Skyrim Character Building » Discussions


Character Build: The Commander

Tags: #Character Build Juggernaut  #Character Build Knight  #Character Build Supporter  #Rank:Legendary 
  • Member
    November 25, 2011

    This is my first in a series of new builds (this was my second build back in 2011) I'm putting out here. This one was inspired by the Captain class in Lord of the Rings Online. After over a year with the cool new Dragonborn content it was time to revamp this guy, so without further ado I present:

    The Commander

    Battles are won by trained and disciplined men. Wars are won by talented and exceptional individuals.

    The Commander. An inspiring figure on the battlefield - a leader of men, cunning tactician, and a capable warrior in his own right. Leading from the front, the Commander uses a two-handed weapon and heavy armor, and is able to control the course of battles by influencing both allies and enemies alike. He also wields some healing magic, ensuring that neither him nor his allies need to let up in combat. The Commander also knows how to keep his equipment in the best shape for battle.

    Race: Any race can make a skilled Commander, though Imperials, Altmer, Nords and Orcs make the best choices.

    Stats: I recommend leveling 2/3/1 until your Magicka reaches 200, and then 0/3/2 from there.

    Stone: The Atronach stone gives the Commander a larger Magicka pool and improved magical defenses, while the Lord stone gives him improved physical and magical defense. the Lover can be used to improve that rate at which all of the Commander's skills improve.

    Perks: Level 20 | Level 40

    Major Skills

    Two-Handed: Leading the charge into battle, the Commander's skill with two-handed weapons ensures victory in any situation. Your weapon choice will depend largely on which race/kit you choose (see What Commander Are You? below). One key perk is Sweep, an incredibly useful ability, especially in the Civil War quests.

    Heavy Armour: Heavy Armor protects the Commander from the worst of blows, and allows him to focus more on commanding and use his two-handed weapon than defending with shields or parries. Just some standard perks like Juggernaut and Well Fitted here.

    Illusion: The presence of the Commander is represented using the Illusion school of magic. The Commander can use Illusion to inspire his allies, or sow discord and chaos in the ranks of his foes. Something to note is that Courage and Rally do stack, which is an impressive boost to allies. Key perks are up to Kindred Mage, Adept Illusion, and Dual Casting.

    Minor Skills

    Restoration: The Commander can heal himself and his allies, mending their wounds, and with training, renewing their vigor. Key perks are Regeneration, Respite, and up to Adept for Close Wounds and Heal Other.

    Block: Even though the Commander doesn't use a shield, parrying blows is still key to survival against tougher opponents. The Quick Reflexes perk allows you to pull off some neat moves - the slow effect persists for a short time after you stop blocking, and you still act at full speed - and also allows you to avoid many attacks.

    Smithing: The Commander can improve his arms and armor, and those of his allies, to improve their effectiveness in combat. Perks will depend on your race/kit (once again, see below).

    Enchanting: The Commander enchants his own, as well as his allies', equipment to give them an edge in combat. Key perks are just ranks in Enchanter.

    An Imperial Commander leads the Empire to victory at Windhelm

    Demonstration Video

    What Commander Are You?

    With the huge array of armor sets in Skyrim, especially with the Dawnguard and Dragonborn DLCs, there's plenty of opportunity to customize your Commander to suit how you like to play him. Choosing a weapon and armor type based on your race really adds to roleplay - an Altmer isn't going to go around wearing Nordic Carved for example. What type of Commander you choose to play will also affect your follower choice, to tie in well with the roleplay.

    From left to right: Mercenary, Dunmer, Nord, Dawnguard, Blades, Imperial and Orc Commander

    Here's a few I came up with:

    • Mercenary Commander - Steel Plate with Skyforge Steel Greatsword. Follower: Mercenary/Companions member of choice
    • Imperial Commander - Imperial set (with Officer helm) with Skyforge Steel Greatsword. Follower: Adelaisa Vendicci
    • Nordic Commander - Nordic Carved set with Nordic Battleaxe. Follower: Frea
    • Orc Commander - Orcish set with the Longhammer. Follower: Ogol
    • Dunmer Commander - Improved Bonemold set (with Guard Armor) and Elven Battleaxe. Follower: Aranea Ienith
    • Dawnguard Commander - Dawnguard Heavy set with Dawnguard Rune Hammer. Follower: Celann
    • Blades Commander - Blades Armor with Nord Hero/Ancient Nord Greatsword

    Of course these choices will affect what Smithing and weapon perks you take - in the perk spread I've built it for a Mercenary Commander - feel free to rearrange weapon/smithing perks!

    As for other equipment, I recommend the Gauldur Amulet, and these enchantments:

    • Head - Fortify Magicka
    • Chest - Fortify Health
    • Feet - Fortify Two-Handed
    • Hands - Fortify Two-Handed
    • Ring - Fortify Illusion

    Playing the Commander

    Always open combat with Courage and/or Rally on any allies you might have (followers, the Blades, civil war soldiers etc), and dual-cast a Fury spell on the most powerful enemy you can see (that it will still work on, obviously). Once the baddies are well and truly aware of your presence, that's the time to switch to your two hander. If you're using a melee follower, try and let them take the hits for you while you flank around and hit enemies in the back. If you're fighting a single stronger enemy, a good tactic can be to stun lock them with power attacks and bashes, while you're follower attacks them unhindered. Don't forget to use the Sweep perk against large groups of enemies, it's a real game-changer, especially in the Civil War.
    Don't forget to heal your stamina when you get low, and if an ally goes down, give them a quick heal to get them back on their feet. It is often worth healing your follower fully - they take much less damage than you on higher difficulties.

    As for Shouts, Dragonborn adds plenty of new interesting options. The second word of Bend Will will take control of almost any humanoid target - a somewhat more reliable way to turn enemies than using Fury, for example. Battle Fury is absolutely key - it virtually acts as an auto-win button during the Civil War, giving your troops a huge attack speed boost. The shout affects everyone on your 'team' - guards helping you take down a dragon, zombies your follower might have raised, you name it. If they're holding a weapon, it works. As for vanilla shouts Dismay is a good one, the large range and area of effect can be devastating in many circumstances. Another very useful power is the Bardic Knowledge ability from the Black Book Untold Legends, increasing the stamina regeneration of you and all your allies.

    As for roleplay, don't forget to make decisions based on your race/kit. A Dunmer Commander isn't going to go off and fight for the Stormcloaks, and a Mercenary Commander isn't often going to work for free. There isn't much else to it really; it should be pretty logical as to how to play each Commander. It's really all about which side of the war you fight on and who you agree to help.

    This Dragon is no match for the Blades Commander

  • November 26, 2011

    Interesting build. Question though, did you know that if you enchant your weapon 2h or dual wield with a stamina absorb as low as 1 stamina absorb you don't even need stamina level ups. Even with 1 stamina you can pull off a power attack, so you could have 990 health while using the Atronach stone for the magicka. 

    Another thing is have you ever considered making a "different" or "less generic" build? Like for example the passive fighter who utilizes pure Illusion and Conjuration to complete his journey. Frenzy, calm and so on at the start followed by summons and undead raising to cause hell from a distance.

    I've always wanted to make a "Dark Templar" character style. Probably along the lines of 2h, Heavy armor, Smithing, Block, Conjuration, Destruction and you could even add in sneak just because you have the priviledge with all the spare perks. Msg me back if you have some other original ideas. 

     

     - Drizzt Do'Urden

  • Member
    November 26, 2011

    That's the next build I'm uploading, a very alternative fighter. I've been testing it in-game for a bit since I'm not sure if it's viable.

  • November 26, 2011

    Very interesting build. Well thought out aswell, I #like that. 

    I would personally change 2 handed into 1 handed though. In my mind, a commander uses a shield :P Plus, it's easy to swap the shield for an illusion spell and still keep attacking. I'd keep everything else though, it fits together.

    The problem with Skyrim is the armor though :/ Daedric doesn't feel very believable for a commander. I wish there was a way to make Steel armor that could compete with Daedric... Oh well, I suppose we'll just mod that in later.

    Question for you though, would this build use companions a lot? I don't like companions since I like traveling by horse, and they have no horses.

    Looking forward to your next build.

  • Member
    November 26, 2011

    You can improve any armour up to the level of Daedric, if you're on PC type in player.setsmithing X and put it back later. For ebony it has to be around 130 I think. Or you can get a bunch of items that improve smithing (My first character found these 'Glass Gauntlets of Eminent Smithing' which boost it by about 20).

    I don't think you need companions much since you're a more than capable fighter on your own, and your focus is 'commanding' your enemies rather than companions.

    I used a 2-hander for this build seeing as it's easy to mop up from your 'allies' with a few well-placed swings, and since I used a shield with my first character (see my Paladin build).

  • Member
    December 21, 2011

    Updated with a few pointers and sample build.

  • Member
    January 5, 2012

    Updated with level 25 build.

  • June 14, 2012

    I wanted to try this build because I've been intrigued by more offensive uses of illusion, and it didn't disappoint.  As a matter of fact, I wanted to comment to let everyone know just how much damn FUN FUN FUN this build is.  I started it on a whim and am almost level 40 now ... way too much fun.  Frenzy, rush in, cut everything down like grass.  So satisfying after all the sneaking around I've been doing lately!  A far more versatile character than you might think at first glance.

    A few interesting notes if you're thinking of giving it a try (and you should!!):

    1. I'm wearing Blades armor but Orcish gauntlets, boots, and helmet.  This boosts the armor significantly higher, and the armor matches perfectly.  I think the Orcish helmet looks way better than the Blades, personally.  You can't get the Matched Set perk but you can create and enchant gauntlets/boots/etc for different uses.

    2. This build has great potential for vampirism.  I was toying with the idea of going that route, like a "Vlad the Impaler" bloodthirsty (literally) warrior.  Just if you're in the mood for something different.

    3. I've been having great success with running in, Frenzy, and then Become Ethereal, so I can stand there and get everyone attacking each other and not me.  Then I take a few steps back and pull out the greatsword ...

    Oh yeah did I mention this build is FUN?

  • Member
    June 14, 2012

    A vampire build could definetely work, since you're taking restoration you can easily go into Necromage. I was using Ebony Armor in fact (due to making an upgrading over 300 dwarven bows after doing Markarth ruin and museum at about level 12) but I didn't really like the look of Ebony with helmet on him, and the Ebony weapons really didn't suit. I've heard elsewhere that the Orcish gear goes well with Blades, I might try it on a future character but I put this guy to bed months ago!

    One of my favourite battle tactics is to create diversions with Throw Voice, lure everyone in, then throw an AoE frenzy. While they're all attacking each other I move up, cutting down the lot with a sideways power attack!

  • Member
    June 20, 2012

    Awesome build - great idea to use Illusion but RP it as 'commands'/taunts/etc!