After seeing people talk about how doing a play through with no crafting of any sort can give a greater since of accomplishment I started such a game. Still well in my comfort zone, Redguard, heavy armor, sword and shield. Here’s how things are going. And for those that wish to not read the story skip down to you find the big words saying the story is over if you just want to see my point.

Went in planning to join the legion right off the bat, she used to be a bandit but wants to try living on the side of the law. Made it to Whiterun, got the dragons to start spawning, recovered Amren’s family sword after fighting to bandit parties at once. This happen because of a few mods I have that add more roaming… stuff, a lot of stuff. It just so happen that the place where the sword was located was already under attack when I got there. Little did I think that when I got there they would forget their problems with each other and unite against a common foe, namely my character Thorn. So six or so of these come rushing at me, I manage to pick one off with a few arrows but I was quickly swarmed, stuck between a rock wall and a lot of swords. Fighting as hard as I can because I don’t remember the last time I saved I start to realized that none of these guys are going down, the mods doing once again. They were labeled “Bandit” but they were closer to “Bandit Outlaw” and they are kicking my butt. I run out of stamina potions and for the first time in gods know how long I use Adrenaline Rush not because I felt like it but because if I don’t use it now I’m not going to make it. I make pretty short work of them and return to town to resupply.

Time to make my way to Solitude. I buy all the potions I think will help me on my trip, down to 1700g. Buy a horse to help avoid trouble so I don’t blow threw the potions I just bought, down to 700g. I start my trip and not even a fourth of the way there I see a group of traveling merchants added by mod being attacked by Vampires. I join in the fight because I might need those guys later. Sadly their body guard falls, but for me he is wearing a full set of Orcish armor which is a great deal better than the steel and iron I was using. I continue to Solitude without using too many potions.

I get to the big city, watch some guy lose his head resupply and try to join the legion. Clear out a fort you say, sure. It’s late but not that late so I’ll do that now I think. I do to pick up my horse to find the stable under attack by Vampires. Master Vampires. I’m level 9. I do manage to get some guards to help out but I still burn threw half my potions, guys hit hard. I get my horse and carry on to the fort after killing some Thalmor on the way. At the fort everything goes smoothly till I get to the Bandit Chief. I think our duel lasted 2 minutes. I wanted to Adrenaline rush him, but it hadn’t recharged yet. Down to my last hand full of potions I make my way back to my horse only to find three more Vampires… normal vampires thank the gods. Two potions and some liquor left to my name I ride back to Solitude letting the Thalmor I see carry on with their day, I just do have it in me to try and fight them. I get back to town and rent a room in the inn. I imagine Thorn would say that was the best night’s rest she ever had.

I inform the Legate that the Fort is ours and I officially become a member of the Imperial Legion, yay me. Now they want me to help raid a tomb in the middle of nowhere. Sure why not. I resupply and find I’m down to my last 300g. I head out the gate and see a Khajiit camp, well it’s better to have it and not need it then to need it and not have it, 100g. Make it to Dragon Bridge and figure maybe there’s a bounty to take, no such luck but I buy some food, 30g. Before I make it to the tomb I’m going to need to stop in Morthal and make some money. I run in to this nice little dog on the way and get him to tag along, I could use the help and to company at this point. I make to town, head to the inn “I’m looking for work.” “Well there’s a dragon that needs to be killed.” “Crap…. I’ll do it.” If I remember correctly dragon bounties are worth 500g and really need the money. I ride half way up the mountain before the dragon begins attacking. I leave my horse and start firing back as Meeko runs up the mountain. I follow and find him fighting a Frost Troll, I once walked into a cave that had two Trolls in it and had to run away because my attacks were completely useless on them. 500g, I attack and see Meeko, well it wasn’t taking a knee what he was lying down. I go in to protect my friend, I’m doing ok too. Then I’m reminded that there is also a dragon trying to kill me. I can’t fight both of them like this. I try and draw the Troll away from Meeko as the dragon starts to circle above, the idea being get them to the top of the mountain and hope they start fighting each other and I can just cleanup whoever is left. The Troll was too smart for that and he starts running back down the hill. With the dragon above about to breathe frost on me I just up the hill to take cover. Once the Dragon begins flying around again I go down to the Troll and find Meeko to be gone, nowhere in sight. The Troll killed my dog and threw him off the mountain I’m thinking. He’s gotta die now. I lay into him dodging what I can and blocking the rest till he goes down, just in time for me to take a fully unprotected frost breath. Pop some of my very few potions, get up to the summit and start firing at him only to have him land away from me. Meeko’s alive! The two of use go for broke at slay ourselves a dragon, take everything it had on it, clean out the chest at the top, and learn a new Disarm shout. Now the heroes are making their way back to Morthal to get our money.

THE STORY IS OVER

It’s been awhile since Skyrim has got me to write anything about it, take alone made avoiding crafting worth it for me. So far in this play through, money actually means something, potions are a must, I pick and choose my fights, and I’m using what I find because I need to. While I don’t see myself abandoning Smithing and Enchanting on my main character I do see myself saving it for much later in the game and setting a few more rules for their usage.

I realized early on in Skyrim that, for me at least, the trick is not to become Over Powered. I've managed to restrict various skills and make the game more worthwhile but no crafting at all!? The most extreme restriction I was considering was no potions other than the ones found in dungeons (no store bought potions and no home-brewed ones). You're doing zero crafting (no smithing, no enchanting, no alchemy)? How do you get your AC up to something decent? How do you get your weapon damage up ( just forage for better and better weapons iron to steel to Orc to glass etc.)?

Is it really more fun or do you find the hard dependence on potions to be a frustration?

Thanks!

I don't craft on every character, some of them never touch any table or forge as it breaks character. Why would a barbarian enchant or an altmer wizard work a forge?
I think that's basically why people say you get more out of your character when you don't craft as well as add more challenge.

good luck and enjoy

I think its cool that people think outside the box, trying new ways to play. Hope it works out for you. Keep us posted.

I just read the end, not the crit-wall-o'-text. But I've never really used crafting in Skyrim. Just not my style of play. I'd rather just explore, find and kill than waste my time crafting.

Well I'm going with a never touch a forge, workbench, grindstone, enchanting table or alchemy table. My AR is somewhere around 150 and my swords damage is around 15. Now my enchanting skills is going to rise because if I do fine good enchanted weapons I'm going to use them and recharge them. She's purely a swordsmen, so only one handed swords are getting used sooner or later she’ll get Dawnbreaker but I already know I’m going to need a party and some type of tactic to fight the mage at the end of that quest so it’s going be awhile before I start that plus I want to find the beacon on my own without being directed to it by Maridia.

I’m using a shield and heavy armor so I’m not do worried about that at the moment, as long as I block I’ll be fine most times. Now my weapon damage I do foresee becoming an issue in the late game but since I’m not crafting the late game is going to be really far off so if I find a good magic sword (using a Deadric Artifact mod that makes them all the best weapons around, not by much but still the best) I should be fine.

As for potions, well that’s pretty much where all my money is going to, I clean the potion shops out of heath and stamina potions every visit because I tend to use a decent amount in my travels. After the dragon fight I did a few more Bandit bounties and didn’t use a single one so I might be getting to the point where she’s able to take care of herself with just her skills. If so I should be able to save potions for boss fights.

Forgot to add that I never had much of a problem with becoming overpowered, I don’t really mind it most times. The problem I had with my last character wasn’t with how powerful he was becoming, but what to do with him that I hadn’t done on another character recently. He wasn’t steamrolling everything he ran into but I was going into everything thinking this will take just a moment. What I’m getting out of this is maybe I’ll skip this cave/camp/tomb since there is a good chance I could die pointlessly.

What level difficulty are you playing? I find it hard to believe that it's fun to fight a dragon when your armor rating is 150 and weapon damage is 15! You must save a lot?!

I wanted to avoid smithing but it was impractical. Looted weapons are limited to their base damage and, on Master difficulty, it was too difficult to kill anything. I took the basic smithing perk and the arcane smithing and limiting the weapon type to Skyforge Steel instead.

Once I got my armor and a few swords up to legendary, along with Dragonbane and Dawnbreaker, I rolled smithing back to 15 and re-distrubuted the perks.

This was a nice balance of effective weapons and armor versus becoming overpowered.

Not sure I could do this as the game seems to be designed for crafting. It's needed to give you that edge, especially later in the game. I do however limit all my characters to only one crafting skill. That by itself seems to keep me from being some kind of demi-god shortly into the game.

This play through is just on adapt. I normally play on expert, rarely on Master. I wouldn't even being trying something like this on Master, not a fan of damage scaling to make a game harder.

One crafting skill is my norm. If I play with a character long enough to hit 80 hours or level 40 I might and another one, normally smithing and adding enchanting in the late game.

I also like that people think outside of the box and try out new and cool things like this. Hope you have fun and good luck.

Though personally my characters always go with Blacksmithing and becoming "Overpowered"(No such thing IMO) is unavoidable if I roleplay my Dragonborn from a dragon mentality perspective.

Steamrolling enemies is just a natural consequence of the Dovahkiins near pathological desire for power.

I am inspired by older examples such as Reman Cyrodiil, Tiber Septim, Martin Septim and newer ones such as Alduin, Durnehviir and Miraak.

My character the Dovahkiin, the Dragonborn, the One They Fear IS a Demigod so it is only (super)natural that he or she performs feats that mere mortals cannot do.