Skyrim skills are usage based: you get better at what you do.

The other option is paying for training. Skill books and some NPC quests give you a one-time increase, so they're not a big factor.

Having fun is the only right way to play it, so as long as you're having fun, you're playing it right

The only way to really “mess up” are to make a game breaking item that gives you basically infinite health or unlimited damage- or to way over level yourself before you enjoy the game. For example, a lot of people I know quit about level 50 because by then you’ve usually done every main quest, a lot of side quests, and have your playstyle maxed out for the most part. Then it gets boring as every playstyle maxed is op as shit. I killed Alduin in 3 power attacks on legendary as a warrior. As an archer I killed him with 7 arrow shots. As a mage he died to inifinite numbers of fireballs.

If you want advice on what to level up then try your hand in the crafting skills- smithing, enchanting, alchemy. Whatever floats your boat the best. Smithing to make and upgrade your own weapons and armor. Alchemy to craft your own poisons and potions. Enchanting to enchant any item with things like lifesteal, fortify (skill), or fortify (stat(health)). I usually start off by leveling smithing then enchanting… BUT maybe my biggest tip to playing Skyrim is to bring every enchanted weapon and armor you can find in the open world back to an arcane enchanter and disenchant it! Just by picking up items you find in the world and disenchanting it you will learn the enchantment, lose the item, and gain enchanting experience based on enchantment value/rarity as explained in the enchanting books. Just by disenchanting items (you cannot disenchant the same ENCHANTMENT twice, meaning you can only learn each enchantment once. But, if you just bring enchanted gear over time and disenchant it then continue on your way- by level 30 you would be around enchanting 40 without having enchanted anything at all. And of course with higher level enchanting comes better enchantments! You’re well on your way to improving your gear to any playstyle you deem your favorite!

Get a follower you could see as your best friend in Skyrim and make him run around with you! This allows you to not only gear up yourself the way you want, but you can make your follower look nice too.

One of my complaints in Skyrim is that imo the best looking armors and weapons are iron and steel/steel plate. Not to even mention that anything past that and the guards generally are just like “oh lookey-here we got ourselves an elvish wearing fruitcake”. You could have a sharpened iron sword that does 15,000 damage per hit and the guards would be like “oh look at that letter opener you have. Better throw it away and go talk to (insert town blacksmith). Soooooo annoying like bro I killed every main boss in the game with this 9 damage iron sword, I could destroy you with this “letter opener” shut up guard. I could shout you apart like Ulfric did Torryg. What would they do? Start a Dragonborn war? Rant over

Basically after level 50 bandits with a word after their name become the hardest enemy in the game. Bandit chief? Watch out! Once leveled he’ll knock your ancestors socks off. Bandit highwayman? Sheesh better watch out for those arrows. Bros practically the best archer in all of Tamriel. Those Reavers? Each one of them past level 40 are like individual dragon priests 😭

There is no wrong way to play. Just do what you wanna do.

It sounds like smithing is the skill you want to focus on next to improve your armor and weapons.

You have to grind to improve smithing and/or pay for training. You can pay to train a skill ( levels each time your character levels up. I often train smithing up to level 51 at which point there is a big jump in price.

You can google ways to level up smithing.

Oh wow, yeah, been doing this since my first playthrough! The game does tell you this, but I don't remember exactly how... I can't remember if it's when you open up his shop for the first time after unlocking it or if he tells you when you return to the Crossroads for the first time after unlocking. But yeah... these enchantments are huge and really take your Rook to the next level.

Where you do this? I was in the enchant menu for gear but I never saw it for abilities?

You missed it. First run and I’be been enchanting. Unrelated, can you sell armour in this game? Or just valuables?

You can enchant abilities?

Hey, so, that particular fight against some dragons, did you know you can use the ballistas? It’s important to me that you know you can use the ballistas.

Its outdated. The wiki hasn't properly updated since the newest update. I think someone is working on things so hopefully this will be fixed to the current version too

Skill rank was from before the July Update. As of now, you no longer need to rank up your skills. As long as you have the necessary points, you can just unlock the skill now

They will probably be part of the DLC, the Wicked Isle story expansion, which is still being developed. If you pre-ordered the deluxe edition, you will have it with no strings attached when it releases later this year

Defeat Renella at the academy, after that she becomes an npc and you can respec there

Gotta beat the moon queen rennala then if you have to use a Lavarl tear so you can respec

btw I believe there are 17 larval tears in the game , so don’t worry too much about not being able to respec multiple times

If you mean to respec then you need a larvel tear. Once you have one, you got to Renalla and she will do it there

Sleeping in a Chieftan's House gives you a long buff to stamina. Some types of food - particularly those from meat will make you really strong and clearing the monster camps will let you build places of worship that grant some neat temporary buffs.

There are a bunch more, but I think for this game exploring and figuring out some of these things is part of the fun.

I've seen you have more stamina when you have the good eat and good thirst buffs. No idea about the rest. Im guessing its all about level of profresions and tools

No. Your base stats are set when you choose your character, either Aska or Ragnar. You can get temporary buffs to many different stats, though. You get buffs eating, sleeping, and your Shamans praying to the Runestones.

Your skills do level up the more you use them. And how fast they level up depends on how high their base stat is for them. I.e. you level up Stone Gathering faster the higher your Strength is. The same is true for your Villagers.

Lol I never even noticed the statue thing. I did pray at one statue and got an item but man… seems like I may have missed out on quite a bit

Thanks!

Also, flask and weapon upgrades don’t actually require skill points, just the materials. You do need to spend the skill points to get to the nodes, though.

I think I figured it out. Updating this post for posterity.

Once I switched the staff to my primary (right) hand, the ashes of war skill was automatically selected and I could use it. I guess you can't activate an ashes of war skill if the weapon is in your secondary (left) hand.

Playing a magic based character, I just equip my spear in my right hand and my staff in my left so I can still use my spells. When mounted I switch them back because you can only use the weapon in your right hand. Kind of a pain in the ass but it is what it is.

to access the dlc "mohg and radan will need to be dead" so unless you can no hit them i would say the dlc is late game.

From past experience, DLC weapons are all contained within the DLC itself.

They'll be dispatched throughout, pretty much like the main game. This means you'll have brand new weapons early, but the choice will get wider as you progress.

you have to find the weapons bro

The DLC content is usually endgame level of difficulty that can be either accessed in early-midgame (Bloodborne, DS3, to a lesser extent DS1) or somewhere close to the endgame (DS3 Ringed city, DS2).

Elden Ring asks you to beat Radahn (early-mid game boss) and Mohg (lategame boss accessible very early if you do the Varre quest in Liurnia) before having access to the DLC.

All of the DLC things will be accessible in the DLC areas. I suppose some of them will be available for purchase from merchants, some will be available to pick up in the world and some of them will be rewards for beating bosses.

How early you can access it is up to your skill.