Unboxing the collector's Edition

Given my intense dedication to Skyrim, one might be surprised to hear that I did not get the collector's edition and I'm sure that, whether it be due to a lack of money or the thought that it wasn't worth it, some of you haven't gotten it either.

For those of you who, who are sad and tired of not receiving it, I can say that you might be interested in the unboxing video, uploaded to youtube by Skyrim Coverage reader Susanne. May you enjoy it.

McBraas: Carpe Dovah - Seizing the dragon

Dragon Battles can be very perilous at first, and the roar of a nearby dragon can be devastating for your confidence - Especially since they have a habit of killing (me!)

After a while of levelling, without progressing through the main quest (so much to do <3) I eventually came to kill dragons quite easily - Regular and blood. My confidence rose, with each dragon slain and I came to enjoy the thought of actually hunting one down, instead of being chased and get lucky.

As I passed by a mill, near Riften, I was suddenly attacked by 2 Blood Dragons and... Died. Who the hell said that they could team up?! FML!
Anyway, I tried again, first making short work of one, and then heroically hiding under the safe roof of the mill. Eventually I manned up and kicked its rump, shouting "You just got buttered, bitch!" for no apparent reason. Seriously.
After that event, my confidence severely fell - Guess I wasn't so badass after all, huh?

That theory should prove to be true, as I went to visit and old word wall I never quite got to read, since a Dragon priest got in the way. That was long ago and I was ready to give it another go, with my new butter catchphrase and all.

...
Then I met my first Frost Dragon. 'Nuf said.

Activity BOOM!

I must admit that I figured this site would go silent after the release of Skyrim, which was the single best day in the history of the world (who needs a cure for cancer?!) Yet, activity has actually gone up - The daily page views rise still, hovering just above the 30,000 ATM and we still get greeted by new members on the facebook page, on which people are still engaging and active.

You people surprise me. In a good way.
Better than chocolate and flowers - To which I wouldn't say no either.
Flowers are great - Especially when they come in a tiny basket, right after a very well performed musical <--- totally not a real life reference.

This activity boom is telling me that I should keep on writing. My major focus is on VEC, which I am guessing will be up and running in January, but activity shall remain here as well. I will try to divide my posts by pages, so that we can have categories called pre-release, post-release and mod reviews.
Easier access is the keyword... Along with squash. Squash is a funny word.

Mod review: No Spiders by Luthien Anarion

I noticed a lot of worry from arachnophobia fans of the TES series, since there clearly were spiders in the game. I'm just letting you know that a temporary solution has already been released with the "No Spiders" mod.

What it does, is that it replaces all spiders with bears or mudcrabs, whichever you prefer, albeit the bears move a little "funky" it seems. Also, they are still named "Frostbite Spider," but It'll probably all be rectified once The Creation Kit is released.

McBraas: Skyrim is well balanced

Difficulty is a keyword in RPG gameplay and fortunately, Skyrim hits it perfect. In spite of the immense amount of worrying there has been over their change of zone-leveling system, it can barely be noticed once playing the game.

First of all, the feeling of getting more powerful is there, but not in an overwhelming way. It slowly builds up and that is the way it should be done. As I move through the landscapes and dungeons of Skyrim, which BTW has gotten A LOT more entertaining, I feel the challenge varies and strategies needs changing, potions need drinking, and companions need taking the front and act as shield.

My first encounter in which I was overwhelmed by the power of my foe was not a dragon, no, it was a giant. It hit me and I literally flew 200 meters up in the air and landed smack on the ground, screaming Leeeeeroy on the way down - My neighbors were not happy.

After I had battled off the horde of complaining neighbors, who evidently can't take a little bit of "intense screaming and non-stop war cries" (I call it minor noise,) I went on through my weekend, with locked doors of course.

At one point, I felt screwed, as I had battled my way through a Nord temple, gotten the word "Tiid" (Time,) I found myself emerging on a balcony, about to battle the Hagraven I had chased all the way there. He was standing on the edge and I felt like pushing him off, firing off a funny, improvised pun in the process. Alas, it was not that easy, 'cause it summoned two Ice Trolls and they are NOT fun! Due to my rule about not changing game difficulty, I didn't win until my 10th try. Victory had never felt sweeter.

But the worst thing I ran into was not the Hagraven (of which I've killed three.) It was the Dragon Priest. They. Are. Hardcore!

The first I ran into, was at a word wall in the mountain. After killing the guardian dragon, I approached the wall, only to be brutally overwhelmed by a Dragon Priest, which there was no hope of defeating. I accepted my loss and decided to return later.

Then last night, I went through an entire Nord temple! It took 2 full hours (I died a lot!) But seriously; I could have had sex 21 times in that ti... Nevermind.
As I reached the end chamber, I was forced to swallow my pride and lower the game difficulty to defeat the hosting dragon priest - Even on the easiest level, I had a hard time killing him and his thralls. After my success, I gladly accepted the word "Strun" (Storm.)
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That was just part 1^

A second, yet shorter described, balanced system is that of economy. Allowing the different merchants to only hold a specific portion of gold, prevents us from gaining immediate riches and since we can't carry all that crap around with us forever, we are forced to get rid of it as quickly as possible, lest we'd want to make the painful decision of leaving something precious behind.

I am very impressed with the balancing of Skyrim and it will continue to amaze me, I am sure.
Hope you are all enjoying yourselves.

McBraas: Save your game

A comment on my last post, spurred the writing of this one!
Save your game!
Do you not know the agony in losing even just a few minutes of progress yet? One day you will! That is, unless that you save!

Whilst playing Oblivion, I evolved a compulsion, causing me to save everything I do at least every 20th second (yes, I've timed.) Whether it's playing the game, or writing this post, I will constantly and barely without noticing, press the hotkey(s) for a quick save.

I recommend that you do the same, lest you want to be the bitch of game difficulty, power shortages, or an angry mother.

McBraas: Off to Skyrim, back again! (Not by choice)

I came home from school Friday and had a few hours to play before the arrival of my girlfriend (which is SO relevant later in this story.)

After completing the (awesome) intro, featuring our friendly neighborhood Alduin in the spotlight, I emerged from the tutorialistic cave and I had only one thing running through my mind: Find a spoon!

In spite of my rock-hard decision about not gong to Riverwood, I eventually ended up there anyway and spent nearly an hour before I left, further proving that this game is fricken huge. I found myself overwhelmed with the amount of options I had and so I felt I had no choice but to go Bleak Falls Barrow, in spite of my even harder rock-hard decision not to, but not before replacing my desired spoon with a ladle. 'Tis only a temporary substitute - I will find you, spoon!

I went through Bleak Falls and quickly realized that the footage we've seen of it trough the last couple of months, were only like half of the content in there. I also realized that combat is a lot more fun, especially since the characters move a lot more realistically and that stagger not only affects our character, but also the camera angle - it fricken shakes! Awesome!


As I eventually came upon the last chamber, I eagerly awaited a Dragon Priest to come and combat me, but I was welcomed only by a Draugr which was slightly more hardcore than the rest - I was disappointed, but since then, I have learned to happily welcome the absence of Dragon Priests.

I grabbed all the treasure, headed back to Riverwood, turned in the claw and sold all of my crap, and then I was off to Whiterun, which since then have been my central hub - I've barely spent time in any other cities than Whiterun and Markath.

After a few quests, involving killing my first dragon, I found the Lunar Forge and then my girlfriend came -  invited her to try it out - After spending 10 minutes learning how to walk, she went to a camp'o'giants and... Well, died.

That was the first 3-4 hours. The beginning of my very long weekend.