Cheap @$$ Builds.

[Psiberzerker]

I repeat, Builds. Now, I don't want to say Stop having Fun Guys, or call anyone a Scrub for playing their way. (Nor should anyone else.) i will say that I tried all of these, and found them boring. I like a little excitement in my combat, and for me, a lot of that is derived by knowing I just might die. OTOH, lots of people (I won't call you Munchkins, either) like the whole game handed to them, and actually like waltzing through master like it ain't no thing. You might as well bookshelf train these, or console in your experience, because these are those kinds of Builds.

In short, this is the place for the most overpowered builds you can generate. Nothing is off limits, except personal attacks on your fellows (I'll try and contain myself) the simplest is:
`tgm
{click on target}
kill`
Not really a build, though, so I'll get on with pretty much the same thing using game mechanics. This means console users (By which I mean Game Station platforms) can play too! So without further ado, I present:

Impact Turret.

Very simple, and low level, Dunmer, Apprentice Destruction(40) Dual Casting, and Impact. To be really abusively effective, wrap the whole thing in a Daedric Tank, bump it up to 60 for Augment Frost (2) and spam the ever lovin Oblivion out of Ice Storm. Cold Resistant? Doesn't matter. Only Frost Atronachs are completely immune (You have to switch to Fireball, boo hoo) and if it doesn't kill them, you can hit them again, and again, and again until the last cast sweeps their bodies away. You can lock stun Armies. Even the ones that are at the fringes are slowed, and possibly Paralyzed with Deep Freeze. Why this spell? Because any other can hit maybe a couple of mobs, but this one can shut down anyone you kite into a bottleneck. Tight corridors? Ideal!

The complete "this game is Broken!" build is 100 Destro (so you stop Leveling) 80 Heavy Armor, 50 Smithing for Steel Plate(Superior. It's the brightest, shiniest, and best you can get at such low level) you don't need to cap out, because it's just in case someone gets a shot in before you lock down the battlefield like a BW control Deck, and 100 Enchanting for Fortify Destruction, so you don't have to invest in Magicka. With Extra Effect, you can put FD, and FD with Magicka Regeneration on the Body (from Robes of Destruction) so you have more slots for Magic Resistance. The Lord Stone to make it easier, you might be able to do it lower level with Imperial bonuses. (Destruction, Enchant, and heavy Armor, but I haven't tried this.)

Once you master the incredibly easy technique, you can do it again at even lower level unarmored. Put it all in Health, drop HA, Smithing, and just Enchant clothes. 2 Skills, and literally nothing can stop you. At this point, Altmer, unless you want to do the Magicka Well variant.

That's Breton, the Magic Resistance is nice, but Spell Absorbtion is where it's at. Not as much of a no-brainer. the skills are Restoration (Expert-Master) and Destruction(Ditto.) Drop Guardian Circle(of protection doesn't take as much/long to cast, nor does it heal you constantly) and Dragonskin at the same time, then charge up Lightning Storm. You will run out of energy eventually, but by then, everthing better be dead. Alduin doesn't last a full minute. Cue up Become Ethereal just in case, because if you don't pull it off, you die, but if not, Nothing Survives. For Dragons, especially Big Bad Al, dual cast Ice Wall, and hose down His footprint so He can't take off. (Lesser Dragons as well.)

 

[Psiberzerker]

Torc

Short for Tank Orc, this one is simple Invulnerability with more than enough offense to beat everthing to death. Most of you are no doubt familiar with this, but I haven't seen a completed Min/max efficiency build here, yet, so here's how to do it at the lowest possible level. The race comes with HA, your choice of weapon skills, Enchant, and Smith, so that's 20 skill levels you don't have to train up.

First step, head for the Armor Cap. The lowest you can do this on the Heavy Armor side is Orcish with a little boost from Fortify Smithing. Unfortunately, you're born Kin, so you can't get the Forgemaster's Fingers (Intentional? I suspect.) so either find it, or slum around Cidna Mine for a chance to shank Madanach. Get some Enchanting Experience, this is top priority to take only 20% of all physical damage.

Enchanting: After Fortify Smithing, your next priority will be Magic Resistance to close up your only weakness. This won't help you with Poison, and Disease, but neither of these come in large enough doses to be lethal if you spend it all on Health. Stamina can be strapped on, or absorbed (denying the enemy of it) so you don't need to invest in that. The Only thing that can possibly kill you also ignores your Armor. Find something with MR, get the Shield of Solitude, and grind up to Extra Effect. Now, anything that can be enchanted with Magic Resistance can be double enchanted with it, up to about 85% (the cap.) The other slots, you can add Elemental Resistance (wear Otar, it's better than anything you can DIY, and Matches.) You can also disenchant the Ironhand Gauntlets, and slap on some moar damnage (2handed.)

Unfortunately, their weapons suck, so you're probably going to have to bump up to Ebony, or Arcane. There are other options, depending on whether you want 2 hand, or Dual Wield. I'm not going to suggest Block (slow leveler, and doesn't add enough protection) so you can focus more on killing stuff than not getting killed. 60 yields you Arcane Enchanter, so you can tweak up some of the Artifacts, but it's probably better you Smith First, then Enchant so you can save this point (and 10 skill levels.)

I suggest 2hand for 1 damned good reason. The Longhammer. Swings as fast as a greatsword, and you can smith it up to stupid levels. You can also Arcane Smith Volendrung, but there's no perk, so it just won't go Epic. Also, while 30 AS is stompy, it's just 1 effect, so you can do better than that. It also matches the theme (All Orcish, if it wasn't obvious) and here's the dealmaker. It's not technically enchanted. That means, either you can use the Elemental Fury shout for one of the best DPSs in the game, or double enchant it with your own abusive combo of choice. I like Firey Soul Trap, and Absorb Health, but whatever you like, knock yourself out. Finally, it can be perked to ignore 75% of Armor, for a grand total of 5 effects. (Fire damage, absorb health, soul trap, fast strike, and armor piercing.) Seriously, is there anything else you Need?

Ok, maybe some damage at a distance, but they have shouts for that. The final nail in the coffin you'll never see the inside of is Berserker Rage. 20% phsycal Damge is now 1/10th, and whatever you smithed into your weapon is doubled for a mad minute. Dragonrend is about the only thing you need, so it Does have to land, and everything else can be chased down.

Skyrim Perk Calculator - Plan the perks for your Skyrim character before spending them! Note, this is the bare bones build, distilled down to what gives you the most bang for your buck. You can add more, as you level higher, but around 30 is the lowest level you can realistically do all this. That ment avoiding some gateway perks, and I erred on the side of protection over damage dealing. You want to grab the Elemental Enchanting branch, go right ahead, but I went up the middle, because it's less perks, that do more. Fortify 2H will give you More damage per soul than anything you put on your weapon.

A more expensive variant is Dual Wield, with much more offense. 4 weapon enchantment slots, and you can have a Mace/Handaxe combo for a total of 7 effects. (Armor Piercing, Bleeding Damage, Fast Strike, and whatever Extra Effects you throw on.) Of course, this adds 6 more perks, still under 40. My personal combo is an Ebony Mace with Absorb Health, and Stamina (Sap) and handaxe of Firey Souls, and Fire Damage (Bloodburn) The Sap revitalizes you, while the axe stacks on 3 DoT effects so you can hit them, and leave them for dead. The Savage Dual Flurry double PA spreads it around, but usually, I just swing the axe, with the left hand for recovery when I need it.

This is actually to avoid Overkill. Why? Because this is a Tank, which means Slow. Steed Stone (to avoid 3 perks for the same effect) minimizes this, but the thing is, you want to get every kill over with, so you can get onto the next one. This means 1HKs, any more than that is a waste of time. While you Can do this build on the PS3/60 I respectfully suggest PC so you can console in a large enough army to make it worth pulling out your weapons. Save the Civil War, so you can do it over, and over again until you get bored.

 

[Streets]

I like the information you are providing here, good stuff. I thought I would point out a few things, with constructive intentions, on your Tank Orc build.

From the UESP: Skyrim:One-handed - UESPWiki

TL;DR the weapon specialization perks suck and are a waste of perk points.

• Bladesman only works off of base damage of the weapon, which is a fraction of a total damage at high levels. For example using a Legendary Daedric Sword with 100 One-handed and 5/5 Armsman you will deliver 72 damage per hit. However base damage for Daedric Sword is only 14, so 3/3 Bladesman perk will have 20% chance to cause 10.5 additional damage. For reference, a critical hit with a 1h iron sword will do an extra 3 damage at Bladesman 1, or 4.5 damage at Bladesman 3 (1.5x the base crit damage). For a 1h Daedric sword, it would be 7 and 10.5, respectively. Nothing modifies these numbers, so even if you're doing 300 damage a hit "normally", a crit would still only do 3-10.5 more damage.

• The bleeding effect of Hack and Slash depends on weapon material and skill level and lasts six seconds. However even a Daedric weapon used with level 3 of Hack and Slash will cause only 18 bleeding damage. While multiple bleeding effects stack, by the time you apply several of them the enemy will most likely already be dead. However, this is useful for playing the game on Master level. Note also it appears that multiple bleeds will not apply from the same weapon material, so 3 quick slashes with a daedric weapon will not stack 3 bleeds (verification needed)

• The armor-ignoring effect of Bone Breaker is almost completely irrelevant because most enemies are lightly armored. Even heavy armored enemies frequently have no armor skill, no armor perks and no armor upgrades, so an opponent clad full in Daedric Armor will have 49+18+18+23=108 armor rating, which gives him a negligible damage reduction.

The Perk Devastating Blow is much better than Great Critical Charge, because of the way the critical damage is calculated. Devastating Blow gives 25% boost to power attack, Great Critical Charge is really hard to hit with and only does minor bonus damage from base output of the weapon.

I doubt you would need all those perks in Heavy Armor, the cap is 567. Tower of Strength doesn't do anything (I haven't checked since 1.6) and Matching Set is probably overkill for your armor. You can buy or find a +50% Smithing Potion, and you can craft yourself some 4 pieces of +25% Smithing gear, so I'm going to say you can probably even knock Juggernaut down to 2/5 or 3/5.

Breton doesn't have the same attribute bonuses, so may be a higher level when maxed out, but you can save an enchantment slot with the innate 25% magic resistance. Of course you lose Berserker Rage, but it seems as though you won't really need/use it anyway towards middle and end game. Something to consider.

With those tips I think I have saved you about 8 levels worth of perks or so, so you can do the build effectively by level 23 according to perks, not sure how high your level would actually get from leveling up three and a half skills.

The Longhammer swings faster than a Greatsword, it swings as fast as a One Handed Mace.

 

[Psiberzerker]

Arcane Sniper

Mostly here, because it's sooooo cheap. Not in the sense of a Scrub, but for the least amount of perks, no weapon skill tree has the simple effectiveness of Archery, and with the longest range, it makes up a lot for lack of defense. Of course, all that flies out the window if you invest at least as much in the secondary weapon.

Now, this is not your typical build. So expect some surprises. First of all, Race. Altmer is the fastest, and you Have to be fleet of foot. Also I don't need to add any Magicka, nor perks to halve casting cost for the only spell. Bound Bow, why? 2 Perks, 48 base damage, no Smithing. Also, 2 minute duration, so you can regain all of your Magicka before you have to cast it again. Not for every enemy, a Forsworn Bow, and Ancient Nord/Steel arrows is plenty for weenies, but when you absolutely positively have to nock it dead before it gets to you, Bound Bow.

Moving around to the Warrior, your offense, and melee contingency is Block. It's a circle, topologically not unlike Archery, so you only have to fill up half. The bottom half, Shield Wall(1) Deflect Arrows, Power Bash, Deadly Bash, and Elemental Protection so you only have to get it up to 50. That's 50% Magic Resistance, Counter-sniping, and some damage dealing ability in 5 perks, and 35 skill levels. The trick is, you can cast the main spell right handed, and as soon as you sheathe, or it wears off, your shield pops right out. If you hotkey some Potions, you never have to open a menu in combat. (I like immersion.) That, and I can switch to the shield before they recover from a Bow-bash, then cast the bow as I Wuhl away.

Sneak: Stealth(1) Backstab, and Deadly Aim. Done, son. Yes, you will be doing some sneaking, but nowhere near the enemy. This whole tree is for the damage multiplier, the other 2 perks are gateways.

Archery: Overdraw (5) Eagle Eye, Power Shot, Quick Shot. 18 perks, not even level 20. The only armor hanging off your arm, and I swear to the Gods, this will kill anything in the game. On Master. I don't have any video, but if you don't believe me, try it. Plenty of room to grow, and will only get more powerful, but your quest, and goal is to run as fast as you can for the final piece of equipment.

The Targe of the Blooded. [Sarcasm]Surprise![/s] Not over powered, just powerful enough. And dirt cheap. Free, in fact, I never had to buy a single thing the entire build. Lucked out a little with Hooded Robes of Conjuration in Ustengrav, but it's really for show. She can cast the Bow wearing nothing but the Gauldur Amulet Fragment (from Saarthal.) It just so happens to be a Quest item, so she was able to smuggle it into the Embassy, other than that, I kilt them Thalmors with that, and Shouts (in Party Clothes, and Shoes.)

Wuhl to sprint away, and FRD to send them flying away. (What d'you know, they're both free!) 9 fights out of 10 the basic build does fine. The Atronach Stone, and Shouts does the rest. 50/50 Magic Resistance/Absorbtion is enough to survive with all level points in health long enough to break melee. At range, you just Win. Shoot mages from out of their spells range, outshoot any archers at this level (Ok, I didn't go after the Ebony Bow.) and outright out run the sluggers. In close corridors, you know the only direction they'll be coming from.

Here: http://cloud-2.steampowered.com/ugc/1155422234398649678/610F14917100D0F3B4BCAD0FA7DFBF7B40A9405C/
Steam Community :: rrubright :: Screenshots
http://cloud.steampowered.com/ugc/1155422234398661387/5A27E81F98430243D8618FE0B20D706E0C58BEE1/
If you look down at the bottom of the screen, I just killed 2 Frost Trolls at Level 4!i! Sure, Jenassa Helped out a little, but this should demonstrate the Power of this weapon.

 

[Psiberzerker]

I like the information you are providing here, good stuff. I thought I would point out a few things, with constructive intentions, on your Tank Orc build.

From the UESP: Skyrim:One-handed - UESPWiki

The Perk Devastating Blow is much better than Great Critical Charge, because of the way the critical damage is calculated. Devastating Blow gives 25% boost to power attack, Great Critical Charge is really hard to hit with and only does minor bonus damage from base output of the weapon.

I doubt you would need all those perks in Heavy Armor, the cap is 567. Tower of Strength doesn't do anything (I haven't checked since 1.6) and Matching Set is probably overkill for your armor. You can buy or find a +50% Smithing Potion, and you can craft yourself some 4 pieces of +25% Smithing gear, so I'm going to say you can probably even knock Juggernaut down to 2/5 or 3/5.

Breton doesn't have the same attribute bonuses, so may be a higher level when maxed out, but you can save an enchantment slot with the innate 25% magic resistance. Of course you lose Berserker Rage, but it seems as though you won't really need/use it anyway towards middle and end game. Something to consider.

With those tips I think I have saved you about 8 levels worth of perks or so, so you can do the build effectively by level 23 according to perks, not sure how high your level would actually get from leveling up three and a half skills.

The Longhammer swings faster than a Greatsword, it swings as fast as a One Handed Mace.

Ok, I've read that page, and the equivalent on on 3 other wikis, as well as my own experience. You don't have to follow these builds exactly, which is why I offered alternatives, and if Devastating blow works for you, use it instead. I like GCC more for the un-counterable staggering effect than the minimal added damage. Unfortunately, there's not an equivalent Axe to the Longhammer. The Headman's swings fast, but doesn't do as much base damage, nor smith as high, so the bleed from H&S won't make up for it. You can, of course, skip on Bonebreaker, but I've personally noticed a big difference on Bandit Chiefs, and the like. [edit]Now that you mention it, those perks don't belong on a minimalist build. With GCC/DB, your maximum skill level is 50, instead of 80, for a much lower build level. I'll try it with Barbarian(3) and see if the difference is that significant. Give me a few hours, because I'll have to start over from scratch.[/e] Same with Barbarian, the wiki says it doesn't make that much difference. IME, it's enough to be worth the points.

Juggernaut, Well Fitted, and Matching set increase the suit of Orcish Armor enough that I don't need as much Enchantment to Fortify Smithing to get it to the Armor Cap. If we were talking Ebony, or Daedric, even if I added the Shield, you might be right, wasted perks. I've playtested these, they work, in spite of what it says online. With Orcish, this is the path of least resistance of all the ways I've tried.

Breton is arguably as good a choice as Orc, but then I'd have to rename the build. Doubling/halving damage is a lot rarer than Magic Resistance. While it frees up 1 slot, the equivalent can't be done without using a lot more. I generally use Bretons for the Magic Tank (AKA Magicka Well) because I hate to waste one of the most powerful daily powers in the game. It's be kind of like making an Orc into an Archer. Sure, you'd still take half damage, but it wouldn't affect your bow. Likewise, Spell Absorbtion will still stop half the spells that hit you, but it seems kind of wasteful not using that Magicka to melt enemies. I don't depend on those dailies for every fight, but when you do need them, they're wonderful.

Thanks for the correction on the Longhammer's striking Speed. I compared it to the Greatsword in gameplay, and it seemed to be the same. Of course the Maces' isn't significantly faster, but if I'm wrong, I like to know about it.

These posts are for ideas, and techniques to use in your own builds (and hopefully post them?) more than take them as whole cloth, and play my way. Feel free to put your own spin on them, or see if you can wring a few more points/levels out. I don't want to just talk to myself, I can do that at home with a lot less typing, or while actually playing the game. Anyone else have some cheap, low level, yet gamebreakingly powerful builds, or can it only be done with 80 perks?

 

[Mr1cammando]

Huh. My first serious character was a dark elf who abused smithing. Maxed out the glass weapons. Each had a 25 fire damage enchant on them. 100 damage normal. Health and 1-H encahnts on dragonscale. Ring and Necklace of 35% 1-H. So overpowered. When I deleted him, I first went on a Crusade to kill everyone ever. It was easy.

 

[Psiberzerker]

On what Difficulty? Dial it up to Expert, and it should be a little more balanced, if not than Master. Glass is 3rd highest tier, only 2 base damage lower than Daedric (or 1 more than Elven/Skyforge/Honed, depending on Weapon Type.) but doesn't smith nearly as high. 25 Fire Damage is pretty stompy, what kind of weapon? Swords have the best DPS, and strike often enough with Dual Flurry to really stack up the On Fire status buff. 70 Fortify 1H is pretty dang good too, probably didn't have to hit too many things too many times, eh? What was your character level?

Of course, by comparison, you can get 900 in a single strike (not counting enchantment, nor Smithing) with a backstab, and all the trimmings.

 

[Psiberzerker]

Necro-Archer

If you scroll back up to the Arcane Sniper build (Now with new screenshots!) It's a rather low level of 19. Quick, too, if you can run the main quest to Black Reach for the Targe of The Blooded with an Extremely powerful bow, it takes about 6 hours without grinding. No need for the game to end there, though. Give Alduin a break for a while, and follow through to the inevitable conclusion.

Here: Skyrim Perk Calculator - Plan the perks for your Skyrim character before spending them! [edit]Doy, I totally forgot sneak, because it's completely unchanged. Stealth(1), Backstab, and Deadly Aim, becaue you just have to get within the frankly stupid range undetected, and crouch a moment to pull off the shot. Adjust the minimum level to 42.[/e] is a higher level build, carried to the point where you no longer have to level. I added Heavy Armor, because the XP is free from the shield, and past level 30, the mobs get tougher enough to actually get some hits in. As if it wasn't obvious, I also added 1 spell. Dead Thrall. With Twin Souls, this gives you 2 extra followers you don't have to worry about dying again. They can, but they won't ash, so you can just bring them back again.

For them, I like to go with the toughest Necromancers you can find. (and aren't too high level for the spell.) Master Vampires are already undead, and can heal themselves, as well as turn invisible, and raise dead, of course. At this point, I also get Eola, and give her Staffs of the Zombie. You'll also notice I perked up to Oblivion Binding, mainly to make the Conjuration Ritual Spell a whole lot easier. The point is, with 3 more people in your party capable of raising the Dead, virtually every large scale battle quickly builds you an Army of Zombies on your side. The Civil War? Stormcloaks vs Imperials, and Zombies.

You still have the Bow, and of course shield, just in case the spell wears off while the Frost Troll is charging you. (He's almost always charging you.) Just Powerbash, then Wuld away, and recast. (You can run back and forth almost indefinitely, and eventually wear it down.) The damage, and bleed is not insignificant, and now I got Block Runner so I can keep it up while still Mobile. Same with Ranger, Critical Shot is okay, but not vital, while Hunter's Discipline is almost useless, since you summon your own arrows. Both are gateway perks, so you can run with the bow drawn.

Steam Community :: rrubright :: Screenshots I know, same old picture, but you get the idea. Ulfric's Clothes, because they look even better than the Master Trenchcoat of Conjuration. (Both reasons why I switched her to male.) The Ancient Nord Helmet is from Forelhost, to get Rahgot for the follower. Drainheart Swords from Labrynthian so she can keep Power Attacking, and Shield bashing. (Eola's a bit of a necro-knight.) Not shewn, because she can't follow me into Sovngard.

I will point out that an archer, any archer against the Beefgate Tsun is an unfair fight. You have to get close enough to talk to him, and then in this case, your Bow wears off. He's also one of the tallest NPCs in the game (not counting Monsters without dialog, like Giants.) This means he's fast, faster than an unencumbered Altmer, and there's a good chance you'll have to take some hits. Not good, as I was about 25 from fighting through Blackreach, and Skuldafn. I had the complete Gauldur Amulet (from the trip to go pick up the Ring of Namira) so that made for a grand total of 390 Health. Barely enough, quite honestly, but I got a convenient Level Up! and managed to survive. Honestly Alduin was easier. (Did I mention, this was on Master?)

NE whom, that's pretty much it, and I'm at a loss for a clever outro. At this point, you have 4 skills (Archery, Block, HA, and Conjuration) maxed to 100, and should be a little over level 40. (The Perk Calculator doesn't count actual experience.) Leveling stops at this NPC tier, unless you add more skills, you don't need any. Maybe smithing to Improve your armor, but I usually wear robes, with the rest of it to prevent 1 shotitis. Another option would be Enchanting for Fortify Archery, Health, and Regeneration, but again, not really needed. Alchemy would be a waste, because I find enough Power Shots, and Lingering poisons for the rare times I actually need them, and almost always have time to Heal normally. Maximum Damage caps at a respectable 300 (a little lower, actually) on a Sneak Shot, but the greatest power of this build is it's Mobility, with up to 6 allies, (Follower, her Zombie, 2 Thralls, and Their Zombies) to keep everyone busy while you take pot-shots. Except for special circumstances, like Cidnha Mine, and Sovnguard/Skuldafn (No followers allowed.)

A bit overpowered, but not Too OP. You have to play it well, and you can die. This is the main reason why I'm still playing this, instead of Impact Turret, Magicka Well, or Torc. Really more OP at lower levels, where you do much more damage than that tier's NPCs.

 

[Psiberzerker]

Sligh:

A slight variation on some of the earlier builds, using some of the same techniques. Again, this: Skyrim Perk Calculator - Plan the perks for your Skyrim character before spending them! is the minimum level build, so you're far ahead of the Damage, and Protection curve, with simple no brainer battle tactics. As you level past it, you can add more, effective, and costly techniques, but he's actually most overpowered at low level. Heavy Armor, Block, and just a splash of Conjuration for offense.

Notice, it only goes up to Novice? That's because of 2 spells, Flaming Familiar, and (PC users) Spectral Arrow. Never heard of it? That's because the designers didn't put in any spellbooks, or places to learn it directly. (You have to type ~help spectral` into the Console for the codes, then either addspell, or additem for the spellbook. While you're in there, take a look at `help firebolt`...) Why? My guess is because it's so abuseable. It does 30 damage, that's it. Can't be raised by smithing, enchantment, nor any perks. It also staggers, just like Impact, but you can doublecast, or half stack it. That's right, you can lock-stun them faster!

Block, is pretty much the same backup. Your Magicka won't last forever, and I'm not making Armor of free Conjuration just so you don't have to worry about the blue bar, and thereby doubling the minimum level. Did I mention, it only does 30 damage? Try it on a Bandit Marauder some time, and see how long it takes you to cherry tap him to death. There's not a single Bandit Marauder at level 20.

Breton, Magic Resistance, and Spell Absorbtion. We've been over all this. Either the Lord Stone, or Atronach doubles the natural resistance, or daily power respectively. (The former with 50 more AR.) Go with the Lord first, you can pick it up on the way to Ustengrav, and it's really the better choice for training. Prior to that, the Warrior Guardian Stone, to shore up you solid defenses. This should get you to High Gate Ruins in 1 piece, so you can, um... deal with Vokun. Tool up for a fight, Anska ain't lyin about needing a little help, and it might not be a bad idea to strap some Elven onto Jenassa. Don't worry, this will be the last tough fight.

Say hello to your fireball with legs! Keep Spectral Arrow handy in case you face something that flies, but barring that, and Flame Atronachs, this is your right hand. Sooo spammable, 30 magicka to cast, before Novice Conjuration cuts it to 15, and the Mask cuts that to 12. You can also wear Master Robes of Conjuration to bring that down to 9, but with Any magicka recovery, you'll get it back within the 6 second duration. Bash, and burn, baby, run the rest of the main quest for Dragonrend, and the Targe (there's a shocker!) and try not to get high enough level that this is completely ineffective.

That starts happening, you could work up Destruction for Augment flames, Illusion for Aspect of Terror, yadda^3. These add more levels, and more NPC tiers, while this build really does best at 20-30. Your Conjuration WILL go up. inevitably, so you can add to your repetoir the Mighty Dremora Lord. Keep your combo for personal defense, and that autta do. Without all the HA, and Block, I took this guy solo through Forelhost, and won simply by hiding like a coward, and letting FF do all the work. That's until Rahgot, which I lock-stunned just like Vokun once I killed all the Draugr. SA, FF, Sa-a-a... until he detonates, send another FF. Don't need Twin Souls, because the arrow isn't a summon. Keep the priest off his game so he doesn't hose you down, if you got a scroll of Guardian Circle, now's the time, I didn't even need to pop Dragonskin.

(I did it for the Staff of the Firewall, so I could flame road as another tactic. Fits nicely into the Red theme. I gave the Stamina boosting mask to Lydia.)

I named this guy Sligh, because where Impact Storm resembles B/W counter, this deck is built around a cheap monster with haste, and burn, plus a direct attack Bolt, and Wall of Blades for last ditch defense. (not to mention mana, I mean Magicka efficiency.) It starts to look more like RDW once you can cast Big Red Stompy ("A Challenger Appears!.. No Match At All!") with Twin Souls so you can keep sending in your Raging Goblin Grenade. By then, you should be down in Blackreach. Unfortunately, I couldn't work in Land Destruction for Ponza/Sligh, my preferred deck archetype, but the dev team forgot to put in an Avalanche Rider. (all Tms WotC. Used without permission.)

Gamestation users could splash in Lightning Bolt, and Impact for a similar battlemage, but have to swap between melee defense, and ranged offense. That means Flame Cloak (or Dunmer) and a lot more levels. Due to the low Destruction Cap, the Shield Archer is just as expensive with a lot more damage...

 

[Psiberzerker]

BAMFO: The Moshpit Mage

Actually pretty costly in terms of investment, grinding, and items to buy. A pure mage, the latter is mostly spell tomes. I also went unarmored. Though you can add Heavy, Smithing, even Alchemy for the full crafting loop, this would double your level, and add a lot of grinding for no benefit. The reason why is because his primary defense is Illusion. Also used offensively, but what makes this totally cheap is the ability to never be targeted.

Invisibility makes it happen, but not to start. You have to get there first, so you can grind it up, or try to get it all in Combat. Good luck, with 0 armor, 100 Heath, and Stamina, everything goes into the Magicka Pool. Start with Fury, you're going to be an Altmer anyway, so it saves you hunting down, and paying for a spell. This won't kill everyone, though. It usually leaves one survivor, wounded, and likely ticked off for being forced to kill his buddies, but fully capable of killing you.

Right out the gate, hide behind Hadvar (Path of least resistance, the Ralof Door has more Archers/Heavy Armor.) and let him beat on the Stormcloaks while they fight each other. Escape Helgen, and talk to Alvor just enough to unlock the "Riverwood is in Danger!" dialog option. Run straight for Farengar, or take the Cart to Winterhold. Here's where you chose between grinding in safety, or gaining player experience fighting with an Illusionist.

For the latter, talk to Faendal, play courior, and save your Septims for spells. Buy Calm, and possibly Muffle. The former is your defense, it gets hairy, you can diffuse that charging bandit before he closes, and cuts you down. Keep using Fury to keep the attention off of you, Faen is capable enough of shooting the survivors.

For grinding, I suggest savescumming Faralda into coughing up Flame Atronach. In lieu of a Follower, Conjuration is the way to end the fight. Hunt down Phineas, because the nastiest is Necromancy. Make them fight each other, then revive them as they fall until there's nobody left alive, except you, and possibly your Follower. Unfortunately, you can run into that lone Thief, or Assassin out in the wilds, so the Flamer is a handy backup.

As an unencumbered Altmer, you can run, fast. That's your defense at this level, being a moving target for archers, staying out of tank's reach, and letting your buddies/enemies do the killing. Exciting, but not all that powerful, until you level up. The fast track is Grind, cast Muffle with as many NPCs around as possible, and keep everyone Calm. (Solitude Market, especially during the Execution is where it's at.) Level up to at least 65 so Drevis will sell you Invisibility, and now the game is Broken.

Regenerate Magicka. As much as you can get, Archmage's Robes, and Morokei, because this spell gives you just enough breather to recharge. Keep it in the left hand, and Frenzy, or a Summon/Revive in the other you can doublecast. The other option is Vokun, because it discounts both skills, but you REALLY don't want to fight him with Atronachs, and Illusions. The latter he's immune to, and the former, he can turn against you. Also, I love Flaming Familiar, it's my favorite spell, but it's not right for BAMFO. Doesn't last long enough, making you recast until your Magicka runs out. Bummer, hope you saved recently!

That just leaves the Main Quest, and the enemies involved. Dragons, this guy has little to nothing on them. Invisibility can keep you from getting attacked, and Storm Atronach(s) are able to shoot them down, but I like to add something other than cowering like a little girl. Skyrim Perk Calculator - Plan the perks for your Skyrim character before spending them! The third skill is Enchanting, which I train up with the Staff of Jyric Gauldurson. It's not very stealthy, or subtle, but when the Dragons show up, I immediately switch to Kill them, Now, and get on with the game.

Storm Atronach, and the Lightning Spammer. Save up your souls, and grind up your Enchanting quick. Other staffs work to, these are your weapons, and there's another nice one where you got your mask, but nothing slays dragons faster than lightning, and nothing pumps it out faster than the SoJG. Then you can get Invisibility back out, and go back to your normal strategy.

Very simple, Keepaway, with invisibility. There's the Enemy? Frenzy, Invisibility, Dremora Lord, Invisibility. Keep moving, they have no idea where you are, but a lot of arrows may still be headed for where you were last seen. The only time you're not invisible around the melee, you're casting it. In between castings, relocate for the best angle, and let your blue gauge recharge.

Eventually you'll be up to making your own gear, so I suggest Fortify Illusion/Conjuration, and Magic Resistance. By this level, you should have enough magicka, and time between castings to sacrifice the regen. Spell Absorbtion for the Atronach Stone will eat your summons, so you'll have to build up some tolerance to Dragon Breath. (Fire/Frost layers with Magic resistance, they won't Shock you.) Anything else will be too busy fighting each other, and your summons/revives to worry about where you are. Expensive, but oh so cheap.

 

[Psiberzerker]

OK, that was a long Build, so here's some notes for BAMFO. The name comes from Nightcrawler, (and Jules Winnfield's Wallet) because it's a lot like Teleportation from the enemies' POV. (I have a High Elf Nightblade named Azazel too. http://cloud-2.steampowered.com/ugc/560941467172658693/ECC6CC957F930E213B3202F5E17BC16759B0F50E/ ) Not only do you blink in, and out of view, but I make up for Sir Stompy's slow running speed by recasting him where I need him. His primary shout is Wuld, with Quiet Casting, and Invisibility it's as close to Teleport as you can get in this game. Mobility is better than any other effect you can get from Thu'um.

Sabercats: The greatest threat to you is the only creature that 1) you can't outrun, and 2) sneak attacks, and can kill you before you react. My solution is Flame Thrall, which you get right after the Sigil Stone, and can keep up with you (Terrain willing.) Usually, she see them, and has them burning before you even know they're there. She also doesn't time out, for low maintenance. Don't leave home without it!


This is actually more powerful than a Nightblade, because instead of taking out the enemy 1-by-1 with serial backstabs, he specializes in taking on entire armies. I saved the Dragonborn arc for after the build was tough enough to take them on, then did the entire Civil War instead of Season unending. This arc has the most large scale battles, which is BAMFO's bread, and butter. (Stormcloak, actually, just to be perverse.) I assure you, after that it gets quite boring. Master of the Mind makes Skuldafn a LOT easier.

 

[VonCrown]

Necromage vampire with atronach perk and atronach stone. 100% absorb magicka, 'nuff said.

 

[Punz]

Necromage vampire with atronach perk and atronach stone. 100% absorb magicka, 'nuff said.

Ah, my favorite.

 

[Psiberzerker]

Necromage vampire with atronach perk and atronach stone. 100% absorb magicka, 'nuff said.

No skills? Not much of a Build. Care to flesh that out?.. Not 'nuff said.

 

[ambiiientz]

^ I'm surprised your "Juglur" build isn't here... it's not an "OP" build but it's a worthy candidate. It's one of the best builds in these forums.

 

[Psiberzerker]

Panzer:

Deutche for Tank (or actually, Armor, but they've used it for their Armored Vehicles since they've had them) I'm using it here to differentiate from the Tank archetype because of differing definitions. (And I'm in touch with my Germanity.) Classically, a "Tank" is a heavily armored Warrior, while to me, I include some sort of "Cannon" like the historical, and contemporary Tanks. In other words, a Glass Cannon, only without the fragile part, this combines Destruction, or Archery with high passive physical, and/or magical protection. Mobility may be sacrificed for this, in contrast to the classic evasive Archer, or Pure Wizard that has to keep moving to avoid getting squished.

Feuerpanzer: Or Flame Tank, this is your basic starter build, before you're high enough for Impact, but you've got to start somewhere, right? In Helgen, take the Ralof door, so you get a decent set of Imperial Officer's out the gate. Dual Flames, burn that bitch Captain for that "Forget the list!" crack, and strip her. Now, you can just hold it down for a Flame Thrower, but especially on Expert-Master difficulty, that's just not fast enough, so here's a secret. If you pulse them, it stacks up the On Fire status, and finishes them much faster, for less Magicka. Alternate hands, so one's going constantly, and to practice rapid firing Bolts once you get them. Perk Priority is Destruction, because it's most effective now, before the damage caps, and you want to specialize in Fire. Novice, Apprentice, and Augment Flames(1) ASAP, then run straight for Faralda, or Farengar. The former will sell you Firebolt for a paltry 30 coin, so savescum her for it. Spell tomes, and Robes are extremely expensive, so you want to get all you can early, for as little as possible. This is to avoid leveling Speech, which will eventually get you out of this butter zone without any extra damage dealing to make up for it. While you're there, might as well show her what you can do, and go meet Mirabelle, who will kick down some Novice Robes of Destruction.

Feuer Frei! (Fire Free) next, you're going to want to lessen the drain of spamming all these spells, and it would be nice not to have to spend Every level point on Magicka, so get on Enchanting. Swing by Drevis Neloran, if you can find him, see if there's anything you can do around the place, clean out the pools, and give back the gloves if you want. (If you're planning on adding Illusion, later, hang onto them, because then you can bring up a quest marker to find him any time.) Head for Saarthal, the Gauldur Fragment would be nice too, but the real prize is Jyrik's Staff. Right on the table in front of him, it throws lightning bolts, but without any recharge time, so you can shoot them as fast as you can pull the trigger. This discharges it extremely quickly, so you can top it off with the souls you just harvested, and get some quick Enchanting XP. The point of all this is, of course, 100% off Destruction so you can cast it for free (get it?) While you're under there, don't forget to grab the Enchanted Rings. There's 3, one for you, one for a Follower, and one to disenchant.

Raketenjagdpanzer: (Rocket Armor-Hunter) You'll also want to keep practicing, and the biggest Player Skill (what You need to learn, as opposed to your character) is how to Half Stack, or Altercast. This is your Machinegun, charge one, and release the other. Not only did you get some free souls out of the Pools, but you'll notice an extreme amount of Magicka Regeneration. Enjoy it, this lasts 700seconds, and is the Best trainer. If you have to, hang out with Onmund, and J'zargo in the Hall of the Elements until you have your timing perfected. This will be your fastest DPS for about 50 levels. While you're at it, practice moving, straffing while keeping the bolts on target, even with your armor, mobility is a big part of this build, and you're not going to succeed without being able to hit a moving target while moving. I know, Firebolt is the Slowest moving projectile, in the game, that's why you're training with it. It's also the most damage/magick/time you have availible at this level, and it's going to be a while before you're up to anything better.

Now, all this circle jerking isn't earning your character any experience, so you might want to go look for some actual targets. Once you feel confident, head down to town, duck under the ramp, and pick your way down to the coast. You want to head west, to the Scorched Cape. There's no Marker here, sorry, it's not even officially named, but I call it that, because it's a little spit of land sticking out in the water, it's blackened with scattered fires, and it has a Spell Tome: Flame Cloak. (See what I did there?) On the way, there should be plenty of good sparring partners, Horkers. They're slow, can soak up a lot of Firebolts, and if you let them get close, can quite possibly kill you. Put it on Master, if you dare, it will level your Destruction Much faster. Hopefully, you'll be up to Adept by the time you get your next (Free) spell.