Difficulty

[Daelon DuLac]

I always knock the difficulty up to Master or Expert once I get out of Helgen. I also add some restrictions to myself such as no smithing or enchanting (unless its to rename something) and put my HUD opacity to 0%.

Good for you. Me, I've tried Master and Expert and one shot dieing is just not for me. Novice I can handle, even Adept (1/1), but I just can't enjoy a game where everything can kill me immediately no matter what I do. A wolf should not be able to take me down with one bite. A mudcrab shouldn't be able to kill me with one snip. Please, on Master, I've been injured running in to a butterfly.

 

[mattizcool]

I always knock the difficulty up to Master or Expert once I get out of Helgen. I also add some restrictions to myself such as no smithing or enchanting (unless its to rename something) and put my HUD opacity to 0%.

Good for you. Me, I've tried Master and Expert and one shot dieing is just not for me. Novice I can handle, even Adept (1/1), but I just can't enjoy a game where everything can kill me immediately no matter what I do. A wolf should not be able to take me down with one bite. A mudcrab shouldn't be able to kill me with one snip. Please, on Master, I've been injured running in to a butterfly.

I've met my death to mudcrabs and wolves several times. On such high difficulties you end up running away a lot just hoping to not die. But it's a good feeling when you level up high enough to slaughter the bandits, wolves, and mudcrabs that you used to run away from so much. (dragons, bears, sabre cats, trolls, and other big monsters are still scary though)

 

[Daelon DuLac]

I always knock the difficulty up to Master or Expert once I get out of Helgen. I also add some restrictions to myself such as no smithing or enchanting (unless its to rename something) and put my HUD opacity to 0%.

Good for you. Me, I've tried Master and Expert and one shot dieing is just not for me. Novice I can handle, even Adept (1/1), but I just can't enjoy a game where everything can kill me immediately no matter what I do. A wolf should not be able to take me down with one bite. A mudcrab shouldn't be able to kill me with one snip. Please, on Master, I've been injured running in to a butterfly.

I've met my death to mudcrabs and wolves several times. On such high difficulties you end up running away a lot just hoping to not die. But it's a good feeling when you level up high enough to slaughter the bandits, wolves, and mudcrabs that you used to run away from so much. (dragons, bears, sabre cats, trolls, and other big monsters are still scary though)

I can see that. Y'all that play on such high difficulties have my admiration. Me, I'm WAAAAAYYYY too lazy for that. I don't want a challenge really so Adept is fine for me 1/1. It just doesn't seem fair that my opponents would be so much more powerful than I. All those monsters you mentioned are hard enough on Adept for me.

 

[DrunkenMage]

Pff, I rock out on Novice. Cause I'm too good for Master/Legendary.

 

[Cherry]

Good for you. Me, I've tried Master and Expert and one shot dieing is just not for me. Novice I can handle, even Adept (1/1), but I just can't enjoy a game where everything can kill me immediately no matter what I do. A wolf should not be able to take me down with one bite. A mudcrab shouldn't be able to kill me with one snip. Please, on Master, I've been injured running in to a butterfly.

I've met my death to mudcrabs and wolves several times. On such high difficulties you end up running away a lot just hoping to not die. But it's a good feeling when you level up high enough to slaughter the bandits, wolves, and mudcrabs that you used to run away from so much. (dragons, bears, sabre cats, trolls, and other big monsters are still scary though)

I can see that. Y'all that play on such high difficulties have my admiration. Me, I'm WAAAAAYYYY too lazy for that. I don't want a challenge really so Adept is fine for me 1/1. It just doesn't seem fair that my opponents would be so much more powerful than I. All those monsters you mentioned are hard enough on Adept for me.

My thinking is, just play at a level you're most comfortable with. It's a game and it's meant to be fun.

I just find Adept too easy when I reach level 30+, so that's when I bump it up.
I've tried Novice once just for the hell of it. I got absolutely no enjoyment out of the game, WAAYYYY too easy.

 

[AS88]

I've met my death to mudcrabs and wolves several times. On such high difficulties you end up running away a lot just hoping to not die. But it's a good feeling when you level up high enough to slaughter the bandits, wolves, and mudcrabs that you used to run away from so much. (dragons, bears, sabre cats, trolls, and other big monsters are still scary though)

I can see that. Y'all that play on such high difficulties have my admiration. Me, I'm WAAAAAYYYY too lazy for that. I don't want a challenge really so Adept is fine for me 1/1. It just doesn't seem fair that my opponents would be so much more powerful than I. All those monsters you mentioned are hard enough on Adept for me.

My thinking is, just play at a level you're most comfortable with. It's a game and it's meant to be fun.

I just find Adept too easy when I reach level 30+, so that's when I bump it up.
I've tried Novice once just for the hell of it. I got absolutely no enjoyment out of the game, WAAYYYY too easy.

When I first start on Skyrim, I bumped it down to Apprentice. After a couple of weeks it went back up to Adept, and a month or two after that (and ever since) I went to Expert. I feel like it provides a good mixture of a challenge against some enemies the ability to hand out a real ass-whooping to others.

 

[Perkless in Skyrim]

My poor Khajiit thief has died several times already and I'm only playing on Adept. Right after a fairly epic victory by himself against 4 Frostbite Spiders another one got him just up the road.

I'm with Daelon DuLac in sharing my admiration for those that play on Expert, Master or *gasp* Legendary. Especially when first starting out. For me, challenge is good but I'd rather do it with limited equipment and playing by "house rules" rather than playing at a high difficulty level and having to flee in terror from a mudcrab.

 

[Chadonraz]

Someone mentioned Forsworn, and regarding them I'll have to admit sometimes I'm very tempted to drop the difficulty to Apprentice when fighting Forsworn. They simply do an insane amount of damage, especially considering their weapons are made of sticks and stones!

I haven't done the difficulty dropping yet. But it's been close.

 

[Daelon DuLac]

Someone mentioned Forsworn, and regarding them I'll have to admit sometimes I'm very tempted to drop the difficulty to Apprentice when fighting Forsworn. They simply do an insane amount of damage, especially considering their weapons are made of sticks and stones!

I haven't done the difficulty dropping yet. But it's been close.

I HATE FORESWARN! I have no idea why those 1/2 naked savages deal out so much damage. Briar hearts I can handle, but it seems like every foreswarn archer is an expert and immediatly stuns you as soon as he hits you. I hate that. It's gotten to the point where I take everybody by spamming area affect spells like Firestorm as soon as I see any of them cause I just don't want to deal with 'em. Besides mages, I have never seen a group of people that can run at such high speeds, backwards, and never run in to anything. I'd rather deal with a Hagraven than a group of Foreswarn. Unfortunately, the two usually go together. Besides, the Foreswarn never have anything worth looting from their corpses. What on earth would I want with any of that ugly a** equipment they have. If I want savage armour I stick with the Saviours Hide.

 

[AS88]

Besides mages, I have never seen a group of people that can run at such high speeds, backwards, and never run in to anything.

Well, they do say that they know every blade of grass in the Reach

 

[Daelon DuLac]

Besides mages, I have never seen a group of people that can run at such high speeds, backwards, and never run in to anything.

Well, they do say that they know every blade of grass in the Reach

So what's the mages' excuse? Do they really have the 3rd eye (and it's on the back of their heads?).

 

[AS88]

Besides mages, I have never seen a group of people that can run at such high speeds, backwards, and never run in to anything.

Well, they do say that they know every blade of grass in the Reach

So what's the mages' excuse? Do they really have the 3rd eye (and it's on the back of their heads?).

Memory and spatial awareness?

 

[Daelon DuLac]

Well, they do say that they know every blade of grass in the Reach

So what's the mages' excuse? Do they really have the 3rd eye (and it's on the back of their heads?).

Memory and spatial awareness?

For what?... oh wait...

 

[The Honorable Gidian Diva of Sass]

Last night I fought Karstaag on master. This was by FAR the strongest adversary I've faced. He could've easily killed Miraak and Harkon at the same time. I tell the tale of this legendary battle in my thread Karstaag's Demise in the Dragonborn sub-forum. All should read it. Defeating him was my most proud Skyrim moment to date. Suffice it to say, i cannot imagine facing him on legendary.

I'm satisfied with master for now. I'll be using an unenchanted Nord Hero sword, yet I'm just not willing to give up my superbly crafted and enchanted armor. I do enjoy being powerful.

If you duel the Ebony Warrior in honorable melee, he will make Kaarstag seem like a joke. Kaarstag has exploitable weaknesses, even in an honor duel, and no finishing move animations. Things that the Ebony Warrior gets right.

 

[Ciocal Gricenchos]

When I first started out my sneak-archer I kept my difficulty on Adept until around lv20. There I bumped the difficulty up to Master. I used the console to move my Health levelups to Magicka and Stamina, making my character a glass cannon. I stopped upgrading my armor and restricted myself to Archery, Illusion (no invisibility), and Restoration (for roleplay) in battle. I also installed a "Stealth Skills Rebalanced" mod that makes NPCs much easier at detection, especially in line of sight and near sources of light.
Now at lv50 with maxed Sneak and Archery, the game is still very tough but I'm having a blast. If I'm detected then I'll get one-shot but if I'm not then I'll one-shot everyone. It's extremely satisfying, sneaking into a fort undetected and walking out leaving nothing but dead bodies.

 

[Snake Tortoise]

Master, always. If I had the expansion packs I think I'd bump up to legendary at level 40, but master is difficult enough at the low to mid levels

 

[Cherry]

When I first started out my sneak-archer I kept my difficulty on Adept until around lv20. There I bumped the difficulty up to Master. I used the console to move my Health levelups to Magicka and Stamina, making my character a glass cannon. I stopped upgrading my armor and restricted myself to Archery, Illusion (no invisibility), and Restoration (for roleplay) in battle. I also installed a "Stealth Skills Rebalanced" mod that makes NPCs much easier at detection, especially in line of sight and near sources of light.
Now at lv50 with maxed Sneak and Archery, the game is still very tough but I'm having a blast. If I'm detected then I'll get one-shot but if I'm not then I'll one-shot everyone. It's extremely satisfying, sneaking into a fort undetected and walking out leaving nothing but dead bodies.

I do like sneaking around undetected, and the feeling of clearing a fort with no-one ever knowing I was there, but I could never go this Hardcore. Kudos to you, good sir.

 

[berzum]

I played on legendary, it's tough at first but it is possible to do. I've been on a skyrim vacation for a few months now, thinking of starting another "campaign". I've done every quest on my other play throughs, so im not sure what to do this time, thinking of making a "Robin hood" character, archery,sneak,theif. and possibly a nord or orc 2 handed weapon that is affraid of all magic including enchantments ( lol will be a fun RP experiance).

 

[ZeroDragon]

I play on master, but don't wear the highest rated armour or weapons, I wear what I think is a balance of reasonable to wear and looking good. I stopped picking up potions, I take what I make. That hasn't always gone to plan.

 

[Daelon DuLac]

I play on master, but don't wear the highest rated armour or weapons, I wear what I think is a balance of reasonable to wear and looking good. I stopped picking up potions, I take what I make. That hasn't always gone to plan.

Query: I have only tried Master once and died immediately (of course, to be fair the same is true on Legendary and even Adept for me). How on Nirn do you survive!