Skyrim Mechanics: How does enemy level scaling work?

[targren]

So I know that baddies get stronger as you do, but how? Is it just more damage and HP, or do they get all the buffs you do (HP/Stamina/Magicka)? I'm trying to figure out when the hell it's 'safe' for me to go to those places "too dangerous for a low level character."

I'm guessing one of those places is the 7000 steps. I was following the primary quest and about level 8, I think, when I met that damn troll. Being a bash-happy, sword-n-board Norn thought-I-was-badass, I had no real magic other than "Flames" which didn't do much but make that damn frost troll giggle madly as he pulled my manly bits off via my nostrils. He brushed off my sneaky arrows like nothing (and they were nothing, since he'd regenned the damage by the time he reached me) and cleaved through my steel armor like it was butter.

After 5 pathetic tries, I just sprinted past all the way to the friggin' tower. Stupid troll.

So what's the trick?

 

[zf6hellion]

I don't think there is any real level scaling...

Those Frost Trolls that kicked your face in? They haven't been a problem for me since I was level 20. Forsworn, Bandits, Mercenaries, can't hold a candle to me in a fight anymore, and Dragons are more or less childs play.

*shrug*

 

[ResonanceGames]

There is definitely some scaling going on, but it's much more subtle than Oblivion's. I believe that the game has some monsters that are way above your level spawn right from the beginning, but locks any dungeons you visit to the level you were at when you entered them.

I'm not sure how much certain creatures gain in terms of HP and abilities as you level up, but I don't think it's a lot, if any. I've noticed that Draugrs go down super easily now that I'm pushing level 30, but the game spawns more of them, as well as stronger versions of them like the Draugr Wight. So I think it's more about spawning more powerful enemies than increasing the power of enemies that you were already encountering.

 

[Furioso]

How it works is that you will see stronger versions of an enemy, such as a frost dragon, as you go on, but you will also continue to see the weaker versions all over, like how I keep running into wolves when snow bears are about, which fixes the huge issue Oblivion had where suddenly every single bandit had somehow gotten access to daedric armor

 

[Genibus]

There's brackets of enemies for each type.

For example, Bandits appear everywhere they are to be had at the very start.

When you are in the level range 1-5, but when you go past 5 Bandit Outlaws start to appear.

Then between this bracket Outlaw(5) to Thug(9) to Highwayman(14) and so on.

And the stat boosts jump significantly between these brackets making it so that if you haven't been training your core combat stats you will perform severely under par.

But its not hard scaled like every enemy in Oblivion was.



Although there are certain bosses and NPCS that do scale with every level in this game, but they are few and far between.

 

[CrustyOatmeal]

i remember seeing an interview with one of the staff that explained it this way

each area has a specific level scale associated with it. say dungeon A has a scale from level 10-20. when the player first enters the area the scale becomes locked, so dungeon A would be level 10 if you reached it when your character was level 6 or it would be level 20 if your character was level 27 when he found it. this way each area has a set degree of enemy difficulty that forces low level players to stay away while making high level players breeze through easy areas. they also said that the loot found was determined on the scales level and not the player level; so a low level character that manages to loot a high level dungeon will receive loot better than what he would normally receive, thus offering a reward for players that tough it out through superior dungeons

im not sure if this idea was implemented or if it was just some "creative" reporting but its what i heard

 

[Jabberwock xeno]

I'm not sure.

Some places say that once you enter a dungeon, it becomes "locked" to be scaled to how leveled you were when you first entereted it.

Other places say the same, but that locations have a min and max level range, so if you enter a dungeon with a level range of 40 - 50 when you are level 7, it would locked to level 40.

I wish there was a concrete answer.

 

[Jandau]

There is scaling.

Some places and enemies have a minimum level bellow which they don't scale. Also, no matter how high your level, you'll always meet some low level enemies. So while your level 45 character will run into Deathlords in every Draugr dungeon, he'll still run into all the lesser versions as well (and one-shot them). Named and special enemies will scale thier stats as well most of the time. Enemy items don't scale too much, so you won't be meeting Bandits in full Daedric armor, but at high levels you'll meet tougher Bandits with the occasional Dwarven or Elven item.

All in all, it's less of a problem than in Oblivion, but it can creep up on you. Your level 40 mage might be slicing through a dungeon without braking a sweat, only to be confronted with a Draugr Overlord whose Fus Ra Doh knocks you across the room and by the time you get up two Deathlords have murdered you like a legless bunny...

Another problem is if you powerlevel non-combat skills, you might find yourself unable to deal with the enemies. Skilling Pickpocket will level you up just as fast as One-Handed and isn't really any help in a fight. You should try not to let your non-combat skills outpace your combat skills too much. Except crafting skills, that shit is OP...

 

[seraphy]

It works badly. Much better than on Oblivion, but still badly.