Horses: What's the point?

[Zaan]

Shadowmere and Arvok are the only worthwhile horses in my experience. Shadowmere because she's practically indestructible, and Arvok because he can be summoned at will. The others are way too frail for my liking and don't really help especially if they get into a combat situation. Then they're just a liability.

 

[Gehenna]

Shadowmere and Arvok are the only worthwhile horses in my experience. Shadowmere because she's practically indestructible, and Arvok because he can be summoned at will. The others are way too frail for my liking and don't really help especially if they get into a combat situation. Then they're just a liability.

Slightly offtopic, but I wonder why Shadowmere did a gender switcharoo from female (Oblivion) to male in Skyrim. Bethesda must be taking a page from that alien gender-changing, breed-changing cat that belonged to Data in Star Trek.

 

[Medea]

Horses can be used as decent cover from enemy archers. mwahaha.

I think horses would be much more useful if you could actually trample over opponents with them, knocking them over and doing damage in the process. Of course, this could be an over-powered way of fighting in the game, but with all the other exploits and over-powered combat options you already have in Skyrim, it's not like one more is going to hurt the game experience any.

 

[Kalin of High Rock]

Arvak made horses obsolete. Lose him? Summon him again. He died? Summon him again. He's a pretty purple pony that's made of magic.

 

[Nakatsu_Hime]

They make really tasty burgers.

 

[aussiegirlz]

Shadowmere and Arvok are the only worthwhile horses in my experience. Shadowmere because she's practically indestructible, and Arvok because he can be summoned at will. The others are way too frail for my liking and don't really help especially if they get into a combat situation. Then they're just a liability.

I agree - shortly after acquiring Frost he died in battle so I reloaded and spent a few days playing "protect the horse" before giving up and letting him die. Would have been ok if you could leave him at the stables and ride him if you felt like it but nope he's got to go everywhere with you.

Shadowmere I absolutely love and have found myself just riding him to ride him - quick trip into Falkreath to pick up some items from the general goods store or wander around the mountains looking for bears - and I don't have to worry about him dying. Normally the only time I summons Arvak is when I'm over encumbered and need to get to a merchant to unload. Could I live without them yeah - but they do still have a small purpose.

 

[Kryptic]

Fast travelling whilst over encumbered is the horses most useful creature to me!

 

[Printard]

It'd be cool if this game had some jousting we could use our horses in. Probably doesn't exist lore wise. But we could armor them up or whatever idk lol.

 

[Zaan]

It'd be cool if this game had some jousting we could use our horses in. Probably doesn't exist lore wise. But we could armor them up or whatever idk lol.

Oblivion Horse Armor? Bethesda's well known 06/07 troll attempt with that DLC suggests you can.

 

[mrlymric]

I find my horse is very helpful, i gather around 600-700 pounds of loot and you cannot fast travel on foot with that amount of pounds but if climb on horse BAMM now you can fast travel, which i do to go to Riften then short walk to my thieves guild to sell all my stuff to my fence, once she runs out of money i rest for 48 hours then sell more stuff, rinse and repeat till all my stuff is sold.

So i find a horse very valuable to me

 

[sticky runes]

As much as I love horses in real life, I quickly came to dislike them in this game. A waste of 1000 gold coins. They die too easily. They launch kamikaze attacks against dragons and groups of bandits. I got excited when Bethesda brought out the horseback combat update, but that turned out to be awkward and clumsy to control. And if I am traveling to a new locale, I can just fast travel to the nearest spot and walk the rest of the journey, and I can hire a wagon ride to a city I haven't been to, so it's hardly a big deal.

At least with human followers, you can hand stuff over to them, they can follow you into dungeons, and they can't be killed by enemies. If they made horses unkillable (at least the named horses) that wouldn't be so bad.

 

[Cosmic Storm]

I don't know about your characters, but my newest Nord warrior, Richard III, would give his kingdom for a horse in times of crisis.

I usually have one for those "I've just acquired twenty ebony weapons that I'm not going to sell" dungeon moments. Or for dragon bait. Horses make excellent dragon bait. They have much tastier meat than men or mer.

 

[Baelor]

The only reason at all that I use a horse (if/when I do) is for immersion/roleplaying. They add nothing to the game really.

 

[Sharduroga]

Horses are all but pointless in my opinion. The only way to get to high hrothgar with out fast traveling in less then 5 minutes.

Whats better going straight up a mountain or winding around ?

 

[MrDSL]

Yeah those horses sure are faitful companions..Anytime someone attacks me or even thinks about it he is right there protecting me..Too bad he dies shortly after.

Which begs the question. "Why won't any of my followers tank like that?"

Oh well..

 

[Juracan]

He's a pretty purple pony that's made of magic.

Love it

On the other hand, and following from a few posts here already, you can't eat 'im

 

[Juracan]

Sorry for the lack of attribution Kalin, just working on the mechanics of this forum

Arvak made horses obsolete. Lose him? Summon him again. He died? Summon him again. He's a pretty purple pony that's made of magic.

 

[Adam Belmont]

To answer this I'll quote a nord girl in Windhelm stables: "do you know how dull horses are?" I like horses for what they are, beautiful animals, but in Skyrim they are just as useless as a embalming tool.

 

[nordicowboy]

 

[MyNameIsJon]

So, the question remains... What's the point of a horse?

Some people like to pretend they're Galdalf aboard Shadowfax!