Just started to get into the game and playing the PC version. Is there a way to determine if the quest your taking is above your level? I'm doing the Mehrunes' Razor quest (which is given early on in the game) and the Commander is too powerful for me too kill. Yes, I know you can vary the difficulty in the options menu but am wondering if there is some HUD indicator or some other method that the quest you have is beyond your level?

In the un-modded game you can't even start quests that are beyond your level. However, if you've got your levels too far ahead of your skills, or you're unprepared for the fights, they can still be beyond your character. For example, if you get into a fight with an ethereal undead without a suitable weapon, you can't do them any damage at all. If all your skill is magic, and you get silenced, you're helpless without enough Dispel potions.

Usually, though, it's that you've got a bad mix of majors, and your level has gone up faster than your abilities. There's no easy way to look at your stats to see if you got to the point where you need to apply a correction - e.g. by using trainers to increase the skills that are lagging.

Yes, the quests are adjusted to your level. The Commander in the Mehrunes dungeon is leveled to be appropriate for your character. If he is too tough, it is a problem with your character. Now, bear in mind that the type of character you play may affect things as well. Warrior types are pretty strong early on, but can become tedious later if they don't embrace enchantements. Mages start off weak, but gradually grow very powerful as you carefully groom their spells and tactics. Sneaksters/archers can be a challenge at any level unless you embrace either a blade or some magic to back up their bow.

Sorry can't be more specific, but without knowing your character's level and skills and the nature of how he is losing, it is hard to diagnose or prescribe how to help him.

Fixing the problem you describe falls to a couple of philosophies. One says get deeply into how to optimize attributes, skills and equipment and put plenty of emphasis on carefully building a strong character. The other philosophy says play the way you want and don't sweat it. If a fight is too tough, squeak the difficulty slider down when/as required. Obviously, that is the extreme end of things and many players find varying degrees of middle ground.

Loads of experience with the game and studying the forums and wiki can help as well. Those who do so often find their challenge has come full circle; that is, how to gimp their characters to retain a desired level of challenge. Newer players tend to struggle figuring things out. Intermediate players tend to successfully build very strong, uber characters. When they grow tired of a lack of challenge, they graduate to advanced players and start intentionally building in weaknesses into their characters to retain the challenge.

Sorry so wordy. Hopefully somewhere in there you can find a couple ideas to follow up on.

It's also worth mentioning that if you release the Morag Tong Assassin, and he's able to survive long enough, he'll go into the Commander's building and attempt to assassinate him. He's generally successful, and even if he isn't, he'll leave the Commander pretty messed up to the point that you should be able to finish him off with relative ease.

It's also also worth noting that the dungeon in Mehrunes Razor is designed to be more difficult than the average dungeon, so it's not really one of the first things you should do, depending on how "new" you are.