Perks you always take vs. Perks you never take

[Bad-People]

Every single one of my characters has at least the first three levels of haggling. There are a lot I never take but a good example would be Experimenter; I have a chart.

 

[AS88]

I never take lockpicking perks, ever. I also rarely take the top perk in any tree, I think they get gimmicky up at the top, especially the generic 'chance to paralyse' weapon perks, I'd rather have a tiny chance to insta-kill, considering I'm lvl 100 in said skill. Also, the master-level spells often aren't worth taking the final perk for once you've got a bazillion magicka. I also dislike Shadow Warrior (shouldn't be usable in broad daylight whatsoever).

I almost always find myself taking at least one rank in Armsman (1h), and Novice Restoration (unless it's a strict no magic build)

 

[LotusEater]

I always run enough to max out Rune magic in one element. I think they are underrated. They weaken oncoming enemies as they approach. With perk and Genius Helm, they can serve as makeshift projectile attacks. They damage in a radius. They are great for covering your tracks if you are going sneakstyle and you want to set an alarm.

I usually always invest in Poison side of Alchemy also.

 

[Khasrin]

I always go for the Alchemy perks. Mostly because no matter what type of character I set out to play, I have this sick compulsion to pick up every flower, mushroom, insect, and bowl of salts I find. Then it's all "Hey, where did I get this crap? Oh, what the hell, might as well make some poisons now." Poisoner, Concentrated Poison, and Green Thumb are my favorites.

Also Light Armor (pretty much all of them), Sneak (Stealth, Backstab, Deadly Aim, and Muffled Movement), and Restoration (Novice Restoration, Regeneration, and Respite).

I never take any of the Blocking, Heavy Armor, or Illusion perks. Speech and Lockpicking tend to take care of themselves so I don't bother with those much either.

 

[SauronTheDeceiver]

I've never taken perks in most of the thief skills (although some day I'd like to). As for perks I always take, I always use one handed, smithing and enchanting. More often than not Destruction, Restoration and Heavy Armor are thrown into the mix too.

 

[Bad-People]

When playing a melee fighter I always take either all the barbarian or all the Armsman ranks, then more often than not the perks necessary for decapitation but none other than that.

 

[Black Orchid]

I always go for the Alchemy perks. Mostly because no matter what type of character I set out to play, I have this sick compulsion to pick up every flower, mushroom, insect, and bowl of salts I find. Then it's all "Hey, where did I get this crap? Oh, what the hell, might as well make some poisons now." Poisoner, Concentrated Poison, and Green Thumb are my favorites.

Also Light Armor (pretty much all of them), Sneak (Stealth, Backstab, Deadly Aim, and Muffled Movement), and Restoration (Novice Restoration, Regeneration, and Respite).

I never take any of the Blocking, Heavy Armor, or Illusion perks. Speech and Lockpicking tend to take care of themselves so I don't bother with those much either.

Since you like making potions (especially poisons) you might want to get "Sinderion's Serendipity" (if you don' already have it).

It gives you a 25% to duplicate any potion you've just created.

 

[shadowkitty]

I always max out the archery tree, and I am a sneak character so that just builds up on its own and I put a couple of perks into it. I put some into light armour, and a couple into one handed. As for the magic, I put a few into destruction, mainly the shock branch, as I like to disintegrate my enemies
A new thing for me is putting more perks into smithing (instead of just up to being able to upgrade enchanted weapons) because I want this character to be able to make Stalhrim stuff.
I also put perks into speech because I want the merchant, investor and fence perks.

 

[Majir-Dar]

I always use smithing on my warrior characters, I usually take all of them even if i don't specialize in that amour type. I also take all of the Speachcraft perks. I never take any of the Lock picking perks.

 

[jonathan90]

Out of all sneak perks, I would not go up to shadow warrior in the game.

Because I would already have enough sneak,in my opinion.

I always invest in sneak right side tree perks until assassin blade. "with daggers"

some perks just are not worth it to me,but others have other different opinions about this.

 

[Bad-People]

I always use smithing on my warrior characters, I usually take all of them even if i don't specialize in that amour type. I also take all of the Speachcraft perks. I never take any of the Lock picking perks.

Oh man, I NEVER go both roads on the smithing tree.

 

[original_funk]

I always maximise the base perks, to deal maximum damage and absorb maximum damage. This is vital when you face those high-level bandits, dragons or falmer, and when playing on Master or Legendary.
I also like to use some of crafting trees, alchemy, smithing and enchanting.
I have never played as a full on mage using destruction magic, but I like using conjuration, alteration and restoration to give my warriors an edge in battle, so I'll make sure I use the "reduce magika cost by half" perks, but never dual-casting.
I also like the archery and blocking tree perks, but the armour ones are just too over-powered, such as making heavy armour weigh nothing.
The speech tree is also a must if you want to sell all that crap you pick up on your quests.
I never use lockpicking as even master locks are easy enough on low levels, and lockpicks are everywhere.

 

[jonathan90]

The perks I am mostly into are...

smithing... all smithing or half smithing.

Why? because it's cheaper then buying weapons, but naturally get your own ingots, dwemer struts and etc. to craft your own weapons and armour, instead of buying ingots and spending alot of gold on buying weapons.

And one handed and archery and light armour.

I put a few hundred hours into getting all these perks and I am off.

 

[Bad-People]

I never buy weapons, hell I rarely buy ANYTHING. You can find good enough weapons anyway. I hear a lot of people saying they never take the lockpick perks but I do sometimes go so far as to get unbreakable lockpicks, I just wish it wasn't so far up the tree.

 

[Nighthiker77]

Always : stealth 1/5, steel smithing, arcane blacksmith

Usually: elven smithing, silence, 3x bow + 6x 1h, quick draw+ranger, windwalker, elemental protection +power bash

Almost never: right side smithing, heavy armor, pickpocket, speech, destruction

Never: lockpicking,

I like the level 100 perks because they really help you get away with not using backup skills so you can play a more pure character. (stacking them is way OP though, but i think 2 is ok)

Bullseye stops melee so you can keep the bow equipped.

twin souls almost let's you not use any other offense and let's you use whatever you feel like or nothing but evasion skill.

Extra Effect can buff anything you like

Dragon Smithing gets you and your followers to armor cap with high damage weapons for DPS tanks without needing any other high level perks.

 

[jonathan90]

I always use smithing on my warrior characters, I usually take all of them even if i don't specialize in that amour type. I also take all of the Speachcraft perks. I never take any of the Lock picking perks.

Oh man, I NEVER go both roads on the smithing tree.

It's really good man in my opinion. It gives you the full craft affect of using weapons and armour.
Because I do not use the heavy side of armour , but the light side of armour and light side of weapons, as well as heavy side of weapons.

I use up as many skill perks as I can.
But when you reach the 81 level cap of perks, you have the ability on legendary edition to restart that skill and go higher then level 81 I think? I remember a guy saying so. But you will not have those perks invested in that skill.

 

[Lightningfalcon]

I always get the right side of the smithing tree.

Never lockpicking.

 

[Nighthiker77]

You can go legendary as soon as you hit 100 in a skill, way before 81.

 

[jonathan90]

You can go legendary as soon as you hit 100 in a skill, way before 81.

going to level 81 is the only way you can get a good amount of perks, you can't do it any other way...

You must get all the way to that 81 level... and be a god!!!

 

[Wildroses]

I've mostly played with a self-imposed rule that if I want a perk in one tree, I have to take perks in all that tree, even the ones I don't want or will be useless. It just makes more sense to me that there are some things people are naturally talented at and some things that people are competent but not brilliant at. In fact, my current character, once she finishes maxing the archery, sneak and alteration trees I plan to start just taking a few perks in some trees which make sense for her roleplay and make an exception to this rule.

I've never used the pickpocket tree, or illusion or restoration tree. My next character will be an illusion restoration alchemist but I doubt I'll ever use the pickpocket tree, I'm just not interested in being a thief.

I find it very hard to keep away from the archery and alchemy trees. I just love them so.