Skyrim Character Building » Discussions


Character Build: The Mirage

Tags: #Character Build Dual-Wield  #Character Build No Crafting  #Character Build Vampire  #Race:Redguard  #Rank:Legendary  #Hall of Fame Build  #Raidriar 
  • Member
    February 24, 2015
    Cheers Chris!
  • Member
    February 24, 2015
    Haha the High Wizard. There can never be too many wizards though, really.
  • Member
    February 24, 2015

    You had me at Redguard.

    Then you nearly lost me at "no Alchemy", you crazy fool! 

    Then you had me again at Vampire. Not to mention Elemental Fury and Marked for Death, my two favorite shouts. And the Ring of the Erudite, my favorite item in the game. Stop, I can only become so aroused!

    When you say Redguard Robes, are you talking about the Hammerfell Garb that can be bought at Raidiant Raiment (or looted from those Alik'r that are trying to hunt down Saadia)? Or are you talking about Nazir's unique red variant, Redguard Clothes? I'm assuming the latter, since you call for Destroy the Dark Brotherhood, but it could be made a bit clearer.

    I'm a big fan of combining Quiet Casting with Sneak. Not enough builds do it -- it can be hard to justify such a steep investment in Illusion for many stealth-based builds. I think you can sort of see that in effect here too, since you outright admit you only took Illusion for Quiet Casting. I'd maybe just talk about Muffle as well, if nothing else ... Can be just as helpful as Quiet Casting when it comes to remaining undetected, and it's also a good skill leveler. Then, the only "wasted" perks are Animage and Kindred Mage, and at least you're getting one other central benefit from the skill. Granted, you won't be needed Muffle in the endgame, but at least for the first 10-20 levels -- hopefully enough to get to 50 for Quiet Casting -- it should be a pretty useful asset.

    I really like the use of ash and poison effects. Really feels appropriate with the desert vampire vibe, and those are two types of spell that are often unfairly overlooked.

    I also like how you use Restoration for the Sun Spells, getting some practical benefit from Necromage beyond what it can do for you as a vampire. I'm fairly certain Vampire's Bane comes with a taper damage effect over 2.0 seconds. You might want to check out James's discussions on Taper Damage to verify that, and see if there's anything you might do to showcase that, since you've got all the prerequisites covered. Maybe a special move where you chug a generic Elixir of Destruction, and read a Shalidor's Insight - Destruction Scroll prior to casting Vampire's Bane? (Would be really badass if you picked up Dual-Casting too....)

    I'm curious -- did you verify your maths regarding Elemental Fury + Necromage + Dragon Aspect (and all variations thereof) via the console? The "WeaponSpeedMult" console command should tell you your effective attack speed, including accounting for any temporary and permanent modifications. I've fiddled with weapon speed a couple times and never managed to get the type of benefit I wanted out of it. Would love a screenshot or two showing that console output, just to slake my thirst for what is clearly the best application of Elemental Fury. It's not that I don't believe you, it's just so awesome that I want to see it for myself! If you could put together a quick video showing it in action, that would also be really awesome.

    MFD + Ash Shell is a great combo. And I love your use of Ash Guardian as well -- no need for a Heart Stone when you're undetectable while you summon the thing!

    Very nice one here, Raid. Lots of cool tactics, great aesthetic, nice presentation, col special moves, and well put together. Might be my new favorite from you.

  • February 24, 2015

    I suppose you could say that's one of Skyrim's great strengths, that there's just so much in the game that people can have entirely different tastes, yet still get the same enjoyment out of it.

  • Member
    February 24, 2015
    Just getting this out of the way--your art selection for this is impressive... I especially like that first image! This is, without a doubt, my favorite stealth playstyle, and I love the fact that you limit Illusion to quiet casting. When I first saw your skill set, saw the Sneak and Illusion combo, I was a bit afraid that this was going to be another OP stealth illusionist--I should have known better. Using the shadows to set up ambush tactics rather than going for throat-slit after throat-slit, combined with low AR and health really keeps you on your toes. But it's also nice that you balance the weaknesses with crazy necro-vamp speed. Just so much fun to play ;D Also, IT'S SO COOL to see a dagger/sword dual wield build! Ever since coming across Artemis Entreri in the Drizzt series, I've been fascinated with that fighting style. It fits nicely in Skyrim, and feels freaking hardcore. But on top of all this, you pull it all together with some fantastic roleplay, and the desert-demon vibe this build sports is awesome. Great work on this! :D
  • Member
    February 24, 2015

    I was hyped after seeing your preview pic and am not disappointed by the end result. I'm a sucker for Elemental Fury and know how ridiculously fast it is when combined with Dual Flurry and Dragon Aspect, but the speeds you have pushed this to are insane. Is there any time for the animation to occur?

    Nice one Raid, I luv it

  • Member
    February 24, 2015
    Ha, that's fine Overhate! I can completely understand, and it's fine by me for you to say so. I do a similar thing, and it's great that we can all still appreciate a good build despite it not suiting our standards. I just know to include Two Handed next time! :D
  • Member
    February 24, 2015
    Holy s**t this is awesome!!
  • Member
    February 24, 2015

    Ah, but it has none of the zip factor!

  • February 24, 2015

    Damn Raidriar, this is awesome.

    I expect this will hit Legendary very soon.