Head to head

Which one will break you first?

Two fingerprints on one grid. Both are scored through your profile, so this answers the question for you rather than for the average player.

The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim

2011 · Bethesda Game Studios

Baseline3.7MODERATE
Age of Empires II: Definitive Edition

2019 · World's Edge

Baseline6.3PUNISHING

Age of Empires II: Definitive Edition is the harder of the two for you, by 2.6 points. The gap is widest on strategy, where Age of Empires II: Definitive Edition asks considerably more than The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim. If you want the gentler run, start with The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim.

Axis by axis, biggest gap first

12.55.07.510
Strategy3.0
8.2
Learning Curve1.5
6.5
Execution1.7
4.9
Reaction2.2
4.9
Punishment2.0
3.6
Obscurity3.8
5.3
Grind5.2
4.7
Puzzle1.5
1.5
THE ELDER SCROLLS V: SKYRIMAGE OF EMPIRES II: DEFINITIVE EDITIONWIDEST GAP · STRATEGY · AGE OF EMPIRES II: DEFINITIVE EDITION +5.2

THE ELDER SCROLLS V: SKYRIM

Difficulty is a slider, and the systems are exploitable enough that a determined player can break the game open by hour five. What is left is a very long walk.

You will lose sometimes. You will not mind.

AGE OF EMPIRES II: DEFINITIVE EDITION

Build orders are the curve, and the campaigns teach almost none of what the game actually asks for. The hard AI does not forget its economy while it fights.

Sustained pressure. Progress is earned.