How to kill giants?

[Tycho]

Well I've been trying to get that mammoth tooth for that merchant girl in Whiterun, but everytime I try to kill the giants in the nearby camp I get oneshot after I use all of my stamina pots on running around.
I've tried standing on a high stone but they seem to reach everywhere.
I'm level 7 (Just killed 2nd dragon in Kynesgrove) and have 103 armor rating.
I've been using bow and magic (spark & flame).
Thanks!

[Bykeshgoly]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=82ORPjG9G4w

[gnewna]

Well, for a start, giants are meant to be super hard and at level 7 it's not surprising you're struggling. If you're determined to do it, and you're not on the lowest difficulty, the best bet is probably to go right down to Novice difficulty. Oh, and maybe bring a follower to take some of the heat. And possibly try to lure the giants to Whiterun so the guards can help.

Second off, you don't actually *have* to kill any giants or mammoths to get a tusk (for example you can find one in (spoiler, mouseover to read) Belethor's shop - sometimes he even has one for sale, but I'm pretty certain there's also one you can steal. A better option, if not necessarily easier, may be to go to Halted Stream Camp (not far from Whiterun, check UESP wiki for a map or you may well get sent there for a bounty/fetch quest) where some bandits have been poaching mammoths, there are I think five or six mammoth tusks in there. Of course, you'll have to fight some bandits, but they're way easier than a bunch of giants and mammoths. Also, have a look round for a very useful spelltome - Transmute.

[Rez Elwin]

Go into the companions building, and from the entrance go into the room on the LEFT, in that room a mammoth tusk is sitting on the table. However is you don't want to steal head behind Whiterun and head north, you will see a teepee or tent looking icon on the map, that is Halted Stream Camp, it has mutliple tusks inside, and teh useful Transmute spell.

[Tycho]

Thanks a lot, I've found it!

[gnewna]

Top tip, if you've got a house, stash away a couple of mammoth tusks if you raided Halted Stream Camp, there's another NPC you'll encounter in one of the other cities who's got a list of things he'd be ever so grateful if you could fetch him.

[Tycho]

Originally posted by gnewna:

Top tip, if you've got a house, stash away a couple of mammoth tusks if you raided Halted Stream Camp, there's another NPC you'll encounter in one of the other cities who's got a list of things he'd be ever so grateful if you could fetch him.

Thanks, I've bought Breezehome earlier (and was left with 420 gold.. Of which I had to spend 409 on mammoth's tusk! Now I'm totally broke, lol) and I'll raid it later.
Thanks again to everyone!

[Skeleton Mage]

If are determined to kill a mamoth in the future simply using a bow and enough arrows will kill them eventually - the most basic unimproved bow, unperked in archery & without potions you should take at least 1000 iron arrows with you when you go hunting - Of course avoiding being hit will save you a visit to the moon.

Obviously better equipmen & poisons will speed up things, If you increase the difficulty tne simply take extra arrows to counter the increased health of the mammoths & giants.

[Shadow]

There is also one you can steal in the Jarl's Quarters of Dragonreach in the same room is a potent paralysis poison too. That is where I usually get the tusk for Ysolda.

[Incunabulum]

You don't kill giants (at least until you're very high level) and you don't need to kill mammoths to get the tusks - somehow, banndits are making a very good living doing that already and they're a lot easier to kill and loot their bases than the giants are.

Its kinda the disjointed worldbuilding that Bethesda is famous for where the camp of bandits you can slaughter to a man with no problem at that level are capable of taking down the giant *and* mammoths* that will kick your ass even when you're a couple of multiples of that level higher.

[gnewna]

Originally posted by Incunabulum:

Its kinda the disjointed worldbuilding that Bethesda is famous for where the camp of bandits you can slaughter to a man with no problem at that level are capable of taking down the giant *and* mammoths* that will kick your ass even when you're a couple of multiples of that level higher.

I tend to assume the bandits are just processing already-dead mammoths (old age and whatnot). It's probably not what's supposed to be going on, of course, but it makes enough sense not to jar me too much.

[gnewna]

Originally posted by grimus:

Tusk, tusk ... And here I thought they just ran the Mammoths into the pointy things at the bottom of the pit that's connected to their lair. hmm ... food for thought.

Could be, though I don't think the pit's big enough for a mammoth? And falling into the pit doesn't even kill me (okay, it probably would in Requiem), so the poor mammoth must starve to death? :(

[Incunabulum]

Originally posted by grimus:

Tusk, tusk ... And here I thought they just ran the Mammoths into the pointy things at the bottom of the pit that's connected to their lair. hmm ... food for thought.

They're chasing mammoths *up the side of a cliff* to get them to drop down a tiny crack? They must be going after very thin mammoths.

[Fric]

Well, attack giants witch player-level 7 isn't a good ideamy first giant kill without help of npc's was as a werewolf after the questline of companions in whiterun. But you can kill mammoths earlier. In the west of Skyrim is a mammoth-caravan with only one giant. attack the last mammoth only with bow and only that mammoth will attack you.

[boppsta0x0]

use the falling stone structures next to the formation of rock at the heart of thair camp jump from rock to stone when they are close to you throw a couple of arrows thair way and wait till they run off aways and jump from stone to rock then shoot them again over distance and whilst they run back to you and just repeat over and over i use this on the lowest bows and crapest arrows hundreds of them without killing them to do my skill up quick. tip mammoths are such an easy target for distance shooting even if u havent the eagle eye perk yet. another tip dont do it till they die and they will allways be there for u to grind on for other skills to

[DrSuperEvil]

Giants are tough at low levels so unless you have gone a vampire lord I would advise waiting a few levels or until you have a supply of high alchemy skill poisons. Best option is ranged and keep running.