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!
RANDOM RAMBLINGS [ran-duhm ram-blings] n. 1 straying from one subject to another in a random, haphazard and aimless manner. 2 the most random blog on the internet.
Skyrim: All the different classes/styles possible
Skyrim: Which class/skills to specialize in (First Impressions)
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
