How hard is Alduin? Do I need a high level to beat him?

[Dubnoman]

I had to restart the game a few of times. I'm thinking of playing the game but not investing a lot of time into it like I did in the past. It is the best way to play the game (take your time and explore and do many quests and dungeons), but playing the game this way is very time consuming and after investing so much time into the game only to have restarted a few times...I just don't want to clock in another few hundred hours into this game. After last restarting, I got to level 3 and then put the game down for months.

I never beat the main questline yet. I'm thinking of picking up the game again and this time actually beating the main questline. I'd like to beat the main questline, the companions questline, and I think I'll side with the imperials and do that questline. I'll go around looking for dragon walls and do dungeons for those, and I'll do some quests, but not a large percentage of them. I'll probably do quests mainly in the holds that have the following capitals: Whiterun, Falkreath, Riften, Solitude, and Markarth. I find the swampy region and the snowy places to not be all that interesting.

So I have a question. Do I need to be high level to beat Alduin? Is he really hard? Enemies scale to your level. Does Alduin? Even if he doesn't, I'm worried I'll need to get to a high level anyway to pump up my health. The thing is, I'm going to play a warrior character, but I won't have high grade weapons and armor. I'm going to play a female nord who wears chainmail armor (from a mod). This armor isn't too effective, either. I'll use a steel shield and I'll go for skyforge steel weapons as soon as I can. Probably just mostly use a skyforge steel sword, maybe use a skyforge steel mace (from a mod) to mix things up.

So with a kinda weak armor and weapons that aren't too powerful, will Alduin be really hard for me, or should I be able to defeat him with a moderately placed level? I don't think I'll get to too high of a level and I won't power level. Maybe I'll be fine if I put the difficulty on easy for him? I'd rather do that if I save him for last and find him too hard and don't want to raise several levels just to have the health to beat him. I plan to play the game on normal since my weapons and armor are only mid-range or mid-low range.

 

Also, when I level up, I should just pump most increases in health. What should I pump my stamina up to? Only 150? I won't need to invest in magicka.

[Exoaria]

I think when Bethesda created Skyrim, they assumed that new players would instinctively follow the questline. You can do what you want, but the game will never limit you and if the quest couldn't be done at low levels then it wouldn't be available. I'd suggest going with the flow, don't worry too much about your level because that breaks a lot of immersion. If you have to take the time to level up a bit, just casually do smithing and alchemy wherever you can. Heal with a restoration spell as opposed to a potion from time to time and experiment with different types of weapons; you'll be a decent level in no time.

In answer to your question though, I think Alduin is an easy fight in itself. Going straight through the main quest you could get him down on Adept difficulty but you can always tone it down a bit if you're having trouble with it. Effectively you could beat Alduin as a level 1 on easy, not to mention you'll get plenty of weapons and abilities along the way.

[Dubnoman]

Okay, it is good to hear that I can kind of speed through the game. I don't know if I'll really speed through the game. It is just that, I've invested so much time into the game but haven't done much for questlines and I'd like to pick up the game again and this time play through some questlines; including the main questline. I just don't want to be real thorough in that play through. Skyrim is a very time consuming game. I'd like to beat it and move on to some other games.