Well, I guess it is about time I finally finish out an Argonian build so here it is. The inspiration comes from a mixture of a lot of builds seen on here, and some of my builds as well. I wanted to revisit the crossbow, search out the power of frost magic, and take advantage of alchemy. The resulting character concept is such a cool hybrid that I am truly proud of this build. Argonians have such great racial abilities to be an agent of stealth yet powerful to withstand an oncoming onslaught of enemies. This build fills both of these rolls very well. Let's take a look...
The Saxhleel Trapper
The Saxhleel Trapper is a hybrid of all 3 skill paths: mage, thief, and warrior. The goal of this build was to not rely on any 100 skill perks in any tree while still being extremely effective, giving the build a flexible feel in all situations. The character concept is built around sabotaging enemies from afar using a combination of archery + poisons and then delivering the finishing blow with either more deadly bolts or exposing targets to rune traps and/or debilitating frost destruction spells. The Saxhleel's intelligent battle tactics are what make the character shine in correct combinations of spells and a well tuned battlefield set up.
As a mage - frost spells, most notably runes, allow for enemies to be slowed in powerful AoE, giving the Saxhleel time to fire off more spells or deliver bolts from his crossbow.
As a warrior - the Saxhleel does wear heavy armor (sneaking capable of illusion) which allows him to become a hulking tank of archery/destruction when out in the open or when battling tough enemies.
As a thief - the term "thief" may not apply as we will not be stealing, but using the sneak and alchemy skills provide for tactical gameplay while boosting skills/resistances/damage with potions
Build
Race: Argonian
Stone: The Lover - Great for a 3 tiered build. I eventually moved onto The Serpent for an added "trap"
Major Skills: Archery, Destruction, Alchemy, Sneak
Minor Skills: Illusion, Heavy Armor, Smithing
Gear: Complete set of Heavy Falmer Armor - Head, Chest, Hands, and Feet
Weapons: Enchanced Dwarven Crossbow
Dragon Shouts: Aura Whisper, Disarm, Frost Breath, Ice Form, Throw Voice
Skills and Perks
Archery: Overdraw 5/5, Eagle Eye, Steady Hand 1/2, Power Shot, Quick Shot
Destruction: Novice - Adept, Augmented Frost 2/2, Dual Cast, Impact, Rune Master, Deep Freeze
Alchemy: Alchemist 5/5, Physician, Benefactor, Poisoner, Concentrated Poison
Sneak: Stealth 1/5, Backstab, Deadly Aim, Muffled Movement, Light Foot, Silent Roll, Silence
Illusion: Novice - Apprentice, Animage, Kindred Mage, Quiet Casting
Heavy Armor: Juggernaut 3/5, Well Fitted, Tower of Strength
Visual of Perk Trees Here
Gameplay
This character build is ALL about the gameplay. It is centered around being a stealthy agent of expert marksmanship and magical tactics/spells. The Saxhleel Trapper knows how to manipulate the battlefield to enhance his chances of survival and to be lethal in all situations. Before anything else, knowing you will be wearing heavy armor means a dedication to utilizing the Muffle spell to move silently through caves.
The first goal that I set out for the character build was to build up Destruction. Once you hit Apprentice spells, the Frost Rune will make your skill rise very quickly. This will depend on a big investment into magicka early on. Fortify Magicka potions and especially Elsweyr Fondue will play a big role when you start out, allowing you to cast more spells as well as expensive frost rune spells. Knowing you always have a strong base of destruction damage, then you can begin to perk out what you think is needed most as you have a bit of ground to cover. (As mentioned earlier, no perk tree goes extremely high, meaning you will be effective as you progress and nothing seems to "lag behind" so to speak when leveling.)
Illusion's quiet casting is an ESSENTIAL perk (until Silence is taken) which will be easily attained because of the Muffle spell. Being that you need to cast it to stay silent = fast leveling. Quiet casting plays a pivotal role in laying Frost Runes, one of your main sources of elemental damage and slow effect which helps with charging enemies. Along with illusion, sneak is obviously also an important skill to perk out. Deadly Aim allows for stronger enemies to take a big whopping crossbow bolt to the face before any of your frost spells have to go off, making tougher battles a bit easier.
Heavy Armor and Archery can be perked out later on, as you will be in the front lines for most of the beginning. The stagger perk and quick reload perks of the archery tree will make for an almost constant staggering, which allows for you to switch to destruction spells for swift, frozen justice.
Alchemy is your ultimate power and should be leveled accordingly. Potions not only serve as a source of healing and magicka, but also for POISONS. Poisons applied to crossbow bolts will be your best friend as they can aid in many ways:
-Weakness to Frost
-Weakness to Poison
-Slow
-Paralyze
Along with many other effects, alchemy will be your "spell book" of sorts, as I did not choose to utilize Alteration for Paralyze since it can be a bit overpowering.
Battle Tactics
Ice Trap - Dual Cast Frost Rune (Silent Casting) -> Throw Voice - Lead your enemies right into a powerful icy explosion.
Frost Fall - Dual Cast Frost Rune (Silent Casting) -> Weakness to Frost poison + Exploding Ice Bolt -> Throw Voice - The added weakness to frost boosts the rune's damage and the stealth critical from Deadly Aim x3 archery damage isn't bad either!
Frozen Fools - Weakness to Frost + Poison tipped Exploding Frost Bolt (Multiple) -> Ice Storm - After pelting a group of enemies with weakness to frost poisoned exploding frost bolts, right BEFORE they reach you, unleash dual casted Ice Storm to blow them away which will stagger them in a powerful AoE.
Well I could ramble on and on about how much fun I have had with this build. Having such a versatile character is outstanding and a real eye opener to the world of Skyrim. From Mage to Warrior to Thief, The Saxhleel Trapper will deliver on all fronts.
Well, I guess it is about time I finally finish out an Argonian build so here it is. The inspiration comes from a mixture of a lot of builds seen on here, and some of my builds as well. I wanted to revisit the crossbow, search out the power of frost magic, and take advantage of alchemy. The resulting character concept is such a cool hybrid that I am truly proud of this build. Argonians have such great racial abilities to be an agent of stealth yet powerful to withstand an oncoming onslaught of enemies. This build fills both of these rolls very well. Let's take a look...
The Saxhleel Trapper
The Saxhleel Trapper is a hybrid of all 3 skill paths: mage, thief, and warrior. The goal of this build was to not rely on any 100 skill perks in any tree while still being extremely effective, giving the build a flexible feel in all situations. The character concept is built around sabotaging enemies from afar using a combination of archery + poisons and then delivering the finishing blow with either more deadly bolts or exposing targets to rune traps and/or debilitating frost destruction spells. The Saxhleel's intelligent battle tactics are what make the character shine in correct combinations of spells and a well tuned battlefield set up.
As a mage - frost spells, most notably runes, allow for enemies to be slowed in powerful AoE, giving the Saxhleel time to fire off more spells or deliver bolts from his crossbow.
As a warrior - the Saxhleel does wear heavy armor (sneaking capable of illusion) which allows him to become a hulking tank of archery/destruction when out in the open or when battling tough enemies.
As a thief - the term "thief" may not apply as we will not be stealing, but using the sneak and alchemy skills provide for tactical gameplay while boosting skills/resistances/damage with potions
Build
Race: Argonian
Stone: The Lover - Great for a 3 tiered build. I eventually moved onto The Serpent for an added "trap"
Major Skills: Archery, Destruction, Alchemy, Sneak
Minor Skills: Illusion, Heavy Armor, Smithing
Gear: Complete set of Heavy Falmer Armor - Head, Chest, Hands, and Feet
Weapons: Enchanced Dwarven Crossbow
Dragon Shouts: Aura Whisper, Disarm, Frost Breath, Ice Form, Throw Voice
Skills and Perks
Archery: Overdraw 5/5, Eagle Eye, Steady Hand 1/2, Power Shot, Quick Shot
Destruction: Novice - Adept, Augmented Frost 2/2, Dual Cast, Impact, Rune Master, Deep Freeze
Alchemy: Alchemist 5/5, Physician, Benefactor, Poisoner, Concentrated Poison
Sneak: Stealth 1/5, Backstab, Deadly Aim, Muffled Movement, Light Foot, Silent Roll, Silence
Illusion: Novice - Apprentice, Animage, Kindred Mage, Quiet Casting
Heavy Armor: Juggernaut 3/5, Well Fitted, Tower of Strength
Visual of Perk Trees Here
Gameplay
This character build is ALL about the gameplay. It is centered around being a stealthy agent of expert marksmanship and magical tactics/spells. The Saxhleel Trapper knows how to manipulate the battlefield to enhance his chances of survival and to be lethal in all situations. Before anything else, knowing you will be wearing heavy armor means a dedication to utilizing the Muffle spell to move silently through caves.
The first goal that I set out for the character build was to build up Destruction. Once you hit Apprentice spells, the Frost Rune will make your skill rise very quickly. This will depend on a big investment into magicka early on. Fortify Magicka potions and especially Elsweyr Fondue will play a big role when you start out, allowing you to cast more spells as well as expensive frost rune spells. Knowing you always have a strong base of destruction damage, then you can begin to perk out what you think is needed most as you have a bit of ground to cover. (As mentioned earlier, no perk tree goes extremely high, meaning you will be effective as you progress and nothing seems to "lag behind" so to speak when leveling.)
Illusion's quiet casting is an ESSENTIAL perk (until Silence is taken) which will be easily attained because of the Muffle spell. Being that you need to cast it to stay silent = fast leveling. Quiet casting plays a pivotal role in laying Frost Runes, one of your main sources of elemental damage and slow effect which helps with charging enemies. Along with illusion, sneak is obviously also an important skill to perk out. Deadly Aim allows for stronger enemies to take a big whopping crossbow bolt to the face before any of your frost spells have to go off, making tougher battles a bit easier.
Heavy Armor and Archery can be perked out later on, as you will be in the front lines for most of the beginning. The stagger perk and quick reload perks of the archery tree will make for an almost constant staggering, which allows for you to switch to destruction spells for swift, frozen justice.
Alchemy is your ultimate power and should be leveled accordingly. Potions not only serve as a source of healing and magicka, but also for POISONS. Poisons applied to crossbow bolts will be your best friend as they can aid in many ways:
-Weakness to Frost
-Weakness to Poison
-Slow
-Paralyze
Along with many other effects, alchemy will be your "spell book" of sorts, as I did not choose to utilize Alteration for Paralyze since it can be a bit overpowering.
Battle Tactics
Ice Trap - Dual Cast Frost Rune (Silent Casting) -> Throw Voice - Lead your enemies right into a powerful icy explosion.
Frost Fall - Dual Cast Frost Rune (Silent Casting) -> Weakness to Frost poison + Exploding Ice Bolt -> Throw Voice - The added weakness to frost boosts the rune's damage and the stealth critical from Deadly Aim x3 archery damage isn't bad either!
Frozen Fools - Weakness to Frost + Poison tipped Exploding Frost Bolt (Multiple) -> Ice Storm - After pelting a group of enemies with weakness to frost poisoned exploding frost bolts, right BEFORE they reach you, unleash dual casted Ice Storm to blow them away which will stagger them in a powerful AoE.
Well I could ramble on and on about how much fun I have had with this build. Having such a versatile character is outstanding and a real eye opener to the world of Skyrim. From Mage to Warrior to Thief, The Saxhleel Trapper will deliver on all fronts.
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