Board Thread:General Discussion/@comment-10870829-20130706015706/@comment-4057437-20130706043705

There are a lot of differences, starting with leveling up. The Hero  has to sleep to level up and it can be put off to gain an advantage as skills increase without having to assign perks. When leveling up, attributes can be increased, based partly on which skills were responsible for the leveling.

Each race starts with different skill levels and there is a difference between the sexes as well.

Once the race has been determined, a class must also be chosen. Classes have their own effects on the Hero's skills and attributes.

There are a few skills that aren't in Skyrim, most notably, Acrobatics,  Athletics and Hand to Hand. There are no constellations to place perk points in.

The alchemy is different, the Hero still hasn't figured it all out, though Master level is easily attained, along with many Septims. There are no Alchemy labs, individual pieces of gear which have to be in the Hero's possession are used.

There are no shouts, so the activation for shouts is used for casting magic instead.

Custom spells can be created if the base spell is known. Spells can be bought or found in Tomes. Feather spells stack, that is: two or more feather spells cast back to back stack, allowing great amounts of loot to be carried. When over-encumbered, no movement is possible, (other than turning around).

Enchanted gear can be made using filled soul gems. Grand soul gems are much rarer than in Skyrim, as are black soul gems. Grand soul gems can be made into black soul gems at special places if there at the right time. Sigil stones can be used to make enchanted gear. The strength of the enchantment they make is dependant on the Hero's level when the stone is acquired. Enchanted weapons need to be recharged with filled soul gems. (Trap souls with spells or enchanted weapons, as in Skyrim.)

There is no dual enchanting, though items may be found that are dual enchanted.

Weapons and armor wear out with use. They have to be repaired with repair hammers that break. The greater the Armorer skill, the longer hammers last,  master armorer's hammers don't break at all. Enchanted items cannot be repaired unless the Armorer skill is at least Journeyman, but there are venders who can repair such items, for a fee. Weapons and armor cannot be crafted.

As in Skyrim, being a Master of Sneak is very useful, especially if combined with apparal with the Chamelion enchantment.

Lock picking is very different, but if the Skeleton Key is acquired as a reward it can be kept.

A character's attitude towards the Hero can be modified through Persuasion, spells or bribery.

The price of items bought or sold depends on both the Mercantile skill and the vender's attitude towards the Hero.

Cyrodil is very different from Skyrim, visually, but it is often very beautiful in its own way. There are quite a few different creatures to fight, but no dragons. The realm of Oblivion is very hostile and can be quite a challenge.

The Guild quest-lines are very good, some think they are better than Skyrim's.

The add-ons, especially the Shivering Isles, are a must.

Combat is similar, but there are no finishing moves and bows are generally weak, but arrows can be poisoned as can other weapons, like in Skyrim. Unlike in Skyrim, arrows have weight. Ranged magic seems to be more effective in Cyrodil than in Skyrim.

We are sure others can add to our little start, but we can confirm it is a lot of fun in its own right. We still play it from time to time.