Skyrim Character Building » Discussions


Character Build: The Wooded Eye

Tags: #Race:Bosmer  #Rank:Bloodworks  #Kael  #"Character Build Assassin"  #"Character Build Mage"  #"Character Build Barbarian" 
  • Member
    August 3, 2017

    I think I take too many breaks from building, but I’m back again with yet another one. This one was originally going to be my entry to the against type event, but I didn’t have time to see it through. Anyway, this one is for all you bibliophiles out there (And…tentaclophiles, if they exist).

    WoodedEye.png

    Title 2.png

    Main Signet.png

    Lore

    The Wooded Eye was a group of Hermaeus Mora cultists in Valenwood. They guarded Rootwater Grove, which contained the Cradle of Ilmyris, a library of secret knowledge. Almost all of them were driven mad by overexposure to Ayleid memory crystals.

    So, forbidden knowledge, a secret cult, and, most importantly, madness. Sounds like a recipe for disaster fun!

    Base Details

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    Race: Bosmer, for roleplay – all known members are Bosmer, and the cult is in Valenwood. The boost to sneak is not amiss either.

    Stats: 1:1:1 until your health reaches 150, at which point switch to 2:0:1

    Stone: Mage, until Atronach. The Atronach synergises marvellously with Miraak’s robes, and provides a large bonus to Magicka. No exploiting the stones here.

    Shouts: Whirlwind Sprint, Become Ethereal, Fire Breath, Frost Breath, Dragon Aspect

    Powers: Summon Spectral Assassin, Mora’s Agony, Secret of Arcana

    Major skills: Destruction, Two-handed, Sneak

    Minor skills: Enchanting, Alteration (Optional)

    Skills

    SkillDestruction.png

     

    Destruction: What kind of insane mage which doubles as a guardian of forbidden knowledge wouldn’t at least know how to sling a few fireballs around? Destruction provides half of your ranged damage output, and some of your melee with cloak spells. We’ll mainly be using fire spells here, which are wonderful with their fear effect; this synergises wonderfully with Two-handed.

    SkillTwohanded.png

    Two-handed: Having two offensive skills gives us a lot of versatility, and the ability to switch between them as needed. Perhaps you’re nearly out of magicka? Then throw on a cloak, and charge in! Or you could sneakily pick your enemies off before a fight while remaining unseen. Two-handed could be switched out with one-handed, to fight as a spell-sword from time to time.

    SkillSneak.png

    Sneak: It wasn’t easy acquiring all that forbidden knowledge, you know. Sometimes you have to sneak into the forbidden section of the Library to get what you need. And to do that, you’ll need sneak; just like you’ll need sneak to assassinate your enemies one by one.

     

    SkillEnchanting.pngEnchanting: Again, you pick up quite a bit as a collector of forbidden knowledge, such as a consummate knowledge of enchanting. Enchanting allows us to apply some lovely, customized enchantments to our gear.

     

    SkillAlteration.png

    Alteration: Alteration provides a great deal of utility to this build, but you may choose not to use it at all for a more thrilling playthrough, amping up the glass cannon aspect. If you swap out cultist gloves for some clothing loves, you can benefit nicely from the Mage Armor perks, as well as the Atronach perk combined with the Atronach stone. Mass Paralysis, Telekinesis and Detect Life/Dead are also incredibly useful as well.

     

     

     

    Equipment

     

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    Mage Hood – Not only is the knowledge you protect forbidden, but it’s just as forbidden for people to see your ugly face!

    Bone Hawk Amulet – There is no other necklace that looks more evil than this.

    Miraak’s Robes – This is where the real fun begins. Not only do you look badass, but physical damage causes a spectacular tenta-splosion where you’re standing – if that’s not a warning to stay away, I don’t know what is.

    Cultist Gloves – They look pretty much the same as Miraak’s gloves, but you can enchant them yourself. They even look like a mage’s version of dragonscale gloves.

    Bone Hawk Ring – This also looks pretty evil, and also looks like three rings in one – that’s just how stylish you are.

    Cultist Boots – Why not round it off and complete the set? They don’t look bad, after all…

    Miraak’s Staff – TENTACLES. Need I say more? I didn’t think so.

    Any Greatsword – Honestly, any Greatsword will do here. You may consider using the Ebony Blade, but I decided against it. I eventually went with a glass greatsword for two reasons. Firstly, it’s green like Hermaeus Mora. Secondly, and much more importantly – it’s just…so…pretty…

    Gameplay

    You can grab yourself a Novice Hood and Robes immediately in Helgen, setting you up nicely for a while. Straight from Helgen, I headed for Riverwood (after taking the Mage Stone) and took care of Bleak Falls Barrow, switching between training my destruction and Two-handed along the way. To kill enemies more quickly with destruction, using only flames, rapidly alternate between both hands with short bursts of flame, rather than long gouts. As soon as you can do it, the Dragonborn questline should be your priority, to get your hands on the majority of your gear.

    This is a build that is much more about the journey than the end game, as even without the end-game gear this build is perfectly capable of functioning. The synergy between your three main skills is wonderful, particularly when you throw enchanting into the equation.

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    You may find that once you’ve enchanted all your gear, you want to redirect the perks you’ve put into the enchanting skill tree. In this case, keep the enchanter 1/5, soul siphon and soul squeezer. This leaves you with 7 perks to place elsewhere.

    One thing that you may wish to collect in your travels is Vampire dust – you’ll see why soon enough.

    Combat

    Demon.png

     This is always my second favourite part of a build, and this build is no exception. This build has wonderfully fast-paced combat that only requires two keybinds (if any). At its core, it boils down to two main combat forms:

    Mora’s Demon: In this form, you use Miraak’s staff in one hand and fireball in the other as you demolish anything and anyone you see with fiery tentacles! Yes, fiery tentacles. Is there a problem with that? Anyway…this form works marvellously at range, and even works quite well up close due to the insane stagger that Miraak’s staff nets you. Unfortunately, your only form of healing in this mode is by using potions.

    Warden.pngMora’s Warden: In this form, you use your greatsword to hack your enemies to pieces, watching as they are slowly consumed by flames that trap their souls, as you feed on their life-force. This works well when sneaking, particularly in combination with Vampire Dust (as an ingredient) which you can use for short periods of invisibility.

    Both forms are about on par with each other, with Mora’s Warden having a slight advantage while sneaking and healing. On the other hand, Mora’s Demon has the advantage of the insanely overpowered Miraak’s Staff – but let’s not complain. After all, it works to our advantage, doesn’t it?

    Battle Tactics

    Where Combat is my second favourite part of a build, this is my favourite. So let’s get to it.

    ProfaneBarrier.pngProfane Barrier: None may strike you!

    Miraak’s Robe Explosion + Atronach Stone

    Whenever Miraak’s Robe triggers, a significant portion of it is absorbed by the Atronach Stone, replenishing your magicka while staggering or outright killing your enemies at the same time. 

    DeathCircle.pngCircle of Death: YOU SHALL NOT PASS!

    Wall of Flames + Miraak’s Staff + Whirlwind Cloak (+ Mora’s Warden)

    With a Wall of Flames around you, as well as a ring of Miraak’s Staff tentacles, any enemies will have to go through Hell (literally) to get to you, only to have them possibly be thrown away by your whirlwind cloak, so that they have to pass through it again. You may choose to switch to Mora’s Warden and decapitate any enemies lucky enough to make it through the circle.

    ShadowDance.pngShadow Dance: Eradicate them mercilessly, leaving no trace!

    Silent Roll + Great Critical Charge + Vampire Dust + Shadow Warrior + Repeat

    This was one of my favourite aspects of the build. Silent roll acts like sprinting, allowing you to use a critical charge from sneak. From here, a combination of Vampire Dust and Shadow Warrior allows you to escape unseen before repeating the process all over again.

    ApocryphalEruption.pngApocryphal Eruption: Unleash all the knowledge of Apocrypha!

    Mora’s Agony + Become Ethereal + Fire storm + Secret of Arcana + Barrage of Fireballs

    Every character needs an overload button, and this is it. Stagger your enemy with Mora’s Agony, before letting loose all the flames of hell on their poor, poor souls. Firestorm, combined with a 30-second barrage of fireballs (or whatever spell you choose) is usually enough to take out any enemy.

    Roleplay

    Your purpose in Skyrim is to expand the troves of knowledge held by the Wooded Eye, hence paying your dues to Mora in the process by augmenting his presence in Tamriel. This translates into some roleplay objectives for your character:

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    Objective 1: Expand the archives of the Wooded Eye with all of the knowledge to be found in Skyrim. This means collecting every single available book in Skyrim, excluding letters, journals and notes. However, you are not expected to collect every single spellbook as you will be unable to get the master spellbooks and some others. Apocrypha is wonderful for this (except for journals and letters) – the amount of books you can amass by picking up everything you see there is amazing; for those I couldn’t find there, I often ended up raiding people’s houses to find any books I needed. As an extension of this objective, you must also collect all the Black Books.

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    Objective 2: Of course, what would be the use in having a massive book collection without anywhere to put it? Fully build and furnish at least one of the Hearthfire homesteads, building a library wing – the other wings are your choice. Fill the Library with all your books, except for the Black Books (unfortunately, you can’t remove them from your inventory).

    Objective 3: Learn every single word of power you can find without entering questlocked places. My reasoning for my character being able to shout was not that they were Dragonborn, but rather because they had learned the ability in their time at the Cradle of Ilmyris.

    Objective 4: Go insane. This one is by no means necessary, but something I usually mix into all my playthroughs.

    Objective 5: By no means are you in Skyrim to conquer it by force. In completing the objectives above, try and avoid as much conflict as possible – after all, if your opponents are dead, then any opportunity to learn something new from them is immediately vanquished. So, your 5th objective is to use as little violence as possible.

    Of course, feel free to make your own roleplaying objectives. These were the objectives that I followed in my playthroughs.

    Quests

    Again, the Wooded Eye’s main interest in Skyrim to gain knowledge. Your main purpose is not to wipe out heretic followers of the Nine (feel free to do so if you wish, though); you are not an enforcer of Mora, only one of his seekers of knowledge.

    • Main quest – This is merely to unlock shouts and start the Dragonborn questline. I took it to the end, because what is the point in gathering knowledge if the world ends? Even better, you get an elder scroll!

    • Dragonborn – This should be your first priority after Dragon Rising. You can cement your lace as Mora’s champion, go insane, and gather lots of your gear all in one go! Does a better deal exist?

    • Dark Brotherhood – You may only be there to expand your knowledge, but you’ll need some gold for that (sometimes). Besides, some people just deserve death (Grelod, I’m looking at you).

    • College of Winterhold – Expand your knowledge, and gain access to the destruction and alteration master trainers. As Archmage, you also get those beautiful quarters with a beautiful library.

    • Dawnguard (Either side) – Get more Elder Scrolls! And again, like with the Main Quest – what is the point in gathering knowledge if everyone dies? Even better, kill some vampires and take their dust for use in combat.

    • Unearthed – You may find Ahzidal’s ring of Arcana useful, but that’s not the main reason for doing this. No, the main reason here is to obtain Filament and Filagree for Secret of Arcana.

    • Lost Legacy – Gain a shout, and destroy that wicked Dragon Priest who challenged Mora’s first champion, Miraak. Vahlok must learn that there is a punishment for going against Mora!

    • Discerning the Transmundane – What sort of Champion would you be if you didn’t even obtain Mora’s artifact? If you hold off from reading the Oghma Infinium, you can put it on your bookshelf for extra brownie points.

    • Wind and Sand - Get access to Whirlwind Cloak

    • The Reluctant Steward – Get in good with a master wizard of house Telvanni, and maybe he’ll teach you a thing or two. You even get access to another Black Book, The Hidden Twilight

    • Black Book Quests

    • Ritual Spells

    • Any other quests you deem relevant

     

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    Go forth, my child. You are ready.

    Closing Notes

    Thanks to Karver for being awesome and proof-reading

    http://www.tamrielvault.com/profile/Kaelthan

  • August 3, 2017

    It´s always good to see a build from an old-time builder like you, my friend. Good to see you around again. 

    And this one is definitely a treat! I mean, a Bosmeri cult of Mora worshippers? That´s some really nice hidden lore gem right there! You managed to dig out very nice piece indeed. 

    And your presentation is sleek as always, packing that nice punch of builds from the golden age. Very well done, mate. :)

  • Member
    August 3, 2017

    Cheers Mate, it's good to be back. Hopefully I'll stick around this time.

    Yeah, I was really excited when I found out about the Wooded Eye. They had only ever been seen in ESO, so I had a fair bit of artistic liberty.

  • Member
    August 3, 2017

    wow a two handed absorber evil cultist 

    yes...yes please! 

  • Member
    August 3, 2017

    Yeah, this is what it's about! I remember The Wooded Eye in ESO. I think they are met as part of the AD faction questline, and I did enjoy that part, although I confess I was crusading through and didn't slow down as much as I should have. It's great to see them give the spotlight here, and in proper style too! Also helped me make a decision I had been procrastinating about, so thanks for that too :)

  • August 3, 2017

    Paws said:

    Also helped me make a decision I had been procrastinating about, so thanks for that too :)

    Oh boy. What kind of canary are you hiding in your coal mine, Phil? :D

     

  • Member
    August 3, 2017

    Hey, no this isn't about me. It's Kael's thread - but my first ever build was Mora related, and I have been wanting to put something through the Workshop. This has given me a kick is all. I quite like those tentacles, see. 

  • Member
    August 4, 2017

    Mottyskills said:

    wow a two handed absorber evil cultist 

    yes...yes please! 

    Sounds about right :D. It's insanely fun.

    Paws said:

    Yeah, this is what it's about! I remember The Wooded Eye in ESO. I think they are met as part of the AD faction questline, and I did enjoy that part, although I confess I was crusading through and didn't slow down as much as I should have. It's great to see them give the spotlight here, and in proper style too! Also helped me make a decision I had been procrastinating about, so thanks for that too :)

     Thanks, Phil. I'm also quite curious what that decision was - but you're welcome, I guess xD. 

     

  • Member
    August 5, 2017

    Very cool build! Skyrim gives a lot of opportunity to RP as a servant of Mora, I reckon I might give this a go, it is really hard to do enchanting on a good character, as it's difficult to justify. Might give this build a go, never have done enough with the Dragonborn DLC. 

  • Member
    August 9, 2017

    Kael!

    I've been avoiding the Dragonborn questline for the last few months, and I've never really used any of Miraak's gear, and the skillset is boss (might also blend well with Ordinator), AND I love collecting books and building a library.

    When I finish with my current project, I think I'll take this build out for a spin ;D