Update 1.9 - Purpose of Making Skills Legendary?

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SchererPower

New Member
I think I have this straight, but can someone confirm this?

Ok, say you're a level 50 archer who has maxed out skills in Archery, Light Armor, Sneak, and Alchemy. Now, people have told me that the benefits of making a skill legendary and resetting it back to 15 would be so your archer could continue to level up by just using his primary skills instead of going out of his way to train magic skills for the sake of leveling. But the huge problem that I'm seeing is that if you make all of you level 100 skills legendary, you're suddenly trying to survive in a level 50 world with level 15 primary skills. You suddenly go from being a kickass stealthy dragonborn sniper to being a bumbling rookie just trying to stay alive. Not only do you lose all of the perks that were buffing your combat skills, but you also lose 85 levels of your PRIMARY skills--you know, the very skills you rely on to stay alive? I mean, how am I supposed to be a stealthy archer fighting *leveled* enemies if my Sneak and Archery skills are all the way back to 15? Am I just supposed to turn the difficulty down? Am I understanding this correctly?

^I don't mean to sound like I'm ranting. I'm just trying to figure this out. I really like the idea of being able to keep leveling our primary skills in order to continue leveling overall as a character, but it sounds like it would be impossible to survive after making those skills legendary. Wouldn't it be better to either 1) keep all the perks in their perk trees, or 2) just have the skills keep growing beyond level 100?

(I understand that the other reason for making skills legendary is to break the level cap and go beyond level 81. But seriously, who really *needs* to go past level 81? What's the point--nobody actually needs that much health/magicka/stamina. I just want to be able to get higher than level 50 without spending hours and hours with my archer trying to train destruction, pickpocket, and all the other skills I won't actually be using.)
 

Nighthiker77

Well-Known Member
You could add a few skills, like smithing. Smithing would make up for the damage you lost from archery and also cover for a lot of your loss from light armor.

You also don't have to do them all at once, and can't do them until you are at 100.

You would be better off with some secondary skills Leveled too though, at the same overall level but with more skills maxed.
 

DirtySki

Premium Member
Yea i'm pretty confused about this myself. Only thing I can figure is that u now have access to potentially unlimited skill points. That's cool & all but what's the payoff for having to start from scratch? Is the skill better? Doesn't seem that way. Do we need it to access certain content? Don't think so. Not sure lots & lots of skill points are worth starting from scratch with one handed.
 

Dirsocion

Member
The only way to level your character is by levelling your skill points. So they are allowing you to reset all your skill points back to 15 so you can gain more levels beyond the soft level cap of 81. I have been in water using Archmage's Robes and Morokei and casting back-to-back Waterbreathing and Muffle. From 15 to 50ish with Illusion and Alteration, I hit level 82 easy. My prediction is that there's no max level until someone posts about it here on the forums.

Happy levelling! :)
 

DirtySki

Premium Member
Yea I just don't see it as really worth it. I reset block, 2 handed & god help me, lockpicking. So far I've got all three around 50 & i'm level 83 & 1/5-ish. Maybe after I get those up in the 80's & level a bit easier, I'll feel differently but right now, i'm regretting it.

Don't get me wrong here either, I love that Bethesda still supports this game after 2+ years so I don't want to sound like i'm complaining. I'm not going to agree with everything they do but I'll still be back tomorrow fusrohdas-ing oblivious goats & slashing the throats of unaware townsfolk everywhere.
 

Ignami351

INFP of the Blue Variety
I think I have this straight, but can someone confirm this?

Ok, say you're a level 50 archer who has maxed out skills in Archery, Light Armor, Sneak, and Alchemy. Now, people have told me that the benefits of making a skill legendary and resetting it back to 15 would be so your archer could continue to level up by just using his primary skills instead of going out of his way to train magic skills for the sake of leveling. But the huge problem that I'm seeing is that if you make all of you level 100 skills legendary, you're suddenly trying to survive in a level 50 world with level 15 primary skills. You suddenly go from being a kickass stealthy dragonborn sniper to being a bumbling rookie just trying to stay alive. Not only do you lose all of the perks that were buffing your combat skills, but you also lose 85 levels of your PRIMARY skills--you know, the very skills you rely on to stay alive? I mean, how am I supposed to be a stealthy archer fighting *leveled* enemies if my Sneak and Archery skills are all the way back to 15? Am I just supposed to turn the difficulty down? Am I understanding this correctly?

^I don't mean to sound like I'm ranting. I'm just trying to figure this out. I really like the idea of being able to keep leveling our primary skills in order to continue leveling overall as a character, but it sounds like it would be impossible to survive after making those skills legendary. Wouldn't it be better to either 1) keep all the perks in their perk trees, or 2) just have the skills keep growing beyond level 100?

(I understand that the other reason for making skills legendary is to break the level cap and go beyond level 81. But seriously, who really *needs* to go past level 81? What's the point--nobody actually needs that much health/magicka/stamina. I just want to be able to get higher than level 50 without spending hours and hours with my archer trying to train destruction, pickpocket, and all the other skills I won't actually be using.)
that's what I was saying. which is why you don't do that. anyone with brains just uses the legendary skill to grind for levels, at least imo. unless you want a huge challenge. The main purpose is for perks. Accidentally spent perks, unnecessary perks, you name it, people have done it and want more. Personally I think it's a good idea, now I can have every perk in the magic class without having to level everything I'm never gonna use up.
 

Dirsocion

Member
I tested out these legendary skills in order of priority:

Blocking
Conjuration
One-handed Weapons
Alteration
Illusion
Restoration

I faced a giant easily with legendary improved Nordic carved armor with shield non-enchanted. The sucker barely makes a dent with blocking reset to 15 with no perks. It's laughable. I was blocking with conjuring 1 Bound Sword, then using 1-handed Ebonyflesh and 1-handed Muffle, and using Close Wounds or Heal Other between the giant and me. Pretty epic fighting for hardly taking any damage. If you want a quick way to level any magic schools, this is the way to go.
 

DirtySki

Premium Member
@ Dirsocion-I've been messing around with this quite a bit trying to find a better way to do it. My current method is to drag a follower to Nepos house in Markarth but i'm definitely going to try this out today. Only thing is i'm gonna have to finish the college's master level quests first but o well. Aside from getting to the resto one, they take 15 minutes combined.

I swear i've never thought of having a giant beat on me tho. I'll bet he does waaaaay better damage than Argus the Bulwark too. I was gonna ask that a mod move your post to the tutorial section but after giving it some thought, i'm not sure they can move individual posts. If you have the time, it'd be worth it to start a thread over there with what you've got here. Thanks for a good idea man.
 

Pálrún

Member
Right now I'm at 100 only in Destruction, which I use quite a lot; so, if I made that legendary, those perk points could be applied to conjuring, alteration, restoration, enchanting, and the like, and should hopefully be enough to keep me alive since destruction would be pathetic for a while? Most of those other skills are in the 60s and 70s. Hmmm.. tempting.
 

DarkRaiden

Sir Reginald Von Bartlesby
Well, I've seen that easiest way of leveling up is using the illusion skill. Get it to 90, do the ritual quest and get harmony. Then just go to day-time solitude and cast a few times. You might need some items do decrease the spell cost, otherwise just cast muffle a few times. I made it from 50 to 150 in a couple of hours doing this. Still trying to find if it's really unlimited leveling tho (on ps3)
 

DarkRaiden

Sir Reginald Von Bartlesby
Update, above 300 and still not capped. I'm guessing there is no limit, or just one so high no one bothers reaching it.
 

Bulldog

Active Member
I would level your smithing up till you could make a dragon bow and dragon arrows. I would then make that legendary along with your archery. The higher damage from the bow and arrows would negate a little of what was lost from the archery skill tree. Another thing that would help is have some enchanted stuff to boost your archery while you did it.

Now, I like being an archer. For me it isn't worth it. I will just leave that stuff where it is and level up by smithing and alchemy. Well it's easier for me since I have so much money I have to buy smithing material and ingredients so the shop keeper has more money to buy the other things I have picked up. Plus with the alchemy the potions you make will fetch a good price so you will always have money. Bonus is you have more potions than they do money so you can go to several places to sell. But you can le vel those up make it legendary and then repeat. All while leaving your archery and your other stuff right where it i sat.
 

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