Alright so I'm level 37 and just reached 100 in Smiting. Thing is, I got some pretty damn nasty armor that I'm scared to get rid of. There is a problem though, the set do no match at all. Here is what I got:

Legendary Ebony Cuirass( +30% Health regen)

Legendary Orcish Shield (+30% Damage reduced on block)

Legendary Glass gloves (+35% One handed damage)

Epic Iron Helmet (+25% Bow damage)

I mostly play as a combination of Archer + Stealth Warrior. I'm using my bow, my shield and my sword quite a lot. I wanted to create a full set of Daedric Armor and a sword but I'm scared it'll make me MUCH weaker without the bonuses. My enchanting skill pretty much svcks and I haven't invested a single point in Magicka. I mostly use the basic Healing spell I got at the beginning of the game. I'm playing at Adept and I find the game quite challenging some times.

I played a stealth archer on master up to level 41 without smithing or enchanting much. All I did with smithing was I upgraded my ebony bow to flawless. And nothing with enchanting. Still very easy. So no, You don't really need smithing/enchanting to succeed.

You dont need enchanting to play in adept, and enchanted daedric armor actually drops, I had daedric boots drop from a chest near Potema, yesterday, with +60 frost resist.

p.s. Also played a similar build to yours in my 1st playtrough, mace/shield and bow, you are a stagger machine (bow perk, or shield bash).

forgot to add the only enchantments you will need in adept are magic/elemental resistances, but weapon perks will give enough dmg for adept dificulty.

Alright thanks guys. I also plan on amping up the difficulty to the maximum. I have a hard time against powerful mages. Quick question, when people say ''soft cap'' is level 50, does that mean once I reach 50, no more perks are available or that the world just stops leveling?

does magic resist cover fire, frost, and shock damage?