dead is DEAD (damn you, Frost Troll of High Hrothgar!)

As to difficulties, I would like to watch some of these 'master is too easy' players actually play. The only way I can succeed on the higher difficulties is by employing tactics that just feel cheesy ... backpeddling, massive instantaneous potion consumption, using terrain and obstacles to game the limitations of stupid enemy AIs ... and the result are battles that if translated to a movie or something would be laughably silly.

I can't make myself employ those sorts of tactics. They make victories feel cheap.

Make a save every time my character wakes up from sleeping. If I die, I have to go back to my last sleep save and assume that the events leading to his death were a dream.

Self gimping is tough. I always need help pulling the mask over my head and getting in and out of the suit. If there is any inflatable parts then fugeddaboutit.

Here's how I play, and I don't feel overpowered AT ALL. I'm currently at lvl 23, about 55 hours in, and I frequently have to bow out of boss fights and come back later.

Difficulty: Adept.
Playstyle: All out warrior using no spells at all.
Weapons: I love 2 handers and bows, and I love unique weapons, so I'm sporting an un-enchanted Skyforge Steel Greatsword I made myself. I also carry a Dwarven bow with Soul Trap that I found. I won't keep it, tho, I don't like the look of Dwarven gear so hopefully I'll be able to make myself an Ebony one soon when my Smithing is up to par.
Armor: Steel Plate, again, homemade. Best looking armor in the game for my character, and I doubt i'll wear anything else just to bump my armor rating.
Skills: Two Handed, Block, Archery, Smithing, (Sneak, just because I snipe with my bow and Sneak levels unintentionally), and then I might start to get into Alchemy or possibly even Enchanting soon as I'm running low on potions and I want to be able to name my weapons.

I've played the way I want to play, exploring with no end goal in mind, taken perks here and there when they seemed relevant. For instance, if I felt like I was starting to have troubles in fights, I'd start picking a few Two-Handed perks to boost my combat. If I'm doing good in combat, I'll work on my smithing perks etc. I don't train skills, I only get what comes naturally, and I don't power-boost skills like Smithing either. When I have enough ingredients I make some cool stuff that I may keep, may give to a follower, or in some cases I sell it if I need gold for something specific. My guy loves to Smith, and whenever he's in Whiterun, he'll hang out at the Skyforge and chat it up, smith some cool stuff etc.

I don't power-loot either. I only take nice stuff that can fetch a good price, or that I want to give to a follower or possibly use myself. I don't travel back and forth between dungeons and cities to sell every bit of loot I find. If I'm at my max capacity, I'll be even more selective in my looting. I don't just head to the nearest city and sell it all off and go back for more.

I don't fast travel, ever. Twice have I used the carriage service because I role played my character. He had traveled around the mountains fighting all kinds of critters for about a week, and he was tired, so he took the carriage home.

Everything I do I do from a role playing perspective. The key is not overpowering myself for Adept skill level. That lets me put perks in non-combat skills, and as a result I've developed a real and whole personality for my character. He's a self sufficient guy who lives off the land, only takes what he needs, and always give a few coins to the poor. I have a humble abode in Whiterun with a few nice looking swords on the walls, and about 2000 gold in the chest.

That's it. Nothing fancy, and I'm enjoying the hell out of it! I don't know that it's self-gimping, but it surely has balanced the game out nicely for me, and I feel real good about being able to use various skills without thinking about under-leveling or over-leveling.

I'm fairly certain this is the first time I have played a game where the community as a whole has to come up with creative ways to make the game more challenging within the first month of release. This is something I might expect to see on the forums of a game that has been out for 1 year+ but 1 month? This game really needs a overhaul. Even on master difficulty its a joke.

If I die, I have to go back to my last sleep save and assume that the events leading to his death were a dream.

Here's how I play, and I don't feel overpowered AT ALL. I'm currently at lvl 23, about 55 hours in, and I frequently have to bow out of boss fights and come back later.

Difficulty: Adept.
Playstyle: All out warrior using no spells at all.
Weapons: I love 2 handers and bows, and I love unique weapons, so I'm sporting an un-enchanted Skyforge Steel Greatsword I made myself. I also carry a Dwarven bow with Soul Trap that I found. I won't keep it, tho, I don't like the look of Dwarven gear so hopefully I'll be able to make myself an Ebony one soon when my Smithing is up to par.
Armor: Steel Plate, again, homemade. Best looking armor in the game for my character, and I doubt i'll wear anything else just to bump my armor rating.
Skills: Two Handed, Block, Archery, Smithing, (Sneak, just because I snipe with my bow and Sneak levels unintentionally), and then I might start to get into Alchemy or possibly even Enchanting soon as I'm running low on potions and I want to be able to name my weapons.

I've played the way I want to play, exploring with no end goal in mind, taken perks here and there when they seemed relevant. For instance, if I felt like I was starting to have troubles in fights, I'd start picking a few Two-Handed perks to boost my combat. If I'm doing good in combat, I'll work on my smithing perks etc. I don't train skills, I only get what comes naturally, and I don't power-boost skills like Smithing either. When I have enough ingredients I make some cool stuff that I may keep, may give to a follower, or in some cases I sell it if I need gold for something specific. My guy loves to Smith, and whenever he's in Whiterun, he'll hang out at the Skyforge and chat it up, smith some cool stuff etc.

I don't power-loot either. I only take nice stuff that can fetch a good price, or that I want to give to a follower or possibly use myself. I don't travel back and forth between dungeons and cities to sell every bit of loot I find. If I'm at my max capacity, I'll be even more selective in my looting. I don't just head to the nearest city and sell it all off and go back for more.

I don't fast travel, ever. Twice have I used the carriage service because I role played my character. He had traveled around the mountains fighting all kinds of critters for about a week, and he was tired, so he took the carriage home.

Everything I do I do from a role playing perspective. The key is not overpowering myself for Adept skill level. That lets me put perks in non-combat skills, and as a result I've developed a real and whole personality for my character. He's a self sufficient guy who lives off the land, only takes what he needs, and always give a few coins to the poor. I have a humble abode in Whiterun with a few nice looking swords on the walls, and about 2000 gold in the chest.

That's it. Nothing fancy, and I'm enjoying the hell out of it! I don't know that it's self-gimping, but it surely has balanced the game out nicely for me, and I feel real good about being able to use various skills without thinking about under-leveling or over-leveling.

But never do anything simply to improve your skill.

I dont use any weapons nor any destruction magic, other than that I just play

+1

I used to be a player like you, but then I took an "I'm not that hardcoe" arrow to the knee.