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Character Build: Scion of the Ever-Ice

Tags: #Character Build Crusader  #Character Build Knight  #Character Build Elementalist  #Character Build Battlemage  #Rank:Recognized 
  • Member
    December 15, 2013

    The northern frozen borders of Skyrim hold many a mystical secret and much intrigue of history. Ghosts, Tombs, and Haunts of Magical, Mystical, and Deific importance. Some secrets become lost to time. Some Skyrim has rediscovered. Some rediscover Skyrim.
    A Nord warrior, preserved within the northern ice of the Sea of Ghosts, returns to Skyrim after a long slumber and the passage of time. The world would call her Dragonborn. Some call her...

    Scion of the Ever-Ice

    This build concept is spawned around a singular question - what if? What if the Dragonborn was not born into this era, but awoken? What if the Dragonborn truly /was/ one of the tales brought into this age much the same as the dragons themselves had been? A Nord hero of an ancient age resurrected to combat a great threat and conquer in the name of Skyrim and Nordic Nordness.

    I leave much of the 'how' to the fancy of someone who desires to adopt this build in an effort to allow the character to become your own: how the Nord ended up in the ice and returned can be any number of ways... From simple bad/good luck reversal à la Captain America, an intentional ritualistic sealing à la Serana, or divinely inspired exile à la Alduin. The concept alone may seem preposterous, but given context, I feel fits within the precedents of The Elder Scrolls.

    An honorable warrior first, a fierce Nord second, and all else matters little. Honor, Loyalty, Tradition - these are the Scion's guiding stars. Whether one takes this build towards the play of a more power-bent warlord akin to Ysgramor or a more demure Nordic Noble Battle Princess, the imagery of a 'Valkyrie' is the baseline.

    - Race: Female Nord
    As is the cornerstone of the RP of the Build, the Scion is a proud Nord of olde.

    - Stats: 2 Magicka / 3 Health / 2 Stamina
    While she is a well-rounded fighter that makes use of all stats, she is still a fighter, and surviving the ordeal is the primary concern. That said, the key of this Build is versatility. If a larger focus is given to Restoration magic, the build can be equally viable with a 3/2/2 spread. Likewise a 2/2/3 spread can be a possibility if more focus is given to the block skill or adding in power attacks.

    - Standing Stone: Lord or Lady Stones
    The Lord Stone offers a hearty defensive boost to any combatant, to be sure, but it comes in especially handy when on the front lines. The Lady offers increased regeneration, which slightly lessens the reliance on Restoration Magic - and also bolsters Stamina, which can aid in the switchoff tactics of the Build's playstyle (see Gameplay). Bonus in that both lend the air of nobility in their names to the Scion's already high status RP and nature.


    Major Skills

    - Destruction: Ice spells are a large focus with this Build, as the name implies, serving as both a ranged weapon and a tactical power. Take heavy advantage of projectile spells such as Ice Spike and the slowing power of Frostbite while Frost Cloak adds a deadly advantage. Important Perks are Adept Destruction and Augmented Frost 2.

    - Restoration: This will be a melee mainstay of the Scion's arsenal, giving her the ability to remain engaged and in the fight. Important Perks are Adept Restoration, Regeneration, Respite, and Recovery 2.

    - One-Handed: The primary offense and defense of the Build is centered around the one-handed sword. Trade offs with the block skill, however, place a far lesser demand on perks in this skill as power attacks are not a focus. Important Perks are Armsman 5 and Bladesman 3.


    Minor Skills

    - Block: The Scion forgoes power attacks in their entirety to use the Stamina for blocking and power bashing. While this helps greatly in defense, the focus is to use the bash as a means to continue the onslaught. Important Perks are Shield Wall 5, Quick Reflexes, and Deadly Bash.

    - Heavy Armor: Since the Scion does not benefit from a shield's armor, Heavy Armor offers the added protection to compensate. It is also a requirement of the chosen armor for the lore of the Build - the Nords of old built their armor heavy. Since the appearance of the Build is centered around using circlets, Important Perks are only Juggernaut 5.

    - Smithing: A Nordic warrior's path is one of self-perfection, and this includes their possessions as well as their skills. Smithing will help the Scion adapt to the threats of Skyrim and lend an edge to her prowess. Important Perks depend on equipment preference (See Equipment).

    - Enchanting: As a magically-inclined fighter, the field of Enchanting is inherently open to the Scion to capitalize on - and goes hand-in-hand with the doctrine of self-improvement expressed in Smithing. Important Perks are Enchanter 5 and Corpus Enchanter.


    Shouts

    - Frost Breath: With all three words, and boosted from abilities in the Dragonborn DLC, this Shout offers a great damage boost against enemies not resistant to cold - even adds a bit of crowd control - and displays a perfect representation of the Build's focus.

    - Marked For Death: A cold enough wind can turn even the most hardened steel brittle, and that's exactly what this is for - an ideal starter when facing more powerful characters and bosses, to help bring their physical resistances down.

    - Unrelenting Force: A tactical Shout; the ability to forcibly reposition an enemy, or send one flying away while she deals with another, or using the terrain to her terrible advantage, or a quick use of the first word only when stamina is low... Whatever the case, this Shout helps you keep the battlefield under the Scion's control.


    Equipment

    - Ancient Nord Armor + Ancient Nord Sword/Nord Hero Sword: This is the baseline set of equipment and the set that the imagery of the Build is based around. It can be acquired fairly early on, needing only the completion of the Companions Quest Line. It begins with extremely similar statistics to Iron Armor but benefits from the Daedric Armor smithing perk, making it a set that scales perfectly throughout the whole of the game and can be made to sit par with other elder sets. This set embraces the concept of the Scion paragoning the old Nordic traditions and offers a sentiment to gameplay.

    - Nordic Carved Armor + Nordic Sword: For a Scion who may decide to 'modernize', or combine the old ways with the new. This set of armor is far more full and in some ways more royal-bearing, and can lend itself to a character looking to capitalize on their noble heritage. This is a useful set for a Scion that does not want to invest as many perks into Smithing and bolster another skill. Benefits from Advanced Armors Smithing Perk.

    - Stalhrim Armor + Chillrend: Stalhrim offers the Scion an appearance of 'Embracing the Ice', and can be played as enchanting the very Ice that had held her captive into her protection. The imagery lends to a more spellcasting focused Scion. Benefits from Ebony Smithing Perk.

    - Mage's Circlet: As a heavy caster Build, increasing our base Magicka is a huge boon, and also passively helps our Magicka recovery.

    - Amulet of Talos: The Scion incorporates Shouts fairly heavily into her combat, so decreasing their recharge time only increases her power.

    - Ring of Recharge/Recovery: Regenerating Magicka or Stamina helps with the Scion's versatility and adaptability.


    Gameplay

    First and foremost, the Scion is a fast-paced tactical combatant, adjusting approach and strategy as the battlefield shifts. The intent is to utilize fast Magicka and Stamina regeneration rates and alternate between the use of the two pools so that the Scion can overwhelm and overcome any opponent.
    The Scion is built around alternating between two 'modes': Magicka Mode and Stamina Mode, based on which resource the Scion focuses on using while the other pool recharges. Magicka covers the Scion's ranged weaponry, ideally starting combat with rapid-fire projectiles like Ice Spike before the enemy can close in or as she is closing the distance herself. Magicka Mode will also represent a healing period for the Scion, when both Stamina and Health are low. Stamina Mode is the main period of melee offense, but also of environment control. The Scion lets go of power attacks almost entirely to focus on power bashing for quick stuns and sprinting for better positions. The combination and alteration of these two create a brilliantly tactical guerrilla-style encounter.

    Specific tactics and situations:

    - Magicka, Ranged: Cast Ice Spikes as quickly as possible to put as much damage on the enemy before they have a chance to close. Consider a well-timed Unrelenting Force Shout to rebuke enemy attempts at melee and to keep them under Ice Spike fire for a few moments longer. If the Augmented Frost 2 and Impact Perks are taken, a double-cast Icy Spear will always stagger an opponent, regardless of the creatures size or type, making it ideal for slower sniping situations.

    - Magicka, Melee: Run-and-Gun with Frostbite. The cone area of the spell allows hitting multiple opponents while the slow effect makes it easy to dance just outside of melee weapons range. If dealing with opponents resistant to cold, instead consider focusing on restoration spells to refill Stamina faster.

    - Stamina, Ranged: Sprinting from cover to cover. Use the terrain to force ranged combatants to reposition and force closing melee combatants to expose themselves to disadvantage. There is very little Stamina can be used for at distance, so generally attempt to avoid this need.

    - Stamina, Melee: Use blocking and power bash a melee opponent to stun him, using the brief window for a strike or two, then bash again. Smaller opponents may not need the stun if they do little enough damage, simply block their strike and then retaliate, however more formidable enemies will be best kept on lockdown. The single-word version of the Unrelenting Force Shout helps as quick-recharge stun when Stamina is getting low. Mobility is still the key at this stage, however, as keeping melee enemies between the Scion and ranged opponents will save a lof of need for healing and might force the opponents to do some of the damage themselves.

  • Member
    December 15, 2013

    Probably one of the nicest builds I've seen lately. Short but precise description, pretty presentation and no major gameplay issues. You have my like :)

  • December 15, 2013

    Nice. I agree with Tae-Rai, this is one of the nicest builds to appear here lately. +1

  • December 15, 2013
    Good build, +1.
  • Member
    December 15, 2013
    Great presentation Sciran! +1
  • December 15, 2013

    Nice build, very simple and easy to understand.

  • Member
    December 15, 2013

    I really love the simplicity and straightforwardness of this build +1

  • Member
    December 15, 2013
    This is the kind of Nord build I have always tried to find. Someone who is first and foremost the Dragonborn. Big +1!
  • December 16, 2013

    pretty good build i havent been on this site in about 4 months due to real world issues but i come back and see this  and am like (Just like i never left)

    one small thing that probably confuses a few people though your description of the amulet of talos is backwards  it should say decrease recharge time not increase

    keep up the good work 

  • Member
    December 16, 2013

    Whoops!

    Dunno how I missed that - thanks for the catch. Have it fixed now. :)