Will Skyrim be a good place to start?

[unindexedsearchengine]

Hello fellow escapees

over the years i heard tons of good things about the elder scrolls series, yet I've never really been sure about getting into it. iv'e been reading up a bit on Skyrim, and as it is set 200 years after oblivion, i suppose i don't need to know much of the story from previous games, so the question stands: do you think Skyrim would be a good way to get into the series?

 

[Zenn3k]

I hope so, it'll be my first entry into the series as well.

One would think they would make ever game in the series a suitable "first entry".

 

[King of the Sandbox]

As someone who got on the train with Oblivion, I certainly hope so. Going back to Morrowwind now is tough, but rewarding in the long run.

If Skyrim is more like Morrowind, I'd say no, and suggest Oblivion.

If it's like Oblivion, you should be fine.

 

[LookingGlass]

The best place to start would be to buy Morrowind now and play that until Skyrim comes out.

But yeah, I don't think you'll be lost playing an Elder Scrolls game without playing those before it.

 

[Llil]

The series doesn't really have an overarching story. You might miss some references here and there, but you should be fine. If you want, you could read some of the lore online, but I don't think it's necessary.

 

[Knight Captain Kerr]

I'm sure Skyrim will be a fine point to enter the series. They often give mentions to past games but not in such a way that you feel left out.

 

[DEAD34345]

I hope so, it'll be my first entry into the series as well.

One would think they would make ever game in the series a suitable "first entry".

Literally any of the games in the series are a suitable "first entry". Apart from the world they're set in, they're almost completely unconnected. Every so often you might get references (like Oblivion NPCs talking about strange stuff that happened in Morrowind), but that's about it, and it doesn't assume you know anything.

 

[Neonit]

well.... i started with morrowind. i loved it. i also loved oblivion. then i wanted to try daggerfall, and i just couldnt get into it.
i also know someone who started with oblivion, and wanted to try out morrowind. he couldnt get into morrowind because of strange ui and bad mechanics.
i guess, that if you would start in skyrim, after playing it for some time you would want to try out oblivion, and you wouldnt like it.
(english isnt my native language, i can only hope you see what im getting at)

i guess morrowind is too old so if you can afford to play oblivion, i would recommend it.
but im pretty sure starting with skyrim wouldnt hurt.

not knowing the lore has pretty much never been a problem, its cool to know it, and see the references, but was never really a "must have" knowledge.

but while you are waiting you could read up a little on uesp, its fun in the long run.

edit: to make it clear(er) if you want gameplay mechanics, oblivion is better. if you want story, atmosphere, and interesting setting (morrowind looks incredibly alien, its a lot more fun exploring) go for morrowind - NOW! (also mods are better on morrowind so if you have time you can fix a lot of bugs etc by looking for right mods)

 

[Richardplex]

Skyrim likely will be good as a first entry. Morrowind I've given more chances for me not to hate it than any other game, and it thus it has disappointed me in my hopes more than any other game. If you're fairly new to RPGs, stay away from that game. Otherwise, go nuts. As with knowing lore, I went into Oblivion blind, it's very good at giving you lore throughout the game. If you really care about knowing lore though, be prepared for the books, they're... fairly long.

 

[unindexedsearchengine]

Skyrim likely will be good as a first entry. Morrowind I've given more chances for me not to hate it than any other game, and it thus it has disappointed me in my hopes more than any other game. If you're fairly new to RPGs, stay away from that game. Otherwise, go nuts.

i like to think of myself as a seasoned rpg player after ME1&2 DA:O&a&2, fallout 3&NV, KOTOR1&2
and some others, so i think i'll go nuts

 

[StrixMaxima]

I also think that, although I am sure Skyrim will be ok as a stand-alone title, the best thing for the TES newcomer is to grab Morrowing GOTY, mod it a bit (there are several good guides on how to do it online, usually very friendly) and play it.

After you are done, try Oblivion, preferably with a mod such as OOO.

Why modding? Because it makes leveling better (NOT easier), and corrects several little things that the vanilla versions do not cover, such as decent Magicka regen, projectile speeds, etc, etc.

Then, jump into Skyrim.

Because, doing so, you will:

1 - Play 2 great games in their own right,

2 - Get to know the lore behind the TES world (and there is a LOT to learn, here),

3 - Understand better the mechanics and rationale under the hood of the game, thus making it a better experience, overall.

 

[Lionsfan]

Yeah it should be. Even though all the games are in the same world and have the same timeline, they're still pretty separate. I hadn't played Arena or Daggerfall before I started up Morrowind and that was alright for me. The most they do is have the NPC's reference stuff about other games characters

 

[Richardplex]

Skyrim likely will be good as a first entry. Morrowind I've given more chances for me not to hate it than any other game, and it thus it has disappointed me in my hopes more than any other game. If you're fairly new to RPGs, stay away from that game. Otherwise, go nuts.

i like to think of myself as a seasoned rpg player after ME1&2 DA:O&a&2, fallout 3&NV, KOTOR1&2
and some others, so i think i'll go nuts

Good luck to you then, just remember, when you hit an enemy and they take no damage, that's the games way of sticking its middle finger up at you, not the game being buggy.

 

[The Unworthy Gentleman]

Dude, ignore everyone telling you to get Morrowind or Oblivion, Skyrim will be a good enough entry point. The games aren't particularly linked and the only thing you need to know is in the trailer anyway, there isn't much overarching story.

Basically: The emperor died and now the entire place is up in arms about who'll run Tamriel, Skyrim is having a civil war because of it and dragons are returning.

If you want two great games that will provide The Elder Scrolls lore leading up to Skyrim get them, they're excellent, but you won't need to know what happened in the last two games to understand Skyrim.

 

[erztez]

Skyrim likely will be good as a first entry. Morrowind I've given more chances for me not to hate it than any other game, and it thus it has disappointed me in my hopes more than any other game. If you're fairly new to RPGs, stay away from that game. Otherwise, go nuts.

i like to think of myself as a seasoned rpg player after ME1&2 DA:O&a&2, fallout 3&NV, KOTOR1&2
and some others, so i think i'll go nuts

And I like to think of myself as a seasoned fighter pilot after sitting in the back of a 747, but that doesn't make it so

Seriously, I wouldn't have made a poke at you if you didn't include DA2 in that list. DA2 is to RPGs what Jeffrey Dahmer is to the human species - only technically a member, and no one in the family likes to talk about it.

OT: Unless they do something ridiculous(thinking cover-based shooting) with Skyrim, it should be fine for first ES experience, Oblivion wasn't ALL bad after all

 

[unindexedsearchengine]

Skyrim likely will be good as a first entry. Morrowind I've given more chances for me not to hate it than any other game, and it thus it has disappointed me in my hopes more than any other game. If you're fairly new to RPGs, stay away from that game. Otherwise, go nuts.

i like to think of myself as a seasoned rpg player after ME1&2 DA:O&a&2, fallout 3&NV, KOTOR1&2
and some others, so i think i'll go nuts

And I like to think of myself as a seasoned fighter pilot after sitting in the back of a 747, but that doesn't make it so

Seriously, I wouldn't have made a poke at you if you didn't include DA2 in that list. DA2 is to RPGs what Jeffrey Dahmer is to the human species - only technically a member, and no one in the family likes to talk about it.

OT: Unless they do something ridiculous(thinking cover-based shooting) with Skyrim, it should be fine for first ES experience, Oblivion wasn't ALL bad after all

and i'll poke back, after all I liked DA2 more than origins, hate on me all you like, but it's the truth

 

[Kpt._Rob]

None of us can say for certain. But if any of the past Elder Scrolls games should serve as evidence, then the answer is that it'll make a fine jumping in point. While there may be vague references in some of the books scattered throughout the game (most of which, if you're like me, you probably won't even read), most of the lore will probably be set up in such a way as to be easily accessible to anyone. And considering the changes they've made to character creation (specifically, that it sounds like you won't have to pick your focuses before the game starts) you shouldn't have to worry too much about how to play. Or at least not beyond the normal learning curve that any RPG has.

So it should be a perfect place to start. Though after you get a taste of it, you may find yourself drawn back to check out the older games just for a little more.

 

[erztez]

Skyrim likely will be good as a first entry. Morrowind I've given more chances for me not to hate it than any other game, and it thus it has disappointed me in my hopes more than any other game. If you're fairly new to RPGs, stay away from that game. Otherwise, go nuts.

i like to think of myself as a seasoned rpg player after ME1&2 DA:O&a&2, fallout 3&NV, KOTOR1&2
and some others, so i think i'll go nuts

And I like to think of myself as a seasoned fighter pilot after sitting in the back of a 747, but that doesn't make it so

Seriously, I wouldn't have made a poke at you if you didn't include DA2 in that list. DA2 is to RPGs what Jeffrey Dahmer is to the human species - only technically a member, and no one in the family likes to talk about it.

OT: Unless they do something ridiculous(thinking cover-based shooting) with Skyrim, it should be fine for first ES experience, Oblivion wasn't ALL bad after all

and i'll poke back, after all I liked DA2 more than origins, hate on me all you like, but it's the truth

Oh, feel free to love the everloving shit out of DA2, your personal preference is none of my business. However, your preference notwithstanding, DA2 is objectively a piece of overpriced shite. If I wanted 5 endlessly repeating areas and idiotic dialogue, I'd go play CoD.

 

[Grouchy Imp_v1legacy]

All the Elder Scrolls games are really stand-alone titles as far as accessability goes. You didn't have to have played the predecessors to get a feel for the lore, so Skyrim should suffice. Although I feel the need to recommend the rest of the series anyway. I first got hooked with TES back with Daggerfall, but that title is probably a bit too old for most peoples tastes these days (a shame, actually). Morrowind is a pure-blooded RPG and can get quite heavy at times, although I find it to be perhaps the most rewarding TES to date. Oblivion is much kinder to the RPG novice as it had quite a few of the deeper RPG elements removed and was designed with mass appeal in mind, so you might want to start there though. I suppose it boils down to what is more important to you.