1st Impression... WOW

[Skuld]

Expansive is an understatement. I just delivered the package to the dude in Balmora, and I walked the whole way. Picked up a few goodies on the way. The first of those Daedric temples in the starting town was easy, but the next one I found was damn near impossible. And it seems doing random quest for people doesn't give experience of any sort, it just makes that person like you more. Can someone explain to me how that works. From what I've seen your abilities go up in accordance with usage. That makes sense, but how does the level progression work? And I can easily see how this game could take people hundreds of hours to complete.

[JesterKing]

which is why we have whole forums devoted to it.

yes, abilities increse with usage, and if you increase skills from your minor and/or major catergories 10 times (one skill ten times, or any assortment of raisings, misc. skills dont count towards leveling) you raise one level. with the level changes comes stat changes, health, magica, and fatigue. these stats raise in accordance with what you choose when you raise your level, they will give you a choice what you want to increase. HOWEVER, if you raise a skill whos governing atribute is strength a lot of times for that level, you could select a strenght increase and that would raise it up more than if you had trained, say, magic.

quests for people give you cash, sometimes items. thats all they are really good for, you dont get any kinda level bonuses. glad you like the game, its one of my all time favorites.

[Sojourner]

As Jesterking said, raising any combination of your major and minor skills by 10 points enables you to level up. Upon level-up, the game will give you three points to allocate to your attributes.

You may have noticed that each skill has a governing attribute. Raising any combination of skills for a given attribute results in a bonus multiplier for that attribute on level up (you'll notice 2, 3, 4, or 5 next to it). See page 26 of your game manual for details.

Only major and minor skills count toward gaining levels, but all skills count toward determining multipliers.

[moltovir]

But misc skills can only give you a 2x multiplier, while that of major or minor skills goes up to x5. If you raise long blade, whose governing attribute is strength, by 10 points, you will get a x5 strength multiplier if long blade is one of your major or minor skills, but if long blade is a misc skill you will get a x2 multiplier even if you raise it one million levels. So you can actually control the multipliers you get.

[Rookierookie]

Should I set the skills I DON'T use to major and minor skills? It seems that I will have a better control over leveling up that way.

[Scayde]

If you want to slow your leveling, which is a good thing in this game because the curve is fast and steep then the game CAN become too easy...setting all of the skills you use most as minor and misc skills and making your major skills ones that you will not use, will significantly slow your leveling...You would have to do this during the initial phase of character construction.

If you already have a character and don't want to start over, start using your minor and misc skills and stop using your major and ..it will do the same thing

[Dark Master]

[QUOTE=moltovir]But misc skills can only give you a 2x multiplier, while that of major or minor skills goes up to x5. If you raise long blade, whose governing attribute is strength, by 10 points, you will get a x5 strength multiplier if long blade is one of your major or minor skills, but if long blade is a misc skill you will get a x2 multiplier even if you raise it one million levels. So you can actually control the multipliers you get.[/QUOTE]

No, even if its a misc skill you'll get the full x5 - I know, I've trained up in spear, heavy armour and medium armour for endurance as an archer just because I didn't have enough hit points - just before I rested to level up I trained one of those three up ten points, all misc skills, and finished with a x5 multiplier.

[Sojourner]

[QUOTE=Dark Master]No, even if its a misc skill you'll get the full x5 - I know, I've trained up in spear, heavy armour and medium armour for endurance as an archer just because I didn't have enough hit points - just before I rested to level up I trained one of those three up ten points, all misc skills, and finished with a x5 multiplier.[/QUOTE]

That's correct - one caveat, though, the game seems to have trouble calculating the multiplier for any given attribute once that attribute hits 90.

[Skuld]

This whole leveling scheme seems a bit mor complicated than it should be. I think for now I'm gonan go about doing quests and trying to get better armour and weapons so I can go back to that second daereic cave(or whatever they're called) and actually survive. Then I'll go from there.

[Sojourner]

You'll catch on, and be power-gaming in no time!