Enemies stopped using Elemental Attacks

[J747L]

I apologize if this has been addressed before. But I encountered this quite recently...

I've just enchanted my armor against fire and frost attacks. Naturally I was eager to test it against mages and the likes especially dragons. My first stop was an archmage (necromancer), the fight was terrible and went on without a single elemental attack against me. I entered the cave and came across fire mages and none of them threw an elemental attack against me. Now, at the end, a single mage attacked me with shock spells.

Okay, I then went on to the leveled dragon site. I fought this low level Dragon and it didn't breathe frost nor fire against me. Not even once, it just tried to snap at me. At some point I encountered an Ancient Dragon, I thought "yay! I will get to test my new armor against frost and fire attacks!".

To my disappointment, this Ancient Dragon also didn't bother to use any elemental attack against me. It landed and just kept on biting ...

I haven't done most of the main quest yet. I haven't even answered the call of the Grey Beards. Am I looking forward to finishing the game against "breathless" dragons?

 

[Klasie]

Wow...That would suck!! Lucky (but also unlucky) for me every damn mage I find throws everything they got at me!! It's super difficult. Especially the stronger hagravens! I found one that is crazy strong! after quite a while I managed to kill it!!

So I don't know if that might be a bug or if it might be the AI that in a way makes them notice that you have a resistance to frost and fire and forces them to use physical attacks!

 

[Timett]

Sounds to me like your elemental resistance works better than anticipated.

 

[Deeley]

Maybe it's just noticing that you've got a high resistance so is using other attacks which can't be 'resisted' as well? Have you tried taking the armour off, getting into a fight with a dragon (see if it breaths fire) if it does then put the armour back on?

 

[Klasie]

Maybe it's just noticing that you've got a high resistance so is using other attacks which can't be 'resisted' as well? Have you tried taking the armour off, getting into a fight with a dragon (see if it breaths fire) if it does then put the armour back on?

HEY!!! Thats what I said...in a way! Hahaha

 

[Kerzechtus]

The only time the perks in enchanting towards resistance is useful and as well impressed that the AI isn't going to stand there and cast fizzles on you. Personally Breton + Lord Birthsign = lesser expense on resistance and more for offensive.

 

[Deeley]

HEY!!! Thats what I said...in a way! Hahaha

Hehe I know, and someone else said the same too x) I was just rewording it for the third time ;D

 

[J747L]

Thanks for the replies. I've confirmed that it is indeed the AI. I visited the Arch Necromancer and took a ring off. He bombarded me with elemental attacks. I put the ring back on again and he switched to a dagger.

Can't the AI humor the player by casting or fire/frost breathing at me just once

I noticed also another thing along with my earlier gripe. The dragons seem all too eager to look for another target beside me. The most recent, a Frost dragon I came to fancy would hover, then leave... Another Dragon came by so I was expecting my first multiple dragon fight. Then both dragons noticed the dremora nearby at Mehrune Dagon's shrine and went after them. I had to run and jump quickly to catch up to "my" dragons. I only managed to kill one dragon since the other just left.

I would guess that this is also due to the AI. If the dragons stop coming at me then I guess I'll have to start doing the main quest.

 

[Onyx]

Thanks for the replies. I've confirmed that it is indeed the AI. I visited the Arch Necromancer and took a ring off. He bombarded me with elemental attacks. I put the ring back on again and he switched to a dagger.

Can't the AI humor the player by casting or fire/frost breathing at me just once

I noticed also another thing along with my earlier gripe. The dragons seem all too eager to look for another target beside me. The most recent, a Frost dragon I came to fancy would hover, then leave... Another Dragon came by so I was expecting my first multiple dragon fight. Then both dragons noticed the dremora nearby at Mehrune Dagon's shrine and went after them. I had to run and jump quickly to catch up to "my" dragons. I only managed to kill one dragon since the other just left.

I would guess that this is also due to the AI. If the dragons stop coming at me then I guess I'll have to start doing the main quest.

I have seen this as well and my char has no elemental resistance. I have found if I am alone Dragons ignore me unless there are other targets near by in which case it engages everything. If I have a companion with me then it attacks them but never seems to focus on myself...a bit annoying

 

[Klasie]

I noticed the same thing! but sometimes I approach a dragon that is out to get me and only ME! I doesn't care about the 7-10 guards shooting arrows at it. It wants to taste my blood, but every time I show them what a dragonborn is capable of!!

Dragons....Pfft...Bring it!

 

[J747L]

I think I got it figured along with the numbers to go with it.

I had my boots enchanted with 52% resistance against Fire and 52% resistance against Frost. I did the same with my ring. It seems that the resistance has a ceiling of 100 (for 100%) unlike the armor. Remember in Oblivion where the armor was rated up to 100 but in Skyrim the armor rating can go to 1000+ (my character has 1000+ armor rating with shield). Combined, the resistance was total immunity, thus the AI didn't bother to waste time on elemental attacks.

Another thing on AI dragon behavior. I encountered two dragons, one Elder and one Ancient all at once and fought them both. Having cleared the area, they focused on me with no one else to attack. At some point after killing the Elder dragon, the Ancient dragon just kept flying around me, refusing to land. I then had to remove the ring to entice it and finally killed it.

Behavior is the same with Master difficulty. I found an Ancient Dragon in Master difficulty resulting to the same behavior.

As for the moment, I crafted a weaker ring with 46% resistance against Fire and Frost adding up to about 98% resistance with my boots. I visited an Arch Necromancer (Master difficulty) and he casted elemental attacks against me. It means that as long as the resistance do not add up to 100% or more, enemies will still cast elemental attacks.