Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim – Beginner Tips and Strategies

The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim Special Edition is an open world experience filled with tons of content to explore. In order to help you make the most of your time, we put together this list of Skyrim tips to help you jump in and get started.

Check Your Surroundings

Paying attention to your surroundings can mean a lot of things in Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim Remastered. It can mean the difference between life and death, whether you find a cool item, or even something as simple as making sure you enjoy all of the beautiful vistas the game has to offer. If you want to be successful, no matter your class type, you’re going to want to pay attention to the area around you, and always check your surroundings for loot, enemies and other things you can use to your advantage. You’d be surprised by the sheer amount of secrets and hidden passageways you can find just by taking a moment and checking the nooks and crannies of each area. You might also be able to avoid all the traps in Skyrim if you’re careful and pay attention.

Watch Your Stats

There are a lot of enemies that want to kill you in Skyrim, which means that your stats are going to play an important part in your survival, especially on harder difficulties. Always make sure that you keep an eye on your Magicka, Stamina and Health, as these three attributes play a key role in your journey. You’ll also want to keep potions, food and other items that can help these attributes on your person at all times. We’d even suggest going as far as to favorite these items. That way, you can easily and quickly access them via the Favorites Menu. You should also learn which potions are the best in Skyrim, otherwise you’ll find yourself overflowing with sweet beverages.

Use your Favorites Menu

The Favorites Menu isn’t just there for novelty. In fact, it’s easily one of the most useful mechanics in the game. Items, including weapons, food, potions and even spells can be added to this list to allow you to switch between things quite easily. You can set favorites from your inventory screen. Simply load into the Menu, select Inventory, locate the item you wish to favorite and then press the button corresponding to your favorites list (it will appear in the bottom left-hand corner of the screen). Then, at any time, you can open up the Favorites list with the press of a button and switch between weapons, items and spells with ease. This is great for those players who like using long range weapons, as it allows them to quickly switch to melee combat with a few quick button presses, versus having to go all the way into the inventory management screen.

Read All the Books You Find

Books are strewn across the world of Skyrim, and while many of them offer short snippets of lore and information, others reward you with new skills and skill points for reading them. Because of this, make sure you’re taking a quick look at every book you come across in the world. Take your time, search the loot boxes in each area and pick them up at stores when you have a chance. This will not only give you a greater understanding of the world, and the troubles that plague its history, but it will also offer a good chance at gaining new skill points and upgrades you couldn’t get otherwise. Similarly, training with certain NPCs can raise skills and unlock new upgrades for you to use.

Join a Faction

There are a lot of different factions out there, and a lot of them have different agendas. The Stormcloaks wish to free Skyrim from Imperial rule, while the Imperial Legion want to rule the land with an iron fist. Find a faction that fits your liking, and lines up with the playstyle that you wish to use throughout the game, and join it. For example, players looking to make the most of their stealth and assassination skills will want to look into joining the Dark Brotherhood, a clan of assassins who target the most powerful people throughout Skyrim to further their agenda. Each faction also has its own storyline and quests, which gives you even more epic content to sift through.

These are just a few tips to help you get started along your way through the world of Skyrim. There is a lot to do and a lot to take in. Be patient, take your time and always keep an eye on your stats and surroundings. You can pick up the Official Prima Games Strategy Guide for more details, walkthroughs, and guides to the wonderful world of Skyrim.

You can also head back over to our Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim walkthrough to learn more about traps, armor and crafting in the world of Skyrim.