Is Skyrim worth upgrading my PC?

People were lining up for the midnight release at 10:45 last night. Of course the store ran out before the end of the line did. Which is almost funny considering how they planned for that kind of massive rush when the Star Wars Complete Blu_Ray set was released recently and only sold something like 5 copies that night.

 

Regarding the PC version; around 40% of 150+ people in a poll I made on the official forums think the UI is too consolized - personally I think it's far better than Oblivion and have no real problems with it.

The graphics are certainly better on PC when set to max but there are areas that could use serious improvements. Most glaring example would be weapons, which really should have been given more detail.

Now with the bad stuff out of the way...

The game is AWESOME. The gameplay is spectacular, the sounds and animations are leagues above and beyond Oblivion (this includes the music made by Jeremy Soule). As a whole, Skyrim simply wins. You won't care about the UI and graphics problems when you start exploring and questing.

TLDR: Yes, it's worth upgrading your PC for Skyrim. I prolly spent a thousand bucks to get ready for it - and the rig was already more than good enough to run it on max (big TES fan here!).

 

That's good to hear. I decided to go the PC route as well. I've got it downloading from Steam as I type this. Super stoked!

 

Nice! Let us know what you think about it

 

Gah, I'm about 8 hours in and about to restart. Tried to go one handed with destruction magic and I can't believe how weak magic seems.

 

UI is too consolized
Well willing to give it a go, but if it is a problem I'm sure a mod will be available in a few weeks time. Really looking forward to this, but am going to have to hold off until it comes down a bit in price.

 

Well, it seems to be a trade off. I restarted last night and got back to about where I was before. This time I went with straight two handed weapons. I don't have any ranged attacks other than shouts, so picking people off from range doesn't happen. On the plus side, things just die. Smacking them in the head with a 2 handed war hammer is doing about 4 times the damage I was putting out with a 1 handed weapon and the weak magic attacks I had so far. From talking to some other friends playing that seems to be the trade off, everything works, but if you trade a single damage type for two to get range or versatility you give up a lot of damage.

 

My how things have changed since my favorite RPG of all time FF VII. Honestly, I'm surprised what they're calling RPGs these days. Skyrim barely fits into that category, imo.

So far I really like Skyrim. I can see what people mean by consolized UI. But to me, that's not a bad thing. I love the graphics, the dialogue and the combat. Looking forward to delving deeper into this game.

 

I still say it's an RPG. The genre has evolved in recent years. I'll agree that it's system is quite a bit simpler than in traditional RPG's though. But knowing a lot of what's happening behind the scenes, it's a lot more complex than you might think.

How's the FPS on the console version? Any glaring texture issues etc? I have a PS3 myself, and might want to get it later just to be able to play it more relaxed. I could just get a 360 controller for the PC and run it on the TV, but too lazy. Besides, the price would be the same.

I honestly can't find the right adjectives strong enough to praise this game; for a long-time fan of TES this for me is the pinnacle of the series. You can just tell so well that they've poured their souls into the game. Also, my neighbor plays and is every bit as addicted as me so whenever we go outside to have a smoke we discuss the game and what we've been doing, and how. I have the 700(!) page game guide as well to help in a pinch (very useful for looking up crafting reagents without having to walk back and forth in-game), but having someone nearby who plays is really fun and ultimately more informative.

I've been in around 20 dungeons I'd say, and every single one of them have been unique. I must have taken 30 screenshots so far. The graphics may be dated as hell but the artistic style is fantastic, and by proxy the graphics.

So you're playing a purist mage (spells only - no weapon skills)? My second char is going to be a female Breton mage, and I really hope it's viable with the right spec to only go for spells.

This time though I'm playing a big male Nord who focuses on combat (1H and shield), smithing and restoration (Paladin). What about the rest of you; which playstyle does your character have?

 

I wish the weapons had gotten a much higher polygon count, because they look bad - and worse still they looked fantastic in Oblivion. But it's really just nitpicking, as the sum of it's parts is great.

Also, texture mods in a few months for the PC version

Aye, my main character in World of Warcraft since 2006 is a Paladin as well, I don't want to tell you how many hours (weeks) of playtime he / she has (I like doing race / faction changes ) but suffice to say I know and love the class. Besides, my real name literally means "Holy Warrior". Might have something to do with why I always play Pallies, who knows. I really like the new spell casting system too though, so I'm itching to start my mage. Talked with a friend of mine earlier, she's played a pure mage for 17 hours now according to Steam and so far it's gone well. Not sure which difficulty she's on though. I'm playing on Adept, the default setting. It's been a great ride so far; I don't get anything for free but I don't have to reload every 10 minutes either. I think the dragons are too easy though. They should do more damage.

I think if there ever was a game that deserved a perfect score - this is it. Especially if given some UI and graphical tweaks.

 

Ok, main storyline is way short. Less than 8 hours and I did a couple of side quests, all the Dark Brotherhood, and all the stormcloaks. I started again tonight to try something new with a stealthy mage type. Going to go for all the achievements and as many quests as I can get through. Incredibly different playstyle than 2 handers with heavy armor but i'm loving it. Not too many spells yet, and I haven't spent a single perk yet as I'm not sure what I'm doing, but stealth is a ton of damage and destruction spells to back it up with the occasional zombie pet is great.

 

Hmm, I've played for about 25 hours now, but haven't done many of the main quests. All the companion quests though, and a few sidequests. Been mostly exploring, which is a lot of fun in this game. I can't wait to start my mage either, love the new magic system. It sucked balls in Oblivion - have probably put in almost 300 hours in that game but never once played a mage.

I find myself equipping magic just for the fun of it now, even if I don't do any damage with it (I'm purely combat-focused + restoration). I've bought every single spell I've come across too. Love the light spell, as you actually see a ball of light follow you around.

Most of the times I've been killed, it's been by magic. Found a shield that gives +20% magic resist though, glad for it.

 

loving this game. one problem though, has anyone had any success with archery? my skill is only like 18 and every time i shoot an arrow it only goes 2 foot so i can't skill it up. is there something i'm missing?

 

a i hold it down forever. i have to be in melee distance to hit anything with an arrow. maybe i'll just pay the trainer to skill it up a bit more.