Skills and Skill Progression — The Elder Scrolls II: Daggerfall Guide

Skills and Skill Progression

Understanding and effectively managing your skills is paramount to survival and success in the vast, unforgiving world of Daggerfall. Unlike later Elder Scrolls titles, skill progression here is less about direct training and more about active, repeated use. Your character's skills are divided into several categories, influencing everything from combat prowess to social interactions and magical aptitude.

Skill Categories and Key Skills

Daggerfall features a comprehensive skill system. While all skills are important, focusing on a few key areas early on can significantly ease your journey.

• Combat Skills: These determine your effectiveness with various weapon types.
  • Long Blade: Excellent for most melee-focused characters. Scimitars, Katanas, and Broadswords fall under this category.
  • Axe: Powerful but often slower. Battle Axes and War Axes are good choices.
  • Archery: Essential for ranged combat. Bows and Arrows are your tools here.
  • Critical Strike: Increases your chance to deal devastating blows.
• Magic Skills: For the magically inclined, these govern your spellcasting abilities.
  • Destruction: Offensive spells like Fireball and Lightning.
  • Restoration: Healing and protective spells such as Heal and Shield.
  • Mysticism: Utility spells like Teleport and Soul Trap.
  • Alteration: Spells that change the environment or your physical properties, like Open and Levitate.
  • Illusion: Spells that deceive or confuse enemies, such as Chameleon and Invisibility.
  • Thaumaturgy: Spells that affect others' minds or summon creatures, like Charm and Summon Daedra.
• Stealth Skills: Crucial for rogues and assassins.
  • Backstabbing: Deals extra damage when attacking from stealth.
  • Pickpocket: Allows you to steal items from NPCs.
  • Lockpicking: Opens locked doors and chests.
  • Stealth: Reduces your detectability.
• General Skills: These cover a broad range of utility and social interactions.
  • Mercantile: Affects buying and selling prices.
  • Speechcraft: Improves your ability to persuade and gather information from NPCs.
  • Medical: Increases the effectiveness of healing potions and reduces disease duration.
  • Running: Improves your movement speed.
  • Climbing: Essential for navigating dungeons and certain outdoor areas.

Active Skill Progression

Skills in Daggerfall primarily improve through active use. The more you use a skill, the faster it will increase. There are no traditional "trainers" in the sense of paying gold for direct skill points. Instead, you must practice.

Combat Skill Training:

The most straightforward way to improve combat skills is to engage in combat. Early on, focus on creatures you can reliably defeat without taking excessive damage. Rats, Goblins, and Skeletons in starter dungeons are ideal. Equip your preferred weapon and swing away. To maximize skill gains:

• Repeated Attacks: Even if you miss, the attempt counts towards skill progression. Don't be afraid to spam attacks.
• Low-Level Dungeons: Revisit dungeons like the Privateer's Hold or local crypts to fight weaker enemies.
• Weapon Specialization: Focus on one or two weapon types initially. For example, if you chose Long Blade as a primary skill, stick with it.
• Critical Strike: This skill improves with successful critical hits. The higher your weapon skill, the more often you'll land these.

Magic Skill Training:

Magic skills improve by successfully casting spells. The cost of the spell doesn't directly impact skill gain, but casting more frequently does. This can be a gold sink early on due to spell costs.

• Low-Cost Spells: Create custom spells at a Mages Guild with minimal Magicka cost. For example, a "Light" spell with a duration of 1 round and a small radius will cost very little but still provide skill experience for Alteration.
• Resting: You'll need to rest frequently to regain Magicka. Find a safe spot in a dungeon or an inn.
• Mages Guild Access: Joining the Mages Guild (requires 30+ Intelligence and 30+ Willpower) grants access to spell makers and cheaper spell purchases, which is invaluable for mages.

Stealth Skill Training:

Stealth skills require specific actions to improve.

• Stealth: Activate stealth mode (default key 'C') and move around. The more time you spend stealthed near NPCs or enemies without being detected, the faster it improves. Try sneaking through towns at night.
• Lockpicking: Attempt to pick any locked door or chest you encounter. Even failed attempts contribute. Carry plenty of Lockpicks (purchasable from General Stores or Thieves Guild fences) as they break frequently.
• Pickpocket: Attempt to pickpocket NPCs. Save before attempting, as failure can lead to guards being called. Start with low-value targets.
• Backstabbing: Sneak up behind enemies and attack. This requires a successful stealth check first.

General Skill Training:

These skills often improve passively or through specific interactions.

• Running: Simply run everywhere. The more you run, the faster this skill increases.
• Climbing: Find any wall or steep incline and attempt to climb it (default key 'E'). Repeated attempts, even failed ones, will improve the skill. Dungeons are full of opportunities for this.
• Mercantile: Buy and sell items. The more transactions you make, the better your prices will become. Always haggle, even if it's just a small adjustment.
• Speechcraft: Engage in dialogue with NPCs. Choose dialogue options that allow for persuasion or flattery. Joining a guild like the Fighters Guild or Mages Guild often provides more opportunities for dialogue.

Maximizing Skill Gains

To optimize your skill progression, consider these strategies:

• Focus on Primary Skills: Your primary skills gain experience faster than major or minor skills. Prioritize using these.
• Guild Membership: Joining guilds like the Fighters Guild, Mages Guild, or Thieves Guild not only provides quests but also offers opportunities to practice relevant skills. For instance, Fighters Guild quests often involve combat, while Mages Guild quests might require spellcasting or specific knowledge.
• Repetitive Actions: Daggerfall rewards persistence. Don't be afraid to spend time repeatedly performing an action to level up a skill. For example, casting a low-cost spell repeatedly in a safe location, or endlessly climbing a wall.
• Attribute Synergy: Skills are tied to attributes. For example, weapon skills are tied to Strength and Agility, while magic skills are tied to Intelligence and Willpower. Increasing these core attributes will indirectly make your skills more effective and easier to improve.

By understanding these mechanics and actively engaging with the world, you'll see your character's skills grow, unlocking new possibilities and making your journey through the Iliac Bay a truly epic one.