Elder Scrolls: Skyrim is one of those game you can play for hours without even realizing it. It’s an amazing open world experience where there is always an item that needs retrieving, or a dragon that needs slaying. Skyrim is truly a masterpiece, but the more time I spend with it, the more I see little things that annoy me.
Regenerating health
Health that slowly creeps back makes sense in games like Gears of War and Halo. They’re fast paced FPS titles where players rarely get a moment to collect themselves. Skyrim is a different experience. Instead of the more linear style of shooter games, the play at your own pace approach of Skyrim doesn’t need health that automatically comes back. With all the potions, food, and magic that gives you health, I don’t see the point. Regenerating health should have been made into a perk.
Followers and NPCs
The AI in most video games is far from ideal. In Skyrim, you can get married, have followers, or just have someone tag along on a single mission. When you’re dealing with NPCs, things can get messy fast. Followers frequently block you into rooms, pin you against walls, or even nudge your character right off a cliff. These are supposed to be the people who fight for you, but many times they just help you to an early death. Besides hurting your character, they also like to run in front of you during a battle. If you’re not careful, you can kill them. Many of them, like Lydia, seem to go out their way to step on bear traps. The most annoying is when you have a follower for a single quest, like in Laid to Rest or the Taste of Death. These companions attack if they’re accidentally dealt damage by you or another friendly NPC during a battle. This can lead to failing the mission and having to start over.
Accidentally stealing items
Everyone who has played games like Skyrim or Fallout has walked into the store, pushed the button to talk to the shopkeeper, and aimed wrong. By missing the mark, you accidentally steal a plate and now the whole town is out to get you. This problem is more annoying in Skyrim since taking certain items is considered theft when they’re not labeled in red. In the Hag’s Cure alchemy shop, there are potion ingredients that look like you can take them. As soon as you do, the owner immediately asks you to leave. There have been countless other times when the guards came after me because I picked up something I thought was able to take.
Skyrim is one of the most engrossing and enjoyable games I’ve ever played, even if my followers accidentally kill me or I almost get arrested for mistakenly stealing a cabbage. The only way to work around these annoyances is to save the game on different slots and pray it doesn’t freeze first.