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Character Build: The Cleanser

Tags: #Character Build Spellsword  #Character Build Knight  #Rank:Recognized  #Character Buid Crusader 
  • Tim
    Member
    May 20, 2015

    This build came from the idea of using a shield, but being mobile and quick. Using a powerful and little-used summon, but not being afraid to go without it. And most of all, using Keening as the ultimate healing tool!

    TimBKBig.jpg

    The Cleanser

    An elite guardian and servant of the divines has been sent to Skyrim to restore peace to the land. He is no friend of the Thalmor, however, and worships all 9 divines. Even so, he sees the wisdom in a unified Empire. In the past, with training in an unorthodox combat style and in restorative and destructive magic, he has proven his devotion to the gods.

    More specifically, when dealing with undead, daedra, and any other beings who oppose the aedra or prey on the innocent, he has shown his prowess in...cleansing.
     

    The Build

     

    Race: Any. I chose Breton for the magic resistance and always helpful Dragonskin ability.

    Stone: Lord

    Stat Placement: 1/3/1

    Major Skills: One Handed, Block, Restoration, Light Armor

    Minor Skills: Conjuration, Destruction, Smithing

    Equipment: Morokei, Ancient Falmer Armor, Glass Boots, Glass Gauntlets, Glass Shield,

    Amulet of Talos, Ring of Eminent Destruction, Glass Dagger, Keening

    Shouts: Unrelenting Force, Elemental Fury, Slow Time, Dragonrend
     

     

    So lets take a look at two of the key components of this build, Keening and Summon Arniel’s Shade.

     

    Summon Arniel’s Shade - For your service in finding and delivering Keening to them, and after realizing that your task is not a simple one, the gods gave you a spell that allows you to bring the ghost of Arniel Gane into battle.

     

    While on your quest you walk alone, with no living followers (except...you know....Serana....) I feel that poor Arniel is often overlooked in favor of stronger or seemingly tougher summons such as Dremora Lords or Wrathmen. As a humble servant of the divines, though, you see the wisdom in using the less flashy option. Arniel, however, is a strange man. Here are some positives and negatives:

     

    Positives

    • 0 Casting cost

    • Longer range than a normal summon

    • The only Companion/Follower that knows Heal Other
    • Cannot die or be staggered

    Negatives

    • Requires two hands

    • Doesn’t benefit from any Conjuration perks besides Summoner

     

    Spells: Chain Lightning, Fireball, Sparks (Most used), Heal Other (Rarely used)

     

    The two handed casting requirement may be a put off at first, but it's not exactly what you would expect. Instead of having the few second charge up where you wave your hands around, the spell is in the “ready” position immediately after casting, where your hands are spread out at your sides. I’ll talk more about Arniel’s spell later, though.

    Keening

    Keening is an interesting weapon, and has changed quite a bit since Morrowind. Lets take a look at its attributes:

     

    Positive

    One of two weapons that can absorb Health, Magicka and Stamina simultaneously

     

    Negatives

    • Absorb effect is affected by magic resistance

    • Low base damage

    • Doesn’t work on certain enemies, such as Automatons, Atronachs, and Ash Spawn

    • Cannot use without 100% Fortify Destruction

     

    Keening may seem...underwhelming at first glance. But you simply have to look at it a different way. Look at Keening as the ultimate healing item! Not really as a dangerous weapon. I would like to stress that if you hit anything a single time without 100% Fortify Destruction, Keening will be unusable. So don’t do that. Secret of Arcana will be used to get around having to grind Enchanting to 100 for Fortify Destruction Enchants on your armor.
     

    TimScreenshotBig.jpg
     

    The Purification

    Once The Cleanser has faithfully and honestly served the Divines, done their bidding, and helped their followers, they will cleanse the Dwemer artifact Keening for him. Keening, Sunder, and Wraithguard were created by the Dwemer Tonal Architect Kagrenac, and used on the Heart of Lorkhan. Many believe that this is one of the tools that is responsible for the extinction of an entire race, for after the Heart was struck, the Dwemer disappeared from the face of Nirn. Centuries later, Dagoth Ur attempted to create a false God with the tools, though he was stopped by the reincarnation of Nerevar. With such potential for evil and dark power contained in one weapon, the purifying process will take some time, even with the combined will of the Divines working on it.

     

    There were a few quests that I did before Keening could be used, and are: The Blessings of Nature, The Book of Love, The Heart of Dibella, Kyne's Sacred Trials, and The Way of the Pilgrim.
     

    The Way of the Pilgrim

    The Way of the Pilgrim is a Pilgrimage that you make to a shrine of each of the 9 Divines. These shrines are scattered all around Skyrim, and will occasionally call for some… “cleansing” of the previous inhabitants. Personally, I chose to travel the entire distance on foot (without Fast Travel), and attempted to visit a shrine in each Hold. My journey began by dropping Keening in the Temple of the Divines in front of the shrines there, and it concluded when I re-entered the Temple of the Divines in Solitude (which is also the only Hold completely devoid of shrines), had prayed at each shrine, and reclaimed the purified Keening. If you wish to create your own custom Way, a list of all the shrines throughout Skyrim can be found here. Also, I found UESP’s Map of Skyrim to be incredibly useful, as the shrines can be very difficult to locate.

     

    1. Mara - Northwest of Old Hroldan

    2. Akatosh - Atop a hill between Twilight Sepulcher and DB Sanctuary

    3. Zenithar-West of Swindler’s Den, near the center of Whiterun Hold

    4. Kynareth - Between Morthal and Crabber’s Shanty, which is Southeast

    5. Dibella - South of Dawnstar and slightly east of the Giant’s Camp

    6. Arkay - Grave of the Ancient Traveler, over the mountains south of Alftand  

    7. Julianos - North and down the cliff somewhat from Shearpoint

    8. Stendarr - At Stendarr’s Beacon, south of Dayspring Canyon

    9. Talos - Southwest of Froki’s Shack, up the path to the top of the mountain


     

    Regenerate

    Secret of Arcana + Keening + Slow Time + (Optional) Elixir of Destruction

    A gift from the Aedra, Keening is used as a divine conduit to transfer life energy directly from an enemy to The Cleanser. If he decides to abuse this power, however, Keening will be rendered useless.

    This is a very powerful move, though not very offensive. This is mainly used as a tactic to pause a difficult battle and recover all three stats. Be wary, however, as Keening will not work on Atronachs, Automatons, or Ash Spawn. Also, using Keening longer than the 30 seconds of Secret of Arcana will break the enchantment, and you will not be able to use it again.
     

    Gameplay

    It may seem that the Shield + Dagger combo is weak, due to the low base damage of daggers, and that you may as well use a sword. However, using a dagger combined with Elemental Fury will allow you to get in more attacks than you could using a sword, maximizing your damage while still having enough time to lift your shield and block every time your enemy attacks! Elemental Fury will also give a much needed +10 Damage enchantment along with the speed enchantment, which will help tremendously at lower levels. I was pretty careful with my perk placements, as this build only goes up to level 40. Light Armor was taken for maneuverability, so that you can easily dance around slower, larger enemies and attack them from behind. Block helps with AR, and Shield Charge is what you will want to focus on getting quickly. Quick Reflexes helps out quite a bit as well, and combined with Elemental Fury you can easily kill the enemy that was about to crush you a moment ago. Morokei will quickly refill your magicka and let you have a healing spell active whenever you need it, and once you have Respite, you'll be able to bash much more often.

     

    Hopefully, this build will allow you to maximize time killing enemies and completing quests, instead of spending long hours crafting. Personally, after doing a few of the basic starter quests, I used the method found on this page (Hooray for self advertizing!) to reset my game to the original version and made a bunch of iron daggers to level Smithing, but that is optional. Then, I joined the Companions to get access early to a Expert-Level Block Trainer, and a wonderful Skyforge Steel Dagger. I also joined the College of Winterhold to be able to buy spells, such as Flame Atronach (which is why I perked Apprentice Conjuration), the spell I used until I got Summon Arniel’s Shade. It is good to start Dawnguard early as well, to get access to Sun spells and a Smithing Trainer, it you wish to use him. I eventually ran over to Northwatch Keep and grabbed a set of Elven Armor. Your necklace is completely up to you, I used the Amulet of Talos to maximize the amount of time with Elemental Fury active.

     

    Leveling Block was my priority at both low and high levels, and I occasionally went out to a giant camp for some practice. If you use this method of leveling, you may want to briefly pass on Quick Reflexes, as it can really slow down the process. At later levels I did the Forgemaster's Finger's quest to be able to use Chief Larak for a Master Block Trainer. Restoration will likely lag behind, so you can use Colette or Danica Pure-Spring for Training.

     

    The Cleanser will have a reasonable AR, capped at about 320 with your Glass Shield, and magic resistance at 65% from the Lord Stone, Breton Racial Bonus, and Agent of Mara passive. Ironically, his main weakness will be fighting enemies with shields, as you have no means of breaking their block, as daggers cannot stagger. I highly suggest you pick up all three words of Unrelenting Force early to help with this problem, as you cannot break through the block of any enemy even with Power Bash. Later on, Shield Charge is amazingly useful for dealing with shield enemies and quite fun, especially if you have never used it.

     

    There were two main combat stances that I used, and specific spells with each. Though of course, don’t be afraid to cross over spells or shouts for different situations, this was just my general loadout.

     

    Dagger and Shield - I used this stance against melee enemies, and focused on speed and mobility, spinning past your enemies while slicing them and as your Cloak spells slowly wears away at their health. I would also switch out my shield for a healing spell if my health got low, which can happen quite often, especially against archers.

    Spells/Shouts: Stendarr's Aura (Undead), Lightning Cloak, Summon Arniel’s Shade, Healing/Fast Healing/Close Wounds, Elemental Fury, Unrelenting Force

     

    Shieldmage - I used this stance against Dragons, occasionally other Mages, and Undead when I wanted to keep my distance. Lightning spells will chip away at the magicka of Dragons and Mages, eventually forcing both into melee. One thing I would like to point out, and that I’ve never seen mentioned anywhere else, is that you cannot aim your bash like you can while using a melee weapon in the other hand. This makes this stance not the best for close range, though your shield can be used to quickly bash a charger while you retreat or pull out your dagger. I would also like to mention how amazingly useful Wards are, though they are often overlooked. As said in this awesome page by Vazgen that got me using Wards, even Lesser Ward can completely block a Dragon’s breath attack. A ward will be switched out for a shield while facing Dragons. I used Slow Time just to give me more time to aim, because often I can hit NOTHING with magic. Two words worked just fine, from Labyrinthian and Korvanjund.

    Spells/Shouts: Sparks/Lightning Bolt/Chain Lightning, Summon Arniel’s Shade, Lesser Ward, Healing/Fast Healing/Close Wounds, Sun Fire/Vampire’s Bane (Undead), Slow Time, Dragonrend

     

    Summon Arniel’s Shade is a great spell, and can be used in several ways. Because of the 0 casting cost you can bring him into the fight at any time. And since he is invulnerable, Arniel is a great distraction if you need some breathing room. Or, you could summon him at a distance, which is where he seems to use his stronger spells such as Chain Lightning and Fireball. When he starts using these, it’s awesome, and shit dies. At all other times, he will Dual-Cast Sparks, which does a reasonable amount of damage. The only downside is that there is that strange instant two-handed summon, which can be used quickly but you cannot move while casting it.

    I was often killing Undead or helping people out while playing, and never stole or killed an innocent person. I also attempted to have a blessing active most of the time. Killing Thalmor patrols is a good way to thwart their activities, as well as doing Missing in Action. I would advise waiting for the undead-killing quests until you have acquired your Sun spells and Necromage, though, as they are very useful.

     

    I felt that The Cleanser was complete by the time I reached level 40. All the necessary perks had been taken, though you could always move some around. You could get Restoration Dual-Casting for even more Undead killing power, but I found it unnecessary. Another perk could be Savage Strike for a little killcam variance, but that’s up to you. Personally, the 25% power attack bonus would be a waste, as I used power attacks maybe once my whole playthrough. There just isn’t any reason to use them when you don’t stagger, instead I focused on getting in as many attacks as possible.
     

    GoldWhiteKnight
     

    Recommended Quests

    Here are a few of the quests that I did that I thought were suitable for a holy warrior in Skyrim.

     

    Questlines - Main Quest, Dawnguard (Dawnguard), Dragonborn, Civil War (Imperials), Companions, College of Winterhold

     

    Side Quests - Arniel's Endeavor, Bolstering the Ranks, Unearthed, Laid to Rest, Waking Nightmare (Help Erandur), Blood on the Ice, The Taste of Death (Kill Eola), Missing in Action, The Man Who Cried Wolf/The Wolf Queen Awakened, Destroy the Dark Brotherhood, Purity (Farkas, Vilkas and yourself)


     

    Thanks ‘N Credit ‘N Stuff

    Thanks to everybody who has read my first build! I’m very proud to finally present it, and contribute to the Character Building section!

     

    I’d especially like to thank Alastor for his help and advice throughout the creation of this build. It's quite unlikely that I would be posting this if not for his help.

     

    Thanks to Teccam for listening to my original ideas and answering any technical questions I had (and the Tips and Tricks Group for this as well)

     

    Thanks to Ben C for reposting this about Secret of Arcana and saying in it that Keening would be useable with Secret of Arcana, which saved me from grinding Enchanting.

     

    Thanks Noodles for the awesome screenshot, and Golden Fool for the perkspread!


    All images were found on Deviantart or Google Images and credit goes to their authors.

  • Member
    May 20, 2015

    You Should have said something and I would have fixed it 

  • May 20, 2015
    I like the build. It sounds interesting and I might play it in a future character.
  • May 20, 2015

    Using my homie Arniel huh? You've merely tapped the surface of his potential my friend. Arniel is a beast, in every way, shape or form. Reportedly his Sparks is actually a more powerful version of the Spell (I can't confirm this personally though). He looks badass and most importantly you should really mention that he is the only Companion that has access to the Heal Other Spell.(although he so rarely uses it). It isn't a glitch that means he is summoned Two-Handed either, that's the way he was designed and as with any Two-Handed spell you're not supposed to be able to move.

    Anyway other then talking about my favorite summon the build is rather interesting. I like the use of Keening in such a cool way and when combined with a Shield it must be truly radical. 

    One thing to add is that really Shield Wielding enemies would be the easiest to take down. They will keep blocking but they don't block the enchantment so you till absorb Health and Stamina from them. I don't really see this character having issues with anything in game, he's too well-rounded that even Dragons don't seem like that much of a threat. 

    A good build and one that certainly gets my +1 (I'd give you a +2 for messing with that Fool but that would be mean and impossible)

  • Tim
    Member
    May 20, 2015
    lol ok. I wasn't sure if it would take you a while or not, and I noticed it after I had it on my draft so I just went with it. Thanks for fixing it though, I'll replace it when I'm back on my computer. Thanks for the Like too!
  • Tim
    Member
    May 20, 2015
    Glad you like it, and if you end up playing it let me know how it goes!
  • Member
    May 20, 2015

    I keep a copy of each spread for just this reason, so it isn't all that difficult to open it up and add in what I've missed 

  • Member
    May 20, 2015

    You called? 

  • May 21, 2015

    Wow, man, this is hella cool, which is a phrase I've never used and probably never will again, but this is actually a great idea. I love the aesthetic and using both Keening and Arniel's Shade. I've never tried my hand at the Shade but I've heard promising things (I'd advise you test it out more mechanically or ask around, like DB apparently uses him a lot), Keening is fantastic though and I love how you used it as an incredible restoration tool, since it replenishes everything.

    A deserved +1

  • Tim
    Member
    May 21, 2015

    Yeah, I know that you're not supposed to be able to move while casting two handed spells, the glitched part (or what I thought was glitched) was the instant-2H casting. I did mention the Heal Other spell, but I don't know if he ever used it on me. 

    Shielders were only a problem because I only used Keening when I had Secret of Arcana readied, otherwhile you would always be able to absorb health and stamina from them. 

    Thanks for the like too :D