Hey im new to the game and been planning to try it what are the tips you can give me before starting?

[Borger]

Also what class, weapon, armor, companion, etc for my sylvanas windrunner build?

[DEMON 340 SIX PACK]

take it slow and easy...learn everything

[gyaru enjoyer]

just play the game you don't need to min/max meta you zoomer

[Palo Wagner]

Originally posted by Borger:

Also what class, weapon, armor, companion, etc for my sylvanas windrunner build?

The best thing you can do in skyrim is not look up anything, just play, your own way

[Hypertext Eye]

a modless game doesn't have classes, and it's your first time so you should be modless

[DerpinJohn]

doesn't matter what build you think you'll have. all roads lead to stealth archer LOL.

[Fear2288]

Just play it.

This isn’t WoW, Diablo, or BG3.

There is no “meta”, no stat spreadsheets to examine or numbers to crunch, no other live players to compete against, no real “punishment” for not choosing the “right” perks or leveling the “right” skills (and no reward for doing so), and there’s no class system - you can level up any skill, acquire any perk, and be whatever you want to be and can change that on the fly, all with the same character.

Some people like this approach, others don’t.

If you don’t end up liking it and want a bit more depth and fine-tuning, something more similar to an “old school” or pen and paper RPG, there are a number of mods out there that add a class system, a more expansive and less generalized perk tree, and enhanced difficulty to punish you for not putting more thought into how you approach combat.

[Zero McDol]

- No classes
- Use whatever weapon you want. You can dual-wield, single-wield, or go double-handed
- Be sure to use perks points

Using a weapon ups the one-handed or two-handed weapons skill. Crafting ups the crafting skill. Blocking ups the block skill. Taking damage ups your armor skill.
Enchanting ups the enchanting skill. Etc. Etc.

By upping these skills, you also give yourself exp. When you level up, you can put a point into health, magic, or stamina.

[climbingeastofwinter]

Tl,dr; Alchemy, Archery, Conjuration, Enchanting, Illusion, Light Armor, One-Handed Weapons.

Conjuration can be used to raise dead, illusion for control effects.
Alchemy can be used for your sole source of healing and many utility effects, at least until later in the game. Also, alchemical poisons can be absolutely devastating. You don't need to use them but if you're doing a RP build you might enjoy messing with them a bit as your character grows.
You can largely ignore enchanting but should stock up on petty soul gems and fill them as you go to make the process of leveling enchanting pleasant later on when you do choose to level it (about 300 filly soul gems of any size should do).
Light armor should definitely be leveled quickly, as it can extend your life dramatically.

[cha0tic]

There are no classes in this game you can be whatever you want.

[the BIG sloppy]

() If you are playing Vanilla Skyrim with no mods - you can level conjuration up by using the 'soul steal' spell on any NPC's corpse. It won't fill soul gems but the Conjuration Skill still levels up surprisingly fast!

() If you crouch in a corner with other NPC(s) in the room/building then press "Q" to auto-walk, you can level your sneak if you make sure to be tucked in a spot where the NPCs can't see you. This works even by just leaving your game unpaused and idle as your player shuffles in a closet silently to grind the skill.

() Making cheap potions with Alchemy and making enchanted items is an easy way to grind two Skills while also easily making money! You can also rapidly grind smithing for easy levels, too! People won't buy stolen goods from you either; there are fences in the thieves guild though.

If you become a Thane you can sometimes get away with a petty crime if you're caught red handed..! Which can come in handy! If you get caught committing a crime and intend to pay the fine or go to jail then make sure to drop your stolen items before complying with the guards. That way your stolen goods won't be confiscated; you can walk back and pick them up wherever you stashed them (just make sure nobody sees you pick the goods back up!)

() You can still get achievements if you use console commands by pressing the `tilde` key. You just need to restart the game and reload your save after using the console commands. You can do this to fix potentially bugged quests, or circumvent potential issues that may crop up.

() I am warning you - The STORMCLOAK QUEST is EXTREMELY BUGGED even with unofficial patches whether you're playing standard edition, special edition or anniversary edition. It might work for some people but that quest in particular is like russian roulette so make a special save BEFORE you start it just in case..! The Empire Civil War side seems to have its quests work much better (at least for me?).

() The Difficulty in the game settings adjusts nothing but damage taken and damage received. It won't make the enemies more numerous or more intelligent, nor will it change their gear up.

() If you donate a single gold coin to a beggar then you will get 'the gift of charity' which will make prices better when buying and/or selling with traders for a good chunk of time!

() If you drop some gear in Riften then people sometimes will start killing each other while fighting over your discarded junk. I don't know how frequent it happens but it seems easy enough to trigger if you intentionally try lololol

() Horses are exceptionally talented at climbing uneven, hilly, mountainous, or downright vertical terrain. I'd strongly recommend trying to ride a horse up a steep path just to see what i'm talking about!

() If you get a disease - you can pray at a shrine or drink a 'cure disease' potion to remove the affliction instantly..! You also often get special buffs depending on which god or goddess you pray to.

() One way to cheese melee enemies is to jump onto an object that the NPC won't be able to climb. The NPC will be unable to pathfind, so in confusion it will sprint away. If they have ranged weapons they can still shoot you though.

() I would try to get one of the backpacks ASAP since they can give you like 75 lbs of extra carrying room. Depending on the backpack type - you can also get special buffs. They are usually cheap to craft or buy if you keep an eye peeled.

() Be VERY careful: your companions/followers that tag along *Can* trigger booby traps and aggro unaware hostiles. So make sure they don't step on pressure plates to set off bombs or spikes; it'll get you killed if you're not careful. and if you plan on sneaking - it might be best to go solo.

() Sneak attacks do bonus critical damage. You can trigger this critical damage multiple times with a bow from a distance as well. Do this to level up archery and stealth while also clearing mobs safely; you can also whittle down a boss's health bar if you're patient.

() Black Soul Gems only hold humanoid souls (like people basically) while Grand Soul Gems are filled with beast souls. If I recall - a mammoth fills a Grand soul gem for example!

() Whenever you level up - you get all of your health, stamina and magicka back. this can be a little tip to keep in mind when clearing difficult/dangerous dungeons. it is like a 2nd wind!

[Hypertext Eye]

So you're just going to spoil the whole game for them, huh?

[Morgan Fun Gamer]

I would say to play without any mods the first time playing and play with mods after first play through or any play through after the first play through it will let you know which mods you want and would help you better to understand the mod does.

[smr1957]

A good general information guide for those new to the game is this:
https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=1868336179
(from the PINNED TOPIC Helpful Links and References. Section 1 - General Information)

Welcome to Skyrim and the community! Have fun and enjoy!