I recently got all the DLCs for Skyrim and I started off playing the Dawnguard side of things and found it really enjoyable! All the new stuff you could obtain got me all hyped into playing Skyrim again.
Vampirism in the original Skyrim was awful! Now Vampires are much better. Being able to transform into a Vampire Lord opened up a whole new experience. This is where I started to construct the sole build.
Well, enough of my rambling!
Now, after a few playthroughs, I present to you my newest build! Dawnguard spoilers follow; read at your own risk.
My power cannot be matched
An Altmer called Amarthanor was an infamous man. He killed important figures that had immense power, got drunk in taverns and started fights, which usually ended up as murder. His trusty companion always hung on his belt, ‘Verfaas’, his Daedric mace. Verfaas stands for ‘Fearsome’ in the ancient dragon tongue. Every person he had killed with it became doomed. It was said that their soul would become trapped and that Amarthanor loved to decapitate his enemies with it. Every man and woman feared its name.
One hundred years later. When a Breton conjurer named Idheus LaRrel stumbled across a history book about Amarthanor’s life. Idheus decided to find this Altmer and make him his ultimate thrall. After numerous years of searching, he found the body and then raised Amarthanor’s corpse. The moment Idheus turned his back on him; he stabbed Idheus to death with his own dagger. Somehow Amarthanor didn’t die. He managed to live on, and now he’s looking for anything that can make himself even more powerful. Then, one night, he stumbled onto a fort. Fort Dawnguard and that was home to the Dawnguard. He remembered overhearing that the leader of the Vampires had an incredible gift. Maybe he could get to him through the Dawnguard.
Race: Altmer Vampire
Stats ratio: 2/2/0 I chose this mainly because you’ll want a high Magicka pool so you can use Conjuration and Destruction for longer periods of time and during the day. When you don’t regenerate you’ll be needing large pools for health. Stamina isn’t needed much as you’ll be able to drink the odd stamina potion to get a power attack in there.
Stone: Ritual
Major Skills: Conjuration, Light Armour, Speech
Minor Skills: Restoration, Sneak, One-Handed, Destruction
Shouts: Soul Tear, Storm Call, Battle Fury, Cyclone
Equipment: Aetherial Crown, Vampire Royal Armor, Vampire Gauntlets, Ancient Shrouded Boots.
Weapons: Orcish Mace only until you ‘recover’ his Daedric Mace and/or Harkon’s Sword
Ring/Amulet: Ring of the Beast, Amulet of Bats
Recommended quests: The Dark Brotherhood quests, Volkihar quests, Rings of Blood Magic, Lost to the ages, All of Nazir’s contracts, Discerning the Transmundane, Deadric Artefacts, Civil War (Stormcloaks), Destroying the Dawnguard
The Skills
Conjuration: Can’t raise your own army without this skill. Conjuration will be mainly used to conjure a Wrathman. To have one permanently is a big bonus, let alone two!
Light Armor: A crucial skill to have for a vampire when using their armor. Having five perks invested in the Agile Defender significantly improves your armor rating and especially with the Custom Fit perk invested in so you can survive for longer during the day.
Speech: You’re going to be selling a lot of goods that you find on your travels to earn the gold for tomes and potions. I invested more into the right side of the tree as a villain needs to be able to weave his way around any conversation with just a few well placed words, but also be able to get what he wants when he becomes angry.
Restoration: As backup for when the sun is out. The Avoid Death perk is a must. Whilst I was testing the build out, I found it useful in multiple occasions for when I was about to die and it’s a great way for not needing to consume as many potions during the day. Though you’ll normally be using heal undead.
Sneak: Relatively useful for catching enemies by surprise. The backstab perk is just to inflict that extra amount of damage before starting combat. This is also useful when sneaking up on your prey to feed while they’re sleeping.
One-Handed: To be used with destruction magic. When you get your mace it’s great to use a power attack to make the opponent stagger so you get more room to use your destruction spells.
Destruction: This skill strikes fear into your foes. Shock is the main branch you’ll be looking at. Also the Drain Life spell is a regular spell for this build.
About Vampires
Definition of ‘Vampire’:
1. Bloodsucking evil spirit: in European folklore, a dead person believed to rise each night from the grave and suck blood from the living for sustenance.
2. Predatory person: somebody who preys on other people for financial or emotional gain.
During my research of Vampires I came across tales and interesting information (and the occasional peculiar website that you find on the internet) that really helped in the development of the build. The tales that particularly interested me were Jure Grando and The Vampire of Croglin Grange.
Jure Grando was a Pheasant from Istria, Croatia, who terrorized the villagers around there for sixteen years after his death. Apparently he knocked on people’s doors during the night. Whichever doors he knocked on, the residents would die. Until the villagers had had enough and contacted the local priest who used a cross to make Grando flee and then they chased him to his grave and then decapitated him and therefore ending that tale.
The Vampire of Croglin Grange is a little different. The newest residents to Croglin Grange called The Cranwell family had just moved in. But one night Lady Cranwell had been seeing flashing lights in her window while trying to sleep. She ignored them until she noticed they were eyes. She screamed too late, and the mysterious man had time to break open the window and feed on her briefly until the Cranwell brothers burst into the room. The man managed to flee into the night. These brothers ambushed him the day after, again, trying to feed on Lady Cranwell. The brothers shot the man, and he fled. He was later found in his coffin with particularly bad bullet wound but burned him to be safe.
If you were interested in those stories you’ll probably find a couple of stories about historical vampires in folklore and mythology.
Hosting a great banquet after Harkon's death
Roleplaying as a Vampire Emperor
Castle Volkihar is where he spends some of his days, but, I’ve found a place called Cronvangr Cave which is a great place to lurk away from the ‘politics’ of the Volkihar. There are dozens of frostbite spiders in this cave, but try not to kill them; it makes it much more ‘Lairy’ if you know what I mean.
In the first room there are six frostbite spiders, you’ll have to kill them or you’ll have to run past them every time if you don’t. In this first room, look on the walls. You’ll eventually find a switch that opens a secret door on the wall. There is a pressure pad right after you step through, mind that. Then you’ll find your secret den that is defended by some weak Vampires that cannot match you in any way. This ‘base of operations’ is where you usually feed and practice raising the dead as there are loads of bodies there and a Alchemy/Enchanting table for weak enchantments to put on equipment and to make some health potions. If you ever feel hungry, just go to Mixwater Mill which is across the river and feed there.
The Vampire Emperor symbolizes absolute evil. Whenever you get a chance to cause some mischief or feed then do it. Make sure that when talking to people, always choose the impatient decision. Sometimes there won’t be that option, so then try to be an asshole by choosing the option that is also a little cocky, or just to cause a stir.
Whilst walking in a city, make sure you act like a Thalmor Justiciar and expect everyone to bow down to you. You could even go as far as to stalk people until they go back to their house and feed on them once they go to bed like the Vampire of Croglin Grange did. No need for any lockpicking skills, most locks are easy enough to pick even without any perks in the tree. Whenever feeding on a sleeping person, make sure to use the illusion spell Pacify to stop your prey from waking up and attacking you.
Gameplay
Some people might be thinking ‘Why didn’t he pick Dunmer?’ well, it was because I wanted to experience what it was like to be a Vampire (Elder Scrolls-wise) pros and cons.
When entering the civil war quests make sure you go for the Stormcloaks. Yes, they do hate outsiders but The Vampire Emperor likes the sense of rebellion and the fact that both sides will become weaker due to the war which gives him the opportunity to step in. When in battle with the Stormcloaks and Imperials, make sure to not act like a common soldier. Act like you’re a general; bossing people around and summoning atronachs and using The Ritual Stone. Act like they’re your army. Before the battle is about to start summon Arvak and take a few soldiers out with your mace if you want to mix things up a little. Nothing is more thrilling than crushing an Imperial’s face while on horseback!
When joining the Vampires, make sure to be devious. Don’t do anything for the respect of Harkon, do it like you’re one step closer to overthrowing him.
Combat
Always start by conjuring your Wrathman. I picked Conjure Wrathman because it has the biggest health pool than any other summon especially with the Dark Souls perk which is incredibly useful for having a long-lasting summon. It also deals an incredible amount of damage with its Dragonbone weapon. It is also undead, so the Heal Undead spell will work on it. Make sure to summon two of them once you gain the Twin Souls perk. Also with the Summoner perk you can tactically conjure your Wrathman to distract enemies so you can have the crucial element of surprise or even sneak past them altogether.
Make sure to use The Ritual Stone as many times as you want. You’ll usually only have the power once a day but if you re-equip the Crown you’ll be able to use the stone again. An easy way to get a lot of minions in less time is to use Cyclone or Storm Call and then immediately after use The Ritual Stone to raise those bodies around you. During the day, try to fit in the Drain Life spell to get a little extra health and use your minions for cover.
Regularly turn into the Vampire Lord and get a few kills to gain more perks for the Vampirism perk tree. You’ll be aiming for Vampiric Grip as it’s a game-changer. Being able to slowly choke your enemy like in Star Wars and then be able to propel them across the other side of the room is a power the Vampire Emperor must have.
Always look out for a Daedric mace. When you’re a high enough level one is bound to appear or turn up in a shopkeepers’ inventory. Make sure to be over the moon in having it back but also angry at the person who you brought it off of. Whilst I was playing, I had brought one from the Blacksmith in Markarth. I decided to take it the wrong way and ‘accuse’ her of stealing my mace from me. I ended up killing her for retribution. Obviously you won’t be able to do it if you just encounter one in your travels. Be sure to give it a weak soul trap enchantment and name it Verfaas to bring it back to its former glory. But I used Harkon’s sword during the day when you have not Health/Stamina regeneration and Verfaas during the night. But make sure to have the Black Star so you can recharge Harkon’s sword and his Daedric mace. No need to worry about the souls inside it if you use Verfaas. If you're really wanting to be lazy (and also add on the evil theme) get the mace of Molag Bal. It's similar to Verfaas (damage-wise) and has that crucial soul trap enchantment.
CREDITS
Morta, for the fabulous screenshots.
Clavicus Vile, for the inspiration for this build.
Thanks for reading! Feel free to like or comment, or both!
I recently got all the DLCs for Skyrim and I started off playing the Dawnguard side of things and found it really enjoyable! All the new stuff you could obtain got me all hyped into playing Skyrim again.
Vampirism in the original Skyrim was awful! Now Vampires are much better. Being able to transform into a Vampire Lord opened up a whole new experience. This is where I started to construct the sole build.
Well, enough of my rambling!
Now, after a few playthroughs, I present to you my newest build! Dawnguard spoilers follow; read at your own risk.
My power cannot be matched
An Altmer called Amarthanor was an infamous man. He killed important figures that had immense power, got drunk in taverns and started fights, which usually ended up as murder. His trusty companion always hung on his belt, ‘Verfaas’, his Daedric mace. Verfaas stands for ‘Fearsome’ in the ancient dragon tongue. Every person he had killed with it became doomed. It was said that their soul would become trapped and that Amarthanor loved to decapitate his enemies with it. Every man and woman feared its name.
One hundred years later. When a Breton conjurer named Idheus LaRrel stumbled across a history book about Amarthanor’s life. Idheus decided to find this Altmer and make him his ultimate thrall. After numerous years of searching, he found the body and then raised Amarthanor’s corpse. The moment Idheus turned his back on him; he stabbed Idheus to death with his own dagger. Somehow Amarthanor didn’t die. He managed to live on, and now he’s looking for anything that can make himself even more powerful. Then, one night, he stumbled onto a fort. Fort Dawnguard and that was home to the Dawnguard. He remembered overhearing that the leader of the Vampires had an incredible gift. Maybe he could get to him through the Dawnguard.
Race: Altmer Vampire
Stats ratio: 2/2/0 I chose this mainly because you’ll want a high Magicka pool so you can use Conjuration and Destruction for longer periods of time and during the day. When you don’t regenerate you’ll be needing large pools for health. Stamina isn’t needed much as you’ll be able to drink the odd stamina potion to get a power attack in there.
Stone: Ritual
Major Skills: Conjuration, Light Armour, Speech
Minor Skills: Restoration, Sneak, One-Handed, Destruction
Shouts: Soul Tear, Storm Call, Battle Fury, Cyclone
Equipment: Aetherial Crown, Vampire Royal Armor, Vampire Gauntlets, Ancient Shrouded Boots.
Weapons: Orcish Mace only until you ‘recover’ his Daedric Mace and/or Harkon’s Sword
Ring/Amulet: Ring of the Beast, Amulet of Bats
Recommended quests: The Dark Brotherhood quests, Volkihar quests, Rings of Blood Magic, Lost to the ages, All of Nazir’s contracts, Discerning the Transmundane, Deadric Artefacts, Civil War (Stormcloaks), Destroying the Dawnguard
The Skills
Conjuration: Can’t raise your own army without this skill. Conjuration will be mainly used to conjure a Wrathman. To have one permanently is a big bonus, let alone two!
Light Armor: A crucial skill to have for a vampire when using their armor. Having five perks invested in the Agile Defender significantly improves your armor rating and especially with the Custom Fit perk invested in so you can survive for longer during the day.
Speech: You’re going to be selling a lot of goods that you find on your travels to earn the gold for tomes and potions. I invested more into the right side of the tree as a villain needs to be able to weave his way around any conversation with just a few well placed words, but also be able to get what he wants when he becomes angry.
Restoration: As backup for when the sun is out. The Avoid Death perk is a must. Whilst I was testing the build out, I found it useful in multiple occasions for when I was about to die and it’s a great way for not needing to consume as many potions during the day. Though you’ll normally be using heal undead.
Sneak: Relatively useful for catching enemies by surprise. The backstab perk is just to inflict that extra amount of damage before starting combat. This is also useful when sneaking up on your prey to feed while they’re sleeping.
One-Handed: To be used with destruction magic. When you get your mace it’s great to use a power attack to make the opponent stagger so you get more room to use your destruction spells.
Destruction: This skill strikes fear into your foes. Shock is the main branch you’ll be looking at. Also the Drain Life spell is a regular spell for this build.
About Vampires
Definition of ‘Vampire’:
1. Bloodsucking evil spirit: in European folklore, a dead person believed to rise each night from the grave and suck blood from the living for sustenance.
2. Predatory person: somebody who preys on other people for financial or emotional gain.
During my research of Vampires I came across tales and interesting information (and the occasional peculiar website that you find on the internet) that really helped in the development of the build. The tales that particularly interested me were Jure Grando and The Vampire of Croglin Grange.
Jure Grando was a Pheasant from Istria, Croatia, who terrorized the villagers around there for sixteen years after his death. Apparently he knocked on people’s doors during the night. Whichever doors he knocked on, the residents would die. Until the villagers had had enough and contacted the local priest who used a cross to make Grando flee and then they chased him to his grave and then decapitated him and therefore ending that tale.
The Vampire of Croglin Grange is a little different. The newest residents to Croglin Grange called The Cranwell family had just moved in. But one night Lady Cranwell had been seeing flashing lights in her window while trying to sleep. She ignored them until she noticed they were eyes. She screamed too late, and the mysterious man had time to break open the window and feed on her briefly until the Cranwell brothers burst into the room. The man managed to flee into the night. These brothers ambushed him the day after, again, trying to feed on Lady Cranwell. The brothers shot the man, and he fled. He was later found in his coffin with particularly bad bullet wound but burned him to be safe.
If you were interested in those stories you’ll probably find a couple of stories about historical vampires in folklore and mythology.
Hosting a great banquet after Harkon's death
Roleplaying as a Vampire Emperor
Castle Volkihar is where he spends some of his days, but, I’ve found a place called Cronvangr Cave which is a great place to lurk away from the ‘politics’ of the Volkihar. There are dozens of frostbite spiders in this cave, but try not to kill them; it makes it much more ‘Lairy’ if you know what I mean.
In the first room there are six frostbite spiders, you’ll have to kill them or you’ll have to run past them every time if you don’t. In this first room, look on the walls. You’ll eventually find a switch that opens a secret door on the wall. There is a pressure pad right after you step through, mind that. Then you’ll find your secret den that is defended by some weak Vampires that cannot match you in any way. This ‘base of operations’ is where you usually feed and practice raising the dead as there are loads of bodies there and a Alchemy/Enchanting table for weak enchantments to put on equipment and to make some health potions. If you ever feel hungry, just go to Mixwater Mill which is across the river and feed there.
The Vampire Emperor symbolizes absolute evil. Whenever you get a chance to cause some mischief or feed then do it. Make sure that when talking to people, always choose the impatient decision. Sometimes there won’t be that option, so then try to be an asshole by choosing the option that is also a little cocky, or just to cause a stir.
Whilst walking in a city, make sure you act like a Thalmor Justiciar and expect everyone to bow down to you. You could even go as far as to stalk people until they go back to their house and feed on them once they go to bed like the Vampire of Croglin Grange did. No need for any lockpicking skills, most locks are easy enough to pick even without any perks in the tree. Whenever feeding on a sleeping person, make sure to use the illusion spell Pacify to stop your prey from waking up and attacking you.
Gameplay
Some people might be thinking ‘Why didn’t he pick Dunmer?’ well, it was because I wanted to experience what it was like to be a Vampire (Elder Scrolls-wise) pros and cons.
When entering the civil war quests make sure you go for the Stormcloaks. Yes, they do hate outsiders but The Vampire Emperor likes the sense of rebellion and the fact that both sides will become weaker due to the war which gives him the opportunity to step in. When in battle with the Stormcloaks and Imperials, make sure to not act like a common soldier. Act like you’re a general; bossing people around and summoning atronachs and using The Ritual Stone. Act like they’re your army. Before the battle is about to start summon Arvak and take a few soldiers out with your mace if you want to mix things up a little. Nothing is more thrilling than crushing an Imperial’s face while on horseback!
When joining the Vampires, make sure to be devious. Don’t do anything for the respect of Harkon, do it like you’re one step closer to overthrowing him.
Combat
Always start by conjuring your Wrathman. I picked Conjure Wrathman because it has the biggest health pool than any other summon especially with the Dark Souls perk which is incredibly useful for having a long-lasting summon. It also deals an incredible amount of damage with its Dragonbone weapon. It is also undead, so the Heal Undead spell will work on it. Make sure to summon two of them once you gain the Twin Souls perk. Also with the Summoner perk you can tactically conjure your Wrathman to distract enemies so you can have the crucial element of surprise or even sneak past them altogether.
Make sure to use The Ritual Stone as many times as you want. You’ll usually only have the power once a day but if you re-equip the Crown you’ll be able to use the stone again. An easy way to get a lot of minions in less time is to use Cyclone or Storm Call and then immediately after use The Ritual Stone to raise those bodies around you. During the day, try to fit in the Drain Life spell to get a little extra health and use your minions for cover.
Regularly turn into the Vampire Lord and get a few kills to gain more perks for the Vampirism perk tree. You’ll be aiming for Vampiric Grip as it’s a game-changer. Being able to slowly choke your enemy like in Star Wars and then be able to propel them across the other side of the room is a power the Vampire Emperor must have.
Always look out for a Daedric mace. When you’re a high enough level one is bound to appear or turn up in a shopkeepers’ inventory. Make sure to be over the moon in having it back but also angry at the person who you brought it off of. Whilst I was playing, I had brought one from the Blacksmith in Markarth. I decided to take it the wrong way and ‘accuse’ her of stealing my mace from me. I ended up killing her for retribution. Obviously you won’t be able to do it if you just encounter one in your travels. Be sure to give it a weak soul trap enchantment and name it Verfaas to bring it back to its former glory. But I used Harkon’s sword during the day when you have not Health/Stamina regeneration and Verfaas during the night. But make sure to have the Black Star so you can recharge Harkon’s sword and his Daedric mace. No need to worry about the souls inside it if you use Verfaas. If you're really wanting to be lazy (and also add on the evil theme) get the mace of Molag Bal. It's similar to Verfaas (damage-wise) and has that crucial soul trap enchantment.
CREDITS
Morta, for the fabulous screenshots.
Clavicus Vile, for the inspiration for this build.
Thanks for reading! Feel free to like or comment, or both!
I also like how you credit a Daedric Prince