The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim Magazine Preview Tidbits

We’ve had details about The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim from the March issue of OXM UK before, and now Stick Skills provides a list of further details from OXM US’ upcoming April issue, which should be in stores soon.

‘¢ Your character will learn the acient language of the dragons. The phrases can include up to three words and are mostly found inscribed on dungeon walls. The phrases will allow you to do certain things such as slow down time, knock back foes, and more.
‘¢ The phrases are mapped to the right bumper/R1 and you’ll learn one word at a time for each phrase. Learning more words within the phrase will allow the spell to be either more powerful or longer.
‘¢ Finishing moves will be available for your characters in battle. The article describes a finishing move where you plunge “your saber through a foe’s chest”.
‘¢ Telekinesis will be an available spell, allowing those of you who are rather lazy the ability to pick up items or objects to launch at your enemies.
‘¢ Runes can be cast and used as traps. The article describes a situation where you can throw a frost rune to the ground, and if an enemy walks across it, pieces of ice will impale them.
‘¢ A perk is available that gives your enemies deeper cuts. A strategy talked about is simply hitting your opponent with a solid strike, then hiding as they slowly bleed to death.
‘¢ Around 80 different spells will be featured in the game.
‘¢ If you find yourself below average at using weapons, you should still be able to survive in combat using offensive and defensive magic.’
‘¢ The two handed mechanic Bethesda introduces in Skyrim for fighting will remind a ton of gamers of the BioShock series.
‘¢ If you happen to scale one of the many peaks in Skyrim, all of the snow you see is totally dynamic.
‘¢ All of the established Elder Scrolls races will return in Skyrim.
‘¢ The race you pick in the beginning will only effect your baseline stats, as what you actually do in the world with your combat, magic, and stealth will help shape your character instead.
‘¢ The “perks” system will still allow you to make more direct changes to your character as well. As opposed to Fallout, perks in Skyrim are on a much smaller scale.
‘¢ Graphics engine for Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim is “all but written from scratch”.
‘¢ Cities in Skyrim will all be unique, shying away from the reusing of assets we popularly saw in Oblivion.
‘¢ There are 120 dungeons, with each one typically having its own feel. Far more traps and puzzles are featured in them too.
‘¢ While you may be able to avoid them at some points in your journey, you’re going to have to take dragons down at some point, and it won’t be an easy task.
‘¢ Dragons aren’t scripted, they’ll cruise the entire world and occassionally land on different objects or areas. Make one mad and it’ll swoop down to take you on.
‘¢ New to Skyrim also is the “Radiant Story system”. An example listed in the article is, “If you discard a weapon on the ground to free up inventory space, you might find that a nearby character approaches you. If they like you, they might offer the sword back to you in case you dropped it by accident; if they’re neutral toward you, they might ask if they can have it; and if they dislike you, they might simply nab the weapon and take off. Kill that character and the Radiant Story system will search for his or her relatives, and may even send one of them in pursuit of you to avenge the murder.”