Skyrim Character Builds

[Matt Larkin (author)]

So we have a huge general discussion thread going already.

This thread is for discussing how you've developed your characters, which perks you've chosen, and what you found was the most (or least) fun. Ideas can be as general or specific as desired.

[Matt Larkin (author)]

So I mentioned in the other thread I'm playing an archer assassin.

So far most of my perks are in Archery and several in Sneak. I've also got a few in Light Armor and Enchanting.

I've picked up Steel Smithing as a pre-req for Arcane Smithing, which sounds excellent.

I'm debating whether the perks for Illusion are worthwhile. Anyone used these? I have been using Destruction, Restoration, and Alteration intermittently, but I probably won't spend perks on them.

Any great ideas I'm missing out on?

[Elemental_Elf]

Tok Gro'Mar, my Orc, has focused principally on Light Armor and Two-Handed Weapons. I do quite a bit of damage with 2 handed swords and, if all 4 of my armor slots (Head, body, hands, feet) are filled with light armor, I get a big bonus to my Armor thanks to a cool perk in the Light Armor tree.

Myndan of Tel Vos, my Dunmer, has focused on Destruction and Conjuration with a bit into Restoration and one handed. There's a cool perk in the Conjuration tree that allows your bound weapons to capture souls. There's a perk in the Destruction Tree that allows you, if you two-hand the same spell, do a bunch more damage. I can reign down fireballs from above and ensure my enemies never even get close... Unless there's a lot of them and I run out of mana... Which his one reason why I picked up a perk in the restoration tree that increases my magicka regeneration by 25%!

[Superfluous Crow]

Have yet to try the game, but I'm considering building a redguard battlemage-ish character with heavy armor and one-handed and whatever magic seems to be the most fun.
My alt would be an altmer mage specializing in illusion and alteration just so I could mess with my enemies and bend them to my will! Sounds fun anyway.

[Magnus Pym]

My friend plays a Illusion/Destruction mage and owns absolutely everything with no trouble.

Phoenix, Illusion kicks ass, IMO. Sneak is good to have with it too so you can become silent and invisible right in front of an opponent and buy some time to escape and heal, if things should go wrong. But Destruction already beats the crap out of pretty much anything. It's overpowered, IMO.

[SabrWolf]

My character (a Dunmer) is One-Handed and Destruction Magic. I've picked up a few misc. perks in Light Armor (for the additional protection, but not much else) and I'm delving into Blacksmithing and Enchanting as well so I can eventually make my own gear that'll beat the crap out of the random junk I find in the world (most of which I sell or disenchant anyway because the stuff I'm wearing, and have been wearing for most of the game, is just Better than the stuff I'm finding now).

I Just picked up a perk in One-Handed that has cemented me into using Axes. It allows me to tack a Bleeding condition onto enemies I hit with axes. I am of the opinion that you can NEVER get enough damage to the guys/things trying to kill you, so this perk makes me very happy.

[Xathan]

My Lizard-Person Who's Race Name I Can Never Spell But Is Probably Shorter Than Typing This is mainly Destruction with a bit of Restoration and Conjuration thrown in (Enough to get the Resto Dual-Cast boost and mana regen, and the conjuration for boosting my elemental summons because those are vital, as well as my conjured weapons.) I've finally spent some parks in Blacksmithing and Enchanting because I found an infinite money loop using the soul drain of my conjured swords - go, fill a bunch of lesser and petty soul gems, head to town, buy a bunch of iron ore/ingots and leather, craft iron daggers, enchant, resell, repeat. Always come out ahead cost-wise. :P

I also have one perk in one-handed for the damage boost, and I'm putting enough points in speech to get the perk where I can sell to any merchant, because that's huge.

[Kindling]

I haven't got anything that can run Skyrim but I've been playing it when round at my friend's house and I've got a heavy armour/two handed Orc who absolutely wrecks most enemies. Very simple build, but very very fun :)

[Matt Larkin (author)]

I wanted to like illusion a lot. But the only spell in it making me real excited it Invisibility.

Actually I just started a Destruction mage. I had been impressed with how good it seemed just using it a little. But when I pulled out a Blizzard scroll with my thief to soften up a horde of undead and it killed them all, I was floored.

[beejazz]

Where might I obtain this invisibility spell? Fear looks good too.

Argonian with stealth, enchantment, alchemy, archery all good. A little destruction in there too. I've got soul draining melee weapons and a frost ancient nord bow. And now an elven shield with some pretty heavy fire resistance for slaying dragons. Haven't even got a house.

I catch all the butterflies. I f***ing love butterflies.

[Matt Larkin (author)]

Where might I obtain this invisibility spell? Fear looks good too.

You have to have high enough skill to cast a spell before the vendors sell it. I think that one gets sold by the wizard in Whiterun.

[SabrWolf]

I think that one gets sold by the wizard in Whiterun.

I hate that guy! He'll never sell me a spell at a reasonable price and he'll never buy a spell from me for a decent return (especially problematic if I accidentally purchase a spell I didn't want).

[Xathan]

I have gone into whiterun at night, quicksaved, and killed this guy before reloading the game to quicksave about 5 times now. It's very, very cathartic to dual Impact Chain Lightning him as he runs out of the room and his carcass is sent flying across the main hall with no reprecussion.

Also, I found something interesting. I started a sneaky shooty wood elf that's going to have some conjuration magic (basically, as soon as crap hits the fan, she summons something and then runs away to resume shooting from a distance or just runs away.) While levelling up my archery in the first town, I decided to pick the pockets of the trainer. With a few perks in pickpocket, some cheating use of quicksave for the rare times he did notice, I'm now level 12, have a 50 archery and 64 pickpocket, 25 speech, and haven't done a single quest yet except the immediate "Get away from the bad situation at the beginning" quests. I think this is a bit cheap, but also a bit awesome. :P

[LordVreeg]

I have gone into whiterun at night, quicksaved, and killed this guy before reloading the game to quicksave about 5 times now. It's very, very cathartic to dual Impact Chain Lightning him as he runs out of the room and his carcass is sent flying across the main hall with no reprecussion.

Also, I found something interesting. I started a sneaky shooty wood elf that's going to have some conjuration magic (basically, as soon as crap hits the fan, she summons something and then runs away to resume shooting from a distance or just runs away.) While levelling up my archery in the first town, I decided to pick the pockets of the trainer. With a few perks in pickpocket, some cheating use of quicksave for the rare times he did notice, I'm now level 12, have a 50 archery and 64 pickpocket, 25 speech, and haven't done a single quest yet except the immediate "Get away from the bad situation at the beginning" quests. I think this is a bit cheap, but also a bit awesome. :P

You are a bad man.

[Matt Larkin (author)]

Also, I found something interesting. I started a sneaky shooty wood elf that's going to have some conjuration magic (basically, as soon as crap hits the fan, she summons something and then runs away to resume shooting from a distance or just runs away.) While levelling up my archery in the first town, I decided to pick the pockets of the trainer. With a few perks in pickpocket, some cheating use of quicksave for the rare times he did notice, I'm now level 12, have a 50 archery and 64 pickpocket, 25 speech, and haven't done a single quest yet except the immediate "Get away from the bad situation at the beginning" quests. I think this is a bit cheap, but also a bit awesome. :P

Actually, if you do his mini quest and get him as a follower, you can take back the gold you pay him by choosing to trade with him--no pickpocketing needed.


@SabrWolf:

I didn't know people sold the same spell at different prices. So it's worth it to shop around, then?