I'm DC, and found relatively little use for them in Glenumbra, but recall, just that 1 guy you mentioned. However the option to use them in Stormhaven the 2nd area, were in greater abundance. I'd say get them when you're 90% done with the opening area.

I've 'heard' though that AD has Persuade options much earlier in the game... .

You get so many skill points, I really wouldn't worry about not having +1% max magicka or something early on. Pretty soon you will have a bunch of extra points lying around.

I find I really didn't get much options to use them until deshaan, where it was barely used. Shadowfen and on has had the options available to me like every other quest. You get so many skill points you might is well drop a measly 2 into them.

Lenthas wrote: »

I ran into a situation where it was either 400g or something like that OR a intimidate option, so there are situations where they don't simply give you a "backdoor" to avoid that part.

I assume that 20+ areas will also probably have a few more of these.

Yes, that's correct.

There is also a delve/dungeon on DC where you can use one of these abilities to avoid a fight (I can't remember which one).

I wish I had Persuade/Intimidate when I had reached Stormhaven, mainly for quests around Wayrest. I could have saved my gold and avoiding having to take on 3-4 mobs on my own. I just got around to putting a skill point to each today, and I just reached level 20.

I find I don't use Intimidate much simply from a roleplaying point of view... but it's nice to have the OPTION. And maybe in the future I can intimidate folk who I feel DESERVE to be intimidated.

In general, I prefer to pick skills that give me new abilities, new things to do, instead of an extra 3% this or that. Sure, 3% extra this-or-that may be nice, but compared to You Can Do It or You Can't Do It skills, I'd prefer the skills that give me options for new things to do.

What the hell is he talking about? whole northern half of glenumbra is filled with intimidate/persuade options.

Also, why would you want 10% more magicka regen (at that point 10% is still ZERO anyway) or 4% magicka or whatever (that's about 10 points only too)

I'm taking them both as soon as I finish Betnikh, at that point I usually have all abilities I will use, crafting skills are not yet unlocked and passives are not really worth it just yet.

I saved two points until I hit the dialogue then popped them in when needed. Think it became more apparent in the 20's

Call me crazy, but I only pick them on characters that make sense. I don't actually RP actively anymore, but I still make characters with a general background/theme and give them abilities that are relevant to that.

My Nord is a nightblade and is suppose to have an unsettling aura about him, he is taller than most, has eyes that pierce one's soul and a stare that could freeze a frost troll. He's not a man of many words and prefers to answer problems with steel or spell. Naturally, I am going with intimidate.

My dark elf is a pirate/roguish/spellblade adventurer type. She can be both charming and deadly in the blink of an eye. As a dark elf of noble origins, she naturally tries to manipulate those around her to her own advantage, whichever direction that may lead her. Life on the road/seas has further led to harden/toughen her in a mostly male dominated world and she even has some of the scars to prove it. I took both on her.

My argonian healer/shaman has a lust for power and clawing her way to the top of the food chain; however years of slavery have established a sense of natural obedience to the desire of others and wanting to help/please them. She would rather suggest/talk her way out of a conversation and go about her business leaving her target none the wiser in most instances. In this case, I obviously went with persuade.

I tend to do little blurbs like this with all my characters, so.....I try to pick them up pretty early, usually in the early teens when the options start becoming available and I have a decent amount of points in other stuff already.

Last night I was reminded why I was glad that I took Intimidate, even though I don't normally use it. NORMALLY I'll take the other options, even if it means a little legwork... but last night, I didn't feel like chasing down a puzzle or clue in this dungeon that had killed me twice already (surprisingly hard for its level compared to my level)... so when given the option, I just threatened to tear the place down around them if the people on the other side of this locked door didn't let me in.

A little shuffling of feet on the other side and they relented and just let me in.

I also, last night, came across the first traveling merchant that I could Intimidate. I did not DO it, but I wonder, if I HAD intimidated the merchant, perhaps he'd give me some money, but would I then be barred from using him AS a merchant in the future? The immediate payoff of free money doesn't seem worth the loss of a traveling merchant resource.

That reminds me... this may be a bit spoilerish but it's not exactly game-breaking or earth-shattering...

My contact wants me to follow this guy around and drug his wine and when he passes out, get this key from him...

Instead, I persuade HER to do all the work. Having selected that option, I just retrieve a bottle of wine from a few feet away and give it to her then she seduces the target to go upstairs where she knees him in the groin and THEN I collect the key. Some ~interesting~ banter about baths and sharing the wine follows, but the mission takes us away for the nonce.

That entire scene would not have played out if ~I~ had gone out, followed the guy and got the key from him directly. VERY glad I used Persuasion in that instance, as the story and character interactions were much more appealing, in addition to being less legwork.

Nukeyak wrote: »

I run around with a massive 2H axe, so why would I ever need to use intimidate?

Just had a fight with a guy , if I had intimidate the fight wouldn't have happened (need to invest in intimidate as well as persuade), and it was an incredibly annoying fight.

Still_Mind wrote: »

AlexDougherty wrote: »

Nukeyak wrote: »

I run around with a massive 2H axe, so why would I ever need to use intimidate?

Just had a fight with a guy

who could command me to kneel every other second

, if I had intimidate the fight wouldn't have happened (need to invest in intimidate as well as persuade), and it was an incredibly annoying fight.

Was the guy's name Zod?

I wish,
You have to fight him from a distance, and he regenerated every so often too, It wasn't a hard fight just a long one.