1761

From http://www.uesp.net/wiki/Skyrim:Armor

displayed armor rating = (worn armor rating + item quality) * (1 + 0.4 * skill/100) * (1 + Custom Fit or Well Fitted + Matching Set) * (1 + Agile Defender or Juggernaut)
                       + (shield armor rating + item quality) * (1 + 0.4 * skill/100) * (1 + Custom Fit or Well Fitted + Matching Set)
                       + effects (x-skin spells, Lord Stone, etc.)
hidden armor rating    = 40 for wearing (chest) armor + 20 for each additional piece worn
damage reduction%      = (displayed armor rating + hidden armor rating) * 0.12

Damage reduction % is capped at 80%, so.

Not sure how accurate it is.

1762

So once your displayed armor rating is at about 560 (+100 for wearing chest, feet, arm, head armor) you have capped out.

1763

That’s what they say. Doing the math with that formula also seems to tell me that % improvements to Armor skills are negligible – each point increasing your “% bonus” by .004% – with perks like Juggernaut and what not adding 20% per perk level.

1764

Found an amusing bug just a minute ago. I went to cut down a trash basic bandit, and I triggered a cinematic kill. Only, part way through it switched to the bandit getting a cinematic kill on my level 57 full health character ;)

It’s not the first time I’ve seen some weirdness with the game determining who is the recipient of an effect. Twice I’ve used Fus Ro Dah and shot myself through the air.

1765

Newton’s third law?

1766

Any tips for dealin with mages as a melee type? Faced some minibuses friend of witches earlier who just about ionized me. I am 16, in full Orcish, and with a +15% magic resist item. I guess I need to add more and more magic resist through enchanting?

1767

Are you using a shield? There’s a shield tree perk that reduces incoming elemental dmg by 50%. Also, shield bash interrupts casting.

Other than that? Kite around corners and try not to engage more than one or two at a time.

1768

When facing multiple frost mages it can hurt if you don’t plan your fight ahead of time. Corners really are your best bet if things get nasty though. You can also try to dodge, but spells move a lot faster than arrows.

You might want to check out a paralysis spell too.

It’s worthwhile to carry around a few resist potions. They’ll make fights against mages a lot easier if you find one that’s just too much.

1769

Ta for the tips. I need to get my shield skill up. Perhaps I will spend some more time blocking! Resist potions help, agreed.

1770

Leveling gets pretty weird by the late 50s. I have to occasionally set out on a session to raise skills I do not use, like picking up a greatsword and some heavy armor out of my trash chest for my mage/thief to go fight some draugr and pick up some skill points.

1771

Then why keep leveling?

1772

Because MOAR PERKS, duh :-)

I am still only level 29, but I have most of the perks I care most about. As a dual wielder, the +50% damage power attack perk is just awesome. Combined with the time shout and cranking stamina at every level up, I feel like the Tasmanian Devil. It is not getting old AT ALL, since my modus operandi is to be an explorer, and the faster I can kill baddies, the faster I can sprint to the next quest. The whole game is becoming a speedrun, because there is soooooooooooo much to see and I want to see it ALL.

I might do some late-game Illusion leveling just to play with invisibility and frenzy a bit if being Mr. Ginsu Speedcleaver gets boring, but that time is not yet.

1773

Alright, I’m at level 36. Just got enchanted legendary dragon plate with destruction cost reduction, one handed boost, shock resistance, and rings and amulets for frost and fire resistances (all in the +30%).

1 frost, 1 shock daedric swords, both legendary.

So, dual fireballs until the mana runs out or the baddies get to close, then dual blades for choppy choppy.

My plan is to go through the main quest line with this, then turn around, enchant myself some light armor and gear with bonuses for sneak and pickpocket, and go and finish DB and Thieves Guild quests.

1774

I find that when I hit a dungeon that, unusually, does NOT have a “fast exit” near the end, I am disappointed.

1775

Everything I’ve seen has a fast exit of some sort… I think? Either the exit opens up into the world somewhere else nearby the entrance, or the dungeon just curves back on itself and you jump down near the entrance/exit.

1776

How do you all make the most use of shouts and potions? Do you favourite key them all? I really don’t like taking a break during combat to mess around in menus, and I am only playing a sword and board dude right now. I can’t imagine what it is like for mages.

Speaking of which, has anyone played a pure caster cloth wearer enough to provide tips on which schools and spells to focus on and how to hotkey everything? I figure maybe spells on 1-4 for the left hand, 5-8 for the right maybe? Gah.

Oh, tip, quick switch between bow and your usual weapons: if your bow is on 1, press 1 again to put the bow away and draw the other weapon(s) you usually use.

1777

My hotkeys are currently:
1 - Summon Fire Atronach
2 - Summon Frost Atronach
3 - Primary attack spell (currently still Flames)
4 - *skin spell
5 - Soul Trap
6,7 - Secondary attack spells
8 - Healing

It’ll depend on your technique, though. I open up fights with a skin buff, summoning an Atronach, maybe casting Soul Trap if I want to collect some, and then start in with the magic attacks, so I try and keep those spells on the easier-reached left-hand numbers. You can’t bind to a particular hand, unfortunately, so I generally leave the primary attack spell on the right hand so it’s ready for dual-casting and just switch on the left.

For shouts, I generally leave it on the ice one and use it as a kind of crowd control, and only switch to the others as needed.

1778

Yes, check the build thread for my various posts on playing a clothie at master difficulty. Rough but fun.

Low level should give you plenty of time to experiment with illusion, although with the caveat that it cannot be relied on as a primary combat school. Conjuration is also unreliable, as some casters can steal your summons (higher level conjurers mostly, you can do it too with expert+ skill).

Ward is critical for anti-mage or dragon. Destruction is your only real choice for primary damage, dual cast + impact required once you get bolts. Early levels are fucking brutal, later on gets much easier.

Alteration is fantastic as a support skill, and at expert level gives you the fucking glorious spell paralysis!

Cost reduction in school > all other mage gear. Regen is shit but better than nothing.

Put perks mostly in destruction and enchanting, some points in alteration (fancy stuff like improving your defensive spells and magic resist) and nothing in restoration other than what you need to improve wards. Illusion is caster’s choice. Cost reduction talents are freaking critical.

1779

Thanks! Knew I had seen something somewhere about it - ta for the reprise. I am almost tempted to start a new character just to try out Margery, and I never run two characters at once in an RPG. I think that means I like Skyrim and also I know I will never explore it all in a single play through.

1780

Anyone else getting weird, transparent character models? Specifically, it’s happening with trolls and khajiit models, they appear semi-transparent. Not running any mods or tweaks, playing on a gtx570 everything maxed. Didn’t really care that much about this, but nearing the end on my 2 handed hammer face-smashing Nord, and was looking to start a sneaky catman (crocodile man ain’t doing it for me) to do the DB and thieves guild quests with a more appropriate character, but sneaky GHOST catman seems like overkill…