New player help needed please (cannot find a weapon)

owenhamilton · July 2020

So I just started playing the game under Windows, I am in a prison, I talk to a NPC who tells me we have to escape the prison, then a couple of guards show up that I have to kill but all I have is my fists, there doesn't seem to be any weapons anywhere. I looked online and some sites say I get a weapon to start with, other sites say there is a weapons rack just outside the prison door. I cannot see this weapons rack (if it exists) please can someone point me in the right direction? Thank you.

VaranisArano · July 2020

The NPC leading you through the tutorial should direct you to your first weapon, which will be a greatsword.

owenhamilton · July 2020

Thanks for the reply, I wondered if I hadn't got far enough so I tried again and got to an area where other players are which I guess is too far, still no sign of a weapon though.

tsaescishoeshiner · July 2020

The weapons should be lying around as part of the scenery, so you just have to LOOK for a staff or sword lying around. I would try going all the way back to the jail if you can, and trace your steps from there walking up to every rack or object you can see — or ask in zone chat and maybe someone can trade you one

Are you in Coldharbour?

owenhamilton · July 2020

I'm in the Wailing Prison, once I got to the area where the other players are I could not go back to the prison area so had to create another new character. I've found 3 Iron Maidens which I can search but none of them contain any weapons. Either I am doing something completely wrong or the game is bugged somehow.

VaranisArano · July 2020

I had to rewatch the tutorial, it's been that long since I've done it.

What should have happened is that immediately after Lyris frees you from the prison cell, she tells you to loot a weapon from a dremora body. This is a quest step, so she shouldn't have moved on until you did it.
Now, it should have auto-equipped the weapon, but I would double-check your inventory for something like "cast off iron greatsword".

If that didn't happen and backtracking doesn't help, you have a couple of options now that you are in the big room with the soul-striven camp.
1. Check around the camp. I know there are armor pieces you can loot there. I don't remember about weapons.
2. Ask in zone chat if someone can trade you an extra weapon.
3. Use your class skills to kill enemies as you look around the room for chests. You should be at least level 2, so you should have at least one class skill to unlock.
4. Continue on the quest. As you move on, you'll enter tunnels with Lyris. In these tunnels, you can find different weapons on some of the bodies on the ground. Make sure to look around.

Hope this helps. Good luck!

owenhamilton · July 2020

I decided to watch a couple of minutes of a walkthrough video on Youtube so I could pinpoint where to get the weapon from, I had noticed on previous attempts after Lyris frees me she bends down over a body and watching the video confirmed that is where the weapon comes from, so I played again and concentrated at looking at that body and targetting it brings up its name but does not seem to tell me to press the E key to search the body. I'm going to try once more and if it still doesn't work will contact tech support as it seems like my game is broken, but thanks all for trying to help me.

DarcyMardin · July 2020

There are usually a couple of weapons lying around in the ground of the Wailing Prison, although they might be hard to see because of the weird lighting in there. In later versions of the game (most of which no longer begin in the Wailing Prison, so it sounds as if you have an early version of the game), you might have a pack in your initial inventory that contains some sort of weapon. If not, you can put in a help ticket and hope some techie ZOS person can solve the problem.

eMKa8 · July 2020

If this is your first question about the game , then you are in for a treat ;-)

The game is so complex and wonderful 😉

tsaescishoeshiner · July 2020

LMAO okay so I played through the Wailing Prison quest and you're 100% right. They legit do NOT give you a weapon during this quest, and seem to have removed ALL the tutorial elements of it. I DID find where you get weapons tho! Took pictures for you because I find this thread so endearing lol

You can punch enemies to death in the prison area until you get out to the "open area" after fighting that boss (with the big health bar on top of the screen). Once you're out, go to this camp down here, and you'll see some weapons lying around.

Camp location, just across the river from where you enter the open area and to the left a lil bit:

Example of what it looks like when you see a weapon (can be subtle until you're close):

I also found a Maul here right at my crosshairs, but I took it before taking the screenshot :~p

You can also get weapons and armor from the enemies in this area, maybe a 10-25% chance drop rate, but they are SLOW to kill without a weapon. Or ask in /zone and someone can maybe trade you one or mail you one (might have to log in+out to refresh mail inbox).

Anyway good luck and shoutout to you for having such an old af version of the game that you're trapped in the former tutorial zone. Welcome back lol!!

Edit: P.S. Make sure to slot some skills (press K and drag them to your bar), it'll help.