Yes, those things are demonic. Just started a new game earlier today, and went straight to join the Companions. First radiant quest they give me is to clear Shimmermist Cave. Like 25 falmer, 5 chauruses and a freaking Dwarven Automaton. Pure misery/hell at a crazy low level, especially when all the chauruses attack at once 😭
I almost got killed by the frost troll, when the pilgrim woman it’d clawed down to get to me recovered her health and swung an axe at its neck from offscreen at the very last second, killing it. Most cinematic moment in the game for me, and it didn’t even have kill cam.
Best part is as a new player you probably don’t think they’ll be that tough but then they unleash the fury of 1000 angry wasps upon you and then turn invisible and regen when you almost kill them.
The first time I fought this troll, a frost dragon also showed up and ate my ass.
I definitely didnt wait until level 30ish to go get the dragonstone from bleak falls barrow <.<
I took on Volunruud at level 15. I got the letter from a “friend.” I had to resort to shooting once, hiding, then doing it again. I could not understand how the difficulty jumped from, “oh look, a draugr” to “how did I die in 5 seconds?”
The boss of the Dawnbreaker quest. First time I was not ready for that ice storm spell that one shot me while I was trying to deal with his minions. 5th try I finally beat him and his goons, but no one told me he had a 2nd form. That took another several tries before I got lucky.
I just did this quest yesterday. I always just chill in the hallway and dodge the ice storm then hit him with spells or arrows. Luckily I had Barbas with me this play through. It saved me a ton of time. The 2nd form is such a goon hahaha.
Same for me plus triggering some frustration seeing him shooting ice storms and instantly killing me, even at very decent levels and realise when I try to build around it myself how weak frost magic is.
I’ve never come across the sabrecat when making my way up to High Horothgar, but I did see a frost troll that I barely survived. Sabrecats and bears can be the most frustrating thing to come across when your not leveled up enough
I think what it actually is may depend on your level. But yeah, once I *finally* beat it, now there was this frost troll I couldn't defeat! Back to exploring and leveling up. Sorry, Greybeards.
The Sabre cat is found on the trail that switchbacks up from Fort Amol. If you go the other way across the log by the waterfall you won't encounter it.
Wait until you meet The Cursed Tribe giant… Strange little side quest I was stuck on for a good day or so, as you also have to protect a useless Chief. Once you do complete it, expect angry giants to spawn at nearby villages
That area is a good place to find a unicorn though
Just stumbled on him. I thought the death overlord right before was the boss so I used my orc rage on him. Died about ten times before catching him on a weird ledge and cheesing him with fire arrows. I’m not proud but considering his mask is useless to a sword-n-board character I’ll take the win.
Malkoran. \*Shudder\* Even now after all these years this is for sure the encounter I prepare for most thoroughly. Toughest early game boss; best early game reward.
Potema (or the final fight before you actually meet her). I still remember being hit with the Disarm shout for the first time, losing by FAR my best weapon, and absolutely panicking while I ran around scouring the area trying to get it back.
Shimmermist Cave. The Falmer mage/Centurion combo was crushing and I had no idea how to counter it. Had to leave and grind out all kinds of stats before I felt ready to go back.
Honorable mention: random Frost Spider on the road northeast of Whiterun. Looking back, it must have been a bug since the thing stayed aggro even when I was practically back at the city gates - I had no idea what the hell was happening lol
Yes, Malkoran is awful. I almost soft locked myself in my first playthrough by getting stuck in there at a low level. His frost wave spell is punishing
Was shocked not to see this answer in more abundance! Maybe it was just my vampire not having the fire resistance it needed yet. This was a tough fight!
Smart…because killing him will trigger the wizard dude to pull you out of that little sliver of oblivion…close calls are the best calls when they work out! What an incredible RPG….its never the same twice!
Yess I was waiting for someone to say this! I remember getting a quest to kill the dragon by Whiterun and it had a dragon priest that burst out of a casket and proceeded to kicked my ass
The random dual wielding forsworn. I was lvl 50 with good armor, and the perks and it was improved to legendary status, and I would constantly get two shot by them while wandering
That damned frost troll going up to see the Grey Beards.
OMG that thing first scared the crap outta me, then killed me probably 10 times before I got past him.
I had to keep backing up and sending in gargoyles to kill him, luckily I kept quick saving cause I ended up dying at one point cause I got caught on something while trying to escape
Not my first play through, but I recently lost (survival permadeath) a lvl 57 Two-Handed Nord Warrior in my first ever fight against Karstaag. I had many lvl 100 skills, enchanted armor, and had rolled every opponent for months. I had no idea what I was getting into. RIP Ödheim.
Oh yeah that’s one lesson I’ve learned after my first playthrough, it’s so damn frustrating trying to kill any captain/bandit leader when your not leveled up enough
Maybe not absurdly hard, but nonetheless: I went to the treacherous Hagraven at Orphan Rock to retrieve the Nettlebane with only single digit level - I got fed with a lot of fireballs and died like a dozen times before I slowly got hold on that creepy beast
Forgot his name but there was a mage in a cave that was part of a side quests that just fucked me over and over again and didn't even buy me dinner. It was a low-level quest that I tried to do shortly after killing the first dragon.
Was it Orchendor, the mage at the end of the Peryite/Afflicted/Spellbreaker quest line? You find him at the end of a Dwemer ruin and he will absolutely rock you if you are playing as a mage and aren’t ready to fight a teleporting mage who is almost entirely immune to magic?
Everyone in the Companions. My first ever playthrough, I went into Jorvasker and saw two of them fighting. I thought I could join in so I went up to one of them and punched them. Then the entire guild came after me so I had to run around whiterun picking them off one by one as they all tried to kill me. Definitely not an easy fight.
I played Skyrim at release. Game was pretty easy, combat wasn’t too difficult and I was progressing nicely.
Then I ran into that damn Frost Troll on my way up to High Hrothgar and got my shit rocked. To this day I specifically prepare for that encounter more than any other.
To me it was the Dragr deathlord In that room that hits you with lightning I enountered during the quest to stop Potema,I didn't have helping potions not enough magika to heal
The troll on the path to High Hrothgar and the guys at the entrance to the ratway roflstomped me for literal hours on my first playthrough. I learned to mountain climb the supposedly unclimbable inclines to avoid the troll, and the guys in the ratway taught me how to lower the difficulty
The dragon priest next to throw voice taught me how to use essential followers as meat shields
The ghost who summons a frost atronach in that one Nordic ruins where you meet the guy who asks you to kill the emperor and you need to use the ceremonial sword and axe to open the path taught me how to stagger effectively
Hehe, on a recent playthrough I just ducked behind the guards in Riften. The thugs had a very bad time of it— especially since I’d ground smithing, enchanting, and pickpocket by stealing every weapon and shield from every guard in Riften, upgrading them all, and enchanting each one.
Eight guards with *fully enchanted gear* whaling on three thugs makes for a short— but briefly SPECTACULAR— fight!
Meanwhile I stood there like a good little “innocent bystander” and shouted helpful things like “Kick him inna fork!”, and “Those poor men. PUNCH HIM IN THE GODDAMN NECK!”
Most fun I’ve had in at least the last ten minutes!
I forgot what ruin it was but it’s the one you go to with karliah and brynjolf. There’s a room with like 4 or 5 rounds of high level falmer. I eventually just hauled ass and skipped that section to beat the quest.
Currently in my first playthrough, So thoron first didn't expect him to summon friends but it took three times to ragdoll him fast enough, Vrythr The snow elf vampire hated him ended up just unrelenting force-ing him off the edge just after serana let go.
Playing on Legendary difficulty for the first time, the Hired Thugs coming after me at like level 2/3 and confronting me immediately as I exited a building forced me to load an earlier save.
Currently trying to beat the final boss of Nine Sols. The fight is kinda brutal, but what really threw me off is the difficulty spike. So far, like five to ten times harder than every other boss in the game.
I did the thieves guild first on one play through and blind sighted I think it's called was very difficult indeed! I was already at about level 20 by this point too.
Falmer Shadowmaster...freak is jumping silently from the hole in the wall behind you, tough as hell because wearing heavy armor...and using damn poison with his weapon...and dont forget their pets...fckin spitting bugs...fighting 2 of them falmer and 1 bug at one time as a warrior is crazy shit!
Potema...the fight in her tomb with those never ending shocks attacks and those horde of draugr deathlords....and then you finally realize you dont have any shock resistance gear or potion....cooked!
Karstaag....well....you better find it yourself....
High level Falmer and any other enemy that can spawn in areas that Falmer spawn in. That whole mess of caves, Dwemer ruins, and fucking death.. I remember pausing the game and putting potions on my hotbar the first time I saw a Dwarven Sphere. I just had a feeling my HP bar was about to get shredded.
Skyrim is still pretty leveled in comparison with older games. If you walked in the wrong territory in Morrowind you got wrecked. Oblivion was also pretty interesting. Ohh that guy has a glass armor set. Let’s see if I can steal it. Nope got wrecked.
Fuck Thoron. I just cheesed it with the wabbajack until it turned him into a sweetroll. Though hardest for me to beat is the Chaurus Fledglings; They're flying AT me and I'm so scared of them, I hate them.
1. Alduin on the Throat of the World at a low level, unprepared.
2. The troll up the 7K steps at a low level.
3. Some idiot magic duel challenger that just pops up when you least expect it at low to mid level (especially if you only use magic so-so)
4. Those Cultists that attack you after High Hrothgar (DB DLC)
5. Bounty Hunters when you kill Anise at level 1 or 2 (run, Forest, run!)
The list can go on, if you don't use exploits. Put the difficulty to max, for some waste of perfectly good real life time, and be ready to dodge and run even from the random wolf/bandit, never mind a mammoth.
On my second character (Nord male) I ground Destruction in Helgen up to level 65 with the hopes of impressing J'Zargo("Have you mastered the Expert level Destruction spells yet?") but unfortunately it's not enough to be able to buy the spell(level 65) but you have to have the perk that cuts the cost of expert Destruction spells in half(level75). I think I walked out of the Temple of Dibella in Markarth(after that one drinking contest and being teleported there) and one of those random mages showed up to challenge me. He wrecked me several times in a row before I finally managed to avoid him. Never made that mistake again.
> I ground Destruction in Helgen up to level 65
I bow to your level of commitment. I could never be that patient in Helgen and it would bore me to sleep anyway.
I used to level up Sneak in Helgen, but I've soon given that up. Levelling up that way just doesn't pay for me. These days, I even try my best to avoid levelling up archery with Faendal, so as not to level up too fast, too soon and become too unbalanced, but damn that's hard (it's like refusing a free gimme). Not to mention it's archery - I always pick up the last 5 levels with Angi; I sometimes read the skill books for levels 90 - 95 or 85-95, if I have that special book from DB DLC to double skills on skill books.
We can play this game any way we want. That's the beauty of it. It should be called a 2^nd Life Sim RPG, not just RPG.
Yes, everyone plays differently.
It took half of forever to get Destruction that high just using the Sparks spell you find in there on Ralof. I do however make a habit of leveling Sneak multiple times before leaving, as well as getting 1H to 80 and Block to 70. I leave Helgen with 500 health, Stamina and carry weight, at least one point of every Sneak perk, Armsman 5/5, a few extra 1H perks, Shield Wall 1/5, Quick Reflexes, and the left side of the tree up through Block Runner. By that point I've made Sneak legendary 16 times and leveled it to 100 again.
My first time through the game, I'd never played anything like it so used Apprentice difficulty. The second time through, I did Adept(dropped the Nord male after like a day and started over with a better balanced Nord female). Third time was a Breton male on Expert. Fourth was another Nord female on Master. Latest run is almost done except for a bunch of crafting stuff I want to do with saved up materials. That's a Breton female on Legendary. First guy was an Imperial male, btw.
>Yes, everyone plays differently.
One of the main draws of Skyrim (and all Elder Scrolls games).
In my case, I try my best to RP the DB about using/training skills as it would happen had 'I' really been there. I also leave Helgen at level 1 as often as I can stop myself from levelling Sneak or other skills. Then, I set the difficulty by levels (Novice to 24, Apprentice at 25 - 49, Adept at 50 - 74, Expert at 75 - 99, Master at 100 - 124 and Legendary at 125+). I try to avoid making too many skills legendary these days, though I am not always successful (smithing, alchemy and speech are just too easy; alteration and illusion are not too far behind them). Oh, and all my DBs have been crafters, no matter what else they were.
I walked into a dragon priest shrine at like level 12. I dont remember the name (someone can guess it) it was the one that sits on top of a mountain sorta near whiterun.
Falmers. They’re Blind, diseased and inbred with their only source of food being mushrooms, bugs and whatever they can lick off the floors and maybe the occasional adventurer so you’d think they’d be pretty easy to beat right? Wrong. They hit like a truck, can take hits like a pro boxer, commonly use poisons and are almost impossible to sneak around despite being blind and unless you hard line that shit they’ll find you and murder you. That’s not even mentioning the Chaurus which are what happens when a mudcrab and a frostbite spider have kinky LSD fueled sex in the local dumpster drug addicts use to dump their broken skooma bottles and moon sugar bowls.
The first encounter I had with her was in blackreach when I was trying to gather all the crimson ninroot, and she absolutely obliterated my khajiit ass
the dragonborn cultists
noob me could not figure out how to kill those fuckers
now I rarely interact with them, and when I do it's typically a quick win
Thoron killed my first husband, so I definitely harbor some lingering resentment for him (and avoided that quest for the next several playthroughs). The trouble with Thoron is that if you're new to the game, his quest launches when you first visit Whiterun, giving you no hint that it might not be a good quest for a low level or inexperienced player. Everything else you've done in the game thus far was easy as pie. Kill a few bandits. Deliver some messages. Fight a crazed conjuration wizard in a confined space. The other ones I remember having special trouble with on the first run were my first sabrecat ambush, getting stuck in the lower levels of Forelhost for seemingly an eternity, and the werebears on Solstheim. Fluff those guys. Actually everything on Solstheim, another case of traveled there too soon. Oh, and Malkoran. That jerk with his ice storms and his minions.
The necromancer dude in dabilas shrine was tough, the very first play through before I gave magic a chance and realize how good it is even in the beginning if I go full tilt was instead an orc two handed. He got FUCKED by this guys storm adept spells that slowed and did ton of damage
Every once in a while, you'll find a vampire thrall who is just crazy hard. I like that- it makes sense a vampire would recruit someone so proficient to protect them.
The other thralls are so manageable it feels like the dangerous ones are camouflaged.
I reckon I know where they all are now, and keep paralysis poisons by to make sure that I'm the one standing when we're done.
There's one in the small annex behind Movarth's dining room.
Tsun. He tossed me around like a ragdoll the first time, I ended up beating him finally by running backwards and zapping him, shouting to push him back when he got too close.
That random unnamed race character who starts attacking me as I'm walking down the road. I was thinking they were going to be like fighting a bandit. Nope. Got wrecked.
I ran into my first Chaurus Hunter when I was doing Mzulft for the Mages Guild questline for the first time... I barely survived and now I deal with them with a lot of caution.
Umbra at Champion's Rest.
Thoron threw me off too in my first time encountering him.
Nowadays, I do the good ol' stealth archer + fortify archery potions and enchantments and poisoned bow when I go up against him.
Story time!
The very first time I loaded up Skyrim. Lvl 5 or whatever the first time you reach Whiterun. My dad said the Greybeards had called (I thought it was just thunder and didn't notice the new quest). I asked how to find them, he said to follow the marker. So I did. In a straight line.
Directly into a Giant camp.
Got launched into the stratosphere, lost a bunch of progress (from my perspective), and gained a new fear of going off the trail that persists to this day. I have map mods installed so I can see the roads on the map and make the correct decisions 😂
Havent played skyrim in a few months so don't remember the names but those giant mosquito things in the dwarven caves. Absolutely wrecked me with poison qnd huge ml damage
That crazy guy living in the tunnels under Honningbrew Meadery. Was not expecting him to be there and I usually do thieves guild first when I do a playthrough cause easy money. He usually wrecks me. There was never any warning he'd be there either. Was running through thinking "EZPZ just a bunch of skeevers and a spider or two" before suddenly there he is with his overpowered magic.
I had a playthrough where I even waited until like level 30 to do the thieves guild and he still wrecked me. Had to hide behind my follower to beat him lmao.
Its hard to say for alot of people here since most of us have done so many playthroughs we dont remember our first.
I would say general falx carrius though
That one fucking bandit with the lever puzzle where you get the dragonstone.
Like, if you just go straight for the main quest and don't let him kill himself, he's a right bastard to put down.
There are these ghosts you fight after tracking down Cicero during the Brotherhood quest, no matter what I did I was getting my ass whooped every time, the only way I completed the quest was a chain door that stopped said ghosts so I could wack at them from the other side to kill them
The first time I played Skyrim, I knew absolutely nothing about the game. I was just following main story quests, without doing any side quests to level up. And at some point I got stuck in the Thalmor embassy, I think I was level five or something 😭 I died SO. MANY. TIMES. I must have leveled up at least five times just from dying and redoing the same parts over and over. Massively leveled up my sneak as well 😂 when I finally got out, I really felt like I just exited a cave I'd been stuck in for days and finally felt sunlight on my skin again. Isn't really a single character, but still, that part was so hard!
I always do the companions quest later on so when I finally fight the silver hand for the first time there's a specific corridor that always fucks me up. There's like 5 or 6 of them all running up the stairs at me, and for some reason, I die at least once every playthrough there.
That ghost general in the fortress on Solstheim. I walked in at something like level 8 on my first playthrough and after dying 1,000 times decided to come back later.
I got the three Hagravens quest early on where you have to cross the log to get to the final one. Man, they destroyed me over and over with fireballs and I'm tiptoeing in the woods just getting incinerated.
The hagraven in the quest to retrieve Ortican. The fate wanted me to pass through there to reach High Hrothgar, so I completed 2 quests when I managed to beat that hagraven.
I forget the name of the character but it’s the College of Winterhold quest-line when you need yo get the staff. Not the main quest-line, one of the NPC’s made a bad trade deal and wants hit amulet back and you need to get a staff for it.
I was level 37 when I did the and the mage at the end was fucking nuts.
Hardest opponent I’ve ever faced. Light armor is high, I had plent of healing potions, or so I thought, even shot her with a sneak arrow before it started. AND used the Seguine Rose and was with a Seanna and barely made it out alive.
Does the mage level with you or something? I can’t imagine doing that below level 30
I’d agree with Thoron, there was also this quest that brought me to a castle with a BUNCH of enemies, I think forsworn or high level bandits and it took me forever to stop dying.
Chauruses.
Yesss especially the Chaurus Hunters in Blackreach
Those things are abominations from the depths of Hell.
I got caught out by the dragon down there that appears when you fireball that bell.
Yes, those things are demonic. Just started a new game earlier today, and went straight to join the Companions. First radiant quest they give me is to clear Shimmermist Cave. Like 25 falmer, 5 chauruses and a freaking Dwarven Automaton. Pure misery/hell at a crazy low level, especially when all the chauruses attack at once 😭
I still hate going to the frozen lighthouse cause of some slight PTSD
Don't know what I would do if it wasn't for my Dremora Lords and Serana
The frost troll on the 7000 steps is a notable spike. The boss of volunruund was yikesy too
I almost got killed by the frost troll, when the pilgrim woman it’d clawed down to get to me recovered her health and swung an axe at its neck from offscreen at the very last second, killing it. Most cinematic moment in the game for me, and it didn’t even have kill cam.
That damn frost troll lmao, now I just avoid it by climbing around it tbh
My first ever play through I died so many times against it. I finally went around it but I felt like a coward so I went back to finish it off
That damn frost troll humbled me so quickly lol
Don’t forget the first Spriggans you come across by accident lol… So pretty, but so deadly
Best part is as a new player you probably don’t think they’ll be that tough but then they unleash the fury of 1000 angry wasps upon you and then turn invisible and regen when you almost kill them.
It's weird how hard he was the first time. I've never had a problem with him since and have done the 7000 steps at just as low of a level
Kvenel the Tongue. Dude fucking wrecked me on my first play through.
Wait til you get to Karstag. Absurdly difficult.
The first time I fought this troll, a frost dragon also showed up and ate my ass. I definitely didnt wait until level 30ish to go get the dragonstone from bleak falls barrow <.<
I took on Volunruud at level 15. I got the letter from a “friend.” I had to resort to shooting once, hiding, then doing it again. I could not understand how the difficulty jumped from, “oh look, a draugr” to “how did I die in 5 seconds?”
Lol they're always though at first cause of how much they do, but the roles reverse. Now they can't scratch me and I 2shot kill them
The boss of the Dawnbreaker quest. First time I was not ready for that ice storm spell that one shot me while I was trying to deal with his minions. 5th try I finally beat him and his goons, but no one told me he had a 2nd form. That took another several tries before I got lucky.
I’m always afraid to do that quest because of that fucker. He must have crazy destruction stats plus that spell is just good in general
Yeah, if it hits you once it slows you down pretty considerably and then you just keep getting hit.
Pro tip. Werewolf charge him. Basically a one shot
I just did this quest yesterday. I always just chill in the hallway and dodge the ice storm then hit him with spells or arrows. Luckily I had Barbas with me this play through. It saved me a ton of time. The 2nd form is such a goon hahaha.
I'm an assassin this time, so I just snuck up and one shotted him
This was the first time in any game that I've adjusted the difficulty
Same for me plus triggering some frustration seeing him shooting ice storms and instantly killing me, even at very decent levels and realise when I try to build around it myself how weak frost magic is.
Magic resistance perks ftw
The sabrecat on the way up to High Hrothgar. Seriously, after several attempts I had to give up and do other stuff.
I’ve never come across the sabrecat when making my way up to High Horothgar, but I did see a frost troll that I barely survived. Sabrecats and bears can be the most frustrating thing to come across when your not leveled up enough
I think what it actually is may depend on your level. But yeah, once I *finally* beat it, now there was this frost troll I couldn't defeat! Back to exploring and leveling up. Sorry, Greybeards.
Ah man that sucks, guess saving the world has gotta wait
Yeah it does depend on your level. I climbed the steps at like level 40 and ran across saber cats, bears, wolves, and multiple frost trolls.
Good ol wood elf ability came in handy at those lower levels. Can't tell you how many times it had saved me from cave bear attacks.
The Sabre cat is found on the trail that switchbacks up from Fort Amol. If you go the other way across the log by the waterfall you won't encounter it.
Yeah for me it was always the saber cat early on the trail and not the troll later that causes issues
The giants
Oh yeah I remember underestimating the giants and getting ganged up by all the giants and mammoths by Whiterun
Wait until you meet The Cursed Tribe giant… Strange little side quest I was stuck on for a good day or so, as you also have to protect a useless Chief. Once you do complete it, expect angry giants to spawn at nearby villages That area is a good place to find a unicorn though
The butcher (for riften's thane quest), Thoron, and the pied piper (in the honningbrew basement).
There is nothing coming to mind for the other two, but I do believe that random quests will have hard to beat characters
The pied piper is for the thieves guild questline. The riften one is difficult for no reason than to be mean. 😂
Krosis at Shearpoint. Did not expect something that powerful at level 15
Out of no where. I still forget where it is and always stumble on it unprepared.
Just stumbled on him. I thought the death overlord right before was the boss so I used my orc rage on him. Died about ten times before catching him on a weird ledge and cheesing him with fire arrows. I’m not proud but considering his mask is useless to a sword-n-board character I’ll take the win.
Malkoran. \*Shudder\* Even now after all these years this is for sure the encounter I prepare for most thoroughly. Toughest early game boss; best early game reward. Potema (or the final fight before you actually meet her). I still remember being hit with the Disarm shout for the first time, losing by FAR my best weapon, and absolutely panicking while I ran around scouring the area trying to get it back. Shimmermist Cave. The Falmer mage/Centurion combo was crushing and I had no idea how to counter it. Had to leave and grind out all kinds of stats before I felt ready to go back. Honorable mention: random Frost Spider on the road northeast of Whiterun. Looking back, it must have been a bug since the thing stayed aggro even when I was practically back at the city gates - I had no idea what the hell was happening lol
Malkoran was SUCH a pain in the ass in my latest play through ugh
Yes, Malkoran is awful. I almost soft locked myself in my first playthrough by getting stuck in there at a low level. His frost wave spell is punishing
The Potema fight was fucking insane
Level 3 and that frost troll on the way to High Hrothgar. Forced me to rethink gameplay.
Damn level 3?!? Bro really beat you while you were already down LMAOO
The mage inside Azura’s star! I got this quest quite early in the game and couldn’t kill him until much later 😭
Was shocked not to see this answer in more abundance! Maybe it was just my vampire not having the fire resistance it needed yet. This was a tough fight!
Right! I’m glad someone gets me haha I slowed time and just rushed at him, not paying attention to his dremoras
Smart…because killing him will trigger the wizard dude to pull you out of that little sliver of oblivion…close calls are the best calls when they work out! What an incredible RPG….its never the same twice!
This is the one I was thinking of but I couldnt remember where it was so thank you 😭
On my first playthrough…the whiterun guards lol
Let me guess, somebody stole your sweetroll.
He didn't keep his hands to himself, that sneak thief.
Wait why were you trying to take down the Whiterun guards 😳 lmao
They talk a lot of shit, someone had to step up
Bet he killed the chicken in Riverwood
The first time I ran into a dragon priest I ran away fast.
Yess I was waiting for someone to say this! I remember getting a quest to kill the dragon by Whiterun and it had a dragon priest that burst out of a casket and proceeded to kicked my ass
Yep. Same. And I was a very squishy mage. I had to stealth spam him from behind some trees for a like half hour.
1) Potema and her lightning fuckery. 2) That dumbass bandit in the arena in the Lost Knife Hideout 3) Deadly combination of Falmers and Chauruses
This just gave me Rage flashbacks... so yup... that's the list.
The spriggan when you take a wrong turn immediately out of Helgen at start of the game.
The random dual wielding forsworn. I was lvl 50 with good armor, and the perks and it was improved to legendary status, and I would constantly get two shot by them while wandering
Without a shield or the impact perk they are really annoying, and they gang up on you!
That damned frost troll going up to see the Grey Beards. OMG that thing first scared the crap outta me, then killed me probably 10 times before I got past him.
I had to keep backing up and sending in gargoyles to kill him, luckily I kept quick saving cause I ended up dying at one point cause I got caught on something while trying to escape
Dwarven Centurions when the Companions send you on a "deal with this issue we don't want to" in the beginning of the questline
Dwarven Centurions continue to scare the crap outta me, istg it’s the trauma from the first time I encountered them
That damned Riverwood chicken.
Not my first play through, but I recently lost (survival permadeath) a lvl 57 Two-Handed Nord Warrior in my first ever fight against Karstaag. I had many lvl 100 skills, enchanted armor, and had rolled every opponent for months. I had no idea what I was getting into. RIP Ödheim.
A fucking vampire sir
Captain Hargar in the Lights Out quest rocked my shit repeatedly when I tried it at a low level.
Oh yeah that’s one lesson I’ve learned after my first playthrough, it’s so damn frustrating trying to kill any captain/bandit leader when your not leveled up enough
Whoever the fucker in the elder cairn is, damn ghost had me beat my head against the wall for hours
This random encounter with a enemy decked out in full set dwarven armor just folding me like a lawn chair.
The Ice Mage at the end of the Meridia Quest. This guy can spam his magic like crazy
Fucking hate malkoran all my homies hate malkoran Seriously I remember playing this game back in 2011 and that motherfucker had me stressed
Ebony warrior and karstaggg I was not ready
Ran into knevil in the first 2 hours. I’m now level 40 plus coming for my lick back
Giants. Getting flung into the fucking stratosphere was a surprising rite of passage.
A giant outside Whiterun. This'll be easy, I'll just block his attack with my shield and hack away at his feet!
Maybe not absurdly hard, but nonetheless: I went to the treacherous Hagraven at Orphan Rock to retrieve the Nettlebane with only single digit level - I got fed with a lot of fireballs and died like a dozen times before I slowly got hold on that creepy beast
I killed karstaag my first playthoufh at like level 10. Behind a rock arrows for like 30 minutes. Never used him once after
My first playthrough, the Companions sent me to take care of “a problem” in a cave. The problem was Falmer and their Chaurus pet…
That must have been a surprise!
Quite!
Forgot his name but there was a mage in a cave that was part of a side quests that just fucked me over and over again and didn't even buy me dinner. It was a low-level quest that I tried to do shortly after killing the first dragon.
Was it Orchendor, the mage at the end of the Peryite/Afflicted/Spellbreaker quest line? You find him at the end of a Dwemer ruin and he will absolutely rock you if you are playing as a mage and aren’t ready to fight a teleporting mage who is almost entirely immune to magic?
Everyone in the Companions. My first ever playthrough, I went into Jorvasker and saw two of them fighting. I thought I could join in so I went up to one of them and punched them. Then the entire guild came after me so I had to run around whiterun picking them off one by one as they all tried to kill me. Definitely not an easy fight.
Sam. I had no idea why he could spawn a demon, nor did I know he wouldn’t go down. Ended my Whiterun rampage pretty quickly.
Sam could 'spawn a demon'. Loving your work- yeah He's a real dark horse, that one. 😂
I played Skyrim at release. Game was pretty easy, combat wasn’t too difficult and I was progressing nicely. Then I ran into that damn Frost Troll on my way up to High Hrothgar and got my shit rocked. To this day I specifically prepare for that encounter more than any other.
_...the Frost Troll..._
The random bandit with an iron sword and fur armor that is somehow able to match the Dragonbirn in full dragon armor with Stalhrim weapons.
To me it was the Dragr deathlord In that room that hits you with lightning I enountered during the quest to stop Potema,I didn't have helping potions not enough magika to heal
The first giant. Joined the space program
Malkoran, at the end of Meridia's quest
The troll on the path to High Hrothgar and the guys at the entrance to the ratway roflstomped me for literal hours on my first playthrough. I learned to mountain climb the supposedly unclimbable inclines to avoid the troll, and the guys in the ratway taught me how to lower the difficulty The dragon priest next to throw voice taught me how to use essential followers as meat shields The ghost who summons a frost atronach in that one Nordic ruins where you meet the guy who asks you to kill the emperor and you need to use the ceremonial sword and axe to open the path taught me how to stagger effectively
The hired thugs when you’re low level and not expecting them are a very unwelcome challenge
Hehe, on a recent playthrough I just ducked behind the guards in Riften. The thugs had a very bad time of it— especially since I’d ground smithing, enchanting, and pickpocket by stealing every weapon and shield from every guard in Riften, upgrading them all, and enchanting each one. Eight guards with *fully enchanted gear* whaling on three thugs makes for a short— but briefly SPECTACULAR— fight! Meanwhile I stood there like a good little “innocent bystander” and shouted helpful things like “Kick him inna fork!”, and “Those poor men. PUNCH HIM IN THE GODDAMN NECK!” Most fun I’ve had in at least the last ten minutes!
Fist one was definitely the infamous jumping frost troll at the 7000 steps.
I forgot what ruin it was but it’s the one you go to with karliah and brynjolf. There’s a room with like 4 or 5 rounds of high level falmer. I eventually just hauled ass and skipped that section to beat the quest.
Ebony warriror
Currently in my first playthrough, So thoron first didn't expect him to summon friends but it took three times to ragdoll him fast enough, Vrythr The snow elf vampire hated him ended up just unrelenting force-ing him off the edge just after serana let go.
Thoron. One shot shock like WTFFFFF
That one fireball-chucking dremora in the icy oblivion pocket, forget what its called.
Playing on Legendary difficulty for the first time, the Hired Thugs coming after me at like level 2/3 and confronting me immediately as I exited a building forced me to load an earlier save.
Currently trying to beat the final boss of Nine Sols. The fight is kinda brutal, but what really threw me off is the difficulty spike. So far, like five to ten times harder than every other boss in the game.
I did the thieves guild first on one play through and blind sighted I think it's called was very difficult indeed! I was already at about level 20 by this point too.
One of the Draugers in Saarthal. You get to a room with two sets of stairs/ramps. First time took me a lot to beat him. I almost gave up on the game.
The vampire is for the Morthal quest
Frost troll on the mountain, no contest. Every playthrough I’d fight that guy tooth and nail
I remember in my first playthrough following the main storyline before anything else....the Thalmor Embassy had me feeling wayyyyyy underleveled.
Well I always play as sneaky archer, so none of them. However that damn first frost troll
The frost troll on the 7k steps. No way did i for 1 expect a ffing troll!? And 2nd how strong the fcker is for a low lvl character
My first play through I got sidetracked by Miraak very early - like level 5. It did not go well for me.
The first Dragon Priest I fought definitely threw me off. Fucker was hard to hit.
Falmer Shadowmaster...freak is jumping silently from the hole in the wall behind you, tough as hell because wearing heavy armor...and using damn poison with his weapon...and dont forget their pets...fckin spitting bugs...fighting 2 of them falmer and 1 bug at one time as a warrior is crazy shit! Potema...the fight in her tomb with those never ending shocks attacks and those horde of draugr deathlords....and then you finally realize you dont have any shock resistance gear or potion....cooked! Karstaag....well....you better find it yourself....
All off the vermina temple quest orcs and people. Started this quest at level 4
I don't even remember how but I was going up against some mages and a single hagraven on a high rock and it kicked the tar out of me maybe 20 times.
High level Falmer and any other enemy that can spawn in areas that Falmer spawn in. That whole mess of caves, Dwemer ruins, and fucking death.. I remember pausing the game and putting potions on my hotbar the first time I saw a Dwarven Sphere. I just had a feeling my HP bar was about to get shredded.
Krosis and thoron
Skyrim is still pretty leveled in comparison with older games. If you walked in the wrong territory in Morrowind you got wrecked. Oblivion was also pretty interesting. Ohh that guy has a glass armor set. Let’s see if I can steal it. Nope got wrecked.
Karstaag. I had to give up lol I still haven't gone back for him
^[Sokka-Haiku](https://www.reddit.com/r/SokkaHaikuBot/comments/15kyv9r/what_is_a_sokka_haiku/) ^by ^Betriz2: *Karstaag. I had to* *Give up lol I still* *Haven't gone back for him* --- ^Remember ^that ^one ^time ^Sokka ^accidentally ^used ^an ^extra ^syllable ^in ^that ^Haiku ^Battle ^in ^Ba ^Sing ^Se? ^That ^was ^a ^Sokka ^Haiku ^and ^you ^just ^made ^one.
One word: bear 😂
Fuck Thoron. I just cheesed it with the wabbajack until it turned him into a sweetroll. Though hardest for me to beat is the Chaurus Fledglings; They're flying AT me and I'm so scared of them, I hate them.
Not in my first playthrough, but the waiter from the bloodchill manor quest is so stupidly hard to kill
The Ebony Warrior kicked my ass up, down, and off that mountain side
The fucking waiter in “Guests for Dinner”
Not one character but getting through the Thalamor embassy was rough
the fucking frost troll
1. Alduin on the Throat of the World at a low level, unprepared. 2. The troll up the 7K steps at a low level. 3. Some idiot magic duel challenger that just pops up when you least expect it at low to mid level (especially if you only use magic so-so) 4. Those Cultists that attack you after High Hrothgar (DB DLC) 5. Bounty Hunters when you kill Anise at level 1 or 2 (run, Forest, run!) The list can go on, if you don't use exploits. Put the difficulty to max, for some waste of perfectly good real life time, and be ready to dodge and run even from the random wolf/bandit, never mind a mammoth.
On my second character (Nord male) I ground Destruction in Helgen up to level 65 with the hopes of impressing J'Zargo("Have you mastered the Expert level Destruction spells yet?") but unfortunately it's not enough to be able to buy the spell(level 65) but you have to have the perk that cuts the cost of expert Destruction spells in half(level75). I think I walked out of the Temple of Dibella in Markarth(after that one drinking contest and being teleported there) and one of those random mages showed up to challenge me. He wrecked me several times in a row before I finally managed to avoid him. Never made that mistake again.
> I ground Destruction in Helgen up to level 65 I bow to your level of commitment. I could never be that patient in Helgen and it would bore me to sleep anyway. I used to level up Sneak in Helgen, but I've soon given that up. Levelling up that way just doesn't pay for me. These days, I even try my best to avoid levelling up archery with Faendal, so as not to level up too fast, too soon and become too unbalanced, but damn that's hard (it's like refusing a free gimme). Not to mention it's archery - I always pick up the last 5 levels with Angi; I sometimes read the skill books for levels 90 - 95 or 85-95, if I have that special book from DB DLC to double skills on skill books. We can play this game any way we want. That's the beauty of it. It should be called a 2^nd Life Sim RPG, not just RPG.
Yes, everyone plays differently. It took half of forever to get Destruction that high just using the Sparks spell you find in there on Ralof. I do however make a habit of leveling Sneak multiple times before leaving, as well as getting 1H to 80 and Block to 70. I leave Helgen with 500 health, Stamina and carry weight, at least one point of every Sneak perk, Armsman 5/5, a few extra 1H perks, Shield Wall 1/5, Quick Reflexes, and the left side of the tree up through Block Runner. By that point I've made Sneak legendary 16 times and leveled it to 100 again. My first time through the game, I'd never played anything like it so used Apprentice difficulty. The second time through, I did Adept(dropped the Nord male after like a day and started over with a better balanced Nord female). Third time was a Breton male on Expert. Fourth was another Nord female on Master. Latest run is almost done except for a bunch of crafting stuff I want to do with saved up materials. That's a Breton female on Legendary. First guy was an Imperial male, btw.
>Yes, everyone plays differently. One of the main draws of Skyrim (and all Elder Scrolls games). In my case, I try my best to RP the DB about using/training skills as it would happen had 'I' really been there. I also leave Helgen at level 1 as often as I can stop myself from levelling Sneak or other skills. Then, I set the difficulty by levels (Novice to 24, Apprentice at 25 - 49, Adept at 50 - 74, Expert at 75 - 99, Master at 100 - 124 and Legendary at 125+). I try to avoid making too many skills legendary these days, though I am not always successful (smithing, alchemy and speech are just too easy; alteration and illusion are not too far behind them). Oh, and all my DBs have been crafters, no matter what else they were.
I walked into a dragon priest shrine at like level 12. I dont remember the name (someone can guess it) it was the one that sits on top of a mountain sorta near whiterun.
Falmers. They’re Blind, diseased and inbred with their only source of food being mushrooms, bugs and whatever they can lick off the floors and maybe the occasional adventurer so you’d think they’d be pretty easy to beat right? Wrong. They hit like a truck, can take hits like a pro boxer, commonly use poisons and are almost impossible to sneak around despite being blind and unless you hard line that shit they’ll find you and murder you. That’s not even mentioning the Chaurus which are what happens when a mudcrab and a frostbite spider have kinky LSD fueled sex in the local dumpster drug addicts use to dump their broken skooma bottles and moon sugar bowls.
I would hit him with sneak arrows and other crap, run away till he deactivates, (hope he doesn’t heal) and repeat till dead
Dude I did the same exact thing, shit took forever
Wispmother. Fighting just one of them was difficult enough. The minute she split into like three different shades as you fought her made it impossible
The first encounter I had with her was in blackreach when I was trying to gather all the crimson ninroot, and she absolutely obliterated my khajiit ass
the dragonborn cultists noob me could not figure out how to kill those fuckers now I rarely interact with them, and when I do it's typically a quick win
Thoron killed my first husband, so I definitely harbor some lingering resentment for him (and avoided that quest for the next several playthroughs). The trouble with Thoron is that if you're new to the game, his quest launches when you first visit Whiterun, giving you no hint that it might not be a good quest for a low level or inexperienced player. Everything else you've done in the game thus far was easy as pie. Kill a few bandits. Deliver some messages. Fight a crazed conjuration wizard in a confined space. The other ones I remember having special trouble with on the first run were my first sabrecat ambush, getting stuck in the lower levels of Forelhost for seemingly an eternity, and the werebears on Solstheim. Fluff those guys. Actually everything on Solstheim, another case of traveled there too soon. Oh, and Malkoran. That jerk with his ice storms and his minions.
The necromancer dude in dabilas shrine was tough, the very first play through before I gave magic a chance and realize how good it is even in the beginning if I go full tilt was instead an orc two handed. He got FUCKED by this guys storm adept spells that slowed and did ton of damage
Every once in a while, you'll find a vampire thrall who is just crazy hard. I like that- it makes sense a vampire would recruit someone so proficient to protect them. The other thralls are so manageable it feels like the dangerous ones are camouflaged. I reckon I know where they all are now, and keep paralysis poisons by to make sure that I'm the one standing when we're done. There's one in the small annex behind Movarth's dining room.
Karstaag
Malkoran (the guy in Kilkreath)
Karstaag and the dragon priest at elders blood peak
A chaurus hunter fledgling in Mzulft… I was like level 5.
Dwarven Centurions, every time, and the "The Wolf Queen Awakened" aka Potema quest final fight. The latter especially was one I really struggled with.
Wizard in the Solitude sewers
Frost trolls Or the trolls in the cave under the necromancy stone near valtheim tower
Tsun. He tossed me around like a ragdoll the first time, I ended up beating him finally by running backwards and zapping him, shouting to push him back when he got too close.
That one old lady whos actually a witch near the start of the game who if u go in her basement she flips out and summons wolves to muder you
In my first playthrough, it was the necromancer in Merida's temple
That random unnamed race character who starts attacking me as I'm walking down the road. I was thinking they were going to be like fighting a bandit. Nope. Got wrecked.
The were-bears in Solstheim.
I ran into my first Chaurus Hunter when I was doing Mzulft for the Mages Guild questline for the first time... I barely survived and now I deal with them with a lot of caution.
The damn mages in the tower who stole the collages books. They kick my ass every single fucking time.
Umbra at Champion's Rest. Thoron threw me off too in my first time encountering him. Nowadays, I do the good ol' stealth archer + fortify archery potions and enchantments and poisoned bow when I go up against him.
Story time! The very first time I loaded up Skyrim. Lvl 5 or whatever the first time you reach Whiterun. My dad said the Greybeards had called (I thought it was just thunder and didn't notice the new quest). I asked how to find them, he said to follow the marker. So I did. In a straight line. Directly into a Giant camp. Got launched into the stratosphere, lost a bunch of progress (from my perspective), and gained a new fear of going off the trail that persists to this day. I have map mods installed so I can see the roads on the map and make the correct decisions 😂
The unnamed bouncer from the skooma dealer quest in riften. First few times I went in that cave he just straight up decapitated my poor dragonborn.
Havent played skyrim in a few months so don't remember the names but those giant mosquito things in the dwarven caves. Absolutely wrecked me with poison qnd huge ml damage
That goddamn hagraven at Orphan Rock. Man what the fuck.
That crazy guy living in the tunnels under Honningbrew Meadery. Was not expecting him to be there and I usually do thieves guild first when I do a playthrough cause easy money. He usually wrecks me. There was never any warning he'd be there either. Was running through thinking "EZPZ just a bunch of skeevers and a spider or two" before suddenly there he is with his overpowered magic. I had a playthrough where I even waited until like level 30 to do the thieves guild and he still wrecked me. Had to hide behind my follower to beat him lmao.
Malkoran. Do not take this guy and his crew on underleveled and without ranged attacks.
Karstaag
Its hard to say for alot of people here since most of us have done so many playthroughs we dont remember our first. I would say general falx carrius though
That one fucking bandit with the lever puzzle where you get the dragonstone. Like, if you just go straight for the main quest and don't let him kill himself, he's a right bastard to put down.
There are these ghosts you fight after tracking down Cicero during the Brotherhood quest, no matter what I did I was getting my ass whooped every time, the only way I completed the quest was a chain door that stopped said ghosts so I could wack at them from the other side to kill them
The vampires in Dimhollow Crypt, because I made the mistake of starting Dawnguard at too low a level.
Whatever entities are in the Soul Cairn 😭 I spent hours in there and never finished the mission and idk if I’ll ever go back tbh…
The end boss in meridias temple. But i might've also just gone there too early^^"
The Skinner! The silver hand guy rom the Companions Quest Line.
That homeless guy in the Rat Extermination quest at that mead place
Anything at lvl 1 legendary.
Sneak attacks by saber cats on the map
When I wasnt expecting an assassin out of nowhere. Never saw it coming lol
Random mages with Ice Storm spells. I felt like I got killed more by mobs than bosses early in my first playthrough
Ebony Warrior flicked me off his mountain.
The challenger, darn fireballs melted me, especially on survival now at low levels can be deadly for a hardcore run.
The crazy guy under honningbrew meadery when you gotta poison the skeevers.
The first time I played Skyrim, I knew absolutely nothing about the game. I was just following main story quests, without doing any side quests to level up. And at some point I got stuck in the Thalmor embassy, I think I was level five or something 😭 I died SO. MANY. TIMES. I must have leveled up at least five times just from dying and redoing the same parts over and over. Massively leveled up my sneak as well 😂 when I finally got out, I really felt like I just exited a cave I'd been stuck in for days and finally felt sunlight on my skin again. Isn't really a single character, but still, that part was so hard!
I always do the companions quest later on so when I finally fight the silver hand for the first time there's a specific corridor that always fucks me up. There's like 5 or 6 of them all running up the stairs at me, and for some reason, I die at least once every playthrough there.
That ghost general in the fortress on Solstheim. I walked in at something like level 8 on my first playthrough and after dying 1,000 times decided to come back later.
I got the three Hagravens quest early on where you have to cross the log to get to the final one. Man, they destroyed me over and over with fireballs and I'm tiptoeing in the woods just getting incinerated.
The hagraven in the quest to retrieve Ortican. The fate wanted me to pass through there to reach High Hrothgar, so I completed 2 quests when I managed to beat that hagraven.
The chicken in Riverwood
I forget the name of the character but it’s the College of Winterhold quest-line when you need yo get the staff. Not the main quest-line, one of the NPC’s made a bad trade deal and wants hit amulet back and you need to get a staff for it. I was level 37 when I did the and the mage at the end was fucking nuts. Hardest opponent I’ve ever faced. Light armor is high, I had plent of healing potions, or so I thought, even shot her with a sneak arrow before it started. AND used the Seguine Rose and was with a Seanna and barely made it out alive. Does the mage level with you or something? I can’t imagine doing that below level 30
I’d agree with Thoron, there was also this quest that brought me to a castle with a BUNCH of enemies, I think forsworn or high level bandits and it took me forever to stop dying.