New shocking Perk system in The Elder Scrolls V Skyrim

[Vincent D]

While the perk system was newly announced I was neither concerned nor pleased about it, but watching it in the video raised my eyebrows to say the least.

1. Boring perks
   Shield wall in the video increases amount blocked by 25% and has 5 ranks. Really? 5 ranks into this when I can get awesome stuff like Shield Charge or Resist Elements. 5 perks out of 50 possible to get the max block amount?
2. Artificial perks
   Looking at the same Shield wall perk I have to wonder what is my shield worth without that perk? To my understanding it should be modeled that either I time my block or I don't. Either I get bruised (small hp and stamina loss) by the force behind the attack or I don't.
3. Leveling stall
   I understand that perks must have requirements. If I was designing the game I would make it like that. But I have to warn you what could happen is that people will again have to micromanage their skill gains not to level up when they don't have access to a perk they want.

Any Thoughts on this?

[RyanInt]

I get your points. And I agree with what you are saying on artificial perks. Stuff like bleeding should be default, and for all wounds, not just those caused by axes. On the leveling stall bit: I think most requirements will be pretty low. Remember the guild advance requirements in Morrowind? I was not at all even close to not qualify for those. I get your point but when he was describing axes maybe he ment the weapon more than the perk? As well I am going to sit back and watch I have faith in the Devs. Sad to say it but if we have to let’s just get a mod. We shouldn’t have to but still.

[AZUL]

If you have played any of the Fallout games, you'd know how well a perk system can add complexity to the game. In Skyrim, it seems to be in place to pick up some of the slack left behind by removed skills and attributes. Axes maim and have gaping wounds much more than other weapons. I agree with the sword crit due to swords being slim and finding gaps in armor. That is generally how they are used to find gaps and weak points. Swords can’t hack through armor like an ax or smash it like a mace. But they can stab through it or find gaps or a weakness in the armor and with a skilled user you are done!

[RockOn]

I don't ever see this being a problem. As fen mentioned, the requirements are quite low. Also, you have 50 perks to choose from (which will allow you to completely max out 3-4 skills). If you can't get the perk you want this level, it will at a standstill be there next level, and you can take one of the other perks that you want. This will only be a trouble if you are taking perks in skills that you aren't using (and why would you do that).

[Squibbit]

I absolutely agree. It was my fear all along that perks would be a poor substitute for things attributes and skills used to do fluidly and naturally, and with these amazingly dumb shield perks it seems I was right. These things belong in the block skill, not in perks. I as well fear that there will be numerous 'light' perks. You know the kind of thing they come up with at 3 a.m. Like the wild wasteland perk in Fallout New Vegas.

[Wyvern]

I mean that this should be in the block skill, not in a perk. When you get level 50 or so you should be able to bash automatically, it should not be reliant on choosing a perk. It’s bizarre, gamey and makes no sense. If perks are just there to do what skills and attributes used to do in a more fluent, organic and logical manner than this will be the very last elder scrolls game I will ever buy. Previously I am not going to buy it on release date anymore because frankly I am pissed off at the action/ adventure direction this game is taking, moving even further away from what made elder scrolls great than Oblivion did.

[ApplePowerPC]

I thought those aren't exactly what his sentiments on this issue were. About the points raised on the OP, I might get your message wrong on the first bit, but I assume that the you don't have to take all 5 points of the "boring" one to unlock the "more awesome" ones (as you put it). I don’t know, I can be royally wrong here. I just hope not. Perhaps at the very least one perks below and/or a certain level of skills (but not too high), though I can see how some will see this as restricting still.

[MacIntel]

It’s not like all of my characters will end up a level 70 anyway. By that time in Morrowind and Oblivion I have over 300 hours put into one character. Why, after 300 hours and saving the world can’t my character be superhumanly good at everything? I am much more concerned about the dumber down character creation, making all starter characters exactly the same, than I am about endgame characters ending up same after 300+ hour’s playtime.