Forums » Elder Scrolls

• Mason

  

  • 739 posts
   

  January 12, 2012 6:15 PM EST

  One of the the things that i really dislike about Skyrim is the fact that you have to join the college of winterhold if you want to learn adept spells. You can wait for advanced spells to turn up in the loot in dungeons but this is hardly efficient.

  For someone playing a thief or an assasin for example invisibility is a very useful spell (as are all illusion spells) but you have to join the college to get it. I'm very fussy when it comes to journal management, so i dont want the college quests activated when i'm not a mage character because it doesnt suit the role and i then feel obliged to then do the entire college questline to get it off my list of 'things to do'.

  I've searched through google for over an hour today trying to find out if there is another way into the college without starting the questline, apparently you have to go in as part of the main quest but this didnt help me. Also with a speech check of 75+ you can skip Faralda's test but i believe that still starts the college questline, again no good for me.

  However, with much scrabbling and climbing and little 'boosts' of whirlwind sprint i eventually, after 2-3 minutes of trying, gained entrance through the Midden Dark. Those who have used that exit before will know that there is a very steep ledge that makes it nearly impossible to gain entry, but it IS possible.

  Once you fight your way in the college staff act as normal and wont give you any trouble, all the usual spells are up for grabs. Tolfdir will be in his usual starting spot in the Hall of Elements but the three apprentice wizards wont be there so he wont start his lecture and will sell his spells!

  Hope this helps someone.

   

   

   

• Paul

  

  • 773 posts
   

  January 12, 2012 6:21 PM EST

  Nice find, Mason

  I'm not even close to gaining Whirlwind Sprint for my Librarian at the moment, but when I do get to that stage its something useful to know - like you, I don't want to have to join the College if I choose not to.

• Mason

  

  • 739 posts
   

  January 12, 2012 6:23 PM EST

  You dont need whirlwind sprint at all, just re-tested 'the climb' in clear weather conditions!

• Paul

  

  • 773 posts
   

  January 12, 2012 6:25 PM EST

  Cool, I'll give it a go tomorrow 

• Tygravius

  

  • 577 posts
   

  January 12, 2012 11:30 PM EST

  hahaha!! That's awesome! Talk about dedication. Very nice.

• RuneRed

  

  • 856 posts
   

  January 12, 2012 11:45 PM EST

  Thanks.  That is a nice find.  I had a wizard build, and was trying to avoid joining the college (independant wizard / roleplay purposes).

• Guy Corbett

  

  • 426 posts
   

  January 13, 2012 4:33 AM EST

  Is the midden dark at the base underneath the college? Going to have to try this at somepoint as Im not really using any magic on the Larz playthrough.

• Mason

  

  • 739 posts
   

  January 13, 2012 7:31 AM EST

  Yes mate thats the one!

  When you find the steep ledge its the right hand side that you need to climb up.

• Magebane

  

  • 1 posts
   

  January 28, 2012 8:37 PM EST

  you dont need to go to the college for the main quest either, just go straight from the throat of the world to septimus signus's outpost directly. works for me. only downside is you miss out on reading some books about the elder scrolls and hearing some lines from the orc librarian. as i tend to play arcane characters i always visit the college anyway.

  thieves guild can be skipped too with no incident if you avoid brynjolf, talk to the innkeeper in riften then go straight to the ragged flagon.

  to prevent no stone unturned from coming up during the main quest dont ask maul to appraise it showing it to him is ok tho. tbh i have never gotten around to finishing that quest in any of my playthroughs.

  unfortunately the daedric quest discerning the transmundane is unavoidable, cant get to blackreach without talking to septimus first. hope i didnt give away too many spoilers.

• Shannon

  

  • 668 posts
   

  January 30, 2012 12:19 PM EST

  LMAO!! Just join the college!! Why are you making it so hard on yourself. Are you that set on lack of education?! Silly doggie!!!

• Mason

  

  • 739 posts
   

  January 30, 2012 4:41 PM EST

  LOL! Dogs arent allowed to join the college, all the static fluffs up our fur!

• Shannon

  

  • 668 posts
   

  January 31, 2012 10:09 AM EST

  Irish wolfhounds have the most wiry fur ever, you couldn't fluff that stuff up with the CERN Hadron Collider.

  You just want to do things in a difficult way so that you feel you've gotten over on them. You can stick your tongue out and say na na na na, I didn't follow your rules. I bet you spent a lot of time staring into corners as a child.

• Mason

  

  • 739 posts
   

  January 31, 2012 10:42 AM EST

  Um, ok...

  Some of us just dont want to have to join the college to buy certain spells (paul for his librarian build), this thread just answered the problem...

• Piper Jo

  

  • 80 posts
   

  January 31, 2012 4:55 PM EST

  That's really cool!  Thanks for posting and for doing the work to find it.