I have been wanting to make a sneaky mage build that still has a heavy focus on melee combat for some time now, and combined it with my urge to play a powerful mage who truly masters Destruction magic. And so I am proud to present...
The Elemental Overlord
Some kill for revenge. Some kill for a belief. A rarer breed kills because they enjoy it, and still others kill simply for profit. But The Elemental Overlord kills to preserve. To keep the forces of magic in balance, and knowledge of all kinds alive and well throughout Tamriel.
For the Overlord...the risk of being swallowed into the endless wastes of Apocrypha is
well worth it, if only to gain a small edge over the rogue wizards that seem
drawn to Skyrim.....and defeat them with it.
The Build
Race: Altmer for the Magicka boost, and Highborn is a great lifesaver now that I actually remember to use it. Breton would be a good second choice, saving you an Enchanting slot.
Stone: Mage -- Lord
Stat Placement: 3/1/2
Major Skills: One Handed, Destruction, Conjuration, Sneak
Minor Skills: Enchanting, Light Armor
Equipment: Apprentice Hood, Morag Tong Armor, Morag Tong Gauntlets, Morag Tong Boots, Ebony Sword, Ebony Dagger, Aetherial Crown
Shouts: Fire Breath, Ice Form, Storm Call, Dragon Aspect
Powers and Passives: The Fire Within, Dragonborn Flame, Seeker of Shadows, Secret of Arcana, Sun Flare, North Wind
The Power of the Elements
As you may have guessed from the name, The Elemental Overlord is limited to only raw, pure, fire, frost or shock magic, which applies to shouts as well. The Elemental Overlord masters every aspect of the Destruction school, and uses each type of spell to his advantage. This gives gameplay an amazing feeling of freedom and power, as you adjust your strategy and spells according to your enemy, completely prepared for anything. Whether you're blowing up a Draugr with Fireballs, impaling a Saber Cat with Ice Spears, or disintegrating mages with a Thunderbolt, the elements are at your disposal. For Conjuration, I chose to only use regular (and Potent) Atronachs. Thralls is another option, but I always forget to recast them if they die. The Overlord is a master of stealth as well, and always approaches new areas with caution, softening up strong enemies in his way or slaying lesser ones with either his dagger and sword or his Destruction spells. Light Armor provides him with enough AR so as to not make him overpowered, and allows him freedom of movement for sneaking and mobility. Enchanting brings everything together, negating the need for cost reduction perks and making sure you always have enough magicka to cast a Destruction spell, or an Atronach. We will also be using the awesome and powerful Chaos Damage enchantment on our sword and dagger, for an incredible elemental damage boost, and to increase the magnitude of the Absorb Health enchantment.
Combine this with a having very little health (capping at about 250), and an even lower armor rating (capping at about 175), and you get a sneaky, spell slinging, explosion causing, sword flailing crazy man! There is also a distinct lack of easy healing, except from the occasional found potion, until you get an Absorb Health enchantment. You will often be in close quarters combat with your Dual-Wielded sword and dagger, doing as much damage as you can before melting back into the shadows. All of these things makes this a very fast-paced and high dps build that really makes you rely on Atronachs, think tactically, and know which spell and element to use for any situation! Which was a.....sizeable change for me, who is used to running into combat and slashing anything that moves, with little fear of dying from a mere Legendary Dragon.
The only exception to the elemental magic only rule is shouts that are needed for quests, but I looked at this as the Greybeards imparting their knowledge directly into you for Clear Skies (which, they did), the Ancient Nord Heroes giving you their knowledge of Dragonrend, the same for the Blades with Call Dragon and for Bend Will, the Skaal people’s ritual allowed you to access the first word, and Hermy’s wisdom the last two.
Early on I picked up the Mage Stone and focused heavily on leveling my Enchanting, as it is quite crucial. By now, if you looked closely, you probably noticed the strange lack of any cost reduction perks (except Novice, of course). This isn’t nearly as much of a handicap as you might think, however, as long as you make sure to always have a few Fortify Destruction enchantments on your armor. You’re going to want to join the College of Winterhold fairly early for spell merchants, the Companions for Fire Breath, and the Dark Brotherhood for funds and to obtain your Ebony Dagger early on, if you wish. The light stagger from Fire Breath is awesome, though you should get a word of Ice Form also, for greater crowd control.
One of The Elemental Overlord’s goals is to protect magic from the ignorant who might wish to destroy it, which is a difficult task in Skyrim, where many Nords have grown distrustful of mages since the Oblivion Crisis. He also wishes to educate the people, while at the same time growing his own knowledge, and destroying powerful and dangerous sorcerers who look to harm innocents. He realizes that this would cause local opinions to grow harsher, and make his job all the more difficult.
You should start The Man Who Cried Wolf as soon as possible as well, because sometimes the damn courier that lets you start The Wolf Queen Awakened can take quite some time to arrive. The main prize from these quests is the stronger version of Resist Magic from the Shield of Solitude. By the time I was at level 25, I had bought an Apprentice Hood and my Enchanting was at level 100, so I hurried over to Solstheim and grabbed my Morag Tong Armor, but Light/Dark Grey Vampire Armor is a good alternative with a only slightly lower AR if you aren’t a fan of the Chitin-platey look. After enchanting your gear, you can switch over to the Lord Stone. I started Unearthed as well, as that damn courier can be even slower than the one Falk sends. I started hunting Dragon Priests at that time as well, which will get you two words of Storm Call.
The only other exception to the elemental magic only rule is Fiery Soul Trap (but I didn’t let this bother me), as it is needed for recharging weapons and leveling Enchanting. While I took Dual Casting and Impact for the tactic detailed below, it was fairly late in my playthrough, and Impact by no means made the game too easy.
Often, you will have to choose whether a situation is best dealt with by Dual Casting a cloak and charging in with your blades, or sitting back and letting one or more Atronachs do the work for you while you skulk in the shadows, waiting for a choice backstab opportunity. Speaking of which, Shadow Warrior gives you just enough of a stealth boost for a quick reposition, as long as you are extremely careful about moving while disengaging. Back to magic though, know which Atronach to use, Frost for a meatshield/tank, Fire for fire support against archers or those resistant to frost, and Shock for mages and dragons. Wall spells are often overlooked, but can be very useful when you don’t have enough magicka for a cloak. Just a single spot sprayed on the ground in front of your enemies with your element of choice is enough to trigger Intense Flames or Deep Freeze or Disintegrate, as long as their health is low enough. Always have a cloak active if you have enough magicka before melee combat, and they also become particularly awesome when you have IF/DF/D (there’s nothing like watching a Draugr Deathlord swinging his Ebony Sword to finish you off, when he suddenly flips and falls over, and is suddenly just a large, wrinkly, angry chunk of ice).
All of the Augmented Fire, Frost and Shock perks will synergize late game with Chaos Damage, getting you some really insane damage for your sword and dagger! Mine were doing nearly 60 Chaos Damage by the time I had every perk, and you could boost this farther by wearing a Dragon Priest mask or drinking a potion of Fortify Destruction. You will also have some crazy high numbers with your Absorb Health enchant, mine was at about 40 endgame. You won't be completely relying on Chaos for all of your damage, as your sword and dagger still have good base damages and benefit from perks in One Handed, but the Absorb Health becomes absolutely crucial later on. You'll be able to quickly destroy anything in your path with the combination of Dual Flurry, Dual Savagery, Savage Strike, and Chaos Damage. Total, a single hit with your sword can get up to 250 damage, if every element procs!
At some point around level 30 you should start focusing on getting your Destruction to 100, as you need that to start the Destruction Ritual Spell quest and claim all three master spells. Getting Ahzidal and Zahkriisos at that time would be a good idea as well. Conjuration should get to 100 at around the same time, so use trainers for either skill if you need to. I also consistently used Athis and Chief Burguk to train my One-Handed throughout my playthrough. Now that you have the formidable master Destruction spells and have obtained Twin Souls, the real fun begins!
Tactics
I
n Loving Memory - Lurk in the shadows, and suddenly open up with a Dual Cast spell and keep firing until your foe lies dead. I got this idea from good old Festus, because, as he puts it, “Nobody ever suspects a fireball from a dark corner”. This is great against single enemies at range, as Impact will keep them staggered and unable to attack and alert any other enemies. It is also a good combat starter, as the strongest enemy in a group will be nearly dead before he knows where you are.
Requires: Sneaking + Augmented Flames/Frost/Shock 2/2 + Destruction Dual Casting + Impact
Annihilate - Because you are limited to elemental spells, casting Master Spells with their casting time can seem impossible. However, just equip Ahzidal, and then hit as many melee guys who are close to you and ready to stagger you with Fire Breath. If needed cast some Atronachs as well to buy you time. Then, cast Fire Storm and use Sun Flare. This amazing and explosive tactic will do about 800 damage to everything within 25 feet!
Requires: Ahzidal + Augmented Flames 2/2 + Fire Breath + Fire Storm + Sun Flare
Endless Winter - A murderous move best used against hordes of Draugr or Ash Spawn. Equip the Aetherial Crown with the Apprentice Stone in it for a damage boost, then hit as many melee foes with Ice Form as you can to buy you enough time to cast Blizzard, following up with North Wind. Quickly run and remove the Crown, as you can get slaughtered with the -25% magic resist. The Atronachs will ensure that your enemies are distracted enough to stay in the aoe, while being immune to it themselves. Including the dps from the Atronach cloaks, enemies will be taking around 86 dps, and getting whacked by the Frosties.
Requires: Aetherial Crown (Apprentice) + Augmented Frost 2/2 + Ice Form + Blizzard + North Wind + 2 Potent Frost Atronachs
Storm of the Ages - A perfect tactic to use on dragons. Although Storm Call doesn’t seem to hit flying dragons, it will decimate them when they land after being quickly drained of their magicka. With everything going, Lightning Storm will be doing over 131 dps, along with two Storm Atronachs firing and lightning strikes. Use Secret of Arcana for multiple dragons or tough enemies so Lightning Storm can be maintained indefinitely.
Requires: Zahkriisos + Augmented Shock 2/2 + Storm Call + 2 Potent Storm Atronachs + Lightning Storm
Questing and Maintaining Magic
Over all, the Elemental wishes for balance. As a consequence, he often ignores simple requests for work, or even pleas for help. He is not cruel, but realizes that saving a city with fifty people in it is better than rescuing one person. He will, however, do what could considered to be menial tasks if they lead to greater knowledge, such as assisting Neloth, who is a great wizard and does not seek power needlessly or carelessly. The Overlord also advocates gaining wisdom about magic, and using it carefully. The greater good is what he sees, and all of his actions work towards this...the preservation of magic. Whether killing reckless and chaotic mages, annihilating those that wish to destroy or suppress magic and learning, or searching for artifacts of power to safeguard or to augment himself with, keeping magic around is the end goal. While The Overlord is often finding books from and assisting Hermaeus Mora, he treads with extreme caution and makes sure not to fall prey to his realm of Apocrypha and it’s seductive power. He also realizes that sometimes assassins are needed to preserve things, or to keep dangerous sorcerers fearful for their lives, and so hones his stealth abilities with the Dark Brotherhood. Hunting ancient mages such as Dragon Priests are important undertakings, as their masks are items of incredible magic power. Although The Elemental equips few of them in combat, he hides them away from the ignorant and the powerful, so they will not be misused. Daedric artifacts can also be acquired if you choose, to hide away as well.
Questlines - Main Quest, Dark Brotherhood, College of Winterhold, Companions, Dragonborn
Side Quests - The Pale Lady, The Black Star, March of the Dead, Served Cold, The Final Descent, White Ridge Sanctum, Unearthed, Skyrim Dragon Priests, Konahrik, The Man Who Cried Wolf/The Wolf Queen Awakened, Telvanni Research, Reluctant Steward, Old Friends, The Sallow Regent, Epistolary Acumen, Filament and Filigree, Discerning the Transmundane, Destruction Ritual Spell
Credits N’ Thanks N’ Stuff
Thanks for reading my second build! Once again, I’m very proud to be able to contribute to this magnificent group!
Thanks to Alastor for his invaluable advice and ideas, from my first vague thoughts of this build to the posting of it.
Thanks to FishDout for the awesome Perkspread (and for fixing it).
Thanks to Golden Fool for the amazing Equipment Spread!
Thanks to Teccam for writing his Primer on Chaos Damage, (which reminded me to use that enchantment), an informative article filled with Monty Python references on just how crazily overpowered the Chaos Damage Enchantment can get.
All images were found on Deviantart or Google Images and credit goes to their authors.
If you like this build, check out my first one, The Cleanser!
I have been wanting to make a sneaky mage build that still has a heavy focus on melee combat for some time now, and combined it with my urge to play a powerful mage who truly masters Destruction magic. And so I am proud to present...
The Elemental Overlord
Some kill for revenge. Some kill for a belief. A rarer breed kills because they enjoy it, and still others kill simply for profit. But The Elemental Overlord kills to preserve. To keep the forces of magic in balance, and knowledge of all kinds alive and well throughout Tamriel.
For the Overlord...the risk of being swallowed into the endless wastes of Apocrypha is
well worth it, if only to gain a small edge over the rogue wizards that seem
drawn to Skyrim.....and defeat them with it.
The Build
Race: Altmer for the Magicka boost, and Highborn is a great lifesaver now that I actually remember to use it. Breton would be a good second choice, saving you an Enchanting slot.
Stone: Mage -- Lord
Stat Placement: 3/1/2
Major Skills: One Handed, Destruction, Conjuration, Sneak
Minor Skills: Enchanting, Light Armor
Equipment: Apprentice Hood, Morag Tong Armor, Morag Tong Gauntlets, Morag Tong Boots, Ebony Sword, Ebony Dagger, Aetherial Crown
Shouts: Fire Breath, Ice Form, Storm Call, Dragon Aspect
Powers and Passives: The Fire Within, Dragonborn Flame, Seeker of Shadows, Secret of Arcana, Sun Flare, North Wind
The Power of the Elements
As you may have guessed from the name, The Elemental Overlord is limited to only raw, pure, fire, frost or shock magic, which applies to shouts as well. The Elemental Overlord masters every aspect of the Destruction school, and uses each type of spell to his advantage. This gives gameplay an amazing feeling of freedom and power, as you adjust your strategy and spells according to your enemy, completely prepared for anything. Whether you're blowing up a Draugr with Fireballs, impaling a Saber Cat with Ice Spears, or disintegrating mages with a Thunderbolt, the elements are at your disposal. For Conjuration, I chose to only use regular (and Potent) Atronachs. Thralls is another option, but I always forget to recast them if they die. The Overlord is a master of stealth as well, and always approaches new areas with caution, softening up strong enemies in his way or slaying lesser ones with either his dagger and sword or his Destruction spells. Light Armor provides him with enough AR so as to not make him overpowered, and allows him freedom of movement for sneaking and mobility. Enchanting brings everything together, negating the need for cost reduction perks and making sure you always have enough magicka to cast a Destruction spell, or an Atronach. We will also be using the awesome and powerful Chaos Damage enchantment on our sword and dagger, for an incredible elemental damage boost, and to increase the magnitude of the Absorb Health enchantment.
Combine this with a having very little health (capping at about 250), and an even lower armor rating (capping at about 175), and you get a sneaky, spell slinging, explosion causing, sword flailing crazy man! There is also a distinct lack of easy healing, except from the occasional found potion, until you get an Absorb Health enchantment. You will often be in close quarters combat with your Dual-Wielded sword and dagger, doing as much damage as you can before melting back into the shadows. All of these things makes this a very fast-paced and high dps build that really makes you rely on Atronachs, think tactically, and know which spell and element to use for any situation! Which was a.....sizeable change for me, who is used to running into combat and slashing anything that moves, with little fear of dying from a mere Legendary Dragon.
The only exception to the elemental magic only rule is shouts that are needed for quests, but I looked at this as the Greybeards imparting their knowledge directly into you for Clear Skies (which, they did), the Ancient Nord Heroes giving you their knowledge of Dragonrend, the same for the Blades with Call Dragon and for Bend Will, the Skaal people’s ritual allowed you to access the first word, and Hermy’s wisdom the last two.
Early on I picked up the Mage Stone and focused heavily on leveling my Enchanting, as it is quite crucial. By now, if you looked closely, you probably noticed the strange lack of any cost reduction perks (except Novice, of course). This isn’t nearly as much of a handicap as you might think, however, as long as you make sure to always have a few Fortify Destruction enchantments on your armor. You’re going to want to join the College of Winterhold fairly early for spell merchants, the Companions for Fire Breath, and the Dark Brotherhood for funds and to obtain your Ebony Dagger early on, if you wish. The light stagger from Fire Breath is awesome, though you should get a word of Ice Form also, for greater crowd control.
One of The Elemental Overlord’s goals is to protect magic from the ignorant who might wish to destroy it, which is a difficult task in Skyrim, where many Nords have grown distrustful of mages since the Oblivion Crisis. He also wishes to educate the people, while at the same time growing his own knowledge, and destroying powerful and dangerous sorcerers who look to harm innocents. He realizes that this would cause local opinions to grow harsher, and make his job all the more difficult.
You should start The Man Who Cried Wolf as soon as possible as well, because sometimes the damn courier that lets you start The Wolf Queen Awakened can take quite some time to arrive. The main prize from these quests is the stronger version of Resist Magic from the Shield of Solitude. By the time I was at level 25, I had bought an Apprentice Hood and my Enchanting was at level 100, so I hurried over to Solstheim and grabbed my Morag Tong Armor, but Light/Dark Grey Vampire Armor is a good alternative with a only slightly lower AR if you aren’t a fan of the Chitin-platey look. After enchanting your gear, you can switch over to the Lord Stone. I started Unearthed as well, as that damn courier can be even slower than the one Falk sends. I started hunting Dragon Priests at that time as well, which will get you two words of Storm Call.
The only other exception to the elemental magic only rule is Fiery Soul Trap (but I didn’t let this bother me), as it is needed for recharging weapons and leveling Enchanting. While I took Dual Casting and Impact for the tactic detailed below, it was fairly late in my playthrough, and Impact by no means made the game too easy.
Often, you will have to choose whether a situation is best dealt with by Dual Casting a cloak and charging in with your blades, or sitting back and letting one or more Atronachs do the work for you while you skulk in the shadows, waiting for a choice backstab opportunity. Speaking of which, Shadow Warrior gives you just enough of a stealth boost for a quick reposition, as long as you are extremely careful about moving while disengaging. Back to magic though, know which Atronach to use, Frost for a meatshield/tank, Fire for fire support against archers or those resistant to frost, and Shock for mages and dragons. Wall spells are often overlooked, but can be very useful when you don’t have enough magicka for a cloak. Just a single spot sprayed on the ground in front of your enemies with your element of choice is enough to trigger Intense Flames or Deep Freeze or Disintegrate, as long as their health is low enough. Always have a cloak active if you have enough magicka before melee combat, and they also become particularly awesome when you have IF/DF/D (there’s nothing like watching a Draugr Deathlord swinging his Ebony Sword to finish you off, when he suddenly flips and falls over, and is suddenly just a large, wrinkly, angry chunk of ice).
All of the Augmented Fire, Frost and Shock perks will synergize late game with Chaos Damage, getting you some really insane damage for your sword and dagger! Mine were doing nearly 60 Chaos Damage by the time I had every perk, and you could boost this farther by wearing a Dragon Priest mask or drinking a potion of Fortify Destruction. You will also have some crazy high numbers with your Absorb Health enchant, mine was at about 40 endgame. You won't be completely relying on Chaos for all of your damage, as your sword and dagger still have good base damages and benefit from perks in One Handed, but the Absorb Health becomes absolutely crucial later on. You'll be able to quickly destroy anything in your path with the combination of Dual Flurry, Dual Savagery, Savage Strike, and Chaos Damage. Total, a single hit with your sword can get up to 250 damage, if every element procs!
At some point around level 30 you should start focusing on getting your Destruction to 100, as you need that to start the Destruction Ritual Spell quest and claim all three master spells. Getting Ahzidal and Zahkriisos at that time would be a good idea as well. Conjuration should get to 100 at around the same time, so use trainers for either skill if you need to. I also consistently used Athis and Chief Burguk to train my One-Handed throughout my playthrough. Now that you have the formidable master Destruction spells and have obtained Twin Souls, the real fun begins!
Tactics
In Loving Memory - Lurk in the shadows, and suddenly open up with a Dual Cast spell and keep firing until your foe lies dead. I got this idea from good old Festus, because, as he puts it, “Nobody ever suspects a fireball from a dark corner”. This is great against single enemies at range, as Impact will keep them staggered and unable to attack and alert any other enemies. It is also a good combat starter, as the strongest enemy in a group will be nearly dead before he knows where you are.
Requires: Sneaking + Augmented Flames/Frost/Shock 2/2 + Destruction Dual Casting + Impact
Annihilate - Because you are limited to elemental spells, casting Master Spells with their casting time can seem impossible. However, just equip Ahzidal, and then hit as many melee guys who are close to you and ready to stagger you with Fire Breath. If needed cast some Atronachs as well to buy you time. Then, cast Fire Storm and use Sun Flare. This amazing and explosive tactic will do about 800 damage to everything within 25 feet!
Requires: Ahzidal + Augmented Flames 2/2 + Fire Breath + Fire Storm + Sun Flare
Endless Winter - A murderous move best used against hordes of Draugr or Ash Spawn. Equip the Aetherial Crown with the Apprentice Stone in it for a damage boost, then hit as many melee foes with Ice Form as you can to buy you enough time to cast Blizzard, following up with North Wind. Quickly run and remove the Crown, as you can get slaughtered with the -25% magic resist. The Atronachs will ensure that your enemies are distracted enough to stay in the aoe, while being immune to it themselves. Including the dps from the Atronach cloaks, enemies will be taking around 86 dps, and getting whacked by the Frosties.
Requires: Aetherial Crown (Apprentice) + Augmented Frost 2/2 + Ice Form + Blizzard + North Wind + 2 Potent Frost Atronachs
Storm of the Ages - A perfect tactic to use on dragons. Although Storm Call doesn’t seem to hit flying dragons, it will decimate them when they land after being quickly drained of their magicka. With everything going, Lightning Storm will be doing over 131 dps, along with two Storm Atronachs firing and lightning strikes. Use Secret of Arcana for multiple dragons or tough enemies so Lightning Storm can be maintained indefinitely.
Requires: Zahkriisos + Augmented Shock 2/2 + Storm Call + 2 Potent Storm Atronachs + Lightning Storm
Questing and Maintaining Magic
Over all, the Elemental wishes for balance. As a consequence, he often ignores simple requests for work, or even pleas for help. He is not cruel, but realizes that saving a city with fifty people in it is better than rescuing one person. He will, however, do what could considered to be menial tasks if they lead to greater knowledge, such as assisting Neloth, who is a great wizard and does not seek power needlessly or carelessly. The Overlord also advocates gaining wisdom about magic, and using it carefully. The greater good is what he sees, and all of his actions work towards this...the preservation of magic. Whether killing reckless and chaotic mages, annihilating those that wish to destroy or suppress magic and learning, or searching for artifacts of power to safeguard or to augment himself with, keeping magic around is the end goal. While The Overlord is often finding books from and assisting Hermaeus Mora, he treads with extreme caution and makes sure not to fall prey to his realm of Apocrypha and it’s seductive power. He also realizes that sometimes assassins are needed to preserve things, or to keep dangerous sorcerers fearful for their lives, and so hones his stealth abilities with the Dark Brotherhood. Hunting ancient mages such as Dragon Priests are important undertakings, as their masks are items of incredible magic power. Although The Elemental equips few of them in combat, he hides them away from the ignorant and the powerful, so they will not be misused. Daedric artifacts can also be acquired if you choose, to hide away as well.
Questlines - Main Quest, Dark Brotherhood, College of Winterhold, Companions, Dragonborn
Side Quests - The Pale Lady, The Black Star, March of the Dead, Served Cold, The Final Descent, White Ridge Sanctum, Unearthed, Skyrim Dragon Priests, Konahrik, The Man Who Cried Wolf/The Wolf Queen Awakened, Telvanni Research, Reluctant Steward, Old Friends, The Sallow Regent, Epistolary Acumen, Filament and Filigree, Discerning the Transmundane, Destruction Ritual Spell
Credits N’ Thanks N’ Stuff
Thanks for reading my second build! Once again, I’m very proud to be able to contribute to this magnificent group!
Thanks to Alastor for his invaluable advice and ideas, from my first vague thoughts of this build to the posting of it.
Thanks to FishDout for the awesome Perkspread (and for fixing it).
Thanks to Golden Fool for the amazing Equipment Spread!
Thanks to Teccam for writing his Primer on Chaos Damage, (which reminded me to use that enchantment), an informative article filled with Monty Python references on just how crazily overpowered the Chaos Damage Enchantment can get.
All images were found on Deviantart or Google Images and credit goes to their authors.
If you like this build, check out my first one, The Cleanser!
