Hi there.

I've got a problem I didn't think of before: My char is (still) level 4, because I didn't level up for quite a while, mostly leveling sneaking, archery, alchemy and some magic. If I now level up, the system forces me to go directly to level 24.
The problem is: After leveling, I get much harder enemies all of a sudden. Also I'm not able to choose perks without leveling all the way up, and I can't go to skill trainers inbetween.

Is there a way (maybe even by using the console or some specific user mod) to choose to _not_ level up or level up only one level and still get to the perk screen?

Thank you,
Gainor

no, u can't just level up one level lol. it's the same in every elder scrolls game. what's the problem with going from 4 to 24? just go the nearest blacksmith to get the best available weapons if ur worried about dying. with the right perks, u may not to need to change weapons even with that wide of a gap.

It's not just the weaponry. It's knowing how to PLAY 20+ levels on.

Gainor, I think you're basically screwed.... If this were me, I'd leave that toon alone while I played another one, leveling normally so I could see how things changed level to level. Get a feel for what's going to change between level 4 and level 24 before you go back to the first guy.... Good luck!

as long as he/she has an idea of where to spend the perks, health, magicka, and stamina he/she should be okay. just my 2 cents...

Since you are asking for console commands. There is a way to just adding a perk without leveling up. player.addperk xxx.

But I think it would be easier if you just level up and do your best. And when things get too scary, just bring up the console and use tgm to enter The God Mode. Nothing damages to you in this mode.

The console stuff for adding perks etc. isn't very.... good.... for various reasons. Now, your advice about TGM IS good, but some people won't want to go there....

I think you can go ahead and level up your character and just continue play as normal.

My recommendations are to stick with sneak and archery, focus most of your perks there. I'd be sure to take the archery 3x sneak attack bonus in the sneak perk tree asap. Also, you may want to pick an armor class to for your character (I'd go with light) and put some perks there. This should help keep you on par with the scaling of the enemies.

With this build you'll want to keep your distance and go for the stealth kill when possible. Also, bring a follower with you everywhere just in case you are spotted, caught unawares or thrown into a close-quarters boss battle. They should help with diverting attention away from you.

Honestly, you shouldn't have much trouble with the level jump. You have all the skill points of a level 24 character, you're just living in a level 4 world!

Thank you all for your replies.

Actually, I don't really like cheating like tgm, but I had hoped to slowly approach higher levels and that there is some way to use perks (even only my four points) without the need to level.
Hey, it's disappointing to still find only mostly iron armors and at best an orcish sword, so I had hoped to go to level 7 or 8 and look around then. That's why I asked.

I just managed to kill a Draugr Lord with the help of my follower (Faendal helps me since the beginning) in a fight of nearly one hour. And he left me an ebony battle axe, perfect for Faendal.

Ok, I'll try it with level 24. Is there something I'll miss because I didn't play at, say, level 10? I think of quests only given to low-level chars or nearly unbeatable foes which would be best taken on as soon as posssible?

Kisses,
Gainor

I don't think there are any quests that you can level past. The only thing you will have missed is the transition of the enemies by name; "Bandit" to "Bandit Marauder", Draugr to Draugr Wight to Draugr Deathlords being the common enemies roaming about.

Tough it out. Eventually gear drops will get better, stores will carry more stuff, and you will even out. Put your perks where you planned to put them as originally intended. Go enter any cave or barrow, take out one or two enemies, loot the stuff and go back to town and sell it, buy better gear, etc...

I'm surprised most people don't seem to know this, but if you go to level up, pick the attribute you want to level (health, magicka, stamina) then immediately cancel out of the menu after you pick it (i.e. for XBOX360 hit A to accept while immediately sliding your finger over B to get out of the menu) you'll only raise that one level instead of being forced to use all of your levels at once.

Still won't do you any good for picking perks, but it works very well for training your 5 times between each level. Just make sure you save before you do it, since you have to be quick and if you don't cancel out of the level up menu fast enough, it'll force you to level up again.

That's definitely a useful trick. My first playthrough on Master, I gained 10+ levels, but stayed at like level 5. Then everytime I would be close to death, I would only level up once to get my full health back. Had to do that at least half a dozen times to beat a dungeon boss.