Do run-ins with dragons happen more often if you never defeat Alduin?
I tried to defeat alduin but realized I’m not strong enough so I’m trying to do a bunch of side quests to get stronger and every time I turn my head a bigger and stronger dragon appears.
They don't happen more often, they happen just as often. Also it depends on what you mean by "every time I turn my head": dragons will appear after a certain amount of in-game time has passed. Therefore, if you are fast-travelling a lot, you will get more dragons more often. Also, there are certain locations where dragons will also appear, these are:
- Ancient's Ascent
- Autumnwatch Tower
- Bonestrewn Crest
- Dragontooth Crater
- Eldersblood Peak
- Lost Tongue Overlook
- Mount Anthor
- Northwind Summit
- Saering's Watch
- Shearpoint
- Skyborn Altar
Dragons go up with your level. So if you are doing a lot of side quests and are resultantly levelling up, you will inevitably get stronger and harder dragons.
Dragons are meant to be challenging, but they are scaled with your level and abilities. You may have to think of new ways to defeat the harder ones, but that doesn't mean you can't do it, it just means you may have to use a different style, spell or weapon to do so.
Sources:
https://en.uesp.net/wiki/Skyrim:Dragon#Appearance_and_Types https://elderscrolls.fandom.com/wiki/Dragons_(Skyrim)