You still have the main attributes like Luck, Strength etc which affect everything, then a load of skills like Barter, Small Guns, Repair. Levelling these skills involves gathering XP from completing main quests or side quests. Once a new level is achieved then skill points may be added to whatever you like with an additional 'Perk' which you can choose from a master list. Which perks you can choose is determined by certain criteria like how high your Intelligence is, or which level you are currently at. thanks for the info gavin, that sounds awsome, one of the things i hated about oblivion is that the enemies were "always" your level no matter what. for once i would have liked to have fought a mintaur at level 2, lol. To keep this thread back on track though, this game seems like it friggin sweet and the real deal. I have yet to hear anything negative about it. HF-