Gamescom 2011: The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim Preview - Venturing Off The Beaten Path

96
Dan Webb

Considering the huge impact Skyrim had upon us when we saw it originally at Bethesda’s BFG showcase in Utah this April, it was rather disappointing for us to see pretty much the same presentation at E3. Gamescom however was a return to form for Bethesda’s killer franchise and rather than seeing 5 minutes of new gameplay tacked onto the end of what we’d already seen, the Washington DC-based powerhouse came with 45 minutes of pure Skyrim bliss with a focus on off-the-beaten path shenanigans. And we lapped up every single damn minute of it.

Like any other Elder Scrolls game to date, Skyrim sees your character, Dovahkiin, break free from the shackles of oppression and ascend upon the diverse environments of Tamriel’s northern most region, Skyrim, with some higher quest to tackle. This time, you’re off to fight dragons and shit… well, not shit in the literal sense, we’re talking entirely theoretical here. The Gamescom demo picks up from the get go, with Pete Hines, Bethesda’s VP of PR and Marketing steering the presentation, opting to choose a male Orc – you can be a female Orc too, don’t worry! – whilst showing off various other options you can opt for to customise your character. Want one blind eye, coloured eyes, scars or war paint for instance, then the options are all there to realise your Orc fantasies. Of course, there are ten races, including Khajiit and Argonians if you fancy something much different.

Now, there’s a lot to cover here, so I won’t dilly-dally too much on setting the scene; remember, this is all about the freeform exploration that the game will offer players, so the when and the why really don’t matter.

Hines was keen to point out a few of the neat assists that Skyrim will offer players, from the location icons on the compass at the top of the HUD – which get bigger the closer you are to the points of interest – to the ability to tag favourites in your inventory. For us though, the simple use of marking items with a triangle item if they are the best of their class in your inventory – and even being able to quick equip items from downed foes – will be a saving grace for item hoarders like us!

It’s not all about the huge improvements in Skyrim either, Bethesda has taken extra care to improve your experience with a whole host of subtle tweaks as well. Apart from the aforementioned favourites and marking of best of class, Bethesda has also allowed you to sprint – using LB, but it does use up your stamina metre – while adding a colour-specific glowing effect on enchanted items – in this case, the Iron Boots of Minor Stamina have a green hue around them.

The combat seems very much untouched from demonstrations gone by, with Dovahkiin dual-wielding a number of spells and weapons. We did however get to see the torch being used as a shield for what I believe is the first time, and if your timing is spot on with the block-esque push, you can even set them on fire for a short amount of time in the process. The combat definitely seemed to be a lot trickier here than we’ve seen to date, with Dovahkiin having to tend to various spell-wielding necromancers who have an uncanny ability to heal themselves being top of the list of challenges. That said, Hines wasn’t using/didn’t have any dragon shouts to make use of. Speaking of special abilities, Hines did run us past a set of Guardian Stones which imbue the quester with a certain power to take advantage of – the Shadow Stone for instance can make the caster invisible once a day. According to Hines though, they can only be used one at a time, but can be switched out and changed at any point.

Food, according to Hines, will have more of an impact in Skyrim than it ever has done before in an Elder Scrolls game. Not only will you be able to munch on it for a much needed health boost, but players can now cook and follow recipes to improve the effects of said ingredients. So for instance, eating venison raw could give you 4 health points, but if you cook that with vegetables and some herbs, you can probably extend its effectiveness so that it’ll recover 14 health points. Having the ability then to jump into the water and catch some fish or chase dragonflies around the grassy pastures might not seem so dumb after all.

Then there’s smithing, which by first impression, seems to be the most rewarding of all. Before hitting the smithing station, Hines picks up a Light Armour Forging book to improve his smithing skill, allowing him to craft better items. In Skyrim, crafting items is a multi-faceted process which will mean you have to mine iron ore from iron veins, to craft into iron bars, which you can then use to forge into items like weapons and armour. What items you make depends on your smithing skill: at the beginning of the game players can smith a variety of items – leather, iron, etc – but depending on your smithing skill and how you level it up, you can use the perks to craft new materials.

If you’re more into potions and what not, then alchemy will be for you, and it’ll allow you to use all those pelts and flowers to create some handy items. According to Hines, alchemy is merely about experimenting with the items to see what you can create. The more you do it, the more attributes you know a certain ingredient will offer the potion. For instance, combining a Mudcrab Claw with a River Betty will combine to create a resist potion spell. In an alchemy lab though, you’re only limited by your ingredients and your ability to experiment, but the rewards – like high powered health potions – can be a more than worthy reward.

Last but not least, in terms of the creationist aspects of the game, we also got a sneak peak at the enchanting workbenches dotted around Skyrim. Enchanting is essentially to do with you finding soul gems, combining them with items, and then applying them to the various weapons and armour to give them magical effects. That’s all well and good if you have a plethora of soul gems coming out your anus, but if not, you’ll be left breaking down weapons to learn skills to apply to other weapons and pieces of armour.

Other points worth noting are that the lockpicking in Skyrim will be similar to that in Fallout 3, the third-person animations are smoother than they’ve ever been in the franchise – or from any Bethesda Game Studios title for that matter – and Bethesda will be rewarding players who get their exploration on – in this instance, a hidden underwater tunnel in Ilinata’s Deep – a sunken imperial fort in a lake – could have some great surprises for players.

It was a presentation packed with information galore and one that answered many other lingering questions that have been hanging around since the game’s announcement like a bad smell. With 20-25 hours of the main quest promised as well, it’s already starting to overshadow Oblivion in terms of scope and with Hines finally confirming the existence of the Dark Brotherhood faction, it’s shaping up to be an epic sequel of all proportions. Look, we don’t give our Gamescom Game of the Show out to just anyone, so that should speak volumes. Geddit!? I mean, what other game allows you to kill a crab with a sword?

The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim is scheduled for a November 11th 2011 release worldwide.

Comments
96
  • Awesome! Cannot wait to dedicate my life to this game!
  • Sexy
  • Cant wait to kick back with a bottle of Skooma and a handful of Moonsugar.
  • Never played Elder Scrolls. But I've heard great stuff about it. I will most likely wait for this game to go to the bargain bins. [Which it will, many months from now]
  • I can already see this game being the game of the year!
  • Cant wait to spend countless days mining ore and making stuff
  • @4 Dont bet in it getting in the bargain bin any time soon. Oblivion took a couple years to get there, especially with the DLC that was offered. But yes, it will get there, like you said.
  • I love that they're keeping, and even expanding, the creative aspects of the series. I love getting to experiment with stuff and find new uses and effects. I just hope that enchanting is a viable and powerful skill. It was weakened from Morrowind to Oblivion. Regardless, this game will consume me for some time, I know. Lots of love for Bethesda and Elder Scrolls.
  • holy hell lol. the more i read about this the more stoked i am. i've already been waiting for this since i got into oblivion. all this gameplay footage and info is just making it worse lol. keep it coming!
  • Coming from Dan, I'm surprised it's not ME3, but I'm guessing their presence didn't show nothing new LOL. You are such an obvious person when it comes to preferences in games. Still sounds promising and I plan to pick it up early next year:-)
  • The smithing reminds me or runescape, anyone else? Good old runescape, stole hours of my life away and never was very rewarding for me. But I think I could make adamantine boots or something lol, damn players always taking the good ores though. That game was kind of a bitch.
  • Dark brotherhood. Fuck yes!
  • @4 same here. $60 is too much for a crappy game like this, especially when I will be too busy playing MW 3.
  • This game is going to make my insomnia even worse!
  • Look, I didn't even read this article. This game is going to be amazing. That is all! neo
  • @13 Obvious troll is obvious.
  • @13 I wont be getting this game anytime soon, but I can tell you right now that that recycled mw3 shite will not go any wear near my xbox, feel sorry for u wasting your money
  • @#4 Umm Oblivion is still $29.99, It's a bargain for that type of game yes but look at other games that are just as old... Don't expect it to be in the bin for a while like #7 stated. Oh and #4 you should really pick up Oblivion and then Morrowind if you had a good experience, both are really great games and each of them got GOTY when it actually still meant something.
  • haha kids hatin on skyrim cause their to poor to buy it.
  • I have to stop reading the previews for this game, the more I read them the harder it is waiting for 11/11/11 to come! This is my last preview I'll read until the game comes out!
  • Everything I see or hear on this game makes me want it more. Good thing there's plenty of game coming out between now and Nov. 11th, should make the wait go by faster.
  • My wife will divorce me when this comes out.
  • what's all this talk about game of the year this is going to GAME OF THE CENTURY
  • I have already informed friends and family that I will be unavailable for an undetermined amount of time as of November 11th.
  • Why do people keep saying they will wait till this game goes into the bargin bin. I mean it won't go in the bargin bin. Look at oblivion thats still at a high price now. GOTY Edition still sells for around £30 to £40 and thats used.
  • $60 for 300 plus hours of gameplay sounds like a bargain to me. When I can bang out some full priced games in less than 20 hours, this treasure feels like a steal. It is no doubt a day one purchase!!!
  • One to play and one disk to fuck every night.
  • dark brotherhood for life!!!!!!!!
  • I think there's a warrant out for #13's arrest. He's also been blacklisted from purchasing this game. This is definitely GOTY contender. Just hope I have Arkham City completed before it comes out...
  • Won't get this game straight away but will definitely be getting it at some point. Oblivion was a really good game.
  • I came.
  • "what other game allows you to kill a crab with a sword" runescape does
  • @13 I logged on just to dislike that
  • @ 13 he's just mad cuz he can't follow a story for more than an hour ... which is probably more than the campaign lasts in MW3
  • taking 3 weeks off of work for this...err and my family i swear....
  • Good god, I cannot wait for this game. Need to tell my wife not to bother me for 300+ hours. sheesh!......
  • Dark brotherhood!!!! Wooo just shot my arms up into the air saying F*** yea
  • #13 If your only thing to do on your spare time is to bash on other games that people have been looking for a much longer time than MW3 and talk about Modern "gayfuck" 3, please go get a different hobby "sir". You honestly have no life if you enjoy buying and playing re-used trash from MW2.
  • Can you get married, buy houses and stuff like you could in Fable 3? I always thought that was fun and it would be even funnier in a game thats better than Fable 3, like this most likely will be. Day one buy for me!
  • This game will basically be my second life.
  • will I be able to the metal with a hammer at a blacksmith anvil? I am trying to say for instance: use the right trigger to use the hammer to hit the hot metal on the anvil, and then cool it in a tub of water?
  • So many good games coming out in November!
  • Dark Brotherhood
  • All those childish hypocrits saying " don't hate on thing jUst because u don't like it" but then they" re saying the same thing about mw3 and besides he's right . I would rather put a turd in my xbox and play that game( plus I heard it's pretty good) not Elder scrolls
  • Dark Brotherhood? Sold (not that I needed to be sold on the game anyways).
  • Love seeing the expressions "dilly-dally" and "what not" being used. Proper British parlance!
  • This is going to be awesome!
  • looks and sounds fangtastic, if its half as good as oblivion it should be brilliant. can't wait roll on november
  • @49 half as good as Oblivion would make this game shit. Think about what you post. Oblivion was good of course, but it wasn't that good especially compared to Morrowind. Imagine Oblivion would be 50 shittier than it is already, and if you take that on to Skyrim. No, just no. Skyrim has to be 50% better than Oblivion to be brilliant. I wonder if some people use their brain on this forum at all.
  • I meant to say @48, see what your madness is doing to me? Reading your bullshit makes me become full of bullshit myself. Also sorry for the double post, but on the other hand the world isn't doomed because of it.
  • The end of this year is going to be f#####g amazing! New car, first baby in November and the holy threesome of gaming (TES:S, BF3, MW3)... *pleasure overload!!!
  • Counting down the days!!! Absolutely can't wait!!
  • @13 Congrats, even though you're an obvious troll, idiots on this website still brought it. @17, @38 you're no better than the trolling loser, well done. @49 You're just a pompous dick. On-topic: Can't wait for this game! Probably won't be able to play it until the 12th though, seeing as it's my 18th birthday on the 11th :L Playing Skyrim whilst hungover? Hell yeah :D
  • Underwater tunnel!? Sunken fort!? Yeah, I'll be an Argonian! I loved being the Argonian warrior in Morrowind, lots of loot to look for underwater.
  • @39 Hey Games 4 ever, I remember reading in an interview that you will indeed be able to buy houses and get married. If I also remember correctly you can have kids too =).
  • @13 get off this website , with ur rubbish 500 gamer score and family settings. Skyrim will almost defo be game of the year i will be spending much more time on this epic game than mw3 , pfffft typical cod fanboy
  • Dark Brother is back! I loved those missions in oblivion, all the twists and turns kept me on my toes
  • Brotherhood rather. Ok here come the all the thumbs down
  • GOTY for sure!
  • @55 Okay thanks
  • @56 *Facepalm* Now we have insults over gamerscore, I feel for some people. @57 Ha, I loved the loot you got from doing the bonus objectives the most. Some of that stuff kicked ass! I remember the DB story as the best faction story in game though :) Plus the blade of Woe was perfect for killing ghosts/wisps :P
  • this game will be so awesome and probably so short again :(
  • @13 MW3 can go eat a bowl of fuck. Skyrim will shit all over that useless content called a "game"
  • Call of Duty, like the latest NFL video game, does not need to have more than one iteration. All the games are basically the same, with the same generic Tom Clancy Novel premise. Only CoD game I ever owned was Black Ops. And from what I understand, the experience with that game is typical of the series. So basically... Story is stupid and forgettible... And the online is riddled with cheaters, modders, hackers, and connection manipulators. So, I think I'll stick with my GREAT games instead of mediocre ones. Or at least, games that don't scream "The numbers!" at me every ten seconds. I've been looking forward to Skyrim since it was announced. And since all the trailers show a human class, I had wondered if your race was set in stone. This article assures me otherwise. I loved being an Argonian in the last one, I'm going to love being one in this one. Though, I do wonder if they took out the AI bug that allowed you to hide underwater while your enemies drowned themselves trying to melee you. It was funny and cheap, but it needed to be removed. Yes, even if it IS funny to drown Will-o-Wisps. November can't get here fast enough.
  • I can't wait
  • @4 "Bad troll is bad."
  • Goodbye social life...
  • Big fan of elder scrolls series will but eventualy looks similar to olivion heres hopin itll be worth it.
  • C'mon people... Is it really necessary to complain about Call of Duty in every goddamn news post? Ignore the trolls and talk about the damn article. On-Topic: Thank christ, no more of that bullshit lockpicking from Oblivion. Very glad to hear they will be implementing a lockpick system similar to the recent Fallout games. Also very relieved to hear that the Dark Brotherhood will be returning.
  • rage,BF3,TES.S, and assassins creed revelations i just cannot wait. loved being an argonian and with what you can do(custamization whise) they shall be even better and does any one else think the collectors edition is a bit overpriced???
  • my grades will drop once this game comes out
  • Nice write-up, thanks very much Mr.Webb. Pre-ordered the CE a few days ago, currently installing a commode and portable fridge in my sofa so I dont have to leave the TV when this is released.
  • I just made that comment for the sake of it.
  • I just realized that November 11th is a Friday. That means I might not need to worry as much about balancing this and homework.
  • @3: LMAO! @70: It's VERY overpriced, but im still getting it. lol I too will be playing as Argonian! Complete tolerance to poison, high tolerance to disease, water breathing, security and sneak bonus, hell who wouldn't want to play as an Argonian!? They are the perfect assassin! I wont have to buy a new game till Street Fighter x Tekken or Mass Effect 3 is released due to all the game-time i'll be putting in with Skyrim!
  • yay they combined runescape and elder scrolls xD. now all the runescape 'nerds' will have a better game to play xD.
  • so excited, when i heard the dark brotherhood was returning i started foaming from the mouth in amazement.
  • Im ditching all achievements guides for this game. Im just gonna dive in and see where the road takes me, it promises to be some experience
  • @#13 nobody cares about what you're going to be playing so you can stick that MW3 up your ass. You obviously play nothing put cod online or have only played xbox for about a month seeing as how you have a 523 gamerscore. So go ahead and stay in the multiplayer rooms with your homo buddies. Get some fuckin playtime on a bigger aresenal of games before you come in here and bash on good, excuse me, GREAT games and the people who are experienced enough to know the difference between a good a shit game..fag
  • i can´t wait to buy this game but its stil so long-.-
  • @51. Good luck with gaming and baby care. I played way to much Oblivion and swore I'd never do that again. How can I commit to really getting into a game like that and manage two kids and a job? I'll have to find a way!
  • Waiting years for the day this game wil be released !!
  • this game looks fantastic :D .. really cant wait for november for this to come out ... i told my gf she might not see me for a while when it does .. she wasnt happy XD
  • I am gonna lose sooo much sleep.......
  • @#79 LOL u took the words outta my mouth, well said :)
  • @*4 + *13: you both are the result of inbreeding between orcs and trolls!!!
  • haha can't wait to start swinging hammer! blacksmithing is gonna make my life complete...
  • This games sweet for when im get a little tired of playing online gears/BF/COD to just jump on relax and rollplay. Cant wait for ES 5
  • I hope they put hunger and thirst in it like hardcore mode on Fallout: New Vegas, that would be EPIC!!! Well said #79, why go on a forum for a game you never intend to play, #13, just to complain. Go and talk to your "Friends" on the MW3 forums or, better yet, go play with yourself in the middle of the fucking motorway.
  • Also #79, #13's account has probably been banned because he's not capable of withholding his stupid comments on Xbox Live. Try existing in the real world where other people might know what the fuck they're on about. Sorry to Troll.
  • cool,should be another good game to add to the collection...maybe... & hahaha to the 2 comments above! thats well said!
  • Hope they have some kick ass DLC coming out too!
  • cant wait
  • Im signing my soul, so maybe when this game comes out and i give it over to to Todd Howard, maybe it will be worth something later in life.
  • Game looks great.
  • i can not wait to fight dragons, i cant think of a better developer or series to do this in
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