Now, I'm the type to complain lightly, nor is this really a complaint as such, but I'm struggling a bit with my game. It's rather heavily modded with Deadly Combat, Dodgin, Parrying, several spell packs, and (crucially) Morrowloot Ultimate with Static Permazones plus the mods it assumes you have.

I was having fun, hunting for my first set of leather armour, clearing Embershard Mine with hit and run tactics, and earning my coveted frostbite spell. I even managed to get through Bleakfalls Barrow, surprised at needing to struggle through it. But then I reach the boss, a Draugr Scourge Lord which I had to run from. Now like I said, I'm a reasonable lass, but even within the context of the dungeon, that's a blimmin' big leap to go from (several) Draugr Wights to a Scourge Lord, a level 24 enemy. It's the first dungeon in the story and the first you're directed towards. Ease people into this unlevelled world, man. Right now, I'm trying to play a frost mage with a "True Falmer Race" Snow Elf, but I'm not comfortable outside my leather armour and have way more kills with sneaky bow work than I have with my frost spell. I simply don't feel like I could handle getting close enough nor have the Magicka to actually do some damage. There's simply no reasonably safe area to get those early levels how one would like to play. I found the same problem with Dark Souls, everyone defaults to sword+board and rolly-poly-pudding everywhere for backstabs when there's many other ways to play.

I'm up to level 5 now but still my destruction and illusion skills are still lackluster and close to their starting values. How do I avoid the trap of playing the easiest, most exploitable way in such a world where other people in the world aren't pushed towards the same path? How can I reach the lofty heights of Malkoran and those swines in Sunderstone Gorge that pelt you with spells nonstop? How can I shed my cocoon of leather, retire Hadvar's gifted bow and my other tools, and take my rightful place as Winter Incarnate?