Skyrim Character Building » Discussions


Character Build: The Volkihar Mistwalker

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  • Member
    June 1, 2013

    So I've decided to make another discussion for this build and just cut it off from the original thread because I might to a MAJOR overhaul from the original build. Just did minor adjustments to the contents but pretty standard. Please comment if you have any suggestions what so ever...

    The Volkihar Mistwalker

    Day 17 : "After meeting a group of vampire slayers, there leader, a man named Isran, sent me to this crypt to help investigate what had happened to the vigilants. Reaching the cave I  battled many of the undead, only realizing I was to save another undead, a vampire named Serana. Battling our way out of that cursed crypt, she asked me to help her return to her home, to Castle Volkihar, where her family is. The castle was a safe haven for a group of powerful vampires, the Volkihar clan, led by Serana's father, Harkon, who offered me to become one of them. The hunger for power and domination burst out of me from the inside. Thus accepting the offer and so I become one of them..."

    Race: I prefer Breton for their magic resist ability (Dunmer will also do well)

    Stone : The Warrior Stone > The Lord Stone

    Stats : Continue taking 2/3/1 with your goal being 300/350+/200+. After reaching the targeted magicka, you can either go past the 350 health or the 200 stamina, which ever you choose is fine as long as you've met the minimum.

    Armor : Mistwalker Armor (Fortify Conjuration 30% & Magicka Regen 76%)

                    Mistwalker Gauntlets (Fortify Two-Handed 49% & Fortify Light Armor 30)

                    Mistwalker Boots (Fortify Two-Handed 49% & Fire Resistance 57%)

                    Mistwalker Crown (Fortify Restoration 30% & Magicka Regen 76%)

                    Ring of Erudite (100 extra magicka and regenerate magicka faster)

                    Necromancer Amulet (If you don't have the Amulet of the Gargoyle yet)

                   Amulet of the Gargoyle (Enchanted ) (Fortify Alteration 30% & Fortify Two-Handed 49%)

    Weapon: The Ebony Blade (max upgrade with 30 absorb health) / Conjured Bound Battleaxe (Optional)

                       Conjured Bound Bow (For range combat)

                       Sanguine Rose (Optional) (If their are no available corpse to reanimate)

    Shouts: Aura Whisper, Frost Breath, Become Ethereal, Soul Tear, Slow Time

    Quests : Bloodline (side with the Volkihar), The Whispering Door (to get the Ebony Blade), A Night to Remember (to get the Sanguine Rose), Unearthed (for the Ahzidal armor set)

    Major Skills

    Two-Handed: Still going to be your main combat skill. Especially now that they have patched the Ebony Blade to both increase and benefit from this skill. Also this skill grants access to perks which makes the Ebony Blade even more deadlier ("Sweep" could be used against multiple enemies, which means that you could absorb health from each of the target hit by the blade).

    ConjurationBased on observing the battle strategies of vampires in Skyrim. Reanimating corpse is one of this essential characteristics. This skill allows access to perks which improve the health of your reanimated corpse and also allow you to reanimate 2 corpse or summon 2 dremora lords at the same time. Also this skills allows you to gain access to you bound weaponry, most especially the bound bow.

    Restoration: This skill will make the Volkihar Mistwalker even more powerful with the help of the perk "Necromage" (no more explanation needed). Also this skill allows access to healing spells both for yourself and your reanimated corpse.

    Enchanting: Your most important skill to be considered. As this will allow you to increase weapon damage, increase armor for defense, less magicka for casting spells, and also increase magic resistance. But once you've gained your core item enchantments, feel free to turn this skill into Legendary as the perk points will still come useful for you other skills. No need to enchant Serana with added apparel. NOTE: After you've enchanted your desired gears and armor with your desired enchantments, feel free to turn this skill into Legendary as you will be able to use those available perk points on your other skills.

    Minor Skills

    Archery: Again your range combat skill. Your bow combined with  essential perks from this skill will make the bound bow a deadly weapon. Key perks are "Overdraw" (for increased bow damage) and most importantly "Quickshot" (the perk itself tells everything). 

    Light Armor: For increase defense on you armor rating. Key perk is only "Agile Defender" (maxed out)

    Alteration: Your means of added defense from flesh spells, but most importantly added magic resist. Physical damage may still affect you but magic damage should be a piece of cake to you, even fire damage.

    Illusion: You will be leveling this skill fairly easily from spamming the skill "Muffle". No perk point needed to be invested to this skill though.

    Destruction: As a vampire, you have gained access to spells which help you deal damage during battle, mainly frost spell. Key spell is just "Frost Cloak".

    Perk Spread (Level 30) click here

    Target Perk Spread (Level 54) Click here

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    The Gameplay

    Reaching your Core Gears and Enchatments

    Choosing this path changes most of the original build, from the skills up to the gameplay. Your main goal here is to reach 100 Enchanting as soon as possible, allowing access to your core gear and equipments. Your weapons are easily accessible as long as you've met the requirements for the quest (especially for the Ebony Blade which is level 20 and the Sanguine Rose which is level 14).  To help you level enchanting quickly, I'd suggest collecting all soul gems you can find early on in the game, then use you conjured bound battleaxe in accordance with the "Soul Stealer" perk to fill those empty soul gems to be used in leveling your enchanting. I've acheived the enchantments listed above by following this steps: (1) level your enchanting, perks for enchating are listed here, (2) level my restoration skill up to 70 to gain access to the perk "Necromage"(3) and by using an Enchanter's Elixir in accordance to wearing the armor set of AhzidalAnd don't forget to upgrade your armor for extra defense, more defense means better chances of surviving. 

    The Ring of Erudite can be acquired very early on after joining the Volkihar and doing some radiant quest for them. The Amulet of the Gargoyle is somewhat tricky to acquire as it needs you to have at least one of the perk "Summon Gargoyle" or "Night Cloak", in the vampire lord. If so, then you just use the "Necromancer Amulet" for the amulet if you haven't acquired the "Amulet of the Gargoyle" yet.

    Day 23: "Harkon ordered for an all-out search for a Moth priest in Skyrim to help him achieve the said "Prophecy". I started my search in Windhelm. My arriving in Windhelm was timely as the hold was plagued with a series of mysterious murders committed by what they call, the "Butcher". I decided to extend my help and started my investigation of my own, leading me to revealing and killing the  one responsible for those murders. I found a strange amulet that the murderer was wearing, they said that it was the "Necromancer Amulet". I took the amulet for myself  as the power of Necromancy is very enticing to me..." 

    Reaching the maximum upgrade of the Ebony blade is fairly easy as you have many available NPCs to murder. Don't worry about who you kill, your a vampire, mortal men mean nothing to you. Kill Merchants which you have befriend with, your Housecarls, especially Lydia, hired Mercenaries, and anyone you've won over a brawl or saved. Killing doesn't mean to be sneaky, you could even do this in accordance to the quest "Deceiving the Herd", just be sure that you earn their trust and favor first before you murder them in front of many others.

    Day 25: "Still in search for that infamous Moth priest, I traveled back to Whiterun. The Ebony Blade is in need of replenishment, it needs more and more innocent souls. So I gave it what it wanted, the blood of deceit and betrayal...starting of with Lydia, then Farengar, Arcadia... I could not stop myself from murdering the innocent... I even murdered that muttering priest, Heimskr. A decision I never regret."

    The Ebony Blade is quiet useful as the absorb health is a very good sustain on a direct combat. The light weight of the blade is very useful as it could be swung much faster than most Two-Handed weapon. And the most important thing to remember is that, the absorb health damage is constant on different difficulty settings. Meaning the blade absorbs 30 points of health whether it be Novice or Master difficulty, unaffected by the games damage stat multiplier or etc. And another important characteristic is that the absorb health can be proc even if the enemy is in def mode. Meaning you still deal 30 points of damage no matter what setting your playing at and whether the enemy is blocking or not.

    Battle Tactics and Strategies

    Battle is started by means of sneaking. As a Volkihar Mistwalker you should always move as quietly as possible, which means always cast "Muffle" when ever possible, the spell is very accessible even early on in the game and magicka is no longer an issue when you have enough magicka boost and magicka regen. Then use your "Aura Whisper" shout to help pin point if  there are enemies nearby and their positions. Quickly take down one of the enemy and reanimate it to help aid you in combat as a reliable meat shield as you whittle down the enemies health. 

    Avoid range combat as much as possible, with the exemption with fighting dragons. Fighting dragons in range combat is much more advisable as you are more likely to survive magic attacks rather than physical attacks because of your low armor. Maximum magic resistance could be achieved by a combination of perks, racial ability, and enchantments. The bound bow is a powerful weapon even on Master difficulty with essential perk from both Conjuration ("Mystic Binding" for additional bow damage) and Archery ("Overdraw" for additional damage, and most especially the perk "Quickshot" as it lets the bound bow draw insanely fast) skill. Once you've whittled down the Dragon's health, forcing it to land, you could either find a corpse to reanimate or use the "Sanguine Rose" to summon a Dremora Lord to become your meat shield. Investing perks on Smithing (to upgrade your armor) and Light Armor (to increase you armor's defense rating), is key for survivability but having a meat shield increase your chances of surviving. Always remember to have a meat shield when in battle for added survivability.

    Battle with lesser creatures is quiet simple. Battling mages and casters is obsolete, but battling physical damage dealing enemies is a different story. When engaging combat with enemies, always remember to cast you flesh spells, most preferably the spell "Ebony Flesh", for added defense. Another key skill is to dual cast the spell, "Frost Cloak", this will help you wear down every enemy around you, and by dual casting it means a wider range of frost damage, and because frost damage is much suited for a vampire. 

  • Member
    June 2, 2013

    Thank you for the suggestion. Editing right now

  • Member
    November 16, 2013

    Wow... so many vampire builds... lol

  • November 16, 2013

    I like how you say this, "Kill Merchants which you have befriend with, your Housecarls, especially Lydia..."

    Grudge much?