New Skyrim details: Injured Dragons can’t fly, much more

The Official PlayStation magazine’s July edition features some juicy info on Bethesda’s highly anticipated Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim.

Dragons will be roaming about the lands of Skyrim and players will be able to encounter them throughout their travels. These encounters are randomized and completely unscripted. The article also revealed that injured dragons will not be able to fly, so once players do enough damage to the dragon it will plummet to the ground, making it easier to attack.

Dragon Shouts
Several new Dragon Shouts were detailed:

• Yol Toor – Fire Breath
• Iiz Slen – Ice Crystals
• Strun Bah Qo -  Lightning Storm
• Slow Time
• Whirlwind Spirit (allows the player to move quickly in one direction)

Dual-Wielding
Information regarding dual-wielding was discussed. Of interest, torches can now be used as weapons. The options for dual-wielding are as follows:

• Weapon + Weapon
• Weapon + Shield
• Weapon + Torch
• Spell + Weapon
• Spell + Spell
• Two-Handed Weapon
• The Hand-to-Hand skill has been removed

Questing and Dialogue
The game will feature over 60,000 lines of recorded dialogue, with many more voice actors than there were in Fallout 3 or Oblivion.

Quests randomly generated using the Radiant Story system were inspired by the random encounters seen throughout Fallout 3. The developers didn’t like how fake Oblivion sometimes felt, and wanted Skyrim to feel more realistic by making it less scripted and predictable.

Factions
Four factions have been confirmed, and their quests will be woven into one another as well as the game’s main storyline:

• The Dark Brotherhood
• The Thieves Guild
• The College of Winter Hold (Mages)
• The Companions (Warriors)

Cities

Each city will have its own unique economy, which players can build up or destroy if they so desire. Patrolling guards make a return in Skyrim, but they will be a little bit easier to evade than they were in Oblivion. Additionally, players can still have bounties placed on their heads, but they will not be carried over to other cities.

Travel

There are several options for traveling in Skyrim. Players can ride horseback on the more realistic horses, take a carriage between towns, or use the fast-travel system that will be making its return.

Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim is set for an 11-11-11 release this November. Expect some more news and teasers next week at E3.