A great mage/warrior/assassin character on Master Difficulty

[scorpiomagnum]

Hello,

Skyrim is my first Elderscrolls game and I'm loving it.

Just curious. I've seen many character build guides that have a character specialize in one area (i.e mage) or builds that are pretty good at two areas (i.e. stealth mage/night blade).

However, is it possible to create a character that is great at being a mage/warrior/assassin all at the same time?

It seems that being successful at this game on Master difficulty stresses to specialize in a select number of skills and use your strengths to your advantage and avoid exposing your weaknesses.

For example, has anyone been able to complete the Companions, Dark Brotherhood, Thieves Guild, and College of Winterborn questlines w/ little difficulty?

 

[Golgo_SPB]

something like this? light armor, sneak, one-handed, block, destruction, enchanting, and smithing.

 

[scorpiomagnum]

something like this? light armor, sneak, one-handed, block, destruction, enchanting, and smithing.

Do you encounter any difficulties against any particular opponents?

 

[Tannia]

it's possible with the use of an exploit to be well versed in every skill, though i'm not sure if that is what you are looking for

 

[Vinz]

For example, has anyone been able to complete the Companions, Dark Brotherhood, Thieves Guild, and College of Winterborn questlines w/ little difficulty?

I did that on my pure mage as I'm sure many other did as well. Though I seriously doubt getting all the skills in a single character is viable.

 

[Streets]

I think you can come close to accomplishing what you want with the use of Enchanting. You can create outfits for different things. Such as a warrior armor enchanted with +40% one handed damage x 4 pieces, or a mage robe with 100% cost reduction for 2 schools of magic. You won't be able to perk everything, but you can get far with enchanting, to power up your different types of play. You don't really need any perks in Conjuration to use the school somewhat effectively, and only minor investment into Destruction for the +50% damage or impact if you want. You don't need any of the Adept-Master perks in magic schools if you plan to Enchant the casting cost down.

I think your build could look something like this: Skyrim Perk Calculator - Plan the perks for your Skyrim character before spending them!

This build goes through level 38, and is basically a skeleton so you can see what the idea is, and fill in as you see fit. I went with one handed / shield for the warrior, so you can use the one handed to carry over into your assassin backstab. I don't think the 5/5 for Archery or Sword damage perks are that important because you can have an enchanted armor with +160% bow damage or +160% one handed damage, and save 8 perks for other areas. In smithing I only perked to Elven, because Steel armor (Wolf armor is half the weight) can hit the cap for heavy and Elven armor can hit the cap for light. Furthermore, Elven armor is THE lightest armor, weighing 7 pounds for a full suit, or 11 including the shield. This makes it a good choice if you are going to be carrying a lot of outfits for your different "assignments".

I didn't include Alchemy perks, so you will have to find and buy 50% smithing potions and 25% enchanting potions to get the full effect here, enchanting gear to supersmith your weapons and armor.

But yeah, usually if you spread your build out too much, you become a "can do most things halfway, can't do anything fully" so you need to be careful since you will be leveling up quickly, the monsters will scale above your combat skills. Sorry it was so long, I got carried away.

 

[GiordyGio]

Look at my build: Skyrim Perk Calculator - Plan the perks for your Skyrim character before spending them! [Edit. For some reason this link does not show all the perks. Just put points in Left and right conjuration tree and mystic bind as well; alteration (almost everything except dual casting); restoration (apprentice spells, respite, recover magicka, regeneration, recovery 2 out of 2); one handed (first perk, 5 out of 5); archery (first perk, 5/5); destruction, just the first perk (and, optionally, augmented frost 2/2)].

It's the only one that got me really far in Master Difficulty. The build that Streets posted is really good without any doubts, but do you really want to farm your crafting skills to level 100? I personally want to play, not spend time at enchanting tables, smelters and so forth.
With this build, all you have to do is max out conjuration (which is really easy to do, since it goes up very easily when evoking things during fights) and alteration, with a bit of restoration, a bit of one-handed and a bit of archery. You may add sneaking perks to this build (I don't personally feel the necessity to do it).

The main tactics of this build is: conjure your creature/s (Draemora Lords ftw), pump up your armor with an alteration spell and kite from distance with your mystic bow or attack in melee an enemy aggroed by your conjured creature. If someone attacks you, just spray him/her with frostbite while you backpedal and heal yourself, then finish him off, or bring him to your conjured creature, or just re-conjure and start over.

This way, you don't have to grind at all, you play as a mage as well as well as a warrior and you are really mobile and versatile. It's the best/most fun build I've played so far. I hope you like it!

 

[ShadowGambit]

Alchemy is also pretty rewarding. +130% for archery or one handed multiplies your damage output pretty nicely.

I feel like alchemy gives you the most flexibility with the 3 crafting skills. You carry your potions around and that can increase pretty much ANY SKILL YOU WANT AT ANYTIME. A must if you want to be a Jack of all trade. But very useful to any build also.

 

[GiordyGio]

I really like how alchemy works, but never really understood how to make good potions. I always ended up mixing everything I had and creating random potions that sometimes were useful, sometimes were not. Doesn't alchemy require a lot of grinding/study?

 

[ShadowGambit]

First thing you have to know about Alchemy: It levels depending on the VALUE of your potion.

The most valuable potion is the one with Giant Toe+Wheat+Creep Cluster.

Actually, every potion with Giant Toe is worth some good money. As well as any kind of Invisibility potion.

Yes, alchemy is tiresome but by targeting the most expensive potions, you can level fast enough. You will have to take the perks Alchemist 5/5 and Benefactor ASAP. They will help you leveling as better potions are more valuable.

Alchemy, because of its return on investment ratio (ingredients cost nothing for most of them... just some "hunting around") will provide you with some good gold. That will allow you to develop your Smithing and Enchanting faster and more easily.

With the combination of Alchemy and Enchanting, and with the right ingredients, you will be able to make potion of invisibility, Smithing +127%, Archery+127%, One Handed +127%, Two Handed +127% etc... You will also be able to do Poison and Paralyze potions.

Here is a nice calculator with ingredients association and potion value:

http://www.endoftheweb.se/skyrim/index.php

All in all, with alchemy, all your skills can be covered and it can even replace some your spell/enchantment, but it takes some time and study to get it.

 

[GiordyGio]

Thanks a lot for your alchemy tips, man, they are really useful. I just don't know whether to specialize in alchemy for three reasons: 1) isn't the game too easy once you get to master alchemy and get bonuses for everything in the game? 2) isn't alchemy too much grinding, maybe more than with smithing and enchanting? 3) isn't the game boring if you spend half of your time killing monsters and the other half making potions for the killing?

 

[ShadowGambit]

My take is that an assassin build, just in term of RP, will get a lot of use of the Alchemy skill. Poisons are nice way to kill.

Also, on Master difficulty, whatever edge you can get will make your game easier.

Don't forget that by leveling your alchemy (like any other non combat skill) to 100, you will level and so are your enemies. but you won't necessarily have your combat skills leveling at the same rate. At least Alchemy can cover that lack a bit. It will give you better damage or a better armor rating for a short period. A life saver when you know that enemies on master difficulty hit much harder and that they also have much more HP.

 

[GiordyGio]

Yeah! As a matter of fact, any non-board-and-sword or non-conjuration build looks pretty weak in master difficulty, unless you have alchemy or enchanting+smithing maxed out. The thing about Master difficulty is that weak enemies are still a lot weak, while Chiefs/Bosses/Dragons are incredibly OP; so you either end up being a conjurer or a tank.

 

[ShadowGambit]

I would go Archer/conjuror/sneak.

The skills would be: Archery, Sneak, Conjuration, Illusion, Light Armor, Alchemy, Enchanting.

I don't have any Smithing perk, even though I took it to 100.
I don't have any One-Handed perk, but I took it to 100, using mostly the Bound Sword... as a last resort.

For bosses, My Thrall Atronach will take the aggro when with invisibility I will stay hidden and sneak attack the enemy. If My Thrall dies too soon, then I "disappear" to recast him. The hardest is with Dragon, as they tend to spot me better than other bosses, even with invisibility

 

[GiordyGio]

Can you still smith legendary stuff without any perks in the tree?

 

[ShadowGambit]

Yes, with 100 Smithing, 4 apparel of +29% smithing and Fortify Smithing potion 147%, no perks in smithing, a Deadric bow will become a LEGENDARY Daedric bow. WIth Overdraw 5/5, your bow will do 130 dmg.

With the Daedric Smithing perk, your bow is also a legendary daedric bow but does 146dmg

 

[ghostbitch]

Hello,

For example, has anyone been able to complete the Companions, Dark Brotherhood, Thieves Guild, and College of Winterborn questlines w/ little difficulty?

Yeah you should be able to, I've completed all the questlines with no problems.

 

[RoG Delta]

something like this? light armor, sneak, one-handed, block, destruction, enchanting, and smithing.

sorry to bust your balls here but I've found block I be almost useless. For me.

Anyway, my jack of all trades character put points into archery, smithing, enchanting, sneak, one hand, destruction, conjuration, and speech. He's unstoppable at level 58 and he still has over 20 perks left. I was thinking some illusion for the invisibility.

Also, with smithing, you really don't need to have light or heavy armor with perks into them.

Enchanting really helps with this build.
Take whatever skill you are going to use , put it on a set of armor ( light or heavy).

Example: 4 sets dragonscale armor
1 bow damage +40% sneak 40% and others where applicable and so on

Do the same with magic. -25% cost on four pieces + double enchant = 2 free schools of magic when wearing.

 

[Golgo_SPB]

well it's an acquired taste I guess, extra armor and extra enchants from a shield is always nice and stopping dragon breath with a simple shield bash always comes in handy.

 

[GiordyGio]

sorry to bust your balls here but I've found block I be almost useless. For me.

Anyway, my jack of all trades character put points into archery, smithing, enchanting, sneak, one hand, destruction, conjuration, and speech. He's unstoppable at level 58 and he still has over 20 perks left. I was thinking some illusion for the invisibility.

Also, with smithing, you really don't need to have light or heavy armor with perks into them.

Enchanting really helps with this build.
Take whatever skill you are going to use , put it on a set of armor ( light or heavy).

Example: 4 sets dragonscale armor
1 bow damage +40% sneak 40% and others where applicable and so on

Do the same with magic. -25% cost on four pieces + double enchant = 2 free schools of magic when wearing.

Actually, block is kind of a must in Master difficulty unless you're a conjurer or an assassin; and even if you're an assassin, it's not bad to spend perks into it (surely it's better than speech). Also, why spend points in both archery and destruction? They're both ranged, you just need one of them (for a sneaky character, just archery actually). Instead of destruction and speech, you'd be better off with alchemy. Invisibility is also pretty useless for a character with sneak maxed out, since you're already able to hide from everything. The only useful perk in that tree is quiet casting, but it's not really worth all those points.