Why 280 perks and only 18 skills in The Elder Scrolls V Skyrim

[Defaulter]

We know of only 1 skills full perk list (block = 9 perks). But on average to get every perk into a skill category you would need on average 15 1/2 perks per skill. I really doubt they are going to come up with 15 perks in one tree for one skill so will some perks be quest based, like the ones for fallout 3. Remember Dream Crusher or Hematophage from Fallout 3? So what do you think? Anyone have any kind of hint or idea?

[RyanInt]

I believe that the 280 perks they mention also entail each rank of a certain perk (e.g.: the shield wall has 3 ranks, therefore counts for 3 of the 280) Block has 13 perks. Shield Wall has 5 ranks. I expect One-handed Weapons to have 20 or more perks. There's so much that needs to be packed into it. Swords, Axes, Maces, Dual-wielding. Maybe even short sword/dagger perks, but those are probably in Sneak.

[AZUL]

I can imagine some bonus perks from quests. Like the disease immunity from curing corpus in Morrowind, that could be stored as a perk. Or the stat bonuses from the Grey Prince are training in Oblivion. Race bonuses could be stored as perks. Treat perks as storage containers for permanent character bonuses and you can do away with permanent enchantments and such. It would also make level-based racial magick bonuses (like what Race Balancing Project for Oblivion has) simple to utilize. Make an invisible perk with ranks according to the steps of the bonus, and automatically award ranks at certain levels. That'll probably be for a mod, not for vanilla.

[RockOn]

If they can function like this then they open up a lot of easy Modding opportunities. Scripted effects in perks could simulate new skills, maybe even new equipment slots. I wish I could mod so I would know exactly how much they could realistically do. Quest perks are extremely likely but the over 280 perk/perk levels are NOT counting them. As for racial perks, races will have bonuses those bonuses will LIKELY show up in the menu as perks just as traits do in fallout new Vegas. In fact it will likely be exactly the same sort of thing.

[Squibbit]

The only perks we've heard of so far are the ones in the skill perk trees (constellations). I bet the differences between races will be handled like in previous TES games. Each race will have different starting skill values (values, probably not perks), and they will have racial abilities which will probably be in the magic menu. Remember that perks are not shown in a list like in fallout. They are in skill trees in the form of constellations. Technically they could give races different starting perks, or add stars to the constellations based on your race, but I doubt it.

[Wyvern]

No signs point to non-skill based perks. Unless I've missed some mention of them, every time perks have been mentioned so far, it's been in the context of skill-based perk trees. Bethesda did perks for Fallout 3 in one way. Obsidian copied Bethesda's perk implementation for FNV. Bethesda is implementing perks in a new way for Skyrim. And I just hope there is a few quest specific perks though, like how to make Orcish/Nordic armor/weapons from steel, maybe a few unique combat moves based on the traditions of a culture just to make it more interesting.

[ApplePowerPC]

Well perks in Skyrim and Oblivion are not like perks in Fallout they all are skill based and there is no evidence for general not linked to skills perks, but there is also traits like racial traits what can be chosen from start or traits received from guardian stones through game, such traits was available and before in TES like various powers and bonuses what player character can receive as advantages and disadvantages in Daggerfall, Corpus immunity in Morrowind, Birth signs, special trainings and rewards, additional traits from vampirism and lycanthropy, and so on. Traits are not perks in TES they are different layers, unlike of Fallout 3 (but not like in Fallout NV) where traits and perks are same.

[MacIntel]

Most solid number I've seen is about 280 perks, 230 or so of which are actually unique, which would mean multiple ranks for perks in most skill trees. But I imagine that, yes, there will be some "general" perks related to quests. Perhaps a special move acquired via a Companions quest, or a blessing from a church that increases the effectiveness of your turn undead spells. Things like that which is listed in the magic menu rather than with the skills.