Skyrim Murder Stat

[Odd Owl]

Anybody else notice their murder statistic go up randomly while playing Skyrim? I seem to have offed someone, but I have no idea who it could have been. There was no bounty for it, so it wasn't in a city or near any other friendly NPCs. I haven't seen this mentioned anywhere else, though, so maybe I accidentally fried a guard during a dragon fight.

 

[DeadlyYellow]

Maybe you get the kill if an NPC wanders into the wilderness and gets eaten by a dragon?

 

[somonels]

Who knows what your horse is up to without you around.

 

[Grouchy Imp_v1legacy]

I haven't noticed it myself, but my current character is a Khajiit assassin, so my murder count is pretty high as it is (although I've never had a bounty, go stealth king!). My last character, a Dunmer Battlemage, did however finish the game with over seventy 'assaults' on his crime sheet, despite me playing him as a holier-than-thou goody-two-shoes. Anyone know what Skyrim considers to be an 'assault'?

EDIT - A quick look on the Elder Scrolls wiki pages reveal that crimes committed by followers are applied to the player. So maybe, OP, if you have a follower then they murdered someone?

 

[Keepitclean]

I was given a murder count after shooting a hunter in the wilderness. I couldn't tell what he was so I just shot and asked questions later.

1 Hit KO
Didn't get a bounty because the only witness was his dog which I quickly took care of. I don't know why the dog counted as a witness but w/e. He was my only murder, I didn't even realise until the game told me my bounty was gone.

 

[spartan231490]

My guess is you killed either a hunter, because they look pretty much like a bandit, or you accidentally hit someone who was helping you and they died.

I was given a murder count after shooting a hunter in the wilderness. I couldn't tell what he was so I just shot and asked questions later.

1 Hit KO
Didn't get a bounty because the only witness was his dog which I quickly took care of. I don't know why the dog counted as a witness but w/e. He was my only murder, I didn't even realise until the game told me my bounty was gone.

Remind me never to go hunting with you

 

[Vrach]

There was no bounty for it, so it wasn't in a city or near any other friendly NPCs.

Wrong, this isn't Oblivion, you can murder people without getting a bounty, you just need to not get caught. Bounty is earned when a crime is reported, so you can kill a whole fortress full of people, as long as no one gets to a guard with word of it, you're scot-free.

edit: You also have to be seen doing it (not necessarily seen giving the killing blown, the guards/NPCs will look for the murderer after someone dies, if they see you, you're caught). So if you kill someone from stealth and no one notices you, you're not getting a bounty.

 

[DustyDrB]

Maybe you killed a hunter in the wilderness thinking he/she was a bandit. I know I've done that.

 

[tendaji]

I'm pretty sure killing people of the opposite faction counts as murder seeing as an Imperial soldier arrested me for killing some Stormcloak soldiers when I was traveling near a town.

 

[Odd Owl]

I'm pretty sure killing people of the opposite faction counts as murder seeing as an Imperial soldier arrested me for killing some Stormcloak soldiers when I was traveling near a town.

Maybe that was it. This character's a goody-two-shoes, so I usually don't attack until an NPC attacks me first. But I did free a Stormcloak early on the game outside Whiterun and his guards attacked me. Maybe the first one counted as a murder.

 

[WouldYouKindly]

I was given a murder count after shooting a hunter in the wilderness. I couldn't tell what he was so I just shot and asked questions later.

1 Hit KO
Didn't get a bounty because the only witness was his dog which I quickly took care of. I don't know why the dog counted as a witness but w/e. He was my only murder, I didn't even realise until the game told me my bounty was gone.

It's Dick Cheyney with a bow! Flee, flee the mountains of Skyrim.

I haven't even looked at my murder stat, to be honest. There are probably a couple. I accidentally killed a hunter when he got in between a fire breath shout and the frost dragon I was trying to torch.

EDIT: STOP CRIMINAL... oh wait, you killed everyone who saw you and I'm not telepathic in this game. Very well, go on your way.

 

[Psycho78]

I wish there was a more nuanced way of dealing with humanoid enemies than them just automatically attacking you. Limited conversation options would be nice, especially if you are a fellow criminal or hot chick.

I don't want to fight bandits, I want to bankroll them!

 

[Muphin_Mann]

Who knows what your horse is up to without you around.

Flying, probably.

I have seen a horse kill two bandits with one attack before. Epic. Normal horse too.

 

[evilneko]

There's a murder stat?

 

[Muphin_Mann]

There's a murder stat?

Hell, this game has a stat on how many rabbits you killed.

 

[Alcamonic]

I was not aware there was a tracker for murders.

And speaking of horses, the brotherhood one could probably go on a rampage and kill a city on its own, that thing is a tank! Solo'ed a dragon once.

 

[Vegosiux]

I think I may have accidentally landed a killing blow on one of the redshirts on my side in the civil war quests. Gets chaotic when you go taking forts.

 

[ShindoL Shill]

I was given a murder count after shooting a hunter in the wilderness. I couldn't tell what he was so I just shot and asked questions later.

1 Hit KO
Didn't get a bounty because the only witness was his dog which I quickly took care of. I don't know why the dog counted as a witness but w/e. He was my only murder, I didn't even realise until the game told me my bounty was gone.

who the hell taught you to hunt, Dick Cheney?

There's a murder stat?

Hell, this game has a stat on how many rabbits you killed.

my friend will be pleased that his probably tag-teaming from a dragon, two trolls and pack of wolves weren't in vain.
he lost his Beast Mode chasing a bunny that ran through the battlefield.

OT: you probably killed some wanderer by accident. nobody will know though, if you kill all witnesses. even yourself. and the Divines. kill them too.

 

[Vrach]

There was no bounty for it, so it wasn't in a city or near any other friendly NPCs.

Wrong, this isn't Oblivion, you can murder people without getting a bounty, you just need to not get caught. Bounty is earned when a crime is reported, so you can kill a whole fortress full of people, as long as no one gets to a guard with word of it, you're scot-free.

Interestingly, if you then kill the person who saw you without anyone else seeing you, your bounty is removed.

Yep, when you kill the last witness, the bounty is removed. Found this out some 5 minutes after I wrote this actually, killing a few people off in the mountains... ^^