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It's Eric again, here to continue my multi-tiered review of The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim, and
in this video we are focusing on gameplay, the mechanics and overall flow of this captivating
RPG. Admittedly, I found the past versions of The Elder Scrolls combat to be somewhat
lackluster, and this is one of the many improvements Bethesda made. Battles are now more lifelike,
from the time you unsheath your Greatsword to the final blow that crushes your opponent's
skull. Being that you do not have to choose a class during character creation, you can
experiment with different abilities, such as casting destruction magic with one hand
and chopping at your enemies with a sword or axe in the other. You can be an expert
marksman and also be able to create life-giving potions with your alchemy skill, or be a lord
of destruction as you switch between destructive spells and two-handed weapons. Out of all
the abilities, I find that casting magic has improved by leaps and bounds. Instead of one
spell, you can cast two, and when fire roars out of your palms or the path to your next
goal is foretold by a clairvoyance spell, it feels so real and lifelike compared to
versions past, where spellcasting was static and almost mechanical. There are even spells
where you can simply cast a ball of light and have it follow you around to illuminate
your surroundings. Let's not forget your shout ability, a trademark of Skyrim. Early in the
game, you find out you are Dragonborn, able to strike down the mythical beasts and steal
their abilities, making you infinitely more powerful. The more dragons you defeat, the
more dragon souls you retain, and you use them to unlock the powerful shout abilities
that make it even easier to defeat the terrible beasts. Your shout abilities are easy to use
and sometimes even quicker to recharge than your magicka, and are certainly an important
tool in quashing dragon attacks. Another interesting factor in your success is your use of the
Skill Tree, illustrated beautifully by constellations. When you level up, it's up to you whether
you want to increase your magicka, health, or stamina. Once you've made your choice,
you can select a perk in traditional Fallout 3 style, and this is one of many features
that hints at the director's work history. Eighteen skills are incorporated into the
skill tree, and devoted fans of the Elder Scrolls series will notice that mysticism
has been spread out between various other skills, and Acrobatics and Athletics have
been omitted. Weapon skills are separated into one-hand, two-hand, and archery skills,
and armor abilities are easier to level up due to the condensed armor loadout now present
in Skyrim. A particular blemish on the Oblivion enemy leveling system was subject of much
criticism, since no matter how strong you got, the enemies you fought were always two
steps ahead of you. Another tip of the cap to the director for cleaning up this issue,
since in Skyrim, enemy strength is now determined by location and level. That means you can
still get messed up if you wander into the wrong area at level 1, but once you get stronger,
you can come back and wipe out the lot of your enemies. There is no shortage of quests
in Skyrim, and you'll never know when a new one will pop up. You could be chatting with
a bartender one day, and the next you'll be exploring a dungeon in search of treasure.
Such an open-ended approach to adventuring and questing is what the Elder Scrolls series
knows best. It reminds me of the addictiveness of questing in MMOs, and I find it reassuring
that you can get dat feel in a single player RPG. In the next section, I'll describe how
Bethesda went about the presentation of Skyrim, from the highly customizable character creation
to the sights and sounds of the majestic landscape of northern Tamriel.