SKYRIM Questions answered for our NERD TREK readers at PAX Prime 2011:
Our time with Bethesda was limited so we couldn’t ask every question you submitted, but I think we did a pretty good job. One of the guys from Bethesda told us that ours were the best string of questions by one media outlet he’s ever heard. I credited the NERD TREK readers and he said he was very impressed. Great job guys! Here you go:
Toney asked: Will there be Daedric Shrine quests?
This question opened a can of worms. Matt Carofano said that they have intentionally avoided confirming or denying this. He said that they have NOT really talked about it yet. Since the press demo we played had an Easter Egg of a Daedric reference in it, he sighed and said that since we were aware and asked him on the spot, he’ll go ahead and tell us: YES! There is involvement with “The Prince” and challenges along the way that should satisfy the Daedric fans.
xBUMMx wanted: Clarification on the hand-to-hand matter, lethal or not?
Murder Death Kill, people aren’t just getting knocked out by fists, you can beat them to death in this one.
Ploppy asked about armor degradation being a possibility or gone for good…
Matt said it is a POSSIBILITY, but not a probability. The focus in this area is on Smithing as a skill. You’ll be able to modify items. I’ll elaborate on Smithing soon*
Matt had 2 good questions:
When given the opportunity, will we be given the chance to turn down being the Guildmaster?
The answer is No.
Will being Guildmaster be more rewarding than in Oblivion?
Yes, previously you were done with an area of play once you become a Guildmaster, but in Skyrim you will be able to continue with specific guild gameplay after becoming the head of a guild.
Corby asked: Will dragons be able to utilize every shout that the player can?
Short answer: No. Long answer: The shouts are the language of the dragons. Many dragons for many years have used many different shouts. It is possible to assume that every shout has been used in the past by a dragon, however during the game, the dragons only use certain shouts that make sense for the situations. They are incredibly intelligent AI creatures that use what is appropriate. Some shouts don’t make sense for dragons to use in this game and won’t be used. WE get to learn and use them though. Not all of the shouts are released yet, they are keeping some secret for now…
Brett asked: Can you summon more than ONE creature (at once) with Conjuration?
Conjuration has it’s own skill tree. You start off only able to summon ONE. Eventually you WILL be able summon up to TWO Atronachs or Reanimated Zombies though.
Khalid asked: Where can we safely store our loot?
In our personal houses.
The General asked: Can we dye our armor or clothing?
The answer: No.
Luke asked: Does Skyrim boast an array of underwater content… Also, how many species of underwater critters are there?
Yes, you will be able to explore and interact with an underwater environment. There are “fish and stuff” you can find. There are ingredients to collect and although the underwater section is a small part of the game, you can knock your self out exploring if you like. Matt likes the barnacles.
Ray Johnson, you want to know about the pickpocketing skill? Prepare yourself because I took care of you and I expect your mind to be blown…
The entire pickpocketing skill tree list (Seriously):
Light Fingers (0/5)
Pickpocketing bonus of 20% – Item weight and value reduce pickpocketing odds…
Night Thief
Pickpocketing sleeping people almost always works…
Poisoned
Place poisons in other people’s pockets silently to harm or kill…
Cutpurse
Pickpocketing gold is 50% easier…
Extra Pockets
Carrying capacity is increased by 100…
Keymaster
Pickpocketing keys always works…
Misdirections
You can pickpocket equipped weapons…
Perfect Touch
You can pickpocket equipped items…
Steve asked: From what we’ve seen, dragons behave like animals, but will they use tactics and strategy with the terrain and dragon shouts?
Short: Yes.
Long: Dragons ARE an intelligent race. They provide a nice challenge to the player and it is rewarding to successfully kill them. Dragons use the shouts that suit them and interact with (and are affected by) the situations and environments they are in at the time.
Hey “ThatNeonSquirrel” (SQUIRREL!!)… Can we enchant arrows?
You can enchant bows, which affect the arrows shot from them, so even though you can’t enchant the individual arrows, you should have the enchanted range attack that most people want. I hope that’s ok. Pete and the Bethesda team are sorry they can’t respond to everything, it’s crunch time for them.
Jadis232 asked if we can use finisher moves wielding MAGIC like we can with melee weapons…
No, we don’t have special magic finisher moves, but you can combo using magic to deal damage and finishing with a weapon.
Ward… Any love for the lefties?!
Much love for the lefties! We at NerdTrek love nerds, we love weirdos, we really love nerdy weirdos!! You CAN wield a weapon in your left hand and a shield in your right, but the opposite is default as usual. I’m sure you’ll be able to figure out the lefty wielding on 11-11-11, but you must be deliberate in your choice.
*Smithing elaboration: Caleb, you’re getting the entire Smithing skill tree:
Steel Smithing
Create Steel armor and weapons at forges. Improve by double.
Arcane Blacksmith
Improve magical weapons and armor.
Dwarven Smithing
Create Dwarven armor and weapons at forges. Improve by double.
Elven Smithing
Create Elven armor and weapons at forges. Improve by double.
Orcish Smithing
Create Orcish armor and weapons at forges. Improve by double.
Advanced Armors
Create scaled and plate armor at forges. Improve by double.
Glass Smithing
Create glass armor and weapons at forges. Improve by double.
Daedric Smithing
Create Daedric armor and weapons at forges. Improve by double.
Ebony Smithing
Create Ebony armor and weapons at forges. Improve by double.
Dragon Smithing
Create Dragon armor and weapons at forges. Improve by double.
You can collect dragon bone and other parts to make really powerful armor and weapons using this skill, it sounds amazing. Matt was pumped about it and I trust his judgment.
Rexx, the team does not have plans to release a Skyrim soundtrack, however I told them “Rexx will buy one if you release it,” not to mention many other people that will buy it. It should be easy to put together some music and upload it to iTunes AT LEAST, so I asked them to. The guys were extremely polite and said they would consider it. Cross your fingers!
Sarah Donner, come with me if you want to… know the answer to your questions…
Applying upgrades, as in smithing weapons and armor to be improved will not change the appearance. Enchanting them will make them glow but you’re not looking at customization of appearance.
Why did they remove spell-making?
Because… The team worked really hard on creating unique spells. The magic system has been completely revamped and MUCH improved. They want us to focus on our immersion into the world of Skyrim. Matt is confident that you will have a great time using magic in this game.
Mike, your question about marriage ended up yielding some fantastic feedback!
There are hundreds of people that you CAN marry, if they want to marry you. They can become your companion. Having a companion offers awesome perks. Your wife can fight by your side, helping you attack or defend. She can carry stuff for you increasing your inventory capacity. She can cook for you once a day increasing your health. There are many “Lovers’ bonuses” available. Possibly the BEST thing: you can delegate tasks and send your followers to do things for you, such as attack, collect food, buy weapons, and more… Unfortunately for you there are no “brown-chicken brown-cow” relationship animations.
Sabre asked: Will the persuasion system be revamped?
Answer: ”Elements of it will be better.”
Michael asked. Can we play instruments for money?!
No, but you can go to a tavern and pay for a NPC to play an instrument for you. Further, you can tip them to play special requested songs for you! I seriously doubt it’s in the game, but I expect characters to be hanging out in the back of a tavern while someone yells “Free Bird!” (shoot, I’ll do it from my couch, even if my wife asks me why I’m yelling “Free Bird!” at Skyrim for what must seem like no reason to her…)
Ricardo asks: Will we be able to sail or at least board ships?
Nope.
How about being able to use portable bedrolls to sleep in the wilderness?
You can sleep in the woods but there are no portable bedrolls. Part of the game’s experience is finding a bed to get fully rested. Sleeping like a camping trip is possible, but it will yield less benefits compared to sleeping at home and/or in bed. Possibly with your in-game spouse?
Khalid Yassin asks: Will there be . . . Bananas?
No joke, the Devs gave it some serious consideration. The team debated many foods, however the age old topic of appropriate climate and environment kept coming up… It is way too cold in Skyrim to grow something tropical like a banana. Some Devs would really want to include a food item and others would fiercely debate how unrealistic it would be to include that piece of food. The attention to detail is phenomenal.
The only question that Matt Carofano smiled at with a resounding “No comment!” was Gyrhjörn’s question about Lycans (Werewolves) being in the game. It was the last question I asked and he had gone above and beyond by that point.
I hope we’ve been helpful! Thanks everyone for such great questions and impressing THE guys that are putting out what looks like a lock for Game of the Year…
Jerry Loveless
Wow great interview guys. Thanks for the all the answers.
Absolutely wonderful .
Thanks for this excellent interview !
Awesome!
Thanks for much for asking for use lefties, this is the first time officially anywhere it be answered!!!
Thanks again so much!
Thanks for getting my questions out there. I appreciate the effort you put in to do this!
James and Clyde, Thanks to you guys and the rest of our readers that make NerdTrek such a great place!
Ward, we appreciate your contribution when we asked for questions that you wanted to know. We tried our best to get answers for what you guys wanted to know. At E3, the developers mentioned being able to put anything (Weapon, Shield, Spell) into either hand, but people that have played the demo have said they couldn’t get their sword in the left hand, that shield went left and sword went right… Jonathan (THE MAN behind NerdTrek and the reason I’m even here) played through much of their extensive media demo and since you asked, he figured it out and had his weapon in his left hand and shield in his right, but since it isn’t default, he may have to tell you HOW he did it. I couldn’t take a screen shot, security watched me for the 2 hours I was in the PRESS room… If you think of anything that you want to ask US, feel free to send an email and keep posting/sending friends here.
Thanks everyone!
-Jerry
it seems to me like you would dual wield then unequip the right hand weapon. That’s the only way i can think of doing it. It’d be nice if you told me if i was correct.
I had the AMAZING opportunity to play SKYRIM for almost 2 hours! Not bragging, I am just really happy I was able to delve into the game for that period of time.
When you equip a weapon you can press the LT or RT button to switch hands. You can do this with magic as well. If you have a FIRE spell selected you can move it to R or L or R-L (both). Weapons are the same. I tried dual wielding daggers and short swords and it worked out pretty sweet. At first I kept fumbling around when changing weapons, but after awhile it got smooth. I know there’s a hot-key or quick swap, but I didn’t want to waste too much time with that. I just wanted to explore the world and try out all the new features!
Forging was SWEEEET! I improved a breastplate, a sword, and a hammer through forging.
awesome thanks for asking them for me
Matt, you gave us GREAT questions, all of us wanted to know the same thing so I’m happy you asked, and even happier about the answer being we’ll be able to continue the specific guild game play after we’ve reached Guildmaster!!
Thanks,
-Jerry
Caleb, I hope you like the skill tree info. I had fun looking through all the skill trees to get the info that was asked for. I spent more time creating my Algonian and looking through skill trees. The trees are in constellation form and you navigate through skills that show up like stars in a universe. The attention to detail on so many aspects of the game is just phenomenal.
Can you find out about the cooking please? or try to…
Can you find out about the cooking please? or try to…
What did you need to know specifically about “cooking”?
Just how exactly it happens, is it a mini game, or like fallout new vegas
skyrim is going to be f***ing awesome!!!
The perks look awesome already, cannot wait for this game!
Great article and awesome questions, but those answers left me seriously disappointed. He seemed to say no to many of the things people asked were going to be included. If theres one question I want to know more than anything it would be: will hardcore mode be included? Having to eat, sleep, and drink really makes things a lot more immersive and would cOmplimemt all the hard work they’ve put into the ecosystems and food in the world.
Thanks you, Loveless and everyone who contributed for the interesting interview. But did the devs really say “dwarven armor”? Dwemer are not dwarves. :/
Thank you, Loveless and everyone who contributed for the interesting interview. But did the devs really say “dwarven armor”? Dwemer are not dwarves. :/
Chillvie,
Thank you so much for a great clarifying question!
There is, and have been “Dwarven” ARMOR. In Elder Scrolls, dwarves existed but are an “extinct” race. The best explanation I’ve seen from the past I’d that the Dwemer aka “Deep Elves” is what they called their own race, and that the “westerners” call them “Dwarves” instead… A couple thoughts:
1) Dwarven armor it self has been around for a long time but with the new Smithing skill, you’ll be able to make and upgrade your own Dwarven armor.
2) No one has confirmed that Dwarves won’t be discovered in Skyrim with an explanation as to why people THOUGHT they were extinct…
As for Dwarves and Dwemer NOT being the same race as perceived by different points of view and calling them something different, I don’t know… BUT if I talk to Matt, Pete, or Todd soon, I’ll ask just for you!
Anyone think it is possible there is a similarity to the political correctness of calling THINGS from Asia “Oriental” but the people “Asian” instead? Political correctness in game add to realism right?
Jerry Loveless
Loveless, you’re right; according to the UESP, Dwemer are called “Dwarves” by the Imperial race, although they are not shorter than other races. So it is an issue of political incorrectness, indeed. My main concern was that I expected the Bethesda folks to call them by their proper name.
Some new details about the Dwemer would be a really great thing to have in Skyrim. Their disappearing is just so mysterious and sadly, Oblivion kind of neglected the topic. It is a very good idea to ask the developers, but I’m afraid they do not want to give anything away.
Check it out. Here is a video of Matt Carofano talking about “Dwarvish Ruins” in SKYRIM.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B3A6-MHunso
Oh my. I’m gonna assume that was him taking an Imperial-race point of view. Bethesdas attention to detail lore-wise is something I’m a little worried about; let’s hope they still have some employees that actually concern themselves with the lore. Things like the player being able to forge Daedra armor (see above) dispell this hope though.
But thanks for the link – that was an interesting interview.
I think Bethesda is attempting to streamline races so as not to confuse new players. I think although a good business move, it is a bad move as far as story goes. Bethesda has been building a unique world with each addition to the Elder Scrolls. If they attempt to move away from the unique nature of their games they are in danger of the same folly that Square-Enix has succumbed to- streamlining and simplification for a simpler-minded audience.
I think the reason most people play the Elder Scrolls games is the reason that they are different and unique with interesting races and creatures and amazing locations to explore.
So its unrealistic that we have bananas in Sweden? WTF
It’s unrealistic to grow bananas in sweden, Your bananas have been imported, however Skyrim doesn’t quite have the luxury of being able to airlift bananas in
No shit. Having no airplanes means Skyrim cant trade? Another WTF
Have you ever tried shipping fruit hundreds or even thousands of miles, without refrigeration, via ox cart or ship? No? I didn’t think so. Leaving aside the fact that the fruit would have ripened and then spoiled, with the exception of one dialogue line in Daggerfall, bananas have never even been mentioned in any TES games. Even if they were, bananas don’t grow in Cyrodill or any of the surrounding regions. It would be impossible for them to get them to Skyrim fast enough for them to be marketed to the populace, without mass spoilage.
What?! Teleportation exists?! Good thing you remembered that goods can easily and cheaply be transported via a series of teleportations!
Yeah, why can’t mages teleport bananas to Skyrim? Wouldn’t it be a hot commodity since they’re so rare? The nobles would go bananas over bananas!
By reading this great interview after all the information we already have about Skyrim I got the feeling – bit by bit – that Bethesda really worked very hard on micro detail.
Sure, I personally hate the fasttravel-system and that You´re forced to use it because of the vast areas and the quest design (which will probably be the same as in Oblivion).
Nevertheless I bet once You are involved actively in the story You won´t wake up again so early.
– will hold You in play
Details – like the search for the missing bananas
Good job anyway, Loveless
I think they should add a banana as an Easter Egg just for NERD TREK readers. WHAT SAY YOU AVID ELDER SCROLL FANATICS!?!?!!?!? (myself included)
I SAY “YES TO A BANANA EASTER EGG!!!!”
No spellcrafting… no spellcrafting…? NO SPELLCRAFTING? FUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUU-
By far the biggest disappointment as of yet. I actually just lost a lot of faith in this game.
Fu[...]u indeed! My Altmer will be severely disappointed. And that’s not even something one could easily add as a mod. :/
No spellcrafting… no spellcrafting…? NO SPELLCRAFTING? FUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUU-
By far the biggest disappointment as of yet. I actually lost a lot of faith in this game when I heard it.
It does suck not to have spellcrafting. It was fun in Oblivion to make your own spells at the Arcane University. I think the developers wanted to streamline magic in Skyrim and make sure that we didn’t surprise them with strange spells that could confuse the mechanics of the game world. I’m just grasping at straws here, but also they are probably reaching out to a wider audience and didn’t want to make things too complicated for the newbies. Not that I agree with that, I like the Elder Scrolls games as detailed and involved as they can be. Either you can choose to spend time doing something or move on and spend your time elsewhere. The amount of time and detail you put into your character and your game should ideally be up to you.
You didn’t find out if you could become the governor of a town or something like that? Darn. Still, awesome interview thank you guys
was just wondering if there’s been any word on unique items and artifacts i.e umbra, goldbrand etc…
Si potranno evocare creature del bosco?
Someone needs to find out if the games visuals will be just as good. Or better for ps3. They keep beating around the bush about it I don’t mind if it isn’t ill just change my pre order to 360 id just rather have it for ps3. I’ve just been hearing lots of rumors 360 will look way better
It’s been confirmed that PC will be the best looking, then Xbox, then PS3, that’s in order of best to least, that’s what Todd Howard said at QuakeCon any-how.
This is true. The Xbox 360 version looked good, but when I looked closely at the ground or tree leaves everything looked fake and grainy. I’m sure on PC the graphics will blow my mind.
Hmm, still no racials. Ah, it will be revealed eventually.
What specifically do you mean by “still no racials”?
Racial traits.
I’ve just found out more about Argonians, at least.
I am totally siked that bethesda decided to make the companion better. Now we can romance people and have them actually live with us*unlike the dragon age games to where you could only romance them and that was it*. I like how you can sabotage someones relationship and have a possibility of geting in a relationship with that persons girl. The whole spouse thing is awesome!!!!
Yeah, I guess your spouse can be male or female regardless of your sex which is a first for a RPG (as far as I know). They will cook you food, sleep with you, and fight alongside you in battle.
Just kinda wondering if the race’s will be the same. Vamparisim would be awesome to have again to and hopefully there will be lycans. Just really sitting around anxiously for skyrim to drop. Im skipping school the next day and not leaving my house for the weekend when it dose!!! XD
Races will be the same! All 10 races will be available on Skyrim.
Vampirism is confirmed as DLC through Xbox Live. Not sure how the PC version will handle that, maybe it will come standard in the initial release or as a pending update a few weeks later.
Warewolves exist, well last i heard they have been brought out on Skyrim. Its a great addition to add amongst the already blossiming features in skyrim, also playing a part with dragons.
Guys, spellmaking was fun , but what did it really add in terms of gameplay value? It made it way too easy to break the game. Besides, with spells that react to the environment, the addition of conic/fog and rune spells, and spells that level with you’re character, it just makes being a mage more appealing and fun, and leaves the spellbook uncluttered.
Maybe my lore is a little rusty, but doesn’t the Bloodmoon Prophecy of Hircine take place every few hundred years? i.e., how many years passed between TESIII: MW/BM and Oblivion, plus the 200 years between Skyrim and OB…? Yeah, I’m just pulling at very small straws, but I stand by my opinion that Solstheim would look better than ever as a Skyrim expansion, hopefully with a more intense werewolf invasion.
Marriage, for real?
Ive Heard that the khajiit can actually use claws instead of fist fighting now.. and that you can customize your characters muscle mass and weight.. i picture making a bodybuilder black panther khajiit wizard & using my claws to slice up enemys then burning their wounds shut with dual wielded Fire spell! id be one mean puss.. Either that or was thinking a humble imperial.. i heard in skyrim you get more gold when looting as an imperial.. so i might play more tactical in combat and just focus on making money & buying a house and a loyal hound.. probly pick two or three wives i like & test out the relationship stuff.. wonder if they will fight to the death over me? they say theres no arena in skyrim.. well maybe ill have my own matches in my house to find a worthy wife.. what good would a skyrim wife really be if she isnt a ferocious killer. only the strongest shall bed with the ”dovakiin” either that or ill hook up with gay elves and use them as dragon bait.. and just sleep with my dog lol..
Can’t wait, only 21 more days!
Hey so I have a question here…
I was able to get two legendary daedric daggers, but the game wont let me dual wield… whats up?
does anyone remember the name of the barrow/tomb that housed the dragon priest volsung? you know +20 weight,+20 prices, oh and breathing underwater.
PER JERRY: (***spoiler!!***)
I have “Volskygge Dungeon – Haarfingar” as where to find Volsung… I have the mask and use it, it’s awesome… A lot better than the Thieves’ guild cowl that has +10% to prices and grants waterbreathing so it made me feel better since I ended up not choosing an Argonian.
In case you haven’t been there yet: You get a shout and the dragon priest pops up. After killing him (again) you get his loot including his mask. It’s sick, useful and valuable.
[img]http://nerdtrek.com/jonathan/dungeonmap.jpg[/img]
Here’s the name and location on a map. Courtesy of Jerry!
1st day: forgot to go to school level 5 . 2nd day: turned off do to distacting ring tones level 18 . 3rd day: girlfriend left me level 29 .4th day: ate for the 3rd time since started playing skyrim level 29 . 7 weeks later: relized i hadn’t even been playing the main quests aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! mother f@#$ing level 68.
are you ok?…………………………………………………..
Pleas help! If something like this happened to you and you fixed it pleas let me know! While in the Companions mission “Striking The Heart” where you must assassinate the Silver Hand leader at Tedoran’s Retreat. Sounds easy enough. But highlighting the place tells me it is clear, and after showing up I realize that in my exploration of skyrim I found the place and killed everyone inside! Now the arrow is floating on top of his dead body and I don’t know what to do. I can afford almost anything in the game so money is no problem. Pleas, if something like this happened to you tell me how you fixed it because I am stuck.
save kill yourself then before you start the mission go there and he shouldnt be dead(still playin : { )
Hi guys-
So I have much love for this game Skyrim. Outstanding graphics, takes long to beat which I love and outstanding battles with cool weapons,armor and enemy’s. Nowim seeing a lot of upgrades and cheats whichiliketo know once I’ve beaten the game. I’m looking for someone to thoroughly explain how the hell you can maximize weapons and armor to a ridiculous level. I’ve already beaten the game but still love to play it. Can someone please take the time to explain a detailed answer to my question. Let me know. Thank you
My guy glitched out so i’m always in the air what do i do?
Chicken nuggets
OMG NUGGETS!!!