Does Skyrim have difficulty settings? How to make the game easier?

The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim is arguably the best RPG because of its vast open world, dozens of storylines, hundreds of thrilling quests, and fantastic combat system and mechanics.

However, despite the game being so good, casual gamers who are new to this genre may find it a little difficult due to its complicated skill-leveling features, powerful early-level enemies, and other niche mechanics.

Luckily, Skyrim allows players to adjust the game’s difficulty settings as per their comfort at any time throughout the gameplay.

Skyrim does have game difficulty settings. There are a total of 6 difficulty modes in The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim:

1. Novice
2. Apprentice 
3. Adept 
4. Expert 
5. Master
6. Legendary

As the names suggest, Novice is the easiest difficulty, while Legendary is the hardest. It is even possible to change the difficulty settings mid-game, and thus, you don’t need to restart your campaign in order to play it on a lowered difficulty.

1. How to change the difficulty in The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim?

To change the difficulty in Skyrim:

1. Open the Pause Menu.
2. Select the “Gameplay” tab.
3. Click on “Settings.”
4. Select the desired difficulty mode.

2. Is The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim a hard game?

Skyrim can be a difficult game to play and understand initially, but after the players learn its basics and functions, it becomes quite fun and easy.

Skyrim requires a lot of decision-making, material gathering, weapon forging, spell learning, potion brewing, and much more.

All of this can be overwhelming when you first step into the game and so it may feel difficult and confusing, but once you are comfortable with the basic mechanics of the game, you will eventually become an expert in all of these areas.

3. What difficulty is best to play Skyrim?

Adept is the best difficulty to play Skyrim if you are new to the game, but if you are a veteran RPG gamer, then Expert or Master difficulty will give you a good challenge.

Under any circumstance, I do not recommend starting new game on the Legendary difficulty unless you are well acquainted with the game mechanics and the world of Skyrim, which is loaded with overwhelmingly powerful monsters and other NPCs. Believe me, you just won’t have a great time.

4. Who is the hardest to beat in Skyrim?

Karstaag, the frost troll boss, is the hardest enemy in Skyrim. Players can battle this secret/optional boss while playing the Dragonborn DLC.

As a novice, you may think Alduin or Miraak is the hardest boss in the game due to their relevance to the storyline, but that is far from the truth.

This Troll boss is locked at level 90 with no scaling and has a whopping 4000 health. Taking him on without adequate preparation will lead you to nothing but humiliation.

He can be summoned by finding the skull of Karstaag and reuniting it with the rest of his skeleton in Castle Karstaag Ruins.

5. How does difficulty affect the gameplay in Skyrim?

Here are how the Skyrim difficulty modes affect the gameplay:

Difficulty	NPC Damage Taken	Player Damage Taken
Novice	2x	0.5x
Apprentice	1.5x	0.75x
Adept	1x	1x
Expert	0.75x	1.5x
Master	0.5x	2x
Legendary	0.25x	3x

6. Does Skyrim have level scaling?

Skyrim does have level scaling. Most of the enemies, humanoid or monsters, get stronger according to the players’ overall character level.

If you prioritize non-combat abilities early on, then this power leveling can make your life in battle much harder. I advise you to take periodic pauses from power-leveling and concentrate on improving certain combat-related abilities in addition to the others. Otherwise, you may find the game getting gradually harder.

7. How long it takes to beat Skyrim?

Skyrim’s main storyline can be completed in around 34 hours, and a completionist run (100% completion) takes about 232 hours, according to HowLongToBeat.com.

The above-mentioned time is only relevant if you strictly stick to the quests necessary to complete the main story. If you get distracted by side quests or start exploring the beautiful landscapes of Skyrim, then it will surely take you more than just 34 hours. 

8. About The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim

The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim was developed by Bethesda Game Studios for platforms like Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 3, PlayStation 4, Xbox 360, Xbox One and Nintendo Switch.

The plot of this role-playing action game takes players to the events that took place 200 years after the end of Oblivion.

Set in the land of Skyrim, the story involves Dovah-Kiin aka the Dragon Born who is on a crusade to defeat Alduin or else the entire world will be burned to the ground and be all demolished.