New Player Guide

(Author's Note: This Guide is a WIP.  I'll be updating it frequently over the next few days)

Skyrim is a game whose core goal is exploration and experiencing it the way you want to experience it. In keeping with this principle, it is almost impossible to get your character into an unplayable state. You might have to pause for a moment or two on occasion to restock on potions or skill-up a bit, but you'll never be in an unwinable state. That said, it is possible to make things harder than it needs to be at the start, so read on for some basics tips to get your adventure started.

To Mod or Not to Mod

Mods are a major part of why people play Elder Scrolls games. As long as you have the Special Edition, even console players can enjoy the wonders of mods. however, mods come with a major caveat now - achievments. There are 75 achievments/trophies in Skyrim SE. If you have mods installed, then you won't get credit for them. Because of this and one other reason, this guide will assume you are playing with no mods installed. The other reason is because there are so many mods, some of which radically change gameplay, that there's no way a single guide can cover everything. That said, even if you have 50+ mods installed (no that's not that unreasonable) you should still find some value here.

Starting Things Off - Race Selection

Race selection is largely a thing of personal preference. You can have a High Elf warrior in dragon-bone armor swinging a Daedric greatsword, and an Orc as the Archmage of the Mage's Guild. However, some races are more inclined towards certain playstyles than others.  Hope on over to the Races page to check out the starting skills in detail, and more importantly, the powers and abilities.  Power and abilities more so than starting skills will impact how you play your character.  The starting +5/+10 bonues can be quickly made up through gameplay, so don't sweat those.