Dragons will attack in a realistic manner, dynamically attacking as it sees fit, especially when in flight. A wounded dragon will be grounded, allowing the player to fight it on the ground. Killing a dragon, of course, gives the player a new “Dragon Shout”, which is basically a dragon related spell that is invoked verbally. Newly revealed dragon shouts include “Yol Toor” (Fire breath), “Iiz Slen” (Ice crystals), and “Strun Bah Qo” (Lightning Storm).
One of the more frustrating aspects of the past Elder Scrolls games were the omnipotent guards. The instant you got in trouble, guards would know exactly where you are, what you did, and materialize constantly. Skyrim will reportedly tone this down: guards will be separated into different regions. If you commit a crime in one area, guards in a nearby area won’t necessarily know about it.
Also confirmed: horses. They will be more like real horses in terms of handling - think Red Dead Redemption. There will also be a new fast travel system that will allow players to take carriages from one village or city to another, much like the silt striders in Morrowind, without having to have explored the village first. As before, players can Fast Travel to areas they’ve already explored.
Other details have been revealed like there will be 13 different types of ore for crafting, groups like the Dark Brotherhood, the Thieves Guild, the Fighter’s Guild (called “The Companions”) and the Mage’s Guild (“The College of Winter’s Hold”) will return, and this time, their quests will actually be related to other quests of other guilds. Finally, Bethesda is bragging that Skyrim will feature over 60,000 lines of voiced dialogue, and they have hired far more voice actors, so even humanoids will have some variety.
The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim will be released November 11, 2011 for PC, Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3, and will be shown off at E3 2011.
