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Character Build: The Ascendant

Tags: #Character Build Warrior  #Character Build Necromancer  #Character Build Battlemage  #Race:Dunmer  #Rank:Mythic 
  • Member
    July 15, 2013

    For my next character, I wanted something that used aspects of magic and dual-wield, able to hold his own in open combat but not limited to hacking away at opponents in melee range. Since I had never played a pure pyromancer or a serious dual-wielder before, I already knew what my two main skills would be. After that it was just a matter of finding what other skills would support the main two, to create a balance of an unrelenting offence and unbreachable defensive capabilities. This build was extremely fun to play as well as offering a unique style of hybrid combat I had never used before. So I present to you...

    The Ascendant

    Solstheim has fallen into dark times...

    The evil presence of  the returning Dragons, along with their master, the traitor Miraak, has brought the inhabitants of this once peaceful island to their knees...

    Out of this darkness a hero will rise, a mighty warrior gifted with the power of the Voice, who's destiny it is to fight back this evil and restore balance to the world once again...

    Race

    Dunmer. Not only is this essential to the lore of the build, but the Dark Elves innate resistance to fire will be extremely useful early on, allowing you to take on Dragons with ease. The skill boosts also fit in nicely, with a boost to Destruction and Alteration before you even start playing. Ancestor’s Wrath will give you a much-needed boost to your damage when taking on bosses or groups of enemies early on.

    Standing Stone

    The Lord. Magic resistance is key to the Ascendant, giving him an edge over evil sorcerers and necromancers. The armour increase from this stone, combined with your set of heavy armour and a powerful flesh spell, will give you a solid defence against physical attacks. If levelling up is a problem early on, feel free to take the Lover until you have whatever perks you’re going for.

    Shouts

    The Ascendant knows many shouts from his training with the Greybeards. In combat he makes heavy use of Fire Breath, boosted by Augmented Flames and his mask, Ahzidal. Other shouts include Elemental Fury, Soul Tear, Slow Time, Unrelenting Force, Disarm and Dragon Aspect. When Dragon Aspect is active, your Fire Breath will do just over 200 damage, and can be used more frequently.

    The Ascendant uses the ancient power of the voice with unmatched skill...

    Major Skills

     

    The Ascendant is a master of close-range combat, specialising in swords to dish out large amounts of damage. In melee situations, power attacks are key to keep opponents staggered, so you can keep hitting them with spells. Key perks include ranks in Armsman, Fighting Stance and Savage Strike.

     

     

     At a distance the Ascendant is still a deadly foe, capable of casting powerful fire spells which deal huge damage. Destruction magic is incredibly useful for fighting dragons or armoured opponents, and can turn the tables in a long-ranged battle. Key perks are up to Expert cost reduction and Augmented Flames. 

     

    Restoration will see you through longer fights and ensure that you outlast even the toughest of opponents. It also gives you complete dominance over undead enemies, allowing you to either send them fleeing or burn them alive with sun spells. Key perks are up to Adept cost reduction, Regeneration and Recovery.

     

     

     The Ascendant enchants his own gear, and uses a range of effects to increase both his offensive and defensive capabilities. Extra Effect is taken for our sword, but I preferred to keep the rest of my armour with only one enchantment to make it less overpowered. Key perks are ranks in Enchanter, Fire Enchanter and Corpus Enchanter.

     

    Minor Skills

     

    The Ascendant can raise the corpses of his fallen enemies to assist him in combat. Necromancy is used as a support skill to soften up groups of enemies and can potentially give you a powerful ally who can inflict a lot of damage. Key perks are up to Expert cost reduction, Necromancy and Dark Souls. 

     

     

    Since we do not use a shield, investing in Heavy Armour is essential to staying alive. Chitin heavy armour looks very good with Ahzidal and gives good defence, so ranks in Juggernaut give you all the protection you need. Key perks are Juggernaut, Well Fitted and Tower of Strength. 

     

     

    You are just as skilled at the forge as you are in the heat of battle. Smithing will be used to craft and improve your weapons and armor to keep you in fights longer. We use Chitin Armour so only two perks are needed to get up to Elven to improve it. Our sword can be tempered with Steel Smithing to save perks.

     

     

    Equipment

    Ahzidal (50% Resist Fire, 25% Augmented Flames)

    Champion’s Mail (Fortify Health 70pts)

    Champion’s Gauntlets (Fortify One-Handed 45pts)

    Champion’s Greaves (Fortify Stamina 70pts)

    Champion’s Band (Fortify Magicka 70pts)

    Relic of Azura (Fortify Magicka Regeneration 70pts)

    Using an elixir of enchanting when crafting our gear lets us get the stat boosts to 70, the same as items of peerless Health, Magicka and Stamina. If you want to place two enchantments on your gear, good choices are Health and Magicka regeneration, One-Handed damage and Destruction cost reduction.

    Our primary weapon is a Nord Hero Sword named Azura’s Light, which deals 25 points of Fire damage and drains 25 points of Magicka from the opponent. This blade is very useful against both undead and mages, and has a high number of charges due to our mastery of Enchanting.

    As well as Azura’s Light, the Ascendant wields another holy weapon, Dawnbreaker. This blade is particularly useful to finish off undead, and has a huge number of charges. Although it does low damage due to not being improved by any Smithing perks, the explosion will turn all undead, even higher level ones like Deathlords and Master Vampires.

    Necromancy gives the Ascendant an edge in battle against the undead...

    Combat

    The Ascendant is both a skilled warrior and expert mage, drawing strength from the Daedra he worships to give him immense power in battle.

    For taking on warriors or single powerful enemies, like trolls and giants, the Ascendant will use his primary weapon, Azura’s Light, along with fire spells and healing magic. He takes on a mobile fighting stance, dodging heavy attacks and hitting his opponents when they are off guard. Whirlwind sprint can be useful here, to gain valuable distance on heavy hitting melee enemies. Fire Breath is good as a finisher, dealing huge damage in a wide arc.

    When he is fighting mages and their minions, the Ascendant uses wards, necromancy and area of effect spells. Being skilled in Conjuration, the Ascendant can enter the minds of Daedra, either turning them on their summoners or destroying them completely. Wards are a huge help as well, shielding us from deadly magic. Closing in on mages gives us a huge advantage and keeping them staggered and unable to heal will quickly wear them down.

    Against undead, use their own corrupted magic against them with necromancy and powerful destruction spells. With Necromage, all your spells are more effective, including some shouts. Soul tear is particularly useful here, as Necromage brings the damage up to 375, and it can reanimate stronger foes like Deathlords. Incinerate and Fireball both tear through undead and Fire Breath kills weaker ones outright, raising fire wyrms to help you with the remaining threats.

    As well as fire magic, the Ascendant can trap the souls of those he kills to fuel his power...

     

    Credits

    Zimbu for the Screenshots

    Saimain (deviantART) for the Title Image

    xsavior (deviantART) for the Equipment Background

    And finally, if you enjoyed, be sure to check out my other builds

    -- Thanks for reading --

     

     

  • Member
    July 15, 2013

    This is a well written first build and the screenshots are pretty nice too! Good job, you've earned my like.

  • Member
    July 15, 2013

    Good stuff, man! Seems like a powerful, fiery force to be reckoned with. Nice pics too, they definitely give us a look at what you were going for! +1

  • Member
    July 15, 2013

    Wow, nice simple build! It goes to show you that it doesn't always have to be a groundbreaking new build, but one that just meshes together and becomes fun. Of course it helps that it's presented nice and you have everything there! 

    I was just thinking of a way to combine spells with dual wield too! 

  • Member
    July 15, 2013
    I agree with Dr. Squid, a good simple build and well written. +1
  • Member
    July 15, 2013

    Wow I really like this, I think I'm gonna start this tonight

    +1

  • Member
    July 15, 2013

    This is a great first build! +1

    I have a few minor suggestions if you don't mind. You can add a gameplay and roleplay sections where gameplay shows how your character deals with different combat situations and roleplay - some rules and guidelines specific to your character. You can tie RP to a backstory and add that as well. A short section works best for it. These sections will make you able to split the perk spread and gear sections. You can also use ES wiki icons for skills to make them stand out more.

    These are all small things, you can add them or not, it's entirely up to you. They will improve your build 

  • July 15, 2013

    Nice start Harry. One criticism I do have though is that you don't explain how your skills are used in conjunction. Maybe include a section describing a typical combat scenario and how all of your skills are used in conjunction, along with the skill section where their individual uses are explained.

    Do this and you'll earn my like.

  • Member
    July 15, 2013

    Good build, +1.

    But I recommend changing the name, because we already have a build called The Blademaster

  • Member
    July 15, 2013

    Ouch, nice catch... I thought the name seemed a bit familiar.