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Character Build: The Paladin of Westmarch

Tags: #Character Build Crusader  #Character Build Knight  #Character Build Hero  #Race:Redguard  #Rank:Recognized 
  • Member
    May 31, 2015

    The Paladin of Westmarch

    Welcome, my friends, to my very first character build, I hope you enjoy it :)

    It's about time the Knights of Westmarch to stride upon the harsh and distant lands of Skyrim and seek evil to destroy after the corruption of Mephisto on their order is finally over.

    So, this build is like the Paladin class from Diablo II would be on Skyrim. (On my opinion, 'course). Here are the majority of their powers and fighting style. It uses Dawnguard and Dragonborn DLC's.

    Description/Lore (Direct from Diablo II Wikia)

    "The Paladin is a battle-ready warrior for whom faith is a shield, and fights for what he believes to be right. His steadfastness gives him powers to bestow blessings to his friends and wreak cruel justice on foes. There are those who call the Paladin an overwrought zealot, but others recognize in him the strength and goodness of the Light."
    "Paladins (a.k.a. "Knights of the Faith") use holy magic as gifted by the High Heavens. They maintain strictly ordered lives, constantly upholding the cause of Virtue and Light. They must never succumb to worldly temptations lest they risk being deceived into following "false lights" - demons masquerading as Heavenly beings. Paladins may use their skills to increase their prowess with sword and shield, as well as cast blessing "auras on themselves and to any who join them. They are particularly skilled against the undead, as they know many holy incantations effective against these types of creatures."

    They are the purest hearts of Westmarch, to the point that even one of the most powerful beings of Hell couldn't shake their faith. They are the incarnation of justice and might that smite the evil whenever it presents itself.

    Race and Stat Distribution

    I strongly recommend using a Redguard, he looks like a paladin from Diablo II AND have the power of one of the special attacks of the paladin below. A Paladin of Westmarch is a warrior on essence and, although have many magical powers, at most times the evil will be banished by his awesome martial prowess. So, the recommended distribution is 3 Health/2 Stamina/1 Magicka. Te paladin uses some heavy magicka-intensive spells like Guardian circle, so prepare gear and potions accordingly.

    Skills

    The Paladin of Westmarch is a master of the sword and shield, full clad on plate armor, and protected by his faith, so One-Handed, Block, Heavy Armor and Restoration the major skills on this build. Another lore-off major skill is Alteration, that have essential buffs for a warrior like the paladin. Destruction plays a minor role for some offensive auras (cloaks).

    My perk distribution at level 42:

    There's room for improvements:

    After these perks, a Paladin can focus on elemental damage (Destruction magic), by choosing the perks Novice Destruction, Augmented Flames 2/2, Augmentes Forst 2/2, Augmented Shock 2/2 at level 49. These perks improve the cloak's damage and the Fist of the Heavens special power below, and giving a new path to the paladin, the Avenger.

    Equipment

    The Paladin favors the use of the sword Dawnbreaker, since it can banish undead like no other weapon could, and for dealing with other types of creatures, a unenchanted sword or mace is the choice for taking full advantage of the "Elemental Fury" shout. Auriel's Bow is used for the ultimate attack of a paladins arsenal. Weapons enchanted with fire/ice are also good for dealing with the majority of the enemies. The armor should be obviously heavy, and preferably a full set that can take advantage of the "Matching Set" perk, increasing defense further.

    Good enchantments for armor include but are not limited to: Fortify Health/Stamina/Magicka, Fortify Restoration(especially for the Meditation special below), Fortify Block, Fortify Heavy Armor, etc. Resistances are not so necessary because of the Salvation Special below.

    Paladins of Westmarch rely heavily on two shields: Spellbreaker and Auriel's Shield. Spellbreaker can combo for strong elemental protection, and Auriel's Shield can show the true power of a paladin who Smites his foes away.

    The "Atronach Stone" is the Standing Stone that further increases the relisience of a paladin agains magical attacks.

    Important Note: As some people noted, Dawnbreaker and Spellbreaker can conflict with the lore of a Paladain of Westmarch, because the are Daedric Artifacts, so I'm giving alternatives to the weapon and shield slot:

    Any ward spell can cover Spellbreaker's function on the combos below. And a sword/mace enchanted with the "Chaos Damage" from Dragonborn DLC opens up the opportunity of a elemental-oriented paladin.

    I'm using full steel plate armor at the moment, since it remember me of a knight's heavy armor. i'm using the following enchantments, all made with grand souls from Soul Cairn:

    Helmet: Fortify Restoration.

    Armor: Fortify Health

    Gauntlets: Fortify One-Handed

    Boots: Fortify Stamina

    Amulet: Fortify Magicka

    Ring: Fortify Restoration

    Any heavy set will do, so you can take advantage of the enchantments and the heavy armor perks. I'm planning to upgrade to carved nordic armor soon :)

    Recommended Quests/Factions

    Paladins join the Dawnguard, vampirism is an abomination, but Serana is okay, we don't need to kill her, but she will gain our trust slowly.
    Well, I only really recommend the quests for equipment and magics, the Collegue of Winterhold questline, "The Only Cure" and "The Break of Dawn" for the favored sword and shield, and "Touching the Sky" for Auriel's Shield and Auriel's Bow, the rest is truly to your sense of justice.

    Gameplay

    The Paladin of Westmarch go ahead valiantly using "Charge" in battle, shield raised, without fear, your faith will protect you. They make heavy use of their "Defiance Aura", also known as the "flesh spells", the "Salvation Aura" will turn the paladin a magekiller, all the mana on the world bows down to the power of light, and offensive spells or dragon breaths thrown at the paladin shall fuel your faith and help you smash the enemies of body, will and soul.

    Paladins refuse to kill if not on self defense or his friends, does not use poisons nor conjure demons or raise undead beings, these are the symbols of Mephisto and are unquestionably evil. Paladins have a heavy blow on their power attacks, and using the "Vigor Aura" special they can rain blows on the unworthy until they are disintegrated to the bowels of hell.

    Paladins are fearsome undead hunters, their "Sanctuary Aura" paired with Dawnbreaker and Sunfire can destroy hordes of zombies in instants, and finally, the have the most powerful divine combo at disposal, "Fist of the Heavens", that rains down divine judgement, but does not distinguish friend from foe, so beware.

    Special Moves

    Like the trees of skills a Paladin in Diablo II can invest points into, I divided the special attacks into the three categories. "Combat Skills", "Defensive Auras", and "Offensive Auras".

    Since there are many single Spells/Perks/Shouts that have similarity with Paladin Moves, I'll only include a brief list of the equivalents, only entering details on the ones that requires a combo to be executed. Unfortunately, on skyrim you cannot extend our auras to your companions.

    Combat Skills

    Holy Shield is the same as Quick Reflexes, allowing faster block rate and better reaction times.

    "Smite"
    "The sword of a Paladin represents the might of righteousness and his shield symbolizes the strength of his faith. Both are tools he uses to mete out justice. Just as righteousness can give his spirit the fortitude to overcome the attacks of the unjust, so too can faith be a weapon to strike back at those who work to defeat him. To this end, the Paladin has developed several combat techniques that use the shield not only for defense, but also as an offensive weapon."
    Charged Auriel's Shield + Power Bash + Deadly Bash
    Give your enemies the feeling they are cornering you, while their glancing blows merely touches your flesh and inflames your soul to the point that when that force is released, your faith shall become raw power, pushing aside anything or anyone in your path. Many will flee, other shall come back to the fight, with feeble hands and spirits, no match for a champion of light.

    "Holy Bolt"
    "The Paladin can learn to summon bolts formed of pure, righteous energies. These projectiles are vessels of life, bane to the undead, and succor to the faithful. At the battle of Taelohn Bridge, the villagers feared the day was lost when an army of the walking dead besieged them. Just as the battered militia was about to be overwhelmed, a small band of Paladins appeared. Wading through the rotting carcasses of the living dead and hurling spheres of pure Light that expelled the evil controlling the battling corpses while renewing the strength of the remaining villagers."
    Dual-Casted Sunfire + Necromage + Regeneration + Heal Other
    Preferably used inside a "Meditation Aura", hurling Sunfires at undead enemies and Healing your allies, changing the tides of the battle against the hordes of the undead, a support role taking a breath from the slaughter before other offensive skills like the ones below...

    "Charge"
    "In showing fear, a Paladin displays his lack of faith, and a faithless Paladin is less than a man - let alone a knight. This is vital in that when all else fails, it is faith that will carry the Paladin through to victory. Warriors of faith never shirk from combat, but rush forward with heads down and shields up, allowing their glory to carry them into the thick of battle to deliver the first blow."
    Armsman 5 + Shield Charge + Critical Charge
    By trampling and flinging your enemy away with your shield and your courage, you can charge to deliver a powerful blow that can probably dispatch your enemies on one hit, the Shield Charge can be used to enter the thick of the battle and charge your Smite special, so you can disperse crowds and take your enemies one-on-one.

    "Vengeance"
    "When a Paladin undertakes a crusade to banish evil, he is permitted to call upon the just souls of past crusades. Thus summoned, the spirits of the honorably vanquished manifest themselves and lend their energies to the weapons of the Paladin."
    "Chaos Damage" Weapon (preferably stalhrim) + Augmented Shock + Augmented Flames + Augmented Frost
    A new way to dealing damage to your foes, and that one packs a wallop really great, damage can scale to absurd levels with all the Destruction perks maxed, if you need to make an enemy disappear fast, just use Vengeance, if there are many enemies to take on, then it's time for...

    "Fist of the Heavens"
    "This spell allows the Paladin to summon the power of holy vengeance. Manifesting as lightning from the heavens, these bolts rain down from the sky, exploding into a thousand shafts of light that radiate outwards to banish the evil from the battlefield."
    Auriel's Bow + Sunhallowed Arrows + Call Storm + Augmented Shock (Optional)
    The manifestation of pure divine power, the ultimate demonstration of a paladin's might, capable of awakening both the power of the tempests and the Sun, it's also a chaotic power that does not distinguish friend and foe, so use it with careful planning or you will hurt the innocent, becoming a criminal and disgracing your fellow members of the order.

    Defensive Auras

    "Defiance"
    "Shielding himself within a glow of holy light, the Paladin guards himself to face the unjust in combat. By standing resolute and earnest in the face of opposition, his faith is his shield against harm."
    Matching Set + Juggernaut 5 + Flesh Spell
    Raise even more your defence, making you a formidable force to be reckoned with and incredible difficult to be staggered/heavily wounded.

    "Vigor"
    "A noble knight of Zakarum feels the rapture of his salvation at all times. In his need, the weight of the world lifts from his shoulders, allowing him to march forth without heed to the lamentations of his body."
    Conditioning + Adrenaline Rush + Respite + Any Healing Spell
    The full power of this combo can only be activated one time per day, but even the lesser degree of this special allows extended running time. On combat, astounding blows will be delivered one after another, much for dismay of the unjust fool enough to engage the paladin on battle.

    "Meditation"
    "With the observance of this aura, the Paladin supplicates himself to the Light with silent utterances of prayers. It is in these times of silent worship that the Paladin is rejuvenated in spirit."
    Guardian Circle + Atronach Stone + Atronach Perk + Ward Absorb + Spellbreaker
    With the powerful Guardian Circle spell, the Paladin creates a powerful "mana whirlpool" that rejuvenates the spirit of the champion of Zakarum, allowing fast recovery of magicka and protection from the undead added as a additional bonus.

    "Salvation"
    "Trust in the glory of the Light, for its authority supercedes all power in the mortal world. With this aura, the Paladin calls upon the Light to protect himself from elemental attacks."
    Elemental Protection Perk + Atronach Stone + Atronach Perk + Ward Absorb + Spellbreaker
    All the mana flowing on any form should not touch the warriors of the light in any harmful way, and so the High Heavens bestowed the power to purify and absorb all the magic raw power that influences the paladin to fuel his spirit and shake the confidence of those who serve evil forces under the magic ways.

    Offensive Auras

    Holy Fire, Holy Freeze and Holy Shock corresponds to Flame Cloak, Frost Cloak and Lightning Cloak.

    "Sanctuary"
    "This aura causes the Paladin to shine with an inner, holy light. This light is an anathema to the undead, summoned as they are through the machinations of the Prime Evils. The aura carries with it the essence of life and the strength and purity of the Paladin's convictions."
    Stendarr's Aura + Circle of Protection / Guardian Circle + Necromage
    Lesser undead shall not enter the holy ground where steps a faithful paladin, and those who dare defy the righteousness of the Heavens shall feel the power of the light burning their bones and spirits away, and when banished to the Burning Hells they shall understand the meaning of folly. Clad on Stendarr's Aura and striking with Dawnbreaker, no undead should be match for a true paladin.

    "Fanaticism"
    "True faith can cause its believers to perform fantastic feats. With this aura the Paladin, and all those allied with his cause, carry themselves with a zealous fervor, allowing them to strike down their foes as swiftly as the scythe reaps the harvest."
    Elemental Fury + Savage Strike OR Battle Fury + Respite + Healing (on follower)
    The only aura that you can extend to your companion, and not at the same time, increasing the battle prowess of the paladin/follower even more, for difficult battles where damage must be delivered fast!

    So, that's it! That's how I played my redguard, as a Paladin of Westmarch, I hope you play and enjoy this build as well as I enjoyed. Cheers!

  • May 31, 2015
    I don't see a list of equipment, are you going for a choose whatever you think is best, or do you have a set list that I completely missed? Other than that, pretty solid build, keep up the good work
  • Member
    May 31, 2015

    I don't have a set list of equipments for this build, only some recommendations and specific equipments for the combos. I like that people use the armor that bests suits the image they have of their character, so I only recommended that:

    • The armor should take advantage of the Heavy Armor tree, and matching set.
    • Enchantments that suits best the build: Fortify Health/Stamina/Magicka, Fortify Restoration(especially for the Meditation special below), Fortify Block, Fortify Heavy Armor, etc

    So, i don't have a especific set list, I hope that answers your question, and thanks for replying :)

  • May 31, 2015
    Completely clears things up, I like that idea, use what you think the character should look like.
  • Member
    May 31, 2015
    People will change what they want when playing a build, so even without a strict set, it's usually best to give what YOU used for your playthrough and let them decide what to do with that info rather than just saying "your choice".

    Regardless, this is a good first build; I'll give it my +1.
  • Member
    May 31, 2015

    Nice man! Diablo 2 is one of my all time favorite games. Great job on crossing the paladin over into Skyrim.

  • Member
    June 1, 2015

    Good point, thanks for the reply!

    I've added the equipment i used on my playthrough, thanks for pointing that out!

  • Member
    June 1, 2015

    Nice, thanks!

    Diablo 2 is one of my favorite games of all time, so when i saw the redguard, i couldn't resist making a paladin out of him. :P

  • June 2, 2015

    I think that Dawnbreaker conflicts with the lore described build,since they can't be tempted by "false lights" 

  • Member
    June 2, 2015

    I thought about it for some time before  including Dawnbreaker on my build. I really don't think that Meridia is a "false light" at all, although being a Daedric Prince, it never did any harm to humanity, and hates undead as much as Paladins do. Judgind Meridia for being a Daedric Prince is like judging Serana for being a vampire or judging Paathurnax for being a dragon. That's my opinion, obviously.

    What worried me about that point is the Spellbreaker shield, Meridia is said to be a good being, while Peryite is the Lord of Pestilence, not a good being at all :(

    But the Spellbreaker can be replaced with a lesser ward for the absorbing effects.

    Thanks for your reply!