Most useful skill?

Dark Master · Post by **Dark Master** » Tue May 25, 2004 10:50 am

Is there a particular skill you can't start a character without? Or several for that matter. I used to always end up with alteration and mysticsm even with fighter characters for unlocking doors, and levitating and telekiness to open trapped doors. I'm OK with that now, and just carry around potions of dispell for trapped doors and scrolls for locked ones.... But this has been replaced by alchemy.

I find every character I start has to be good at alchemy, then I decide they have to be intelligent, which starts me leaning towards being a mage. Then I want a bonus in alchemy (High elf, wood elf)... then I want to specialise in Magic, just for alchemy... Any you find indispensible?

fable · Post by **fable** » Tue May 25, 2004 11:21 am

Alchemy and enchanting come to mind. Oh, I could do without 'em, and in fact as soon as I get a game working, I plan to start a second character who can't do one or the other. But I enjoy alchemy too much, and enchanting is fun.

Anonononomous · Post by **Anonononomous** » Tue May 25, 2004 11:59 am

Long Blade.

And Light Armor.

beornica · Post by **beornica** » Tue May 25, 2004 12:32 pm

I always like to have either athletics or acrobatics. That way, as I hop along to wherever I'm going, I'm gaining levels a lot faster.
Also, I'm a big fan of mysticism. Just love telekinesis and absorb health. ("Who took that!?!?! I just have no idea! It just... disappeared!" How cool would it be to actually be telekinetic in real life?)
Also, I quite enjoy the blunt weapon skill, and use it on most of my characters. I do realize that there are usually way better long swords than almost any blunt weapon you can find, but I just really enjoy my extremely sweet ice mace. And even my staffs. I just like 'em.

HiRo11er · Post by **HiRo11er** » Tue May 25, 2004 1:06 pm

I have to agree with beornica; athletics & acrobatics are essential for every one of my characters. Not only because you level up so much faster (you get nice multipliers too), but the extra speed athletics provides is very nice. That goes for the extra jump height acrobatics provides as well...
In my opinion the only truly useful magic classes are mysticism (absorb attributes, interventions, soul trap, mark/recall) and alteration (levitate, jump, open, waterwalk, telekinesis)...
I never conjure things because a) I am stronger and faster than anything i can summon, and b) I don't gain experience by watching my minions do my battles for me. That goes for weapons too; i want an actual weapon that can be enchanted rather than something conjured.

My next character will be an alchemist, because I've never really bothered with it. In fact, I made my first potion ever yesterday, and after experimenting with some ingredients i ended up with a potion that heals both my fatigue & health. Handy. I'll have to do that more often...

Also, I end up taking speechcraft a lot, usually because it's one of the skills I use the most!!!

beornica · Post by **beornica** » Tue May 25, 2004 1:15 pm

Ooooo, yes. speechcraft, I forgot about that one. You can't go without it. If ya do, you'll be wasting an aweful lot of time when you try to taunt someone...

Anonononomous · Post by **Anonononomous** » Tue May 25, 2004 1:26 pm

How does Telekenisis work in MW anyawy? I have some items that have Telekensis, but they don't seem to do anything.

Morril · Post by **Morril** » Tue May 25, 2004 1:50 pm

It's difficult to say what skill is must useful. It depends on what character you have.
My personal favorite is Conjuration - why do the dirty job, when others can do it for U

arno_v · Post by **arno_v** » Tue May 25, 2004 1:56 pm

Long blade and acrobatics. I hate it when you can't use a sword and if you are walking it's so irritating to find out that you can't even jump over the smallest rock because you acrobatics skill is too low.
Speechcraft is also very usefull, I only started to recognise its vallue when the skill was about 25.

Ares2382 · Post by **Ares2382** » Tue May 25, 2004 1:59 pm

Originally posted by beornica
Ooooo, yes. speechcraft, I forgot about that one. You can't go without it. If ya do, you'll be wasting an aweful lot of time when you try to taunt someone...

Ever heard of Frenzy Humanoid?

Anyways, I think Alchemy is really useful skill, I just can't resist taking it. Illusion is pretty cool as well.

HiRo11er · Post by **HiRo11er** » Tue May 25, 2004 3:08 pm

Ever heard of Frenzy Humanoid?

I've heard of it!

No seriously, I'm not a big fan of the frenzy spells. First of all, you have to make a customized version, because the 'frenzy humanoid' spell rarely if ever gets the npc's mad... (Do they get a willpower-roll or something? It seems telvanni wizards and other upper-level npc's are less susceptible to frenzy than your average commoner)
Second of all, taunting is fun! With quotes like "But I thought we were friends?!?!", "I believe that was your mother..." and "Shut up and draw!", it makes for a lot more fun than simply casting a spell. Besides, you'll gain speechcraft-points a lot faster than you would get illusion-points (that's what frenzy is, right?)

Ares2382 · Post by **Ares2382** » Tue May 25, 2004 3:59 pm

If you make a Frenzy Humanoid 100 for 2 or 3 seconds that's all you need. No one resists that, atleast no one that I've cast it on, and it is just long enough for them to attack you.

Aqua-chan · Post by **Aqua-chan** » Tue May 25, 2004 4:06 pm

I like Restoration, simply because I end up getting into a lot of hot spots in those Daedric shrines. I hate heavy healing potions when my stealth-focused character can't carry that much weight.

Besides Alchemy and Acrobatics, I'd say Mysticism and Security. I'm always a thief of some sort (AC has problems understanding "personal property") so lock picking is important to me, and telekinesis gets those traps I can't disarm alone.

Abjuration is occasionally helpful, too.

werebeargoddess · Post by **werebeargoddess** » Tue May 25, 2004 4:09 pm

I always have to go with alchemy. I never bother buying healing potions; I always make 'em. If I didn't have alchemy, and had to buy potions, I'd probably be dead a hundred times over. Conjuration is always fun, and I don't know what I'd do without acrobatics or athletics, either.

beornica · Post by **beornica** » Tue May 25, 2004 4:30 pm

No seriously, I'm not a big fan of the frenzy spells. First of all, you have to make a customized version, because the 'frenzy humanoid' spell rarely if ever gets the npc's mad... (Do they get a willpower-roll or something? It seems telvanni wizards and other upper-level npc's are less susceptible to frenzy than your average commoner)
Second of all, taunting is fun! With quotes like "But I thought we were friends?!?!", "I believe that was your mother..." and "Shut up and draw!", it makes for a lot more fun than simply casting a spell. Besides, you'll gain speechcraft-points a lot faster than you would get illusion-points (that's what frenzy is, right?)

Thanks, HiRo11er! Jeez, everybody's always pickin' on me, juuuust because I'm not quite exalted yet......

I just thought of another one I can never do without: security. Sure, there's open scroll and spells and whatnot... but how much easier is it to just be good at opening things from the start, and not have to always be like "oh nooo, this lock is above 60, what am I gonna do??" I mean, why play Morrowind if you're not going to steal things?

baileyatbrats · Post by **baileyatbrats** » Tue May 25, 2004 5:01 pm

As far as my character goes, hand-to-hand is indispensible. I've used it to defeat characters/monsters who are much stronger than my character.

Acrobatics are good too.

Basically, It's the things that one can't easily replace with a spell, or enchantment. I chose the Ritual as my birth sign for the Extra healing each day. Since I got the hang of enchanting, it's become useless.

fable · Post by **fable** » Tue May 25, 2004 5:20 pm

I've been thinking a great deal about this, and Alchemy is probably the #1 skill I could not live without. I'd definitely want some kind of weapons skill, too, and armor. Magic? Well, I enjoy playing magical types, mainly straight mages and battlemages. My current character is a battlemage, and will probably acquire the "Laura Croft"

companion who can offer ranged, melee, and spell support as needed. But I think I'm going to start an alternate character who's more of a thief, with a few magical enhancements, and get the Witchgirl companion, instead. At the very least, I'll be in the right religious family.

pepsi · Post by **pepsi** » Tue May 25, 2004 5:57 pm

Security and Sneak.

Gotta love the stealing.

Anonononomous · Post by **Anonononomous** » Tue May 25, 2004 6:54 pm

Originally posted by Anonononomous
How does Telekenisis work in MW anyawy? I have some items that have Telekensis, but they don't seem to do anything.

Why, I don't know. It sure would be nice if someone would answer that question for you, though.

blake · Post by **blake** » Tue May 25, 2004 8:06 pm

it allows you to grab things from far off, the area is how far you can reach things... so if you have a 100 radius telekinesis spell you can pick things up from 100 feet away. quite nice for disarming traps and stealing without eing seen