How can I optimize my inventory for weight vs. value in Skyrim?
Solution 1:
Well, lacking a precise formula (even though there certainly is one, the problem can be nailed down mathematically since the only variables are the weight of items, the value of items, and the total amount that you can carry), all I can do is give you some tips:
- If you don't want to invest perk points in armor trees, get light armor. In the end game, light armor will give you the same protection as heavy armor does, but it is... well.. lighter. Source: http://elderscrolls.wikia.com/wiki/Category:Skyrim:_Armor
- Get rid of dragon bones! Although selling them might be a bad idea, since you can craft dragon bone armor if you get deep into the smithing skill tree.
- Stay away from 2H weapons. They are among the most heavy objects in the game, while usually not having a very high value.
- Store your books somewhere! At least I picked up every book that I could find, promising myself to read them one day. But carrying around 50 or so books (there are a lot in Skyrim!) takes up at least a good fifth or your carrying capacity - for little to no value. Get a house and put them in a box!
- Search for gems and soulstones! They weigh almost nothing and are usually decently valuable.
- The same goes for enchanted necklaces, rings, and robes. All of them are ridiculously light compared to their value.
These are the ones that come to mind right now.
Solution 2:
It pains me to leave something behind in a cave or dungeon after hours of battle and scavanging for treasure, rare ingredients, weapons etc... but, where there's a will, you will find a way! Here are some handy tips for the hoarding junkies like me:
PS... none of these tips are spoilers, they will simply make your Skyrim experience that much more enjoyable or less frustrating (depending on whether you're a glass half-full or half-empty type :-) )
Most importantly, Get yourself a follower. I've used Faendel and Lydia and they're rather useful mules who can carry as much as you, but DON'T let them die! To prevent them from dying, equip them with the best weapons, armour, enchanted items and give them some restoration and fortification potions, which they will use in one of those long, tough battles where enemies are relentless. Make sure you use your 'courage' spell to help them recover if they're knocked down. Always save your game before getting into a chaotic battle... too many times I've stumbled over the body of my faithful follower after a serious confrontation... but at least I could start again! F5 (quicksave) and F9 (quickload) are a Skyrimmer's best friends!
Get your Follower to pick items up... If you want your follower to be able to carry AN ENDLESS amount of items, without worrying about weight and without using a cheat (I don't use cheats as it defeats the object of the game), simply drop whatever item you want them to carry and instruct them to pick it up using the 'talk' menu and selecting 'There's something I want you to do for me'... If your follower isn't over encumbered, just use the 'I want to trade something with you' selection to move items from your inventory into theirs.
Potion of Strength - Find or create a few bottles of this potion which will fortify your strength (load carrying capacity) usually for about 300 seconds. In a dungeon or cave, drop all your heavy items somewhere that has been cleared of creatures. Keep growing the pile through the quest. When completed, go and pick up all the items you dropped and knock back a Potion of Strength... This will give you plenty of time to hightail it out of the cave back to Skyrim... but if you're on foot, this won't be enough to get you back to a village to sell your items. If on foot, and your potion is still effective, you can fast travel back to your house or a village to sell your wares. But there's a better, more reliable solution, particularly if you don't want to leave the area just yet..
Buy a horse... this is a MUST for any Skyrim Hoarder. Even when you're over encumbered, you can travel at normal speeds and even fast travel when on horseback!... Good ol' "Trigger"! My horse is my fortune so I keep it alive at any cost... you should too because it will make you richer, faster!
Buy a house... As mentioned in previous posts, you need a house to safely store the many goodies you will collect on your journey's through Skyrim... because you never know when you might need them (typical hoarder comment :-))! I've done all the upgrades on my home in Whiterun, which gives me plenty of cupboards, side cupboards, chests, sacs, satchels etc to store my goodies in.
Enchanted items... Find or create items enchanted with strength magic. This is the fasted way to increase your stamina points so that you can carry more than your skill level allows. My Elven Boots of Strength give me an extra 35 points of carrying capacity. I even have an amulet, helmet and ring with strength enchantments, allowing me to carry more items earlier in the game. The more you collect, the more you can sell and the sooner you can buy a house, horse and dog (PS... buy a dog from Markuth)
Lightweight armour & weapons... Elven armour and weapons ROCK! Most items weight between 1 and 4 points while providing you with ample damage and block capability. Put an enchantment on them and you're unstoppable! I acquired most of these items on side missions long before levelling up to 20.
Plan what you need to carry... before taking on a quest or side mission, think about what kind of equipment, weapons, apparel, ingredients etc you will need. If you need magic, then you don't need to carry all your ingredients with you, so put them into a chest in your house until you want to do something that relates to Alchemy. Do the same with other items like ore and ingots, dragon bones & scales, chitin etc, which you will only need when Smithing (they weight A LOT)... and don't carry EVERY potion you've created. Only carry the potions you use. I never use potions that fortify or restore stamina, so I either store them or more often, I just sell them for some extra 'coin'!
I'm sure there are many other things you can do as such is the wonderful, exciting adventure of Skyrim.
I hope you find some of these tips useful. Happy hunting!
Solution 3:
For the PC gamer who doesn't mind installing mods, the SkyUI mod brings to Skyrim the ability to sort by Weight and/or Value.
From the mod's page:
• Sortable columns to order items by a specific stat. Multi-state columns to sort by value/weight ratio, and to quickly quickly single out equipped, stolen, enchanted or poisoned items.