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Character Build: The Bloodletter

Tags: #Character Build Enchanter  #Character Build Battlemage  #Character Build Villain  #Rank:Legendary 
  • Member
    June 18, 2012

    Alright, an evil build, this one has to get loads of likes! I got the idea a month or so ago to make a no-nonsense battlemagey sort of character that uses an absorb health weapon and Equilibrium for near-infinite amounts of Magicka. After grabbing some of the cool items I'd need I worked out a cool background to go with it! I present a build loosely inspired by WH40K:

     

    The Bloodletter

    In a previous life, the Bloodletter was a powerful being seeking even more power. This did not come at a cost however; in exchange he ended up bargaining his soul away to the Daedra. Now, the time has come for his soul to return to Mundus - to wreak havoc, cause bloodshed and whatever else in Skyrim for their amusement. Now enough with the backstory, and onto the fun!

    The Bloodletter is a powerful battlemage ready to dispatch his foes by incinerating them, or giving them a taste of his wicked blade. He retains many of his powers from his past life - use of Heavy Armor, one-handed weapons, Destruction and Restoration magics, as well as the power to call the dead to fight for him. He is also adept at imbuing the souls of his enemies into his weapons and armor and improving his equipment. He wields several artifacts of great power, such as Namira's Ring and the Necromancer's Amulet.

    As I mentioned up the top, a big focus of this build is the use of Equilibrium. It's a spell found in Labyrinthian (the Bloodletter will no doubt head to the College to accrue knowledge and power to better please the Daedra) which converts 25 health into magicka per second, however difficulty raises the health cost by 50% for each step above Adept. Combined with a health absorbtion weapon, the blood of both himself and his enemies can be used to fuel his spells.

    Race: There isn't really a particular race that's needed for RP but I chose Orc power-wise, and because their badass look coincides well with the build!

    Stone: Not too important. I just chose the Lord stone since I'm using lower-level armor, but I suppose the Atronach, Lady, or Ritual would work well too.

    Stat Distribution: 1/1/1 in Health, Magicka and Stamina until they're all at 150, then all health.

    Major Skills:

    One-handed:One of your two offensive skills. The Bloodletter is a brutal warrior, and his strength and skill at arms can fell enemies with ease. Choice of weapon isn't too important, though I used a sword since the Forsworn Sword looks damn brutal (imagine have that stuck in you) plus I can attack faster with it, which is important for when you get an Absorb Health enchantment. Key perks include up the middle to Savage Strike.

    Destruction:Your secondary offensive skill. The Bloodletter enjoys watching his foes burn in agony, and is proficient in use of flame magic. Fire magic does the most damage with the most efficiency as many of you already know. Burning enemies from range with a volley of Firebolts can keep you out of harm's way against tougher opponents or soften them up as you close in for the kill. Key perks are Augmented Flames, Intense Flames, and up to Expert Destruction. Even though you have a relatively small Magicka pool, you have an incredibly large health pool to convert from.

    Conjuration:The Bloodletter can raise the dead once more to battle in his name, as well as wrench the souls from the bodies of the living. In my opinion, necromancy offers a somewhat more difficult but more rewarding playstyle compared to using atronachs. Besides, there's nothing more terrifying than watching a blood-spattered Orc feast on the flesh of your friend and then call him back to life! I don't really like using thralls, as they always seem to get lost and half the time can't find their way through interiors during combat. I recommend all perks up the Necromancy side and up to Expert Conjuration. If you prefer, you could always got for Master and use those Thralls.

    That's gotta hurt.

    Minor Skills:

    Smithing:With a little knowledge in the Smithing department the Bloodletter can improve his signature weapons and armor. Once again I've gone for the minimal perk approach - using only Steel and Arcane Blacksmith we can pretty much get through the whole game. Forsworn weapons are as strong as Elven yet only require Steel to improve, and Falmer armor, which is the main armor set for this build (it really gives it that barbaric look) is basically the same as steel. Arcane Blacksmith is used to improve other items, such as the Helm of Yngol which really adds to the look, as well as upgrading the Falmer armor - there is only one set in the entire game!

    Enchanting:The Bloodletter uses his stolen souls to imbue his equipment with even greater power. While we're only ever putting 5 or 6 perks into this it is a very important skill. You'll want to rank up your Enchanter to 5 early, so you can enchant your Falmer armor. Until then, using a set of Steel is fine too. Important perks are Enchanter up to 5, and maybe Soul Squeezer (the need for this can be negated, will discuss later).

    Restoration:The Bloodletter has to keep his body in one piece; he's no use to the Daedra if he's dead. This is another fairly important skill although it doesn't need many perks. Along with the Respite perk, you can alleviate the penalties of the Necromacer's Amulet. Key perks are up to Adept Restoration, Respite and Regeneration.

    Heavy Armor: Basic protection. I never really put too many points in armor skills early on; this is especially true for the Bloodletter, who is more of a 'Best defense is a good offense' kind of guy. Key perks early on are just a rank or two in Juggernaut and Well Fitted. Later on you will want to work up to Reflect Blows, which seems particularly befitting of the spiked Helm of Yngol and Falmer Armor.

    The Bloodletter gains Namira's favor by feasting on fallen foes

    Equipment Notes:

    Special equipment is another of the defining characteristics of the Bloodletter.

    Weapons/Armor:For my armor I used a full set of Falmer armor (A full set is found in Mzinchaleft), but with the Helm of Yngol instead. It really conveys that sort of 'brutal barbarian' look that I was aiming for in this build. The Falmer helmet is bugged, a bit like the Ebony Blade, as it uses light armor perks. As for his weapon, the Bloodletter uses a Forsworn sword enchanted with Absorb Health. This synergises brilliantly with Equilibrium, which I'll explain in the later on section. Both the Falmer Armor and Forsworn Sword are improved by steel smithing.

    Something big to note about upgrading is it adds a flat amount to the damage/armor rating of the item, not a percentage. This makes even low level gear viable later on once it's heavily upgraded.

    Necromancer's Amulet:The Necromancer's Amulet, acquired from the Blood on the Ice quest, is an incredibly powerful item. It grants the wearer +50 Magicka, as well as a 25% Conjuration Spell Cost boost. The only drawbacks are the -75% Health and Stamina regen, which I'll cover in the later on.

    Ring of Namira: Another amazing item, especially since it can be acquired so early. It grants +50 stamina from simply being worn, and you can feast on a fallen humanoid (one of the player races or Dremora) to gain a large boost - +50 health and 50% health regen for 5 minutes. Unfortunately this doesn't stack but is still quite powerful.

    Enchantments:You'll be enchanting your other equipment - the Falmer Armor and Forsworn Sword. You should drink an enchanting potion and have 5 ranks in Enchanter prior to enchanting the Falmer Armor - there is only one set of it in the game, so you don't want to screw it up. I enchanted my armor with Health, my bracers with Magicka, and my boots with 1-handed damage. As for your weapon, enchant it with 20 points of Absorb Health - it should have roughly 100 uses. If you're willing to carry them, you can not get the Soul Squeezer perk and carry a few identical weapons. Until you're ready to enchant your Falmer armor you can always just use sets of Steel.

    If you choose to get Extra Effect, you can enchant a new set of Heavy Falmer Armor (*Dawnguard only), as well as vastly improve the power of your blade with another enchantment like Fire Damage or Absorb Stamina.

    Special Abilities:

    Novice - War Cry:

    Requires: Dismay shout, Berserker Rage

    With a fierce shout call forward the strongest among your foes to do battle, while their allies run in fear. Then enter into a rage, destroying your enemies with your weapon. Just use Dismay and then Berserker Rage after each other.

    Apprentice - Bloodletter's Power:

    Requires: Absorb Health weapon, Equilibrium

    The Bloodletter's signature move. The Bloodletter can absorb the life force of his enemies and convert it into magical energy. You shouldn't let a single point of health absorbtion go to waste! This power can then be used to raise undead, soul trap, or burn enemies. On Expert Difficulty, 2 hits from your sword will net you enough health to regain 25 magicka in 1 second. This is best done while not in direct combat, such as when avoiding a power attack.

    Apprentice - Blood Enhance:

    Requires: Respite, Fast Healing or better, Equilibirum

    The Bloodletter drains his own life force in an attempt to further improve it. This ability is mainly to counter the disadvantages of the Necromancer's Amulet. When you run out of Stamina, drain just enough health to be able to cast you healing spell, then cast it, restoring both the health you drained as well as a large portion of your stamina pool.

    Expert - Blood Boil:

    Requires: Equilibrium, Incinerate

    The Bloodletter drains his own blood to burn his foes in their tracks. This is a very risky move to use, as it can leave you very low on health with your foe still alive. Basically spam-cast Incinerate with Equilibrium in your other hand. This does loads of damage, especially when you have a larger health pool, and if you're careful you can steal it all back afterwards.

    The Bloodletter spills the blood of a weakling Forsworn

     

    Combat Notes (Video):

    Combat basics for the Bloodletter are your fairly standard battlemage style gameplay. Run up casting destruction spells, hit with sword, heal and use more spells when necessary. The video should give you a general idea. You just need to remember to use Necromancy, as it significantly increases your overall effectiveness, and one thing that's easy to forget is the Ring of Namira! You really don't want to be missing out on that +50 health boost. Using special moves is also paramount, with Blood Enhance and Bloodletter's Power being standard combat routines. It should be fairly clear from the video.

    Sample 30 Perk Build:

    150 Magicka | 300 Health | 150 Stamina (250 | 350 | 200 Modified)

    One-Handed: Armsman 5,  Fighting Stance, Savage Strike

    Destruction: Novice - Adept Destruction, Augmented Flames

    Restoration: Novice - Adept Restoration, Respite, Regeneration

    Smithing: Steel Smithing

    Enchanting: Enchanter 5

    Conjuration: Novice - Expert Conjuration, Necromancy, Dark Souls

    Heavy Armor: Juggernaut 1, Well Fitted

  • June 18, 2012
    Loved it! Although the falmer+yngol helm will look very brutal, I hate falmer weapons, so I might go w/ something else,definately playing it. I absolutely loove builds with underpowered equips, and am always interested in equilibrium as I haven't used really, but I think combing it with a close quarter combat might net you a stressfull kill from those high level bandits, since the health regain will be his attack.
  • June 18, 2012
  • Member
    June 18, 2012

    I was actually using Forsworn weapons, Falmer weapons don't have an associated perk for upgrading!

  • June 18, 2012
    Nice Ponty, the Helm of Yngol and the Falmer armor go together beautifully!