By will of Kyne, and blood of Aka, heavy his footsteps be. Thunderous, hear it! His glorious voice! As the skies weep and the mountains tremble at Time's End, the unwilling dead cower in their crypts forgotten. For with axe hewn of bone of the younger, He Who Comes, Konahrik, the Warlord, shall slay time immortal, the elder. Watch as it writhes! As black wings unfurl! Watch, as the end of the World-Eater comes! From scattered ashes and places undone, shall come forth the golden crown. May it grace the brow of the Warlord once more...
The Warlord
The Warlord is my take on he who bears the legendary mask, Konahrik, the Golden Crown. A titanic fighter, wielding an axe with both hands, he calls upon the blessed blood of Akatosh to bring forth his mighty thu'um. Gifted with incomparable power in the voice, the Warlord can call upon his thu'um at will. Using this gift, he can overcome all obstacles, with but a word...or three. No mage, nor spellsword, in fact using little to no magic whatsoever, The Warlord is exactly that. A lord, of war.
Race: Nord (For lore purposes)
Stats: 0/5/5 (It's a 1 to 1 ratio, but in increments of five. Cap Stamina at 250, and put the rest into health.)
Stone: Warrior, and then Steed. Once Conditioned perk is taken, the choice is yours. I recommend the Lord or Lady.
Skills: Perk Spread
A note on Smithing and Enchanting; there was no grinding done, here. I was ready to craft my set of dragon slaying equipment right around the time I was preparing to go to Skuldafn. It felt like I had gradually culminated knowledge over time. You'll be often out of town; when you're back in town, sell your spare loot, buy what ingots and empty (and small filled) soul gems you can afford, and get to work. At the very end, I did a small stretch of merchant punching, but only because I had only 10 levels left on both.
Two Handed: Perk for damage, ignore weapon specific. Most of the weapons you'll be using, the axe bleeds don't work. Get those heads rolling.
Heavy Armor: I recommend training with Farkas when you've spare funds. Armor skills level slow in vanilla when you destroy everything, even on Legendary.
Archery: Archery takes a utility slot, here. I always used a follower, especially in the beginning. If they're in your way, or the enemy you're fighting is just too strong for you at this moment, fall back and unload some bolts in their face. Handy for dragons. Also, for soul trapping. I slapped a 1 second soul trap on my bow as soon as I found a weapon with it.
Equipment: Steel with unenchanted Steel Battle Axe, Amulet of Talos---> Ancient Nordic with Wuuthrad, 4 Amulets of Talos---> Dragonbone with Konahrik with 4 Amulets of Talos, ring enchanted to preference, and unenchanted Dragonbone Battleaxe. I didn't bother enchanting until the final set, and made sure to give myself double enchants to Resist Frost and Resist Fire, a boost to Two Handed, and a boost to Archery. Fortify Health and Stamina went on the chest. The Amulets of Talos can be equipped via the Werewolf Stacking exploit, a guide to which can be found here: Tips and Tricks: On 100% Shout Reduction
Shouts: All. Especially Elemental Fury, Slow Time, Fire Breath, Frost Breath, Marked for Death, Unrelenting Force, Storm Call, Call Dragon, and Call of Valor. With Dragonborn, Bend Will, Battle Fury, and Cyclone all join this list. On this character, shouts are a tactical tool, none of which are useless. Some are just used more often. I recommend tactical thinking in using them, though; it may be tempting, with no shout cooldown, to Fus Ro Dah everything into the freaking ground, but this isn't fun. Use the tools you have. All of them.
Quests: Companions questline, Main questline, Bounty quests, Word wall objectives, Crusade of Bromjunaar (find all 8 Dragon Priest masks), Dragonborn questline, Siege of the Dragoncult. Any side quest or objective to venture into a nordic ruin is a good one to pursue. I did a lot of focused dungeon crawling.
The goal of this character is simple: eradicate Alduin's Dragon Cult, and its leaders, and take up the mantle of Konahrik. This simple, perhaps overly simple, goal was the primary drive for this entire character. However, there are time and level constraints on these dungeons; every one of them is tuned for level 24 or higher. And you, my friends, will be playing on Legendary from Helgen onward.
I broke the experience up into three stages: Preparation, The Crusade, and The Hunt
Preparation: Slay the dragon, get beast form, unlock the power of your shouts. There's a l;ot inbetween, but you'll figure that out.
The Crusade: This was the most fun for me. Hunting down dragons, nordic ruins, the Dragon Priests. I started with a trip to Labrynthian, and Bromjunaar. Once you unlock the sanctuary, as you acquire each mask, bring it back here immediately, and place it on the pedestal. The boss chest by the altar can be used for safe storage of things like dragon remains and staves. Once you have all masks but Nahkriin, and your final set of armor, you are ready for the next step.
The Hunt: Kill Nahkriin. Kill Alduin. Then, return to Bromjunaar, and recover your prize. The Golden Crown, Konahrik. At this point, I wandered...a lot. Continued to hunt for knowledge. Words carved into walls, books which I hadn't read, enemies which I hadn't fought. A dwemer vault, which I could not open...which opened up a fourth, open chapter...
The Forbidden Kingdom: Here, you follow in Miraak's footsteps to acquire forbidden knowledge. Leading you into the hands of Septimus Sigmus, and Hermaeus Mora. Follow his whispers, and seek that which you shouldn't. Black Book powers are largely up to player choice. Choose the ones that make sense to you. It should be pretty clear.
I paced myself, finishing stages of the Companions and the Main Quest, sprinkled with a very noticeable and gradual power gain. This made two of the weakest questlines in the game into two of my favorites, arguably, and left much of the game still to be explored by my character inbetween. I recommend you also find a pace that works for you.
As he looked upon Alduin's fane, Skuldafn, he laughed. His cruesade had been succesful. What little of Alduin's forces that remained here, the last of his might marshalled in one place, would fall like flies before his mighty axe.
Combat: Pick up a big ass axe, and use it to cleave people in two. Maintain Elemental Fury, as many words as you know, at all times. Playing on Legendary, especially before the final set of armor, makes your reduced or non-existent shout cooldown extremely important. Being able to chain shouts together is exceptionally powerful, however it can be dangerous. Think tactically. Do you need that Deathlord thrown across the room, or just staggered or stunned while you reapply Elemental Fury and Slow Time? Do you need to waste four seconds on a full blast of Fire Breath, or would you be better off throwing one word of Marked for Death at it and increasing your damage output gradually? Are you near many enemies? Can you risk Storm Call? Yes. Yes you can. Always. That leads me to...
Roleplay: You are not a mage. Not the sort that usually wears a dragon priest's mask. But, Konahrik is not the mask of a dragon priest. No, Konahrik is a badge of office; "Warlord" it is called. And to a Warlord it must belong. Warlords fight, conquer, dominate; they think, and learn, and plan. They must be both general, and footsoldier. They must be cold, and calculating, but filled with fire and adrenaline and rage. This tumultuous personality is held by few mortals, at least, held by few in balance. The ones who match this description best...
Are dragons. You, are roleplaying as a dragon soul trapped in mortal coil. Good thing that's exactly what you are, eh? So, acquire friends...allies...an army. Plan your fights with the cold logic of the best general, and fight them with the fire of a dov. You are here to conquer. You aren't just killing the dragon priests, you are conquering them. You don't just slay Alduin, you dominate him. You can't just murder Miraak, you must subjugate him. You are chief dov now.
Wear your mask with pride, and may the world tremble at your thu'um.
By will of Kyne, and blood of Aka, heavy his footsteps be. Thunderous, hear it! His glorious voice! As the skies weep and the mountains tremble at Time's End, the unwilling dead cower in their crypts forgotten. For with axe hewn of bone of the younger, He Who Comes, Konahrik, the Warlord, shall slay time immortal, the elder. Watch as it writhes! As black wings unfurl! Watch, as the end of the World-Eater comes! From scattered ashes and places undone, shall come forth the golden crown. May it grace the brow of the Warlord once more...
The Warlord
The Warlord is my take on he who bears the legendary mask, Konahrik, the Golden Crown. A titanic fighter, wielding an axe with both hands, he calls upon the blessed blood of Akatosh to bring forth his mighty thu'um. Gifted with incomparable power in the voice, the Warlord can call upon his thu'um at will. Using this gift, he can overcome all obstacles, with but a word...or three. No mage, nor spellsword, in fact using little to no magic whatsoever, The Warlord is exactly that. A lord, of war.
Race: Nord (For lore purposes)
Stats: 0/5/5 (It's a 1 to 1 ratio, but in increments of five. Cap Stamina at 250, and put the rest into health.)
Stone: Warrior, and then Steed. Once Conditioned perk is taken, the choice is yours. I recommend the Lord or Lady.
Skills: Perk Spread
A note on Smithing and Enchanting; there was no grinding done, here. I was ready to craft my set of dragon slaying equipment right around the time I was preparing to go to Skuldafn. It felt like I had gradually culminated knowledge over time. You'll be often out of town; when you're back in town, sell your spare loot, buy what ingots and empty (and small filled) soul gems you can afford, and get to work. At the very end, I did a small stretch of merchant punching, but only because I had only 10 levels left on both.
Two Handed: Perk for damage, ignore weapon specific. Most of the weapons you'll be using, the axe bleeds don't work. Get those heads rolling.
Heavy Armor: I recommend training with Farkas when you've spare funds. Armor skills level slow in vanilla when you destroy everything, even on Legendary.
Archery: Archery takes a utility slot, here. I always used a follower, especially in the beginning. If they're in your way, or the enemy you're fighting is just too strong for you at this moment, fall back and unload some bolts in their face. Handy for dragons. Also, for soul trapping. I slapped a 1 second soul trap on my bow as soon as I found a weapon with it.
Equipment: Steel with unenchanted Steel Battle Axe, Amulet of Talos---> Ancient Nordic with Wuuthrad, 4 Amulets of Talos---> Dragonbone with Konahrik with 4 Amulets of Talos, ring enchanted to preference, and unenchanted Dragonbone Battleaxe. I didn't bother enchanting until the final set, and made sure to give myself double enchants to Resist Frost and Resist Fire, a boost to Two Handed, and a boost to Archery. Fortify Health and Stamina went on the chest. The Amulets of Talos can be equipped via the Werewolf Stacking exploit, a guide to which can be found here: Tips and Tricks: On 100% Shout Reduction
Shouts: All. Especially Elemental Fury, Slow Time, Fire Breath, Frost Breath, Marked for Death, Unrelenting Force, Storm Call, Call Dragon, and Call of Valor. With Dragonborn, Bend Will, Battle Fury, and Cyclone all join this list. On this character, shouts are a tactical tool, none of which are useless. Some are just used more often. I recommend tactical thinking in using them, though; it may be tempting, with no shout cooldown, to Fus Ro Dah everything into the freaking ground, but this isn't fun. Use the tools you have. All of them.
Quests: Companions questline, Main questline, Bounty quests, Word wall objectives, Crusade of Bromjunaar (find all 8 Dragon Priest masks), Dragonborn questline, Siege of the Dragoncult. Any side quest or objective to venture into a nordic ruin is a good one to pursue. I did a lot of focused dungeon crawling.
The goal of this character is simple: eradicate Alduin's Dragon Cult, and its leaders, and take up the mantle of Konahrik. This simple, perhaps overly simple, goal was the primary drive for this entire character. However, there are time and level constraints on these dungeons; every one of them is tuned for level 24 or higher. And you, my friends, will be playing on Legendary from Helgen onward.
I broke the experience up into three stages: Preparation, The Crusade, and The Hunt
Preparation: Slay the dragon, get beast form, unlock the power of your shouts. There's a l;ot inbetween, but you'll figure that out.
The Crusade: This was the most fun for me. Hunting down dragons, nordic ruins, the Dragon Priests. I started with a trip to Labrynthian, and Bromjunaar. Once you unlock the sanctuary, as you acquire each mask, bring it back here immediately, and place it on the pedestal. The boss chest by the altar can be used for safe storage of things like dragon remains and staves. Once you have all masks but Nahkriin, and your final set of armor, you are ready for the next step.
The Hunt: Kill Nahkriin. Kill Alduin. Then, return to Bromjunaar, and recover your prize. The Golden Crown, Konahrik. At this point, I wandered...a lot. Continued to hunt for knowledge. Words carved into walls, books which I hadn't read, enemies which I hadn't fought. A dwemer vault, which I could not open...which opened up a fourth, open chapter...
The Forbidden Kingdom: Here, you follow in Miraak's footsteps to acquire forbidden knowledge. Leading you into the hands of Septimus Sigmus, and Hermaeus Mora. Follow his whispers, and seek that which you shouldn't. Black Book powers are largely up to player choice. Choose the ones that make sense to you. It should be pretty clear.
I paced myself, finishing stages of the Companions and the Main Quest, sprinkled with a very noticeable and gradual power gain. This made two of the weakest questlines in the game into two of my favorites, arguably, and left much of the game still to be explored by my character inbetween. I recommend you also find a pace that works for you.
As he looked upon Alduin's fane, Skuldafn, he laughed. His cruesade had been succesful. What little of Alduin's forces that remained here, the last of his might marshalled in one place, would fall like flies before his mighty axe.
Combat: Pick up a big ass axe, and use it to cleave people in two. Maintain Elemental Fury, as many words as you know, at all times. Playing on Legendary, especially before the final set of armor, makes your reduced or non-existent shout cooldown extremely important. Being able to chain shouts together is exceptionally powerful, however it can be dangerous. Think tactically. Do you need that Deathlord thrown across the room, or just staggered or stunned while you reapply Elemental Fury and Slow Time? Do you need to waste four seconds on a full blast of Fire Breath, or would you be better off throwing one word of Marked for Death at it and increasing your damage output gradually? Are you near many enemies? Can you risk Storm Call? Yes. Yes you can. Always. That leads me to...
Roleplay: You are not a mage. Not the sort that usually wears a dragon priest's mask. But, Konahrik is not the mask of a dragon priest. No, Konahrik is a badge of office; "Warlord" it is called. And to a Warlord it must belong. Warlords fight, conquer, dominate; they think, and learn, and plan. They must be both general, and footsoldier. They must be cold, and calculating, but filled with fire and adrenaline and rage. This tumultuous personality is held by few mortals, at least, held by few in balance. The ones who match this description best...
Are dragons. You, are roleplaying as a dragon soul trapped in mortal coil. Good thing that's exactly what you are, eh? So, acquire friends...allies...an army. Plan your fights with the cold logic of the best general, and fight them with the fire of a dov. You are here to conquer. You aren't just killing the dragon priests, you are conquering them. You don't just slay Alduin, you dominate him. You can't just murder Miraak, you must subjugate him. You are chief dov now.
Wear your mask with pride, and may the world tremble at your thu'um.
