Well I wanted more of a challenge, this is definitely it.
I think I got so good at Sneak with my last character that I've forgotten the fact that it 1) took a long time and 2) mostly served as a way to take out the first round of opponents or even up the odds in an imminent boss fight with multiple opponents... and that was in conjunction with archery for the most part. But when push came to shove, I stood and fought melee style when and if I had to and eventually I usually had to. I almost always had non-summoned help as well.
Plus the Muffle enchantment. Gods, I miss my Muffle enchantment. I need to be on the lookout for something with that on it, IIRC it's a non-variable enchantment that doesn't depend on a high level soul gem or perks for maximum effectiveness. It would be a godsend to have it back.