You're looking at it completely wrong. It stands to reason that if you only advance non-combat skills, you won't get better at combat. It doesn't stand to reason that if you advance non-combat skills, you'll actually get worse. Technically, you're not getting worse as it's the enemies that are scaling up, but it's the end result. A level 10 character with 100 speechcraft, lockpicking, or whatever, has actually ruined the game balance for themselves.

At first I thought along your lines. After all, why should non-combat skills advance your level at all. Then I started seeing some of the stuff those skills could get you and realize that they do offer a tangible increase in your combat effectiveness. However, there does seem to be a "soft" spot where the benefits don't compensate for the increase in diffiuclty. It's unfortunate but, again, this is why the slider exists.

I would also like to note that in another 10 levels if that character focuses on combat then he;s right back in the saddle with no real drawbacks. The game expects that you'll dabble in crafting and doesn't make rediculous skill demands for combat.

4 perks into blacksmithing at lvl 15, that 4/14 perks so you sorta gimped yourself there. did you try adding enchantments or poisons to your weapons?

"Just use the slider" is a total cop out, the game's combat balance is poor and the level scaling is part of the problem. The slider has it's purpose, but adjusting for the game's faulty method of trying to calculate a character's combat effectiveness is not it. Smithing certainly does give combat bonuses, but there are other skills that could be raised too high too early that could really screw someone over.

Do people actually understand what level scaling is? Most will badmouth it without hesitation without providing any additional details to why they might be struggling. FYI: Morrowind, and heck even Daggerfall, had scaling. It's an important tool to an open world game like this. You don't remember running into Ogrims at level one in Morrowind, right?

Perhaps if you explain what skills your focusing on and what perks you've chosen then some of us might can provide details for a more successful character build? If all else fails just bump the difficulty down at any time, no need to restart (it's right in the settings menu).

It seems silly to complain about the game being too hard when you're playing on a higher difficulty. Take my advice: when you start a new game, leave it at the middle or default settings. Then bump it up if it's too hard.

Right now, because of the scaled levelling of monsters, my char is basically ruined.
I had like 6,000 gold at lvl 10. I spent it all on upgrading blacksmithing, once I got to lvl 15 everything scaled and was impossible to kill.

Fact is if you level blacksmithing or Speechcraft that shouldn't make every mob in the game
suddenly 5x stronger and have more health, that makes no sense.

As it is its badly balanced as any perk that isn't direct combat skills makes you worse in combat, which is not right.

Because like that why would you ever level anything else, all it does is make you worse.

People say well you aren't leveling combat skills so you cant fight then duh, well sorry that's all you do in this game
if you hadn't noticed, if you aren't doing something somewhat tied to making it easier to kill things, then you aren't playing at all.

Point is only weapon and armor skills should scale to mobs, nothing else, bad balance, no argument.

We have to wait for modders to make the game playable again as usual.

He mentioned WoW if no one noticed. There's your problem.

if I changed it now, it'd feel like cheating. Like changing the setting whenever you think something is too hard. It's not that I couldn't finish the game - I could. I've done everything so far, and just like the other post I did take orphan rock (somehow). I'd have to strafe and lure bad mobs to towns and hide and shoot 100 arrows (yeah, steel arrow does like 2% damage to a hired bandit).

Right now, because of the scaled levelling of monsters, my char is basically ruined.
I had like 6,000 gold at lvl 10. I spent it all on upgrading blacksmithing, once I got to lvl 15 everything scaled and was impossible to kill. (for example, I can't kill a dragon. or a troll for that matter. if I slice at the troll and get it down to 95% health it regens back to 100%.)

I really dont understand why bethesda keeps making scaled systems. They make RPGs with lots of options broken. Most of my perks were still in one handed and only 6 perks spread out elsewhere and it's still impossible to kill a dragon and I dont think it will ever get any easier because I WANT to blacksmith. When I played WoW I'd spend hundreds of hours finding materials and making things. it's what I like to do. They included it in the game and it breaks your character, especially if you're playing on master. therefore, why should I explore the continent and find mine ore when it will further make the game impossibly difficult?

I understand I can turn it down now, but why would I do that? I got countless NPCs killed luring trolls/etc. to towns to get them killed for me, and companions killed. so when I get home, i'm restarting on adept and i'm going to dual wield again and blacksmith.

the patient waiting for the skyrim obscuro mod begins.

Better if they used a leveling system that wasn't [censored], ie Morrowind. Not sure why they had to port Oblivion's two main flaws, the level scaling and the atrocious console interface.

1) You don't need to increase your combat skills at all to put points into the starter perks that increase weapon damage and armor rating, you just need to gain levels.
2) You don't need to increase the afforementioned perks to be effective in combat. (I have not increased these in 10 levels and have had no problem)
3) You can increase combat effectiveness by using better weapons and armor, rather than increasing those skills.
4) Your effectiveness with or ability to use any weapon or armor is not based on the relevant skills.
5) By leveling, you increase your own health, so the health of creatures in the environment also increases.
6) Step 5 happens regardless of how you level.

How is it a cop out? Because it works and is effective but you don't like doing it because some of your ego is tied up in what difficulty level you play video games at?

I'll be honest, one of the things I dislike most about modern RPGs is they are so worried about people "shooting themselves in the foot" they thin the RPG layer to practical non-existance. Even in TES they've done away with attributes and classes and major/minor skills (although I support some of that for other reasons).

However, they left in the ability to play however you want. You can go where you want and do what you want, but there are consequences to those choices. It's possible to advance sooo poorly that you are completely ineffective out in the field.........on the default setting that is. The slider exists so that even someone who's lamed himself (level 50 and major combat skill is 30ish) can still play. Over time, the problem vanishes as your combat skills advance.

I'm playing on master.

It is up to you to maintain a balance between combat and non-combat skills. If you level yourself up with all non-combat skills what do you expect to happen?

I would expect it to be slightly easier than as if I just started the game because my combat abilties are the same as a level 1 char but my crafting has prepared me with better items, but this is not the case. Because of Skyrims stupid system I am now worse off than a level 1 character because magically all of the enemies have suddenly become much more powerful.