halflingbarbarian
Scholar
Was writing a post (http://www.rpgcodex.net/phpBB/viewtopic.php?p=1869102&highlight=#1869102) on how I'm enjoying Skyrim at the highest difficulty so far and thought to make a thread so others who are trying out Master can share tips/strategies (or exploits, though no gamebreaking ones please, like abusing smithing->enchanting->reselling to gain gold, or equipping NPCs with 1 arrow to get unlimited arrows, etc.) on how to tackle some encounters. Also, character builds.
I'm running a sword+board Argonian fighter with some dabbling in Restoration now. Also with smithing (which practically uses up most of my gold) but without enchanting (no gold to level it), though I plan to go into that later.
I have immense trouble handling:
Dragons
These things are crazy. Firstly, I have no strong ranged attack to bring them down from the skies fast, so I have to dodge breath attacks like a bitch for a long time. Secondly, once they land, my usual combo of block-slowmo interrupting their power attack (chomp) and riposte is not very effective. Once I stagger (wing buffet?) and they chomp, I'm minced. For now I avoid dragons in the wild, and if feasible I lead them into populated areas for guards to help me with them.
Mammoths/Giants
Again, sheer numbers and stagger abilities makes fighting them a fucking nightmare. I can take them 1v1, but as long as there's more than 1 I'm probably dead. My strat for now is to lead them into tight spaces, or regular sized buildings (where they can't enter due to size) and take them 1 by 1. Also note that both creature's attacks have long animations (comparatively) and slow recovery, so I time my attacks between those. However, stagger abilities rapes me now and then.
Dual-wielders
The only one of note I met so far is the Skinner woman of the Shining Hand in the Companions questline. And damn is she mad with the world. If you just block and watch her moves, she basically chains up dual-wield power attacks (for 3-4 hits) constantly, and eating 2-3 of those hits = KO. I had to shift to werewolf form and sprint->pounce->knockdown to avoid her even attacking me at all. After every knockdown I throw in a couple of rakes and sprint the hell away from her melee range, rinse and repeat. Works like a charm but you have to have 0 missteps, or it's over.
Some casters
So far, I haven't met any 1 shotting spellcasters yet. However, you can't dodge spell projectiles as easily as arrows, and I worry when I meet one of those 1 shotter spells. Right now I have the shield perk of reducing elemental damage, and plan to get some resist gear in the future. If there are spellcasters in any group fight, I HAVE to sprint to finish them off FAST before dealing with the others, because standing still and fighting the non-magical enemies with an arcane turret at the back feeding you bolt after bolt after bolt is untenable.
Also, feel free to share some stories of emergent gameplay that you encountered due to this difficulty level. Discuss!
I'm running a sword+board Argonian fighter with some dabbling in Restoration now. Also with smithing (which practically uses up most of my gold) but without enchanting (no gold to level it), though I plan to go into that later.
I have immense trouble handling:
Dragons
These things are crazy. Firstly, I have no strong ranged attack to bring them down from the skies fast, so I have to dodge breath attacks like a bitch for a long time. Secondly, once they land, my usual combo of block-slowmo interrupting their power attack (chomp) and riposte is not very effective. Once I stagger (wing buffet?) and they chomp, I'm minced. For now I avoid dragons in the wild, and if feasible I lead them into populated areas for guards to help me with them.
Mammoths/Giants
Again, sheer numbers and stagger abilities makes fighting them a fucking nightmare. I can take them 1v1, but as long as there's more than 1 I'm probably dead. My strat for now is to lead them into tight spaces, or regular sized buildings (where they can't enter due to size) and take them 1 by 1. Also note that both creature's attacks have long animations (comparatively) and slow recovery, so I time my attacks between those. However, stagger abilities rapes me now and then.
Dual-wielders
The only one of note I met so far is the Skinner woman of the Shining Hand in the Companions questline. And damn is she mad with the world. If you just block and watch her moves, she basically chains up dual-wield power attacks (for 3-4 hits) constantly, and eating 2-3 of those hits = KO. I had to shift to werewolf form and sprint->pounce->knockdown to avoid her even attacking me at all. After every knockdown I throw in a couple of rakes and sprint the hell away from her melee range, rinse and repeat. Works like a charm but you have to have 0 missteps, or it's over.
Some casters
So far, I haven't met any 1 shotting spellcasters yet. However, you can't dodge spell projectiles as easily as arrows, and I worry when I meet one of those 1 shotter spells. Right now I have the shield perk of reducing elemental damage, and plan to get some resist gear in the future. If there are spellcasters in any group fight, I HAVE to sprint to finish them off FAST before dealing with the others, because standing still and fighting the non-magical enemies with an arcane turret at the back feeding you bolt after bolt after bolt is untenable.
Also, feel free to share some stories of emergent gameplay that you encountered due to this difficulty level. Discuss!