The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim is an epic role playing game, but you probably knew that already. We’ve already harped on about why it’s not to be missed, how to improve your dragon slaying using an iPhone and kept a close eye on technical issues.
Now it’s time to dig deep and see what the web has to offer the Dragonborn. The following resources will aid you in clearing dungeons, navigating the province, mastering alchemy and a whole lot more.
I was going to put a joke here, but then I took an arrow to the knee.
Reference & Walkthrough
You can’t beat a well-maintained wiki when it comes to crowdsourcing information about video games, and Skyrim isn’t short on wikis. The two I would recommend are the Unofficial Elder Scrolls Pages (UESP, established in 1995) and the Elder Scrolls at Wikia.
Both of these sites feature a healthy, constantly growing database of pretty much everything the game throws at you. Mission walkthroughs, character biographies, item locations - pretty much everything you need to know. Be warned though, it’s easy to spoil quests and developing storylines by spending too much time reading articles. Skyrim’s entry on GameFAQs also has a number of extremely detailed walkthroughs.
If it’s a giant annotated map you’re after then check out GameBanshee’s 9.34MB high-resolution .PNG [Broken URL Removed] which also comes in 9-page PDF form for easy printing as a 3x3 poster for your wall (you geek).
Alchemy & Ingredients
The simplest way of discovering an ingredient’s effect is by eating it and seeing what happens to you. If you’re not keen on poisoning yourself or would rather not waste your precious ingredients then one of the many alchemy guides is bound to suit.
There are two rather awesome tools for budding alchemists, the first being the Skyrim Alchemy Recipes Finder. Simply add a few ingredients (or all of them for the full list) and all possible potions will be revealed to you. This utility is useful for finding out what certain ingredients do without wasting anything.
You can also use Josh Blevins’ Alchemy Effects & Ingredients to reverse look-up an effect for a list of ingredients. Traditional types who like long plain text lists should take a look at Ahlyis’ Alchemy Guide on GameFAQs which has full potions, ingredients and effects lists.
Character Building
Building a character can present you with some of the toughest decisions in the game, so planning your perks is the best way to ensure your character blossoms into the dragon slaying hero you desire.
Thankfully it’s easy to do just that with the Skyrim Perk Calculator. Use it to go hog wild and build the character of your dreams then plan your path to power, save and start exploring the world. iOS and Android users can look forward to mobile apps soon.
There is also a fairly lengthy character development guide on GameFAQs as well as this more condensed version from SegmentNext.
PC Gamers & Modding
Those of you enjoying the PC version of the game are lucky enough to be able to modify it but also have the added obstacle of performance issues. If you are suffering from poor framerates or just think your game could run smoother then have a look at nVidia’s Skyrim tweak guide, it even comes with Bethesda’s approval.
As for mods then look no further than Skyrim Nexus. There really are quite a lot of mods on this site with new ones being released regularly. If you fancy modding your game but don’t know where to start then you could always take some inspiration from PC Gamer’s Top 25 Skyrim mods.
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Conclusion
If you’ve not yet played Skyrim then you have a fantastic experience in store if beautiful open-world RPGs are your thing. Even if you’re a well-seasoned adventurer, hopefully some of these resources will help you out next time you decide to start a new character.
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If you have any of your own recommendations, links or just an opinion then add a comment below.