History TheDevTeamThinksOfEverything / TheElderScrollsvSkyrim

* [=NPCs=] will interact with items you drop on the ground, and react differently depending on the item, their social standing, and their relationship with the player. They may just take the item, or they may approach you and return it. If two [=NPCs=] approach the same item, it's even possible for them to argue over which of them saw it first, and they'll fight over it. If even works on enemies, allowing the player to get them to kill each other if they can sneak into a room and leave an item behind without being seen. If the items you drop are weapons, a guard will approach you and tell you now to leave weapons lying in the streets, because someone could get hurt. If you're a jerk to them about the warning, they'll issue you a small bounty as a fine for disrupting the peace.

* [=NPCs=] will interact with items you drop on the ground, and react differently depending on the item, their social standing, and their relationship with the player. They may just take the item, or they may approach you and return it. If two [=NPCs=] approach the same item, it's even possible for them to argue over which of them saw it first, and they'll fight over it. If even works on humanoid enemies, allowing the player to get them to kill each other if they can sneak into a room and leave an item behind without being seen. If the items you drop are weapons, a guard will approach you and tell you now to leave weapons lying in the streets, because someone could get hurt. If you're a jerk to them about the warning, they'll issue you a small bounty as a fine for disrupting the peace.

* Hermaeus Mora's dialogue through the ''Dragonborn'' expansion depending on if you have completed "Discerning The Transmundane" and read the ''Oghma Infinium'' yet. If you have done that quest, he refers to you as his champion throughout your conversations. If you haven't, he greets you as a stranger, but later when you do "Discerning The Transmundane" he'll recognize you and mention he's tracked your progress since the DLC's events.

* If you have completed "Discerning The Transmundane," read the ''Oghma Infinium'', and agreed to be his champion (or not), when you enter Apocrypha in ''Dragonborn'', Hermaeus Mora will greet you as such, referencing each event, and future conversations will also reflect your champion status, all the way through the main storyline. However, if you have encountered a black book prior to the point in the main storyline where you're "supposed to", there is no special dialogue for that.
** Likewise, completing ''Dragonborn'' and then doing "Discerning the Transmundane" will give Hermaeus Mora dialogue saying he's tracked your progress since Miraak's defeat.
** If you've acquired the ''Oghma Infinium'', and talk to Neloth in ''Dragonborn'' about Hermaeus Mora, you can genuinely impress him by saying that you've read the book.
*** Though Neloth really wants the book, the case where you still have it was sadly not taken into account.

* [=NPCs=] will interact with items you drop on the ground, and - depending on the value of the item, how wealthy the NPC is, and if they're friends with you or not - they may just take the item or come to tell you that they saw you drop it and will offer it back. If you drop a load of weapons near guards, they'll tell you to knock it off because leaving them lying in the streets could get someone hurt, and if you're a jerk about the warning, they issue you a small bounty as a fine for disturbing the peace. It also works as a distraction with enemies: Drop a valuable gem next to a group of bandits and they'll start to argue who saw it first, giving you an opportunity to sneak past them. Or, if you prefer to, you can wait until the fight turns violent, and then clear out the survivors.

* Using a Thu'um in a city will cause a nearby guard to insist that you stop because you're making people nervous. Then if you challenge them to prove that you're actually breaking the law, they are forced to sheepishly admit that there ''isn't'' one, but stop doing it anyway! If, however, you're under attack and use a Shout, then the guards not only won't bother you about it, they'll actually ''help you fight''.

* You can "pickpocket" the Briar Hearts out of Forsworn Briarhearts; doing this kills them instantly.

* You can mine for ore by attacking the ore vein with a pickaxe. It's actually faster than the "Mine" action.

* "Necromage," a Restoration skill perk, increases the effects of all spells on undead. If the player is a vampire, their self-targeting spells will also be more effective.

** If you play as a Khajiit, the castle chef will mention she never expected the famous Gourmet to be a one, because of all the fur that might get in the food.

* Clavicus Vile has different dialogue depending on whether you've found out you're the Dragonborn yet. In the latter, he'll explicitly acknowledge you as such.
* If an NPC is carrying firewood, as in doing the picking up chopped wood from a pile and carrying it in their arms animation, and you kill them firewood will drop as an item.

* During the Thieves' Guild quest, you must contact [[spoiler: Calcelmo, as he is [[ItMakesSenseInContext Skyrim's foremost expert in Falmer.]]]] If you helped him during the Book of Love quest or killed the spider in the ruins that keep killing his workers, you can bring it up to him, and he will respond in kind but ultimately will not help you.

* If you complete the Civil War in favor of the Imperials before completing the Main Quest, Ulfric and Galmar will later appear in Sovngarde. Galmar still hates you for what you've done. Conversely, Legate Rikke will appear if you complete the Civil War in favor of the Stormcloaks. Kodlak Whitemane can make an appearance if you've completed the Companions questline.

* During the mission "Diplomatic Immunity", you can [[DressingAsTheEnemy disguise yourself as a Thalmor officer.]] The effectiveness of your disguise, however, is actually based on your race: Beast-races will be spotted instantly due to their vastly different anatomy (most notably a ''tail''); humans will be all right at a distance, but will get caught if they get too close to other guards; non-Altmer elves can get a little closer. Altmer, of course, have it best, as not only can you walk freely all the way to the Solar, you can actually talk with the guards and order them away from their posts. At no point is this tactic ever suggested to you, leaving it purely up to your own initiative. The only catch is you need the Hooded variant of the Altmer robe to conceal your face from a distance if you're not Altmer. Interestingly, the guards have dialogue for checking your face even if you're wearing a hooded Thalmor robe.

* During the mission "Diplomatic Immunity", you can [[DressingAsTheEnemy disguise yourself as a Thalmor officer.]] The effectiveness of your disguise, however, is actually based on your race: Beast-races will be spotted instantly due to their vastly different anatomy; humans will be all right at a distance, but will get caught if they get too close to other guards; non-Altmer elves can get a little closer. Altmer, of course, have it best, as not only can you walk freely all the way to the Solar, you can actually talk with the guards and order them away from their posts. At no point is this tactic ever suggested to you, leaving it purely up to your own initiative. The only catch is you need the Hooded variant of the Altmer robe to conceal your face from a distance if you're not Altmer. Interestingly, the guards have dialogue for checking your face even if you're wearing a hooded Thalmor robe.

** Unfortunately this may cause the bodies of long-dead NPCs to spawn at the ceremony, which will cause an uproar and shock your fiance into calling off the marriage. Apparently the dev team doesn't always think about the permanence of death.

** Unfortunately this may cause long-dead NPCs' bodies to spawn at the ceremony, which will cause an uproar and shock your fiance into calling off the marriage. Apparently the dev team doesn't always think about the permanence of death.

** Unfortunately this may cause long-dead NPCs' bodies to spawn at the ceremony, which will cause an uproar and shock your fiance into calling off the marriage. I guess the programmers don't always think about the permanence of death.

* During the Thieves' Guild quest, you must contact [[spoiler: Calcelmo, as he is [[ItMakesSenseInContext Skyrim's foremost expert in Falmer.]]]] If you helped him during the Book of Love quest, you can bring it up to him, and he will respond in kind.

* During the Thieves' Guild quest, you must contact [[spoiler: Calcelmo, as he is [[ItMakeSenseInContext Skyrim's foremost expert in Falmer.]]]] If you helped him during the Book of Love quest, you can bring it up to him, and he will respond in kind.

* [=NPCs=] will interact with items you drop on the ground, and - depending on the value of the item, how wealthy the NPC is, and if they're friends with you or not - they may just take the item or come to tell you that they saw you drop it and will offer it back. If you drop a load of weapons near guards, they'll tell you to knock it off because leaving them lying in the streets could get someone hurt, and if you're a jerk about the warning, they issue you a small bounty as a fine for disturbing the peace.
** It also works as a distraction with enemies: Drop a valuable gem next to a group of bandits and they'll start to argue who saw it first, giving you an opportunity to sneak past them. Or, if you prefer to, you can wait until the fight turns violent, and then clear out the survivors.
* Using a Thu'um in a city will cause a nearby guard to insist that you stop because you're making people nervous. Then if you challenge them to prove that you're actually breaking the law, they are forced to sheepishly admit that there ''isn't'' one, but stop doing it anyway!
** If, however, you're under attack and use a Shout, then the guards not only won't bother you about it, they'll actually ''help you fight''.
* Knocking stuff over near people will cause them to chide you for carelessness. Running into people will cause them to complain. Running into a companion who is blocking a door or ledge will cause them to mutter an apology and back out of your way.

* The game tracks who saw you commit a crime. If you kill the last witness, any bounty incurred will be removed. A hilarious example is, if you kill a chicken near a house in the woods, if it's alone, a bounty will show up and then instantly removed.
* You can "pickpocket" the Briar Hearts out of Forsworn Briarhearts; doing this kills them instantly. Unfortunately, the dev team didn't think it through fully, and you might later get accosted by hired thugs sent to "teach you a lesson"... thugs who were hired ''by'' the Briarheart.

* [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rje0ZoQA9TI You can snatch arrows out of the air in mid-flight]], and knock arrows out of the air with your own. Nearly impossible to do either of these without the Slow Time shout, but pull it off, and you'll feel like an absolute badass. You can even grab an arrow out of the air, equip it, and shoot it back.

* Sit down in a tavern and the waitress will automatically approach you and ask what you want to drink.
* When exploring one particular crypt with a warrior whose family was buried there, he protests if you start looting, but lets it slide since you're helping him clear out a necromancer doing far worse things to his ancestors' remains.
* A merchant in Riften is in debt to Sapphire, a member of the [[ThievesGuild Thieves' Guild]]. The player can persuade her to let him go... but if they've joined the guild, they can demand a cut of the profit, and if they've [[spoiler:become Guildmaster, they can pull rank and just tell her to back off]]. The latter option particularly has her grow nervous when you bring up the subject because you've found out she's doing business on her own without giving the Guild a cut.
* Skeletons only get jostled by '''[[AC:Fus Ro Dah]]''' because most of the force doesn't actually hit them - it simply passes through the empty spaces between their bones. But Draugr, which have preserved skin, can be knocked back with the full force of the Shout.

* All the children running around the cities? You can play tag and hide and seek with them. In some cities, you can win by hiding in a place children aren't allowed to enter (e.g. Castle Dour courtyard in Solitude).
* You have to loot body parts from certain enemies, like the Glenmoril Witches. If the body part is visible, the ragdoll changes.

* A quest in Morthal has you hunting down a vampire who's been living in a the town for a while. If you try to confront her and you're a vampire yourself, she recognizes you for what you are, and snidely tells you keep it a secret "that there are wolves living amongst the sheep."
** A similar interaction occurs with Arnbjorn when you join the Dark Brotherhood. [[spoiler: He's a werewolf]] and he'll know you're one too if you've done enough of the Companions' quests. This special dialogue does not appear otherwise.
** In ''Dawnguard'', if you bring Serana back to her father and have become a werewolf, the dialogue also changes to reflect this. The Dragonborn specifically asks what will happen if they become a vampire while already a werewolf, with Harkon stating that becoming a vampire will cleanse the "filth" in their blood.

* Upon joining the Legion, General Tullius will recite an oath that the player makes his character repeat to confirm joining up. The pledge swears allegiance to the Emperor, Titus Mede II. However, if [[spoiler: you complete the whole of the Dark Brotherhood questline before starting the Civil War quests, the General just says "The Emperor" rather than his name.]]
* For the thieving/killing types, joining the Thieves' Guild and Dark Brotherhood at the same time would be an ideal goal. Join the Thieves' Guild beforehand and get acquainted with Delvin Mallory. After you join the Dark Brotherhood and receive an amulet which Astrid tells you to show to Delvin, he will remark how you're making friends all over the place and comment on your work as an assassin.

* Towards the end of the main quest, you have to declare your worth to a guardian before he'll let you pass. Depending on which faction quests you've completed, you're given different choices, and he comments on each one. And if you haven't done ''any'', you can simply claim that you're Dragonborn.

* In ''Dawnguard'' you're accompanied in one dungeon by the ghost of a former adventurer. When you find her corpse, she suggests taking her journal for help. If you loot the corpse's armor as well, she complains about it and asks you to let her have her dignity.

* Almost every single door that is opened via a mechanism (lever, pull chain, secret handle, etc) has a mechanism on each side of the door, so it can be opened from either side. This is even if you couldn't logically get to the other side of the door from any in-game method. This is probably a failsafe in case of glitching or intentional clipping through walls getting the player trapped in an {{unwinnable}} situation.
** More likely it's a nod to realism; the place's builders would logically have put mechanisms on both sides. As for a given room's present state, there's no way they could have predicted that.
** As the switches also ''close'' the doors, this lets a truly obsessive-compulsive player close the door behind them, then open it again when they're ready to leave the room.

* Various bosses will comment on the player's behavior during the fight. For example, turning invisible when fighting Miraak causes him to taunt "hiding is beneath you, Dragonborn", and using [[BattleAura Dragon Aspect]] has him note that you've already mastered his own Shout to use against him. Using the Dismay shout on Alduin (which makes targets flee as though Fear was used) has him laugh and ask, "Do you think I will run, ''Dovahkiin''?" (This heads right for HypocriticalHumor, since that's ''exactly'' what Alduin does when you beat him the first time.)
* You can't kill children in the game - they're flagged as invulnerable, undoubtedly to appease the {{Media Watchdog}}s. However, the voice actors still recorded death screams for the children, and the engine loads them. The devs [[GenreSavvy knew]] [[LordBritishPostulate someone would release a mod to make the children killable]] and acted accordingly.
** Not only can you kill children, but certain children are ''flagged to send you letters thanking you for killing other children whom they considered rivals'', just like adults!

* If you enter a business and start snooping around the place, the owner will drop what they're doing and follow you to make sure you don't steal anything. Particularly frustrating for thieves.

* If someone who has children dies, their kids will be sent to Honorhall Orphanage. You can then adopt said kids with ''Hearthfire''. In other words, you can ''[[VideoGameCrueltyPotential murder a kid's parents and than adopt them, forcing them to live forever with the person who murdered their parents]].''
** Likewise, if a parent dies during a dragon attack or (if you have ''Dawnguard'' installed) vampire attack, [[VideoGameCaringPotential you can give their child a better life than the one they had before.]]
* You can mine for ore by attacking the ore vein with a pickaxe.
** Which has the added benefit of being faster than the actual "Mine" action.

** Similarly, if you hurry into Farengar's quarters after sending news of the dragon attack to Jarl Balgruuf, you can ask about his dragon project before the Jarl comes in. If you have raised your enchanting, destruction, or alchemy skill high enough, you can show off your knowledge of said skill by using jargon that [[SomethingOnlyTheyWouldSay only someone proficient in that skill would know.]] Like J'zargo, Farengar is impressed by your knowledge.

* After activating ''Dragonborn'''s main quest up to Miraak's introduction, he'll randomly show up and [[NinjaLooter claim the soul for himself]]. This continues even if you leave Solstheim and kill a dragon in Skyrim proper. When you finally end him, he'll give you back ten dragon souls plus however many he stole in the interim.

* When Brynjolf provides a distraction to get the merchants' attention at the beginning of the Thieves' Guild questline, the Dragonborn's follower will also be distracted.

* In the ''Hearthfire'' DLC, if your character is a vampire, you have an extra option to install a coffin in the cellar.

* After activating ''Dragonborn'''s main quest up to Miraak's introduction, he'll randomly show up and [[NinjaLooter claim the soul for himself]]. When you finally end him, he'll give you back ten dragon souls plus however many he stole in the interim.

* [=NPCs=] will interact with items you drop on the ground, and depending on the value of the item, how wealthy the NPC is, and if they're friends with you or not, they may just take the item or come to tell you that they saw you drop it and will offer it back. If you drop a load of weapons near guards, they'll tell you to knock it off because leaving them lying in the streets could get someone hurt, and if you're a jerk about the warning, they issue you a small bounty as a fine for disturbing the peace.

* You can "pickpocket" the Briar Hearts out of Forsworn Briarhearts; doing this kills them instantly. Unfortunately, the dev team didn't think it through fully, and you might get accosted by hired thugs sent to "teach you a lesson", that were hired by the Briarheart.

* During the mission "Diplomatic Immunity", you can [[DressingAsTheEnemy disguise yourself as a Thalmor officer.]] The effectiveness of your disguise, however, is actually based on your race: Beast-races will be spotted instantly due to their vastly different anatomy, humans will be alright at a distance but will get caught if too close and non-Altmer elves can get a little closer. Altmer, of course, have it best, as not only can you walk freely all the way to the Solar, you can actually talk with the guards and order them away from their posts. At no point is this tactic ever suggested to you, leaving it purely up to your own initiative. The only catch is you need the Hooded variant to conceal your face from a distance if you're not Altmer. Interestingly the guards have dialog for checking your face even if you're wearing a hooded Thalmor robe.

* When exploring a crypt with a warrior whose family was buried there, he protests if you start looting, but lets it slide since you're helping him clear out a necromancer doing far worse things to his ancestors' remains.
* A merchant in Riften is in debt to Sapphire, a member of the [[ThievesGuild Thieves' Guild]]. The player can persuade her to let him go, if they've joined the guild they can demand a cut of the profit, and if they've [[spoiler:become Guildmaster, they can pull rank and just tell her to back off]]. The latter option particularly has her grow nervous when you bring up the subject because you've found out she's doing business on her own without giving the Guild a cut.
* Skeletons only get jostled by '''[[AC:Fus Ro Dah]]''' because most of the force doesn't actually hit them but simply passes through the empty spaces between their bones. But Draugr, which have preserved skin, can be knocked back with the full force of the shout.
* In the Civil War questline, once you prove yourself to either Tullius or Ulfric and take the oath to join them, you cannot just switch sides by changing your mind and take the oath to join the other side instead. The quest immediately after is to find the Jagged Crown, and once you have it you have to take it back to your leader. However, as an optional objective never hinted at, you can deliver it to the other leader in exchange for letting you switch sides. And they comment on you trying to play both sides, and the next quest, defending or besieging Whiterun as the first major battle of the war, shifts to a test of loyalty to make sure you're sincere.
* All the children running around the cities? You can play tag and hide and seek with them. In some cities, you can win by hiding in a place children aren't allowed to enter (e.g. Castle Dour courtyard).

* The quest to formally join the Dark Brotherhood has you ordered to kill one of three bound figures, one of which has a contract on them, but you're not told which one. You're free to kill any of them you choose, or to kill two of them, ''or'' to kill all three of them. The questgiver has unique dialogue to respond to each of these different courses of action. [[spoiler:You're also given the option to kill ''her'' instead, and can then free the captives.]]

* When going to the College of Winterhold, Faralda won't let you pass without either demonstrating your aptitude at magic or passing a persuade check. However, if you're far enough into the main quest, you can simply tell her you're the Dragonborn and fire off a shout, which impresses her enough to let you through. This is because the Thu'um is an ancient, powerful and nearly-forgotten branch of magic, one which few people still study, let alone master; making you somewhat uniquely qualified in the field.

** When you bring Serana back to her father and have become a werewolf, the dialogue also changes to reflect this. The Dragonborn specifically asks what will happen if they become a vampire while already a werewolf, with Harkon stating that becoming a vampire will cleanse the "filth" in their blood.
* If you proceed far enough in the ''Dawnguard'' questline to meet Durnheviir without completing "Dragon Rising" (that is, killing your first dragon and learning you're a Dragonborn), he comments that it was his first instinct to refer to you as a "dovah" but he's not sure why, and perhaps you'll find out for yourself in time. [[spoiler: Similarly, if you've completed the main quest, Durnheviir will acknowledge your triumph over Alduin.]]
* Upon joining the Legion, General Tullius will recite an oath that the player makes his character repeat to confirm joining up. The pledge swears allegiance to the Emperor, Titus Mede II. However, if [[spoiler: you completed the whole of the Dark Brotherhood questline before starting the Civil War quests, the general just says "The Emperor" rather than his name]]
* For the thieving killing types, joining the Thieves' Guild and Dark Brotherhood at the same time would be an ideal goal. Join the Thieves' Guild beforehand and get acquainted with Delvin Mallory. After you've joined the Dark Brotherhood and received an amulet which Astrid tells you to show to Delvin, he will remark how you're making friends all over the place and comment on your work as an assassin.

* Towards the end of the game you have to declare your worth to a guardian before he'll let you pass. Depending on which faction quests you've completed, you're given different choices, and he comments on each one. And if you haven't done ''any'', you can simply claim that you're Dragonborn.

* ''Necromage'', a Restoration skill perk, increases the effects of all spells on undead. If the player is a vampire, their self-targeting spells will also be more effective.

* If you have completed "Discerning The Transmundane," read the ''Oghma Infinium'', and agreed to be his champion (or not), when you enter Apocrypha in ''Dragonborn'', Hermaeus Mora will greet you as such, referencing each event, and future conversations will also reflect your champion status, all the way through the main storyline. Although, if you have encountered a black book prior to the point in the main storyline where you're "supposed to", there is no special dialogue for that.

* Various bosses will comment on the player's behavior during the fight. For example, turning invisible when fighting Miraak causes him to taunt "hiding is beneath you, Dragonborn", and using [[BattleAura Dragon Aspect]] has him note that you've already mastered his own Shout to use against him. Using the Dismay shout on Alduin (which makes targets flee as though Fear was used) has him laugh and ask, "Do you think I will run, ''Dovahkiin''?" This heads right for HypocriticalHumor, since that's exactly what Alduin does when you beat him the first time.

** Not only can you kill children, but certain children are ''flagged to send you letters thanking you for killing their other child rivals'', just like adults!

* If you have Erandur (a noted priest of Mara) as your follower, and head to the Temple of Mara in Riften, he'll remark that he's always wanted to make a pilgrimage there, and that you've made him happy by bringing him.

** Likewise, if a parent dies during a Dragon Attack or Vampire Attack (if you have ''Dawnguard'' installed) [[VideoGameCaringPotential you can give their child a better life than the one they had before.]]

* Attempting to Soul Trap Legate Rikke, Ulfric Stormcloak, or Galmar Stone-Fist [[NoSell will not work, and they will resist it]]. This is because [[spoiler: you can meet them in Sovngarde]]. [[VideoGameCrueltyPotential Tullius is fair game though]].

** While posing as the famous Gourmet later in the same questline, if you arrive emperor's banquet in a chef's outfit, the guard at the door will apologize for not realizing you were there to cook.
** If you play as a Khajit, the castle chef will mention she never expected the famous Gourmet to be a one. Because of all the fur that might get in the food.
** If you summon the Spectral Assassin during the rooftop battle, it will tell you to hurry back to Sanctuary, since your family is in danger.

* The Dragon attack that starts the game ultimately turns out to have been Alduin trying to find the Dragonborn and kill them before they realize their power. Therefore, if you wait around during the fight for too long, Alduin will eventually identify you and start attacking you specifically.

* If you're a vampire in Harkon's court and you marry a mortal, you'll eventually be asked by one of the other vampires to turn your spouse into one.