Hardest Difficulty Strategy Walk-ThroughEdit
TutorialEdit
Imperial PrisonEdit
Starting out in the Tutorial Dungeon, the race the player chooses makes all the difference. A Dunmer is the most viable choice, as his Ancestor Guardian will protect the player from harm. After a short dialogue between the Emperor and the player, a secret passageway opens up.
Hang back a bit, and soon Assassins will appear. Do not get involved, and instead wait for Oblivion:Baurus and Oblivion:Glenroy to kill the Assassins. In the fight, Oblivion:Captain Renault is scripted to die, so pick up Oblivion:Renault's Akaviri Katana. Also, loot the Assassin's bodies for any potions, and Captain Renault's body for an iron shortsword to be used later.
Facing the door, jump up onto the stone ledge opposite the Rat's entry point. After the others leave, two Rats will enter the room, so cast Ancestor Guardian. Due to a possible glitch, it will usually only kill one of the Rats, so equip Flare and kill the other one.
Jump down and enter the next room. If your Ancestor Guardian is alive, just run up to the third rat, and your Ancestor Guardian will kill it. Other wise, run up and start attacking it, blocking when needed. It will be a close fight, but you should end up winning. In the is quite a bit of loot. Take everything that isn't clutter. Wait 24 hours to recharge your Ancestor Guardian, and restore your health and mana. On a goblin's body is an iron key. Use it to enter the Imperial Substructure.
Imperial SubstructureEdit
In the room is one Rat, and a chest containing iron armor. Summon your Ancestor Guardian to kill it, and then loot the chest for iron armor. Then, run down the large passageway on your left. A group of rats will run past you, followed by a Zombie. The rats are not hostile towards you, and the Ancestor Guardian will easily kill the Zombie. Return to the Imperial Prison and wait for 24 hours, then head back to the passageway.
Soon, you will encounter 3 more Rats. Summon the Ancestor Guardian, who will kill at least one rat, usually two, and three if you are lucky. Equip the shield you found in a previous area. Blocking at the right time now stumbles your opponent and protects from much more damage. Using it effectively now makes rats easy to kill. Simply stay at a distance until they lunge at you, block, and then counter-strike. You may need to block one more time, but blocking once and then attacking will usually kill it. Use this strategy for any other encounters with Rats. Retreat and wait 24 hours, you will need your Ancestor Guardian|Ancestor Guardian for the next encounter.
Continuing through the substructure, You will come to a large, well lit room. In this room are 3-5 Rats, depending on where the farthest 2 spawned. With any luck, you will only have to fight 3. Summon your Ancestor Guardian, who will kill 1-3 of the rats. If there were 5 in the room, run up to them and start attacking, using the above strategy. Your health will probably be low after this encounter, so wait for 24 hours. In the middle of the room is another shield, an iron helm, and multiple foodstuffs. Take it all and equip the helm and shield. You should now have a near complete set of iron armor. Continuing on, you will encounter 2 more rats. Kill them and proceed to the Natural Caverns.
Natural CavernsEdit
Upon entering the area, you will encounter your first Goblin. Beware, goblin are very difficult to kill. They have very fast attacks with low wind-up time, so blocking is very difficult against them. Also, even using your katana, you will only chip away at his healthbar. The best thing to do is summon your Ancestor Guardian to kill him. If the Goblin kills your Ancestor Guardian, he should be at low enough health for you to kill him. After looting this room for alchemical ingredients, enter the next room. There is another goblin here, along with a tripwire. Enter run to the tripwire and step on it, then back away quickly. 3 spiked logs will fall from the ceiling and hit the goblin, killing him instantly. Wait 24 hours to recharge your Ancestor Guardian.
In the next room are two Goblins under a stack of logs. Run up to the logs and push them, and back away quickly. If you are too slow, the Goblin will shoot at you with their bows. The logs will fall and kill the goblins. Proceed to the next area. It is a very large room with lots of enemies. It is the hardest fight in the Tutorial. Summon your Ancestor Guardian and 3 of the Goblins will attack it. The Ancestor Guardian should kill 2 of the goblins. Since you are in a much more open room, killing the last goblin should be easy enough. Retreat and wait for 24 hours, the next fight is a boss fight. The Goblin Shaman has 2 attacks. He has a lightning staff and throws fireballs at you. Both will damage you to half health, so you have to dodge them. Summon an Ancestor Guardian. It is highly unlikely that it will kill the shaman, but it should damage it. Equip flare and start casting it at him, retreating when necessary. When your health and magicka reserves get low, drink the potions you picked up while getting to this point. After looting the area, enter the Imperial Subterrane.
Imperial SubterraneEdit
The easiest part of the tutorial, all you have to do is hang back and let the Emperor, Baurus, and Glenroy kill all the enemies. When you talk to the Emperor, and he asks about your birthsign, choose the Lover. The paralyze spell is needed for later on. Continue to hang back as the other guys kill the Assassins. At some point, the Emperor will talk with you again, and then get killed. Immediately paralyze the Assassin, as otherwise he may kill you. Wait for Baurus, the only remaining companion in the room, to kill him. Afterwords, Baurus will talk to you about your class. It is best to focus equally on magic and combat, with a little bit of stealth. The most important skills you really need are Sneak, Conjuration, Heavy Armor, and Blade. Next, enter the Sewers.
SewerEdit
Within the Sewers is a plethora of enemies: 2 Goblins, and a few Rats. Due to picking up Conjuration as a major skill, you can summon a Skeleton to fight for you. This skeleton is slightly weaker than your Ancestor Guardian, but can still dispatch both of the goblins easily. If it doesn't, simply summon him again. Once you have killed all the enemies, go to the exit. Since you have the Skeleton summoning spell, you no longer need the Ancestor Guardian, so it is best if you change your race. Becoming is Breton is optimal, as they specialize in Conjuration and Restoration. As explained here, only you are affected by difficulty, so Conjuration is the most viable way to go, as your summoned creature is unaffected by it. Also, it is best to change your birthsign to the Lady. It confers a bonus to Willpower and Endurance, both of which are essential to your survival. Once that is done, leave the Sewers, and begin the game in earnest.
Joining the Mages GuildEdit
Anvil RecommendationEdit
Upon entering the Mages Guild, speak to Carahil. She will allow you join the guild. She tells you that you must get recommendations from each branch of the guild. We will start with hers. This quest involves combat, but with correct positioning, you won't be the one combating. After advancing through the quest to the point that you are walking along the road, conjure a Skeleton. When the rogue mage confronts you, the skeleton will attack her, giving you time to retreat and have your fellow battlemages attack her. Be careful. The mage will summon her own Skeleton, and will only attack you. So long as you keep your distance and dodge her spells, you won't have to worry. Afterwards, return the guild and speak with Carahil to complete the quest.
Cheydinhal RecommendationEdit
There is nothing special here. Everything is exactly the same for every difficulty level. For a walk-through, go to the quest page here.
Bruma RecommendationEdit
As with the Cheydinhal Recommendation, the Bruma Recommendation has no change in difficulty. Go to the quest page for a walk-through.
Chorrol RecommendationEdit
Again, not much of a difficulty curve, as there is little to no combat. The only place where you might fight will be on the way to Cloud Top, where you may encounter a wolf or two. You can either fight the wolf yourself or conjure a Skeleton to do it for you.
Skingrad RecommendationEdit
This is the most difficult quest yet. You are tasked with clearing out Bleak Flats Cave. It is infested with Deranged Zombies. Your weapon, or any other weapon or spell, for that matter, will barely scratch them. The only viable way to the Zombies is to summon a Skeleton. However, the Zombies are much more powerful than your skeleton, so it is necessary to summon it 4-5 times per Deranged Zombie. As you progress through the cave, don't forget to save constantly and wait for an hour after every encounter. In the last room, you will fight 2 zombies simultaneously. Having chosen Conjuration as a major skill, you should have the spell Turn Undead. Cast this on the Deranged Zombies to make your life a little easier. When hit, the zombies will no longer attack your Skeleton for 3 hits, after which you can simply recast. After killing the enemies, speak to Erthor, and return to the guild to complete the quest.
Leyawiin RecommendationEdit
This is a very difficult quest. You need to reach the end of Fort Blueblood. It is crawling with Bandits, most of which come in twos. Conjuring a Skeleton multiple times usually will do the trick. However, some of the Bandits are spellcasters. These spells deal lots of damage, so take care to avoid them. Near the end of the area, there is a group of 3 bandits. Make them aware of you and summon a Skeleton. When a bandit starts chasing you, run back to the previous passageway and step on the metal plate on the floor. The trap should kill the bandit. From there, killing the other 2 bandits using your Skeleton should be straight forward enough. When you enter the next room, you will encounter 2 Imps. By summoning another Skeleton, you can easy take care of them, as they are relatively weak. Once you take the Seer-Stone, Kalthar will appear. This is the toughest fight so far. He is very fast and strong, and will only attack you, ignoring any summoned creatures. The best way to kill him is to dodge his attacks altogether, summoning a Skeleton to hit him as he runs past, and then summoning again. Be sure to make liberal use of your potions and poisons. After you kill him, loot his body and take his key. Open the door and return to Leyawiin.
Bravil RecommendationEdit
There is no combat in this quest, and as such no difference in regards to difficulty. Go to the quest page for a full walk-through.
The Mages GuildEdit
Now that you have all the recommendations, you can enter the Mages Guild in the Imperial City.
A Mage's StaffEdit
Your first quest of the Mages Guild is extremely difficult. You are tasked with investigating Wellspring Cave. When you enter, you quickly find it is filled with Necromancers. Necromancers are very hard to kill. They will summon their own undead creature, and have spells that will kill you in 1-2 hits. For dealing with Necromancers, summon your Skeleton when you are right next to a Necromancer. Hopefully, it will attack the Necromancer and not his conjured creature. While he is attacking, start wailing on him, then repeat the process. Be very careful not to be near an enemy without a friendly conjure nearby, as a Necromancer's spells are ridiculously powerful. As you progress through the cave, and leave through the other door, you will encounter 3 Necromancers simultaneously. Immediately run northwest and jump on top of a large rock. From here, the Necromancers will pile up, unable to attack you. Equip Weak Fireball and start casting it at them, while also summoning a Skeleton. You should be able to kill 2 out of the 3 necromancers with this strategy before one finds a way up to you. When this happens, jump off the rock and run to the other side. Then, run back and jump back up to the rock, and kill the final Necromancer. Search the bodies, then take your Unfinished Staff. Return to the Arcane University. When you present your staff within the Chironasium, choose to have it imbued with the paralysis effect. This will make future boss fights much easier. Wait 24 hours and collect your staff, completing the quest.
Ulterior MotivesEdit
This is a very, very difficult quest. When you arrive in the clearing at 2 A.M., jump on top of the fence facing Skingrad. Immediately after Mercator Hosidus speaks with you, becoming hostile, jump down and run to Skingrad. You will have a bit more time because the enemies will have to run around the fence to get to you. When you enter Skingrad, you will have to rely on 4-5 Guards to kill them. However, Mercator will only attack you, so keep your distance. It is recommended you take off any armor you have on so you can move faster. Every spell cast, either from Mercator or the Necromancers will bring you down to half-health, make should you zig-zag as go.
Vahtacen's SecretEdit
First things first. Your Summon Skeleton spell is getting rather weak, so it's time to upgrade. Go to Chorrol and speak to Arathgar between 1 and 4 P.M.. He sells a Summon Dremora spell. It costs quite a bit of magicka, but packs a punch. Now, on to the quest itself. Because of your Summon Dremora, this quest is quite easy. You will only fight Ghosts and Skeletons, both of whom are killed easily by your Dremora. However, conjuring him is a strain on your Magicka reserves, so be sure to wait for an hour after every encounter. By the end of the quest, you should have killed 6-8 Ghosts and 2 Skeletons. As I said, so long as you let your Dremora do the work for you, this is a piece of cake.
Necromancer's MoonEdit
This quest involves very little combat. When you arrive at Dark Fissure, you will have to kill a Necromancer. However, the fight takes place in extremely small spaces, so this is an exercise in dodging. Summon a Dremora and then start jumping around like crazy. Hopefully you will avoid the Necromancer's spells long enough for your Dremora to kill him. Return to the Arcane University to complete the quest.
Liberation or ApprehensionEdit
This quest relatively easy. You will fight Skeletons and Necromancers for the duration. Both are easily killed by your Dremora, as he will kill the Skeletons in 3 hits and the Necromancers in 2. Nothing should give you any problems until you reach Mucianus Allias. He is unreasonanly strong, and will require you to summon a Dremora 2 to 3 times. When you encounter him, hit him to initiate the fight, then retreat, making your Dremora do all the work. It is worth mentioning that this ruin is fairly high-level, and it is not uncommon to find a full set of Steel Armor while going through it. After you kill Mucianus, return to Traven to complete the quest.
Information at a PriceEdit
This quest isn't very difficult. First, speak to the Vampire Hunters about the whereabouts of the Vampire Nest, then travel to the cave and wait for the hunters to arrive. They should kill a few of the Vampires before dying. Then, go from room to room summoning a Dremora. Be sure to save and wait after clearing a room. Speak with Count Hassildor to finish the quest.
A Plot RevealedEdit
In this quest, you will enter the Bruma Mages Guild to find it in ruins, infested by Ghosts. Immediately summon a Dremora and stay out of the way. Throughout the course of the quest you will need several Dremora. If things get out of hand, exit the guild and the Ghosts will follow, prompting the City Guards to attack. Remember wait frequently to restore your Magicka. At the end of the quest, you will encounter a single Necromancer, who will attack you and only you. It is suggested you run outside so the Guards kill her. Speak with J'skar, then return to the Arcane University to complete the quest.
The Bloodworm HelmEdit
As you enter Fort Teleman, it becomes immediately apparent that is has been overrun by Necromancers. Due to the cramped nature of the fort, it is difficult to fight. Summoning a Dremora is rarely enough to finish encounters. You will usually need to summon 2 or 3. It will soon be necessary to upgrade to a more powerful summon. Because it is so small, strafing is very difficult. As such, try to make fights happen around the corner, where they are focused on your Dremora, and you are safe from harm. At the end of the fort, you will have to an enemy Dremora. However, summoning yours once will most likely kill him. Take the Bloodworm Helm and return to the Arcane University.
The Necromancer's AmuletEdit
As you progress through the fort, something is amiss. Everything is very sinister, even though the Mages aren't attacking you. When you reach Caranya, be prepared for the hard boss fight up until now. When you finish talking with her, she will immediately conjure a creature and start attacking you. Also, all spells, hers and her conjured creature's (if she summoned a Gloom Wraith) may kill you in one hit, two at the very most. The only way to kill her presents itself when a plethora of events coincide. First, before you initiate dialogue, summon a Dremora directly next to to her. Next, immediately after closing the dialogue box, retreat, strafing and jumping, to the opposite pillar. Now is when coincidence comes into play. First, she will either summon a Gloom Wraith or a Skeleton. She must summon the Gloom Wraith. Next, instead of trying to melee you, she must instead try to hit you with spells. Lastly, she cannot use healing spells. If any of those variables is false, then the chances of killing her are greatly decreased. If she summons a Skeleton, it will either chase you, forcing you to move from cover, or attack your Dremora, dealing damage to it. If Caranya tries to chase you, she will eventually try to cast a spell, and because of the distance, it will be nearly impossible to dodge. Finally, if she uses any healing spells, the fight will last much, much longer, to the point that you will be low on health and out of magicka, whereas she will no longer have to contend with your Dremora, and you will be running in circles waiting for your magicka to regenerate.
Retracing your steps back to the over-world is easy enough. However, all the Mages have turned into Necromancers. They are easy enough to kill by summoning a Dremora. However, be sure to only fight them one at a time. A large part of dealing with Necromancers is that they focus on your Dremora instead of you. Upon completing the quest, you will be eligible for the rank of Master-Wizard, the second-highest rank, short of Arch-Mage.
AmbushEdit
By now you should have mastered the art of killing Necromancers. Proceed through the ruins killing all of the Necromancers you see. When you reach Falcar, you will be faced with a nigh insurmountable boss battle, unless you use an exploit. Falcar is fast and damage-heavy. He will only focus on you unless you are out of his line of sight whilst your Dremora is. Going head to head with him, even with a Dremora, is guaranteed suicide. The only viable way to kill him involves run from one side of a wall to the other. When you encounter Falcar, summon a Dremora and quickly retreat behind the wall behind you. Falcar should still be focused on your Dremora. When it disappears, he will run towards you. Summon another and retreat further, behind the corner near the door to the main room of Silorn. Before that Dremora dies, run back to the first spot you encountered him. When the Dremora disappears, summon him again. Repeat this until Falcar is dead, then loot his body and return to the Arcane University, where you will be appointed Arch-Mage.
Confront the KingEdit
Before attempting to kill Mannimarco, it is of the utmost importance that you complete Vaermina's Daedric quest. The reward is the Skull of Corruption. It is extremely effective at killing bosses, and Mannimarco is most difficult yet. After completing the quest, go to Echo Cave. It is fairly small, populated by Necromancers, who are relatively easy to kill. Just be sure to dodge their spells. When you reach Mannimarco, be prepared for the hardest boss fight yet to be very easy. Right before talking to him, summon a Dremora. Directly after talking with him, hit him the Skull of Corruption. His clone will summon a creature and they will both attack Mannimarco. Mannimarco's conjure may either attack them or you, so be careful. In an ideal world, this will be a 6-man battle. You have Mannimarco and his conjure, his clone and his conjure, and you and your conjure. Hopefully, everyone will be fighting each other. When the clone or your Dremora dies, simply conjure them again. They will be so pre-occupied that you are never targeted. After about 40 seconds, Mannimarco should be dead. Now, simply sustain yourself and run out the clock, waiting for the clone to die. After looting the body and returning to the Arcane Univeristy, you will be officially crowned Arch-Mage.
The Fighters GuildEdit
A Rat ProblemEdit
After all you have been through with the Mages Guild, the first few quests in the Fighters Guild are so easy it isn't even funny. In this quest, you are tasked with killing 6 Mountain Lions. They have a good amount of health, but do very little damage. The first and last ones you encounter will be alone, and simply summoning a Dremora will easily take care of them. When you and Pinarus Inventius go out hunting for the other 4, simply hang back and let him kill them. So long as they focus on Inventius, you should be in the clear. You don't even need to summon a Dremora. Pinarus will kill them all. When given the option of either ratting out Quill-Weave, do not do so. An extra Acrobatics level is more useful than an extra Personality level.
The Unfortunate ShopkeeperEdit
This is also a very easy quest. When fighting the burglars, summon a Dremora to do it for you. Should you get overwhelmed for some reason, simply exit the store. If they stay inside, wait for and hour and return. If they follow you, run to a guard and have him kill them. Speak to Norbert Lelles, and then to Azzan to complete the quest.
The Desolate MineEdit
This quest is also fairly easy. So long as you hang back and let the others kill the Goblins for you, you should be just fine. However, you should be noticing that your Summon Dremora spell isn't doing very well. In fact, you need to cast about once per Goblin. After clearing the cave, go to Athragar in the Chorrol Mages Guild. Proceed to buy the Summon Frost Atronach. He is quite the Magicka hog, but by now, your Willpower should be high enough to counter-act that.
Unfinished BusinessEdit
To clear the cave, summon your Frost Atronach to kill your enemies. Due to his sizable amount of health, he should be able to get the job done. However, it is worth mentioning that because of his large stature, he is very immobile. He is very slow, and will often be unable to pass through doorways. Also, if he corners an enemy, he may continue to run into him, unable to get in attack range. If this happens, summon a Dremora instead. However, this should not be a problem in exterior cells or large interior cells.
Drunk and DisorderlyEdit
Throughout your travels, you should have killed quite a few ghosts. Hopefully you collected their Ectoplasm, as you need to five. If you have 5, this quest will take all of 2 minutes. However, if you don't, going to the Ectoplasm page will give you a list of some prominent places to find the Ethereal Undead. Same as with most other encounters, the easiest way to kill them is to hide behind a summoned creature whilst they kill them for you.
Den of ThievesEdit
Again, a very easy one. This time, you have Maglir on your side. He is fairly weak, with low damage and health. However, he still deals and takes 6x as much damage as you can, so he is still a very useful companion. The Bandits you fight have very low health themselves, and it is very unlikely you will ever have the need to wait or save. Should you want to, you can delay finishing this quest, in which case Maglir will follow you indefinitely, as he is unkillable. For purposes pertaining to making a walk-through you don't need to follow quest-by-quest, this guide will not do that. However, should you wish to, it is not recommended against, so feel free to. It should be noted, though, that while you don't need to follow the guide quest-by-quest, it assumes that you do. This means that late-guide will equal late-game, and as such, it is not recommended you skip very far ahead.
Amelion's DebtEdit
There are 2 ways to complete this quest, one combat free, should you decide to fork over 1000 gold. The other involves you raiding a fairly easy family tomb. For the purposes of the guide, this will cover the raid. Inside are some Zombies, and a variety Skeletons. Neither should give you any trouble. Simply summon your Frost Atronach to kill them for you. It should be noted that in the very last room of the dungeon, there is something of a Skeleton boss. He deals significantly more damage and takes more to. However, he usually can't stand up to your Atronach. If he comes out on top, simply summon another.
The Master's SonEdit
This quest is more difficult than the others, but not by much, especially since you have a companion. Inside are a couple of Orges and some Trolls. Same as with most other enemies, summon a Frost Atronach to deal with them. Your companion, Viranus Donton, is actually pretty strong, although he has rather low health and a bad habit of running into multiple enemies at once and getting knocked unconscious almost immediately. He is a good distraction at best, and at worst he makes every enemy in the area start to attack you. After clearing the cave, return to complete the quest.
More Unfinished BusinessEdit
For this quest, you need to obtain 10 Imp Gall. If you don't have 10 already, go to Robber's Glen Cave. Inside are exactly 12 Imps and 1 chest containing Imp Gall. Killing the Imps is simply enough, just be careful, as their spells pack a punch. Summon a Frost Atronach to kill them for you. It should only take it 2 or 3 hits to kill one. After obtaining all 10, go back and complete the quest.
Azani BlackheartEdit
You must clear 2 Alyeid Ruins. The first contains nothing more than some Rats and Mudcrabs. Once you enter Atatar, however, you are quickly greeted by Bandits and Bandit Hedge Wizards. They are relatively easy to kill. It is recommended that you follow Modryn Oreyn into the ruins, but if you don't, it is easy to clear the place yourself. Azani Blackheart himself is rather easy, too. He is always wearing Elven Armor, and uses a claymore. He will summon Ghosts to aid him. So long as you summon your Frost Atronach, this is a rather easy fight. Afterwards, take his Elven Armor and Ring. The armor is probably the best you have seen so far, so put it on. Return to Modryn Oreyn to complete the quest.
The Wandering ScholarEdit
This quest is rather difficult, and easy to fail. When you enter Brittlerock Cave and speak to the scholar, she will ask you to escort you throughout the cave. Be very careful when you fight. The Daedra themselves are no match for your summoned Frost Atronach, but neither is Elante. She is a non-essential NPC, so she can be killed. She also has a bad habit of getting in the way. There is a high chance of her becoming hostile to your Atronach or vice versa, in which case they start to fight each other. She can only stand one or two hits, so summon another to make the hostile one disappear. If she dies, the quest will update telling you to talk to Azzan. The quest will be completed, but you will get no reward.
The FugitivesEdit
This quest relatively simple. You are tasked with finding 4 fugitives. As with most enemies, summoning a Frost Atronach will kill them easily. However, they have considerably more health, and do more damage, than your average Bandit, so keep your distance. Also, be areful the traps laid throughout the cave.
Trolls of Forsaken MineEdit
In the Forsaken Mine, there are lots of Trolls. As with the others, it is best to simply summon an Frost Atronach to kill them. Be careful, they are good at charging, and if they get you in their sights, you had better run. Due to the close quarters of the cave, and the large stature of your Frost Atronach, one viable strategy is to summon him in the opening of a passage. He will block the enemies from getting by.
The Noble's DaughterEdit
You are tasked with killing 3 Ogres. This is pretty easy, as they will all focus on your Frost Atronach. However, they have lots of health, and deal pretty high damage. For the first time since getting the spell, you will need to summon the Atronach multiple times to kill them all.
Mystery at Harlun's WatchEdit
Here you will be fighting Will-o-the-Wisps and some Trolls. The Trolls are fairly run of the mill, but the Will-o-the-Wisps are rather difficult to kill. Namely, they have lots of health and can only be killed by Silver or Enchanted weapons. This means that leading them into town for the City Guards to kill will usually end up with lots of the townspeople dead. Summoning a Frost Atronach, then running into the cave is usually the best option, as they will not follow you in.
The Stone of St. AlessiaEdit
Within the ruins of Sedor are quite a few Ogres. They are like any other, so this should not prove to be a difficult quest. You can be in and out in a matter of minutes. Simply summon a Frost Atronach to kill them, then go and take the stone.
Information GatheringEdit
This is a very rewarding quest. All you will face here are some Bandits, albeit bandits decked out in armor that very clearly outranks yours. Simply conjuring a Frost Atronach will do the trick. Almost 90% of the bandits are carrying an enchanted piece of armor, so be sure to loot their bodies. It should be noted that when confronted with wearing one of two of the same type of armor, go for any enchantment that protects you from damage, has a Chamleon enchantment, or fortifies one of your major skills. After bringing back Ajum-Kajin for interrogation, the quest will be completed.
InfiltrationEdit
This is very fast, easy quest. When you arrive at Water's Edge, enter the three houses and dispose of the Goblins in each. Let your 3 companions take care of the dozens outside.
The HistEdit
This is a pretty climactic final quest. When you enter the Blackwood Headquarters, they all turn hostile almost immediately. They are very strong. Your best bet is conjure a Frost Atronach, then run around around, trying not to get hit. Once they are all dead, enter the next room. When you exit, another member will appear. Kill him and take his key. Use it to enter the next room. There will be another Company Member. Kill him and take his key. Go to the basement and then exit right after. The mages will follow you. Conjure another Atronach and stay out of the way. Once you have killed them, destroy the Hist Tree and return to Chorrol.
Daedric QuestsEdit
VaerminaEdit
It is recommended you finish this quest as soon as possible. The reward, the Staff of Corruption]] is extremely powerful, especially when used on bosses. It is a near mandatory item when fighting extremely difficult bosses like Mannimarco. In fact, it is suggested, if you are following the guide, to finish this quest right before the Confront the King quest. When you arrive at Arkved's Tower, you will fight quite a few Daedra. If you are doing this quest at the recommended time (level 5 -7), they should be fairly easy, just some Stunted Scamps and Clannfear Runts. Simply conjure a Dremora and retreat, letting him kill them for you. Be careful not to let the Clannifer Runts target you, however, as they are rather fast and strong. While it does take them 2 hits to kill you, the first has a high chance of stumbling you, opening you up for the killing blow. When you enter Arkved's bedroom, enter sneak mode and take the Orb of Vaermina. Then sneak out and return the shrine.
Level 10 - God ModeEdit
Once you hit level 10, it is possible to do pretty much everything as if you were in god mode. First, you need to acquire 4 Grand Souls. Because creatures with Grand Souls don't appear until level ~25, you'll need to find gems that are empty or pre-filled with grand souls. Convert the Empty Grand Soul Gems into Black Soul Gems, and kill NPCs to fill them. Next, go to the Shadow Stone and obtain its power. This will allow you to enchant items with chameleon. Now, get 4 un-enchanted apparel. You will have 2 unused slots after you get the set. You will be wearing the Ring of Khajiiti, so don't enchant 2 other rings. Once you have enchanted 4 pieces of armor with chameleon, using the grand souls, go to Meridia's Shrine. Complete her quest to get the Ring of Khajiit. Now that you have 115% chameleon, you will enter sub-god mode. Go to Nocturnal's Shrine and complete her quest, giving you the Skeleton Key. Now for a little icing on top. This is optional but will make your life easier. If you have Mehrunes Razor official plug-in, complete that now. After obtaining Mehrunes Razor, you can kill everyone rather easily. However, it is a huge gold hog. It usually has a 6% chance to instantly kill, so you'll need to recharge it often. It has 8000 charge, so stock up on soul gems and varla stones or else be prepared to dish out 8000 gold every half hour.
You are now in god mode. You can do anything (with 115% chameleon), go anywhere (with the Skeleton Key), and kill anything (with Mehrunes Razor)
Hardest Difficulty StrategiesEdit
CombatEdit
Combat on the hardest difficulty is extremely difficult early and late game. Mid-game and end-game, however, are extremely easy.
Early-GameEdit
For the early-game, every encounter is a a fight in sustainability. You are usually find yourself out of fatigue, magicka, and health. It is important to have large reserves of potions at your disposal. The use of conjuration is not only recommended, it is everything but required. Your summoned creature isn't affected by difficulty. It can withstand 6 times as much damage as you, and even if you use the same attack, does 6 times as much damage itself. Immediately after combat initiation, summon a creature. Use it as a both your weapon and your armor. Stay behind it, but don't be afraid move to get into a better position. When dealing with multiple enemies, do everything you can to avoid damage. Cast a Turn Undead spell, jump around and strafe, stay far enough away that they can't melee you.
Mid-GameEdit
This is much easier than early-game. If you have been using Conjuration as your go-to combat skill, it should have been mastered several times over. Ideally, you have large reserves of magicka and potions. Your Conjuration spell is of master level. Your conjure can kill enemies in a couple of hits. However, you will start to fight bosses, so it is important you get some Daedric Artifacts. The Skull of Corruption is essential, Sanguine's Rose is great for when you run out of magicka, and the Ring of Khajiiti is amazing for letting you bypass encounters and avoid combat altogether. When fighting a boss such as Mannimarco, don't be afraid to fight dirty. Get the first hit, summon a creature, get a clone out there. Do everything in your power to overwhelm him.
Late-GameEdit
This is a very difficult, but still easier than early-game. Your conjured don't do as much as before, and you find yourself summoning 2 or 3 per fight. Now is the time to focus on buffing your character to the point that he almost never takes damage. You already have the Ring of Khajiiti, so get four grad souls. This can be obtained by barter, loot, or their pre-destined spawn points. If they have a grand soul in them, good. If they don't go to Dark Fissure and perform the Art of the Covenant to turn them into black soul gems. Enchant 4 items with chameleon. Now, enemies will never attack you. Unfortunately, your conjures will never attack your enemies, either. Hotkey an enchanted item, and take it off then re-equip it to initiate combat. Now, focus on Hand-to-Hand combat. Fisticuffs are your own little paralysis spell. During a long fight, your fists should be able to knock the enemies down 2 or 3 times.