Hi all,

The game is starting to feel a little stale so I'm getting ready to pull out my last ace - increase the difficulty from Master to Legendary. Also, I've played a long series of stealthy characters with either archery or magical ranged attack capabilities. I feel like playing a sword and board this time - heavy on the magic resistance, please! I'd like to just power through the baddies.

The PC will practice smithing, but not alchemy or enchanting. Will also make minimal use of potions (only before or after melee, and limit the number available to five or so).

Not planning on using Illusion or Conjuration, probably just Restoration and Alteration. I'd like to skip any ranged attack but I don't know if you an finish without some sort of ranged attack. I mean, dragons don't tend to land until you wound them. Harkon would be equally tough, not to mention Miraak.

What do you think - can you play the game effectively without any ranged attack?

Thanks much!

It is the Ranged Attacks that are making you OP. The Crossbow is basically an Easy Button for the game, same with using a Bow from Stealth.

Just going Sword and Board will up your challenges. Also, resist the urge to have the best weapons, that will help too.

Dragons are the only thig you "need" ranged attacks for. Everything else is on the ground

If you don't take all the Overdraw perks in the Archery tree and you don't smith, enchant, or brew potions, it's really unlikely you'll be overpowered with a bow. Even with the Deadly Aim perk, my current build has to use conjuration for boss fights or there's no hope.

I'd say most of my characters have used no ranged attacks at all, either physical or magical. Yes, certainly, it can be done.

Wow! ... and you were doing the vanilla game (no mods)? You finished the MQ, DB and DG? What difficulty do you play? Do you use followers?

Thanks!

Hmm - kinda forgot, could play as the Dragonborn right from the start and use the Thuum....

I usually finish by saving the world and retiring, but start with the vampire menace.

I play pc now, but did the vanilla game on xbox. I played very little ranged attacks, mostly only to hunt deer and such, and had loads of fun. In fact, the only character I am OP'd in is my current, who uses at least 50% ranged attacks. You can have a very good game with melee attacking only. Even dragons eventually land to fight.

I too have played vanilla characters with no ranged attacks without much issue, but only up to expert difficulty. I have played very little vanilla on master or legendary.

Now that I am playing modded, having no ranged attack would be suicide in a lot of situations, but my modded game with Requiem is a lot more difficult than vanilla on any setting because damage (both given and taken) is greatly increased, so the player and enemies do much more damage than on legendary vanilla; attributes on level up are cut in half so the PC has far less health, stamina and magicka than in the vanilla game; stamina affects base damage, casting cost and movement speed, so you can't even run away or cast a spell if your stamina gets drained; getting hit drains not only health but also stamina and magicka; magic resistance is harder to come by, etc. It all adds up to a very difficult game and trying to tackle certain enemies without a ranged attack would be very difficult. My character recently faced a pair of mages and the only way he was able to defeat them was with a couple well placed sneak arrows. Without a ranged attack, my character would not have been able to defeat those mages for many more levels.

I've only had Dragons in my game twice: once when I did the main quest and a second time when Bethesda forced me to do "The Way of the Voice" in order to start Dragonborn. The character I finished the main quest with used a claymore almost exclusively. She wore Light Armor and got Smithing up to a pretty high level. She did no Alchemy or Enchanting and wore no pre-enchanted items.

The character who did Dragonborn also did Dawnguard. That character had Serana with her after about level 11. I've also had Erik and Aranea along with a couple of characters. But my favorite followers are https://www.youtube.com/watch?t=120&v=ndv6WYqm-fE from a mod called http://www.nexusmods.com/skyrim/mods/50882/?tab=1&navtag=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.nexusmods.com%2Fskyrim%2Fajax%2Fmoddescription%2F%3Fid%3D50882%26preview%3D&pUp=1 I think they're hilarious.

I always play on the default difficulty setting. I wouldn't touch the difficulty setting in one of Bethesda's games with a ten-foot pole. Their implementation of difficulty sliders in all their games is idiotic and pointless. They affect damage done and damage taken only. I have no patience for that.

I use mods to tailor my difficulty, not only to my taste but also to the particular character I'm playing. So the amount - and type - of difficulty can change dramatically from game to game. Generally speaking, my games tend to be much more difficult than vanilla on default difficult...but in a much more satisfying way.