When I select an “improved” item, it appears to show the base item stats during the process, but when I completed the enchanting, the “improved” stats were still on it.
For example, I enchanted an Orc (one handed) sword last night, level 7 character. My one handed skill was 31 or 32, the enchanting skill was 17, smithing was 25.
The base sword damage value was listed as 13. I improved it to “fine” on the grindstone (damage listed as 14).
I ran up to the arcane table (dragonreach), and began the enchatment process. The enchanting panel shows the orc sword in my inventory as “fine”. I left click on it. The damage number is now listed as 13. I add frost damage to it, selected a petty soul gem (dropping the bonus to +4 frost damage to make it so I don’t have to recharge it after 6 hits). I exit the enchanting process.
Inspecting the sword in my inventory, it shows Orc Sword (fine), base damage 14, +4 frost damage.
I don’t know if you care about achievements, but I gather that Skyrim has the same “anti-cheat” measure as Fallout:NV. It assumes that if you open the console, you’re cheating, and disables achievement progress until you restart the game.
That sucks. I opened the console by hitting the ~ key in the heat of battle…I didn’t even know that was what I did until I posted it here as a bug and ended up just ending the task and starting at my last save.
In New Vegas you had to actually run a command through the console (even if it was just save, or tcl to get unstuck) in order to disable achievements, just hitting the console key wouldn’t do it.
Is dragon armor worth it? I’m in the process of improving my smithing skills to get to it but I wonder if it’s worth it.
What triggers the availability of spell tomes? Is it the general level or the level of a particular skill?
How do you turn ore into ingot and iron into steel?
So far, the most helpful spell to me has been the dual cast firebolt with the perk that staggers enemies when hit with a dual spell. If you catch them right, they can’t fight back.
That’s probably also true in Skyrim, then, which would be a bit less harsh. I don’t believe I ever opened the console in New Vegas without using it, so I never saw that distinction. It’s still something people need to be aware of when they’re using console commands.
Daedric armour is better (I’m rocking a full legendary set right now), but is a lot heavier (unless you take the perk) and daedra hearts are hard to come by. Smithing is the easiest skill in the game to level, just get a bunch of iron ingots and leather strips and make iron daggers over and over.
Level of the skill. Invisibility becomes available at 75 Illusion, for instance.
You need a smelter. Warmaiden’s in Whiterun has one outside. You need corundum ore and iron ore together to make a steel ingot.
What happens if you clear a quest-related area, but you’re not on the quest (e.g., a fort)? Does the quest just not exist anymore, or does it just make it really easy, or what?
FWIW I have had a couple of instances where I found a quest item before I got the quest, in those cases they would give me the quest and I would immediately have a dialogue option to say I found it.
That should cover items, as far as people, from what I understand, unless it is bugged, people who are important to quests can’t die.
Yeah, it usually works…but I found one last night where I had to go back to a dungeon I cleared, and the “loot this!” icon was pointing where the pre-respawn boss’ body used to be. So they can, occasionally, break.
