My character is a level 26 Nord specializing in two-handed, heavy armor, smithing, archery, block and speech and I'm finding things a bit too easy. I rarely need to block or maneuver in combat and it pretty much boils down to me whacking away at whatever is in front of me until I can loot it. I'm mulling over restarting and going for expert or master but would it be worthwhile or do the higher difficulties just make enemy HP/damage so high that combat just lasts longer and is lycanthropy still viable on higher diffs? I'd like to have to think before rushing into a room filled with draugr and their deathlord master and going toe-to-toe with a dragon without being the slightest bit apprehensive is boring.

EDIT: I'm playing on a PS3 so I can't mod.

Did you upgrade your armor too fast, making you too strong?

Expert is a good challenge.

Play Dead is Dead on expert. Very fun. I don't play any other ways at this point. Makes you think about every skirmish before beginning it.

I'm currently lvl 32 playing on master and I actually have to use fire/ice resistance potions before fighting some higher level dragons. Most enemies are still pretty easy to take care of even with the extra damage they do, I just have to make sure not to rush into a room full of enemies and I'm alright. It may add some extra challenge, especially when dealing with magic users.

You can always change difficulty mid-game, so you can try out Expert or Master before you actually start a new character.

as long as you are using a shield everything is possible, i think.

I'm starting over because of some skills choices I made that I regret and some other minor things so I don't want to get used to my current character on a harder difficulty then have to readjust when I restart.

I'd suggest starting on master, and trying to keep it that way the rest of the game. You will need to be more tactical, as you will not be able to simply overpower everything that stands in your way.

-Loth

i use master for all my characters except mages which i lover to expert. that being said i downloaded some mods that let destruction magic scale and i plan in playing my next mage character on master. it does require a bit more finesse and thinking and i second the guy who said to play a DID character. now that ive done all the main quests and all the side quests i could find im having fun trying out DID charaters even if i dont make it more than a few hours at a time. i have a save that i made after helgen and i just start over when i die. lots of fun.

So far I've played an experimental 1st char battlemage (expert/master), and then pure thief, mage, and fighter characters (all master). Master is challenging for the first 10 levels, very tough from levels 10 - 20, then the difficulty drops significantly for the rest of the game, though there are still difficult fights once in a while. I've had this experience with all 4 characters. I only use 1 crafting skill per character to avoid being overpowered.

What I love about master (with a crafting restriction), is that there are fights you can only survive if you think or change tactics. You have to block, you have to move around constantly, etc (if you're a melee fighter). I've found that I often think about my surroundings before getting into a fight. I make a quick note of places I might get caught, areas to limit foe movement, etc. I started doing that before I consciously realized it was happening. It's this kind of immersion that makes master essential, IMO.

Even on master, most fights are easy. But the bosses usually feel about right (to me). And I occasionally I get killed because I got sloppy, forgot to put on all my armor, etc. That doesn't happen on easier difficulties.