re: Official Skyrim Ultrathread.

Your skills level as you use them. You unlock talent points as you level that you can put into your skills to improve them and add abilities. Archery is one in particular that is terrible until you put skill points into it, then it's badass. You can zoom in and slow time as you shoot. I think you have to get to 50 first though. Others may be something like 20% increased potion effectiveness for alchemy.