Unpleasant surprises

[DdraigGwyn]

While you are prepared for problems if you enter a Dwemer site, or an obvious Dragon location, Skyrim has a habit of springing surprises. Some are well known, like Pinewatch, others less so. Which location caught you off guard?

Mine was Torvald's Cave.

 

[Kohlar the Unkilled]

Well first and most obvious was Forelhost.

This was during my first ever playthrough, but I'll never forget it. To this day, I believe it's the only time I had to just give up and leave..! There's this part where the path doglegs, and there's scourges, (summoning frost atronachs) and deathlords all rushing you at once, and I was obliterated over and over until finally I said "Dagon's testicles this is too much," and just turned my ass around.

The surprise in this case was just the sheer force of enemies thrust upon you. To someone sufficiently outfitted this dungeon wouldn't present any outstanding difficulties. Having come from Dark Souls, Skyrim was easy for me up to the point that I entered this place.

Without looking it up, I can't recall off the top of my cranium what Torvald's cave presented.

 

[sticky runes]

oh yes Torvald's cave was a nightmare. And so fricking dark!! Don't go in without the candlelight spell!

Yngvild has been tough on me. I'll be doing all right until I get close to the boss' chamber, and there's that long narrow passage with a high level draugr bitch that kept picking me off with her arrows.

 

[Kohlar the Unkilled]

...and Redwater Den.

AND, recently I seem to be underestimating Kvenel the Tongue for some reason. Very tough fight for low/mid level characters.

Speaking of which, recently on my new modded Skyrim SE for xbone, (finally after all this time, mods glorious mods!), I wandered into Ustengrav at level 4 and was accosted by Ascendant Conjurers and Draugr Deathlords! I'm not entirely sure which mod affected this change, but talk about a surprise.

 

[Reaper24]

Darkfall cave. After the bridge drop I was pretty surprised to see that is a spider nest. Also Mirraks temple was full of drauger deathlords and overlords, I was shocked at how many there could be in one location.

 

[Chadonraz]

Shadowgreen Cavern. Judging by the name I was excepting a typical wolf/bear/troll cave, but instead found nasty Spriggans. That of course had their pet bears and wolves.

Visually the place is stunning, though - a pleasant surprise in that regard.