Skyrim Is the game too easy?

The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim
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I know I know, if it's too easy, bump up the difficulty. But I'm wondering what people think about the default game right out of the box, so I'm talking about Adept difficulty. Is Adept too easy? Here's my thoughts.

Adept started off pretty challenging. Often I'd have to chug potions in combat, and it was a big problem if I didn't happen to have any potions for particular fights. I would have to use different strategies to try and win. It was a decent challenge.

As I leveled up the challenge remained about the same. I would still run out of potions here and there, and I would die occasionally. I felt the game got the hardest somewhere in the early-to-middle stages. Maybe 20 hours in. I was getting a good challenge (at times).

Now I'm 70 hours in, level 34, and it seems maybe too easy. Now I realize you want a feeling that you're getting stronger as you level up. For all intents and purposes I'm a bad-ass dude at level 34, in a flawless set of enchanted Orcish armor (which is better than exquisite Ebony), and an Ebony blade that I enchanted myself. There is definitely a feeling of being strong and having advanced through the ranks. I feel very powerful at this point.

I don't want to say I feel too powerful, but I'm hoping the challenge ramps up a bit. I can pretty much clear out dungeons with little effort most times. I rarely die now, but I did just die recently to a Chourus Reaper. It was sort of a fluke, I didn't know he poisoned me until it was too late. I doubt I would die in any other type of battle because of how many potions I have.

I guess it's a double sided sword, you don't want the game getting harder as you level up, which defeats the purpose of leveling, but you still want some challenge. It doesn't help that I'm carrying about 40 health potions, most of them vigorous. I'm like a walking melee tank monster that clears out dungeons with his eyes closed.

So, is the game too easy when you get to higher level?

Also, how does Master difficulty play? Any testimonials for that level of difficulty?
 
I wonder what the game design set as the "usual end level"? I doubt the game will scale well beyond that.

I played one character to level 33 and gave up because it was getting too difficult. But I was all over the skill tree with that guy trying everything out so I wasn't very good at anything.

I played a second through and finish just below level 30 and it was quite challenging all the way through. I specialized more with him.

Now I am doing a pure mage and it is quite challenging at parts.

By the way, for those of you claiming it is way too easy trying playing True Hardcore. One of my friends plays with no reloads except for game crashes or when he quits for the day. He is on his 5th or 6th character now and he certainly does not think the game is too easy.
 
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I guess any game gets easier as you get more used to it. I think the answer is either not to use all the best stuff (yeah right!) or to try ramping up the difficulty slightly. From what I've read Adept is a little easy for most folks.

Daniel.
 
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If you're rating the game as a combat simulator, Skyrim will always be too easy for the power gamers. It's not built for them. This is a role-playing game where the focus is questing and exploration. Combat is there for you to have something to practice your skills on. Dark Souls and Mount and Blade are the combat games.

If you found all 60 word walls in two hours, Skyrim would be too easy. That said, if you're wanting combat to be as tough as possible, play on Master difficulty. It will still be too easy if you master smithing and enchanting. I played for several hours on Master with the best gear I could enchant and it was a cake walk. This was in the level 15-25 time frame. I played on expert with just the stuff I found in dungeons and it is very challenging, yet more rewarding. I like to balance it out. I play with some enchanting/smithing/alchemy, but I don't abuse the system. This is the most fun for me. YMMV.

I don't think there is a wrong way to play Skyrim, but some ways are going to be more fun.
 
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Well, I'm a completist so I try to do as much as I can in one take. I've now crossed the 200 hour barrier and I'm level 56 … and while standard animal wildlife can hardly make a dent in my armour, I'm regurlarly getting my rear end handed to me by level-scaled baddies.

A standard dragon is a walk in the park but I can barely survive a single breath attack by an Ancient Dragon unless I have my trusty Spellbreaker in place … not even one with frost breath and I'm playing a Nord with 50% resistance to cold attacks.

Mostly the level scaling is almost unnoticeable but I did notice a significant jump in difficulty at level 30 and level 50 (matching the level based achievements).

I've tried to avoid the Morrowind mistake. In Morrowind I used enchanting and spell creation to the fullest extend and the game became excruciatingly boring less than half way through it because nothing, and I mean NOTHING, could touch me. In Skyrim I may forge armour I don't need but I never purchase the materials. I make myself gather them from ore deposits and the skinning of downed wild life and that made sure that I still can't make Dragon armour (soon though, very soon :plotting:).
 
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I doubt I would die in any other type of battle because of how many potions I have.
Don't bet your life's savings on that. I was thinking along the same lines until I was one (or was it two) shotted by a boss in a not very significant cave. I didn't have time to even think of potions...
 
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This game isn't difficult at all, unless you just go crashing through traps or charge pell-mell into hordes of mobs. KoTC had some challenge to it, Skyrim is simply a cakewalk. At least it's huge, which keeps me thoroughly entertained, at least for now. I'm hoping for some future difficult expansions!


-Carn
 
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It's a bad idea to sneeze while navigating the streets of Markath. Just sayin'....
 
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This game isn't difficult at all, unless you just go crashing through traps or charge pell-mell into hordes of mobs.
Skyrim isn't difficult but it's not a cake walk either. And you don't have to mindlessly trigger traps or charge mobs to die. New enemy with new abilities is often quite enough. I got killed by the spider boss in Golden Claw quest and had to run from the first mammoth I have tried to kill.
I have died trying to take on two giants at once. Or when I have meet my first Steam Centurion.
Oh sure, you learn from those first encounters and you do better next time but that's the whole point isn't it?
 
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I found the difficulty (Adept) to be just about perfect. I am pretty casual and I role play my character a lot though ... so I have many self-imposed restrictions. I have never upped the difficulty past Adept and have had to move it down to Apprentice a few times (and novice once or twice) because after 5-6 reloads and different strategies I just couldn't get past a certain quest point.

But overall Adept/Apprentice works great. Plenty of challenge without making the game frustrating or every battle dragged out into an epic fight (only the end fights should be dragged out IMO).

Power gaming ones way through would make it fairly easy I suspect.
 
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Enchanting always breaks these games. I'm still using my Skyforge axe at level 34. No real armor enchantments, but ebony. Difficulty is just right.
 
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I agree with wolfgrimdark.

I've been playing mainly on Adept, though I tried Expert for a while. I'd say the difficulty is all over the place. For example, at Adept level I can steamroll most bandits. Then every once in a while one will pop up among the push-overs that just wipes me out. And it's impossible to tell which bandit it might be.

But I'm not power gaming at all. Not using Enchanting this go-around.

I'd say they did it just right (from the limited bit I've seen, 30 hours in). You have the choice to power game or not. I don't see the point in ruining my experience by exploiting a game's system. There's no high score to beat.
 
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Adept level has been perfect for me. If I get surprised by a cave/snow bear (or 3), or a Draugr Overlord it can be near instant death unless I am quick on my feet (or shouts/spells). It's a little too tedious to sneak everywhere.
 
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I encountered my first master necromancer today, and he was a challenge. I also fought a battle against a horde of Draugr for the Wolf Queen quest, and that was challenging. So just when I thought it may be getting too easy, the difficulty seemed to ramp back up again. I like it.
 
I've stayed on Expert the whole time, because I'm a TES junkie, and it's worked well for me. I get killed fairly often and almost any trap will one-shot me if I trip it. I killed Krosis(sp) at level 14, which should have been impossible, but he got stuck in the dragon wall and couldn't move! :biggrin:
 
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Krosis was, by far, my most entertaining fight so far. I think I kited him for 30 minutes or so, lol. All the while I was hoping it would be worth it via some loot, and he did not disappoint me.


-Carn
 
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I don't wear any armor, Ovenall, so that could be it.
 
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