Katastrophe
King of Tales
I have, as I've stated here many times before, a horrible disease that all but forces me to reroll new characters in Skyrim on an almost weekly basis. To put this in perspective, I have owned the game and all DLC since their launch day (Xbox 360) and have yet to get past level 36 or complete any major quest line. It's bad, folks. But lately, as the new generation of consoles hurtles towards us... I feel the need to finally just buckle down and go nuts. So I've limited my choices down to two - something I call the 'Ezio Build', one that I've been slowly working on for nearly a year, and new one which I'm calling the 'True Nord'. Both of these builds are pretty finalized, except for some last minute details that I want the community's help with.
So please give them a read (or use them if you like!) and just... help me add the finishes touches. I'm looking to start the new character tonight, if possible, so speedy replies are preferred. Otherwise, I might start one and then the other later and roll both for awhile. If you have any questions, feel free to ask.
Also, as a general note for both... which do you prefer? Do you start a game and follow your friend to Riverwood and jump into the main quest, or do you go your separate ways? And if so, do you go to Falkreath (a lot of early game stuff, like you first house, can be completed here) or do you go to some other town? Lately, I've been opting to go to Falkreath first but I usually don't find a reason to go to Riverwood until around level 20 and, sadly, that means no dragons for some time.
So, the builds...
The Ezio Build:
Description:
Since Day One, thanks to Skyrim's lack of suitable polearms for a Dragoon class (no, I won't use a Great Axe or the Headsman's Axe and pretend), the assassin style has one I've always gone back to. It's my staple build and is the build that I got to level 36 with. But it had one fatal flaw - it was a glass cannon. Any forced encounter (read: melee combat) meant I was getting my digital ass handed to me. So I rebuilt it, initially using magic to counter this - once with Illusion and once with Destruction/Restoration (a bit of an Assassin/Demonhunter hybrid)... however, I found that unless you quickly went to the Mage's College (something that, in character, I couldn't justify), by around level 20, your spells were suddenly less effective at doing much of anything. It wasn't until a few weeks ago that I came to the painfully obvious realization that Ezio (and for those more familiar with AC3, Connor) didn't start as an assassin; he learned to fight first. Thus, it dawned on me that if I focused on leveling one handed and light armor first, while incorporating archery and sneak (hunting/stealing), I could build a foundation onto to which the art of assassination could be added.
Basic Perk Spread
I won't spend a lot of time describing why I chose what I did, but know that I absolutely hate pretty much every tree's final perk because of how stupidly OP I feel they are. I mean, Bullseye gives you a 15% chance of paralyzing your target for a few seconds, during which time you're more than likely able to get off enough shots to paralyze it again... silly. I didn't invest much into Light Armor almost entirely based on the fact that I never wear a helmet because... well, for style reasons. That, and with the perks put into Alchemy and Enchanting (which I would have taken anyways), I can craft gear (Smithing perks yet placed because I dunno what I'd wear yet) that would still allow me to hit the armor cap with relative ease.
The Problem:
I dunno how to expand. Do I study a school of magic like Illusion to act as Assassin's Creed like smokebombs/money drops, something like Restoration to heal my wounds and aid against the undead. Alteration to boost my defense in combat? Destruction to create walls and runes to help protect me or lay traps?
The other problem stems from the Dawnguard DLC. I'm unsure whether to forfeit the Dwarven Crossbow/special bolts and become a vampire with Vampire Lord, or to take the bow? The one time I played up to the Vampire Lord part, I thought it was overpowered. I could just drain health and out run anything that tried to come at me, but for big bosses, it could prove incredibly useful. But if I did go for a vampire, I'd want to specialize in one element of magic based on what type of vampire I aim to be. If you aren't aware, there are several types of vampires in Tamriel, some specializing in paralyze, others in frost magic, etc.
The True Nord:
Description:
This build is strongly based off the Companions (Aela in particular) and is something that I feel would be very fun and easy to play, but also fit very well into the general theme of the game and it's backstory. Although I say it's a 'True Nord', the race isn't a requirement, but would do well. This one is very rough as it is almost entirely open-ended. The build focuses primarily around Aela's style - use archery at a distance, and fight up close when you can. I'd primarily be utilizing the 'Ancient Nord' armor and weapons although the Wolf Armor and Nordic Carved are also entirely viable. All three would most likely have a mannequin in my home. Oh, and it also involves being a Werewolf and using the 'Ring of Hircine' to get infinite transformations.
Basic Perk Spread
This is all pretty obvious. The bonuses in sneak are entirely to benefit Archery when possible, although I'd be willing to cut back the perks in sneak (to nothing) and Archery since it's not a major aspect (or at least, shouldn't be) to the style of play. Also important to note is that all the Block perks are spent for bashing - blocking with the one handed sword. No shield here. And, once again, perks in Heavy Armor are minimal because helmets suuuuuck. Although I'm told Nordic Carved with an Adept Hood looks pretty dope.
The Problem:
Again, I'm unsure how to expand this build out. It's going to primarily focus on melee combat and using the Lycanthropy ability as a bit of a panic button or for big bosses. I'm unsure of what would really fit with the whole 'True Nord' concept. Would magic be applicable, and if so, what? Frost? Restoration?
So please give them a read (or use them if you like!) and just... help me add the finishes touches. I'm looking to start the new character tonight, if possible, so speedy replies are preferred. Otherwise, I might start one and then the other later and roll both for awhile. If you have any questions, feel free to ask.
Also, as a general note for both... which do you prefer? Do you start a game and follow your friend to Riverwood and jump into the main quest, or do you go your separate ways? And if so, do you go to Falkreath (a lot of early game stuff, like you first house, can be completed here) or do you go to some other town? Lately, I've been opting to go to Falkreath first but I usually don't find a reason to go to Riverwood until around level 20 and, sadly, that means no dragons for some time.
So, the builds...
The Ezio Build:
Description:
Since Day One, thanks to Skyrim's lack of suitable polearms for a Dragoon class (no, I won't use a Great Axe or the Headsman's Axe and pretend), the assassin style has one I've always gone back to. It's my staple build and is the build that I got to level 36 with. But it had one fatal flaw - it was a glass cannon. Any forced encounter (read: melee combat) meant I was getting my digital ass handed to me. So I rebuilt it, initially using magic to counter this - once with Illusion and once with Destruction/Restoration (a bit of an Assassin/Demonhunter hybrid)... however, I found that unless you quickly went to the Mage's College (something that, in character, I couldn't justify), by around level 20, your spells were suddenly less effective at doing much of anything. It wasn't until a few weeks ago that I came to the painfully obvious realization that Ezio (and for those more familiar with AC3, Connor) didn't start as an assassin; he learned to fight first. Thus, it dawned on me that if I focused on leveling one handed and light armor first, while incorporating archery and sneak (hunting/stealing), I could build a foundation onto to which the art of assassination could be added.
Basic Perk Spread
I won't spend a lot of time describing why I chose what I did, but know that I absolutely hate pretty much every tree's final perk because of how stupidly OP I feel they are. I mean, Bullseye gives you a 15% chance of paralyzing your target for a few seconds, during which time you're more than likely able to get off enough shots to paralyze it again... silly. I didn't invest much into Light Armor almost entirely based on the fact that I never wear a helmet because... well, for style reasons. That, and with the perks put into Alchemy and Enchanting (which I would have taken anyways), I can craft gear (Smithing perks yet placed because I dunno what I'd wear yet) that would still allow me to hit the armor cap with relative ease.
The Problem:
I dunno how to expand. Do I study a school of magic like Illusion to act as Assassin's Creed like smokebombs/money drops, something like Restoration to heal my wounds and aid against the undead. Alteration to boost my defense in combat? Destruction to create walls and runes to help protect me or lay traps?
The other problem stems from the Dawnguard DLC. I'm unsure whether to forfeit the Dwarven Crossbow/special bolts and become a vampire with Vampire Lord, or to take the bow? The one time I played up to the Vampire Lord part, I thought it was overpowered. I could just drain health and out run anything that tried to come at me, but for big bosses, it could prove incredibly useful. But if I did go for a vampire, I'd want to specialize in one element of magic based on what type of vampire I aim to be. If you aren't aware, there are several types of vampires in Tamriel, some specializing in paralyze, others in frost magic, etc.
The True Nord:
Description:
This build is strongly based off the Companions (Aela in particular) and is something that I feel would be very fun and easy to play, but also fit very well into the general theme of the game and it's backstory. Although I say it's a 'True Nord', the race isn't a requirement, but would do well. This one is very rough as it is almost entirely open-ended. The build focuses primarily around Aela's style - use archery at a distance, and fight up close when you can. I'd primarily be utilizing the 'Ancient Nord' armor and weapons although the Wolf Armor and Nordic Carved are also entirely viable. All three would most likely have a mannequin in my home. Oh, and it also involves being a Werewolf and using the 'Ring of Hircine' to get infinite transformations.
Basic Perk Spread
This is all pretty obvious. The bonuses in sneak are entirely to benefit Archery when possible, although I'd be willing to cut back the perks in sneak (to nothing) and Archery since it's not a major aspect (or at least, shouldn't be) to the style of play. Also important to note is that all the Block perks are spent for bashing - blocking with the one handed sword. No shield here. And, once again, perks in Heavy Armor are minimal because helmets suuuuuck. Although I'm told Nordic Carved with an Adept Hood looks pretty dope.
The Problem:
Again, I'm unsure how to expand this build out. It's going to primarily focus on melee combat and using the Lycanthropy ability as a bit of a panic button or for big bosses. I'm unsure of what would really fit with the whole 'True Nord' concept. Would magic be applicable, and if so, what? Frost? Restoration?
