I was playing on expert (2-hand orc, some archery). I haven't tried master at all. My character was fairly combat oriented and was faring pretty well. The only times I had to run from stuff was really first couple levels because I ran into some hagravens which could kill me really easily. Otherwise, dragons aren't ridiculously difficult, and I can outsmart giants for the most part. Most of my trouble really came from mages who can 1-shot me...When I start playing again I may try master to see how it plays. I find the advantage to playing on higher difficulties is that it makes you think a bit more about how to approach battles. I played Oblivion on default and realized afterwards that I never had to plan anything. At least with expert on Skyrim I have to stay somewhat focused.

Just as a note for people who laugh at others for trying to play at higher difficulty levels, we don't necessarily do it just to impress the internets. It may actually be for our own enjoyment. It isn't always maschism, so don't look down on it as such. I don't mind dying in games, and if anything I wish some enemies like dragons were more difficult. So far I've never seen a dragon and felt fear come over me... it would be cool to feel something like the Lord of the Rings fellowship after being spotted by a Nazgul....

Apprentice, but will kick it up to Adept if I think I need a real challenge.

Master since my first character reached level 21, and I'll never look back.

I play on Adept, nice and balanced, occasionally A draugr Deathlord kicks my ass but it's OK, thanks to my main man mercutio!

Dont dictate how people should or should not play their game nor how their perception of a game should be. More factors come into it than settings.

that'a dragon voice screeming "if you love this game, then try it on expert or master",

of course more factors come into it than the settings, but like many big, very well balanced games (like Skyrim, Fallout 3/NV, some Halos, L4D,ec. ect.), the real gameplay only starts after "normal" (here: after adept), expecially today in times of casual gamers and games becomming more and more easy (compared to the last gen, or the one before it... ect..)

really, try to "survive" in Skyrim on expert/master if you're a RPG veteran (which I suppose most here most are), the gameplay changes/shifts somehow, u have to try out more thing so survive, you more cautions when alone in the wild (more stealth), you run more often away (looking for cover ect.) ....... many "factors" start to become more interesting (besides that it bcomes more tens/thrilling)

I tend to fluctuate between Adept and Expert. Expert for the majority of situations but for Dragon Priests/certain Forsworn/Wizards seem to just one shot me no matter what I do..have to bump it down to adept.

Played on adept originally but quickly switched to expert after finding it a little too easy, now its a pretty good balance in difficulty, might jump to master on a new character but i'm liking expert at the moment.

I play on Adept. I actually want to enjoy my gaming experience, not become frustrated and angry, which is what would happen on Master. Real life makes me frustrated and angry enough as it is, I don't need my games to be another source of that, lol.

you should try to weaken the strong foes from far way, then use strong fire magic to knock (or ice to slow him down) slitghly, then when he's down/slow, use something strong (stong close combat or the stronges arrows), repeat it few times, then run a bit, till you have a small distance or an "hight" advantage (the enviroment IS MADE for such fights and runs, and cover taking ect), then use arrows again, when he get's to close again use fire or ice magic knock him down a bit or slow him down (or even us dragon words)..

the fight is tough, but it's complex and a mixture of fighting, tactics, running ect. and very intens. (and not just "swing away and he'll die first or I will die first")....

ok, if the foe can really kill u with 1-2 blows, then u have to keep the distance... then run!!! (run around trees and stones ect,. it will slow done your foe)....till you have an advantage, find help or u lost him (but stealth hiting im from far, then hitting im few more times, till he gets close, then starting "that tactic" could work)..,

even just "running" away and surviving super powerful foes is intens; after playing Master after a while, u get the "survival" feeling and gameplay mechanics better

at first, it will only feel like "just use more meds, and waste more arrows", but it more than that

I love fighting with bears, but only if there's enough "enviroment" to use..(as cover, as high foot standing, as run way obstructions ect.), they can kill me fast, and they take a lot of hits (nice long intens fights), but they can^t "shoot" and they stop here and there (they're not that fast, if you can zigzag around obstructions/ hurdles)

just setting eyes on a bear takes your breath way on master (dont panic! what next!?)

foes that can shoot are ok, if they dont come running at you, ...like archers, they give cool (long) duels,..... otherwise foes that charge and shoot are hard..
(what can kill me the most, besides overstrong foes, is clicking the left stick by accident, especially when in panic)


sorry for my spelling ... these "tatics" are probably nothing new and uesd on normal/adept too, but they're used more often and feel more intens on expert/master
(once you've hunted and defeated your first bear on master, you wont want to go back to adept)

I wouldn't find running around like a pansy fun. I am Dovahkiin after all. I do like the more sense of danger on expert - I find master to be too far. As I stated before, If I use my best equipment I think I could handle the more advanced difficulties. I'd go to expert tops. I can handle bears and the like on master and expert, but when it comes to bandits, then it just gets mental. Bandit marauders alone are tough as hell in a 1v1 fight, and I'm the stand my ground kind of warrior. I do use tactics (like taking a step back or using a "FUS" to knock enemies back so I can heal).I do feel that adept is too easy sometimes, especially when travelling through the wilderness (even the nameless dragons). Mainly it's the bandits (and mages for that matter with rediculously high damaging offensive magic). I'm not looking to be decapitated all day. I'm still toying with the difficulty setting. As for now, I feel adept has the best balance. For now...

Adept, mostly. Occasionally I'll switch to expert.


From reading these forums, I expected to be the only one not choosing "master."

I'm a roleplay veteran and a roleplaying game veteran. Skyrim caters for both styles of play, which is a reason to love it.

There are quite a lot of roleplaying game players who can't roleplay to save their life. Theres a lot of roleplayers who can't "game" for life.

Different styles.

Oddly enough, I would say that those playing the game only for difficulty challenge are missing a lot of the real fun of a game like this.

Just bear in mind that there are lots of ways to enjoy the product.

EDIT: To answer OP, I play Adept, the game seems to be designed around it to me.. I will probably try a gamer run on Master once I've completed it with a few characters.

Adept with my current character, I play a hand-to-hand only Orc right now, it's pretty fun

Started on Expert, changed to Master by around level 15. Haven't changed back.

I always start out playing games on the default difficulty. Theoretically, if that weren't fun, I'd change it, but I don't normally need to. In any case, with the choice of using/not using followers, there are a variety of ways to tweak difficulty in Skyrim without touching the slider.

Expert is fine for me, there's one thing that keeps me from master.. cave bears, I always run into cave bears when I absolutely cannot use them.

I never touched the difficulty slider in any of TES games. To me, it's like it doesn't exist. So, Adept all the way.

Umm, Master difficutly and I avoid death by all cost? So I can't vote.

I play on adept because it is nicely balanced at higher levels eg. past 40 every creature is easily killable and I like that :flamethrower:

Are you authorized to mandate how people are required to play the game.

If so please use your lofty position to direct Bethesda to remove some difficulty levels from the game so that others don't make the mistake of using them and thereby offend you.



Yes, I did find that out. On Master it is really necessary to have a ranged attack, and probably sneak. My character is a Nord Two Handed, Heavy Armor, warrior. No way to just play with two-handed, I quickly found I needed ranged. I don't use magic with this character (except simple healing), so a bow is necessary on Master.

^This. "Fun while it lasts" is so true. After lvl 40-50, even this becomes ridiculously easy, even if I very few times manage to run into some serious trouble (mostly because I've nerf'ed myself). I did go for smithing, but skipped the rest, even if I'll happily drink free potions I find. I think I've spent 5 or so soul gems.

It's not that it is completely lost either. It's just that I have pretty much nothing to worry about anymore. There is nothing in the game that forces me to do stuff to avoid penalties. This game desperately needs a hard core mode similar to Fallout New Vegas, but where the penalties is felt even more. I'm okay with getting powerful and things getting easier as you level up. Hmm, maybe on master the level up speed should have been severely limited as well? How about 1/10 the speed on expert and 1/25 the speed on master? Combined with basic needs you wouldn't even be able to quickly level up without feeling a severe "tedious" penalty, forcing us more to play the game rather than level up.

I mean, back in dice games we'd typically get the first couple of level ups after first session with character, but we'd take forever to reach high levels. Does the game focus too much on progress? Personally I think so.

Expert all the way. Master difficulty is great for bosses and such, but sadly makes lowly bandits into rambo. Hopefully a mod can rebalance this so I can get better difficulty from bosses/dragons and such, without making lowly bandits all demi-gods.

running from overpowered foes isn't too pansy, it's more a surival strungle and not easy, but very tens; but I agree, that bandits are tough ones, they seem level up witht the character, while animals and dragons seem to stay the same



true, the game is made in such away, that newbies or experts can all enjoy this game and the game can be enjoyed in many ways

with the higher difficulte setting, it more then just a challenge, trying to survive "forces more gameplay" upon one (like running, trying diffrent tatics, using the bow more often ect), the gameplay evolves a bit,,,

but also just beeing "very strong" (novic/adpet) can have cool "hero" feeling (like with Fable 3) and has it's own advantages



yeah, I'm an Imperial, so I have the authorisation to mandate.. (till the rebels get my head....), ..

just trying to motivate others to try another difficulty, and not just change back after the first (strong) resistance, but to try to survive then too and to give some an awareness of the difficutly setting and gameplay diffrences

agree, a bow is totally usefull on master, and the bow usage feeling when hunting is so cool (like trying to hunt animals or having a long and intens archer duel with 2 other archers, while using hills, stones, trees as cover while "relaodin" the bow, or while straving left and right while doging and aiming other arrows ect.)




I agree, that once you've reached a certain level, the animals and dragons become too easy, they dont level up with the character, it's a pity, because hunting dangerous and difficult animals is one of Skyrims strengths, wish some animals would level up too (but bandits and other "human" foes seem to level up)

"Like with Fable 3" was a cruel and unusual way to make a point. That was MEAN.