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Character Build: The Jade Dragoon

Tags: #Character Build Juggernaut  #Character Build Elementalist  #Character Build Enchanter  #Rank:Exemplar  #I edited this so many times. 
  • Member
    February 28, 2013

    This is my first build on this site. It’s abilities, style, and name are largely inspired by the game Legend of Dragoon for PS1, and is also now on PSN. I have mixed in some lore from the Elder Scrolls universe to have the build not be completely Non-ES. Constructive criticism will be appreciated and this build is subject to major adjustments depending on dlc. Vanilla Skyrim alternatives will be mentioned as not everyone has all the dlc that plays a part in this build. And now I present...

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    The Jade Dragoon

     - Backstory -

    "As if they were gods, Winglies ruled over all living creatures, and used them as slaves. The enslaved suffered a terrible domination and injustice. Their anger turned to a flame of fury; then, a gust of wind blew throughout the lands, spreading the flame to a blazing fire. The wind was Emperor Diaz. Seven incarnations of Dragons served the emperor. These were the first Dragoons. Their bravery inspired people to take up arms. Thus began the Dragon Campaign. It was a harsh war. Both people and Winglies suffered countless injuries and fatalities. After a long period of suffering, it was the humans who acquired the future. The age of humans had begun."   - The Dragon Campaign, Author Unknown

         "There have only been a handful of Jade Dragoons across the span of time. Since the first Jade Dragoon, many others have followed the same path. You are the Jade Dragoon today, but you have become transported suddenly to Tamriel, in the hands of the Imperials, who mistook you for a border-crossing criminal. With luck, a dragon swoops in and allows you to escape, and begin your trek across the land of Skyrim, in search of a way back to your own realm. You awoke without your Dragoon Spirit, but in time it will return to you, as fate desires."
           The Jade Dragoon, as it’s inspiration suggests, has power to control and manipulate the wind, in a form of both traditional magic as well as The Voice. Because Skyrim has no such thing as a wind element of magic, we use frost magic as a substitute, just the “cold wind” kind and not the “solid ice” kind. We also have somewhat weaker armor, which is made up for with an investment in Block and Smithing. Skyrim also has no spears, so instead we use battleaxes to imitate a halberd or polearm. We also wear a Dragon Priest’s mask to show our affiliation with the dragons while in the heat of battle, but wearing the mask is the player’s choice simply because the circlet fits with the build as well.

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    The Build

    (Level 50 Build)

    Race: Human or Argonian

    All Jade Dragoons tend to be very similar to each other in appearance and personality. Any of the Human races (Nord, Imperial, and Redguard) will work, but Nords fit the best. The Nord's frost resistance is a great bonus and the Battlecry is helpful at early levels. Argonians, with their dragon-like appearance, also qualify, and their Histskin racial is very handy, and the waterbreathing and disease resistance aren't all bad either. Bretons are half elven and therefore not considered pure human, so it is unlikely they would be chosen to be a Jade Dragoon.

    Gender: Male

    It is much more common for males to become Jade Dragoons rather than females. Although there could be female Jade Dragoons. The reason being for this is because all Jade Dragoons have been similar to one another. There are very few female Jade Dragoons, if any, but that doesn't mean you can't be female.

    Stone: Lord

    Use the Mage stone or the Lover stone to level your magic skills, they tend to level slowly on this build despite their use. The Lord stone was chosen because it adds to your resilience towards magic, which for roleplay reasons, comes from your armor. The armor bonus from the Lord Stone is also a nice touch. The Atronach stone is another great choice for the bonus magicka and the ability of immunity to disease, shouts, poison, and magic when you absorb it.

    Major Skills:

     Two Handed: Jade Dragoons are masters of their chosen weapon type, the spear. However, there are no spears in Skyrim, so we will use battleaxes, as they are close to halberds. Some of the lesser-known Jade Dragoons choose other weapons to specialize in, so you can use hammers or greatswords should you chose to. You may also switch this with One Handed and use a single sword, axe, or mace and block with an empty left hand. No matter which weapon type you choose, be sure to take all three of that weapon's specialization perks. 

     Block: As I said, Jade Dragoons are masters of the spear/battleaxe, and are just as proficient in guarding with their weapon as they are dealing damage. At higher levels, you can knock your enemy's blade right out of their hands. If you chose One Handed, take the same perks here, and block with your weapon rather than a shield. Jade Dragoons don't use shields.

     Enchanting: This skill is taken because a Jade Dragoon's armor and weapons is imbued with magical properties, and you'll have to make them yourself. Taking the Mage stone helps this skill level, and you'll want to because Enchanting levels very slowly. Be sure to name your weapons and armor that you enchant for yourself.

     Destruction: Jade Dragoons have command over the winds, so we'll be using a lot of Whirlwind Cloak, and some frost magic. Dual casting is quite useful for us because it increases the reach of our elemental cloaks. Also, despite being a main skill, Destruction levels slowly for us until you have access to Whirlwind Cloak, so remember to pay for training or practice this skill.

    Minor Skills:

    Heavy Armor: The Armor I chose for this build is Orcish armor, because it looks the most greenish armor. We aren't using a helmet so only ranks of Juggernaut will be of use to us. The left side can be taken up to Conditioning, but personally I couldn't see any difference of movement speed.

    Smithing: This skill is taken so we have quick access to Orchish armor and can improve our armor ratingor weapon strength. Arcane Blacksmith is mandatory since we use Enchanting.

     Illusion: I chose to include this skill because Jade Dragoons have been know to create "shields" for their allies out of the wind. This is replicated by the Courage line of spells, which increase the overall health of the target. This build utilizes only the Calm and Courage type spells, which also have a fitting visul that goes along with them.

     

    Main Spells:

     Destruction: Whirlwind Cloak (DB), Frost Cloak, Ice Storm, Blizzard, (Frostbite at low levels)

     Illusion: Courage, Rally, Call to Arms, Calm, Pacify

    Main Shouts:
     Offensive: Cyclone (DB), Elemental Fury, Unrelenting Force(if no Cyclone).

     Utility: Whirlwind Sprint, Become Ethereal, Clear Skies, Aura Whisper, Dragonrend, Dragon Aspect (DB)
    Recommended Quests: 

    The Main Questline: Pretty much mandatory for anyone using Shouts, go until The Throat of the World so you can meditate with Paarthunax. The Greybeards are your allies, so you need to head this far. if you want to slay Alduin, then proceed further in this Questline. Do not ally with the Blades.

     Companion's Questline: You are a warrior, and fit in with these hardy men and women easily. After curing Kodlak, be sure to cure yourself and other Companions of the vile werewolf curse. Doing this Questline also gives us access to great followers.

    Wind and Sand (DB): This quest rewards us with Whirlwind Cloak, one of our main spells, if not the main spell, for this build. Requires Dragonborn dlc and completion of a few other quests for Neloth. This quest is radiant so you may have to ask Neloth multiple times before he gives you this quest.

    The White Phial & Repairing the Phial: The White Phial is a very useful item for this build. It's essentially a reusable potion that can be used once a day and refills in 24 hours. Choose to either make it a health potion or a magic resist potion.

    The Dragonborn Main Quest: This Questline rewards you with both the Bend Will and Dragon Aspect shouts. The Fate of The Skall quest rewards you with the Wind Stone.

    College of Winterhold Questline: This gives us some trainers and spell vendors, but otherwise not useful and RP-breaking. You can travel through the Midden to get inside without joining, but you need to join to get the Master-level spells.

    The Book of Love and Unfathomable Depths reward you with some handy effects as well.

     

    M/H/S ratio: 1/1/1 until stamina is 150 and magicka is 250, then put all into health. You don't need much magicka to cast your spells, and stamina isn't really needed at all unless you sprint a lot. Health is what you really need for the most part, the more you have the better.

     

    The Jade Dragoon’s Equipment

    Weapon:

    Our weapon of choice will be the Headsman's Axe, which can be received from Ahtar in Solitude by gaining him as a follower, or simply killing him. 

    The Headsman's Axe cannot be improved by smithing, and as of Patch 1.5 correctly scales with the Two-Handed skill. There is only one in the game so wait until your enchanting is 100 and have taken the Enchanter 5 and Extra Effect perks.

    Once you meet the necessary requirements, enchant the Headsman's axe with Absorb Stamina and Damage Stamina.

    Another optional weapon is the Glass Battleaxe, it also looks perfect for a Jade Dragoon and only falls short due to it's actual shortness compared to the Headsman's Axe. Be sure to drink potions of Fortify Smithing when tempering a glass battleaxe, because we aren't taking the Glass Smithing perk.
    Armor:

           Jade Dragoons have two sets of armor. The first set is your normal human clothing, which we enchant for more regeneration in between battles. The second set is the important Dragoon Armor, which is only worn when needed during fights.  The Human form set is only single enchanted, you can dual enchant with other enchantments to boost more regen or fortify skills that aren't used in battle on that set.

     

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    For our normal clothes, any green clothes will do for the main body piece. Markarth guard armor can also be used for the main body piece. I highly encourage you to include the Bond of Matrimony ring or Rahgot in this set for RP purposes. If you wish to dual enchant this set, any combination of regeneration enchants and non-combat enchants will work just fine. Here's an example:

    Human form equipment set

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         As for our Dragoon form armor, I chose to use Orcish as it looks the most green. The ring here should be named "Jade Dragoon Spirit" and it is the heirloom of the Jade Dragoons. This armor set is much stronger and will eventually be dual enchanted when you reach 100 Enchanting. The Glass Battleaxe is shown here, but feel free to use the Headsman's Axe instead.

    Dragoon form equipment set

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    The Jade Dragoon’s Spells & Shouts

    Spells:

    The Jade Dragoon specializes in wind magic, for us it will consist of Cloaks and Aoe frost spells. Luckily enough, Dragonborn dlc introduces Whirlwind Cloak, an amazing spell for the Jade Dragoon. If you don’t have that, Frost Cloak is still a viable substitute. We can also use Blizzard and Ice Storm, as well as the Wind Stone’s power (from Dragonborn dlc) as a free Blizzard casting. We use Courage and Rally on our allies for a boost to their defense. Courage and Rally count separately so you can use both on the same person at the same time!

     

    Shouts:  

    Obviously, The Cyclone shout introduced in Dragonborn will be the most used shout. Get all three words as quickly as possible, and have it selected/favorited ALL THE TIME. If you don’t have Cyclone, use Unrelenting Force, as it has nearly the same effect. Elemental Fury is also important, as it will be used in conjunction with the Headsman's Axe before it's enchanted to slice through enemy ranks with the wrath of a tempest. The Headsman's Axe swings faster than a normal two-handed weapon like the Ebony Blade, and when coupled with Level 3 Elemental Fury your DPS increases dramatically! For utility shouts we have access to Whirlwind sprint, Become Ethereal, two Thu’um’s for traveling that seem to be on every build, but we will use them almost only for traveling, but they are used often and you should acquire all of their words.

     

     

    Perkspreads

    Level 10 - Level 25 - Level 50

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    Apprenticeship (optional) 

    There comes a time in every Jade Dragoon's life when a Jade Dragoon dies and the Jade Dragoon Spirit is given to its next chosen wielder. Some Jade Dragoons are lucky enough to take on apprentices and teach them techniques and tactics to set a foundation for when they are to become Jade Dragoons. Apprentices are not treated as normal slave-like followers, you must take care and protect your apprentice. You must not leave them behind or weigh them down. They are your pupil, and you are tasked with teaching them well.

    To have take on an apprentice, you must complete the following:

    Be at least Level 25
    Have a custom enchanted Emerald Ring named "Jade Dragoon Spirit" in your possession. (single or dual enchanted)
    Completed 'The Throat of the World'
    Become either the Harbinger or Arch-Mage. (both is fine)

    Once those above tasks have been completed, you're ready to take on an apprentice. Here's the preferred criteria for an apprentice to a Jade Dragoon:

    Use Twohanded and equipped with the same kind of weapon (battleaxes by default).
    Use either clothing or Light Armor (this way they can keep up).
    Be somewhat proficient in Block but not use a shield.

    By this criteria, and only considering stats, it means that Erik the Slayer is the best follower suited  to be your apprentice. However, feel free to chose anyone you like, Erik is only suggested for skill boosts, you may chose a different follower based on personal preference. 

    Another thing to remember, have their Light Armor (if any) be Leather, Fur, Studded or Scaled. They look more like a normal warrior of Skyrim rather than someone walking around in Dragonscale or Glass. You can also enchant their clothing to boost armor skill if they lack Light Armor skill, and boost their health. You cannot boost their Two-handed skill with enchantments.

    Apprentices tend to rush into battle in an instant, so make sure you tank for them. Do not let your apprentice die, ever. You're the one who's supposed to die first, and they are supposed to continue the heritage of Jade Dragoons. Victory or Sovngarde!

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    Combat Tactics

        At the beginning of most fights, cast your cloak and charge in. When fighting large groups (Bandits, Draugr, etc.) cast a courage spell on your follower at the start. If your follower falls to their knees, you can use the fortify health effects to bring them back up, but beware if the fortify health effect wears off while they are kneeling, as even 'protected' followers can lose their health bonus and fall below zero health, resulting in death.

         When fighting one-on-one, use the Calm spells to cause your opponent to let down their guard. Use your frost magic while backpedaling and charge with your axe, maintaining a solid distance between you and your enemy. Should you become low on magicka or stamina doing this, revert to the basic melee strategy of striking and blocking, and trade blows with your enemy.

         For dragons, we almost always try to leave them be. However, you will certainly have to kill some of them. When fighting dragons, don't use Whirlwind Cloak because dragons are immune to it. Your calming spells are also ineffective against dragons. Use your frost magic, ranged shouts, and patience to deal with them while they are out of reach, and when you get the opportunity to attack them in close-quarters melee, charge in with your axe and aim to hit them from the sides or rear. When they breath on you, use a block bash, or power bash if Disarming Bash has been unlocked. Have your follower buffed up with the Courage spells before engaging in close combat!

    Signature Moves

            (Melee-based)

        Dragon Barrage (requires: Power Bash. Champion’s Stance recommended)

    The Jade Dragoon unleashes a multitude of melee strikes against an opponent to show them what it means to mess with you. To do this:

    Standing Power Attack

    Power Bash

    Power Attack moving left

    Power Attack moving right

    Power Attack moving forward (or Great Crit. Charge)

    Use this when facing a very strong opponent. You cannot block in the middle of Dragon Barrage, except briefly for the power bash, but you’re moving around enough that you can evade. This move is difficult to pull off correctly and is only here for aesthetic purposes.

        Incomplete Dragon
    This move is actually the Dragon Barrage move, but this is what it becomes if you get a finisher animation, or the enemy dies too early, or you run out of stamina and have no potions. Basically anything stopping you from completing Dragon Barrage. To prevent getting this, make sure to carry stamina potions (use them in the middle of Dragon Barrage), or use Dragon Barrage against really strong enemies, such as dragons and giants. It’s also good if you decide not to poison your weapon during Dragon Barrage.

        Elemental Aura (requires: Elemental Fury, unenchanted weapon, Whirlwind Cloak)

    Dualcast or single-cast Whirlwind Cloak, pull out your weapon and use Elemental Fury. Your enemies will attempt to melee you and get tossed away because of your cloak. the ones that manage to get inside your cloak will be cut to shreds by your axe. Whirlwind cloak can only toss enemies away when they enter the range of the cloak, if they are already inside they won't be thrown back. If they are thrown back, it makes them an easy target for a Great Critical Charge if you can reach them.



            (Magic-based)


        Wing Blaster (requires: Ice Storm, Calm or Pacify)

    The Jade Dragoon calms his opponent with soothing breezes then unleashes a brutal cold front. 

    Use Calm (or Pacify for groups) on your enemy, then while they are vulnerable, unleash a double-casted Ice Storm, causing massive DPS with the separate storms.

        Windstorm (requires: Courage, Rally, Dual cast Whirlwind Cloak)

    The Jade Dragoon summons the great winds of Skyrim to shield his companions and repel hostile attackers.

    Cast both Courage and Rally on your ally to boost their health and confidence, and then cast a large whirlwind around yourself to protect you from enemies.


       Gaspless (requires: Blizzard, or Wind Stone power, Calm or Pacify)

    The Jade Dragoon summons a vacuum, suffocating and slowing the oblivious victims trapped inside the whirlwind of mass chaos.

    Cast Blizzard (if you can) or use the Wind Stone's power, and throw some calming spells onto your opponents while they slowly take damage, and your follower can hit them while they are slowed and tame.


    Jade Dragon’s Wrath (requires:blessing of Talos, Cyclone shout)

    With the knowledge of the Voice, the Jade Dragoon summons multiple cyclones to shred his opponents.

    Equip your shout reduction amulet (if you have any, they aren’t required) and Cyclone Shout a few times within about a minute. Use Dragon Aspect (DB) prior to using Cyclone to increase it’s effectiveness. If you lack the Cyclone shout, use the vanilla Skyrim version below.

    Jade Dragon’s Wrath (Alternate) (requires: Call Dragon, or Summon Durnehviir, but don’t need both)

    The Wind Dragoon calls upon the aid of his own Dragon, to assist in battle.

    Call upon Odahviing or Durnehviir to use this support move, BUT NOT BOTH! Take your pick, they are different dragons. I myself prefer Odahviing over Durnehviir, but you may choose whoever you wish. They distract your enemies and slaughter them as well.

     

    Roleplaying

    Dragons are your allies, do not fight them, unless they put the lives of the innocent in danger. They are under the control of Alduin, so forgive them. If they're bothering you, you can summon Odahviing or Durnehvniir to distract them. The atronach stone is recommended for you to shrug of their breath.

    You are an honorable warrior, don't join the pathetic Thieve's "Guild". Don't back down from a fight or sneak around one either.

    The Blades are evil, do not kill Paarthunax just to help those saps. Only cooperate with them to progress in the Main Quest.

    This character is generally a good character, but is not afraid to kill. Place honor above all else.

    The Thalmor oppress everyone with an iron fist. Dispose of them at each chance you get.

    You have no quarrel with the Civil War, and would rather stay in High Hrothgar than kill soldiers in a war in which both sides are equally wrong.

     

     

    Note: I have pondered about the fate of this build, but for now, it stays as is.

     

     

     

     

     

     

  • Member
    February 28, 2013
    Loved this game!
  • February 28, 2013
    If I had to suggest anything, either make an extra line between skills to make them easier to read, and bolden words like "main shouts, major skills, minor skills, etc." otherwise it's fairly decent
  • Member
    February 28, 2013

    Yeah, I know. My favorite one. I can do a build series just on the dragoons in case anyone's interested.

    Having trouble with the editor now... 

  • Member
    February 28, 2013

    Yeah i'm trying to...

    The ning editor keeps adding/deleting stuff.

  • Member
    February 28, 2013

    I know! it looked so much better on Word! also, how do you make those perk placement picture, and upload screenshots from ps3?

  • Member
    February 28, 2013

    I really like the elemental fury glitch... would give some great special effects. Definitely going to have to try that.

  • Member
    February 28, 2013

    Yeah, it doesn't have any real effect, but I checked UESP and TESW for a way to give it one. Still makes me feel cool though walking around with an axe enchanted with a dragon shout!

  • Member
    February 28, 2013

    No, it doesn't because the enchantment only adds visuals and sound, which are the same no matter which level of the shout you use, but this character would probably get all three words anyway. You can't shout with the EF enchanted weapon, because you get the error message: your weapon is already enchanted. 

    I've done this on ps3, But I've found out about this glitch on the Xbox 360 Skyrim gamefaqs boards, and a couple instances on the Pc board, too. If, your on pc, you can just console command your weapon speed to go faster, i've heard. 

  • Member
    February 28, 2013

    You can use capture cards for xbox, and I assume you can use it on PS3 as well since (I believe so) it connects to the TV. I am not 100% sure, so I advise looking into it more. 

    For the build, it is really nice. The concept, the EF glitch all that. However I agree with Ben, the presentation needs to improve. Take a look at the level 80 builds or the level 40 builds.