How to Play Skyrim on Master Difficulty
Start a new game., When you gain control of the character by being able to look around using your mouse/right stick, change the difficulty setting to Master., Choose a race (see the details below and check out How to Create the Right Character for...
Step-by-Step Guide
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Step 1: Start a new game.
If you'd rather continue playing where you are, that is on the 'master difficulty'
just skip this step. -
Step 2: When you gain control of the character by being able to look around using your mouse/right stick
Press J/Escape/Start.
Going to System > Settings.
Change the difficulty to Master by going right with your right stick or by pressing on the arrow to the right if you are playing on the PC.
Consider making a save here so you don't have to go through the whole intro in the wagon each time you start again. ,, Near the end, choose to go with the guy with the axe (Ralof).
This is because when you are with him, you will get attacked by Imperials who have better armor and a better sword weapon (even if you aren't going to use those things, still go with Ralof so you can sell it). , To 'favorite' something, press F/Y button/triangle button. , The reason for this is that you don't gain any skills in the subject and therefore don't level up too fast.
This is good because the enemies in Skyrim are slightly leveled, so therefore it is not good just to level up, but to level up by using the right skills.
So avoid leveling up the skills you don't want to use.
For example, before you read a skill book you will know if it has high value, save and then read it if it is a skill up in a skill you don't want to use then don't read it. , Sneak attack them when they attack Ralof.
If you are a Breton and use the Conjuration skill, conjure the Familiar before battle.
The Imperials will have both the best light armor and the best heavy armor.
You will see them for some time, so equip the weapons you want.
The Imperials will also have iron daggers and Imperial swords.
Take both.
The Imperial sword will be the best weapon to use, as it is equivalent to a steel sword.
The dagger is good if you want to be even more sneaky, as it isn't as noisy as any other weapon. , Take everything (even the book and the wine, which is very expensive if you look at it from a weight/value perspective).
Going on through the locked gate, take any food you can find (the cabbage too). , And as usual, take their stuff.
Make sure you get the food that is everywhere, the salt piles, and the rabbits and pheasants hanging from the rings.
There are also potions in the cupboards, so check them out.
Remember to favorite the potions you want to use so you can use them quickly. , The torturer has a steel dagger, which will be better than the iron one if you want to equip it.
The assistant has an iron mace which does more damage, but is slower than the Imperial sword its good if you want to sneak attack someone because of its increased damage.
There is a shield and another mace in the caged kind of room and a book (don't take this one as it isn't expensive) and some lockpicks on the counter.
The knapsack has some potions and some more lockpicks and also take the book to sell.
Wait a bit (that doesn't mean using the wait button), then Ralof will give you some more lockpicks.
Then if you want to use lockpicking as one of your skills, pick lock all the doors.
If you don't want it to be really your skill, only lockpick the door with the magician behind it.
Take all his stuff and the book on the floor.
If you want, use his robes equip them as they give you more magicka and magicka regeneration.
The book teaches you the spell sparks that do extra magicka damage, which is good if you are fighting with mages who will heal themselves. , In the room that it leads to there are more skeletons with bonemeal and again potentially money.
If you are getting encumbered then drop the stuff that costs less and weighs the most.
You can do this precisely by dividing the amount of gold you get by the weight. , There are going to be some Imperials with bows you can take as well as their arrows.
Beneath them there is some oil you can light that on fire with a fire spell. , There is going to be some potions and money near a skeleton.
Then there is a tunnel going right back to the original way you were going to go. , Go right (the way left is a dead end).
There are going to be spiders if you go into the cavern where they are more bigger spiders come down from the ceiling.
After you dispose of them loot them for Frostbite venom which is fairly powerful.
Also, loot the corpses, the balls of web, and the egg sacks for lockpicks, maybe gold, skeever tails, and spider eggs respectively. , Then on the right there is a wagon full of alcohol and a gold sacks.
Next to it there is going to be an iron helmet and some more alcohol. , There is a bear with bear claws and a bear pelt.
This is all except for the exit. , When you're there choose the one which has most of the skills you are going to use (Archery counts as a thief skill).
Remember don't go to the mine shown on your compass just yet first.
Its best to go along my way so you can sell all your stuff. , When you are there, first sell to the smith then to the innkeeper (who has lots of quests) and then lastly to the Riverwood Trader (he also has one quest).
In this order as the Riverwood Trader buys everything but he has limited gold (he also sells useful spells).
If you still haven't sold everything you can sell more by waiting (T/Back/Select) for 48 hours so there money respawns. , Or Faendal found working in the lumber mill.
Get the quest then go to the Riverwood Trader and talk to Camilla.
Depending on what you tell her or give her depends on who thanks you and gives you money.
If you get Camilla to hate Sven then Faendal will give you money and then you can ask him to be your follower.
This way if you want to gain five free skills in Archery every level you can by telling Faendal you want his help then asking him to train you in Archery and when you give him the money tell him that you want to give him some things then take all his gold.
The first time you do this you will probably level up. , You can go to the Embershard mine southwest of Riverwood.
It has lots of good loot including iron ore and a book that improves your smithing.
After that, you can clear the Bleaks Fall Barrow and finish the Golden Claw quest.
Go to Riverwood and do some quests there but it is recommended that you don't try to kill the dragon until you gain some levels.
About level 15 should be fine.
On that note, remember to be careful when buying perks as there is not much point in buying useless perks.
To increase your smithing, it is most effective (since the
1.5 patch) to make the most expensive things so that means jewelry gives you the most experience. -
Step 3: change the difficulty setting to Master.
-
Step 4: Choose a race (see the details below and check out How to Create the Right Character for You in Skyrim).
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Step 5: Go through the part where you can't do anything but move and jump.
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Step 6: When you get the bindings off
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Step 7: 'favorite' any spells you want to use.
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Step 8: Loot all of the things Gunjar has.
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Step 9: There are going to be Imperials attacking you before long if you are a person who wants to use sneak hide in the corner left of Gunjar (where the rubble is).
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Step 10: There are going to be some more stuff where they came from.
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Step 11: The next room is going to have more people
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Step 12: so try to attack them using all the skills you want to use.
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Step 13: Advance to the torture room
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Step 14: which is occupied by the torturer and his assistant.
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Step 15: When you go forward there are more cages you can picklock and behind one there is a bag of gold next to a skeleton which might have money and has bonemeal which you can use for alchemy.
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Step 16: There is going to be a room full of Imperials if the two guys accompanying you didn't die in the torture room then they will probably die here one of them probably has a two handed weapon you can use.
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Step 17: After that
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Step 18: go on through to the cavern like parts of the keep and stay near the entrance and wait (that doesn't mean using the wait button) until the dragon breaks the bridge and go back and jump down.
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Step 19: There is going to be a fork where you can go left or right on the middle of the fork there is going to be a skeleton with some stuff.
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Step 20: Going on from there on the left there is a lifted up platform place with a waterfall next to it there is a skeleton and although unlootable
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Step 21: there is a reasonably good health potion and an iron dagger.
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Step 22: If you stay for a while
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Step 23: Ralof will give you arrows and a bow.
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Step 24: When you get outside you can either stay and talk to Ralof and everything or you can just run on looting everything in you path to the Standing Stones.
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Step 25: After that go along the path to Riverwood there is going to be some wolves
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Step 26: but they are easy.
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Step 27: After you are free from the weight
-
Step 28: you can go get some extra money and experience (if you use a bow) by going talking to either Sven usually found at the Inn or just in the streets.
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Step 29: If you want to level up your smithing you can do this once by going to Alvor and asking if you he needs help then he will give you some stuff to do then after that you can sell the objects you make.
Detailed Guide
If you'd rather continue playing where you are, that is on the 'master difficulty'
just skip this step.
Press J/Escape/Start.
Going to System > Settings.
Change the difficulty to Master by going right with your right stick or by pressing on the arrow to the right if you are playing on the PC.
Consider making a save here so you don't have to go through the whole intro in the wagon each time you start again. ,, Near the end, choose to go with the guy with the axe (Ralof).
This is because when you are with him, you will get attacked by Imperials who have better armor and a better sword weapon (even if you aren't going to use those things, still go with Ralof so you can sell it). , To 'favorite' something, press F/Y button/triangle button. , The reason for this is that you don't gain any skills in the subject and therefore don't level up too fast.
This is good because the enemies in Skyrim are slightly leveled, so therefore it is not good just to level up, but to level up by using the right skills.
So avoid leveling up the skills you don't want to use.
For example, before you read a skill book you will know if it has high value, save and then read it if it is a skill up in a skill you don't want to use then don't read it. , Sneak attack them when they attack Ralof.
If you are a Breton and use the Conjuration skill, conjure the Familiar before battle.
The Imperials will have both the best light armor and the best heavy armor.
You will see them for some time, so equip the weapons you want.
The Imperials will also have iron daggers and Imperial swords.
Take both.
The Imperial sword will be the best weapon to use, as it is equivalent to a steel sword.
The dagger is good if you want to be even more sneaky, as it isn't as noisy as any other weapon. , Take everything (even the book and the wine, which is very expensive if you look at it from a weight/value perspective).
Going on through the locked gate, take any food you can find (the cabbage too). , And as usual, take their stuff.
Make sure you get the food that is everywhere, the salt piles, and the rabbits and pheasants hanging from the rings.
There are also potions in the cupboards, so check them out.
Remember to favorite the potions you want to use so you can use them quickly. , The torturer has a steel dagger, which will be better than the iron one if you want to equip it.
The assistant has an iron mace which does more damage, but is slower than the Imperial sword its good if you want to sneak attack someone because of its increased damage.
There is a shield and another mace in the caged kind of room and a book (don't take this one as it isn't expensive) and some lockpicks on the counter.
The knapsack has some potions and some more lockpicks and also take the book to sell.
Wait a bit (that doesn't mean using the wait button), then Ralof will give you some more lockpicks.
Then if you want to use lockpicking as one of your skills, pick lock all the doors.
If you don't want it to be really your skill, only lockpick the door with the magician behind it.
Take all his stuff and the book on the floor.
If you want, use his robes equip them as they give you more magicka and magicka regeneration.
The book teaches you the spell sparks that do extra magicka damage, which is good if you are fighting with mages who will heal themselves. , In the room that it leads to there are more skeletons with bonemeal and again potentially money.
If you are getting encumbered then drop the stuff that costs less and weighs the most.
You can do this precisely by dividing the amount of gold you get by the weight. , There are going to be some Imperials with bows you can take as well as their arrows.
Beneath them there is some oil you can light that on fire with a fire spell. , There is going to be some potions and money near a skeleton.
Then there is a tunnel going right back to the original way you were going to go. , Go right (the way left is a dead end).
There are going to be spiders if you go into the cavern where they are more bigger spiders come down from the ceiling.
After you dispose of them loot them for Frostbite venom which is fairly powerful.
Also, loot the corpses, the balls of web, and the egg sacks for lockpicks, maybe gold, skeever tails, and spider eggs respectively. , Then on the right there is a wagon full of alcohol and a gold sacks.
Next to it there is going to be an iron helmet and some more alcohol. , There is a bear with bear claws and a bear pelt.
This is all except for the exit. , When you're there choose the one which has most of the skills you are going to use (Archery counts as a thief skill).
Remember don't go to the mine shown on your compass just yet first.
Its best to go along my way so you can sell all your stuff. , When you are there, first sell to the smith then to the innkeeper (who has lots of quests) and then lastly to the Riverwood Trader (he also has one quest).
In this order as the Riverwood Trader buys everything but he has limited gold (he also sells useful spells).
If you still haven't sold everything you can sell more by waiting (T/Back/Select) for 48 hours so there money respawns. , Or Faendal found working in the lumber mill.
Get the quest then go to the Riverwood Trader and talk to Camilla.
Depending on what you tell her or give her depends on who thanks you and gives you money.
If you get Camilla to hate Sven then Faendal will give you money and then you can ask him to be your follower.
This way if you want to gain five free skills in Archery every level you can by telling Faendal you want his help then asking him to train you in Archery and when you give him the money tell him that you want to give him some things then take all his gold.
The first time you do this you will probably level up. , You can go to the Embershard mine southwest of Riverwood.
It has lots of good loot including iron ore and a book that improves your smithing.
After that, you can clear the Bleaks Fall Barrow and finish the Golden Claw quest.
Go to Riverwood and do some quests there but it is recommended that you don't try to kill the dragon until you gain some levels.
About level 15 should be fine.
On that note, remember to be careful when buying perks as there is not much point in buying useless perks.
To increase your smithing, it is most effective (since the
1.5 patch) to make the most expensive things so that means jewelry gives you the most experience.
About the Author
Matthew Webb
Writer and educator with a focus on practical cooking knowledge.
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