Hey again, everyone. Once again, I will apologize that these builds are coming out so quickly, I should really stop, but I'm honestly having the time of my life with these characters. Here is the third installment in the "Dragon Priests of Solstheim" series. Disclaimer: This build has nothing to do with Sanguine the Daedric Prince, the definition of Ensanguine can be found here.
The Ensanguine Priest
"Zahkriisos... He was sealed within Bloodskal Barrow... But 'no more'!! His spirit cried 'I shall be free of this wretched tomb'. And so it was, his soul rose from the place he was sealed eons ago and searched. He searched for a host, a mortal whose mind was weak enough to penetrate and control. On the borders of the Fatherland he found his target, breaking down his mental barriers like nothing... The Ensanguine Priest is among us again, still hungering for power..."
"Finite, Kill, Blood. Sword Blood, it does not matter. He has returned to Tamriel once more...."
The Build
Race: Nord Vampire (Like all known Dragon Priests)
Stone: The Warrior --> Ultimate Atronach (You may choose standard Atronach Stone if you wish to power this build down a little)
Stats: 0/2/2
Major Skills: Heavy Armor, Two-Handed, Destruction, Conjuration, Smithing
Minor Skills: Illusion, Enchanting, Block, Restoration
Powers: Mora's Boon, Battle Cry, Scholars Insight, Secret of Arcana, Dragonborn Force, Force Without Effort.
Weapon: The Bloodskal Blade, Auriel's Bow.
Gear: Steel Plate Armor, Steel Plate Boots, Steel Plate Gauntlets, Zahkriisos, Custom Enchanted Ring and Necklace.
Shouts: Storm Call, Unrelenting Force, Dragon Aspect, Become Ethereal
Spells: Chain Lightning, Lightning Storm, Shock Rune, Dead Thrall, Rally.
Quests: The Final Descent, Main Quest, Dragonborn, College of Winterhold, Ironbind Barrow, Destruction Ritual Spell, Conjuration Ritual Spell, Discerning the Transmundane, Black Book: The Hidden Twilight, Black Book: The Winds of Change, Reluctant Steward, The Volkihar.
Destruction: When encountered Zahkriisos wields shock-based Destruction magic, so this skill is of course here. Key Perks are Augmented Shock, Dual-Casting and Adept Destruction.
Two-Handed: This will be used for wielding the Bloodskal Blade effectively. Key Perks are Barbarian 5/5 and Champion's Stance.
Conjuration: This skill is used for Necromancy, partly because it is a well-known fact that Dragon Priests use it and partly because it is unaffected by using the Atronach Stone. Key Perks are Master Conjuration, Twin Souls and Dark Souls.
Heavy Armor: This is your defensive skill and will be used to minimize damage this build. Key Perks are Well Fitted, Conditioning and Juggernaut.
Smithing: This skill will be used to improve your armor, you can smith your Steel Plate Armor if you want to, but there are ways of obtaining it without doing so. Key Perks are Advanced Armors, Daedric Smithing and Arcane Blacksmith.
Illusion: This skill is used to buff up your Thralls using Rally, note that this will not work unless you have the Master of the Mind perk. Key Perk here is Master of the Mind.
Enchanting: This is to increase the usefulness of your armor. Key perks are Extra Effect, Enchanter and Insightful Enchanter.
Block: Insanely useful purely because of the Quick Reflexes perk. The only perk that is key here is Quick Reflexes.
Restoration: Purely for Necromage for its incredible resources.
Level 25 Perks Level 60 Perks
Gear
Zahkriisos: Pre-Enchanted with Augmented Shock 25% and Resist Shock 50%
Steel Plate Armor: Enchanted with Fortify Magicka Regen and Fortify Health.
Steel Plate Gauntlets: Enchanted with Fortify Two-Handed and Fortify Magicka
Steel Plate Boots: Enchanted with Fortify Two-Handed and Fortify Stamina
Necklace: Enchanted with Fortify Conjuration and Fortify Magicka OR Resist Fire
Ring: Enchanted with Fortify Conjuration and Fortify Magicka Regen OR Fortify Health Regen
The Bloodskal Blade: Pre-Enchanted with its own unique effect that shoots energy blasts when you power attack.
Auriel's Bow: Only to extinguish the sun to give yourself maximum battle capabilities.
Note: You can retrieve all pieces of Steel Plate Armor except the helmet from Salma in Ironbind Barrow (If she dies or you kill her) or from Umana in Alftand, just before Blackreach along with the Unique Targe of the Blooded shield.
The Bloodskal Blade and Become Ethereal
I've gone on and on about Become Ethereal in the past, so I don't think I need to again. However, here it is insane. When you power attack with the Bloodskal Blade it fires an energy blast, it just so happens that when you do this, the energy blast doesn't break Become Ethereal, allowing you to remain invincible for a short time whilst dealing damage to your opponents from a distance, awesome right?
The Ultimate Atronach
Not my idea at all, I take no credit for it, all credit for this goes to Mason and his Seraphim.
By consuming a Draught of the Healer and two Philter of the Healer before selecting the Atronach Stone, you will be granted 78% spell absorption and a +78 in magicka, however you can now infinitely cast concentration spells. This includes this build's strongest spell, Lightning Storm, with this spell being infinitely cast your opponents will be utterly annihilated, goodbye Ancient Dragons, goodbye Nightmaster Vampires and goodbye Dragon Priests. Pure epicness in my opinion. You can however choose to not consume the potions are simply be granted the standard Atronach Stone if you don't wish to be overpowered.
The Uses of Shouts
Unrelenting Force: I normally stay away from this shout, but in this case it is good for crowd control and also allows you to disintegrate enemies at your leisure, presuming they are killed by the shout.
Become Ethereal: I've said 100 times, this shout is incredible, in this build it is used to
- Charge up your Undead Thrall spell
- Charge up your Lightning Storm spell
- To use the Bloodskal Blade energy blast whilst being untouchable
- To bash your opponents and hold out of Quick Reflexes
- And to run at targets for a power attack for no stamina cost.
Dragon Aspect: This shout makes the build look insane, as if it didn't already, in addition to making you more resilient, it also allows you to hit armor cap (or just above). I had 497 AR with a my perks and legendary improved Steel Plate Armor and my flawless Zahkriisos, this shout sent me to the Armor Cap.
Storm Call: Massive advantage against bulky opponents and works well when used with Lightning Storm to obliterate dragons.
Combat
At a distance this character will use Chain Lightning to bring down groups or enemies to prevent being swarmed, at close range it will use the Bloodskal Blade to bring down opponents. It is also wise to use Dragon Aspect at the beginning of encounters.
When health is low, draw back and use Become Ethereal to strike at your opponents using the Bloodskal Blade's energy attack or, if necessary, to switch into your infinite Lightning Storm spell to decimate your foes.
Once you recuperate your health, run towards your opponents with Become Ethereal active, if you use your power attack whilst in Become Ethereal, you shouldn't lose any stamina from the execution and you will also get the energy blast effect for an extra 20 damage.
Against larger or bulky creatures, Lightning Storm is invaluable, ripping dragons from the sky and sending giants and lurkers running for the hills. It should also be noted that shock runes help immensely and that blocking whilst a giant brings down its hammer on your will allow you to easily evade the attack.
Finally, during or after your battles, Dead Thrall should come in useful, allowing you to head for cover to cast other spells or use the Bloodskal Blade, they can be invigorated with Rally to give them extra health, quite useful if you ask me.
:origin()/pre08/9b12/th/pre/f/2014/105/b/3/zahkriisos_the_dragonpriest2_by_antarespyat-d7elav4.jpg)
Roleplay
- As early as you can, head to Haemar's Shame to become a vampire, be sure you can defend yourself and make sure that you do not have the Atronach/Ultimate Atronach Stone active.
- Be sure to read the Oghma Infinium and use your Black Book blessings frequently
- If you have Dawnguard installed then don't worry about this, be sure to feed as much as possible, it is easy to feed of the Skal whilst they sleep at night.
- Extinguish the sun with Auriel's Bow and Bloodcursed Arrows as much as possible, as it allows you to fight at your full power with no stat decreases.
___
Zahkriisos seems to have little to no lore behind being sealed in Bloodskal Barrow and being a Dragon Priest, a shame, if you ask me. But here we are, the third build in the "Dragon Priests of Solstheim" series, The Ensanguine Priest. I sincerely hope you have enjoyed this build, Mort signing off.
Again, all credit goes to Mason for the Ultimate Atronach.
And a thanks to Relycs and others over at the Character Building Help Desk.
Shoutout to Ebonslayer for suggesting Vampirism
Hey again, everyone. Once again, I will apologize that these builds are coming out so quickly, I should really stop, but I'm honestly having the time of my life with these characters. Here is the third installment in the "Dragon Priests of Solstheim" series. Disclaimer: This build has nothing to do with Sanguine the Daedric Prince, the definition of Ensanguine can be found here.
The Ensanguine Priest
"Zahkriisos... He was sealed within Bloodskal Barrow... But 'no more'!! His spirit cried 'I shall be free of this wretched tomb'. And so it was, his soul rose from the place he was sealed eons ago and searched. He searched for a host, a mortal whose mind was weak enough to penetrate and control. On the borders of the Fatherland he found his target, breaking down his mental barriers like nothing... The Ensanguine Priest is among us again, still hungering for power..."
"Finite, Kill, Blood. Sword Blood, it does not matter. He has returned to Tamriel once more...."
The Build
Race: Nord Vampire (Like all known Dragon Priests)
Stone: The Warrior --> Ultimate Atronach (You may choose standard Atronach Stone if you wish to power this build down a little)
Stats: 0/2/2
Major Skills: Heavy Armor, Two-Handed, Destruction, Conjuration, Smithing
Minor Skills: Illusion, Enchanting, Block, Restoration
Powers: Mora's Boon, Battle Cry, Scholars Insight, Secret of Arcana, Dragonborn Force, Force Without Effort.
Weapon: The Bloodskal Blade, Auriel's Bow.
Gear: Steel Plate Armor, Steel Plate Boots, Steel Plate Gauntlets, Zahkriisos, Custom Enchanted Ring and Necklace.
Shouts: Storm Call, Unrelenting Force, Dragon Aspect, Become Ethereal
Spells: Chain Lightning, Lightning Storm, Shock Rune, Dead Thrall, Rally.
Quests: The Final Descent, Main Quest, Dragonborn, College of Winterhold, Ironbind Barrow, Destruction Ritual Spell, Conjuration Ritual Spell, Discerning the Transmundane, Black Book: The Hidden Twilight, Black Book: The Winds of Change, Reluctant Steward, The Volkihar.
Destruction: When encountered Zahkriisos wields shock-based Destruction magic, so this skill is of course here. Key Perks are Augmented Shock, Dual-Casting and Adept Destruction.
Two-Handed: This will be used for wielding the Bloodskal Blade effectively. Key Perks are Barbarian 5/5 and Champion's Stance.
Conjuration: This skill is used for Necromancy, partly because it is a well-known fact that Dragon Priests use it and partly because it is unaffected by using the Atronach Stone. Key Perks are Master Conjuration, Twin Souls and Dark Souls.
Heavy Armor: This is your defensive skill and will be used to minimize damage this build. Key Perks are Well Fitted, Conditioning and Juggernaut.
Smithing: This skill will be used to improve your armor, you can smith your Steel Plate Armor if you want to, but there are ways of obtaining it without doing so. Key Perks are Advanced Armors, Daedric Smithing and Arcane Blacksmith.
Illusion: This skill is used to buff up your Thralls using Rally, note that this will not work unless you have the Master of the Mind perk. Key Perk here is Master of the Mind.
Enchanting: This is to increase the usefulness of your armor. Key perks are Extra Effect, Enchanter and Insightful Enchanter.
Block: Insanely useful purely because of the Quick Reflexes perk. The only perk that is key here is Quick Reflexes.
Restoration: Purely for Necromage for its incredible resources.
Level 25 Perks Level 60 Perks
Gear
Zahkriisos: Pre-Enchanted with Augmented Shock 25% and Resist Shock 50%
Steel Plate Armor: Enchanted with Fortify Magicka Regen and Fortify Health.
Steel Plate Gauntlets: Enchanted with Fortify Two-Handed and Fortify Magicka
Steel Plate Boots: Enchanted with Fortify Two-Handed and Fortify Stamina
Necklace: Enchanted with Fortify Conjuration and Fortify Magicka OR Resist Fire
Ring: Enchanted with Fortify Conjuration and Fortify Magicka Regen OR Fortify Health Regen
The Bloodskal Blade: Pre-Enchanted with its own unique effect that shoots energy blasts when you power attack.
Auriel's Bow: Only to extinguish the sun to give yourself maximum battle capabilities.
Note: You can retrieve all pieces of Steel Plate Armor except the helmet from Salma in Ironbind Barrow (If she dies or you kill her) or from Umana in Alftand, just before Blackreach along with the Unique Targe of the Blooded shield.
The Bloodskal Blade and Become Ethereal
I've gone on and on about Become Ethereal in the past, so I don't think I need to again. However, here it is insane. When you power attack with the Bloodskal Blade it fires an energy blast, it just so happens that when you do this, the energy blast doesn't break Become Ethereal, allowing you to remain invincible for a short time whilst dealing damage to your opponents from a distance, awesome right?
The Ultimate Atronach
Not my idea at all, I take no credit for it, all credit for this goes to Mason and his Seraphim.
By consuming a Draught of the Healer and two Philter of the Healer before selecting the Atronach Stone, you will be granted 78% spell absorption and a +78 in magicka, however you can now infinitely cast concentration spells. This includes this build's strongest spell, Lightning Storm, with this spell being infinitely cast your opponents will be utterly annihilated, goodbye Ancient Dragons, goodbye Nightmaster Vampires and goodbye Dragon Priests. Pure epicness in my opinion. You can however choose to not consume the potions are simply be granted the standard Atronach Stone if you don't wish to be overpowered.
The Uses of Shouts
Unrelenting Force: I normally stay away from this shout, but in this case it is good for crowd control and also allows you to disintegrate enemies at your leisure, presuming they are killed by the shout.
Become Ethereal: I've said 100 times, this shout is incredible, in this build it is used to
- Charge up your Undead Thrall spell
- Charge up your Lightning Storm spell
- To use the Bloodskal Blade energy blast whilst being untouchable
- To bash your opponents and hold out of Quick Reflexes
- And to run at targets for a power attack for no stamina cost.
Dragon Aspect: This shout makes the build look insane, as if it didn't already, in addition to making you more resilient, it also allows you to hit armor cap (or just above). I had 497 AR with a my perks and legendary improved Steel Plate Armor and my flawless Zahkriisos, this shout sent me to the Armor Cap.
Storm Call: Massive advantage against bulky opponents and works well when used with Lightning Storm to obliterate dragons.
Combat
At a distance this character will use Chain Lightning to bring down groups or enemies to prevent being swarmed, at close range it will use the Bloodskal Blade to bring down opponents. It is also wise to use Dragon Aspect at the beginning of encounters.
When health is low, draw back and use Become Ethereal to strike at your opponents using the Bloodskal Blade's energy attack or, if necessary, to switch into your infinite Lightning Storm spell to decimate your foes.
Once you recuperate your health, run towards your opponents with Become Ethereal active, if you use your power attack whilst in Become Ethereal, you shouldn't lose any stamina from the execution and you will also get the energy blast effect for an extra 20 damage.
Against larger or bulky creatures, Lightning Storm is invaluable, ripping dragons from the sky and sending giants and lurkers running for the hills. It should also be noted that shock runes help immensely and that blocking whilst a giant brings down its hammer on your will allow you to easily evade the attack.
Finally, during or after your battles, Dead Thrall should come in useful, allowing you to head for cover to cast other spells or use the Bloodskal Blade, they can be invigorated with Rally to give them extra health, quite useful if you ask me.
Roleplay
- As early as you can, head to Haemar's Shame to become a vampire, be sure you can defend yourself and make sure that you do not have the Atronach/Ultimate Atronach Stone active.
- Be sure to read the Oghma Infinium and use your Black Book blessings frequently
- If you have Dawnguard installed then don't worry about this, be sure to feed as much as possible, it is easy to feed of the Skal whilst they sleep at night.
- Extinguish the sun with Auriel's Bow and Bloodcursed Arrows as much as possible, as it allows you to fight at your full power with no stat decreases.
___
Zahkriisos seems to have little to no lore behind being sealed in Bloodskal Barrow and being a Dragon Priest, a shame, if you ask me. But here we are, the third build in the "Dragon Priests of Solstheim" series, The Ensanguine Priest. I sincerely hope you have enjoyed this build, Mort signing off.
Again, all credit goes to Mason for the Ultimate Atronach.
And a thanks to Relycs and others over at the Character Building Help Desk.
Shoutout to Ebonslayer for suggesting Vampirism
Maybe I'm just ignorant
