Funny you mention abusing the system that Beth put in place. You mean like poorly designed permanent crafting buffs? Only game I've seen that does this. Ever thought about not abusing or even using those? How about using the player character's skill? Nope, I guess it's easier to complain about it. How about making threads on removing those, instead of adding more of the things that break the game?

If destruction were to scale, then the enemy casters would scale too. I think people complain about how enemy casters are too overpowered. Which is Ironic, since they use destruction and destruction somehow is underpowered? That make sense?

Thing is, compared to the other skills destruction is on par with melee and archery with all of their advantages and disadvantages. Like archery getting a sneak attack bonus or melee having power attacks and even more powerful sneak attacks since you have to get close. Destruction has way higher DPS, distance, AoE attacks and ignores armor. You can take down a large group of enemies in less than 10 seconds, whereas with archery one by one, firing slower. Melee one by one getting close and getting hit.

It's usable on legendary, too(I would know). You will need some cost reduction if you want to play with it into the higher levels though. You can actually buy gear to reduce spell cost significantly if you really don't want to enchant.

On lower difficulties I can't imagine 100% cost reduction to be necessary as firebolt spamming can down almost anything. By the way, maxing a skill to 100 and taking perks is not an exploit. That's like saying using 2 dremora lords is an exploit. It's completely working as intended. You may not like the intention, but that doesn't make it an exploit.

I believe Destruction is a balanced skill.

I would rather blame the leveling system that gives common enemies ridiculously large health pools at higher levels.

That's a good point. To those saying that melee weapons don't need complementary skills I just have to laugh. On legendary with just weapon perks it will take you forever to kill leveled enemies.

On adept, no damage type really requires crafting augmentation

Where did you ever get the idea that I ever abused crafting buffs? I'll tell you where...you didn't, because you've got the wrong guy there.

Enemy casters already scale, the player doesn't. What's so wrong with expecting the playing filed to be a bit more leveled so the player isn't at such a big disadvantage.

So tell me, when you run out of stamina, are you or are you not still able to attack with your warhammer without resorting to alchemy or any other means of replenishing you stamina? Now let me ask you this, when your mage (whom I'm assuming doesn't abuse the system with 100% reduction) runs out of magicka because the cost to damage ratio is out of whack, is your character or is he/she not able to to cast spells?

Thank you for reminding me why of all Destruction spells that I use, the one I favor is Vampiric Drain.

Here's the thing:

If Destruction was able to benefit from the same damage buff enchantments that Archery, One-handed, and Two-handed can, it would be RIDICULOUSLY overpowered. Bethesda HAD to nerf it (though I don't agree with how they did it). You can completely obliterate every enemy, even on Master.

How to keep the Vampire Lord Drain Life Power in human form :
Steps:
1. Equip Conjure Bound Sword in your right hand.
2. Use Vampire Lord power and immediately cast the sword spell.
3. When transformed, charge the Drain Life spell. While charging it revert back to normal while still holding the spell the whole time.
4. You should now have the Drain Life spell in your right hand!
(Note: Killing someone with the Drain Life spell in human form still counts towards your Vampire Lord's perk tree experience)

That's not necessarily a bad thing either, but as you said, it's how they did it. IMO they went way too far overboard in nerfing it. This is, and has been an issue with Beth for a long time...balance. They couldn't balance their way out of a wet paper bag, I'm sorry to say. Destruction is proof of this.

Im surprised people still have the urge to post about these issues when its clear beth wont lift a finger for anything skyrim related.

We post about it because we don't (at least I don't) want to see the same thing happen in TES 6...or FO4 even.

Usable, yes, but frustratingly so. It's doable, but to me it's not satisfying to use on legendary. Master though is fine. Only characters I enjoy using on Legendary is warriors, but I do that because my warrior's comfort zone is that difficulty, not because of some kind of feeling of prestige. This isn't Halo or Call of Duty. There's no reason to try playing the hardest difficulties unless you find the game to be too easy to enjoy.

My only point was that if it's usable on the highest difficulty then it must be usable on all the others as well. Play the game however you can enjoy it, of course

Never said anything about the way you play since I don't know how you play I didn't make the assumption.

So you don't level up? You don't put points into magicka? You want to use magic without magicka? You don't regen magicka? You don't wear even a novice hood? You don't cook? You can't do power attacks without stamina and it takes 3 or 4 seconds? before you can do the next one. Meawhile you are getting hit. (http://imgur.com/a/O2hLo)

Thing is most people I see complain are people that made weapons with poorly designed steroids, using 4 pieces of steroid enchanted smithing made with steroid enchanted potions that do 100000 damage and then complain. Then Beth decides that the solution to this problem is to pander to these people that destroy the majority of the work they did balancing a game and then whine about it with "Legendary" damage setting, instead of removing the poorly designed (or at least cap them at lvl 100) steroids that break the game.

Interesting thing that Destruction doesn't have the permanent steroids. If you take the steroids out of the equation you would find that destruction is on par with Melee and Archery.

End game weapons:

http://imgur.com/ovRp8Ix (Think I had 13% 2h on gloves and all the 2h perks in this one)

http://imgur.com/JtzpuKn (This is one of two war axes I used on this character with only 1 point in the armsman perk. That could scale to 70 something with all perks)

http://imgur.com/yEfzq2Y (Overdraw 4 in this one)

Note: Smithing only adds about 20 points of damage without steroids.

Adept, Expert and Master Spell:

http://imgur.com/sQQ6YT3

http://imgur.com/s9SMJd0

http://imgur.com/OgI2tvK

I think I had about 800 magicka with this character and his gear was the archmage's robes, boots, Savos Aren's Circlet and necklace and the perks. Probably my most overpowered character. The numbers are pretty much on par with each other. Like Day_man said, destruction maybe was nerfed. If it was buffed a bit more it would break the game.

Oh, Really?.

0% reduction didn't make much sense now that i see it

Well depending on how far you go, you may need Smithing. I've found that characters who get to level 25+ need to invest in it, or damage becomes laughable for any means of attack. In the end, it all comes down to numbers. A 31 damge firebolt is the same as a 31 damage Ebony Sword. But unlike arrows, magic has a much faster rate of fire

I've gotten by on Destruction as my only damge dealer (not including Atronachs and followers) and got along swimmingly. I don't even use Dual Cast for it anymore.

As for potions, I've gotten up potions with 100% buffs wearing 4 Alchemy enchantments, and I believe my skill was only in the 50s-60s (I'll check in a bit). But I know it wasn't maxed by any means, so Alchemy is a HUGE boon to magic users.

Sorry, the Call of Duty stuff wasn't really directed to you, my bad

Okay, that spell deserves the honor of being crowned most stupidly underpowered thing in the game.