Daggerfall FAQ for Newbies v 1.0

1.	How do I get out of the Privateer’s Hold?

The exit is a room with a bat, a rat and an imp in it near the "top" of
the dungeon. The exit itself is an archway with a skull at the bottom.
Click on the archway to leave the dungeon.

2.  I got a disease in Privateer’s Hold. Why and how do I cure it?

The NPC monster in the "top"  room of the dungeon is using a poisoned
weapon. If he hits you and you are not immune to poison, you will
probably get poisoned (there is a saving roll). Untreated poison turns
into a disease. The best way is not to fight him you don’t have to
fight all the monsters in the game. The second best way is to beat him
before he gets a hit on you. If you are diseased, you can cure it. The
best way is with a purification potion, if you’ve found one in the
dungeon already. There are also cure disease potions, but both work on
percentages which are low for beginning players. (So save just before
taking the potion. If it doesn’t cure you, reload and try taking it
again, if this isn’t cheating too much for you.) Lacking a potion that
will cure you, leave the dungeon and fast travel (click the box on the
overhead map for fast travel) to the nearest town or temple. (Most towns
have temples. All locations on the map called temples have temples;
beware, some of them listed under the general category of temples are
shrines which are not temples.) All temples have healers whom you can
pay to cure your disease.

3.  What are the red brick doors?

There are six types:
1)  teleporters that when you click on them take you somewhere else in
the dungeon.
2)  teleporters that when you walk into them take you somewhere else in
the dungeon.
3)  teleporters that when you run into them take you somewhere else in
the dungeon.
4)  inactive teleporters of types 1, 2 or 3 above that when you throw a
switch, turn a wheel, click a torch, or do something else become active
5)  red brick walls that do nothing except arouse your curiosity
6)  death traps that when you touch or click them kill you

Therefore, always save before playing with a red brick door just in
case.

4.  The manual says

The manual was printed before the game was finished with alpha and beta
testing. Some of its contents are inaccurate.

5.  The hintbook says

The hintbook was printed before the game was finished with alpha and
beta testing. Some of its contents are inaccurate.

6.  How can I repair magic items?

As of patch 191, you cannot. The capability was removed by Bethesda in
order to maintain game balance. When a magic item wears out it breaks
and is gone. This is true of artifacts as well.

7.  I cannot find Lady Briessa. The note says to meet her in the xxx pub
in Daggerfall, but there is no such pub in Daggerfall. 

You get a note from an agent of the Emperor early on after leaving
Privateer’s hold. It shows up with a green background in your inventory.
By using it, you can read it. The note sends you to a randomly chosen
location to meet her. You should do this as it will gain you favor with
the court. It also does not commit you to a timeframe for starting the
main quests. Unfortunately a lot of towns in Daggerfall the province are
named after pubs, so what looks like a request to meet you in a certain
pub in Daggerfall is actually a request to meet you in a town with the
name of a pub in the province of Daggerfall.

8.  I’m on a quest and I need to meet person xxx. How do I find them?

The quests usually tell you what town to look in. Once there, put your
weapon away and talk to the locals on the street. Ask under Person or
under General to find more info. If you ask someone who says something
general like "South of here" again (and again) eventually they will mark
the location on the map.

9.  How do I mount my horse?

Click on the legs Icon or hit "T" for transportation and choose the
horse entry by clicking on it. To get off, hit the Icon again and choose
foot.

10.  How do I enter my ship?

Click on the legs Icon or hit "T" for transportation and choose the ship
entry by clicking on it. This is not to travel by it, it is to drop
stuff off in it or in effect use it as a bag of holding. To exit this
mode, click on the legs Icon again and choose the ship line which is
your only choice.

11.  How do I use my ship for travel?

Choose by ship on the overhead map travel to screen.

12.  How do I buy a ship?

Ships are for sale in the port cities of the provinces in the game. By
definition a port city is the capital of the province think of them as
being on navigable rivers like London or Paris. Then, just go to a bank.
Deposit enough money in your account and buy one from the banking menu.

13.  My gold in inventory is messed up. How do I fix it?

The merchants when they detect you are near your carrying limit will
often pay you with a letter of credit. This is as good as gold with
other merchants and the guilds. Inns do not take letters of credit 
only cash. The cash on hand indication includes letters of credit you
are carrying as well as hard coin. You may deposit your letters of
credit in any bank and then withdraw either cash or another letter of
credit as you need. (Summoning a Daedra Lord costs somewhere around
200,000 gold which is more than most PC’s can carry. Fortunately guilds
and witches take letters of credit which weigh only .25 Kg.)

14.  How do I become a vampire?

You need to be damaged by a vampire in battle, and lucky. The chances
are 0.6% (6 in 1000) from any hit you take. If you are infected you will
have a dream of a maiden being killed the next time you sleep. You then
have 3 nights to either get cured at a temple (or use a cure disease or
purify potion successfully) or you will become a vampire. If you also
contracted a disease at the same time, you may die during the
transformation.

15.  How do I get cured once I’m a vampire?

You don’t have to; it is possible to win the game as a were creature.
There are several within game ways of doing this. The most common is to
be given a quest by the vampire hunters who will contact you after about
a year.

16.  How do I become a werewolf?

The formula and theory is the same as for becoming a vampire, except you
get hit by a were creature. Almost everyone in the Illiac Bay area
actually becomes a wereboar, but there is at least one place where you
can become a werewolf.

17.  How do I get cured once I’m a were creature?

You can win the game as a were creature, if you want a challenge. Or
like for vampires, there are were hunters that will offer you a cure

18.  I turned into a vampire/were creature. What happened to my guild
affiliations?

You lost them. You can rejoin any  at your old level -- except the Dark
Brotherhood or the Thieves Guild.

19.  How do I join the Thieves Guild?

Pick 10 pockets successfully. You can try this in towns, but be careful.
It makes the citizens distrust you (and ignore you when you try to talk
to them) and may well bring the guards who frown on such practices. It’s
easier to pick monsters pockets in dungeons Then after three days while
you are walking in a city you will get a note telling you the next step.
When you succeed at that, you find another note with usually 3 words on
it. The first two are the  name of a person to meet and the last word is
the town to meet them in. This part of the quest falls under the initial
time limit (set in the original note).

20.  How do I join the Dark Brotherhood?

Kill 5 innocents or 15 guards. It is possible to do this without
damaging your reputation, if you are clever. Then you will be given a
note three days later telling you what to do next.

21.  How do I put the poison in the drink?

Pick up the vial. It may be on a table, bed or the floor. The poison
will be put in the drink for you. Then use the remove option to put the
vial back

22.  I can see, but cannot pick up the quest object. How do I do it?

You need to look down at it a little and be close enough. For some
objects the hotspot is a little below the picture on the screen. Some
find it easier to duck and then look down a little. If necessary, move a
little and try again.

23.  I want to join the Mages Guild, but they say I need to improve my
guild skills. How do I do that?

You need a skill value of 22 or so in one of the guild skills and at
least 4 in a second guild skill. The Mages Guild skills are the six
schools of magic. If none of yours are 22, you can train them by joining
a temple. (As of patch 195 you can train at temples without joining.)
Each temple trains at least two of the magic schools. Once you reach 22
go back to the Mages Guild and ask again.

24.  I have done tons of quests for the xxx guild but I don’t go up in
rank. Why?

Being elevated in a guild requires three things:

1)  a high reputation with the guild which is usually secured by
successfully completing a number of quests for the guild. Each normal
quest completed nets you 5 rep points. Failed quests lose you 2 don’t
fail your first quest or you’ll be barred from the guild. It is always a
good idea to save just before asking for a quest; then if something goes
woefully wrong and you would like to start over  not always the best
idea since a number of quests have interesting repercussions after you
fail them you easily can. Quests turned down lose you nothing (and
gain you nothing). You lose one point of rep every three months
naturally. You may also lose rep if you do a quest for a guild that
harms another like stealing something for the Thieves Guild from one of
the Temples. There are ten ranks with each guild ranging from 0 through
9. The minimum rep for each rank is 10 times the rank.
2)  meeting the guild minimums in your highest two guild skills for each
rank. For the second highest the formula is 4 + 4 per rank. For the
highest the formula is approximately 22 + 7.5 per rank.
3)  time. At least 28 days must have passed since your last promotion.
You can however skip ranks if you meet the requirements for a higher one
when it is time for you to be promoted. It is possible to skip from
initiate to archmage in the Mages Guild upon your first promotion.

25.  How do I level up?

The formula for determining your level is

((current skill total) - (starting skill total) + 28 ) / 15

where skill total is the sum of

your three primary skills + the highest two major skills + the highest
minor skill

Note: that the actual skills used for the latter two may be different as
you go through the game when figuring the current skill total. The
starting skill total is always a constant.

26.  How do I raise my skills?

Through use. Most guilds (all except the Knights) will offer training in
the guild skills and some others the guild considers useful. Training is
priced at 100 gold times your level. You can train any of the skills
offered up to and including 51. After that you have to use the skill to
increase it.

Each skill has a tally counter. Each time you use the skill the tally
counter is increased by 1. When the tally counter exceeds the difficulty
factor times the skill value and it has been at least 6 hours since the
skill was last increased, the skill value is increased by 1 and the
tally is reset to 0. Training adds a random number between 10 and 20 to
the tally counter. The difficulty factor for standard classes is 1. For
custom classes it’s between 0.3 and 3.

Minor and miscellaneous skills seem to have an extra small difficulty
factor built into learning them, making them a little harder to
increase.

Spell schools tally counters are increased for each spell cast, no
matter the casting cost. It is therefore, perhaps advisable to have a
number of cheap spells to practice with before sleeping (unless you
don’t regenerate magic, then it would be before talking to people in the
Mages Guild). These tend to be called cantrips.  Here are some cheap
cantrips four of which "Two Socks" suggested (remember to make the per
level number high to cut down on casting cost):

Alteration Cantrip - slowfall   

Destruction Cantrip - damage fatigue [with 'Target at Range' setting] 

Illusion Cantrip - shadow form

Thaumaturgy Cantrip - Buoyancy 


Mysticism Cantrip - open [extremely useful for getting into Residences
and Shops when
you don't feel like picking locks]

Restoration Cantrip - heal fatigue

Once your skill levels go up so that you are casting these for 5 points
each, you may wish to combine them into 2 or 3 multi-spell cantrips. I
have one called MIT and a second called DAR. At 28th level both of these
cantrips only cost 5 each to cast.

27.	I’ve gone up three levels but have not gained any spell points. Why?

Spell point max is determined by INT. To increase spell points, increase
your INT when you level up. You can find out what the other attributes
affect by clicking on the attributes on the character info screen (hit
F5 from the main screen or click your character’s face). You can also
increase your spell point max by enchanting and equipping an item of
extra spell points when you reach the Enchanter level in the Mages Guild
(or the equivalent level in the Temple of Julianos).

28.	I just bought the xxx spell and it takes more points than I have to
cast. Will I ever be able to cast it?

As you increase your skill level in the school(s) of the spell, the
casting cost decreases. The minimum casting cost for any spell is 5
points.

29.	How do I open the box for the quest the Mages Guild gave me?

You need to go find the person with the box. Talk to them. They will
give you the box. Cast the Open spell (the one the guild sells, not one
you made in the spell maker) or Use an item of Undeniable Access. This
will open the box. Deal with the contents. If the contents include a
wand, use it. Talk to the person who gave you the box. Go back and talk
to the quest giver. Most quests are not over until you talk to the quest
giver. The only exceptions seem to be those where you get paid upon
delivering something to somebody.

30.	What level do I need to be to start the main quests?

You choose. At 3rd level they are difficult. You must be at least 10th
level to finish the last quest. Most players like to be closer to 20th
or more before starting the main quests. But it’s up to you.

31.	I turned down a main quest. Will I ever be able to get it again?

No. Back up and reload and don’t talk to the person who gave you the
quest if you are not ready for it yet. Without completing the main
quests you are unlikely to be able to finish the game.

32.	In the spell maker how do I change the values associated with the
spell?

Many spells have duration, damage or percentage chances to work. In the
spell maker they default to something of the form 1 - 1 + 1 - 1 / 1
level. This means when cast the duration, damage or percent is a base
of  1 to 1 with 1 to 1 added for each level of the caster. In the spell
maker you can click on the bar above or below these numbers to change
them. The first pair determine the base range with the second number
always being greater than or equal to the first number. If you click
above the second number it will go up to 2. Click again to raise it
further. If you click below the number it lowers. The second pair of
numbers are the variable portion. Again the second must always be
greater than or equal to the first. If you click above the first one,
the variable portion goes up, below and it goes down. The last number
represents is divided into the number of levels of the caster to
determine the variable part. If you increase it to 2 the cost of the
spell goes down but the variable portion only goes up with every other
level of the caster. So if by clicking you set the numbers to 1 - 10 + 4
- 5 / 1 level and are 3rd level the value is something  between 13 and
25 when the spell is cast. If you are 10th level the value of casting
the same spell will be between 41 and 60.

33.	How do I add other spells to an item in the item maker?

You need to click on the add spell line rather than hitting return when
it is highlighted. That will bring you to another scroll where you can
choose the spell. If you hit return, you always get the first spell.

34.	How do I bind a soul to an item in the item maker?

Have the soul gem with the trapped soul in your inventory. Click on Add
disadvantages. Click on soul bound. Click on the soul you wish to bind.

35.	How do I capture a creature’s soul?

Acquire an empty soul gem. The Mages Guild sells them. So do some
temples and the Dark Brotherhood. You have to be a sufficiently ranked
member to buy them. Then you need a Soul Trap spell. It’s probably best
to make your own, with as close to 100% chance of success as possible
(or more). Duration may be kept short to keep the cost down. Find the
creature. Save. Cast the spell. If it says trap activated proceed
otherwise reload and cast again the target gets a chance to save. Then
kill the creature before the duration runs out. The soul will be
transferred to the gem for later use. Warning: when the magic item
breaks the soul is released and will attack you for using it in this
fashion

36.	Where do I find the best weapons and armor?

What you find is based on your LUCK, your level and the level of the
shop, dungeon or monster you are dealing with. With sufficiently high
luck you may be finding Daedric weapons by 8th level or so. Armor of a
given material usually comes along about two levels after weapons. Most
find Daedric weapons by about 12th level. There are 5 levels of shop:
superb (incense burning), above average (skillfully crafted), average,
below average (barely functional), poor (mice scurrying). The better the
shop the more likely they will have better merchandise. The better the
shop the higher the prices you will be charged. The worse the shop the
better price you will get when selling items. Armorers and weapons hops
have both armor and weapons, as to pawn shops. General stores sell
weapons, but not armor.

37.	Where can I sell my holy tomes and holy daggers?

Pawn shops.

38.  When I try to attack monster type xxx the game says my weapon is
ineffective. What kind of weapon do I need?

All monsters can be attacked with hands as well as with magic (although
some have certain immunities…e.g., Fire Daedra are immune to or even
healed by fire based spells). This can be hazardous to your health
against Daedra, Gargoyles, Ancient Vampires, Liches or Ancient Liches
all of which otherwise require mithril or better.

Imps require steel or better. Were creatures, Ghosts, Mummies, Wraiths,
Vampires and Nymphs require silver or better. Harpies require dwarven or
better.

The metals in order are iron, steel, silver, elven, dwarven, mithril,
adamantium, ebony, orcish and daedric. As you go up the scale, weapons
made of the various metals tend to do more damage, have more hit points
(last longer) and hold more enchantment points.

39. 	I can't find the dungeons after I fast-travelled to them

Look for a small hill in front of you, in a 20 degr radius left and right

40. 	My health is 4/4 what happened?

You got Lycantrophy (i.e., you are a wereboar or maybe even a werewolf).
If you are a were-beast and don't kill an innocent - person once every 
month (on the full moon) your hit-points are reduced to 4/4 and stay
that way 'till you kill someone.

41. 	the game crashes 2 or 3 times each time i play it, what is happening?

eeehhhh....... bug? The fixsave program included in the latest patch may help
solve many savegame - crash related problems.

42. 	I just started and I'm told to visit the royal families to inform about the
ghots of Lysandrus but when I talk to them they say nothing related to the quest

You have to gain level and reputation, then after a while you will get a
note from a member of one of the royal families