ProfesseurFreder wrote: »

Every now and then you run into a Baddie who is just plain Too Powerful For You to Possibly Have a Hope in Heck of Beating Them, and they of course mop up the floor with you. It used to be a very valid strategy to just leave the scene, go off and do Other Things, Level Up and Skill Up and then -- after you'd buffed up a level or two, you could come back and finally give that Mean Ol' Bully What-For. -- But since One Tamriel, I've noticed that the Quests are leveling up right along with my character. The quest may have started out as a level 15 quest, but the next time I check it's a level 19 just like my character.

So -- is this even a valid strategy any more? If I go back to that old quest, am I gonna get my clock cleaned all over again, because the boss has leveled up WITH me and is just as much of a bully as he ever was?

There used to be a real sense of satisfaction in going back and kicking the crap out of characters who were really mean to you and gave you such a hard time. Is that possible anymore, after One Tamriel? And if not, how a, I ever going to beat some of these guys? !! (and no, I'm not going to name characters, 'cuz that just opens the door for some smart-ass to come in here and say, "What, Mr. X gave you a hard time? Feh! I beat him in Nothing Flat!")

Well you may be confusing "strat-ee-gery" with "just get more powerful."

What i recall fondly and it still happens is going off, choosing to reload some skill, rethink my approach maybe even re-gear and then beating the same monster with different tactics and planning.

I dont actually recall fondly the "just outlevel it and then kill it" parts.

But yes, right now everything levels. So if you cant beat it now you might not be able to beat it later by JUST leveling up.

Now if you level up and unlock new skills that help in the fight, that is a different thing. unlocking a good burst heal or a good mist form 75% on demand can make a huge difference against some creatures. leveling up and getting morphs or shields - can make a huge difference.


So you can still do the head off level some and come back but if that doesn't include re-think and re-plan its likely you will die just as easily as you did the first time.

The only thing you can do is make sure your gear is at your level. If it already is than ask for help in /zone.

I mean this in the least insulting way possible, but the solution is to learn to play.

By not allowing the players to artificially overpower their surroundings (aka, out level them), the game forces players to adopt new strategies, and learn more deeply how the game and their class works. It generally nudges players to deeper understanding of the mechanics, rather than sticking with the simpler strategies introduced at the beginning of the leveling curve. And this is a good thing. It breeds a more competent playerbase.

I realize that this conflicts with the general power fantasy that games so often strive to provide, but isn't it more fulfilling to come back to a boss and beat them because you got better at the game, and not because your numbers went up?

overwhelming force should really be the last option on your list of "strategy". The content levels with you and was tested and designed with the idea in mind you should be able to beat whatever you encounter at your level. Like others have suggested, it could be the skills you've chosen, or the gear you're wearing, or the attributes you've chosen... More info on your class, gear,skills, attributes and race could give us a better idea of where you might be struggling and we can possibly help you out with advise on what to do differently.

Some things I've encountered with my guildmates as a general offer of help;
Having both magicka and stamina abilities on your bars (in most cases, pick one and stick with it)
Getting hit hard from an attack? get yourself defensive skills, like shuffle, or shields (the magic ones like annulment)
Can't keep up the fight very long? Get some self heals, like rally or mutagen or just buy some potions
Gear yourself out, figure out what you want to do, and get the gear you need, in some cases guilds will help gear out members, or you can farm the mats yourself and get a crafter to make you a set.
If all else fails, bring a friend. You can probably also group up with someone in the area.

ProfesseurFreder wrote: »

Part of my problem is that I'm not a clever fighter. The only thing I know how to do is to get right up in their face, plant my feet on the ground, wail away at them with everything I have, take my hits and hope that I outlast my opponent. Dodging is for cleverer people than me. I can't "read" body language. I do have some ranged attacks that I try to hit them with first. But just yesterday I ran into a baddie who was able to kill me with ONE hit. Basically, if he touches me, I'm dead. And there's nothing I can do against an enemy like that.

Well that's the thing, you now have to be smarter as you can out level the enemy.

You'll have to learn to block the big attacks and dodge roll or move out of red.
Watch out for red areas on the ground, bash when red lines appear around the boss and block when yellow lines appear around boss.

Walk away from them for a bit. Try different skills and different combinations of skills against weaker opponents. Use food/drinks and potions that you pick up.

In One Tamriel you don't necessarily level up anymore but skill up. And while NPCs retain their same skill set, you'll find your a lot more powerful against them later on. You'll have more resources - health/stamina/magicka so you'll be heartier and your attacks will hit harder.

ProfesseurFreder wrote: »

Part of my problem is that I'm not a clever fighter. The only thing I know how to do is to get right up in their face, plant my feet on the ground, wail away at them with everything I have, take my hits and hope that I outlast my opponent. Dodging is for cleverer people than me. I can't "read" body language. I do have some ranged attacks that I try to hit them with first. But just yesterday I ran into a baddie who was able to kill me with ONE hit. Basically, if he touches me, I'm dead. And there's nothing I can do against an enemy like that.

Not with that attitude, you can't.

But really, your problem sounds like my main problem. See, I have really slow reaction times. Always have. Makes me crap at things like shooters that require fast reflexes.

That can be tough in this game, because the most important thing with playing a melee character is knowing that the big white lines mean "Block," the big red lines mean "Bash," and red on the ground means "Move." Sometimes, I get it in time, but about half the time I'm just a bit too slow. This game isn't the sort of MMO where you can just click lots of buttons at the enemy and win. You need to react to your opponent's moves. Otherwise, you die.

So, what I do?

Usually, I strafe in circles around the boss. It's easy, too... just keep on finger on the strafe button and it gives you a lot more time to react to their attacks as they re-situate themselves to face you. Keep moving and you stay out of the red areas and dodge directional spells. It's not perfect... you still need to block, bash, and self-heal... but it's better than standing and swinging.

Also, since I'm bad at thinking on my feet, I find it helps to prepare ahead of time. If, for example, a boss kills me with a particular summon or spell, I take a look at my skills and see if there's one that will help me against their problematic ability, and adjust my skill bar accordingly.

For example, the final boss of the Eastmarch zone was knocking me all around the field with his giant melee weapon (a sword, I think?), and my being constantly knocked down meant I never had time to heal. So, after a couple deaths, I looked at my unused skills, saw one that paralyzed an enemy for ~20 seconds as long as they didn't take damage, and put that on my bar. Sure enough, when my HP was getting low in the next attempt, I slammed that button, and he was managed for long enough for me to catch my breath and use some heals. That one, single skill changed that boss from seemingly unbeatable to completely manageable... even easy!

The point is, you don't have to be a "smart" fighter... you just have to be willing to use the tools the game gives you.

And as for the boss who killed you in one hit? Did he happen to be one of the World Bosses? The ones in the areas with the giant skulls and crossbones on the map? If so, those are specifically group bosses. Those are more of a "come back when you have a team" sort of situation than a "come back after a few levels" one.

And thanks for the info -- I've seen / noticed the red spots on the ground, but I've never noticed the other visual signals you mention. Will look out for them from here on in, but I have to look at my keyboard quite a lot, otherwise I hit the wrong keys.

When I hit the wrong keys nothing happens. When nothing happens I shout at the screen, "HIT HIM!!! WHY AREN'T YOU *HITTING* HIM?!?"

-- I always figured the red spots on the ground meant, "Hit him before he hits you." :-)