The Desert Rangers of Hammerfell were once one of the deadliest groups of mercenaries in all of Tamriel. As one of the most skilled in their craft, you would lead attacks against the unlawful, hunting them down and killing them in their lairs. As you grew more experienced, you were given the honour of leading a small group of the most skilled men in a raid on a Thalmor camp. The pay would be more than you had ever earned, and would assure you never had to place yourself in danger again. However, you had been sold out by the client, an agent of the Thalmor seeking to lead you into a trap. Half your group were killed as soon as you arrived, and the rest fled. Whether anyone else made it you do not know; you never saw any of them again. Now with no-one to work for, you became a travelling bounty hunter, making a decent amount of gold, but missing the teamwork of your days as a Desert Ranger. Until you heard of the Companions. You headed straight for Skyrim, seeking to join this group of honourable warriors. Shortly after arriving, you ran into a group of men calling themselves the Stormcloaks, and they agreed to help you settle in if you joined their cause, to fight the Empire out of Skyrim. On your way to Windhelm, you were attacked by a group of Imperials, and immediately sided with the Stormcloaks, drawing your sword and charging in to fight off the soldiers. You were outnumbered and defeated, before being sent off to be executed along with the Stormcloak rebels.
The Desert Ranger
Race
Redguard or Breton. While Redguard is the more obvious choice, it isn’t unlikely that a Breton would be working as a mercenary in Hammerfell. Redguards have a much better starting skillset, and a more fitting racial power, so I went with one of them, but extra magic resistance never hurts.
Standing Stone
The Lord. Even though we are using a shield, flesh spells just don’t meet the same standards as physical armor, so extra defence is a nice thing to have. The magic resistance also fits in with one of the main themes of this build.
Magicka/Health/Stamina
I went with 1/2/2 because since magic was not used offensively, I could still fight with lower magicka and still have enough to heal if I needed to. Most combat will be done up close which requires large pools of both health and stamina.
Shouts
Unrelenting Force, Marked for Death and Slow Time. All three of these will let you defeat enemies quicker and easier, with less risk of taking a fatal hit. In particular, slow time lets you flank and circle enemies, always staying out the way of their blade.
A Desert Ranger battles a Death Hound deep under Castle Volkihar...
Major Skills
One Handed: The weapon you use most often will be your Scimitar, so this skill is useful to keep your damage output high. As you use an evasive combat style, many sideways and backward power attacks will be used, so you should get Fighting Stance as soon as possible. At higher levels Paralyzing Strike will keep enemies where you want them, at the tip of your blade.
Block: As you will not be wearing armor, a strong shield arm will deflect the worst of attacks and let you keep fighting for longer. Quick Reflexes is probably my favourite perk in the game, and a must-have for any agile warrior. Block will be fully perked later on, but at low levels focus on the left side of the tree for more protection.
Alteration: This is another obvious skill for this character. As well as Mage Armor, this will be used to maintain a high magic resistance. At higher levels, Dual-Casting will be taken to keep flesh spells up for more than twice as long, allowing easier combat. Paralysis is a great spell to take some of the pressure off you in large battles. Key perks are Mage Armor, Magic Resistance and Stability.
Minor Skills
Archery: The Redguards may be known for their swordsmanship, but they are also very capable archers. An enchanted bow will increase your effectiveness at range, and let you deliver a deadly first shot before charging in. The combination of Quick Shot, Power Shot and Bullseye is absolutely devastating, and allows you to tear enemies to shreds without ever drawing your sword.
Restoration: Even with a shield, you will still need to heal occasionally to stay alive. One thing I did in combat was to swap out my sword for a healing spell rather than my shield, then heal between shield bashes. Respite is obviously a very useful perk, and the recovery perks ensure that you’ll always have spare Magicka to heal if you need to.
Enchanting: Magical gear is hard to come by, so it makes sense to create your own. Enchanting is very versatile; you can increase your damage, health, or anything else you see fit. Only a couple of perks in Enchanter will be taken early on, but Insightful Enchanter is great for augmenting your skill with both blade and bow.
Perk Spread at Level 30
Equipment
Redguard Hood of Vision (Redguard Hood with Fortify Archery)
Redguard Boots of Striking (Boots with Fortify One-Handed)
Redguard Necklace of Striking (Gold Necklace with Fortify One-Handed)
Ring of Endurance (Gold Ring with Fortify Stamina)
Sentinel's Kiteshield (Ebony Shield with Fortify Health)
Master Robes
Weapons
Scimitar of Burning (20 Fire Damage)
Elven Bow of Burning (25 Fire Damage)
The Ranger hunts evil in the forests of Skyrim...
Combat Strategies
Against warriors: Cast your strongest flesh spell and equip your sword and shield. Use shield bashes to get behind your opponent, where you can strike them without fear of getting hit. If they won’t stop blocking (most enemies with a shield do this) use Unrelenting Force to knock them back, and charge in to hit them while they’re down.
Against rangers: Cast a flesh spell then draw your bow. Use steady aim to slow time, enabling you to dodge most of their arrows, and reducing the chance of your own arrows not finding their mark. If you are taking too many hits, switch to your sword and shield and charge in, using deflect arrows for coverage.
Against mages: Use a ward to block most of their spells as you approach. Don’t bother casting flesh spells, they do not provide protection against magic and waste magicka you could use for healing. Use slow time to avoid their spells and get in close, then keep them staggered. Try not to let them heal; a high level mage can almost fully restore health in one cast.
Against large enemies: Start the fight with your bow. Try to get in as many shots as you can before they get close, then push them back with unrelenting force and keep firing. As they come back the second time, cast Ebonyflesh and draw your sword, then try to flank them with shield bashes. As soon as your shout recharges, use Unrelenting Force again to knock them down.
Against dragons: Use Marked for Death and use your bow to chip away at their health from afar. Don’t try to switch to melee whenever they land (I speak from experience) as by the time you get your sword out and your flesh spell on, they will probably have taken off again. Only draw your sword once they can’t fly anymore (indicated by a big stagger) and keep shield bashing to disrupt their breath attack. You can probably dodge out the way of their melee attacks since you don’t wear armor.
The Ranger and a Vampire fight to the death...
Role-Playing
Join the Stormcloaks and do the civil war quests frequently.
Join the Companions but cure lycanthropy once you finish the questline.
Do miscellaneous quests for the people and bounty quests for the Jarls.
Try to become thane of The Rift, The Pale, Winterhold and Hjaalmarch.
Never attack anyone unless provoked, an exception is Thalmor road patrols due to your history with the Thalmor.
Buy a house and get married so you can ‘settle in’ to Skyrim, and adopt children if you have Hearthfire.
Special Moves
Barrage
You fire arrows faster than the eye can see, cutting down opponents before they can reach you
Slow Time + Quick Shot
Escape
As an opponent draws near, use your speed to escape before firing off a storm of arrows
Power Bash + Whirlwind Sprint
Evade
Using your light apparel to your advantage, you sidestep an opponent and strike him down from behind
Quick Reflexes + Block Runner + Paralyzing Strike
This bandit is no match for the Ranger's superior skill...
And that's about it! If you enjoyed this build, check out my other build, The Ascendant.
Thanks to Zimbu for the epic screenshots!
The Desert Rangers of Hammerfell were once one of the deadliest groups of mercenaries in all of Tamriel. As one of the most skilled in their craft, you would lead attacks against the unlawful, hunting them down and killing them in their lairs. As you grew more experienced, you were given the honour of leading a small group of the most skilled men in a raid on a Thalmor camp. The pay would be more than you had ever earned, and would assure you never had to place yourself in danger again. However, you had been sold out by the client, an agent of the Thalmor seeking to lead you into a trap. Half your group were killed as soon as you arrived, and the rest fled. Whether anyone else made it you do not know; you never saw any of them again. Now with no-one to work for, you became a travelling bounty hunter, making a decent amount of gold, but missing the teamwork of your days as a Desert Ranger. Until you heard of the Companions. You headed straight for Skyrim, seeking to join this group of honourable warriors. Shortly after arriving, you ran into a group of men calling themselves the Stormcloaks, and they agreed to help you settle in if you joined their cause, to fight the Empire out of Skyrim. On your way to Windhelm, you were attacked by a group of Imperials, and immediately sided with the Stormcloaks, drawing your sword and charging in to fight off the soldiers. You were outnumbered and defeated, before being sent off to be executed along with the Stormcloak rebels.
The Desert Ranger
Race
Redguard or Breton. While Redguard is the more obvious choice, it isn’t unlikely that a Breton would be working as a mercenary in Hammerfell. Redguards have a much better starting skillset, and a more fitting racial power, so I went with one of them, but extra magic resistance never hurts.
Standing Stone
The Lord. Even though we are using a shield, flesh spells just don’t meet the same standards as physical armor, so extra defence is a nice thing to have. The magic resistance also fits in with one of the main themes of this build.
Magicka/Health/Stamina
I went with 1/2/2 because since magic was not used offensively, I could still fight with lower magicka and still have enough to heal if I needed to. Most combat will be done up close which requires large pools of both health and stamina.
Shouts
Unrelenting Force, Marked for Death and Slow Time. All three of these will let you defeat enemies quicker and easier, with less risk of taking a fatal hit. In particular, slow time lets you flank and circle enemies, always staying out the way of their blade.
A Desert Ranger battles a Death Hound deep under Castle Volkihar...
Major Skills
One Handed: The weapon you use most often will be your Scimitar, so this skill is useful to keep your damage output high. As you use an evasive combat style, many sideways and backward power attacks will be used, so you should get Fighting Stance as soon as possible. At higher levels Paralyzing Strike will keep enemies where you want them, at the tip of your blade.
Block: As you will not be wearing armor, a strong shield arm will deflect the worst of attacks and let you keep fighting for longer. Quick Reflexes is probably my favourite perk in the game, and a must-have for any agile warrior. Block will be fully perked later on, but at low levels focus on the left side of the tree for more protection.
Alteration: This is another obvious skill for this character. As well as Mage Armor, this will be used to maintain a high magic resistance. At higher levels, Dual-Casting will be taken to keep flesh spells up for more than twice as long, allowing easier combat. Paralysis is a great spell to take some of the pressure off you in large battles. Key perks are Mage Armor, Magic Resistance and Stability.
Minor Skills
Archery: The Redguards may be known for their swordsmanship, but they are also very capable archers. An enchanted bow will increase your effectiveness at range, and let you deliver a deadly first shot before charging in. The combination of Quick Shot, Power Shot and Bullseye is absolutely devastating, and allows you to tear enemies to shreds without ever drawing your sword.
Restoration: Even with a shield, you will still need to heal occasionally to stay alive. One thing I did in combat was to swap out my sword for a healing spell rather than my shield, then heal between shield bashes. Respite is obviously a very useful perk, and the recovery perks ensure that you’ll always have spare Magicka to heal if you need to.
Enchanting: Magical gear is hard to come by, so it makes sense to create your own. Enchanting is very versatile; you can increase your damage, health, or anything else you see fit. Only a couple of perks in Enchanter will be taken early on, but Insightful Enchanter is great for augmenting your skill with both blade and bow.
Perk Spread at Level 30
Equipment
Redguard Hood of Vision (Redguard Hood with Fortify Archery)
Redguard Boots of Striking (Boots with Fortify One-Handed)
Redguard Necklace of Striking (Gold Necklace with Fortify One-Handed)
Ring of Endurance (Gold Ring with Fortify Stamina)
Sentinel's Kiteshield (Ebony Shield with Fortify Health)
Master Robes
Weapons
Scimitar of Burning (20 Fire Damage)
Elven Bow of Burning (25 Fire Damage)
The Ranger hunts evil in the forests of Skyrim...
Combat Strategies
Against warriors: Cast your strongest flesh spell and equip your sword and shield. Use shield bashes to get behind your opponent, where you can strike them without fear of getting hit. If they won’t stop blocking (most enemies with a shield do this) use Unrelenting Force to knock them back, and charge in to hit them while they’re down.
Against rangers: Cast a flesh spell then draw your bow. Use steady aim to slow time, enabling you to dodge most of their arrows, and reducing the chance of your own arrows not finding their mark. If you are taking too many hits, switch to your sword and shield and charge in, using deflect arrows for coverage.
Against mages: Use a ward to block most of their spells as you approach. Don’t bother casting flesh spells, they do not provide protection against magic and waste magicka you could use for healing. Use slow time to avoid their spells and get in close, then keep them staggered. Try not to let them heal; a high level mage can almost fully restore health in one cast.
Against large enemies: Start the fight with your bow. Try to get in as many shots as you can before they get close, then push them back with unrelenting force and keep firing. As they come back the second time, cast Ebonyflesh and draw your sword, then try to flank them with shield bashes. As soon as your shout recharges, use Unrelenting Force again to knock them down.
Against dragons: Use Marked for Death and use your bow to chip away at their health from afar. Don’t try to switch to melee whenever they land (I speak from experience) as by the time you get your sword out and your flesh spell on, they will probably have taken off again. Only draw your sword once they can’t fly anymore (indicated by a big stagger) and keep shield bashing to disrupt their breath attack. You can probably dodge out the way of their melee attacks since you don’t wear armor.
The Ranger and a Vampire fight to the death...
Role-Playing
Join the Stormcloaks and do the civil war quests frequently.
Join the Companions but cure lycanthropy once you finish the questline.
Do miscellaneous quests for the people and bounty quests for the Jarls.
Try to become thane of The Rift, The Pale, Winterhold and Hjaalmarch.
Never attack anyone unless provoked, an exception is Thalmor road patrols due to your history with the Thalmor.
Buy a house and get married so you can ‘settle in’ to Skyrim, and adopt children if you have Hearthfire.
Special Moves
Barrage
You fire arrows faster than the eye can see, cutting down opponents before they can reach you
Slow Time + Quick Shot
Escape
As an opponent draws near, use your speed to escape before firing off a storm of arrows
Power Bash + Whirlwind Sprint
Evade
Using your light apparel to your advantage, you sidestep an opponent and strike him down from behind
Quick Reflexes + Block Runner + Paralyzing Strike
This bandit is no match for the Ranger's superior skill...
And that's about it! If you enjoyed this build, check out my other build, The Ascendant.
Thanks to Zimbu for the epic screenshots!
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