The 2nd and 3rd sessions were definitely a game of two halves. The first all pastoral tranquility and random wanderings en-route to Whiterun. Discovering that you can nick stuff from farms. I have become adept at running down lines of leeks and taking every one. Then I wiled away a happy half hour trying to catch butterflies – ooh dangerous adventuring or what? The way I see it they could be a vital ingredient to a really awesome spell, must be actually, to be that hard to catch. Fruitless. The only thing I learned form all this was how to make a nourishing leek and butterfly stew 🙂
Completed Before the Storm, arrived at Dragonsreach and bought into Retrieve the Dragonstone. Off to Bleak Falls Barrow for me. Now to the second half of this session. After fending off a few lowly bandits (archery and sneak are coming on nicely thank you for asking) Stood outside the doors to Bleak Falls Temple – another moment of much saving.
Lifeforce sapped: 5:33:24 Verdict: Reeling me in … at last a dungeon
Inside the temple, atmospheric music and a few more bandits then a new adversary, the Draugr, unpleasant undead chaps but in a touch of irony handily dispatched with my shiny new Ancient Draugr Longsword.
And then a GalaxyQuest moment. A corridor with swinging blades. As Sigourney Weaver’s character said, why, what possible purpose could they serve? Less redundant here I suppose, to kill unwary adventurers. Didn’t bother thinking it out just ran through ’em, took the damage and healed – now adept at double equipped healing as a Dark Elfs’ Magicka recovers just that quickly!
You always know when you’re going to encounter the boss monster as the screen goes to whatever load/tutorial they use while loading a ton of data, oh and the fact that the room is bloody massive is a generally a hint too! SAVE at the gates to the Bleak Falls Sanctum. I’m on fire. Literally, my Ancestors’ Wrath power making short work of the Draugr Overlord. Lots of lovely ker-Ching. Liked the ethereal chanting that built in this chamber as you explored. Level 5 and back to Whiterun vowing to pop back and mop up the rest of the goodies I couldn’t carry.
As a reward for returning the Dragonstone the very nice Jarl gave me leave to buy a house in Whiterun which at 5000 gold will have to wait. Oh and started me on the Dragons Rising mission. Wow, got to fight my very 1st dragon – Mirmulnir – impressive and a good job I was standing close by when it died so I could absorb its soul and be unmasked as a Dragonborn, go me. This afforded me a housecarl -huh?- called Lydia who turns out to be a glorified adventurers +5 Bag of Holding but with useful fighting skills who constantly reminds you how much of an asset she is whenever you give her stuff. Could she BE more sarcastic “I am sworn to carry your burdens”. Right!
Off for Ivarstead and thence to High Hrothgar. Dabbled with a bit of cooking en-route after relieving some very nice bandits of their cooking equipment. I don’t predict this will be my characters’ path … Apple Cabbage Stew! Got to try my hand at some ad-hoc alchemy and discovered that Elves Ear + Frost Mirriam + Garlic = nothing vaguely useable and a drain on ingredients that could otherwise be used more gainfully. Dispatched an XXL Frost Spider and gleefuflly coated my Orcish Greatsword with the venom 🙂
Ooh, ah, pretty sparkler. Look at the stars and the 2 moons AND the Northern lights. Nice! Aren’t Ice Trolls anti-social, he, she or it, I’m not sexist – completely ignored my Ancestor’s Wrath power. Hit me once and “Game Over”. Desperately need more Xbox storage before I can create any more save games.
Lifeforce sapped: 8:59:44 Verdict: R&D on Ice Trolls wouldn’t be wasted effort.