Difficulty mod combo had opposite effect

[Earrindo]

So I have been laboring at my mod list for weeks now, starting new games, trying them out, finding that sweet spot that made the game feel new, challenging but familiar without adding anything overtly different but instead either adding stuff behind the scenes or in a very vanilla friendly way.

 

I shook things up a little bit this last time and it seems to have bitten me in the butt. I tried to put together a set of mods to increase the challenge of the game (and I play as a mage almost exclusively so thats not exactly tough) and now it seems like the game got too easy. I am on Legendary difficulty setting mind you, so NPCs should be stupid tough, but instead my flames spell knocks down groups of bandits like bowling pins.

If someone more astute than me could take a look at my list and tell me what happened to have such a drastically opposite impact on my game I would be much obliged.

 

• Skyrim.esm Active
• Update.esm Active
• Dawnguard.esm Active
• HearthFires.esm Active
• Dragonborn.esm Active
• ApachiiHair.esm Active
• ApachiiHairMales.esm Active
• ETaC - RESOURCES.esm Active
• Lanterns Of Skyrim - All In One - Main.esm Active
• SPIKE.esm Active
• HighResTexturePack01.esp Active
• HighResTexturePack02.esp Active
• HighResTexturePack03.esp Active
• Unofficial Skyrim Patch.esp Active
• Unofficial Dawnguard Patch.esp Active
• Unofficial Hearthfire Patch.esp Active
• Unofficial Dragonborn Patch.esp Active
• Unofficial High Resolution Patch.esp Active
• Better Dynamic Snow.esp Active
• StaticMeshImprovementMod.esp Active
• StaticMeshImprovementMod-DragonbornTernFix.esp Active
• Lanterns Of Skyrim - All In One - RCRN Pure.esp Active
• UnlimitedBookshelves.esp Active
• Point The Way.esp Active
• Skyrim Flora Overhaul.esp Active
• SFO - Expanded Diversity.esp Active
• RaceMenu.esp Active
• vAutosaveManager.esp Active
• SkyUI.esp Active
• iHUD.esp Active
• HarvestOverhaulDawnguardDragonborn.esp Active
• HarvestOverhaulCreaturesDawnguardHearthfireDragonborn.esp Active
• YASH_DroppableQuestItems.esp Active
• YASH_ImprovedClasses.esp Active
• YASH_SmithingRecipes.esp Active
• DeadlyDragons.esp Active
• ERSO 02 - EFMS vanilla heights.esp Active
• ERSO 02.1 - Realistic Animal Loots.esp Active
• ERSO 04 - Mighty Odahviing.esp Active
• ERSO 04.2 - Mighty Durnehviir.esp Active
• ERSO 07 - Mighty Dragon Priests.esp Active
• ERSO 08 - RUS-00 Main plus Dawnguard Dragonborn.esp Active
• ERSO 08.1 - ERSO SUPER MIRAAK.esp Active
• ERSO 08.2 - ERSO SUPER HARKON.esp Active
• ERSO 09 - Vendor Trainer Quest-giver protected USKP.esp Active
• ERSO 09.1 - Essential Children.esp Active
• ERSO 14 - Vendors richer and Inns more expensive.esp Active
• ERSO 14.06 - Vendor Only Minor Enchanted Weapons Armors.esp Active
• ERSO 28 - Killmoves G.esp Active
• ESFCompanions.esp Active
• Gildergreen Regrown.esp Active
• ResearchThief.esp Active
• Run For Your Lives.esp Active
• When Vampires Attack.esp Active
• Guard Dialogue Overhaul.esp Active
• NeutralHjerim.esp Active
• aMidianborn_Skyforge_Weapons.esp Active
• ETaC - Villages Complete.esp Active
• ETaC - Morthal.esp Active
• Brevi_MoonlightTales.esp Active
• Spell Levitate.esp Active
• Improved Dragon Shouts.esp Active
• Improved Dragon Shouts - Dawnguard.esp Active
• Improved Dragon Shouts - Dragonborn.esp Active
• EmpoweredMagic.esp Active
• EmpoweredMagic_Dawnguard.esp Active
• Enhanced Soul Trap.esp Active
• EmpoweredMagic_Dragonborn.esp Active
• ACE Realistic Fighting.esp Active
• DragonCombatOverhaulDragonborn.esp Active
• Beards.esp Active
• Brows.esp Active
• Iridum Eyes NRT.esp Active
• ethereal_elven_overhaul.esp Active
• BHWarPaints.esp Active
• Star Elf Skintones.esp Active
• WATER.esp Active
• WATER DB.esp Active
• Waves.esp Active
• hardenedfalmer-cnhf.esp Active
• Bashed Patch, 0.esp Active
• Automatic Variants.esp Active
• ASIS-Dependency.esp Active
• ASIS.esp Active

any advice would be much appreciated. I am honestly stumped.

[prod80]

I think ASIS is to blame... depending on how it's installed it will put Encounter zones... making NPC's in certain area's a certain level (instead of scaled against the player).

 

So yea, if your a stupidly overpowered mage facing lvl 1-10 NPC's they'll drop to the ground by looking angry at them.

[Earrindo]

so the encounter zones set by ERSO are getting overridden by those set in ASIS? damn, I was really wanting to keep ASIS... I'll give it a go without ASIS then.

My mage isnt OP though, he is still lvl 1, lol

[prod80]

If you're lvl 1 yourself it's definitely not encounter zone related...

 

something is buffing your spell damage and another thing is probably debuffing the NPCs... I personally use Skyrim Redone, which is great but not perfect (ASIS is much better at what it does compared to SkyRe's option... heck, in the newest version of SkyRe it must be used with ASIS together)

 

SkyRe makes the game pretty tough tho (in more than just dmg)... I had to go from Master to Adept and use a follower not to get my butt handled to me on every second NPC.

[Earrindo]

the problem I have with skyre is it changes too much, stuff I dont feel needs to be changed.

If it isnt encounter zones then I dont suppose you have any other theories about what is causing such a drastic lowering of difficulty?

[prod80]

not really... but you can try and find it out by disabling all mods related in one way or another to spells (& damage or NPCs).

 

Start new game -> make a test save after you got unbound -> console coc BleakFallsBarrow01 ... go kill those NPCs and check damage

 

Then quit game, enable a mod, open your save, coc to bleak falls barrow again, check again... until you found the mod which pumps the damage up (those NPCs should actually kick your butt, you being there on level 1 :p)

[Earrindo]

I have a game save from before I added any magic, combat or AI mods, so I will do as you suggest. After running Helgen about 60 times the past month the thought of doing it again makes me a little queasy, lol

Thats what I get for altering my lineup at the last minute hehe

[Earrindo]

ok, so

 

it seems that the combination of ERSO 08, ACE Combat, ASIS and YASH improved classes was the problem.

 

I just did a last round of tests and it seems YASH overrides the difficulty increases of ERSO 08, ACE Combat and ASIS, because those three together are awesome, super challenging. Add YASH in and boom, NPCs are like wet tissue paper. If the combo of those three werent so tricky I would try and make the YASH classes plugin compatible, but for now I will just leave it out.

 

Hopefully this will help someone else but either way, thanks for the help ^_^