Requiem completely changes how you approach early game and it's kind of brilliant

[WhiterunModder]

Just started a Requiem playthrough after years of vanilla and modded-but-not-overhaul runs, and man, the first 10 levels feel like a completely different game. You actually have to think about fights instead of just walking up and swinging. Bandits aren't free XP, they're a genuine threat if you're not careful about positioning and stamina management.

The weird part is how much it makes you appreciate the "boring" skills. I'm actually using Restoration because healing yourself mid-combat feels necessary, not like I'm gimping myself. Block perks suddenly matter. Even basic stuff like knowing when to back away from a fight instead of facetanking is tactical in a way vanilla never was.

I get why people bounce off it hard though - if you go in expecting to steamroll like normal Skyrim it's rough. But if you treat it like a survival game where you're genuinely fragile at first, it's weirdly addictive. The power progression actually feels earned instead of just watching numbers go up.

Anyone else find Requiem clicks after the first 5-10 hours or does it stay frustrating the whole time?

 

[DragonbornVet]

Requiem's definitely a different beast once it clicks. The stamina management thing is huge - vanilla Skyrim lets you just spam power attacks until everything dies, but Requiem forces you to actually think about resource economy in a fight. Miss a few swings and suddenly you're out of stamina while a bandit chief is still swinging at you.

The Restoration thing is funny because vanilla basically teaches you that healing is a waste of a spell slot when you can just chug potions, but Requiem makes you understand why it exists in the first place. Though tbh the early game can still feel brutal depending on your build - I did a mage run and got absolutely stomped by a single bandit with a bow because I had like 40 health and no mana sustain. Switched to a sword and board build and suddenly things were manageable.

Where it stays frustrating for some people is that the scaling never really goes away - even at level 40-50 you're not becoming a god, you're just becoming a competent fighter instead of a newbie. Some people want that power fantasy and Requiem just doesn't give it to them, and that's fair. But if you're the type who likes games where you stay mortal the whole time, it's genuinely one of the best overhauls out there. The first 10 hours are the real test though - if you can get past that early slog without rage-quitting, you're probably going to finish the playthrough.