Hey guys-

I need some advice. I'm new to this game (love it) and am having some trouble defeating enemies and completing some early quests.

I'm a Level 11 Nord Warrior Adventurer with 83 Strength, 83 Endurance, 63 Agility, 57 Luck, and all other skills between 30 and 40. I use one handed swords and a shield mostly.

I'm trying to recover a Daedric artifact from Malacath's and Azura's Shrine and am just getting slaughtered over and over by the Vampire's in Azura's and the Guards in Drad's mine trying to free the ogres for Malacath. Up to this point the enemies have been very managable but it's like I've hit a brick wall and am ready to just stop playing it's so frustrating.

What am I doing wrong and what can I do to progress in this game at this point? I know the enemies level up with you, but these baddies seem way higher than me.

Thank you for your help!

adamajah

How are your combat skills? If your major skills are mostly noncombative skills and/or your combat skills are lower than they should be at the level your character is presently at, you'll have the problem of your enemies being technically more powerful than you, because the leveling up-system only takes in to account the all together level of your character. If your combat skills are lagging behind, this will cause you to not be physically powerful enough to deal with the enemies you're currently facing.

Or you just need to go out and buy a hell of a lot of Healing potions.

Drop the difficulty slider..

I'm a Journeyman of Blade and Heavy Armor and Apprentice of everything else.

Well, I'd say go for the Health potions or lower the difficulty slider, like Holy Assassin suggested. A Journeyman in Blade should be able to kill opponents at level 11.

Get your Armorer skill to 50 and enchant yourself some gear and a blade. Magic is the great equalizer in this game.

Aids: Mysticism at 25 for Soul Trap access (put a 1 sec soul trap on your weapon, along with damage spells), conjuration at 25 so you can summon a skeleton to kill to recharge your weapon.

Fire enchants will be most useful against the vampires, shock vs the mine guards.

If you get Conjuration higher summoning a pet can distract adds and even help with damage.

Alchemy can be a huge help in the way of shield potions, heal potions, restore magicka, poisons and a few dozen others.

Mara

Thanks! Some good advice in there. I was hoping not to have to change the difficulty from default, but I might have to do that at least for a few minutes. I'll work on my conjure and enchantments too.

-adamajah

Notch the difficulty down about five or six pegs and work on getting some enchanted gear. Sigil Stones are the best way for a non mage to get powerful enchanted gear but many enemies on tombs and other dungeons drop them too.


Work on your alchemy too. If you're in the Mages or Fighters guild, you can pick up all the free food all over the guild halls and mix hundreds of Restore Fatigue potions. Keep churning those out in every town until you master Alchemy..then you can make super powerful poisons and potions which will help any warrior stay alive and kill faster.

The only thing that can make Nords fail in battle is not knowing the Secret of Steel.

But you do... don't you?

Er, huh?

I knew it.

That's why you're failing. You chose 'Nord' but you have to understand the very unforgiving nature of their mythology.

Search for the Secret of Steel:

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0082198/quotes

And next time I am sure you will be more prepared.

Odin be with you, child. Tor, too.

And Cromm.

Cromm. Haha that's awesome. >:D

Pray to Cromm!!! ULAHHHHHH I'm tha Terminator!

You're not going to listen to advice from Nords, are you? :wink_smile:

Cast Woad and Roid out on alchemy.

The best advice in this thread is to adjust the difficulty slider.

Look at it this way. You're playing a Nord, which is the biggest, strongest race in Tamriel. A Nord should be able to one-hit kill a rat or one of the tutorial goblins with that tutorial shortsword. That's simply realistic.

Likewise, you should be able to take out a stunted scamp, or a light-armored archer, with a claymore, in one or two hits. If you can't, your slider is set too high for realistic melee.

I move the slider by 1 notch for every 5 levels. Some people do one notch for every level. But whatever algorithm you use, this method helps smooth out Oblivion's rough leveling mechanics.

If you have decent restoration then make a restore fatigue spell that last for at least 5 seconds, that way your magicka should have regenerated somewhat by the time the spell wears off. Having your fatigue closer to full makes your attacks do more damage. As far as vampires are concerned, they resist normal weapons, which are any weapons that are not silver, daedric, or enchanted, and are weak to fire. Get a sword enchanted with fire and you should do way better against them. Like everyone else said, alchemy+conjuration will make low levels way easier, and if all else fails, adjust the difficulty slider. Also the Nord racial powers are pretty good so don't forget about them.