Does 'gaming the game' to accelerate levelling up give me a wider gaming experience?
I've been focussing on levelling up my skills with training and smithing and have made rapid progress in some combat and smithing skills, but I'm kind of wondering if this is going to have any payback.
As I understand it the game compensates for levelling by simply making my enemies stronger, So, am I wasting my time with accelerated levellup up, is my shiny dragon armour no different to hide armour thanks to the difficulty compensation? And if I go through the quests (Side and main) as a level 15 will I end up having have a fairly similar experience as to level 80.
Solution 1:
There's some level scaling going on, but it's not as strong as it was in Oblivion. You can complete the game without using a single level up (look at the speedruns on youtube for this). However, some of the "cooler" stuff isn't unlocked until the later levels. Daedric weaponry and armor won't start dropping regularly until you're almost level 50.
In Skyrim there's no such thing as wasting your time :)
Solution 2:
Leveling in Skyrim is a bit more complex than just "If I'm level 5, all enemies are level 5". See How Do enemies and monster level up.
In short, even if you are level 5, some dungeon can still be at level 40. The only way you could beat them is to be a higher level yourself.
Also, some quest, like Mehrunes Dagon's quest,only start when you reach a certain level. By staying at a low level, you won't be able to do them.
Solution 3:
What's the point of buying fancy car with smart navigation system and turbo speed? You can use old car to exactly the same effect of driving from point A to point B. You don't need the new car, it just look much more cool and feels better to use.
Same with leveling up in Skyrim - you don't really need to level up and there is no real point, but you get way cooler items (personally I like my brand new shiny set of Ebony armor but each and his own taste) and it's much easier to kill your enemies even if they are same level as you, as you obtain many spell, powerful items and of course Shouts.
Solution 4:
As well as the scaling issues already brought up; leveling up gives you more options and effects your gaming experience. A thief's sneak, pick-pocketing and speech give you extra versatility when you approach a problem. A solider can use their shield and weapons in new ways. Magic users have access to more spells. As you progress even higher up the leveling tree you can combine these attributes into creating compound characters. Skyrim is a game where you choose your own playing style and a higher level gives you more options.
Solution 5:
One way of playing is to make lots of money safely, and leveling up equipment and skills to a level you feel is safe. And then start adventuring into the caves. It certainly is perfectly feasible, but for me it would make the game too safe and too boring.
There are people who play without using any smithing or enchanting.
The way I have been playing is I go on different adventures and gradually level up my combat skills. Most of the time I feel okay and don't feel too vulnerable. And once in a while I get into a situation where I feel very inadequate.
When that happens, I take a step back from adventuring and go back to doing safer things for a while. I'll level up my crafting skills and make better gear, and maybe level up my combat skills safely by fighting weaker enemies.
With crafting, I noticed that there is a point when things you make are so good that the game becomes too easy and boring. When that happens, you can turn up the difficulty level or intentionally use less effective gear.
Someone told me that having armor rating that's 10 times your current level is usually adequate. As you level up, you have to worry more and more about magical attacks and start building up magic resistance. I usually feel most vulnerable between level 20 and 30. Things get easier after that gradually. And pretty invulnerable once I max out my enchanting and smithing skills and have pretty good combat skills.