Am I playing this right?

[Renegade]

Hi all, this is my 1st playthrough so I decided to go safe and do a sword n board typical warrior build. I played oblivion before and I see this game appears to follow the same premise, it levels as you level. The problem is I'm now level 18 and I've tried to avoid crafting for a while so that my combat skills are high enough to keep up with the encounters. But I seem to be getting close to a point where I need to start enhancing my gear with smithing and enchants.

I'm level 18 and my one handed is around 60. My blocking and heavy armor are both around 50. I want to craft alchemy, smithing, and enchanting. Am I safe to take a time out to get those all leveled up now or do you think it will boost my character level too high for what my combat skills are ready for? I'm having a hard time finding the right happy spot between character level, and skills levels.

 

[Cam22]

I played around with my crafting skills quite a bit for the novelty and then found myself in a situation where which ever way I went on the map there was an encounter I couldn't beat. When I figured it out I was a bit annoyed with myself for being stupid.

 

[PelagiusIV]

I'd say with your one-handed, heavy armor and block that high you're safe to start crafting, as long as you don't make hundred's of iron daggers to level it to 100, and only use them to get what you want out of it. What perks did you take when you leveled up?

 

[Renegade]

I'd say with your one-handed, heavy armor and block that high you're safe to start crafting, as long as you don't make hundred's of iron daggers to level it to 100, and only use them to get what you want out of it. What perks did you take when you leveled up?

Almost all combat. A couple in restoration and 1 in smithing. The thing that's bothering me is that I'm at a point now where, for example, I'll find a nice weapon, but I don't have enchanting high enough to give it anything more than a super weak enchantment. Or I'll find a magic weapon and haven't leveled smithing high enough to smith magic items, etc.

 

[DJFlegg]

haha ooops looks like I made a mistake

I have raised my smithing up to 50 and my character is only level 9, I was going for glass armour then to start the main quest line, I'm guessing it would be best to stick with some scaled armour and start levelling combat now ... (really want glass armour and sword to play with though!!) it is my only craft skill I've touched and i have around level 30 light armour and one handed would it be possible to carry on with smithing to get glass, or would it make the game impossible? apart from 3 perks my others are in light armour and one handed.

I find when I do a dungeon run to take a break from forging or to get some iron ore I never really struggle with the nasties I've found along my travels.
Besides the game is meant to be challenging its more fun that way, no point playing if you character is God like and can clear a whole room with a single spell or kill a dragon with one swing of a sword.

if it does become impossible I still have the option to lower the difficulty as I have left it on the default.

In regards to the OP, obviously my opinion isn't worth much because I may (or may not) have made things very hard for myself haha, but I think at 9 levels above me and all in combat youd be fine to start crafting, like I said I haven't bumped into anything thats annihilated me yet. and if you do start to struggle you wont be too far gone that you cant re run a few of the easier dungeons to bring it back level.

 

[Halkin]

you dont have to smith and enchant, you could do one or the other. i do make my own gear but i wont enchant it

 

[XbSuper]

you dont have to smith and enchant, you could do one or the other. i do make my own gear but i wont enchant it

This seems like the best advice, and I would recommend smithing as it will be more beneficial early on. As well, I think you would be safe leveling your smithing to 50-60 without any adverse effect to combat.

 

[Laird Wingate]

The benefits of having improved gear will offset the enhanced levels of your opponents. The weapons and armor that you can create are so much better than anything you will find in the shops or find as loot. If you begin creating your own weapons you could potentially double or even triple the damage you are putting out now. With personally crafted armor your armor class will increase by hundreds. No warrior is complete without the finest arms and armor that you can create. My advise is to get your smithing up to 50 and then craft a suit of Orsinium Armor and a wicked Orcish sword. Not only is it a powerful set of equipment it looks incredibly badass.

 

[ParidiseGangsta]

Hi all, this is my 1st playthrough so I decided to go safe and do a sword n board typical warrior build. I played oblivion before and I see this game appears to follow the same premise, it levels as you level. The problem is I'm now level 18 and I've tried to avoid crafting for a while so that my combat skills are high enough to keep up with the encounters. But I seem to be getting close to a point where I need to start enhancing my gear with smithing and enchants.

I'm level 18 and my one handed is around 60. My blocking and heavy armor are both around 50. I want to craft alchemy, smithing, and enchanting. Am I safe to take a time out to get those all leveled up now or do you think it will boost my character level too high for what my combat skills are ready for? I'm having a hard time finding the right happy spot between character level, and skills levels.

thats not exactly how things work. I'll try and find a source but there are enemies in skyrim that will be a certain lvl no matter how high or low your level is, for instance Dragon Priests are always Lvl 50. Giants, Trolls, Bears, Sabre Cats.... basically anything not unusual that you run into outside seem to follow this rule as well.

Some enemies are pretty much static meaning they will stay at whatever level you first encounter them and only have minimal scaling. to an extent you can manipulate this by traveling to hostile areas while your still a low level, but Bethsida thought of that too.

To keep people from doing what i suggested above; there are locations where enemies will be a lot higher level than others.

there are enemies that level with you but i'd estimate that at less than 40% of what you'll face.

Regardless increased smithing and enchanting will offset underdeveloped combat skills

 

[Skullrattla]

Renegade: Sounds good to me, just get into smithing and enchanting now.

Some of the block perks are awesome, don't neglect.

Disagree with Paradise Gangsta. Most generic enemies are levelled, and if you raise non-combat skills more, you'll be in trouble. I did just that and had to cheat to get the perks I needed to play without constantly getting one-hit killed.

 

[ParidiseGangsta]

i never played fallout 3 but thats the way this system was designed opposed to Oblivion. In Oblivion all opponents leveled as you did. In Skyrim you will see tougher things as your level gets higher but the enemy is not going to level with you for the most part.

I used to get murked on by giants, sabre cats and bears. Now i can take them down pretty easily.

On my high lvl save Draugr Overlords that once took forever to kill are taken down in a couple of minutes.

As far as smithing and enchanting. I used it and i thought it helped but that was for my stealth/archer so if i'm patient i don't really get hit that much. the higher level weapons raised my damage output a good bit and you can add 120 pts of damage to a weapon with a fully perked out enchantment tree. so imo its an equal trade-off.

 

[Skullrattla]

They are easier because they don't have the perks that you got, just higher level damage and armor/resistance. The same dungeon visited at higher levels will spawn higher level enemies, even if the bosses are at a fixed level.

 

[ParidiseGangsta]

Todd Howard, who is the main director guiding the development process on the game, said, it is “a lot more like Fallout 3, where as you level up you are going to see harder things, but the easier things stay around as well.”​

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read the link its insightful​

http://news.softpedia.com/news/Skyrim-Enemy-Leveling-Will-Be-Close-to-Fallout-3-230627.shtml

 

[Neriad13]

Buy every single health and stamina potion you see in every single store you visit. Also, keeping a companion with you is a very good way to cut down on the amount of enemies going for your head at any one time. That's what's been helping me as I level non-combat skills and then adventure in a harsh environment. Besides, I do find it a lot of fun to be a weaker character for a bit. Battles get more intense and strategic and the rewards...sweeter!

 

[Zoa Two Tails]

Basicly smithing is an amazing skill to level I have leveled it to 70 to get glass and had no adverse affects at level 15

 

[Mytheos]

Is say that if your truly just starting crafting. No big. Now a lot of people find using alchemy enchanting and anything in the infamous loop to be less enjoyable once they have ubered their character. Shield, heavy armor, and one handed weapons... Are you not already a force to be reckoned with?

alchemy might not be the best idea in the long run anyway. Odds are you will kill most things without the use of poisons and restoration is only a few skull perks away from being amazing at any given time anyway.

Anything is a great idea. Enchanting means you should likely bump your difficulty. And alchemy truly only serves to make the other two stronger.

I can walk into a pre school and be the strongest there and assert myself as such with ease. Doesn't mean that I do.

As it stands. Playing smart I find to be more enjoyable than playing
Grind. But them again I'm in this game for the immersion because after an eight hour day. I'm looking to relax and really enjoy myself.

Don't get me wrong. You can do whatever you like. Just rather not see you sell yourself short and loose enjoyment in skyrim.

 

[DJFlegg]

An update on my earlier post, I carried on to level 70 smithing, I now have full glass armour and and a glass sword, my character level is about half way through 13 now, my one handed and light armour skills are pretty much the same as they were before. (low 30's)

To get the malachite for the glass armour I went to a Mine that had cut into a Nord buriel site (forget the name, something's sinkhole) the place was teaming with draugr and had a draugr boss at the end, it was pertty difficult to be honest, had to use a fair few potions and a bit of hit and run strategy, but at the same time I didn't die once, and that was in my old armour leather armour and my old imperial sword. The difficulty if anything made it better, made it feel like clearing the dungeon to mine for my new armour was an acheivment, and gave the armour some personal value.

So my point of view on the subject is... if you want to craft better items go for it, it shouldn't make combat impossible for you, and when it comes to creating the items your going to use, farm the materials yourself don't buy, as it makes it seem as though you have worked hard and risked your life for your new gear, but i think thats just my RP side coming out wanting to make a big deal of the new suit lol

 

[Renegade]

Thanks all, I ended up leveling smithing to 60 (for now), and updated all my gear. It only leveled my character 2 levels. And now my combat effectiveness has taken way off