Ora, il momento in cui creiamo il nostro Pg, oltre che assolutamente entusiasmante, è anche di fondamentale importanza perchè le scelte che faremo, alcune fin dall'inizio, altre in seguito, determineranno il modo in cui il nostro Dragonborn affronterà le sfide in cui si imbatterà nel corso della sua avventura, nonchè i suoi successi o i suoi fallimenti.
Ma cosa significa ''creare'' il Pg? Vuol dire sceglierne l'aspetto, la razza, il sesso e, cosa più importante di tutte, LA CLASSE, ossia il suo stile di combattimento.
Le scelte relative ai primi tre aspetti della creazione (razza-aspetto-sesso) dovranno essere compiute necessariamente ad inizio partita. Non saranno rilevanti ai fini della successiva CRESCITA del Pg, ma assolveranno principalmente una funzione estetica, per così dire, cioè ci consentiranno semplicemente di realizzare un Pg di nostro gusto, secondo due filosofie: scelta all'insegna della coerenza (se voglio un guerriero possente e terrificante, ad esempio, mi scelgo una razza che presenti le necessarie caratteristiche fisiche, tipo un muscoloso Nord o un agghiacciante Orco); scelta assolutamente libera (chi ha detto che ''grosso'' significhi anche più forte? Se vogliamo che un' Elfa dei Boschi diventi una terribile guerriera, chi può impedircelo?).
Le razze che il gioco ci mette a disposizione sono ben dieci e tranne alcune caratteristiche di base, potranno essere sviluppate nel modo che preferiamo senza alcuna restrizione.
LA SCELTA PIU' IMPORTANTE, quella che garantirà successi o fallimenti del nostro alter ego, e cioè la scelta di una CLASSE, avviene in un secondo momento, ed inizia quando, saliti di livello, dobbiamo decidere come spendere i PUNTI ESPERIENZA ottenuti.
Skyrim ci offre ben DICIOTTO ABILITA' PRINCIPALI, e ciascuna di esse comprenderà un certo numero di PERKS per un totale superiore al centinaio. I Perks ci consentiranno di SPECIALIZZARCI in una determinata abilità. Sono tante,vero?
E allora, come comportarci di fronte a così tante possibilità di scelta? Non potremo avere tutto, ma scegliere un pò di questo e un pò di quello senza avere le idee chiare potrebbe risultare molto pericoloso per il nostro Dragonborn, naturalmente.
I punti Esperienza non devono per forza essere spesi nel momento in cui li otteniamo, si può pure aspettare, e nel frattempo, cercare di capire IN CHE MODO vogliamo affrontare il gioco.
Desideriamo che il nostro Eroe sia un Guerriero senza paura che si lancia in battaglia confidando solo nella forza del suo braccio (e di tutto il suo arsenale)?
Oppure preferiamo qualcosa di più complicato, se ci piacciono le sfide: un Mago che non usa nè armi nè armature e si affida sia per la difesa che per l'attacco, alla potenza della sua magia?
Potremmo anche desiderare di usare sia le armi che la magia, oppure scegliere un approccio STEALTH e fare in modo che il nostro PG diventi il perfetto Assassino Silenzioso.
Qualunque sia la nostra scelta, l'importante è avere le idee chiare: una volta stabilito quale classe fa al caso nostro, un buon consiglio può essere quello di concentrarsi su POCHE ABILITA' MIRATE e specializzarci in quelle, aggiungendo , se si vuole , qualche piccolo extra.
Di seguito QUATTRO ESEMPI DI CLASSI BASE:
GUERRIERO PURO
E' un classico di ogni gdr fantasy che si rispetti, una classe potente e resistente per chi ama spargere sangue. Si raccomanda la specializzazione nelle seguenti abilità: ARMATURA PESANTE, affrontando il nemico a distanza ravvicinata il Pg subisce una quantità notevole di danni, quindi occorre dargli un'ottima protezione; BLOCCO, utilissima abilità difensiva consente di utilizzare lo Scudo anche per proteggersi da attacchi magici elementali o per respingere il nemico ed eventualmente farlo cadere giù da un dirupo.
L'abilità Blocco va combinata con ARMI AD UNA MANO (pugnali,spade corte,mazze,asce...) Ricordatevi infatti che il nostro Eroe avrà ENTRAMBE le mani equipaggiabili. Risultato? Arma e scudo, o due armi contemporaneamente, tipo spada e pugnale, spada e mazza... combinazioni letali.
Oppure, al posto di Armi ad una mano potete concentrarvi sull'abilità ARMI A DUE MANI, che vi consentirà di usare armi più pesanti e che infliggono un danno maggiore, come Spadoni, martelli da guerra, asce da battaglia... ricordandovi però che entrambe le mani saranno impegnate quindi niente scudo.
MAGO PURO
E' una classe difficile per chi ama le sfide. Il mago non usa armi e nemmeno armature quindi è vulnerabile agli attacchi fisici oltre che magici ed almeno all'inizio avrà qualche problema, ma conosce magie così potenti da poter annientare molti nemici, e ricordate che potrà lanciare anche due incantesimi per volta, uguali o diversi, uno per mano. Potete crearvi un mago estremamente aggressivo, o un mago prudente ed infido. Nel primo caso specializzatevi nell'abilità DISTRUZIONE, ma puntate anche su ILLUSIONE per quelle magie che fanno impazzire i nemici, ed EVOCAZIONE per un aiuto in più. Nel caso del mago prudente puntate su EVOCAZIONE, RECUPERO e ALTERAZIONE, per certe magie che consentono di proteggerci dagli attacchi del nemico (Ward, una sorta di scudo magico, ad esempio) oppure di respingerlo, come quelle del Circolo della Protezione.
MAGO GUERRIERO
E' una classe ibrida che prende il meglio delle prime due. Puntate su DISTRUZIONE, ARMI AD UNA MANO, BLOCCO e qualcosa di ALCHIMIA per crearvi da soli pozioni ripristina salute o magika (a meno che non preferiate comprarvele).
Ricordate che questa classe, con specializzazione in Distruzione e Armi ad Una Mano potrà equipaggiare una magia in una mano e un'arma nell'altra... non male.
GUERRIERO-FURTIVO
Io lo chiamo anche ASSASSINO SILENZIOSO: colpisce nell'ombra, o da grande distanza, puntando sulla sorpresa. Necessaria la specializzazione in FURTIVITA', ARMI AD UNA MANO, ARMATURA LEGGERA, qualcosa di ALCHIMIA, per quelle abilità relative alla creazione di VELENI e BOMBE nonchè qualcosa di BORSEGGIO che in certi casi può risultare utile (il perk AVVELENATO per esempio vi consente di infilare veleni nelle tasche della gente per ferire o uccidere...).
Se lo volete, potete trasformarlo in infallibile CECCHINO. In questo caso si può procedere così: sempre specializzazione in FURTIVITA', poi in ARCO, e qualcosa di ARMI AD UNA MANO (il pugnale, arma indispensabile per l'omicidio, rientra in questa categoria. Inoltre potrebbe capitare che nonostante la vostra accortezza, il nemico riesca a circondarvi. In tal caso una discreta abilità nell'uso di armi un pò più grandi potrebbe esservi d'aiuto) e sempre un pò di ALCHIMIA (le bombe e il veleno sulle armi servono) a meno che non preferiate acquistare il necessario presso qualche mercante.
Per finire, ricordate che comunque SCASSO è raccomandata per tutte le classi, anche se il Mago può ricorrere alla magia per aprire porte e forzieri.
Ma ecco qui le classi suggerite dalla Guida ufficiale:
The Mage
Race: High Elf
Gender: Female
Statistic Focus: Magicka 80% / Health 20%
Primary Skills: Destruction, Conjuration
Secondary Skills: Illusion, Restoration
Stone Ability: Mage Stone
Essential Perks:
Spellcasting Rank Perks
Destruction Dual Casting
Augmented Flames, Frost, or Shock
Summoner
Elemental Potency
Illusion Dual Casting
Weapons: Spells
Armor: Mage Robes. Always take the highest Magicka Regeneration rate robe you can find. Then look for more gear that increases your regeneration, adds to your total Magicka, or decreases the cost of your spells.
Follower: Keep a heavily-armored warrior at your side to hold foes at bay. Vorstag and Lydia are both good choices, especially early on.
Archetype Advice:
As a High Elf Wizard, you’ll have the highest starting Magicka of any race, and can maintain that advantage by focusing on Magicka bonuses as you level.
When even that’s not enough, call on your Highborn Racial power to sustain your casting in even the longest battles. Highborn is your lifeline; make sure it’s your active Power (and a Favorite) unless you need to use something else, and switch back to it when you’re done.
Prepare for each battle by summoning a creature, then start the fight with your best Destruction spell from range.
In combat, expect to spend most of your time casting Destruction and Restoration spells.
Learn what each type of Destruction spell is best at and how to use them effectively.
Take advantage of the spells’ secondary effects; spray a room with flames to set your foes on fire, or hit a foe with ice from a distance to slow them down, allowing you to keep casting as they struggle to advance.
When not dualcasting, keep a ward in hand to deflect blows and shield yourself from enemy spells.
This is a powerful but fragile character; while you have plenty of Magicka to cast devastating spells, your health is low and your defenses are weak, putting you in serious risk if attacked directly.
Let your Follower and summoned creatures distract enemies and soak up damage while you focus on taking out each foe in turn. If your summoned creature is destroyed, resummon it immediately.
Keep a close eye on your Health and cast Healing or Fast Healing when needed, or drink a potion (remember you can tag Potions as Favorites).
If an enemy closes to melee range, check their health and quickly decide whether to keep your Ward up and maintain your attack, or escalate by Dualcasting Destruction (for a quick takedown), Fear (to send them running), or Calm (so you can escape).
When in doubt, remember that your robes are lighter than your enemies’ armor. Sprint to make a clean getaway, or tactically retreat to put some distance between yourself and your foes so you have time to finish one more spell.
Because of your low health and ever-increasing need for Magicka, you’ll use potions at a faster rate than most other characters. For this reason, consider taking up Alchemy to supplement what you find in dungeons and save your gold.
As with all mages, buy Spell Tomes! This should always be your top shopping priority. Join the College of Winterhold early for convenient access to all the best spell vendors.
The Mage Stone is a solid choice for this character, allowing you to quickly increase your Skills and master a wide range of spells across all diciplines.
The Warrior
Race: Nord
Gender: Male
Statistic Focus: Health 60% / Stamina 40%
Primary Skills: One-Handed, Block
Secondary Skills: Light Armor, Archery
Stone Ability: Warrior Stone
Essential Perks:
Armsman
Fighting Stance
Power Bash
Disarming Bash
Elemental Protection
Agile Defender
Weapons: One-Handed Weapon and Shield; Bow and Arrows for backup.
Armor: Light Armor; with your Shield for defense, Heavy Armor will just weigh you down.
Follower: You can command the attention of your foes in melee combat, so take a ranged Follower to maximize your damage potential.
Marcurio and Jenassa are both good choices.
Archetype Advice:
As a Nord, you start with bonuses to your most critical Skills, and Racial abilities that help you thrive in the thick of combat.
Before each combat, quickly take stock of the area and decide where you want the fight to take place; give yourself enough room to maneuver, but don’t let your enemies surround you.
Your shield is useless against attacks from behind.
Stand your ground and let the enemy come to you. Use your bow to fire off a few shots from range before switching back to a weapon and shield for melee combat (switch using Favorites).
Hold the attention of your foes. If enemies begin to target your Follower, take them down quickly so your Follower can return to their own attacks.
Don’t hesitate to fall back if you feel like you’re getting overwhelmed, or if enemies begin to flank you.
A doorway or narrow hall won’t leave you much room to maneuver, but it will ensure you only have to address one enemy at a time.
If you do find yourself surrounded, invoke your Battle Cry Power to scatter your foes and give yourself a few seconds to recover and reposition.
Master the rhythm of combat, and learn how to use your attack, power attack, and shield bash for greatest effect.
One-Handed Perks like Armsman and Fighting Stance improve your damage output, but don’t forget to take Block Perks as well: Power Bash, Disarming Bash, and Elemental Protection are all critical to taking full advantage of your shield’s potential.
If you can block attacks effectively, you won’t take much damage, making Light Armor an efficient choice that allows you to remain mobile in combat.
If you find yourself struggling, you can always switch to Heavy Armor instead.
While you may not take many Perks in Archery, it’s always a good idea to keep a bow on hand for pulling enemies or taking out a lone sniper.
The Warrior Stone is a solid choice, helping three of your four major skills increase more quickly.
The Rogue
Race: Argonian
Gender: Female
Statistic Focus: Health 40% / Magicka 40% / Stamina 20%
Primary Skills: Sneak, Illusion
Secondary Skills: Archery, One-Handed
Stone Ability: Serpent Stone
Essential Perks:
Stealth
Illusion Rank Perks
Illusion Dual Casting
Quiet Casting
Overdraw
Armsman
Weapons: Spells, Bow and Arrows, One-Handed Weapon for backup.
Armor: Light Armor, ideally with enchantments to improve your Magicka or Magicka Regen.
Follower: Seek out a stealthy archer like Jenassa or Faendal.
Archetype Advice:
As an Argonian, your natural abilities skills provide a solid foundation for a stealthy character, though your magic skills will take a little more time to build up.
The Rogue is a hybrid mage-thief. Less narrowly focused than most of the other archetypes, it offers a great deal of versatility, and is a fun choice if you enjoy toying with your enemies instead of assaulting them directly.
When you spot a foe, drop into a stealthy crouch and creep closer to assess the situation. You have a range of options at your disposal:
Cast Invisibility and Muffle and sneak past your foes undetected.
Cast Frenzy or Fear to disrupt and disorient them.
Fire a well-placed arrow to catch a foe’s attention and lure them into a trap.
Snipe a foe from range, starting combat with a devastating sneak attack.
Creep closer and backstab for maximum damage.
Once combat begins, don’t hesitate to attack with bow or blade. If you want to take on a foe directly, draw a second weapon to deal even more damage.
If you feel yourself getting overwhelmed, pull out an ace:
Cast Fear to send your enemies running, then pelt them with arrows as they flee.
Cast Calm to stop combat for a moment, giving yourself time to quaff a potion or make a tactical retreat.
Call on the Serpent Stone’s Power to paralyze a foe and take them out of the fight completely. This gives you time to heal, deal with other enemies, or slaughter the now-helpless foe at your leisure.
Your Histskin Power is an amazing racial ability, capable of pulling you back from the brink of death. Give it a few seconds to do its work, then wade back into the thick of combat.
With such a wide array of tactics at your disposal, you can find a solution to any challenge. Focus on the core improvement perks for each skill (Stealth, Illusion Ranks, Armsman, and Overdraw) to make sure each tactic remains viable, then branch out depending on what seems most useful to you.
If you have any perks left over, explore Lockpicking or Pickpocket to take advantage of your racial skill bonuses and complete your stealthy arsenal.
The Archer
: Wood Elf
Gender: Male
Statistic Focus: Health 80% / Stamina 20%
Primary Skills: Archery, Sneak
Secondary Skills: Light Armor, Block
Stone Ability: Thief Stone
Essential Perks:
Overdraw
Eagle Eye
Power Shot
Quick Shot
Stealth
Deadly Aim
Weapons: Bow and Arrows; the best you can afford. Ideally, find a bow with a fire, frost, or shock enchantment for even more damage. Keep a One-Handed weapon for backup.
Armor: Light Armor, for protection without sacrificing speed and stealth.
Follower: For an aggressive choice, take Jenassa or Faendal. For a sturdier companion, try a warrior like Vorstag or Argis.
Archetype Advice:
As a Wood Elf, you excel at stealth archery, with bonuses in all your critical skills.
If you spot an enemy, drop into a stealth crouch immediately, then creep closer and start the battle with a sneak attack for maximum damage.
Use your bow exclusively to raise your Archery skill as quickly as possible. When rushed by an enemy, bash them with your bow, then back up and keep firing.
Every single Archery Perk is worthwhile for the stealth archer; the real choice is not what perks to take, but when to take them.
Always take Overdraw whenever your skill allows it. A 20% damage bonus per shot is just too good to pass up.
Want more help lining up your shots? Take Eagle Eye and Steady Hand.
Need to increase your damage output? Grab Deadly Aim and Power Shot.
Don’t neglect your Sneak skill, either. Practice sneaking up on even low-level enemies, or your skill may not be high enough to help you when it really matters.
Take Light Armor to gain some protection without sacrificing your ability to Sneak effectively. It also won’t hamper your mobility as much, allowing you to dodge or back away as you continue to fire at an especially persistent foe.
Block is a good choice for another skill. While you can’t take advantage of its Shield-specific perks, Power Bash and Disarming Bash work just as well with a bow, and give you an opening to make one last shot at point-blank range.
Stat bonuses are less important for your character than most, since many of your foes will never make it to melee range. A high Health never hurts, but take a little Stamina as well to ensure you can bash when you really need to.
When assaulting an outdoor Camp or Redoubt, find a nearby predator and use Command Animal on them. If your first shot isn’t quite enough to take out the sentries, your new pet wolf or bear will probably do the job; or at least keep them at bay.
The Thief Stone is a good match for the Sniper, helping your Sneak and Light Armor skills keep pace with your Archery and ensuring they remain effective.
The Berserker
: Orc
Gender: Male
Statistic Focus: Health 50% / Stamina 50%
Primary Skills: Two-Handed, Heavy Armor
Secondary Skills: Smithing, Block
Stone Ability: Lord Stone
Essential Perks:
Barbarian
Champion’s Stance
Juggernaut
Well-Fitted
Tower of Strength
Power Bash
Weapons: Two-Handed Weapon, the strongest you can find.
Armor: Heavy Armor, for added defense.
Follower: Find a melee Follower who can wade into combat at your side: Stenvar is an aggressive choice, while Belrand offers more versatility. When fighting in the wilderness, take along an animal companion as well; both Vigilance and Meeko will help distract your foes.
Archetype Advice:
As an Orc, you have solid skill bonuses and use of the deadly Berserk Power.
Charge into combat and hit hard. Your attacks may be slow, but they connect with devastating force, staggering foes and dealing massive damage.
Power Attacks are critical to using Two-Handed Weapons effectively, so boost your Stamina and take Perks that improve them, especially Champion’s Stance.
Your greatest risk is wading into the thick of combat and becoming surrounded. Keep a Follower and/or animal companion with you to divide your enemies’ focus and keep their numbers manageable.
If you do find yourself surrounded, invoke your Berserk power to increase your damage resistance and gain the damage bonus you need to carve a path through your foes.
This is not a traditional berserker: Instead of hides and war paint, outfit your warrior in a full suit of heavy armor to offset the lack of a protective shield or spell. With the right Heavy Armor Perks, you can shrug off even the most powerful blows.
The Lord Stone improves your defenses even further, allowing you to endure whatever your adversaries can throw at you.
Remember that parrying an attack with your weapon counts as a block. While the shield-based perks in the Block constellation won’t be of use to you, you can still take advantage of perks like Power Bash or Disarming Bash.
Since your combat style relies exclusively on your weapons and armor, Smithing makes a great supporting skill, allowing you to forge and improve your own gear.
Related gameplay
The Rogue
The Spellsword
Race: Dark Elf
Gender: Female
Statistic Focus: Health 40% / Magicka 30% / Stamina 30%
Primary Skills: One-Handed, Destruction
Secondary Skills: Light Armor, Illusion
Stone Ability: Lover Stone
Essential Perks:
Armsman
Fighting Stance
Destruction Rank Perks
Augmented Flames, Frost, or Shock
Impact
Agile Defender
Weapons: One-Handed Weapon and Spell
Armor: Light Armor for speed and mobility. For best results, look for enchanted armor that increases your maximum Magicka or Magicka regeneration rate.
Follower: If you want a friend to absorb damage, find a warrior like Lydia or Vorstag. For a more ranged support, take Jenassa or Marcurio.
Archetype Advice:
As a Dark Elf, you may have to work a little harder to increase your One-Handed Skill (which doesn’t start with a bonus), but your other Skills are an excellent fit.
A Spellsword is all about flexibility, switching between weapons and spells as the situation demands, aggressively creating and exploiting enemy weaknesses.
Use Destruction spells to soften up foes from a distance before they can close to melee range. Hit weaker enemies with fire spells to quickly cut down their health, use frost on stronger foes to slow their approach, and target mages with shock spells.
In melee combat, your best defense is a good offense.
Early on, spray Flames or Sparks with one hand while you hack away with your weapon; you’ll be surprised at how quickly your enemies fall.
As time goes on, staggering foes becomes increasingly important. Take Fighting Stance (which allows you to Power Attack more frequently) and Impact (to allow your spells to stagger enemies as well).
Use your Ancestor’s Wrath Racial Power to inflict even more damage in close combat. At later levels, Destruction’s line of Cloak spells is more powerful, but Ancestor’s Wrath may still be useful if you need to conserve Magicka.
Although most of your attention will be on offense, learn a Ward spell for better protection when fighting Mages, or a “Flesh” spell (Oakflesh, Ironflesh, etc.) for an armor boost against hard-hitting warriors. Both will supplement your defenses without slowing you down.
Try to balance your One-Handed and Destruction skills. If either falls too far behind, you may not be able to rely on it when you need it most.
Don’t neglect Light Armor Perks, either. Without a shield or the ability to block, you’re reliant on your armor and spells for protection.
Illusion spells like Fear and Frenzy are helpful at disrupting large groups of foes, allowing you to concentrate on each enemy in turn without becoming overwhelmed.
Since your skills are so wide-ranging, the Lovers Stone is a good choice to help all of them advance quickly. If you notice any of them starting to fall behind, switch to a more specific stone (Warrior, Mage, or Thief) to balance them out again.
The Necromancer
: Breton
Gender: Male
Statistic Focus: Magicka 70% / Health 30%
Primary Skills: Conjuration, Illusion
Secondary Skills: Alteration, Restoration
Stone Ability: Ritual Stone
Essential Perks:
Spellcasting Rank Perks
Conjuration Dual Casting
Necromancy
Dark Souls
Mystic Binding
Mage Armor
Weapons: Spells, Bound Weapons
Armor: Mage Robes. Always take the highest Magicka Regeneration rate robe you can find. Then look for more gear that increases your regeneration, adds to your total Magicka, or decreases the cost of your spells.
Follower: Bring a tough, high-damage Follower to create corpses you can resurrect. Stenvar or Ahtar are good choices.
Archetype Advice:
As a Breton, you have strong skill bonuses and a fantastic resistance to magic.
Prepare for each fight by casting your best Flesh spell (Oakflesh, Ironflesh, etc.). Early on, this is expensive -- you may want to wait a few seconds to let your Magicka recover -- but it becomes less of an issue as your Magicka improves.
Necromancy has one major drawback: you need fresh corpses to resurrect. When you approach a combat, quickly size up your options and decide how to proceed:
If there are any dead bodies lying around, exploit them! Raise the corpse, and your new zombie will charge in ahead of you.
Against a group of foes, try an Illusion spell like Frenzy. One enemy may well kill another, giving you fresh zombie material.
Or conjure a bound weapon and attack. Work with your follower to quickly take down the first enemy, resurrect them, and then take on the remaining foes with your new ally.
With only your Flesh spells to protect you, you’re susceptible to damage in melee combat. If an enemy rushes you, use Illusion spells like Fear or Calm to stop their attack and escape, or conjure a Bound Weapon to quickly cut them down.
When confronting mages, call on your Dragonskin Power to absorb their spells as Magicka and use it to power your own spells. For even more resilience, cast a Ward-- combined with your innate magic resistance, this can make you almost invulnerable.
If a battle is taking a long time to conclude, rush out into the center of the battlefield and invoke the Ritual Stone’s Power to raise all the surrounding dead at once, creating a zombie army to quickly overrun your opposition!
When combat has ended, your work has not-- resurrect one final zombie before moving on. You never know what lurks around the next corner.
As with all mages, buy Spell Tomes! This should always be your top shopping priority. Join the College of Winterhold early for convenient access to all the finest spell vendors.
The Assassin
Race: Khajiit
Gender: Female
Statistic Focus: Health 60% / Magicka 20% / Stamina 20%
Primary Skills: Sneak, One-Handed
Secondary Skills: Alchemy, Pickpocket
Stone Ability: Shadow Stone
Essential Perks:
Stealth
Backstab
Assassin’s Blade
Armsman
Dual Flurry
Dual Savagery
Weapons: Dual One-Handed Weapons (move to daggers once you take Assassin’s Blade). Keep a bow on hand for situations where no good stealth route is available, and for misdirecting foes.
Armor: Light Armor, for protection without sacrificing speed and stealth.
Follower: None. Or take a warrior such as Iona or Vorstag, but have them wait at a distance in case you need the backup. Stealth is tricky enough without having to worry about a Follower.
Archetype Advice:
As a Khajiit, you start with the Sneak and One-Handed skills needed to be an effective assassin, and bonuses to your Archery, Alchemy, and Lockpicking skills for support.
For you, every encounter is a puzzle waiting to be solved. If you spot an enemy, drop into stealthy crouch immediately, then look for a way to sneak up behind them for a lethal back-stab.
When assaulting an exterior camp or ruin, you may have better luck at night, when the cover of darkness provides better concealment. Weather matters, too: a stormy night offers better concealment than a clear one.
In dungeons, look for alternate paths and ways to get the drop on your foes.
In Crypts and Catacombs, your high Sneak skill may allow you to slip past the Draugr without disturbing their rest. But don’t hesitate to lash out with a preemptive attack; few things are more satisfying than ambushing a foe before they can ambush you.
Sneak is your most critical skill. At early levels, it may be difficult to sneak up on an enemy without being spotted, but keep practicing! You’ll be amazed at how well you can avoid detection once your skill is high enough.
As an Assassin, you need a fast, powerful offense to cut down your foes before they can retaliate. Take Perks in One-Handed and Sneak to increase your damage output as much as possible.
Alchemy is a great supporting skill; poisons make every strike count, while potions can restore your health and shore up your otherwise-fragile defenses. Don’t forget to add both Potions and Poisons to your Favorites.
Pickpocket is also worth exploring. With your high Sneak skill, you should have little trouble concealing yourself from townsfolk (which improves your odds of success). At low levels, you can pilfer items for a little extra gold or the occasional enchanted treasure. But the real reward comes at higher levels, where you can steal the weapons and armor off your foes before stabbing them in the back.
Use your racial Night Eye Power whenever you want better visibility. This is ideal for a stealthy character; it is free, unrestricted, and absolutely silent.
The Shadow Stone’s Power gives you free use of Invisibility once per day. Even if you learn the Invisibility spell, this can still be useful, giving you a chance to disengage with foes and make your escape, or set up another sneak attack.
The Battlemage
Race: Imperial
Gender: Male
Statistic Focus: Magicka 60% / Health 40%
Primary Skills: Destruction, Restoration
Secondary Skills: Illusion, Heavy Armor
Stone Ability: Apprentice Stone
Essential Perks:
Spellcasting Rank Perks
Illusion Dual Casting
Destruction Dual Casting
Augmented Flames, Frost, or Shock
Recovery
Juggernaut
Weapons: Spells, supplemented by staffs or a one-handed weapon as needed.
Armor: Heavy Armor, ideally enchanted to increase your Magicka or Magicka Regen.
Follower: As a spellcaster that can stand up to melee combat, almost any Follower can complement your skills. Belrand or Stenvar are both good choices for a more aggressive melee companion.
Archetype Advice:
As an Imperial, you have the right mixture of magic and martial skills needed to succeed as a Battlemage.
Long a respected profession in Tamriel, the Battlemage combines the mage’s power and versatility with a warrior’s durability. Though magic is your primary focus, you can endure the rigors of melee combat if needed.
As a Battlemage, you can choose your own approach to any combat situation:
Use Destruction spells to blast foes from a distance, or pull them in, where you can switch to a Dualcast spell to finish them off.
Use Restoration spells to sustain yourself or strengthen your allies.
Use wards to protect yourself from Mages, while countering their elemental magic with your own.
Use Illusion spells to weaken and disrupt groups of foes at range.
Dabble in Conjuration to summon allies or raise the dead, or try Alteration for an even stronger defense in melee.
Without the benefit of enchanted robes, your Magicka will regenerate far more slowly than a pure Mage’s, severely restricting your spellcasting. You have options here, too:
Take more Magicka bonuses when leveling up to increase your maximum Magicka.
Invest in (or make) armor and items that fortify your Magicka or Magicka regeneration.
Take Restoration’s line of Recovery perks, which increase your regeneration rate.
Draw on the Apprentice Stone’s power to increase your Magicka regeneration rate, and offset the lower magic resistance with other items or wards.
Keep staffs, scrolls, or a melee weapon as back-up, just in case.
Destruction is your primary means of damaging your foes. Take new ranks in Destruction as they become available, as well as any other Perks you can use increase your damage output.
Restoration provides you with magical wards to supplement your armor, and healing spells to sustain yourself and your allies.
Illusion spells allow you to disrupt larger groups of foes, and to fortify your companions in battle.
Heavy Armor is what sets a Battlemage apart from any other wizard. While the Juggernaut perks are important, you will probably need to put spellcasting rank Perks ahead of the other Heavy Armor perks.
If you find yourself surrounded, don’t forget to use your Voice of the Emperor ability to pacify nearby foes, giving you time to make a tactical retreat.
You might also consider a different race: A Breton Battlemage can take the Apprentice Stone with less of a penalty due to their innate magic resistance, while a High Elf Battlemage will have a higher starting Magicka and the benefit of their racial Highborn ability.
The Weaponmaster
Race: Redguard
Gender: Female
Statistic Focus: Health 60% / Stamina 40%
Primary Skills: One-Handed, Heavy Armor
Secondary Skills: Archery, Enchanting
Stone Ability: Steed Stone
Essential Perks:
Armsman
Fighting Stance
Dual Flurry
Dual Savagery
Juggernaut
Well Fitted
Weapons: Two One-Handed Weapons (Dual-Wielding), Bow and Arrows for backup.
Armor: Heavy Armor for maximum defense.
Follower: You can hold your own in melee combat, so bring a ranged follower like Marcurio or Illia for ranged support.
Archetype Advice:
As a Redguard, your One-Handed skill bonus is magnified by a dual-wielding combat style, making you a whirlwind of destruction in close combat.
Choose how to address each battle.
In some cases, you may be better off rushing your foes to engage them as quickly as possible, before they can ready their defenses.
At other times, you may want to find a defensible position (such as a doorway or higher ground) and let your enemies come to you. Use a bow to draw your foes to you, then switch back to your weapons as your foes close in.
Attack relentlessly. One-Handed Perks like Dual Flurry allows you to strike more quickly, while Dual Savagery improves the strength of your Dual Power Attack.
Since you can’t block while wielding two weapons, take Heavy Armor for the extra defense; you’ll appreciate the additional resilience in combat.
Enchanting is especially effective for a dual-wielding warrior, since you can apply a different enchantment to each weapon; or double up for a stronger effect. You may also want to consider Smithing to forge and improve your own weapons and armor.
Early on, the Steed Stone is a great choice for offsetting the weight and movement penalties of Heavy Armor. If you decide to take Heavy Armor’s Conditioning Perk, switch to the Lord or Lady Stones for more active combat bonuses.
Don’t forget about your Adrenaline Rush Power, which can rapidly refill your Stamina during an extended battle, allowing you to sustain a flurry of power attacks.
