The latest issue of the Official Xbox Magazine has dropped tons of Skyrim details. In addition to all the info revealed earlier by Game Informer, OXM reveals some interesting facts, some key locations and skills that are sure to raise some eyebrows. Here’s the scoop:-
* Telekinesis is an assured spell
* No more agility to build up so you can assume that the game involves less jumping
* There is a perk that will lower the sound of your footsteps.
* When you kill a dragon you’re able to absorb its soul which will give you a new dragon shout ability
* Windhelm is the largest city in the game and is home to the Imperial Guards
* Bleak Falls Barrows is an ancient ancient Nord catacombs which features rivers, tree roots coming through the ceiling and light coming through odd cracks.
* 120 Dungeons and Bethesda claims that ‘no two areas will be alike’.
* The Shivering isles expansion inspired the team that unique, hand-crafted cities, where no two buildings look the same, was the way to go.
* Snow will be recreated unlike any other game before,landscapes realistically get dusted with snow landing in appropriate nooks and crannies.
* Dragon Shouts are ancient words which when uttered by the player, will invoke powerful magic powers. These shouts can be upgraded for a more powerful or lengthier impact. Dragon Shouts can be acquired by finding the word inscriptions on walls or by slaving dragons.
Confirmed Locations:-
* Solitude
* Markarth
* Dawnstar
* Winter Hold
* Windhelm
* Whiterun
* Riften
* Falkreath
Confirmed Skills:-
* Alchemy
* Illusion
* Conjuration
* Destruction
* Restoration
* Alteration
* Enchanting
That’s more than enough info to satisfy all the Elder Scrolls fans out there. But hopefully, the news will keep rolling in. Although we hardly know anything about the game, Skyrim is already shaping up to be one of the most refined and complete RPGs ever.
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More info from the forums
* There is a perk that will lower the sound of your footsteps.
* Perk for Axe that enables deeper cuts, which means prolonged bleeding. You can hit someone once and they will eventually bleed out.
* Eventual perk upgrade for Maces that will allow you to hit for full damage, ignoring armor stats.
* The article mentions placing runes on the floor (that we know already) but in particular talks about 'lob a frost rune down and if an enemy wanders over it, shards of ice will be launched through its body'
* Telekinesis is an available spell.
* 'No more agility to build up so don't have to keep jumping around to level up' (I assume they mean no longer skills like acrobatics and athletes but they use the word agility)
* When you kill a dragon you're able to absorb its soul which will make you learn a new dragon shout.
* There is a dragon shout called 'Unrelenting Force' which pushes anything standing directly in front of you backwards.
* Dragon shouts have cooldown periods after each shout performed. Individual shouts will have their own cooldown time.
* In the northern parts of Solitude is the Bard's College. The city is a busy port and there's event similar to bonfire night that has the burning of an effigy of King Olaf.
* Windhelm is the largest city. It has a palace that should look spectacular. This is also apparently the hangout for the Imperial Guards who monitor the path to Morrowind.
* Bleak Falls Barrows is a dungeon, with ancient Nord catacombs which features rivers, tree roots coming through the ceiling and light coming through odd cracks.
* 120 Dungeons and they claim that 'no two areas will be alike'.
* Just to re-confirm this fact straight from Todd Howard. Oblivion had 1 dungeon designer with artists doing the rest. Skyrim has 8 dungeon designers.
* Whole world is hand-crafted. Oblivion had some generated landscapes and there is NONE of that anymore used in Skyrim.
* The Shivering isles expansion inspired the team that unique, hand-crafted cities, where no two buildings look the same, was the way to go.
* Example of a 'Radiant Story'. OXM UK recieved a quest to go to Bleak Falls Barrow and retrieve a golden dragon claw antique and take it back to shopkeeper Lucan. If you killed Lucan, the quest would change to his friend Camilla instead.
* The Snow. Has been a lot of confusion about this. OXM UK says that snowfall is dynamic. Instead of a texture with a bit of white added, landscapes realistically get dusted with snow landing in appropiate nooks and crannies.
* There are one-off puzzles in certain dungeons.
* Example of new AI: 'Wolves have a den. Few times a day they go out and do a patrol and hunt in a pack. If they kill something then they'll hang out there. If you go outside and they're on patrol they will come after you. If they've killed something they will guard that and not chase you down as they want to look after it.
