Man or machine... you can’t even tell anymore.
Summary
The automation wears dwarven armor and uses a crossbow. His unique experiences have attuned him to the elements of fire and earth, and he can call upon them to alter and destroy his foes. He is a very technical fighter and will fill the battlefield with many fire walls and ash runes to deter his foe’s approach. He can zoom near endlessly with his crossbow and will scald his enemies with a boiling steam breath like his dwarven animunculi brethren. The automation repairs any harm inflicted upon him. If by some miracle an enemy reaches the automation they will be greeted by his near-impenetrable armor, strengthened by alteration, a burning cloak of flames, and a stout blow from his crossbow. The combination of which will literally send the foe running in fear; the automation will then proceed to unsympathetically shoot them down. All should beware this one's steely prowess.
Backstory
Scraps of memories, that’s all you have from your past. A icy mountain pass, the scared faces of your parents, the cries and howls of pain and fear. Death, swirling all around you, and then the long dark. The sickly and deformed white faces of your captors; the falmer, as you know them now. You were no older than five when they too you, down to their dark lair; Blackreach. For fifteen long years you toiled and suffered there. Your fellow slaves, they were mindless, but you managed to communicate with the machines. Grinding of gears, a hiss of steam, clanking parts; they all had meaning. You understood how the automations felt, or, were build to feel, that you would never know. In your time there you also came to know the earth, the stone. It wasn’t forthcoming, but one day understanding dawned upon you and you knew it. In the middle of your fifteenth year of captivity, you knew because you had scratched a sharp rock against the cave wall to record every time you slept, salvation came in the form of hisses of steam and many clanking parts.
Blackreach... once your prison, now your hunting grounds.
An army dwarven spheres rolled out of one of Blackreach’s many doors. The falmer rushed to combat them and, in the confusion, you slipped away into the passageways of the Silent City. You ran through the halls, heart pounding, you heard the malevolent growls of one of the beasts chasing you. You ran forward into a gated room, on the table you found a tome. You opened the pages and the instant you saw the words you knew them. The letters began to glow red and sparks and flames leapt from them, spreading to the rest of the page. Before you knew it the entire book was in blazes, the falmer uttered a growl of discovery as he ran toward the room you were certain to die in. The flames leapt onto your arm, but you felt no pain and suddenly you understood. The flame, fire, you knew them, you called upon them. Just as the falmer opened the door you bathed him in a torrent of flame, he fell to the ground screeching, and then subsided. Knowing that his screams would draw more of them out of the ruins, you rushed out of the ruins.
You exited through the sewer and invoked the earth to crush the pipe and seal it off. You spotted a humanoid machine on some kind of rack. You ran towards it, and pulled the nearby lever. As it groaned to life you hastily climbed the frame and leapt onto its head. It charged forward at an incredible speed, leaving most of the falmer far behind its heels and bowling over the ones foolish enough to get in its way. It crashed into a dwarven structure, throwing you from its head. You landed on a circular platform and, just as the centurion drew back it’s head, pulled the lever its center. The platform rocked up as you heard boiling steam hiss from below you. It was propelled by four gears that connected it to tracks on the wall.
The lift clanked to a stop in a dwarven cage structure on a snowy slope. You opened the bars and stumbled down the slope, weak from all of the commotion. You sighted a lakeside inn at the bottom of the hill, and walked towards it. As you trudged in the door your vision grew dark. The last thing you remember is falling to the floor amid shouts of surprise and commotion.
Some days later you thanked the innkeeper for his hospitality and left. You took a carriage headed South. As you were heading through the pass South of Helgen a nord tried to steal the horse. Before you knew it you were in the middle of a military ambush and then a prisoner on a wagon headed back North to Helgen and execution. You didn't know what they were fighting apart, but you knew one thing; it would not end here. Force, stone, or flame would grant you your freedom as it had those few weeks ago before. You would discover the secrets of the dwemer automations and have your revenge on the twisted falmer horde.
Gameplay
When entering combat you should summon an automation with the aetherial staff. Then quickly place a fire rune, ash rune, or flame wall in between your enemies and you, choose the ash rune if they are numerous. Fire off a first shot with your crossbow as your sphere charges into the fray. Zoom in to slow time and fire much faster compared to your enemies. Fire spells are not used to directly attack enemies, but rather to help your crossbow tactics, for instance, wall of flames will fear enemies below 15 percent health, allowing you to shoot them down while they run away.
Keep the Breath of Nchauk as your default power. If your enemies near breath steam and/or fire on them, then cast a flame cloak and your highest flesh spell, cast these before entering combat once your magicka pool grows deep enough to do so, dual cast versions are superior, but costly. Alternatively you can turn and use whirlwind sprint to distance yourself from your foes (ballista ability).
Dwemer technology can conquer all with ease.
Race - Redguard
50 percent poison resistance will help in fights against chaurus and their power, adrenaline rush grants 10 times faster stamina regeneration for 60 seconds.
Focus Skills
From highest priority to least important.
- Archery - The crossbow is the automation’s main weapon.
- Destruction - For extra fire power, get it? fire power... Mainly flame cloaks, walls, and runes.
- Alteration - Flesh spells, petrification, and magic resistance.
- Restoration - Repair your health and stamina.
Minor Skills
- Smithing - For creating armor and your crossbow, as well as making both effective.
- Enchanting - For massive elemental damage on your crossbow.
- Heavy Armor - You need your brazen dwemer plate, of course!
Stone
Steed - Until the conditioning perk is taken; you’ll need the mobility.
Lord - More physical and magical damage resistance. Use it after the condition perk is taken.
Perk Build
Level Fifty and Eighty
The frost and shock damage perks in destruction and enchanting are taken at higher levels to increase your chaos enchantment’s power.
Stat Distribution
2 - 1 - 2
Follow this pattern until level 51, when you have 300 magicka, 200 health, and 300 stamina unbuffed. After 51 distribute new points evenly, following a 1 - 1 - 1 ratio. You should end with around 400 - 300 - 400 spread, with more points into magicka if needed.
Required Quests
- Dawnguard through “A New Order”
- Ancient Technology Quests
- Unfathomable Depths (14)
- Lost to the Ages (Staff)
Suggested Quests
- Main Quest through “Elder Knowledge”
- Dragonborn Main Quest through “The Path of Knowledge”
- Black Book: The Winds of Change
- Black Book: Untold Legends
- March of the Dead
- Bolstering the Ranks
- Lost Relic (Rune Hammer)
- Kill Taron Dreth (Random Encounter after LttA)
Automations
The dwarven spider and sphere in Kagrumez make perfect allies for the automation. The sphere is preferable as it is stronger and uses a similar crossbow attack to yours. The sphere can be attained as soon as you get one of the resonance gems from elsewhere. Combined with the two gems found on the bandit in Kagrumez they will get you to the sphere. Note: There is a large pile of dwarven ingots stacked in the room where you find the spider, take them for smithing.
Our other automation comes from the Lost to the Ages quest. The aetherial staff will summon a powerful sphere or spider. With three automations together in combat you’ll be a force to be reckoned with. Note: the staff has a chance to summon a pile of scrap metal; this can be used to convert soul gems into smithing experience and dwarven armor and weapons.
Weapons
Enhanced Dwarven Crossbow - Your main weapon. It packs a punch, even before its smithed and enchanted. It has a base 50 percent chance to stagger foes that becomes a guranteed stagger if the power shot perk is taken.
Exploding Dwarven Fire, Ice, & Shock Bolts - Switch between these to exploit your enemy’s elemental weaknesses. You will find plenty of dwarven bolts in ruins and you can smith these with a fire, frost, or void salt to create exploding bolts.
Aetherial Staff - Use this to summon a dwarven sphere or spider ally for one minute.
Dawnguard Rune Hammer - Use this to cast a fire rune with stamina instead of magicka.
A centurions' metal armor will never warp or break.
Armor
Visage of Mzund - Your helm, it grants 60 extra stamina and a steam breath attack called the, “Breath of Nchauk”. It also has the highest armor rating in the game by a large margin. The Breath of Nchauk costs around 60 stamina.
Dwarven Armor - Your armor, wear it well.
Enchantments
- Crossbow - Chaos & Fiery Soul Trap
- Head - Stamina & Steam Breath (Visage of Mzund)
- Chest - Stamina Regeneration & Alteration
- Hands - Archery & Magicka
- Feet - Stamina Regeneration & Stamina
- Amulet - Stamina Regeneration & Destruction
- Ring - Destruction & Alteration
Effects
- Ancient Knowledge
- Companion’s Insight
- Dragonborn Flame
- Meditate: Fire Breath
- Seeker of Sorcery
Powers
- Adrenaline Rush
- Bardic Knowledge
- Breath of Nchauk
- Bones of the Earth
- Root of Power
- Secret of Arcana
- Sun Flare
- Waters of Life
Shouts
This character is not a dragonborn. Role play that shouts are magic; fire breath is destruction, become ethereal and whirlwind sprint are alteration.
Become Ethereal - To become impervious for a time. Useful for escaping close combat when injured or casting master spells.
Fire Breath - To finish a group of enemies; summons fire wyrms with the dragonborn flame effect.
Whirlwind Sprint - Distance management. Use when you need to make an exit.
Spells
Ash Rune & Shell - With earth magic you will paralyze your foes and shield your allies. These spells make the target impervious and unable to act for 30 seconds. Ash rune is especially useful for halving enemy numbers.
Detect Life & Dead - Seek out nearby creatures and bodies.
Fire Rune - AoE fire damage, intense flames does not affect it.
Wall of Flames - Cast at the beginning of combat, before taking out your crossbow, to damage an enemy while they charge you.
Flame Cloak - Damage nearby enemies with flames, with the intense flames perk it will fear enemies. Cast when enemies enter melee range.
Flesh Spells - Improve your armor rating. Cast when enemies enter melee range.
Candlelight, Magelight, Telekinesis, Transmute, & Waterbreathing - All are good kit spells, use them when things are too dark, far away, wet, or iron.
Abilities
Ballista (Novice) - Crossbow Bash + Whirlwind Sprint + Bolt Shot
When enemies get too close hit them with your crossbow, sprint away, and fire back at them.
Steam Breath (Apprentice) - Adrenaline Rush + Breath of Nchauk + Dual Cast Flames
The automation’s signature ability. Shower your foes with and endless torrent of scalding steam while you bathe them in flame. Great for AoE damage on groups of enemies.
Steam Boiler (Apprentice) - Dual Cast Healing + Respite Perk
Boil more steam (stamina) to refill your supply.
Activate Defenses (Adept) - Flesh Spell + Flame Cloak + Fire Rune (at feet)
Harden your defenses while exerting excess heat and burning enemies.
Overheat (Adept) - Root of Power or Secret of Arcana + Breath of Nchauk + Wall of Flames + Flame Cloak + Fire Rune
Your steam reserves are overheating, vent excess heat.
The Automation uses steam to burn its enemies, their cinders spread the flames.
Steam Centurion (Expert) - Adrenaline Rush + Breath of Nchauk + Dual Cast Fireball / Incinerate + Fire Breath + Dragonborn Flame
A high level version of steam breath. Expel a powerful stream of steam at enemies. Flames will quickly follow. Use fireball for a group of enemies or incinerate for a single, powerful foe. Sparks (wyrms) will rise from slain foes and attack those that yet live.
Eruption (Master) - Ash Rune + Firestorm
Immobilize nearby foes with the power of the earth, charge up your hottest flames, and the second the earth releases them erupt with devastating power.
If the Automation struck your fancy, then feel free to check out the rest of
My Builds
Man or machine... you can’t even tell anymore.
Summary
The automation wears dwarven armor and uses a crossbow. His unique experiences have attuned him to the elements of fire and earth, and he can call upon them to alter and destroy his foes. He is a very technical fighter and will fill the battlefield with many fire walls and ash runes to deter his foe’s approach. He can zoom near endlessly with his crossbow and will scald his enemies with a boiling steam breath like his dwarven animunculi brethren. The automation repairs any harm inflicted upon him. If by some miracle an enemy reaches the automation they will be greeted by his near-impenetrable armor, strengthened by alteration, a burning cloak of flames, and a stout blow from his crossbow. The combination of which will literally send the foe running in fear; the automation will then proceed to unsympathetically shoot them down. All should beware this one's steely prowess.
Backstory
Scraps of memories, that’s all you have from your past. A icy mountain pass, the scared faces of your parents, the cries and howls of pain and fear. Death, swirling all around you, and then the long dark. The sickly and deformed white faces of your captors; the falmer, as you know them now. You were no older than five when they too you, down to their dark lair; Blackreach. For fifteen long years you toiled and suffered there. Your fellow slaves, they were mindless, but you managed to communicate with the machines. Grinding of gears, a hiss of steam, clanking parts; they all had meaning. You understood how the automations felt, or, were build to feel, that you would never know. In your time there you also came to know the earth, the stone. It wasn’t forthcoming, but one day understanding dawned upon you and you knew it. In the middle of your fifteenth year of captivity, you knew because you had scratched a sharp rock against the cave wall to record every time you slept, salvation came in the form of hisses of steam and many clanking parts.
Blackreach... once your prison, now your hunting grounds.
An army dwarven spheres rolled out of one of Blackreach’s many doors. The falmer rushed to combat them and, in the confusion, you slipped away into the passageways of the Silent City. You ran through the halls, heart pounding, you heard the malevolent growls of one of the beasts chasing you. You ran forward into a gated room, on the table you found a tome. You opened the pages and the instant you saw the words you knew them. The letters began to glow red and sparks and flames leapt from them, spreading to the rest of the page. Before you knew it the entire book was in blazes, the falmer uttered a growl of discovery as he ran toward the room you were certain to die in. The flames leapt onto your arm, but you felt no pain and suddenly you understood. The flame, fire, you knew them, you called upon them. Just as the falmer opened the door you bathed him in a torrent of flame, he fell to the ground screeching, and then subsided. Knowing that his screams would draw more of them out of the ruins, you rushed out of the ruins.
You exited through the sewer and invoked the earth to crush the pipe and seal it off. You spotted a humanoid machine on some kind of rack. You ran towards it, and pulled the nearby lever. As it groaned to life you hastily climbed the frame and leapt onto its head. It charged forward at an incredible speed, leaving most of the falmer far behind its heels and bowling over the ones foolish enough to get in its way. It crashed into a dwarven structure, throwing you from its head. You landed on a circular platform and, just as the centurion drew back it’s head, pulled the lever its center. The platform rocked up as you heard boiling steam hiss from below you. It was propelled by four gears that connected it to tracks on the wall.
The lift clanked to a stop in a dwarven cage structure on a snowy slope. You opened the bars and stumbled down the slope, weak from all of the commotion. You sighted a lakeside inn at the bottom of the hill, and walked towards it. As you trudged in the door your vision grew dark. The last thing you remember is falling to the floor amid shouts of surprise and commotion.
Some days later you thanked the innkeeper for his hospitality and left. You took a carriage headed South. As you were heading through the pass South of Helgen a nord tried to steal the horse. Before you knew it you were in the middle of a military ambush and then a prisoner on a wagon headed back North to Helgen and execution. You didn't know what they were fighting apart, but you knew one thing; it would not end here. Force, stone, or flame would grant you your freedom as it had those few weeks ago before. You would discover the secrets of the dwemer automations and have your revenge on the twisted falmer horde.
Gameplay
When entering combat you should summon an automation with the aetherial staff. Then quickly place a fire rune, ash rune, or flame wall in between your enemies and you, choose the ash rune if they are numerous. Fire off a first shot with your crossbow as your sphere charges into the fray. Zoom in to slow time and fire much faster compared to your enemies. Fire spells are not used to directly attack enemies, but rather to help your crossbow tactics, for instance, wall of flames will fear enemies below 15 percent health, allowing you to shoot them down while they run away.
Keep the Breath of Nchauk as your default power. If your enemies near breath steam and/or fire on them, then cast a flame cloak and your highest flesh spell, cast these before entering combat once your magicka pool grows deep enough to do so, dual cast versions are superior, but costly. Alternatively you can turn and use whirlwind sprint to distance yourself from your foes (ballista ability).
Dwemer technology can conquer all with ease.
Race - Redguard
50 percent poison resistance will help in fights against chaurus and their power, adrenaline rush grants 10 times faster stamina regeneration for 60 seconds.
Focus Skills
From highest priority to least important.
- Archery - The crossbow is the automation’s main weapon.
- Destruction - For extra fire power, get it? fire power... Mainly flame cloaks, walls, and runes.
- Alteration - Flesh spells, petrification, and magic resistance.
- Restoration - Repair your health and stamina.
Minor Skills
- Smithing - For creating armor and your crossbow, as well as making both effective.
- Enchanting - For massive elemental damage on your crossbow.
- Heavy Armor - You need your brazen dwemer plate, of course!
Stone
Steed - Until the conditioning perk is taken; you’ll need the mobility.
Lord - More physical and magical damage resistance. Use it after the condition perk is taken.
Perk Build
Level Fifty and Eighty
The frost and shock damage perks in destruction and enchanting are taken at higher levels to increase your chaos enchantment’s power.
Stat Distribution
2 - 1 - 2
Follow this pattern until level 51, when you have 300 magicka, 200 health, and 300 stamina unbuffed. After 51 distribute new points evenly, following a 1 - 1 - 1 ratio. You should end with around 400 - 300 - 400 spread, with more points into magicka if needed.
Required Quests
- Dawnguard through “A New Order”
- Ancient Technology Quests
- Unfathomable Depths (14)
- Lost to the Ages (Staff)
Suggested Quests
- Main Quest through “Elder Knowledge”
- Dragonborn Main Quest through “The Path of Knowledge”
- Black Book: The Winds of Change
- Black Book: Untold Legends
- March of the Dead
- Bolstering the Ranks
- Lost Relic (Rune Hammer)
- Kill Taron Dreth (Random Encounter after LttA)
Automations
The dwarven spider and sphere in Kagrumez make perfect allies for the automation. The sphere is preferable as it is stronger and uses a similar crossbow attack to yours. The sphere can be attained as soon as you get one of the resonance gems from elsewhere. Combined with the two gems found on the bandit in Kagrumez they will get you to the sphere. Note: There is a large pile of dwarven ingots stacked in the room where you find the spider, take them for smithing.
Our other automation comes from the Lost to the Ages quest. The aetherial staff will summon a powerful sphere or spider. With three automations together in combat you’ll be a force to be reckoned with. Note: the staff has a chance to summon a pile of scrap metal; this can be used to convert soul gems into smithing experience and dwarven armor and weapons.
Weapons
Enhanced Dwarven Crossbow - Your main weapon. It packs a punch, even before its smithed and enchanted. It has a base 50 percent chance to stagger foes that becomes a guranteed stagger if the power shot perk is taken.
Exploding Dwarven Fire, Ice, & Shock Bolts - Switch between these to exploit your enemy’s elemental weaknesses. You will find plenty of dwarven bolts in ruins and you can smith these with a fire, frost, or void salt to create exploding bolts.
Aetherial Staff - Use this to summon a dwarven sphere or spider ally for one minute.
Dawnguard Rune Hammer - Use this to cast a fire rune with stamina instead of magicka.
A centurions' metal armor will never warp or break.
Armor
Visage of Mzund - Your helm, it grants 60 extra stamina and a steam breath attack called the, “Breath of Nchauk”. It also has the highest armor rating in the game by a large margin. The Breath of Nchauk costs around 60 stamina.
Dwarven Armor - Your armor, wear it well.
Enchantments
- Crossbow - Chaos & Fiery Soul Trap
- Head - Stamina & Steam Breath (Visage of Mzund)
- Chest - Stamina Regeneration & Alteration
- Hands - Archery & Magicka
- Feet - Stamina Regeneration & Stamina
- Amulet - Stamina Regeneration & Destruction
- Ring - Destruction & Alteration
Effects
- Ancient Knowledge
- Companion’s Insight
- Dragonborn Flame
- Meditate: Fire Breath
- Seeker of Sorcery
Powers
- Adrenaline Rush
- Bardic Knowledge
- Breath of Nchauk
- Bones of the Earth
- Root of Power
- Secret of Arcana
- Sun Flare
- Waters of Life
Shouts
This character is not a dragonborn. Role play that shouts are magic; fire breath is destruction, become ethereal and whirlwind sprint are alteration.
Become Ethereal - To become impervious for a time. Useful for escaping close combat when injured or casting master spells.
Fire Breath - To finish a group of enemies; summons fire wyrms with the dragonborn flame effect.
Whirlwind Sprint - Distance management. Use when you need to make an exit.
Spells
Ash Rune & Shell - With earth magic you will paralyze your foes and shield your allies. These spells make the target impervious and unable to act for 30 seconds. Ash rune is especially useful for halving enemy numbers.
Detect Life & Dead - Seek out nearby creatures and bodies.
Fire Rune - AoE fire damage, intense flames does not affect it.
Wall of Flames - Cast at the beginning of combat, before taking out your crossbow, to damage an enemy while they charge you.
Flame Cloak - Damage nearby enemies with flames, with the intense flames perk it will fear enemies. Cast when enemies enter melee range.
Flesh Spells - Improve your armor rating. Cast when enemies enter melee range.
Candlelight, Magelight, Telekinesis, Transmute, & Waterbreathing - All are good kit spells, use them when things are too dark, far away, wet, or iron.
Abilities
Ballista (Novice) - Crossbow Bash + Whirlwind Sprint + Bolt Shot
When enemies get too close hit them with your crossbow, sprint away, and fire back at them.
Steam Breath (Apprentice) - Adrenaline Rush + Breath of Nchauk + Dual Cast Flames
The automation’s signature ability. Shower your foes with and endless torrent of scalding steam while you bathe them in flame. Great for AoE damage on groups of enemies.
Steam Boiler (Apprentice) - Dual Cast Healing + Respite Perk
Boil more steam (stamina) to refill your supply.
Activate Defenses (Adept) - Flesh Spell + Flame Cloak + Fire Rune (at feet)
Harden your defenses while exerting excess heat and burning enemies.
Overheat (Adept) - Root of Power or Secret of Arcana + Breath of Nchauk + Wall of Flames + Flame Cloak + Fire Rune
Your steam reserves are overheating, vent excess heat.
The Automation uses steam to burn its enemies, their cinders spread the flames.
Steam Centurion (Expert) - Adrenaline Rush + Breath of Nchauk + Dual Cast Fireball / Incinerate + Fire Breath + Dragonborn Flame
A high level version of steam breath. Expel a powerful stream of steam at enemies. Flames will quickly follow. Use fireball for a group of enemies or incinerate for a single, powerful foe. Sparks (wyrms) will rise from slain foes and attack those that yet live.
Eruption (Master) - Ash Rune + Firestorm
Immobilize nearby foes with the power of the earth, charge up your hottest flames, and the second the earth releases them erupt with devastating power.
If the Automation struck your fancy, then feel free to check out the rest of
My Builds
