for bow aiming and spell casting and lockpicking with HD Rumble, not to mention Zelda style amiibo chests, is incredible.

I'm already sucked in. Feels how it did when I got sucked into Xenoblade and Zelda... This game even trounces Dragon Age Inquisition (and I love my Dragon Age).

Looks good on Switch, too. Like, almost as good as the PS4 remaster, yet with alot of the bugs squashed and a crap load of leverage via additional features, and that's before making mention of the standard 3 in 1 tribrid functionality.

A1...

On the other hand, steer clear of MXGP3 and RIME. Absolutely horrid on Switch. Like 360p, maybe 480p. Like a fuzzy 3DS game, which makes no sense. Shame, I was excited for both these games and they're both good on other platforms. Ah well. Just steer clear.

My own bit of advice: if you want to play a warrior type, don't overlook being a Breton. Orc, Redguard, and Nord are all geared toward the archetype from the start and are fantastic choices in their own rights, but Bretons get 25% resistance against hostile magic as a passive ability, which is a great ability for any role, really. That, along with equipping heavy armor, and you'll be a tank. They might start with lower levels in warrior/thief abilities, but they'll be easy to level up since they won't require much XP to get them up to a respectable level.

@JaxonH Man I feel really bad for any game you bad mouth Mr. Glass half full, you're all about the benefit of the doubt.

Does the Switch version allow you to switch into 3rd person? If/when I ever get around to playing Skyrim my brain can't handle FP. Its one of the main reasons I've never played it, only found out a few years ago 3rd person was an option which is when I bought it on PS3. The motion controls sound nice, well except the lock-picking, but I'd deal.

@frogopus See, now that's what should have been in the article. Thank you very much.

@RyanCraddock "picklocking skills"

I'm pretty sure that it's supposed to be lock-picking, not the other way around...

Otherwise, pretty decent article, although like others already mentioned, you could have delved a little deeper into the various races and their strengths and weaknesses. @frogopus made an excellent summary of them in comment #40.

Very glad to finally play an Elder Scrolls game portably and also on a Nintendo system.

Also good advice NL!

@rjejr I want to throw this out there, Argonians are really REALLY good for beginners, they are immune to poison, and there is a CRAP ton of poison used in the game, they have the most resistances if I recall from my pc play through.

Like many have mentioned above me I was going to buy Skyrim remastered on my Xbox One, but once I found out that Skyrim was going to be made for the Switch I waited.

I wonder if the same amiibo trick from BOTW can be done. Saving before a scan and reloading the save so you can scan again and try for better loot.

So much agreement about fast traveling. Use it for convenience, but you will discover so much by using it only sparingly. There are so, SO many potential encounters out while out in the overworld.

A big tip I will give is that higher weight of weapons corresponds also to slower swing speed. Something else to consider is the range of weapons, like the length of the blade of a sword, are also different across weapons. Bows in particular have to be aimed slightly differently depending on the model.

Overall there is a lot to figure out about the combat system, but it is very rewarding once you do. Odd animations aside.

@rjejr
Of course you can do 3rd person. That's a core staple of the game. Click R3 to toggle 1st person and 3rd person. And all motion is optional, including lockpicking. But you want to use motion for lockpicking- it's insanely awesome and natural and mimics actually picking a lock.

@rjejr
Btw, TRU B1G1 50% Off Includes Switch. Get your Skyrim. Get your DOOM. Get your Xenoblade 2 (if it includes pre-orders, not sure if it does)

B1G1 50% Off

@superguy123
@rjejr You actually have both options: 1st person and 3rd person with the latter being able to zoom in and out with a big range. Plays really well in both and I usually am in 1st person in houses and such so I can see the details of everything really well and then in combat I zoom out so I can see everybody at once.

@RyanCraddock Ah, okay, fair enough. I did think that the previously pointed out summary was short and clear enough for it not to be too overwhelming to have added it, but like you said: as long as people add info like that in the comments section, it'll hopefully still be beneficial to those that might need such information.

And you're welcome...

Smithing is great. Can improve armour and make things to sell.
Focus on combat at first as far as skills and perks go. Difficult to knacker your character development after that.
Don't underestimate how useful crafting and alchemy can be.
Early on, stick to roads and get in with a few of the major factions. Leads to development and companionship.
The world levels with you. If you're getting a kicking, pull a Brave Sir Robin and fight again another day.
Pick every lock. Using skills levels them up. Watch out for traps.

Really enjoyed playing through Skyrim and its expansions several years back and may pick this up.

Also, don't kill the chicken from that first screenshot...

Don't skip out on crafting! It's a great way to level up.

@Nincompoop Nope, it’s choose your race. When have the different fantasy races in any game or story been referred to as species? How is using amiibo to get equipment cheating? It’s not even the best equipment. And you don’t even need the amiibo to access it. And yes, the game is buggy. A 5 second google search would reveal that’s always been the case.

@Donutman Pretty sure you missed the point of his comment, which was that he wishes he had played this game earlier because it’s awesome.

I wish Nintendo took more cues from Skyrim for BotW in terms of overworld design. Skyrim’s world is much more “lived in” with tons of villages, keeps, caves etc to visit and explore. Interesting to note that between Oblivion and Skyrim, Bethesda dropped weapon degradation.

@Mr_Zurkon That's exactly how I feel. BoTW's world looks pretty, but it's quite dull to explore. Skyrim's world isn't quite as colorful, but there is actually interesting stuff in it.

more advice i wish i knew a couple days ago - when assasins start trying to kill you, ignore them, I ended up on some island level 9 where everything kills me one hit. been on this island for about 12 hours. just thought the game was really really hard, turns out I started some dlc without knowing it.

currently waiting for joycons to recharge then im going bck to the mainland, maybe...

@thewoosp yeah that’s the beginning of the last, I think it was the last one anyway, DLC pack Dragonborn. Definitely meant for higher levels.

@Mr_Zurkon ha! that makes more sense, although my sneak and archery skills are doing well now, back to main game and to kick arse!

@Sandvich422 "Argonians"

Do I get to wear a Golden Fleece? (just a little Argonaut humour)

Thanks for the tip. I might do that as I really really hate poison in games. Poison and bats.

@JaxonH "mimics actually picking a lock"

Something you have a lot of experience with, hmm?

I may hit up that TRU sale as we need Mario + Rabbids still.

I'm usually really good at keeping on top of BF week sales, but I canceled my newspaper subscription and I'm going out of town for the Holiday. And I've already bought a bunch of games, 3 PS4 games, 2 Switch and 1 3DS, recently, so my wallet is getting light.

@JaxonH I didn't know that this game supports HD rumble. Does this game use it only for the lock picking? Also, do you have a list of bugs that are present in other versions but fixed in the Switch version?

@Firebird360

yes it's included with the last dlc avaible in this version,

and i want to add one more tips , becuase i played the game in the past and i know it about it : if you don't want to break the game with horrible bugs like unfinished quests, if you are free wandering in dungeons and find items with specific name especially book DO NOT PICK UP THEM, they are part of some side quest and sometime the game will not understand you already have it and will starting to send you to the same chest without make you able to complete it, this will resolve something like 90% of the bugs, the remaingin ones just do manual save every 10-15 minutes, if you have a problerm just do a reload, this will solve the problem, the unfix-able problems are very few and rare

@Sandvich422
So help me understand... Your tip in a nutshell, is to strip naked, then sneak up and punch elderly, praying men in the back of the head? You need a new hobby, my friend.. 😂😂😂😂😂

Haven’t seen this posted yet, but the switch video capture feature works on Skyrim

Which is great for remembering some epic moments!

Can't wait till i play this game, so glad i never pkayed it before and waited for this fated surprise

I'm a Skyrim vet, and don't care. This is my fourth version (360, Steam, Xbox One). My brother asked me...Because he desperately wants me to buy Shadows of War...Why I would bother, with the superior X1 release on hand. I mentioned portability, and his response was "crap, I really DO need a Switch!"

As for this guide- the race thing is so true! Conventional wisdom suggests an Altmer or Breton for a mage. My first Altmer grew bored of mage politics and found himself embroiled in the intrigue of the Thieves Guild. I later made an Argonian who played the Mage's College storyline all the way through, purely because who would picture an Argonian Archmage?

As for the stones? They do more than just stats. However, if you are just unsure how you want to apec, go to Markarth and find the Lovers Stone. 15% increase to ALL skills.

On equipment- Smith your own! And learn enchantment! You don’t have to go crazy down the line, but even basic iron and steel pieces with a minor stamina or magicka regent enchantment will fetch you an exponential increase in sales compared to the base pieces (and each one you prepare for sale raises your skill). The same goes for Alchemy. If you have a ton of foraged goods to offload, find a table and see what you can make. Selling ingredients hardly news you enough money for a bottle of mead, but selling a handful of healing or stamina potions will actually net you some value.

As for mods, it bothers me when people act like they aren't a factor. Because they often don't understand. I have one friend recently go off on the game based on rumors who thought any game that needs mods to be good is a bad one. All mods are, are tools of a wonderful community putting out free DLC. There are content restoration mods, new homes and settlements, even fully voiced companions with their own storylines, etc. Plenty to play with. Some of my fav are the music mods. On Xbox I play with a Witcher 3 blending (mixed with the in game OST), and on PC I use one that mixes in a variety of fantasy themes. Lord of the Rings in particular- it is awesome walking into a settlement with the Rohan theme gently playing. And the Zelda stuff is nothing new to PC players. THAT SAID! People who act like this version isn’t worth the time due to no mods are being ridiculous. This game is packed to the gills with so much content I still find new things. You're hard-pressed to find a game out there PERIOD with as much to do. Aside from other Bethesda titles (Here's hoping for Fallout Switch editions!), I think ive scratched the post-Skyrim itch with Witcher, Breath of the Wild, and Horizon.

This feels like the right amount of info I wanted getting into the game. Not interested in amiibo functionalities and stealing. To me it just feels like cheating.

My general rule for picking up stuff: must be worth at least 10 times its weight. Potions and jewelry are a no brainer, so are arrows (as they weigh nothing). Weapons and armor follow the above weight rule. That way you carry around only what's really worth picking up, and you need to sell only every few missions/dungeons.

@TDS_Computer had a friend suggest it to me, you don't strip naked, just remove weapons

@JunkRabbit that's a solid policy. Also police that inventory! I used to call it the death of a thousand cuts. Selling off all this armor and still hovering around my cap because I was holding a ton of options, venom, books, etc.

@Proust “that i could have played this game 6 years ago...” sounds negative to me dude. But my mistake since you didn’t mean it that way. Sorry.