This discussion is sort of a companion thread to my Character Generator one from last week, only this week I'm going to ask you the opposite. Let me explain. Several people mentioned in the comments that they couldn't play a random character, or at least wouldn't enjoy it for very long, because they have certain preferences on how they like to play. That is, those ways of playing (e.g. classes, combat styles, etc.) are just more fun and entertaining for them.
NECROMANCY + VAMPIRISM is my JAM!!.... No but seriously I always end up as a vampire with necromancy no matter how I start a character. Once I made a Vigilant of Stendarr character... she still ended up a vampire because after catching the disease for the 3rd time I said "fuck it"
If I had to pick a vanilla perk I'd have to go with Necromancy (no surprise there) because having a Draugr Overlord follow you around for a whole 5 minutes is fucking awesome! Plus there's no need for followers since whatever you kill first will be your follower until you kill something better.
My favorite characters are always vampires, who naturally join the DB and Volkihars, for the longest time I used to go to Jorvaskr and the Rat Way and console kill every god damn Companion and Thief, because fuck em. Alignment.. it's pretty obvious :p
I don't do much stealth but it's always nice to find a group of long time buddies, kill one of them and then have them fight their friend's zombie. It makes me smile :D
If we're talking about Skyrim in particular, then its Greatsword+Heavy Armour for me, anyone should know this by now
If we talk about gaming in general - well, as I mentioned in another discussion the other day, people change over time because of their life experience etc. which causes their perception of themselves to change at least a bit which in turn causes them to start playing RPG's a bit differently.
The perception of different archetypes also changes between people and in time. Therefore, you can probably find 2 people that both will say they favour the Paladin, yet their take on the class will be different and they'll play it differently. Also, it is possible for one's perception of a single favourite class to change over time.
Tanks or DPS Warriors.
I love dealing damage and minimizing damage, the more I can kill or stay alive (Means more time killing) is good for me. Warriors are my jam and my go to character when starting out.
My all time favorite character in Elder Scrolls was an Orcish Warrior... Warhammer, Heavy Armour, no Magic, just killing.
In general though I prefer Battle-Clerics, not so much the healer but Undead destroying, evil vanquishing, practically a Paladin (but more magic focused, with lots of buffs) Cleric of Doom. Yeah Battle-Clerics ftw .
No matter what I do, I keep coming back to stealthy characters. It always seemed to me that getting in, completing your objective, and escaping unnoticed is the real show of skill, plus the idea of creeping around like a ghost is incredibly fun to me. I've done a lot of variations on the theme--an Argonian werewolf with the Ebony Blade, a Breton summoner/duelist, an Altmer nightblade--but they all use stealth at least in part.
I also see myself using a lot of "alternative magic"--trying to create a new magic system within the Elder Scrolls framework. I've tried a few variations on the blood mage archetype, but my last one was a Nordic barbarian who used "magicka-less magic": basically stuff like shouts, unlimited concentration casting, and the Bloodskal Blade. Really weird and fun.
I always, ALWAYS perk Silent Casting in the Illusion tree. It's just too useful to pass up.
My favorite character is actually the one I'm playing right now: a Khajiit necrovamp monk/acrobat that's got some awesome synergy going between Vampiric Grip, Aura Whisper, and necromancy. I want to experiment with it some more, but I'm confident that I'll have it posted within a few weeks.
Any build that has Enchanting. I simply LOVE enchanting cuz I love creating things (you'll find this out soon enough if you read my character profiles). Other than that, Vampire Nightblade is the path for me. Sometimes I can take it further and be a Royal Vampire with a pair of undead soldiers at my side to defend me. Also can't forget about Illusion. Messing with the minds of mortals is always a fun thing. Assassin skills like Deadly Aim and Assassin's Blade work too, cuz I love being an assassin. Something about silently killing someone that makes me feel so powerful. :P
Ha, your responses was one of the ones that made me think of this thread in the first place!
Great response though, Overhate. The point you make about people changing over time and their play style evolving as a result is a really interesting one, and to me it makes a lot of sense. I'm sure it's got to be one of those larger issues that game developers wrestle with-- not only appealing to tastes of various groups, but also allowing enough room for players to evolve.
And that's also another really good point about variation in perception of archetypes between individuals and over time. We see differences from game to game and in between releases pop and video game culture may influence gamer perception as well. Everything you said makes me feel like the whole thing is so much more fluid than I initially considered for the purposes of this thread. Imagine how the developers must feel trying to reconcile it all!
My all time favorite character in Elder Scrolls was an Orcish Warrior... Warhammer, Heavy Armour, no Magic, just killing.
Yeessssss. Man, that really aggressive fighting style is just so stupidly fun. I'm playing through a character right now who uses a warhammer and has an quick and aggressive fighting style (some magic though) and it was exactly the palate cleanser I needed.
Also anything that has to do with destroying the undead, I fully support.
I'm a big fan of stealth myself. This actually where my own heart sort of is, and where I keep coming back to.
My last one was a Nordic barbarian who used "magicka-less magic": basically stuff like shouts, unlimited concentration casting, and the Bloodskal Blade. Really weird and fun.
This does sound like a ton of weird fun. Did you post this as a build? If so, you should point me to it. Also looking forward to the new build! I'll be sure to keep an eye out for it.
Eventually I always go back to the aggressive archer. I don't know what crouching is. I just stand and let people run face first into arrows because the programmers forgot to include "flanking" and "self-preservation" in any of the behaviors of enemy AI. I might use alchemy with it because I get a weird enjoyment from resource management (which is why I don't use the Bound Bow), though I might use atronachs if I feel like having an elemental buddy.
Perks:
I might pick up the crossbow next time, just to see if it's as OP as I remember with these perks.
Neutral good is usually my alignment, perhaps chaotic good if I'm in a mood. Honestly though, the only faction I'll likely join is the College of Winterhold, since they are apparently hoarding all of the spells that I need.
Like this guy. Waaaiiiit for it. Watch me miss too!