Most powerful type character?

[Mwhals]

I have played a battle Mage, but was thinking of doing a new character. I am thinking about a rogue type character with light armor. What would be a great rogue character? How about others? I always work toward level 81, so I would love great level 81 rogue builds or other types. My current battle Mage is level 81 and extremely tough.

 

[Mwhals]

I also thought of a pure warrior build with no magic, which is something I have never done.

 

[daedalus93]

Most powerful is anything that uses physical weapons with maxed Smithing, Alchemy, and Enchanting.

But as for the warrior, a heavy armor, greatsword-wielding character is extremely fun and satisfying (although I may be biased, because that was the one character type I've never played in any TES game until recently). It sounds like you'd be very vulnerable having to swing around a heavy weapon like that, but it's got surprisingly good survivability, mostly due to the fact that you hit very, very hard.
It also doesn't take very long at all to switch between a two-handed weapon and magic, so Restoration is great coupled with it. I'd recommend an Orc personally, because their racial ability is arguably the best non-passive ability there is.

And as for your wanting to play a no-magic warrior, I've played that build up to the late thirties, without having ever even touched Enchanting, and it was still playable even on Master difficulty.
But if you don't want to use Restoration, either, then you should probably take Alchemy. A reliable means of healing is, in my opinion, a necessity for all characters that aren't pure stealth assassins.

 

[Mwhals]

I was playing around with perks and wondered about this one for a rogue: Skyrim Perk Calculator - Plan the perks for your Skyrim character before spending them!

 

[daedalus93]

I was playing around with perks and wondered about this one for a rogue: Skyrim Perk Calculator - Plan the perks for your Skyrim character before spending them!

That would obviously work, with 80 perk points spent.
By the by, why the point in Alteration, and the points in Illusion for Quiet Casting? You don't seem to be using any schools of magic that would benefit from it....

 

[ShadowGambit]

Nearly all character can be very powerful, even overpowered, if you are into full crafting (Enchanting, Alchemy, Smithing).

Now, for your build:

Archery: Critical shot is "critical plops" because it is weak. It is base on the BASE damage of your weapon, NOT on the display damage. So the difference in damage overall will be only, if it triggers, of about 20pts. I would only go Critical 1/3 because it is mandatory to get to Ranger.
Quick Shot: you are going the Light Armor way in smithing, so your Elven Bow upgraded will do more damage at the end than Deadric or Nightingale bow. But for light bows (elven and glass), you will notice nearly no difference in your Rate of Fire. You would though if you used heavy bows. I would drop Quick shot for that reason.

Block: I would only take Shield Wall 1/5. You will have a better "return on investment" by enchanting +fortify block on your shield. I would go Elemental protection and Deadly Bash instead, for the same amount of perk points.

Light Armor: if you go full crafting, then you don't need that many perks in light armor. With an Elven armor + shield (with the guilded armor) You can reach the cap with Agile Defender 1/5 and Custom Fit. It would be even easier to reach the cap if you get Dragonscale armor. Note that with the guilded armor, Matching set doesn't work. Deft movement will not be necessary. Let say this: light armor perks are not really necessary if you know how to play a sneaky assassin well, you won't get hit that often anyway.

Sneak: Because you are using Illusion spells (Muffle and Invisibility are my guess, because you choose to get Quiet Casting) then the entire left side of the tree is redundant and not useful. Muffle and Invisibility will do the exact same thing as the 5 perks you have spend in the left side. You are just loosing the cool animation of the silent roll.

Restoration: If you intend to go Vampire, I would advise to take the Necromage perk.

Illusion: For 2 more points, I would take Dual Casting and Master of the Mind so I can use spells like Fury/Frenzy and Calm/Pacify effectively.

Alteration: I don't understand why you put 1 pt here. Useless in my point of view. Novice Alteration spells are not that expensive. If you can cast Invisibility or Pacify, you shouldn't have trouble casting Novice Alteration spells. I wold so, if you have enough points, advise to take Magic Resistance perks.

I would take Pickpocket, to get the Extra Pocket perk, if you have enough points. Always nice to be able to carry 100 more.

 

[Mwhals]

I took most of your suggestion and added the augmented flames, shock and frost as I remember they also benefit enchanted weapons. I had to take two points from the one blade making it 3/5, because I think the augmented spells will help weapons more than the 2 points in augmented blades. Thoughts? Skyrim Perk Calculator - Plan the perks for your Skyrim character before spending them!

 

[Mwhals]

Also, I plan on some illusion cost reduction enhancements. I want to use light dragon armor as my last build couldn't have dragon armor. Need to think about other armor enchantments.

Im thinking the Lord Stone or Steed stone. I haven't decided on a race yet.

 

[ShadowGambit]

I prefer Absorb health/Stamina/magicka on my weapon. But that's a personal choice though.

I'm not sure about Augmented Frost, as frost is the most resisted type of damage by NPC.

 

[Gunnbjorn]

The most powerful character type is the one that YOU are good with, and the one that YOU enjoy.

 

[Mwhals]

I love heavy armored Mage blends like my current and only character. He is level 81 due to a lot of time with him. Yes, it does take forever after levels 50 to 60.

 

[Mwhals]

I decided on a fighter that can fight with dual swords as well as shield bash. He will also be a good archer and sneak. This is my perks for when I finally get to level 81: Skyrim Perk Calculator - Plan the perks for your Skyrim character before spending them!

 

[Mwhals]

I will be a Nord.

 

[Mwhals]

Any more recognitions? I am level four now with two perks to one handed and one to block. I am leaving magica at 100 and doing 60/40 on health/stamina, but building up health on the first six level up and then stamina on the next four.

 

[SSSmilingOne]

Seems like a rather strange blend. With heavy armor, sneaking is going to be a lot more difficult. Typically, the heavily armored character is a straight up bruiser. I also agree with an above poster that I prefer stamina/health absorb enchants, especially on an up close fighter like this.

Skyrim Perk Calculator - Plan the perks for your Skyrim character before spending them!

That is the type of build I would use for a heavy armored warrior.
Taking perks up to Conditioning in Heavy Armor lets you move quicker and carry more. Grabbing the carry weight out of the pickpocket tree is always helpful. On a heavy warrior, I wouldn't be likely to use Illusion magic at all. But with high HP, you will want more powerful healing spells, thus the abundance of Restoration points.
In the One-Handed tree, I put 3 into the Bladesman just because I prefer swords. You could move those points around to axes or hammers as you desire. But if you want to be a dual wielder, Dual Flurry and Dual Savagery are both phenomenal.

If the Blademan perk works the same as Critical Shot, you may want to consider not putting those in at all, and using them elsewhere. But that is how I would personally build a dual wielding, heavy armored warrior.

 

[SSSmilingOne]

Also, if you want a sneaky assassin-type of character, I personally like Skyrim Perk Calculator - Plan the perks for your Skyrim character before spending them!

It gives you a fair amount to work with, in pretty much every area. I went with the heavy armor branch of smithing, mostly because I will have access to the Blade of Woe, Nightingale Sword and Nightingale Bow at end game. Which means I will have the greatest power output in damage potential. That, and both the stealthy routes (thief and assassin) give you suits of armor that you can use for a very long time. Since I also prefer heavy bows as an assassin, I can benefit from the quick shots.
With such high illusion magic, I really don't need the left side of the steal tree, so I just get the bare bones minimum to kill quickly. Unhindered and Wind Walker are mostly there just for the benefits of faster stamina regen and no hindrance to movement.
Again, dual wielding when in straight up combat, so faster and harder hitting dual wield is always a plus. This type of character is extremely deadly. Most targets won't even see you killing them. You can literally clear entire rooms without ever being seen, and your bow will hit like a mac truck.

 

[Mwhals]

Smilingone, I read your mind last night. After playing to level 9 and all my perks so far going into the one handed, block, heavy armor and enchanting, I decided to eliminate sneak and illusion and then take the left of the heavy armor tree so I can take a stone other than the steed stone. As a result, mine looks like your first link. Great minds do think alike. Some would argue with speech and lock picking selections, but I found it annoying not being able to sell most items at one vendor and I do like doing it in Riverwood. I also like the extra pockets because I like to carry as much loot as possible.

 

[Mwhals]

I am using this one now: Skyrim Perk Calculator - Plan the perks for your Skyrim character before spending them!

 

[Mwhals]

Modification: Skyrim Perk Calculator - Plan the perks for your Skyrim character before spending them!

 

[Psiberzerker]

Depends on too many factors, most of which is how you define "powerful"? Damage output-> Warcrafter. Orc, weapon/armor skills, and Smith/Enchant to improve them. If you want to think through combat, I can take on more people, and kill them faster with a Wizard, but that's 1 hitter quitter to have enough Perk points, and Magicka to make it a practical build. Most versatile, and capable in virtually every fight would be Spellblade, with Armor so you don't have to worry about squishiness as much. Most lethal is Nightblade (Magic Assassin.) I have several builds for all these archetypes.

Torc: (Tank/Orc)
Skyrim Perk Calculator - Plan the perks for your Skyrim character before spending them! Note: This is not The Most Powerful Build, even on this page. You can get moar with Alchemy for the Crafting Loop exploit, but this is the Cheapest build that's simple to play, and gamebreakingly powerful against the toughest enemies on Master Difficulty. It's also the least time spent at the various crafting tables, not to mention running around for materials, and training up the requisite skills. Orcish Armor, for instance, is the lowest you can get to the Armor Cap, which isn't invincibility, but should keep you alive long enough to kill them faster with your superior damage output. Virtually every perk, except the ones leading up to Conditioned add damage, protection, or both. I also highly recommend Archery, because they aren't all knife fights. Dragons, particularly can be frustrating until you can force them to land without some ranged offense. The outfit I suggest is Otar, (or Rahgot) all Orcish armor (except the helm, naturally) probably the Targe of the Blooded, and a self enchanted Handaxe with Fire Damage, and Absorb Health. (With Fire Enchanter, both of these will add more magical damage on top of the bleeding, and Tempered Weapon damage.) That combo works well on an Ebony Bow as well.

The other builds I mentioned are a lot more involved, especially in combat. They require patience, timing, and/or quick tactic changes as the situation evolves. Torc is a no brainer, shoot them until you get in Hack&Bash range, then chop them to a nice medium-rare Tartar, and move on to the next fight. I'd get the Atronach Stone, just to cap it all off, but start out Steed until you earn Conditioned. (Likely the last Perk you'll have to spend, if not Extra Effect.)