You would love survival level then. Sneaking is a must and it's downright scary. On only level 3 I encountered a raider with a minigun. It took me four tries to kill her (I had to get the jump on her and I mean really get the jump) but when I finally did it my celebration was short lived as another raider picked up the minigun from their fallen comrade and tore me to pieces.. Next try I was even more careful and I managed to make it out alive with the minigun and extra 700 rounds of ammo.. Much more rewarding than normal mode where I could have done it with limited sneaking.
There are still certain places I just can't go. One place in particular involves some raiders, one of whom is wearing power armor and using a launcher. I'm going to have to come back when I'm strong enough and that is how games should be.