Even though I personally prefer a mage, I won't deny that the 'real' way to play The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim Special Edition is with a warrior build.
Because come on -- when you think of a dragon slayer, do you think of a thin, frail dude hurling fireballs or ice? Probably not. You likely think of a muscular, fearless guy (or gal) charging straight at the thing with a sword or axe in hand. (And after all, that's what you see in every trailer for the game.)
Sep 09, 2016 Skyrim Remastered Builds: Best Two Handed Build All Weapons & Armor Needed (NO CRAFTING) for Special Edition on Legendary Difficulty. No Console Mods Needed. Welcome to the Dragonknight section of the website. Here you can find all the Dragonknight Builds for Elder Scrolls Online ordered by popularity.
There are lots of options for warrior builds, too. That's part of what makes Skyrim so amazing. Here are a few different ideas to try:
Skyrim Warrior Build #1: Paladin
Dec 12, 2010 High Elves are best for reasons listed. If you're putting in a decent amount of work into Alchemy and Enchanting: Orcs are best because of their daily racial ability being devastating along with using Magic Resist + Elemental Resist potions and/or Spell. The Skyrim Fansite would like to thank Nathaniel for today's excellent article on building a strong Skyrim character. Nathaniel's proven ideas will benefit both new and veteran players alike. He originally posted his tips in the comment section of an earlier Skyrim Fansite article, Create The Perfect Skyrim Character, but we felt that his.
If you're no stranger to RPGs, you have an idea of what a paladin would look like. Every game makes their variant slightly different, but there are a few similarities.
- Heavy Armor - Paladins run straight into the thick of battle. They know their faith will protect them to an extent, but that doesn't mean they can forgo armor! Pallies should wear armor that looks somewhat noble, like Steel Plate or maybe Dwarven. Others like Orc or Daedric don't exactly make you think of a holy knight.
- Shield and Mace - Club/mace type weapons are typical for Pallies because they're less barbaric than a sword or axe. Obviously a powerful mace is still something to be feared in the arms of a strong paladin, and the shield provides the extra defense you need to block attacks while diverting attention from allies.
- Restoration - Paladins aren't able to heal the most serious of wounds, but they have a few Restoration spells at their disposal. They can heal themselves and allies, helping them to recover from fights more quickly. Their ability to Turn Undead comes from a long history of fighting skeletons, Draugr, and vampires. And they can restore the stamina of themselves and allies, which ensures they can fight at full strength from the first enemy to the last.
Those are the key components of a good Paladin build.
As far as roleplay, remember that Paladins are holy knights, so they're pretty good folks. They help local townspeople with issues, don't join the Thieves Guild or Dark Brotherhood (as those are 'bad' factions,) and are excellent candidates for joining the Dawnguard.
Warrior Build #2: The Barbarian
Let's turn in a completely different direction. A Barbarian is in it for himself and his clan, and will generally do whatever he feels is his best option for survival- regardless of whether it's the most moral thing to do.
Here are a few key components:
- Two-handed Sword or Axe - These guys are animals. They forego the extra defense provided by shields for the extra power that two-handed weapons offer.
- Forsworn or Fur Armor - Barbarians often live in tents, caves or basic huts. They're much more in-tune with nature than most warriors. To keep to their roots and provide mobility in combat, they prefer light, warm armors like Fur. It also helps them look more like a bear charging you, which (when paired with a greatsword) is frightening!
- Blacksmithing - Because they don't feel comfortable in large cities, Barbarians need to develop some kind of ability to craft their own weapons and armor. They never develop great skill, but enough to craft and improve their own fur armor and steel weapons.
Barbarians are savage and like to test their strength. They'll charge into a fort held by bandits or take on a quest to kill something (or someone) just for the fun of it!
Warrior Build #3: Duelist
The Duelist is sometimes considered more of a rogue, but it depends on the how you look at it. On the one hand, Duelists are like rogues in that they're a bit sneaky and don't always fight fair.
On the other hand, Duelists love to fight! They have superior sword skills and like to show them off. They're actually pretty cocky about it, which has been the death of more than one Duelist but in general, they come out ahead.
Here's what they rock:
- Dual Swords - Duelists don't like shields, seeing them as too cumbersome and unnecessary. Likewise, they don't want to use a giant weapon, preferring instead to use two swords. The extra sword provides not only an extra defensive measure (i.e. thing to block with,) but lets them overwhelm opponents with a flurry of fast blows.
- Light Armor - Leather is the armor most typically used, as it's inexpensive and the Duelist doesn't get hit very much anyways! They prefer light armor due to the superior mobility.
That's it.
If you want to add your own flavor, feel free. For example if you want to add Blacksmithing to the mix to make/improve your on stuff or Alchemy to poison your swords, you can.
Warrior Build #4: The Dragonborn
The trailers for Skyrim depicted the Dragonborn (i.e. YOU) using Iron armor and weapons. These are literally the weakest heavy armor and weapons in the game, but so what? You're the freakin' Dragonborn, savior of the world!
You can make it work.
- Heavy Armor - Again, you have to use Iron.
- Sword and Shield - Iron..
- Blacksmithing - To make this build viable, you'll need to use the best Iron weapons and armor you can get your hands on. Unfortunately vendors don't really sell upgraded stuff, so you'll need to make/improve it yourself.
- Dragon Shouts - Lots of shouts. Even though every single build should use shouts of some kind, they lie at the core of being the Dragonborn. You can use any shouts you want -- whatever gives you the edge you need to come out victorious.
So how do you roleplay as the Dragonborn? Simple -- you slay every dragon you come across, and hunt them down across Skyrim.
..granted, how you do that is up to you. There is a dragon or two that you may want to let live, but I won't tell you what to do!
You're also more of a 'good' guy or gal than an evil one. Since you've taken up the call to save the world, you probably aren't going around kicking puppies or killing livestock for no reason.
Warrior Build #5: The Werewolf
My personal favorite.
The best part about Skyrim Special Edition is all of the flexibility it offers. The fact that you can become a freaking Werewolf and rip out the throats of human enemies is sick.
Like, sick in a good way. And sick in a gory, gross way, too.
Unfortunately you can't run around in Werewolf mode all the time. But you can do the majority of your fights as a Werewolf, and build out your weak, human side like this:
- One-Handed Weapons - This is the perk tree that helps increase your Werewolf damage. Most perks aren't directly applicable, you can either choose to ignore them or invest in them for those cases where you have to fight in human form.
- Fur Armor or Forsworn Armor - You need to wear something light to shed quickly when you transform. By wearing fur, you are staying closer to your true, beastly self.
- High Health - Perhaps the most important thing about a Werewolf build is investing in high health -- perhaps moreso than any other Warrior build. That's because your healing options are limited as a Werewolf- especially if you aren't fighting humanoid enemies.
Most Werewolves are part of a certain guild, so it makes sense to join them and progress through the ranks. Not only for the extra benefits and abilities they can teach you, but also for the companionship and protection offered in numbers.
Plus, dogs and wolves are pack animals. I would assume Werewolves would be the same way.
Conclusion
These are just a few warrior builds to try in The Elder Scrolls: Skyrim Special Edition. Luger serial numbers dwm properties. There are plenty of others out there, but I just wanted to share a few from my personal experience.
Thanks for reading and have fun! If you want more sweet builds, check out GameSkinny's other Skyrim build guides.
Many Skyrim players get bored of their characters after 20 or 30 levels. Here are some character builds that stay fresh for a long play-through.
Over-powered and “grindy” characters quickly become boring. If you plan to use crafting (enchanting, smithing, and alchemy), try to use higher difficulties and try not to use all three. It gets old having to run from station to station, making money with alchemy and then leveling your crafting and enchanting accordingly. It’s boring to constantly make runs to grab alchemy ingredients too. It’s just lame.
Then, when you have super high crafting stats, now what? You are now overpowered and have no more grinding to do. You have 10,000 healing potions.
Yay.
Is that fun or challenging?
Another character build mistake is to enchant your way down to zero cost magic or insane damage per second (with increased one-hand or two-hand on several items). OK, so you can spam spells and melee damage. How is this fun?
Instead, consider switching to master difficulty if you plan to craft and to not include alchemy. Limit your enchanting to two spell cost reductions per school.
A play-through with zero crafting is also quite rewarding. It makes perks much more (relatively) powerful and necessary. It also makes finding loot actually mean something. If you favor and tend to enjoy a certain build, try it all the way though without crafting at all.
I’m not saying “do not play an archer” or “do not play a stealth build”, what I’m saying is that the following gets old:
- Sneak up on opponent
- Hit them with an arrow
- Back up a bit and wait to be totally hidden again
- Repeat until the enemy is dead
- Repeat until you can one-shot everyone
This might be an unpopular statement, but “how is this fun”? This is just like work to me. It’s super repetitive and there is no ENGAGEMENT.
To not get bored, instead, pick sneak and archer builds that have some sort of engagement element to them. Republic of China.
I know this is an unpopular opinion because so many players love stealth archers. Feel free to flame me in the comments if you disagree.
Does this sound familiar…
- Cast and alteration spell and let your magica build back up – but don’t wait too long because your alteration spell will expire
- Switch to Conjuration
- Summon something and let your magica build back up again
- Switch to destruction and engage the enemy
- Leave enough magica to summon a weapon or switch to a physical weapon
- Switch to a healing spell, and then back to alteration to do it again.
That’s such a grind, and it doesn’t even include illusion. Even with hot keys you have to sit and wait before every battle. Without hot keys you are constantly pausing to select spells. That is just boring and not fun.
Instead, limit your magic to a couple of schools. Pick a combat flow that is more immersive.
Race: Altimer
Difficulty: Adept
Stone: The Lord (anything except Atronoch – it’s overpowered)
Level health and magic: 1/1/0
Primary Skills:
Destruction
Restoration
Heavy Armor
Secondary Skills:
None! Do not enchant or use smithing!
Play style:
The tank mage LIKES to get hit. It only makes her stronger. Heavy armor goes up and restoration becomes more powerful. Wearing robes is more powerful in the beginning, but the tank mage must develop her skills over time, grasshopper.
Go into battle by engaging your enemies toe to toe. You only have to dodge blows from the occasional over-powered boss and perhaps wolves/skeevers (to avoid disease).
Other than that, you WANT to get hit and for your health bar to go down. Use destruction in the right and healing in the left. Blast your enemy with the appropriate forms of destruction magic and blast yourself with healing spells.
You can also use two-handed destruction and impact against big bosses, when needed.
You can try ward spells when fighting mages, but I prefer just to keep healing myself.
The engaging nature of this build and the slow but steady strengthening is what keeps it from getting boring. There is hardly any hot-key or immersion breaking menu-pauses to select different spells while in battle.
Its’s also super fun to specialize in only these three skills.
You will become a master of destruction, restoration, and heavy armor.
Race: Altimer
Difficulty: Master
Sword And Shield Build Skyrim
Stone: Lord (anything except Atronoch)
Level health and magic: 1/2/0
Primary Skills:
Restoration
Speedster mod 1.10.2. 1 Handed
Light Armor
Smithing
Enchanting
Play style:
The Validator bashes opponents with a mace, and relies on healing magic instead of a shield. This “validates” restoration as a perfectly viable school of magic, as around level ten or so, you will see how your opponents will have a VERY hard time killing you when you can keep healing yourself.
Play with a mace in the right hand and a spell in the other. Keep a healing spell of some sort in the left hand and power bash the crap out of your opponents with your mace.
It’s super satisfying to stand there awaiting their approach with your trusty (enchanted) mace, and a very strong arm to swing it, all while not worried about getting hit. You will quickly level your light armor AND your restoration this way. The Validator wears light armor but she is good with it (though perks and crafting) and can take a reasonable amount of shots.
If you face a boss that can kill you with a few hit then use your lightly-armored swiftness to avoid his/her blows, as needed. Step around the corner or back a few years just for a split second and heal yourself, then get right back into the melee action.
This play style should not get boring as it is extremely engaging, and your attacks will feel very powerful. Your health bar will go down when you get hit at the master difficulty but your powerful healing skills will quickly bring it right back. Plus you will be able to get right in there and power attack with your mace again because your healing spells will also regenerate stamina.
Avoid enchanting more than 2 restoration reducing improvements. Zero-cost anything breaks the game. Same goes for 1 handed enchantments – no more than two. Instead, the Validator concentrates on magica regeneration higher magica, and health. Of course this is not “optimal”, but it works great with the character type.
Plan your build with the Skyrim Build Calculator.
The brick character pretty much just stands there and wails on her opponents utilizing extremely damaging techniques.
Race: Orc
Difficulty: Master
Skyrim Best Tank Build
Stone: Lord (anything except Atronoch)
Level health and magic: 1/1/0
Primary Skills:
Destruction
2 Handed
Heavy Armor
Smithing
Enchanting
Play Style:
The Brick character blasts two-handed destruction spells at their foes without worrying about running out of magic or kiting backwards to avoid getting squished.
The Brick is not scared of anything, actually.
Once the high-powered two-handed magic depletes the magica bar, she switches to a two-handed axe, with which she is insanely powerful.
With crafted heavy armor and already weakened enemies charging into giant axe power attacks, the Brick isn’t worried about defense either.
Many players think that the fireball spell is not available in the beginning and mid-levels. For the Brick, this is no problem. Remember how in Bauder’s Gate II the “Skulltrap” spell was better than the fireball spell (did I just date myself)? Well, since the Brick does not need magica in her bar, the “Rune” spell can be used generously and with no “waiting” after it is cast.
Picture her standing there, with a powerful rune between her and the enemy. On top of that, she just blasted a two handed fireball at the group and now she stand confident and ready with her crafted 2-handed axe and her heavy armor.
Good luck to them.
Keep your 2-handed and destruction enchantments to a maximum of 2 each. The Brick spends the rest of her enchanting efforts on health and resistance.
More non-boring Skyrim builds to come soon.