Brutally Murdered(possible spoiler)

[tristan0606]

Well see... i have a problem with my character. I didnt start the main quest for a long time(until i was level 7), and i normally use a Bow and Arrow, but i have a great elvish sword and some fair armor. But lately ive been getting brutally murdered, the only way i win is if i sneak up, and shoot them with an arrow and run away enough to shoot them with an arrow. Like its really annoying when i have to spend 5 minutes to kill a fairly weak monster. And yes i know that there is a difficulty meter, but i have it in the dead centre, and want to keep it that way, to prove im not a panzy. Is anyone able to help, or is this just a phase in the game where everyone gets slashed to bits?

[Belthan]

Most monsters and NPCs (including bandits and marauders) level with you, so leveling up before you take on a particular quest is usually a marginal help at best, and sometimes actually a disadvantage (like when different creatures start appearing - I'd rather be level 5 and fight a scamp than level 10 and fight a flame atronach). Before embarking on a mission, it's much more important to make sure your armor is completely repaired, the magic charges on any of your enchanted items are topped off, you have some healing potions or spells cued up on a hotkey, etc. There's plenty of good generic advice on leveling up, combat tactics, and so forth. in other threads.

That said, concentrating on increasing the skills you prefer using can help the leveling-related challenges somewhat. If you have minor skills you use frequently, try holding off using some of your major skills so it takes longer to level up and gives you more time to increase your minor skills. Sneaking up and killing stuff from a distance before it even knows you're there can be really effective if you have decent Marksman and Sneak skills. If you prefer going toe-to-toe with the baddies, you should work on Blade, Block and Heavy Armor or Light Armor (again, according to what you actually use). The key is to accumulate as much experience as you can in your useful minor skills before you accumulate enough experience in your major skills to level up.