New Things, post something you've never seen before in Skyrim. Options

[SubRosa]

It doesn't so much kick in automatically, as Solstheim is created with the effects of the Dragonborn main quest already underway. What I mean is you cannot sleep anywhere on the island, the Nature Stones all have scaffolds around them and construction going on, regular NPCs are doing all the work, etc... That is just the default state of the island. You have to do the DB main quest to get things back to normal. It is like how in Oblivion Kvatch starts the game in ruins.

I get around the DB mq by using a batch file that automatically runs through all of its stages. That gets the island mostly back to normal. Mostly.

[Lopov]

I didn't know that there are stairs a little south of the bandit-infested tower on the path from Riverwood to Bleak Falls Barrow. Until today I thought that there's only one way to reach that tower, and that is by following the Riverwood-BFB road.

This post has been edited by Lopov: Nov 15 2014, 12:03 PM

[Acadian]

I've always approached that tower from the east as well, but I just looked and you're right - a neat little path to the south with steps.

[SubRosa]

There are even a few iron deposits you can mine just below it, along the back entrance.

[Renee]

I didn't know about those steps either until Mycharonna moved into Anise's Cabin. She spent lot of time there, got to know the area well.

[Acadian]

Buffy just discovered something new. In the Solitude open market area of town there is a large well. On the rim of the well is a fishing pole. You can't interact with the fishing pole at all, but I've just never seen one in Skyrim before.

[Lopov]

They're rare, I know only of another one, located in the hunter's camp below the Guardian Stones.

Speaking of new things, Lucius and Lydia found a burnt house east of Ustengrav, it looks like it was attacked by a dragon.

This post has been edited by Lopov: Dec 3 2014, 09:32 PM

[ghastley]

There are a lot of fishing poles around. If you buy Honeyside, you get two of your own. I forget if they're on the balcony or down on the dock. Quite a few of the riverside camps have them. I'll check in the CK later, and find out how many.

As you noted, they're statics that you can't activate. I don't know if anyone has made a mod to let you use one, and I'll be resisting the temptation until I get the kids done.

Edit: Oh good! Someone else has done it.

17 individual fishing poles in the vanilla game: 2 are enabled when you buy Honeyside's balcony content, so that only leaves 15 at the start of the game. There are also 15 more in clumps of five on a boat in Riften dock outside the fishery, where it's less obvious what they are until you get closer - i.e onto the boat.

This post has been edited by ghastley: Dec 4 2014, 03:39 AM

[Acadian]

Oh, thanks for that info, both of you. Just never noticed before I guess. Lopov, Buffy's found a couple burned out cabins - but not the one you mentioned yet. Thanks! I was able to find it on the UESP interactive map - east northeast of Ustengrav as you say.

[Renee]

Good job ghastley, I'm definitely adding that one when I start on PC.

[ghastley]

Just discovered the shrine of Julianos that's north of Shearpoint and west of Irkngthand. It's on an almost-inaccessible ledge and is just the shrine object lying on the snow with a skeleton next to it. No platforms, pillars, or anything to give you a clue that it's there. I probably couldn't find it again if I tried.

Other than the basements of the Hearthfires homes, is there anything in the game that relates to "all the shrines" they way the Pilgrimage quest did in KotN? The shrine collections in Hearthfires are more about collecting the amulets, rather than shrine-visiting, anyway. I'd imagine the Dragon Priest mask collection is the nearest equivalent.

This post has been edited by ghastley: Dec 19 2014, 05:25 PM

[Lopov]

I've never found this shrine yet but I like it that there isn't anything special about it, as you say.

Today Lucius talked to Joric, the son of Jarl Idgrod of Morthal, and he said "You're different, aren't you? Not like anyone else. Not in Morthal, or Skyrim". I've never heard this line before and my former characters often talked to him. Maybe it's because Lucius is actually doing the MQ so he's been recognized as Dragonborn.

Another new thing I found is that if you repeatedly talk to some NPCs, they'll actually tell you a lot of little interesting things. For instance, Jonna from Morthal told Lucius that she came to Morthal together with Falion so it looks like they're related. They could be siblings but maybe they're also in a relationship.

Also, Frida from Dawnstar tells about losing her good husband years ago because of frost. I know that it's possible to find out about her dead husband by doing a quest for her but she also mentions it if talked to in the Dawnstar Inn at evening.

This post has been edited by Lopov: Dec 19 2014, 08:56 PM

[SubRosa]

I've never found this shrine yet but I like it that there isn't anything special about it, as you say.

Today Lucius talked to Joric, the son of Jarl Idgrod of Morthal, and he said "You're different, aren't you? Not like anyone else. Not in Morthal, or Skyrim". I've never heard this line before and my former characters often talked to him. Maybe it's because Lucius is actually doing the MQ so he's been recognized as Dragonborn.

Another new thing I found is that if you repeatedly talk to some NPCs, they'll actually tell you a lot of little interesting things. For instance, Jonna from Morthal told Lucius that she came to Morthal together with Falion so it looks like they're related. They could be siblings but maybe they're also in a relationship.

Also, Frida from Dawnstar tells about losing her good husband years ago because of frost. I know that it's possible to find out about her dead husband by doing a quest for her but she also mentions it if talked to in the Dawnstar Inn at evening.

I have heard those same dialogues from Joric with non-Dragonborn characters. The last time was with White Persephone, which was rather funny. Really kid, you noticed that the living dead girl with ghost white skin and glowing eyes is not like anyone else?

[Grits]

ghastley, I can’t think of an “all the shrines” thing in Skyrim. There’s an “all the Standing Stones” achievement, but it’s just one of those player things and not part of an individual game.

I have an Imperial bard named Varia who has inexplicably taken a shine to Orgnar. She chats with him a lot when she plays the Sleeping Giant. One of the first things he said to her was a new one for me: “You like skeever liver? No? Tough luck. Food’s hot. Never said it was good.”

[Acadian]

I think I've heard that 'You're different...' line from Joric. Buffy talks to Idgrod the Younger quite a bit and I'm pretty sure Joric has told her that line.

That's so funny about the skeever liver! I've never heard that one!

Buffy encountered something new today - remember, she is Dawnguard complete in her game. She was riding south along the road from Winterhold and saw another rider in the distance - at a trot with the haft of a 2H weapon rising above one shoulder of the rider. As the rider drew closer, they showed no sign of hostility. Once abreast, Buffy spoke to the rider - now clearly wearing heavy Dawnguard armor and a full-face helm. She was an NPC Buffy had never encountered before named something like Sariah and said she was sorry she hadn't time to talk, but she was on important business for the Dawnguard. Pretty neat!

[SubRosa]

I have never heard that Skeever liver remark either, and my older characters spent a lot of time in the Riverwood area.

Persephone has seen those Dawnguard riders as well. They never have anything to say.

This post has been edited by SubRosa: Dec 21 2014, 12:02 AM

[Acadian]

As a member of the College of Winterhold, Buffy knows the road leading to Winterhold well. For 500 hours of gameplay, Fort Kastov has been a minor inconvenience along the way with its unavoidable skellies and necrodudes patrolling.

Buffy was surprised and delighted today to see no less than a dozen soldiers (bluecoats) moving in and taking over the place! I guess it has something to do with the civil war, but Buffy has remained fastidiously neutral between the red and bluecoats and remains welcome in both camps. Of course, she's happy to kill Thalmor when she can do so without witnesses/bounty or attracting attention.

[Renee]

Yes, eventually soldiers take over that fort, but they don't do so as promptly as the Imperials who take over the fort near Whiterun. I'm not sure what triggers the Stormies to show up; I've had my folks defeat Kastov many times, but it can take awhile for the bluecoats to show up.

[SubRosa]

It could be that you are traveling too near the fort, preventing the cell from resetting. Normal cells take 30 days to reset from the last time you were in it. Cells with bosses take 10 days if you get the cleared flag for killing the boss. I think the civil war forts count at the latter, as they have a bandit boss to start with. But those forts are weird, because of all the civil war scripting.

[Acadian]

Riding along on the tundra plains near Whiterun at 3:15 in the morning. Beautiful night.

Some 'bird screeching' soft noises ahead that quickly get louder. Buffy and Superian are almost engulfed in a huge flock of passing bats for a couple seconds. Just as quickly, the bats moved on, out of sight. We didn't know what to think. Instinctively, Superian stopped and Buffy unshouldered her bow. She wondered if it was precurser to a vampire attack? Nope, just a big flock of bats probably on a bug hunt.