So i noticed something odd. The archer deathlords do more damage than should be possible. For instance, even on the lowest difficulty they one shot my 150 health mage if he has no armor.

Ebony Bow (dreugr dont have upgraded weapons) + ebony arrow + 5 ranks in Overdraw = 74 damage.

So clearly their is a script running on these guys to up their damage. Maybe a flat x3 to x5 multiplier?

Is anyone with a high level and high health character willing to strip naked in front of one of these guys to find out exactly how much damage they deal on the normal difficulty level?

Side note: Magic seems really weak at these high levels. My mage can cast all day at no cost for his favorite schools, and has two Thralls. And this a Dreadlord can one-shot me (on normal, even in my ebony armor i think) while im still charging up Lightning Storm (they seems to ignore my thralls a lot). So instead im forced to spam a dozen dual-cast bolts at him. If i wasnt abusing enchanting, i wouldnt have the mana and would be SOL

Do you see that this is simply a challenge? Maybe you've finally met your match even through the abuse of enchanting.

I enjoy finding clever ways to defeat them (and my current dungeon run, i unequiped my OP gear and dropped all my potions) im just really intereste dto see how high their base damage is but have no character with more than 300 health.

Even at level 41 I'm getting slaughtered by forsworn and bandits with iron daggers and forsworn swords. Im wearing stock ancient shrouded armor

im level 43 i think with a 300 dmg bow, i kill deathlords on master diff in 1 hit sneaking, and i got 550 life and legendary dragonscale armor to back me up if i'm noticed, the only problem my char has is elder dragons, a direct hit from fire breath 2 hits me on master difficulty and if I can't find cover I'm screwed, I usually cheat and lower the diff down to adept when i come across them, just too hard otherwises

well, all NPCs get a damage multiplier as your level goes up so they can still be a threat without being handed full sets of daedric (oblivion anyone?) and limiting how much extra health they get.
I personally love it to be hard, but its hard to be tactical sometimes. I like to lead them towards a trap that I have conveniently placed several (mods) runes on, let them take some nasty damage, then force push (midas magic) them off a cliff.
Also rather entertaining to use Midas' force pull on an enemy from above. They just get yanked into the air, its like juggling.

If you have 550 life would you volunteer to take an arrow without armor on se we can see how much base damage they deal? My char is 41 so any level-based Damage scaling would be negiligably different.

And yea, your supporting my "Magic is Weak" argument. A single backstab or Critical Power Attack from a dual-enchant legendary weapon is worth dozens of spell castings. Early on i was like "DIE BY FIRE AND LIGHTNING! Icy Spear is like having an infinite ammo bow!" Then i realized i could make bows a billion times better than the best spells.


And im sure if i had Mods i could do a lot more with magic, but im on 360. Sure Bethesda could cut a deal with the mod developers then let us get them as DLC, but that would require effort. If i could get Fury and Force as runes, or gear that has elemental damage buffs, all my troubles would go away.

If I played on the PC I'd be glad to, I don't have a video camera or a screen recorder for my TV, my crappy PC can't even run Skyrim lol
If I ever test it though I can let ya know

Yeah i would just like to know how it does.

High-level archers do an incredibly disproportionate amount of damage. I would love for someone with the CK to check it out. I have been one-hit by numerous archers and it just doesn't jive with the stats and weapon damage that I have checked through the console.

EDIT: To give some actual data: I got 1-hit by an archer from the Wars in Skyrim mod. I had 220 health and about 80 armor at the time (roughly 10% damage mitigation), so that bow+arrow had to cause at least 240 damage or so. I ran into the same character later on and her Marksman skill was 68 and she was using Elven arrows. It just doesn't add up. I can't find a MarksmanDamageMult from looking at the UESP page, so there must be some hidden modifier somewhere.

I have a level 56 Dark Elf and the places I go I need my 800 armor, yeah I know 567 is max, for all manner of overpowered enemies. I hit into the 300 with my bow and any multiplier is kinda OP. I take serious damage from leveled Dragur Death and Overlords with bows, I'm not surprised you do too. Not getting hit is a good solution.

I read somewhere it's because of the arrow damage that's counted twice, and multiplied according to skills and perks. So that Ebony arrow is the main reason it's so overpowered. Had the same problem once, my light armored 2-hander got one shotted too by one of those, I dodged them all and killed the svcker ^^ (on expert difficulty, should you wonder)

Magic is weak against them?! They are weak to fire, on master you can take a deathlords out in three dual cast incinerates (perked), consider how fast you can cast spells. Magic is the best option for taking them out, unless you smith stupidly power 600 damage weapons, and what's the point of playing if you do that.

They do around 250-270 damage on master if your at the armor cap, making them and briarhearts the most dangerous enemies. Briarhearts hit you with a dual wield power attack they will kill almost anyone, I imagine you would need the armor cap and around 700-800 health to survive.

Huh. Interesting info there. I didn't know enemy NPCs get damage multipliers at higher level.
I mean I noticed their damages didn't exactly add up with their gears/stats, but never thought there was such a mechanism.
Well, that's why players have ability to enchant/upgrade their gears, I suppose.
Still, another fail moment for the Beth team in difficulty curve department.

They do 300 damage against an armor capped (80%) dragonborn in master difficulty. This means 1500 damage against someone without armor.

This is good to know. My mage simply WONT survive, and i should go 100% magic and ignore my health, as it wont save him.


The one that killed me was in an odd spot and i had to play through the area three times to find him before he got his first shot off. And in the end, i used dual-cast incinerate and two flame thralls on him.

Briarhears are less of a threat because ANY melee enemy was to absolutly wade through spells to assault a mage. Still, a sneak attack is an even surer way of taking them down.

Mages in most games are frail but deal massive damage. Here they are frail...and...can stagger and set traps. They actually do less damage than their rogue or warrior counterparts. Unless your an orc. Berserkermage is crazy.

Maybe he popped a potion first?

If you are playing a glass cannon mage, be aware that just about every archer you face at level 30+ will be able to one-shot you. Bandit Chiefs/Marauders, Falmer, Dragur, everyone deals massive damage at that level.

Those Draugrs can do damage over 500 if they get Daedric Arrows. (This is on Master FYI)

So they do a lot of damage and they seem to have Fus Ro Dah as well.

deathlords with a bow are a bane for any character especially if you can't kill them , i ve died many times to one and not only daugrs , bandits with glass or ebony bows shooting glass or ebony arrows arrows ,
i am not complaining it is a challenge , beside archer deathlords especially at mid and higher lvl are a good source of ebony arrows

I remember my first Draugr Death Overlord with a bow at level 28...
Heavy Armor, 300 life - he one shotted me
Fortunately I managed to conjure enough flame atronachs and SLOWLY kill him

I have noticed. The issue being that my mage build was sort of a 80% Magic, 20% Health. Early on that worked, but now those points in health are wasted.