Legendary Difficulty?

[pixel_rice_bowl]

Hey all,

I recently started a game on Legendary difficulty. I've found it hard (yet enjoyable enough). I'm finally at level 10, playing a mage focusing on conjuration and destruction.

Is there any real purpose to playing on Legendary? Sometimes the fights are tediously difficult, where I'm just kiting people around until I slowly eat at their health with spells and/or summons. Are there any achievements associated with Legendary or special rewards? I'm trying to get some more information before I lower the difficulty to something easier--my idea of a satisfying challenge isn't just having to do a lot more damage before a target goes down.

[♥ Barney ♥]

Imo Legengary difficulty is a waste of time. You've hit the nail on the head there when you said its doing a lot more damage to the target before it goes down. That's all it is. The first 1-30 levels are extremely extremely difficult unless you gtitch levelling up in some way. It might seem at first like your challenged with the difficulty but it soon wears off when you find yourself having countless 10-minute fights with bandits and wolfs, having to reload a saved game numerous times, lots of running away from enemies that will kill you in one hit and just not enjoying the game.

When you reach about level 50 the game becomes easy again as you get better armour and apply enchantments etc. It really isnt worth it imo. I recommend starting on adept (normal) and when you feel its getting easy just slide the difficulty bar up a notch to expert, if that becomes easy again just go to Master.

Only time i would recommend playing legendary is if your character is powerful and can take a bit of damage....starting off on Legendary is just a waste of time. No achievements to get and its just basically longer longer fights and more chance of getting killed.

If you want a challenge when playing why not just play on adept or expert and set rules like NO BUYING items like ingots, armour, soul gems, ingredients, weapons etc, everything you have in the game has to be found or stolen, the only time you can use money is when buying a house.

[Digstar]

^ Spot on. No rewards (ie achievments, extra game content etc) for going legendary other than amping up the difficulty if finding the game is too easy. I usually find expert mode is a decent difficulty lvl.

[pixel_rice_bowl]

Thanks you two. I appreciate the perspective!

[=Palynzer=]

For me legendary is the way. Im played normal and amster before, but im bored...too easy.
Legenday is the challenge.
Im vamp mage lvl 54 in legendary without a problem..some hard figths I die at the first time, but its not problem at secon time...you know wahts coming ahead.
When you have two frost achnorac to tank life is easy XD

[Rafael Freeman]

Legendary is great. Mainly because on Legendary it makes sense to avoid strong enemies, sneak, use paralyzing potions and so on. All the while focusing on building your character and getting the right skills.

On anything less than Master it's just to easy to attack enemies head on, even in the beginning of the game.

[Heather]

Legendary difficulty is a joke if you play it right. The key is to not have the enemies even targeting you. You want to use conjuration or illusion, and it should be easy. Both, preferably, because if you go illusion only you won't have anything for dragons.

[Bansheebutt]

Yeah, The Difficulty meter or switch in TES games is the most inane difficulty setting imaginable. (I don't know why it seems like it works better in FalloutNV/3)

If you're wanting a higher difficulty better off increasing the difficulty in ways that actually have substance like Enemy AI mods. It's amazing how much more satisfying a melee duel can be when your opponent can actually interrupt your attacks.

[Megiddo]

Curious. Those recommending harder settings look to favor mage builds. Would a pure fighter do well with the same fights? Or at least be stronger against some encounters, weaker against others? It just sounds like the mage is overpowered.

[EbonHawk]

Originally posted by Jean-Claude Gosh Darn:

...

Cool user name. Clever. :-)

I agree with Barney's assessment. That's exactly the tack I took for this latest playthrough. Start off on Adept, and I'm about to go up a notch, because at Lvl 11 things are getting too easy. Except for when you have something like a milquetoast milk-drinker like Maurice Jondrelle along for the ride... no problem. He just dies a lot. Thank goodness I dropped him like yesterday's skooma drippings in the Eldergleam Sanctuary. I'll let him play with the Friggin' Spriggans for a little while. I don't know how many times I had to reload a save just to resurrect his lame butt. No way I could have kept him alive much longer. That was getting tedious.

[gnewna]

If you aren't enjoying playing on Legendary then no, there is no benefit to it, other than I suppose bragging rights. I play on Adept and if I want more of a challenge I'll either restrict myself in various ways (no spamming potions, no crafting, only using low level armour, or whatever) or use mods which make certain things harder (such as SkyRe or Requiem if I want an overhaul, or things like Deadly Dragons for a more specific part of the game). I don't find simply having to hit twice as often (or whatever multiplier) and being hurt twice as badly with every hit particularly challenging or fun, I just find it tedious and repetitive.

[Zefram Cochrane]

Originally posted by Bacon Of Hope:

Is there any real purpose to playing on Legendary? Sometimes the fights are tediously difficult, where I'm just kiting people around until I slowly eat at their health with spells and/or summons.

yes exactly, I don't take a lot of damage but it takes forever for enemies to go down. It's just plain tedious.

Purpose? Bragging rights, thats about it.

[Grathagis]

Melee and ranged fighters have it easier on higher levels because they can increase their damage output with better equipment, enchantments and potions. The damage output for mages doesn't increase and even the normal spells have little effect on higher levels.
I used frenzy on bandits and it took them 10 minutes just to kill one of their own.
I play on master level and have mods that increase the threat rating of enemy encounters. I am level 172 but If I make a little mistake I am dead.

[Rafael Freeman]

Just to clarify: legendary difficulty has the biggest impact in the beginning of the game. With the right perks destruction and illusion are very powerful, but before you get those perks legendary is extremely tough.

Likewise with smithing enhancements and potions plus some armor perks, legendary becomes a lot easier. But getting there a much more difficult challenge.

[Hrenyolrah]

personally i like legendary. it taught me how to really fight inthe game. before legendary i just charged in without thinking. That worked an all dificulties except one. Legendary was the only difficulty where if i did that i just ended up dead. Honestly, messing with the buying settings is just a lazy way to make easier difficulties harder. And in my experience that wouldn't make it harder because i hardly buy anything anyway.

[Hrenyolrah]

come on guys.