Skyrim: How Difficult Is Legendary Difficulty? (Benefits & Is It Worth It?)

Skyrim is one of the most famous RPG games currently on the market. People have many ideas on how to improve it. (Hence, the incredible productivity of the Skyrim modding community.) Regardless, die-hard fans enjoy playing it even ten years after its release. The game offers hours of immersive content, and depending on your gaming needs, you can adapt the difficulty to make the process even more enjoyable. For players who want the game to be more difficult, there is a legendary difficulty option. But how difficult it really is?

What to expect on Skyrim legendary difficulty?

Two main features change with the difficulty levels in Skyrim. They are the damage that the NPC and player take. On lower levels of difficulty, like a novice, the damage you inflict with your weapons and spells is doubled. On the other hand, the damage that is dealt to you by the NPC increases by 0,5x.

To clarify, consider you are fighting an equally matched NPC and have the same stats. You are both using an iron sword, which gives 7 damage. You hit the enemy on novice difficulty, and they take 14 points of damage. They hit you, and you take only 3 points of damage.

You are already a legend at level 1 if you play on lower-level difficulty. This changes with all the levels above adept. In legendary difficulty, the situation becomes way more interesting.

Again, you are fighting an NPC with an iron sword in the same situation. The base damage of the weapon is 7 points. On legendary difficulty, your score increases by 0.25x and the NPC’s by 3x. So, they hit you with 21 points, and you hit them with 1.75 points.

The following table shows you the different difficulty levels and stat changes.

What are the benefits of legendary difficulty?

On lower difficulty levels, you can go around hitting people with a stick, and you will finish the game. However, for most of us, playing like that is not fun, hence the need for challenges.

When you play novice, your skills can go up, but you don’t need them because you overpower all the NPCs. But with legendary difficulty, every point you spend on the skill tree will mean something. This will inevitably increase the immersive and roleplaying aspects of the game.

The difficulty level is directly linked to how much of the game you will explore and what features and mechanics you will use. Lower difficulty levels do not require making potions, enchanting weapons, and armor, or crafting your armor. You can do that, but you don’t need to because you overpower everyone. With legendary difficulty, you cannot survive without all the added content.

The difficulty level makes you explore the game and develop a strategy. Plus, as the tips below show, it brings character-building to a new level. Also, remember that you can change the difficulty level at any time during your playthrough, and many players use this as a sort of cheat when they encounter a difficult opponent. So don’t worry. Even if the enemy is brutal, you won’t lose your head over it.     

How to master legendary difficulty in Skyrim?

There are a few things you can do to master legendary difficulty. Once you integrate them into your play style, they will become second nature.  

1. Skills matter

Instead of playing like a mage, a bit like a rouge, and when the need comes, like a berserker, you will have to think about your character development. The skill tree serves to help increase your strikes, and it gives you additional strengths. Even though learning a bit from every skill is tempting, this will not help you master legendary difficulty.

The extent to which you deal damage depends on how much you use a class of weapons. If you concentrate on the bow, for instance, when you get to the higher levels, you will be able to deal with one-shot deathblows. In combination with the sneak skill, you can practically sniper your way through the game.

If you like playing like a tank and going into all battles screaming with a mace in your hand, the one-handed skill tree will help you bludgeon your enemies. But if you start with a mace and switch to conjuration mid-game, you will have a lot of trouble. The trouble comes because you are switching to an entirely new skill and don’t have any bonuses.

2. Preparation for battles

Besides the traditional combat skills, the legendary difficulty is almost impossible without smithing, alchemy, and just a tad of enchanting. These skills will help you stack up on the resources you need to survive battles and more difficult quests. 

You need good weapons to make it through the game. Crafting and improving them with the smithing skill tree will ensure you do.

It would be best if you had potions all the time to help in fights, especially when you are taking on more than two NPCs simultaneously. Without potions to heal you or improve your skills, you cannot get through this.

Enchanting will make life easier because you can strengthen your armor or gain bonus health, magic, and stamina. Also, even if you make bad enchantments, you can sell them for a reasonable price.

Finally, no matter your style, the restoration school of magic will always come in handy. You will need it to heal yourself and the followers that help you along the way.

3. Collect ingredients

Even if you play like a head-bashing warrior, you need potions and poison to make life easy. Potions are part of combat planning. To make them, you need ingredients. Therefore, to master legendary difficulty, you must pick all the ingredients you can find.   

4. Wondering around can be dangerous   

Finally, if you like wandering around Skyrim, don’t let legendary difficulty stop you. However, be prepared! Always prepare for battles in the countryside because the game can throw some crazy scenes. You can easily find yourself fighting a vampire being chased by a bear that two legionaries are chasing.  

Legendary difficulty makes you think

In summary, the game makes you plan and think in advance when you play legendary difficulty. Instead of jumping into conflicts, you will consider how to prepare for battle. Even though the NPCs will overpower you initially, you will learn and develop with the skills tree.

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