Skyrim on legendary difficulty

[Rafael Freeman]

Just started a new game. This time on legendary difficulty. Great fun!

Some enemies are almost impossible to kill and will make minced meat of followers, so running away should always be an option. I’m also forced to sneak more.

At legendary money becomes a far bigger issue. Without the right potions and enchantments the first few hours are almost impossible.

[NanoByteGhost]

I was playing on master difficulty from a new game yesterday and everything in the game, and I
do mean everything could kill me in 1 or 2 hits whilst I could barely scratch them. Shields made zero difference, blocking was not effective.

All you can do is run from 1 city to another as fast as possible and given up totally on magic and bows because even when your ready for that rabbit, your still owned if your a mage or an archer.

To be honest, anything higher than adapt really is not balanced.

[Arcamean]

Hmm I've been ok and I ramped it to Legendary. Although dragons are a real challenge, it's tough to kill them before they lol and fly away to heal up.

[Rafael Freeman]

Originally posted by Giskard:

I was playing on master difficulty from a new game yesterday and everything in the game, and I
do mean everything could kill me in 1 or 2 hits whilst I could barely scratch them. Shields made zero difference, blocking was not effective.

All you can do is run from 1 city to another as fast as possible and given up totally on magic and bows because even when your ready for that rabbit, your still owned if your a mage or an archer.

To be honest, anything higher than adapt really is not balanced.

I've been killed twice in 4 hours of gameplay at legendary, so it's certainly possible to play at legendary without dying.

Yes, I'm still underpowered, but slowly my character is getting stronger.

Here is how I play:

- Light armor, because running away might save my life and heavy armor will slow me down.

- I invested early on in archery perks because fighting at close range is not smart in the first few hours of the game.

- I have enchanted armor to increase the effectiveness of archery (sadly I need to improve my enchanting skills so this isn’t very effective yet)

- I sneak and use the bow for sneak attacks. I try to do this from a high point so I can get a more shots in after I’m detected.

- I hire mercenaries.

- I always have a stockpile of health potions and use a healing spell.

- Alchemy and a combination of alteration and smithing to make money so I can buy those potions.

- I intend to invest in the double wielding perks for one handed weapons so I can to maximum damage up close while an enemy is fighting a follower

- I use paralyzing potions.

[Big Boom Boom]

He's just being sarcastic, but that rabbit does really hurt. I just saw him killed a Legendary Dragon on Legendary difficulty.

[Perfect Hatred]

I just beat Viinturuth to death with my bare hands on Expert. No potions were used and the only spells I used were Stoneflesh and Close Wound. I didn't even have any gear enchanted with unarmed bonuses. I wasn't wearing any armor.

The game has ridiculous balance issues that cannot be fixed by altering the difficulty settings.

I reloaded and on Legendary that same fight is exceptionally difficult and lengthy with my bare hands. However, if I use Thunderbolt the fight lasts less than 30 seconds and I am at no point in any danger.

BALANCE ISSUES.

The only mods I have that have any impact on combat are Dragon Combat Overhaul which is designed to make dragon fights MORE DIFFICULT and Better Vampires which gives me, as a vampire, a mild 14% boost to damage from destruction spells and penalties to Health, Health Regen, Stamina, Stamina Regen, and Magicka Regen.

[NanoByteGhost]

Most folk switch the higher difficulties once they get to a high level and then use it for bragging rights on a forum. But here is something modders know that players tend not to know. Most baddies level off at 50. So once you are higher than level 50, the game gets easier and easier unless you do increase the difficulty. So its not actually truely playing at master or higher, unless you start at level 1.

If you do start at level 1 you can forget about winning any fight at first.

I also noticed people who play at master tend to be the same players that have an overly keen interest in maxing out their armour and weapons.

[Arcamean]

You say maxing out weapons and armor like it's a bad thing.

[Perfect Hatred]

Originally posted by Giskard:

Most folk switch the higher difficulties once they get to a high level and then use it for bragging rights on a forum. But here is something modders know that players tend not to know. Most baddies level off at 50. So once you are higher than level 50, the game gets easier and easier unless you do increase the difficulty. So its not actually truely playing at master or higher, unless you start at level 1.

If you do start at level 1 you can forget about winning any fight at first.

I also noticed people who play at master tend to be the same players that have an overly keen interest in maxing out their armour and weapons.

No armor, no weapons. The most useful school of Magic, Illusion, doesn't do any damage(meaning it is equally effective at all difficulty levels) and can be brought up to 100 skill very rapidly without ever engaging in combat. If you don't do core story missions right off the bat then you can have 100 skill in Destruction as well before you face your first dragon. Aside from the dragons very few enemies can resist dual cast Illusion spells with the appropriate perks. Enchant up some clothing(not armor) for cheap casts and you're done. Difficulty level irrelevant.

As I said before, the game has severe balance issues at all difficulty levels.

[Alcatraz1015]

Originally posted by Giskard:

I was playing on master difficulty from a new game yesterday and everything in the game, and I
do mean everything could kill me in 1 or 2 hits whilst I could barely scratch them. Shields made zero difference, blocking was not effective.

All you can do is run from 1 city to another as fast as possible and given up totally on magic and bows because even when your ready for that rabbit, your still owned if your a mage or an archer.

To be honest, anything higher than adapt really is not balanced.

Agree with you. And to be even more honest (if that's possible?), combat has never been great in Bethesda's games. I'm hoping they can take some notes when The Witcher 3 comes out. Also, Bethesda really needs to work on animations and an improved way of playing in 3rd person, which is my preferred way to play Skyrim.

[frogprincess_q4]

3rd person is awful in Skyrim. It's the main reason I hate werewolf and vampire lord forms. And riding horses for that matter.

[Big Boom Boom]

The Witcher 2 combat is easy, roll roll stab, roll roll stab, roll roll stab.
When being surrounded, bomb bomb trap quen bomb bomb
Fist fight? QTE. Tap tap.

[Rafael Freeman]

Originally posted by An Invisible Hand:

I just beat Viinturuth to death with my bare hands on Expert. No potions were used and the only spells I used were Stoneflesh and Close Wound. I didn't even have any gear enchanted with unarmed bonuses. I wasn't wearing any armor.

The game has ridiculous balance issues that cannot be fixed by altering the difficulty settings.

I reloaded and on Legendary that same fight is exceptionally difficult and lengthy with my bare hands. However, if I use Thunderbolt the fight lasts less than 30 seconds and I am at no point in any danger.

BALANCE ISSUES.

The only mods I have that have any impact on combat are Dragon Combat Overhaul which is designed to make dragon fights MORE DIFFICULT and Better Vampires which gives me, as a vampire, a mild 14% boost to damage from destruction spells and penalties to Health, Health Regen, Stamina, Stamina Regen, and Magicka Regen.

Using mods might result in difficult to predict and unforseen. I'm not saying that is what is happening in your case, but it's difficult to discuss anything other than the vanilla game.

Having said that, I don’t consider problems with fighting dragons a balance issue. It’s a general problem: fights with dragons are almost never a great experience.

This has nothing to do with the difficulty, but everything with the fact that they either fly in circles, float in the air or land to be killed by attacking from the side. I’m guessing that it’s always going to be difficult to design a fight against a very large opponent.

For me part of the fun is that combat is unpredictable because some enemies are much stronger than other enemies. I haven’t experienced any problems with the balance of the combat, other than that after I had learned the tricks, I become too powerful halfway the game. But that is because I actively try to become that powerful.

[Rafael Freeman]

Originally posted by Vaudevillian:

Originally posted by Giskard:

I was playing on master difficulty from a new game yesterday and everything in the game, and I
do mean everything could kill me in 1 or 2 hits whilst I could barely scratch them. Shields made zero difference, blocking was not effective.

All you can do is run from 1 city to another as fast as possible and given up totally on magic and bows because even when your ready for that rabbit, your still owned if your a mage or an archer.

To be honest, anything higher than adapt really is not balanced.

Agree with you. And to be even more honest (if that's possible?), combat has never been great in Bethesda's games. I'm hoping they can take some notes when The Witcher 3 comes out. Also, Bethesda really needs to work on animations and an improved way of playing in 3rd person, which is my preferred way to play Skyrim.

Skyrim is a first person perspective game first.

Combat in The Witcher III might be great. It might be a disappointment.

In the The Witcher II combat wasn't very good (but enjoyable). I remember a lot of rolling around and swiping at opponents with little impact other than a result on a health bar. Fighting the dragon was an exercise in futility.

Actually I like the combat in Skyrim. It gets the job done and isn’t restricted. I’m not enthousiastic about using a shield or two handed weapons, but enjoyed dual wielding one handed weapons, archery and destruction.

[TRNFloyd o\(ツ)/o]

you guys should try legendary with deadly dragons and dragon overhaul mods.. and then go fight the first dragon.

no amount or prep can ready you for that rapefest..

[Nep Nep]

Originally posted by Floyd (ツ):

you guys should try legendary with deadly dragons and dragon overhaul mods.. and then go fight the first dragon.

no amount or prep can ready you for that rapefest..

and skyre :D get it for its combat ai and enemy level :D im playing on expert and i found a scourge at lvl 3...while being a mage....so he ♥♥♥♥♥♥ me pretty hard :( it wasnt fun so i ran like a little girl