If they give you an option to alter the difficulty will you take it and why would you change it for?

Default at first. I'm assuming they'll be using the slider bar for difficulty (they did in Morrowind/Oblivion) so i'll just up the ante if I feel it's too easy.

Generally speaking, I prefer to start most games on the default difficulty, and after I've seen whether that's satisfactory or not, I raise it or lower it if I feel the game is too easy or too hard, which is why it annoys me when games only let you choose the difficulty at the start and don't let you change it without starting a new game, with such a setup, by the time I know whether the difficulty I choose is satisfactory or not I can't change it without starting a new game, and chances are I'm too far into the game to be willing to do that.

But regardless, if I don't already know the game is either too easy or too hard, I prefer to start it on the default difficulty level as logically, I would expect that to be a good balance that isn't too easy but not unreasonably hard either, of course, that isn't the case with all games, but that's what a difficulty slider is for.

I'm hoping there'll be a hardcoe mode like NV. That's what I'll play.

I always play default. If the game is too easy I prefer to use mods to make it harder though things like increased spawns or increased damage for deadlier combat. Usually the difficulty slider just gives things tons of life so that you end up having to do beat on them for 20 minutes to put one down.

"Normal" - since the difficulty was never implemented correctly in any Bethesda game so far anyway.

Considering the nature of TES games to be extremely easy, definitely going to chuck norris difficulty

This, unless it's somehow improved. I'll still play with default at first.

The only TES game I have played was oblivion and it was WAAAAY over-simplified. I didn't realize they had a difficulty thing though until I made a 3rd profile. I want them to have a difficulty that you can't change, and then add in a hardcoe mode, like in the Fallout series. In hardcoe I want it where you must sleep at night for at least 6-8 hours unless you are a vampire. As a vampire I want you to have to sleep in the day time for 6-8 hours and (maybe)-->must svck blood once a week<--(maybe). The consequences for not doing so are big drain of fatigue and less damage done to opponent until you do this.

Bethesda games are usually sort of absurd when played on the absolute hardest difficulty (see Fallout 3; 20 head-shots to kill someone on very hard).

I like to challenge myself a little bit so if they bring the slider back for Skyrim then in between the middle and the furthest to the right, but if they keep the 5 option setup from fallout, then hard.

I do default....If i can't beat that, TOO BAD.

When it starts getting boring i start making it harder

as hard as possible

after skyrim is more simpel than the past ESgames

If it's implemented like in Oblivion, I don't think it should be included because I think it's stupid. I care about it about as much as I would if there was a "play as Elmo" option, it's just stupid, I can get over it.

If it is implemented in a more thoughtful manner I'll put it as hard as I can without making the game world feel stupid.

For example, if the slider just makes dragons and bosses harder and leaves the rest of the game world believable, I'd be happy. But if I stab something thirty times, throw it off a cliff and burn it with a blow torch and its still alive, that better be some crazy magical creature.

I usually run default. Usually hard enough to be a challenge, but still lets me be a badass every so often.

I suppose for most games I start on the second highest difficulty setting and then increase it after I get better at the game.

But it really depends on the specific game. For FO3 and FNV, as well as DA:O, the highest difficulty setting ("Very Hard") was fun, even for the first playthrough. The lower settings were simply too easy.

For ME2, the "Insanity" difficulty setting was only unlocked after you completed the game, and I think it would have been too difficult if I had tried it during the first playthrough.

DA2 "Nightmare" setting also kicked my ass. It was great because each enemy has a certain kind of immunity, and I ended up playing most of the game on this mode for my first playthrough; however, at the early part of the game I had to drop it down to a lower setting otherwise I would have never made it out of the demo area. There are a few battles during the game that are insanely difficult on Nightmare, but I usually stuck with it, even though I died and reloaded hundreds of times.

And for Civ5 and Civ4, the hardest difficulty setting is extremely challenging, I'm a wimp and have to play on a much easier setting. I think you can only master the highest setting after playing quite a few games.

For Oblivion with FCOM/MMM/OOO/Frans/Warcry and Duke Patricks installed, combat is a tremendous challenge. You can one-shot enemies with your bow, but enemy archers can also one-shot you, so you have to approach very carefully. Every single combat encounter I usually die at least a few times. This adds a lot to the entertainment value of the game IMO, because even the smallest dungeons take hours to complete. And this is on about 75% on the difficulty slider.

The hardest setting for Witcher 2 has permanent death, which is a feature I have absolutely zero interest in, so I will never play on that setting.

If its like Oblivion's "difficulty" I will stay default.. I like more meaning in fighting not just longer battles

Harder than default. If this was my first BGS game I would have started on default.

I usually go default for my first playthrough, then once I've gotten used to how things work, I ramp it up.

Normal. The only Bethesda game I've ever played on a harder setting is a FO3 install of FWE/MMM adjusted just the way I want, and the only reason I really get away with that it that the damage is so high.

Same as OB probably, start at default, then make it a nudge harder every few levels. Would never play full difficulty if there is the same problem as before, i.e. damage sponges. The difficulty slider should affect the damage you take, not the damage you deal. Being able to die in a moment if you are careless is an interesting way to play, having 600 hp standard, non boss, enemies when your maximum damage with an enchanted sword is about 50, before their armour and blocks is not much fun.

Voted one left from center. (I'll probably go further left than that, but not all the way.) And if moving it to the right just means enemies become damage sponges... then I won't be moving it to the right.

*rofls at option 2*

Going to use mods to make it more difficult than simply sliding it to the right. All that does to make it more "difficult" is give enemies more HP which is [censored].

Arwen will probably take care of the difficulty problem quickly.

Just normal if it works the same way as oblivion did. the problem with oblivion was the hardest difficulty was still easy, but battles took way longer. It wasn't hard at all, just annoying, I could still evade most of the enemies attacks but it took forever to get their HP down.

I hope the hard mode in Skyrim is actually challenging, enemies actually fight better instead of just having more HP.

It depends.
Most probably I'll start with maximum difficulty
In Oblivion, I started with max difficulty and decreased it slightly each 5 levels, to emulate my character becoming stronger
In FO3 I decreased difficulty each 10 levels
In FO:NV I decreased difficulty only at level 20
I hope in Skyrim leveling will be much better and when setting maximum difficulty, I could still feel that my character is making progress in skill development

I will start at the default difficulty to learn the game then shift it to a harder setting.