How to install/open Skyrim Creation Kit

Randomed by Rituraj / at 6:45 PM / / 0 rambling(s)

The location is irritatingly hidden and there are no clear instruction on Steam or Bethesda Blog on how to Open it, so here they are:

1. Open Steam
2. Sign In
3. Go to View->Tools
4. From the long list of tools displayed right click Creation Kit and click Install.
5. Done

Skyrim: All the different classes/styles possible

Randomed by Rituraj / at 6:21 PM / / 0 rambling(s)

I am currently level 39 in Skyrim. Not to mention I have barely made a dent in the game. I have only finished the Companions, Thieves Guild, Half of Dark Brotherhood, 3 Daedric quests and about 70 Miscellaneous quests and 50 Side Quests. But I am sure this is only like 20% of the entire game.


So I have come up with these different styles one can play with in Skyrim, switching from one style to another at any point of the game, which is essentially the beauty of Skyrim:

1. Sneak Assassin: dual-wield daggers and light armor (most powerful).
2. Sneak Archer : Bow and light armor.
3. Sneak Assassin-Mage :dagger in one hand and spell in the other with light armor.
4. Sneak warrior :sword and shield with heavy armor (not effective beyond level 10)
5. Standard Mage :staff+spell or dual-wield spells. (Very much fun)
6. BattleMage :sword in one hand and staff or spell(Destruction) in the other hand. (Difficult)
7. Power-Warrior :a two handed weapon in heavy armor. (Very Powerful)
8. Standard-Warrior :a one-handed weapon and shield with heavy armor. (Fun and powerful)
9. Endurance-Warrior :any weapon combined with focus on Restoration tree
10. Endurance-Archer: Bow and arrow combined with focus on Restoration tree
11. Archer-Conjurer: Bow and arrow with focus on Conjuration Tree

So there. I am sure I will discover many more combinations as I progress further into the game. I played as an Assassin till level 30. After my sneak reached 100 I have now switched over to a Mage. After about level 45-48 I will switch over to a warrior!

Skyrim: Sneak-Final Impressions

Randomed by Rituraj / at 3:29 PM / / 0 rambling(s)

I have been playing Skyrim mostly stealth way till now. I have finished the Companions, Thieves Guild and Dark Brotherhood missions/story using stealth alone. My stealth is at 92 currently so I have had enough experience of it by now and I would like to share it.
The stealth in Skyrim is just phenomenal. It is the greatest change that they have made to Oblivion and incorporated in Skyrim. A sufficiently high sneak skill allows me to infiltrate more effectively which in turn allows me to kill more effectively which in turn increases my sneak even more. So once the stealth ball gets rolling there is no stopping it! However, at this point I get a 30x damage multiplier for a successful sneak attack with daggers. Which means that there is NOTHING in the game that I cannot kill in one shot. So it has been happening so that I have been killing bosses in one shot and thus not even beginning the fights that were meant to be difficult and last, let alone fight them. In other words, sneak attacks need to be nerfed in Skyrim :D. From this point on I am going to play as a mage, the beauty of Skyrim - play as whatever you want to without any restrictions and you can keep switching! So well, I will most probably start College of Winterhold quests and will use only magic.
Then after that I will finally go back to the good ol' warrior with a sword and a shield or maybe a 2 handed greatsword! And then, who knows, back to stealth again if the enemies get challenging enough!

Skyrim: How to score stealth kills

Randomed by Rituraj / at 8:47 PM / / 1 rambling(s)

I have been trying to figure this one out since the moment I installed Skyrim. This was, in fact, one of the most awaited features of the game. However, nowhere is it specified as to how to score the stealth kill (the one where an animation of the character slitting the enemy's throat is displayed). I finally figured out what is needed to score it most of the time:
First of all a somewhat high sneak skill level is recommended. Now, I usually start sneak up on the enemy who is facing the other way. While approaching the enemy, when the distance between the enemy and me is about 2-3 steps more I left click WHILE moving towards the enemy. I have observed that using a power attack usually results in a failed attempt. I just tried this on a fort where there were three bandits and it worked on all of them. However, please note that my sneak level is about 65. On top of that I also have the Assassin's Blade perk along with some items which enhance sneak attack damages. So I usually get a 30x sneak attack damage multiplier(that's right :D). So it might also be possible that the sneak attack works only when the hit is a one shot kill but if that is the case then I don't really see the point in adding the feature. Also, please note that stealth kills usually work only on humans...I think :S
[Edit]: Here is a link to a video I made getting stealth kills. Bear with the low resolution and lag :S
Skyrim Stealth Kills Video

Skyrim: How to cure Lycanthropy/Blood of the Beast/Werewolf

Randomed by Rituraj / at 7:39 PM / / 3 rambling(s)

Spoiler Alert!!!

The first time I saw the beast form I was very impressed. However, that was shortlived because I expected the werewolf form to be considerably more powerful either in terms of damage or hitpoints. But I was disappointed. On top of that, it prevents you from gaining sleeping bonuses. So all I could think of was how to get rid of it. It's simple but involves doing an optional quest.
There is a quest called Blood Of Honor which Kodlak gives wherein I was supposed to kill some Glenmoril witches - a powerful version of hagravens basically. It involves an optional quest wherein you can kill all the witches in the cave. This is important because if you collect only one head then that gets consumed in curing Kodlak. However, if you collect more than one head then the extra head can be used to cure yourself.

Skyrim: Which class/skills to specialize in (First Impressions)

Randomed by Rituraj / at 1:22 PM / / 0 rambling(s)

I have played Skyrim for about 10-12 hours now with my character at level 15. My main storyline is currently stuck at Speak to the GreyBeards. I prefer doing one story missions after completing like 50 side quests.
Anyways, the point is I have formed certain opinions on my character development in the game. So here goes.
First of all, I must say the character development has been changed a LOT compared to Oblivion. Now, there are no Major Skills which were the only way to level up your character. Sneak and magic has been heavily improved which were very difficult to play with in Oblivion.
So I feel the best way to play the game is no longer a melee warrior with 2 handed swords or sword-shield. I have always wanted to play rogue/stealth in RPGs. And since stealth is so good in this game, that is what I am pursuing for now. But of course, such is the character development system in Skyrim that I need not stick to being a rogue throughout the game. I can start casting spells whenever I want which will also level me up!
One big reason why stealth/mage/archer are now so lucrative in Skyrim is the option of mercenaries/housecarls/followers. I literally play the game with someone watching my back all the time. Currently it is Lydia (since she be hot :D). This helps a lot because you can make your follower take all the damage on the frontlines with the correct equipment that you provide to him/her and you can rain down spells or arrows or dagger-combos on your foe.
Furthermore, stealth archery is awesome now! Once you shoot an enemy with arrows in stealth it is not necessary that you will be detected (unlike Oblivion). If you change your position, or drink invisibility potion then the enemies will stop looking for you after sometime and you can go back to shooting arrows once again.
So here is the gist of it, my choice in order of decreasing preference:
1. Stealth (daggers+bow)
2. Mage (not decided which magic tree yet)
3. The good old time tested melee warrior

Skyrim: Hireling/Housecarl/Mercenary appearance is not locked

Randomed by Rituraj / at 10:08 PM / / 0 rambling(s)

At first I thought no matter what armor I give Lydia, the housecarl, her appearance will not change. However, I just gave her some Thalmore Robes and her appearance does seem to have changed! This has me excited about customizing the followers in Skyrim :D

Skyrim: Lost Lydia and found her back again

Randomed by Rituraj / at 5:26 PM / / 11 rambling(s)

One moment Lydia was following me and the next she was replaced by Farkas as my shield brother which was a part of the mission Proving Honor. But once the mission got over I realized Lydia is gone! She was not following me anymore. I thought she was replaced permanently but I found her lingering in the Dragonsreach main hall. If that would not have worked I was planning on buying a house and waiting for her there.

[Edit] I got like 1200 hits in one hour on this post so I guess people have been losing Lydia a lot...lol. Well, I myself lost her once again because I asked her to wait for me somewhere and then I forgot to ask her to follow me. Well, apparently there is no way to find her. I tried replacing her with another mercenary assuming that then she will return to the Dragonsreach main hall or to the house that I have bought. However, the mercenary won't join me until I part ways with Lydia!