I'm playing on master difficulty and I noticed the game is much better this way. I'm level 12 now.

I like exploring mines, and bandits are so easy to kill even on master.. till I reach the bandit leader inside the mine. These guys are insane. Even putting all my level-up points into health, last time I faced a leader that killed me in one or two swings with his frost orcish greatsword. I was able to defeat his humongous health pool after loading a few times and using lots of potions, but the point is that sometimes I feel like he is the dragonborn, not me.

Any suggestion to defeat those guys more easily? Any other special mob I should worry about on master?

Come back when you are a higher level, kick the door down and scream "Remember me!".

Bosses are often scaled towards to the top end of the levelled list, whereas mobs are generally a mix of low to mid range. So you may just not be high enough to take him down just now.

Playing on master too, and yes, there were plenty of times I had to flee. Which just makes sense to me. Master is supposed to be difficult, that's the whole idea. And as you said, it worked when you gulped down a bunch of potions. On master, use all the available tricks you have up your sleeve, and if you don't have them - get them.

Maybe they're the Dragonborn and they just don't know it yet.

Two handed weapons are slow. Bait a swing, sidestep it and stab him in the face quickly as he recovers.

Takes a bit of time but it's pretty effective.

Dragonborn has nothing to do with having a lot fo health or being good at fighting.

I remember a thread from a guy who absorbed a dragon soul from a bandit chief lol


oblivious dovahkiin

I love fus ro dah'ing guards who say that.

A Bandit Leader (Chief) is tough on Adept.

If you're playing on Master they should be unrealistically hard. The way to make them easier is to lower difficulty. Master level should make everything completely unrealistic.

There are many difficult enemies, even on Adept. For example Ice Trolls, or some of the higher level Sabre Tooths.

The problem as I see it is that the power of enemies is huge. A normal bandit or skeleton is extremely easy. Higher level enemies can be enormously more powerful.

Yea, I get my ass handed to me by bandit marauders+ and frost trolls on adept, no way I'm giving those guys more power! That just would be way too frustrating. I can see playing on master if you've ubered your smithing and enchanting, but I don't do that. I don't even use an enchanted sword (been using skyforge steel forever).

Meh, I figured after finishing the MQ my character would spend some time with the Greybeards and become better with the thu'um; so I removed the shout cooldown with the console and now I can take out two dragons at the same time on master difficulty, which happened today lol. Freezing a bandit chief and then breathing fire/fusroda-ing him across a room would fix your problems lol.

You still end up needing potions because the shouts don't always register, but it gives an awesome feeling of being the dragonborn! lol.

Some dudes are outrageous, agreed. Even at level 20 I sometimes get my rear handed to me by a marauder or an ice bear. It's just the name of the game. Skyrim is a tough place!

It's hard because I believe you ran into him and standing there trading hits with his Frost Orcish Greatsword. Oh Great!
Try to be more tactical in your fight. Use the space provided in the room you found that boss or use other thing else like trap.
These bosses will be reasonably difficult to deal with if you just not 'power attack + block + attack' them. They are not too hard, but chellenging.
But I find fighting these guy in very small space really difficult. Sometimes I don't even have a chance to run and look for a better place to fight.
That's when you have to improvise, using stuff like potions, poisons, race power or scroll. These are your ultimate when you feel desperately defeated in Master Difficulty.

Thanks for the replies.


Thats more or less what I did to win. I was using a greatsword too, so it was a heavy weapons fight. I'm an archer, but no way to win that in a closed mine with archery, so I went to my secondary weapon.
Main issue is that you have to be careful to not take a power attack. I strongly believe these guys have at least 10 ranks of the Barbarian perk.