Hello there, today I have the Battle Engineer build for you. It utalizes mods to help make a Dwemer powered archer/warrior with the help of autoturrets.
Without further ado, here is -
Some Edits have been made since release of this build - 29/03/2016
Before we begin I’d like to highlight the mods that are most useful to this build. Of course this character will require a clean save due to the Perk Mod.
- Dwemer Goggles: This Mod is important mainly for aesthetic but also provides some handy built in buffs and to me is just lore friendly enough to work.
- Space Walking Exo-Skeleton: While not entirely necessary the exoskeleton works well aesthetically again.
- One Hand Hammers: A beautiful but simple mod that shrinks down the default hammers into one handed versions giving you slow but hard hitting attacks. Maces work just fine but an Engineer needs a hammer and this looks great.
- Honed Metal: Blacksmiths and Enchanters are useful in Vanilla but to get epic gear you will have to craft it yourself…until now! Pay a Blacksmith to temper your gear or forge you a brand spanking new weapon and armour then pay a mage to enchant it for you. Higher level equipment and enchants can be obtained basically from level 1 but the catch is they are super expensive, well over 5k in some cases.
- Ordinator – Perks of Skyrim: This is the mod that makes the Engineer work most. Sure you could muddle through without it but then you simply won’t be playing my version of the Engineer.
- I was encouraged to add these two mods to the build. I've never used them because of having to pick mods carefully thanks to playing on a laptop but I would happily have done so: Dawnguard Crossbow Explosive Bolts Visualized and Smelt all Dwemer Artifacts into Dwarven Metal Ingots
All of these mods have worked so well together. The Engineer works so well with the help of these mods so please consider downloading more than just Ordinator from this list.
The Character
When the red mountain exploded you found yourself alone, your parents were killed and what home you had was destroyed in ash and fire. The Nords of Windhelm were nothing short of unhospitible, effectively scaring you out of their filthy city and so you decided to go West, to a place where you knew you would feel comfortable. Back in Morrowind your parents studied Dwemer ruins and, as a child, you went with them.
Often spending weeks in one location you had plenty of time to explore and get familiar with what the Dwemer built and you even picked up a trick or two for disabling the Automatons. Because of this you thought you would feel right at home living in Markarth. Sure it's a little dirty, smelly and dangerous but the chance to live inside a Dwemer ruin is something you couldn't pass up.
Sadly, reality hit you like a ton of bricks and you ended up sleeping in the dirt with the Reachmen in the Warrens. The warmth and comfort of a familiar thing was not to be given, but taken. Eventually you found work ferrying messages back and forth around Markarth and it was through that you had a chance encounter with Calcemo who seemed pleased by your interest in Dwemer tech.
It wasn't long before you were studying together and you cunningly built a turret made from old Ballista parts with a Gyro to keep it automatic. These Autoturrets now allow you to explore Dwemer Ruins alone...who knows what you'll discover?
The Build
Race: I chose a female Dark Elf but anyone from Hammerfell, High Rock, Morrowind and Skyrim fits. (Perhaps a Breton Scholar is studying in Markarth, a Hammerfell Redguard is escaping political strife or this Nord is simply looking for an adventure?)
Stats: 0/2/1
Major Skills: Smithing, Archery, One Handed
Minor Skills: Block, Light Armour, Lockpicking
Bonus (Optional): Lockpicking, Alchemy
Smithing: The Battle Engineer is a brilliant blacksmith and savant with a hammer. Dwarven Autocannons can be acquired very quickly which are the main reason for this build. When not working on Autocannons try and improve your skill in the craft, it’s a decent way to make money and obtain better gear.
Archery: I recommend using a crossbow with the Engineer and maybe install something like this mod so you can cleanly craft your own crossbow and bolts (including the elemental bolts) without the need to join the Dawnguard. Archery is most likely going to become your main form of attack since you can’t leave your turrets side at the early levels and investing in the ‘Wingstrike’ Perk gives you a 10 second damage boost against any enemy that you hit with the crossbows melee bash.
One Handed: With a Hammer in hand the Battle Engineer can strike fatal blows to the enemy with a single heavy hit. The Battle Engineer is a skilled close combat fighter and can go toe-to-toe with the best of them. When you’re forced on the defence having a good Hammer equipped with the ‘Massive Attack’ Perk allows you to store charges from normal hits and then release them after 15 strikes into one decimating power attack and ‘Aftershock’ grants a free critical strike after Massive Blow.
Block: Bucklers are a handy little item thanks to Immersive Armours. They are small, light and focus mostly on making an opening for a counter-attack over straight up blocking or you can go for the simple light shields and be a bit tankier. Either way, when the enemy gets too close or the enemy is throwing spells it pays to have something to block with. Invest in Timed Block early on then build up your bashing power with more Perks. Unlocking ‘Cast Aside’ allows you knock enemies down if you power bash their power attack.
Light Armour: Movement is key as an Engineer. Your turret will only aim in the direction you face and only when you are BEHIND IT so wearing light armour is your best bet for keeping up with the enemies who are charging in. We don’t want a helmet, it clips with the goggles, so invest in the Perk that allows you to go helmetless but still get the armour boosts from other perks but you could always wear one if you like.
(I discovered that an argument could be made for heavy armour seeing as you'll be standing beside your turrets most of the time, just Perk in defence and anything that allows you better movement but I preferred the possibility of escaping danger over toughing it out)
Lockpicking: The inner workings of Dwemer Tech is far more advanced than fiddling with a lock. A basic understanding of gears also allows you to disable any Dwemer Automatons that get in the way. Take the 'Lockdown' Perk as soon as possible to deactivate the Automatons. (LOCKDOWN HAS CAUSED SOME CTD'S ON MY END, the build works fine either way and it is still a useful perk for Engineers)
Bonus Skills: Speech and Alchemy
These skills do not take away from the build if you don’t use them but having them is a big help.
Speech: You’ll need funds to keep your adventure afloat so selling loot for the best possible price is a tempting offer and can safely keep you in the money.
Alchemy: The Engineer doesn’t mind the burns and bruises she gets from constructions but it pays to know how to make basic healing medicine for those times when tolerance isn’t enough.
Perk Spread
Tools
This is a non-dragonborn build so shouts won’t be used. Instead we have a handy selection of tools befitting a Battle Engineer and for anyone looking for special attacks or the like I will instead encourage creativity over fixed manoeuvres.
Dwarven Autocannon: These handy little turrets can be placed at your feet and will shoot in the direction your looking at. Hitting an enemy is as easy as aiming your crosshair at it like you would a bow but the turret will fire on its own non-stop so placing it in a town is a sure way of getting arrested. Always make sure to aim at an enemy while you’re standing behind the turret because it can damage you as well. The lore on this is non-existent but the Dwemer did build walking Ballista that shoot projectiles automatically without human intervention except the turret is stationary and has some handy upgrades so it isn’t too much of a stretch.
Dwarven Goggles: These sets of handy headgear come with some abilities which can be set to a keybind. Night Eye, Detect Life, Zoom In/Out, Torch Effect (for when night eye is too bright but it’s still dark) and for some reason the ability to slow time but I won’t argue against its effectiveness. These abilities are all so helpful early on, it allows you to pinpoint the enemy accurately. The Scouter has some different abilities but I prefer the goggles.
Hyperion Exo-Skeleton: A mod that has some decent ideas. It’s a little confusing at first but you can craft an exo-skeleton that increases your movement, carry weight and jump height but reduces magic resistance and sneak. If you find anything to be too high or OP then use the Regulator (crafted in the misc section at a forge) to change things like Jump Height (Even turning it off), whether or not the effects and sound will play and turning it from a Heavy to Light variant or vice versa and you can even turn off the enchantment or just make it slightly weaker. I personally play with it on Low Settings with Jump Boost off, I have more carry weight and move slightly faster but without the feeling like I’m the flash or being able to jump so high I risk dying on impact. It’s a fun mod and the skeleton looks pretty cool. The Master version of the skeleton adds a one handed bonus damage boost and some nice wings too the back. You can change the one handed boost to two handed with the regulator as well. I didn’t use any of the mounted weapons or the staff that summons a centurion automaton that comes with this mod but you can by all means. I also chose the default Skeleton over the Master one as it looks much less bulky with less clipping from crossbow.
Elemental Bolts: Thanks to the Dawnguard DLC you can create fire, ice and shock bolts that are very handy tools for the Engineer.
With this set of tools the Engineer can adapt and control most if not all encounters and since the Exo-Skeleton and Goggles/Scouter have quests to back them up you actually feel like your discovering ancient tech.
Gear
I can’t stress enough that there is no preferred look for the Engineer. You can wear whatever light armour you like and below is just the enchantment I used along with the custom name.
Head: Goggles, no helmet
Body: Engineer’s Safety Jacket (Health Enchantment)
Gloves: Engineer’s Work Gloves (One-Handed Enchantment)
Boots: Engineer’s Boots (Carry Weight Enchantment)
Weapons: Engineer’s Hammer/Crossbow (Health Drain)
Shield: Engineer’s Buckler (Magic Resistance)
Jewellery: Any
Cape Slot: Light Armour Exo-Skeleton at Low Power (25%), No Jump Boost, No Effects (They got annoying).
This character isn’t a magic class so enchanting falls out of its area of expertise. Instead use the incredibly handy mod Honed Metal for all your enchanting needs.
The Tactics
As a disclaimer I would like to mention that I didn't go past Adept in difficulty but even so this build was challenging but I very rarely ever died and got through the last fight of the aetherium forge through clever thinking and lots of potions...
Opening Combat: Naturally you want to scope out the opposition. Turn on your Goggles Life Detect mode (And Night Eye if necessary) to see how many foes stand before you and form a plan if you think it will help. Look for choke points like doorways to place your turret and stand behind it as the melee grunts get mowed down while you pick them off with arrows then turn your attention to the spell throwers and archers. Make sure to have magic resistance potions for hard hitters thanks to the Exo-Skeleton.
Mid Combat: The Turret has a 30 second life but it can’t be killed otherwise and can be replaced again and again non-stop (Kind of OP I know) but it fires pretty slowly initially (though a perk can gradually increase speed as long as it’s alive). Sometimes ditching the turret and getting your hands dirty is the best tactic as the turret, on its own, will not provide any experience points and is just there as additional damage. Make sure to hotkey your Hammer so you can whip it out and deal out some pain.
Losing the fight: Most importantly, combat is about control. Know your surroundings and how best to get out of danger. Your turret can be placed almost anywhere, even in water, so if you’re in trouble and need to fall back just dive into a nearby pool and let your turret do the talking but truth be told you’re not going to get any experience from this. If you’re land locked then your light armour and exoskeleton is what will save your hide, just run and don’t look back. Running from a fight in Skyrim is not going to kill you, staying in a losing fight will.
Dragons: Setting up your turret while a dragon is flying is a recipe for disaster. Keeping up with it can mean you get hit by the turret far too often so wait until it lands and fill it with bolts from your crossbow as our turret gives some additional damage. Make sure to have some magic resistance potions handy to power through your Exo-Skeletons weakness to it.
I have a great example of a fight where knowing the room and enemy placement allowed me to turn a difficult 4 v 1 into swift victory. The room was pretty much connected by a narrow corridor so by setting up my turret right on the entrance I had clear lines of sight on my foes who, save one, could not get past the turret as they tried to cram through the door.
After slaying the enemy with some brain cells I proceeded to pull out a Master Level scroll I had found and kept. Using it on these full level enemies still completely emptied the room of threats and I emerged victorious only slightly worse for wear. I didn’t lose my footing, the turret provided good support and quick thinking saw me through.
Come Dragon or Vampire, you’ve got it covered
Quests
Vanilla:
Dawnguard: Join the Dawnguard and fight to protect Skyrim from Vampires
Delivery to Calcelmo: Wait until things cool down in the Markarth Marketplace then talk to the Redguard Jewellery seller.
Nimhe, the Poisoned One: Ask Calcelmo to get into the Dwemer Museum
The Lost Expedition: After you defeat Nimhe there is a body of an Imperial Soldier nearby, read his note to begin the quest.
Buy Dwarven Artefact: Pick up something like a Dwemer Ingot (or make one) and Calcelmo will send a courier your way
Discerning the Transmundane: Find Septimus Signus north of the College of Winterhold in his little cave. This is a Deadric Quest for Hermaeus Mora but a Dwemer groupie would want to know what’s inside that box...
The Aetherium Forge: I would make the staff since there's no need for the circlet or a heavy shield but it's down to you
Modded:
Calcelmo’s Secret: Find a note on the floor near Calcelmo
Lost Technology: Get into Calcelmo’s Museum and look for the Exo Skeleton Display then read the book near it.
Factions and Content
Cival War: No, you have no interest in the conflict
Thieves Guild: No, you’re not a career criminal
Dark Brotherhood: No, you’re not an assassin for hire
Companions: Yes, potentially the replacement to the family you lost
College of Winterhold: No, magic is not your calling
Dawnguard DLC: Join the Dawnguard Faction, don’t be a Vampire
Dragonborn DLC: A big yes, lots of new ruins to explore
Hearthfire: No, if you’re going to live anywhere with a family it’ll be Vlindrel Hall
Roleplay
Basic Rules
- Don’t steal from poor people
- Don’t be a sneak thief
- When you do steal, make sure it’s something you can use and not just for profit
- Don’t interfere with the guards in Markarth
- Avoid those who ask too many questions (Eltrys)
- Stay out of the Silver-Bloods business
- Try and make Markarth better unless it contradicts rules 4, 5 and 6
- If you see someone in trouble help them unless it contradicts rules 4, 5 and 6
- Mine your own materials when you can, she’s been self-sufficient since childhood
- Loot bad people like bandits and draugr/skeletons
- Respect the victims of bad people or fallen soldiers by not looting their clothes and armour but they won’t be using any gold, gems or lockpicks right?
Head to Markarth as soon as possible be it through an alternate start or just simply going there later. This will be your base of operations so with that said here's the roleplay guidelines.
As a whole you are afraid of Markarth but no matter what it’s your home. The Guards are corrupt, the Silver-Bloods are cruel and the Nords hate Elven-Kind but at the end of the day you love it here and can’t see yourself feeling comfortable anywhere else. Don’t get involved with exposing the Forsworn Conspiracy and try not to get on the Silver-Bloods bad side either.
Work on making your life better be it through smithing, adventures or odd jobs. When you hit level 20 it’s time to introduce yourself to the Jarl of Markarth and work on unlocking Vlindrel Hall. It’s the home you’ve always wanted, out of the Warrens and into the good life with a pile of cash and stories to tell. Maybe try and find a partner and start a family and prove to the stuck up Nords that you’re better than them by becoming a Thane, namely a Hero of the Reach.
Don’t become a Vampire, it’s not natural too you. You can however decide to leave Markarth behind and become a Companion since your skill in smithing and non-magical combat is what they like in a Shield-Brother/Sister. It could be the family you crave and being a Werewolf is pretty cool though curing the affliction is an option,
That's it folks, I hope this was too your liking
Hello there, today I have the Battle Engineer build for you. It utalizes mods to help make a Dwemer powered archer/warrior with the help of autoturrets.
Without further ado, here is -
Some Edits have been made since release of this build - 29/03/2016
Before we begin I’d like to highlight the mods that are most useful to this build. Of course this character will require a clean save due to the Perk Mod.
- Dwemer Goggles: This Mod is important mainly for aesthetic but also provides some handy built in buffs and to me is just lore friendly enough to work.
- Space Walking Exo-Skeleton: While not entirely necessary the exoskeleton works well aesthetically again.
- One Hand Hammers: A beautiful but simple mod that shrinks down the default hammers into one handed versions giving you slow but hard hitting attacks. Maces work just fine but an Engineer needs a hammer and this looks great.
- Honed Metal: Blacksmiths and Enchanters are useful in Vanilla but to get epic gear you will have to craft it yourself…until now! Pay a Blacksmith to temper your gear or forge you a brand spanking new weapon and armour then pay a mage to enchant it for you. Higher level equipment and enchants can be obtained basically from level 1 but the catch is they are super expensive, well over 5k in some cases.
- Ordinator – Perks of Skyrim: This is the mod that makes the Engineer work most. Sure you could muddle through without it but then you simply won’t be playing my version of the Engineer.
- I was encouraged to add these two mods to the build. I've never used them because of having to pick mods carefully thanks to playing on a laptop but I would happily have done so: Dawnguard Crossbow Explosive Bolts Visualized and Smelt all Dwemer Artifacts into Dwarven Metal Ingots
All of these mods have worked so well together. The Engineer works so well with the help of these mods so please consider downloading more than just Ordinator from this list.
The Character
When the red mountain exploded you found yourself alone, your parents were killed and what home you had was destroyed in ash and fire. The Nords of Windhelm were nothing short of unhospitible, effectively scaring you out of their filthy city and so you decided to go West, to a place where you knew you would feel comfortable. Back in Morrowind your parents studied Dwemer ruins and, as a child, you went with them.
Often spending weeks in one location you had plenty of time to explore and get familiar with what the Dwemer built and you even picked up a trick or two for disabling the Automatons. Because of this you thought you would feel right at home living in Markarth. Sure it's a little dirty, smelly and dangerous but the chance to live inside a Dwemer ruin is something you couldn't pass up.
Sadly, reality hit you like a ton of bricks and you ended up sleeping in the dirt with the Reachmen in the Warrens. The warmth and comfort of a familiar thing was not to be given, but taken. Eventually you found work ferrying messages back and forth around Markarth and it was through that you had a chance encounter with Calcemo who seemed pleased by your interest in Dwemer tech.
It wasn't long before you were studying together and you cunningly built a turret made from old Ballista parts with a Gyro to keep it automatic. These Autoturrets now allow you to explore Dwemer Ruins alone...who knows what you'll discover?
The Build
Race: I chose a female Dark Elf but anyone from Hammerfell, High Rock, Morrowind and Skyrim fits. (Perhaps a Breton Scholar is studying in Markarth, a Hammerfell Redguard is escaping political strife or this Nord is simply looking for an adventure?)
Stats: 0/2/1
Major Skills: Smithing, Archery, One Handed
Minor Skills: Block, Light Armour, Lockpicking
Bonus (Optional): Lockpicking, Alchemy
Smithing: The Battle Engineer is a brilliant blacksmith and savant with a hammer. Dwarven Autocannons can be acquired very quickly which are the main reason for this build. When not working on Autocannons try and improve your skill in the craft, it’s a decent way to make money and obtain better gear.
Archery: I recommend using a crossbow with the Engineer and maybe install something like this mod so you can cleanly craft your own crossbow and bolts (including the elemental bolts) without the need to join the Dawnguard. Archery is most likely going to become your main form of attack since you can’t leave your turrets side at the early levels and investing in the ‘Wingstrike’ Perk gives you a 10 second damage boost against any enemy that you hit with the crossbows melee bash.
One Handed: With a Hammer in hand the Battle Engineer can strike fatal blows to the enemy with a single heavy hit. The Battle Engineer is a skilled close combat fighter and can go toe-to-toe with the best of them. When you’re forced on the defence having a good Hammer equipped with the ‘Massive Attack’ Perk allows you to store charges from normal hits and then release them after 15 strikes into one decimating power attack and ‘Aftershock’ grants a free critical strike after Massive Blow.
Block: Bucklers are a handy little item thanks to Immersive Armours. They are small, light and focus mostly on making an opening for a counter-attack over straight up blocking or you can go for the simple light shields and be a bit tankier. Either way, when the enemy gets too close or the enemy is throwing spells it pays to have something to block with. Invest in Timed Block early on then build up your bashing power with more Perks. Unlocking ‘Cast Aside’ allows you knock enemies down if you power bash their power attack.
Light Armour: Movement is key as an Engineer. Your turret will only aim in the direction you face and only when you are BEHIND IT so wearing light armour is your best bet for keeping up with the enemies who are charging in. We don’t want a helmet, it clips with the goggles, so invest in the Perk that allows you to go helmetless but still get the armour boosts from other perks but you could always wear one if you like.
(I discovered that an argument could be made for heavy armour seeing as you'll be standing beside your turrets most of the time, just Perk in defence and anything that allows you better movement but I preferred the possibility of escaping danger over toughing it out)
Lockpicking: The inner workings of Dwemer Tech is far more advanced than fiddling with a lock. A basic understanding of gears also allows you to disable any Dwemer Automatons that get in the way. Take the 'Lockdown' Perk as soon as possible to deactivate the Automatons. (LOCKDOWN HAS CAUSED SOME CTD'S ON MY END, the build works fine either way and it is still a useful perk for Engineers)
Bonus Skills: Speech and Alchemy
These skills do not take away from the build if you don’t use them but having them is a big help.
Speech: You’ll need funds to keep your adventure afloat so selling loot for the best possible price is a tempting offer and can safely keep you in the money.
Alchemy: The Engineer doesn’t mind the burns and bruises she gets from constructions but it pays to know how to make basic healing medicine for those times when tolerance isn’t enough.
Perk Spread
Tools
This is a non-dragonborn build so shouts won’t be used. Instead we have a handy selection of tools befitting a Battle Engineer and for anyone looking for special attacks or the like I will instead encourage creativity over fixed manoeuvres.
Dwarven Autocannon: These handy little turrets can be placed at your feet and will shoot in the direction your looking at. Hitting an enemy is as easy as aiming your crosshair at it like you would a bow but the turret will fire on its own non-stop so placing it in a town is a sure way of getting arrested. Always make sure to aim at an enemy while you’re standing behind the turret because it can damage you as well. The lore on this is non-existent but the Dwemer did build walking Ballista that shoot projectiles automatically without human intervention except the turret is stationary and has some handy upgrades so it isn’t too much of a stretch.
Dwarven Goggles: These sets of handy headgear come with some abilities which can be set to a keybind. Night Eye, Detect Life, Zoom In/Out, Torch Effect (for when night eye is too bright but it’s still dark) and for some reason the ability to slow time but I won’t argue against its effectiveness. These abilities are all so helpful early on, it allows you to pinpoint the enemy accurately. The Scouter has some different abilities but I prefer the goggles.
Hyperion Exo-Skeleton: A mod that has some decent ideas. It’s a little confusing at first but you can craft an exo-skeleton that increases your movement, carry weight and jump height but reduces magic resistance and sneak. If you find anything to be too high or OP then use the Regulator (crafted in the misc section at a forge) to change things like Jump Height (Even turning it off), whether or not the effects and sound will play and turning it from a Heavy to Light variant or vice versa and you can even turn off the enchantment or just make it slightly weaker. I personally play with it on Low Settings with Jump Boost off, I have more carry weight and move slightly faster but without the feeling like I’m the flash or being able to jump so high I risk dying on impact. It’s a fun mod and the skeleton looks pretty cool. The Master version of the skeleton adds a one handed bonus damage boost and some nice wings too the back. You can change the one handed boost to two handed with the regulator as well. I didn’t use any of the mounted weapons or the staff that summons a centurion automaton that comes with this mod but you can by all means. I also chose the default Skeleton over the Master one as it looks much less bulky with less clipping from crossbow.
Elemental Bolts: Thanks to the Dawnguard DLC you can create fire, ice and shock bolts that are very handy tools for the Engineer.
With this set of tools the Engineer can adapt and control most if not all encounters and since the Exo-Skeleton and Goggles/Scouter have quests to back them up you actually feel like your discovering ancient tech.
Gear
I can’t stress enough that there is no preferred look for the Engineer. You can wear whatever light armour you like and below is just the enchantment I used along with the custom name.
Head: Goggles, no helmet
Body: Engineer’s Safety Jacket (Health Enchantment)
Gloves: Engineer’s Work Gloves (One-Handed Enchantment)
Boots: Engineer’s Boots (Carry Weight Enchantment)
Weapons: Engineer’s Hammer/Crossbow (Health Drain)
Shield: Engineer’s Buckler (Magic Resistance)
Jewellery: Any
Cape Slot: Light Armour Exo-Skeleton at Low Power (25%), No Jump Boost, No Effects (They got annoying).
This character isn’t a magic class so enchanting falls out of its area of expertise. Instead use the incredibly handy mod Honed Metal for all your enchanting needs.
The Tactics
As a disclaimer I would like to mention that I didn't go past Adept in difficulty but even so this build was challenging but I very rarely ever died and got through the last fight of the aetherium forge through clever thinking and lots of potions...
Opening Combat: Naturally you want to scope out the opposition. Turn on your Goggles Life Detect mode (And Night Eye if necessary) to see how many foes stand before you and form a plan if you think it will help. Look for choke points like doorways to place your turret and stand behind it as the melee grunts get mowed down while you pick them off with arrows then turn your attention to the spell throwers and archers. Make sure to have magic resistance potions for hard hitters thanks to the Exo-Skeleton.
Mid Combat: The Turret has a 30 second life but it can’t be killed otherwise and can be replaced again and again non-stop (Kind of OP I know) but it fires pretty slowly initially (though a perk can gradually increase speed as long as it’s alive). Sometimes ditching the turret and getting your hands dirty is the best tactic as the turret, on its own, will not provide any experience points and is just there as additional damage. Make sure to hotkey your Hammer so you can whip it out and deal out some pain.
Losing the fight: Most importantly, combat is about control. Know your surroundings and how best to get out of danger. Your turret can be placed almost anywhere, even in water, so if you’re in trouble and need to fall back just dive into a nearby pool and let your turret do the talking but truth be told you’re not going to get any experience from this. If you’re land locked then your light armour and exoskeleton is what will save your hide, just run and don’t look back. Running from a fight in Skyrim is not going to kill you, staying in a losing fight will.
Dragons: Setting up your turret while a dragon is flying is a recipe for disaster. Keeping up with it can mean you get hit by the turret far too often so wait until it lands and fill it with bolts from your crossbow as our turret gives some additional damage. Make sure to have some magic resistance potions handy to power through your Exo-Skeletons weakness to it.
I have a great example of a fight where knowing the room and enemy placement allowed me to turn a difficult 4 v 1 into swift victory. The room was pretty much connected by a narrow corridor so by setting up my turret right on the entrance I had clear lines of sight on my foes who, save one, could not get past the turret as they tried to cram through the door.
After slaying the enemy with some brain cells I proceeded to pull out a Master Level scroll I had found and kept. Using it on these full level enemies still completely emptied the room of threats and I emerged victorious only slightly worse for wear. I didn’t lose my footing, the turret provided good support and quick thinking saw me through.
Come Dragon or Vampire, you’ve got it covered
Quests
Vanilla:
Dawnguard: Join the Dawnguard and fight to protect Skyrim from Vampires
Delivery to Calcelmo: Wait until things cool down in the Markarth Marketplace then talk to the Redguard Jewellery seller.
Nimhe, the Poisoned One: Ask Calcelmo to get into the Dwemer Museum
The Lost Expedition: After you defeat Nimhe there is a body of an Imperial Soldier nearby, read his note to begin the quest.
Buy Dwarven Artefact: Pick up something like a Dwemer Ingot (or make one) and Calcelmo will send a courier your way
Discerning the Transmundane: Find Septimus Signus north of the College of Winterhold in his little cave. This is a Deadric Quest for Hermaeus Mora but a Dwemer groupie would want to know what’s inside that box...
The Aetherium Forge: I would make the staff since there's no need for the circlet or a heavy shield but it's down to you
Modded:
Calcelmo’s Secret: Find a note on the floor near Calcelmo
Lost Technology: Get into Calcelmo’s Museum and look for the Exo Skeleton Display then read the book near it.
Factions and Content
Cival War: No, you have no interest in the conflict
Thieves Guild: No, you’re not a career criminal
Dark Brotherhood: No, you’re not an assassin for hire
Companions: Yes, potentially the replacement to the family you lost
College of Winterhold: No, magic is not your calling
Dawnguard DLC: Join the Dawnguard Faction, don’t be a Vampire
Dragonborn DLC: A big yes, lots of new ruins to explore
Hearthfire: No, if you’re going to live anywhere with a family it’ll be Vlindrel Hall
Roleplay
Basic Rules
- Don’t steal from poor people
- Don’t be a sneak thief
- When you do steal, make sure it’s something you can use and not just for profit
- Don’t interfere with the guards in Markarth
- Avoid those who ask too many questions (Eltrys)
- Stay out of the Silver-Bloods business
- Try and make Markarth better unless it contradicts rules 4, 5 and 6
- If you see someone in trouble help them unless it contradicts rules 4, 5 and 6
- Mine your own materials when you can, she’s been self-sufficient since childhood
- Loot bad people like bandits and draugr/skeletons
- Respect the victims of bad people or fallen soldiers by not looting their clothes and armour but they won’t be using any gold, gems or lockpicks right?
Head to Markarth as soon as possible be it through an alternate start or just simply going there later. This will be your base of operations so with that said here's the roleplay guidelines.
As a whole you are afraid of Markarth but no matter what it’s your home. The Guards are corrupt, the Silver-Bloods are cruel and the Nords hate Elven-Kind but at the end of the day you love it here and can’t see yourself feeling comfortable anywhere else. Don’t get involved with exposing the Forsworn Conspiracy and try not to get on the Silver-Bloods bad side either.
Work on making your life better be it through smithing, adventures or odd jobs. When you hit level 20 it’s time to introduce yourself to the Jarl of Markarth and work on unlocking Vlindrel Hall. It’s the home you’ve always wanted, out of the Warrens and into the good life with a pile of cash and stories to tell. Maybe try and find a partner and start a family and prove to the stuck up Nords that you’re better than them by becoming a Thane, namely a Hero of the Reach.
Don’t become a Vampire, it’s not natural too you. You can however decide to leave Markarth behind and become a Companion since your skill in smithing and non-magical combat is what they like in a Shield-Brother/Sister. It could be the family you crave and being a Werewolf is pretty cool though curing the affliction is an option,
That's it folks, I hope this was too your liking
