#### Loremaster Lyrellion's

# Lore-Friendly Build Guide

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\page \page ##### Table Of Contents - **[1 Agent of Nocturnal](#p6)** - **[2 Ansei](#p8)** - **[3 Archmage](#p10)** - **[4 Argonian Shadowscale](#p12)** - **[5 Battlemage](#p14)** - **[6 Battlesmith](#p16)** - **[7 Berserker](#p18)** - **[8 Blood Knight](#p20)** - **[9 Bloodmage](#p22)** - **[10 Blood Stalker](#p24)** - **[11 Champion of Boethiah](#p26)** - **[12 Clockwork Apostles](#p28)** - **[13 Daedric Knight](#p30)** - **[14 Dark Tormentor](#p32)** - **[15 Dervish](#p34)** - **[16 Disciple of Mephala](#p36)** - **[17 Disciple of Mehrunes Dagon](#p38)** - **[18 Disciple of Peryite](#p40)** - **[19 Disciple of Tu'whacca](#p42)** - **[20 Disciple of Vaermina](#p44)** - **[21 Dro-m'Athra](#p46)** - **[22 Druid of the Old Ways](#p48)** - **[23 Frostcaster](#p50)** - **[24 Guardian](#p52)** - **[25 Hedge Wizard](#p54)** - **[26 Inquisitor of Meridia](#p56)** - **[27 Knight Weaponmaster](#p58)** - **[28 Knightmare of Vaermina](#p60)** - **[29 Lich](#p62)** - **[30 Lusty Argonian Maid](#p64)** - **[31 Paladin](#p66)** - **[32 Priest of Arkay](#p68)** - **[33 Priest of the Eight](#p70)** - **[34 Ragnar the Red](#p72)** - **[35 Ranger of Y'ffre](#p74)** - **[36 Servant of the Sload](#p76)** - **[37 Shadow](#p78)** - **[38 Shadowsniper](#p80)** - **[39 Sibyl of Dibella](#p82)** - **[40 Skyrim Courier](#p84)** - **[41 Spellblade](#p86)** - **[42 Spider Knight](#p88)** - **[43 Thundermaul](#p90)** - **[44 Tomb Raider](#p92)** - **[45 Tongue of Kyne](#p94)** - **[46 Venomblade](#p96)** - **[47 Vigilant of Stendarr](#p98)** - **[48 Werewolf Behemoth](#p100)** - **[49 Witch](#p102)** - **[Appendix I: Vampire Clans and Werewolf Packs](#p104)** - **[Appendix II: Suggested Builds by Faction](#p107)** - **[Appendix III: NPC Classes](#p110)** \page

### Disclaimers All of my builds are designed with several factors in mind:

1)The build must fit thematically into the existing Elder Scrolls lore. Just because it is mechanically possible to do things in ESO does not mean it is lore-friendly. Some of these builds DO require minor reflavoring of the nature of skills (like pretending the Ansei’s skills are manifestations of their shihei instead of “spells”) but nothing that stretches that concept too far.

2)Skills and Equipment are optimized by how they fit into the theme of the character, not by how well they fit the meta. As such, suboptimal choices may be made to stay true to the theme. I DO make sure that all builds are at least viable in all non-vet content, including DLC tier trials. For the builds that I have not personally played, I trust that the experience I have with the 18 characters, spanning all classes, that I HAVE played gives some credence to my theorycrafting.

3)NONE of these builds have been truly tested in a PvP setting. That is not a part of the game I enjoy, and it is not something that I take into account when designing characters.

4)FEW of these builds have been tested in veteran tier content - especially vet trials. Some of them MAY be viable in such settings while others are clearly NOT. Again, this is a part of the game I do not indulge much in.

5)I RARELY make full use of the back bar, with a few exceptions - like the Ansei - that utilize multiple weapon types. This is intentional to keep the builds simpler to play for newer players or players that want to emphasize RP over mechanics. Along the same lines, I TEND to shy away from suggesting skins and “perfected” raid sets because they can be very difficult for characters that are not highly optimized to acquire.

6)Most importantly, I am not telling anyone how they MUST play the game. I do this because I find more enjoyment in the lore than I do in seeing just how high I can push my DPS. Tinker with these builds, dissect them, swap out skills as you see fit. If you see a build concept you like, but think “skill X would do so much more damage” or “I would swap out Armor Set Y” then do it. If you want to play my vampire Bloodmage but ignore the lore and run around in a pink bikini while riding a dwarven spider mount, do it. If you like the Ansei build, but are deadset on playing an Argonian, do it. ### How This All Got Started How this all started: Back when ESO came out, I was already an avid MMO player, having played dozens of MMOs - starting back in Asheron’s Call in 2000. I was (and still am) a bit of an “altoholic” so naturally I wanted a bunch of characters. I started out by asking myself what would different base classes look like if they were built around each of the three armor types: i.e. a light armor based templar vs a medium armor based templar vs a heavy armor based templar. From there, I started making “classes” for my characters to fit each of those concepts, so the LA templar became the priest, the MA became the inquisitor, and the HA variant became the paladin. From there, the final question was “how does this concept fit into the existing TES lore?” Once I had the initial 12 build concepts (there was no warden or necromancer class yet), I started looking for “gaps” in the lore. I had builds for some Daedric Prince cults, but not others. So I started making builds for other types that I hadn’t already included in the initial batch. In 2021, I joined the guild Royal Knight of Ashes (RKOA), and as I played with guildmates over the following months some of the players in the guild began asking about some of the characters I played. In February of 2022, I decided to approach my GM about dedicating a channel in the discord to Lore-Friendly Character Builds and started doing write ups for the 18 characters I played on my account. I knew that there were plenty of build sites on the internet, but these sites always seemed tofocus on character power and efficiency - rather than on making characters that were inherently lore friendly - and I wanted to do something different in that i wanted characters that were viable to play, but stayed within the existing lore of TES. Once I started posting builds, guildmates started requesting specific builds - some serious and and some less so (see the Skyrim Courier build). Sometimes working on one build led me to another potential build, and before I knew it I had the 49 builds initially included in this volume. In August of 2022, I decided to compile everything into a more graphically appealing format which you are now viewing on your screen.

\page # Agent of Nocturnal The paragon of stealth and subterfuge, an Agent of Nocturnal is a master of utilizing the shadows to strike - whether it be at the target’s coinpurse or with a dagger through their heart. Always waiting for the proper moment to act - and then disappearing before anyone has a chance to react - is their modus operandi. An Agent of Nocturnal will not only be able to assassinate targets without warning, but will also be so skilled in thievery that they can pick the pocket of a guard in broad daylight while standing right in front of them. ## Leveling Base Class: Nightblade Naturally, you are going to want to invest heavily in the Shadow skills from your class, although some attention should be given to the Assassination skills as well. Siphoning, however, will be largely neglected on this build. You will also want to max out the Legerdemain, Thieves Guild, and Dark Brotherhood lines. Pick up the Vampire line when you get a chance - it provides useful benefits to stealth even at Stage 1 - with the (not advised) option of additional bonuses at higher stages. For combat, you will rely on a pair of daggers - as well as on your ability to throw off aggro using the Shadowy Disguise skill. >### Optimal races Khajiit make for excellent thieves and assassins due to their innate talent for stealth and critical strikes. Wood Elves also make for a strong choice, but ultimately any race can turn to the way of the shadows and the blessings of Nocturnal. ### Cosmetics Blacks and deep Blues/Purples are your preferred colors. Think “ninja” when selecting your outfit styles and you’ll be on the right track. Form-fitting leathers are a good choice, especially the Thieves Guild and Dark Brotherhood costumes. You won’t often use a mount, but look for things that have a shadowy theme. ### Mundus Stone Shadow or Steed. Shadow boosts your critical hits, giving you a much needed damage boost. Steed allows for quicker escapes when things DO go wrong and you get caught by a guard. ``` ```

### Stat Distribution Pure Stamina. You are going to want to stay stealthed 99% of the time - even when not in combat - so having that stamina pool is essential plus it helps with your weapon damage. Your low health is going to make you a glass cannon, but your goal is to attack from stealth and wipe out the enemy before they even get a chance to retaliate effectively, then vanish and regen back up for your next strike. ### Armor Type Medium Armor - you are a pure stamina DPS and will benefit the most from a full set of Medium Armor. ### Armor Sets The Unfathomable Darkness set fits nicely with the Nocturnal theme, since corvids are associated with her, and the bonuses from the set fit nicely with the goal of hitting hard with critical damage. Swap this out for the Night Mother’s Embrace set when you are doing Thieves Guild heists or Dark Brotherhood assassination missions where stealth is absolutely critical. The Darloc Brae set gives an unparalleled option for recovery by both boosting your stealth radius and giving an incredible regen boost while stealthed. Night Terror gives a little bit more of an offensive boost, but I prefer the survivability offered by the Darloc Brae set. Round things out with a mythic like Death Dealers Fete or the Harpooner’s Wading Kilt and a monster set piece that gives a boost to Critical Chance. ### Weapon Type(s) Dual Wield (daggers) \page ### Skills A mixture of skills that let you hit hard and then escape if needed: Veil of Blades Shadowy Disguise Dark Shades Refreshing Path Concealed Weapon Bloodthirst ### Tactics Stay in stealth. Always. With your passives and skillset, you will move faster while you are stealthed than any other non mounted character except for a werewolf. In combat try to summon a Dark Shade ahead of time from outside of aggro range, then open with a Concealed Weapon stun followed by simply weaving light attacks with Bloodthirst to bring a target down ASAP. Drop a Veil of Blades whenever it becomes available to bring the enemy down quicker, especially if you are fighting a group of enemies. Use Shadowy Disguise and Refreshing Path to make a hasty retreat if needed. Regen up - which shouldn’t take long thanks to the Darloc Brae set bonuses - then repeat. ### Party Role Melee DPS - no major change in tactics for fighting in a group. Use Shadowy Disguise to shrug off aggro whenever necessary and you can even occasionally throw out a Refreshing Path to give a little area healing. Unlike while soloing, resummon your Dark Shade whenever it drops to keep your damage output up.

\page # Ansei The Ansei is a master of the ancient Yokudan tradition of sword-singing who has mastered the use of the shihei, or spirit sword. Practitioners of sword-singing represent the pinnacle of training with both blade and spirit, blending the power of their spirit with their physical prowess. ## Leveling Base Class: Warden For class skills you will want to focus primarily on Winter’s Embrace, but don’t completely neglect Green Balance or Animal Companions as you will want a couple of skills from those lines. You will want to think of your powers as being manifestations of your spirit, rather than as being magical in nature, and thus the skills you use will focus on self buffs and PBAoE skills instead of long range magical attacks by animal companions or nature themed heals. As a master of the blade, you are going to want both the Two Handed and the One Hand and Shield weapon skills and can switch between the two as the situation warrants. >### Optimal races Redguard - the tradition of sword singing is unique to the redguards. If you want you could reflavor the build as a spellsword and use a Breton or High Elf. Due to the reliance on ice magic by this build, spellswords of other races would be better off as a different base class with a focus on another element. ### Cosmetics I like the look of the Scalecaller robe on this character - tinted in colors reminiscent of ice like whites and blues. If you can get the Iceheart weapon styles, they really complete the look by giving you blades that look like something you could have summoned up with your sword singing abilities. Another option would be to really play up the traditional Yokudan look with appropriate outfit themes. Ice themed pets and mounts fit with your frost theme, or you can look into more “spirity” options to play up the shihei theme. ### Mundus Stone Lover - with your self heals and heavy armor providing survivability, having a boost to damage output is beneficial ### Stat Distribution Invest heavily in Magicka, but don’t neglect Health. You will have access to self heals, but you still want to have a robust enough health pool to be able to tank.

### Armor Type Heavy Armor - while you ARE utilizing Magicka to enhance your combat prowess, you are not directly attacking enemies with spells, and you want to be able to stand toe to toe with multiple enemies ### Armor Sets The Ice Furnace and Frostbite sets are good both thematically and for adding to your damage output, and the Iceheart monster set provides you with a thematic buff to both defense and offense, and is one of the easier monster sets to acquire. ### Weapon Type(s) One Hand and Shield, Two Handed - as a sword singer, you want to be proficient in swords of all types, and you will switch back and forth between the two as the situation warrants. \page ### Skills Equip a One handed sword and shield on one bar, and a Two handed sword on the other. Both bars will have the same layout, except for the one weapon skill: Blue Betty Green Lotus Pierce Armor/Stampede Arctic Blast Frozen Device (or Gripping Shards) Permafrost ### Tactics Open up combat with Arctic Blast and Blue Betty and either use Frozen Device to pull an enemy to you or Stampede to charge them. Continue using Stampede as your primary attack, and drop a Permafrost when it’s available. Renew your Blue Betty and Arctic Blast buffs as needed throughout the fight, and add Green Lotus and/or switch to your other bar if you need the extra boost to survivability. For a little more PBAoE offensive capability, switch out Frozen Device for Gripping Shards ### Party Role Tank/Melee DPS - if filling the DPS role use the same tactics as when playing solo. If filling the tank role, make more use of your One handed bar, and use Pierce Armor to keep the enemy taunted.

\page # Archmage The Archmage is the quintessential wizard. They could be a high ranking member of the Mages Guild, a scion of Clan Direnni, a member of the reclusive Psijic Order, a Telvanni mage, or even a cleverman of the Nords. But above all else, they are a master of magic in all of it’s forms. ## Leveling Base Class: Sorcerer Focus on mastering all three of your class lines, and pick up the Mages Guild and Psijic skill lines as early as possible. You will focus exclusively on Destruction Staff as your weapon as well. Crafting skills are not a core part of this character build, but Enchanting and Alchemy are a good fit thematically. You will need to complete the Mage Guild and Psijic quest lines in order to unlock the skills you will want on this build, but can you truly call yourself an archmage if you haven’t mastered those skills anyway? >### Optimal races High Elves, Bretons, and Dark Elves are all known for their wizardly prowess, and make for the most lore-friendly choices for this archetype. Nords, Argonians, Orcs, and Redguards are the least suitable - but, as evidenced by characters like Shalidor, there are exceptions. ### Cosmetics Fancy robes and staves are your go to outfit choice here. For pets and mounts, look for choices that look “magical”, like Psijic or Dro-m’Athra themed options. You might also consider picking up the Telvanni Scholar personality. ### Mundus Stone Apprentice ### Stat Distribution Magicka, Magicka, and more Magicka. Maybe a LITTLE bit of health so you can take a single large hit on some bosses, but otherwise focus on Magicka. ``` ```

### Armor Type Light Armor - you are 100% a spellcaster and gain the most benefits from a full set of Light Armor. ### Armor Sets The Netch’s Touch and Mother’s Sorrow sets are your sets of choice here, giving some nice boosts to lightning damage output. The Death Dealer’s Fete or Harpooner’s Wading Kilt mythics also complement your skills well, combined with a Magicka boosting monster set piece. Alternatively, pick up the Destructive Impact arena weapon. ### Weapon Type(s) Lightning Staff \page ### Skills Primary focus is on lightning based damage spells, with a smattering of other magics for support and recovery: Shooting Star/Thunderous Rage Crystal Fragments/Critical Surge Shock Reach/Elemental Susceptibility Unstable Wall of Storms/Degeneration Lightning Flood/Shock Impulse Introspection/Elemental Weapon ### Tactics Stand back and let loose with your hardest hitting attacks with the goal being to kill your enemy as quickly as possible before they can even get to you. Drop Lightning Flood and your Unstable Wall of Storms then pummel your enemies with Crystal Fragments and Shock Reach - and Shooting Star or Thunderous Rage when it is available. You are very fragile in melee combat, so taking enemies out before they get to you is essential. With your huge Magicka pool, the need for resource management is minimal, but use Introspection as needed between fights (and in short bursts mid fight if needed) to keep your resources topped off. ### Party Role Ranged DPS - pretty much the same tactics as when running solo, though be careful to not pull aggro from the tank unless you are sure you can bring it down. To this end you can make greater use of the skills on your back bar that buff/debuff instead of just spamming your primary attack spells. ``` ```

\page # Argonian Shadowscale The Argonians of Black Marsh have long worshipped Sithis, the patron of the Dark Brotherhood. Argonians hatched under the sign of the Shadow are dedicated at birth to His service and sent to the Brotherhood at a young age for training as assassins. ## Leveling Base Class: Nightbalde Shadowscales are assassins, prepared from birth for their role. As such you will absolutely want to max out the Dark Brotherhood skill line, as well as the Assassination and Shadow lines from your class. You will not make heavy use of the siphoning line, but make sure to level it up for the Siphoning Strikes skill. You will probably also want to pick up some skills from the Thieves Guild and Legerdemain lines, as breaking and entering can be useful skills for an assassin - though you have no qualms about simply killing instead of robbing your targets. Put some time into leveling Alchemy for easier access to poisons and potions - especially invisibility and speed potions. >### Optimal races Only an Argonian can be a Shadowscale. Other races can be an Assassin, with the same skillset, though. ### Cosmetics Use the Dark Brotherhood Costume or Motif. You ARE the Brotherhood. Choose pets/mounts that are shadowy or dark if possible. ### Mundus Stone Choose the Shadow or Thief stone to boost your critical hits. ### Stat Distribution Focus on Magicka to maximize your damage output. ``` ```

### Armor Type Medium Armor ### Armor Sets The Archer’s Mind set provides a substantial boost to your critical hits, especially when stealthed, and the Night’s Silence set further boosts criticals while also increasing your stealthed movement speed. Use a single piece from a monster set that boosts Critical Chance, and the Harpooner’s Wading Kilt mythic. ### Weapon Type(s) Dual Wield (daggers) \page ### Skills Set up your front bar with your offensive skills, then duplicate on the back bar, swapping out any two skills (except Concealed Weapon) for your pre-combat buffs: Soul Harvest Impale Dark Shade Concealed Weapon Shadowy Disguise/Merciless Resolve Reaper’s Mark/Siphoning Attacks ### Tactics Activate your Merciless Resolve and Siphoning Attacks prior to initiating combat, then open combat with a Concealed Weapon strike from the flank. Put your Reaper’s Mark on your target and summon your Dark Shade, then use Light Attacks. Use your spectral arrow from Merciless Resolve when it is available, and use Impale to finish off wounded enemies. Utilize Soul Harvest whenever it becomes available. Use Shadowy Disguise if you need to make a getaway. ### Party Role Melee DPS - in a group you probably won’t get a chance to stealth up to your target, but you can still use Concealed Weapon to stun targets by hitting from the flank. Use Shadowy Disguise to shrug off aggro if needed, but otherwise use the same tactics as in solo play.

\page # Battlemage The Battlemage is a defensively oriented caster type, who relies on arcane power to both harm their enemies as well as to protect themselves and their allies. The Imperials are known for their Battlemages, as are the Telvanni dark elves. ## Leveling Base Class: Dragonknight As a Battlemage, you will draw your skills from the Draconic Power class skill line and the Destruction Staff line. You will also utilize Heavy Armor for better defense. You will focus on being able to shield yourself - and occasionally allies - from harm with a variety of damage shields, while also blasting your enemies with magical powers. I do not normally include advice on CP allocation in my builds, but a few skills are of particular note and should be prioritized with this build: in the Warfare tree you will want the Reinforced and Bulwark skills and in the Fitness tree you will want Arcane Alacrity, Shield Master, and Bastion. >### Optimal races The Imperials are known for their battlemages, but other magically inclined races - such as High Elves, Dark Elves, and Bretons - can learn the necessary skills as well. ### Cosmetics Abnur Tharn’s outfit motif is probably the most fitting for an Imperial Battlemage look, but the PvP faction motifs would also work. For a dark elf, Telvanni or Redoran themed motifs are a fitting option, particularly the Telvanni Master Wizard costume worn by Divayth Fyr. Choose mounts and pets appropriate for your race. ### Mundus Stone The Lord Stone not only boosts your health, but will raise the cap on some of your damage shields. ### Stat Distribution Heavy investment into Health and Magicka. ``` ```

### Armor Type Heavy Armor provides greater damage mitigation and improves your tankiness. ### Armor Sets You will want to utilize the Brands of Imperium set and Para Bellum jewelry and weapons, as well as the Lefthanders Aegis Belt Mythic. Round out your gear with any monster set that gives a max health boost as the single item set bonus. If you do not have access to the Mythic piece, I suggest the Infernal Guardian set instead to add more offense that will trigger constantly thanks to your many damage shields. You will also want a Flame Staff for your back bar - I suggest one of the Arena weapons. ### Weapon Type(s) Destruction Staff (Frost)(Flame) \page ### Skills Damage shields are your bread and butter, combined with a taunt and a little bit of offense on your front bar. Slot your back bar with offensive powers for clearing trash enemies faster - making sure to slot the power associated with your Arena Weapon: Ferocious Leap Hardened Armor Green Dragon Blood Frost Clench Frost Blockade Frost Pulsar ### Tactics Damage Shields are the focus here, and you will have the following options: 1)Ferocious Leap - on activation 2)Reinforced - on block 3)Para Bellum - on attack 4)Brands of Imperium - on taking damage 5)Hardened Armor- on activation 6)Frost Blockade - on activation 7)Heavy Attack with Frost Staff 8)Lefthander’s Aegis Belt - replaces dodge roll Open combat with a Ferocious Leap if it is available, otherwise simply charge in. Activate your Hardened Armor and drop a Frost Blockade. Utilize a combination of Frost Pulsars and Heavy Attacks to bring down your target, renewing your armor and blockade as needed. Tap on the Block button periodically to activate the Bulwark damage shield. Heal with Green Dragon Blood if your damage shields aren’t keeping up with the damage you are taking. If you are about to take a particularly hard hit, activate your Lefthanders Aegis damage shield. ### Party Role Tank - overall your tactics will stay the same when in a party, but instead of Frost Pulsar, you will want to use Frost Clench to keep enemies taunted.

\page # Battlesmith When Ysgramor returned from Atmora to bring vengeance for the massacre at Saarthal, he did so with the 500 Companions at his side. These champions slaughtered the Snow Elves and conquered the lands of Skyrim in the late Merethic Era, giving the race of Men their first true foothold on the continent of Tamriel. Long after Ysgramor’s passing, the Companions remain - a company of warriors dedicated to Nordic tradition and to the thrill of battle. And as warriors, they have need of quality weapons and armor. Only the greatest craftsmen prove themselves capable of using the mystical Skyforge, supposedly blessed by Kyne herself, to outfit these mighty warriors. The Battlesmith is, first and foremost, one of these master craftsmen - and uses their skill at crafting to outfit themselves in the best equipment possible, while relying on their status as a werewolf to augment their combat ability. ## Leveling Base Class: Any Early in this character’s career, try to max out the Werewolf skill line and use that as your bread and butter in combat while you focus on maxing out all of the crafting skill lines. Pick up your baseline skill in each of your class lines just so you can be leveling your skill lines, but don’t focus any points towards those lines until later. Later in your career, you will want to pick up one or more weapon skill lines for when you are unable to be in werewolf form, but your werewolf skills will be your go to skills for any major combat. After maxing your crafting skill lines and your Werewolf skills, focus on passive skills that will augment your stats while in werewolf form before putting too much into any secondary weapon skills or class skill lines, and always make sure to utilize your crafting skill to keep yourself decked out in top of the line gear, enchantments, and food buffs. This character is VERY skill point heavy due to the crafting focus and will eventually master multiple weapon lines as well, but having werewolf maxed early gives you most of your combat prowess. >### Optimal races Nord fits the lore best, but the Companions will readily accept members of any human race that show both courage and combat prowess. Members of the beast races are a bit more of a stretch, lore-wise, but still acceptable. Elves of any type (including orcs), however, are not trusted by the Nords and would not be a lore-friendly choice for this build. Imperial is a particularly good choice, if for no other reason than that you don’t have to find the Imperial motif book. For an elven variant on a Battlesmith build, I would drop Werewolf and the Companions tie in and focus on being a tank using the One Hand and Shield line almost exclusively. ``` ```

### Cosmetics As a master craftsman, choose outfit styles that are highly ornate to “show off” your smithing skills. If you have completed the Grand Master Crafter achievement, the Skyforge smithing hammer style is a good choice for your weapon(s). Mechanical pets and mounts are good choices - emphasizing your ability to craft even complex devices like clockwork machinery and automatons. ### Mundus Stone The Lady, boosting resistances is invaluable for solo survivability ### Stat Distribution Lean heavily into Stamina to maximize your offensive capabilities as a werewolf. A small dip into Health is recommended, but with your top of the line gear and werewolf skills, survivability is already high. ### Armor Type Heavy Armor offers the best protection, but make sure to wear one piece of light and one piece of medium to take advantage of the Undaunted passive. While Medium Armor WOULD augment your offensive capabilities, your survivability will drop significantly - and it’s not like you are a slouch in offensive capacity anyway. ### Armor Sets The heavy variant of Bahraha’s curse gives an incredible survivability boost to this build. Couple with Fortified Brass for tankiness or with Hunding’s Rage for offensive capability. Death Dealer’s Fete is a good choice for your mythic item. Cap things off with a single piece from a Stamina boosting monster set. \page ### Weapon Type(s) Early on, you may want to use One Hand and Shield for survivability between werewolf transformations, but later switch to Dual Wield for offensive capability. Picking up Bow for a ranged option is not a bad choice either. ### Skills Pick your favorite class and/or weapon skills for your regular form, focusing on Stamina based skills - but mainly you will be just be using the full set of werewolf skills: Pack Leader Brutal Pounce Hircine’s Fortitude Deafening Roar Howl of Agony Claws of Life ### Tactics Your primary goal is to transform into your werewolf form as early as you can, and stay in it for as long as possible. Utilize your class/weapon skills and the healing from the Bahraha’s Curse set to keep yourself alive until you can transform, then just tear into your enemies with a ferocious assault - utilizing Hircine’s Fortitude when you need it to augment your healing. Howl of Agony will be your primary spammable, but be sure to keep up your buffs and debuffs from your other skills. Utilize your natural speed and Brutal Pounce skill to move from a fallen target to your next victim quickly to keep your werewolf form up as long as possible. ### Party Role Melee DPS/Offtank - while you definitely have the durability to take some solid hits, your lack of a taunt skill while in werewolf form makes you unsuitable to be the party tank. That being said, you can easily utilize your mobility and your AoE attacks to grab adds and keep them off of other party members while they focus on other targets.

\page # Berserker With a tremendous leap, the Berserker tears into their enemy with a furious slash of their twin axes, leaving their opponent bleeding profusely from the gaping wounds left behind. With a roar, the massive Orc draws the enormous axe strapped to their back and continues the assault with a series of rending blows. Recklessly throwing themselves at their enemies, the Berserker is the embodiment of the concept “the best defense is a good offense”. ## Leveling Base Class: Dragonknight You will be utilizing a combination of Dual Wield and Two Handed weapons as a Berserker, relying heavily on Bleed damage. You will also want the Draconic Power skill line from your Dragonknight class. You will wear Medium Armor to maximize your damage output. >### Optimal races Orcs are the quintessential Berserker, utilizing their natural strength to great effect in battle. If you want to reflavor this character as a Berserker of Shor, a Nord would also make a good choice. You could also go for an Argonian Behemoth aesthetic. ### Cosmetics You want to go for a barbaric look with the Berserker. Play up their savagery by leaning into outfit styles that emphasize their barbaric nature. For a Nord take, you could also go with heavy furs. Regardless of your race choice, look for pets/mounts that are large and intimidating, particularly mounts from the Heavyweight category. ### Mundus Stone The Thief stone boosts your chance to deal a critical hit, adding to your already impressive damage output. ### Stat Distribution Invest primarily in Stamina, with only a small dip into Health. You are all about dealing damage ``` ```

### Armor Type Medium Armor ### Armor Sets Savage Werewolf and Blooddrinker augment your ability to deal Bleed Damage. You will also want to acquire the Merciless Charge and Stinging Slashes arena weapon sets. ### Weapon Type(s) Dual Wield (Axe) and Two Handed (Greataxe) \page ### Skills Set up one bar with Dual Wield skills and the other with Two Handed, with your self heal on both bars: Thrive in Chaos/Take Flight Bloodthirst/Stampede Blood Craze/Carve Whirling Blades/Forward Momentum Protective Plate/Executioner Coagulating Blood ### Tactics Open combat with Forward Momentum followed by either Stampede or Take Flight (if it is available), then switch to your dual wield bar. Get your Blood Craze bleed going on your primary target. From there, switch to your Two Handed bar and start using Carve. If an enemy drops below half health, hit them with Executioner. Use Forward Momentum to break out of any snares, Protective Plate as needed for projectile defense, and Coagulating Blood as needed for healing. Throw out a Thrive in Chaos whenever your Ultimate bar fills up. ### Party Role Melee DPS - utilize the same tactics as when soloing. ``` ```

\page # Blood Knight Clad in heavy armor, the Blood Knight wades through battle carving a bloody path through their enemies, reveling in the sight and smell of blood all around them. Maybe you are a devout follower of Molag Bal - finding pleasure in the suffering of the weak. Perhaps you are in the service of a powerful vampire lord, and hope to curry favor with your bloody tactics. Or maybe…you are just insane. ## Leveling Base Class: Nightblade The Blood Knight is an offensively oriented “tank” character that utilizes the Heavy Armor and Two Handed Weapons skills in combat as well as a couple of abilities from the Assassination and Siphoning class skill lines. You will also want to unlock the Undaunted skill line as soon as you can so you can unlock some key abilities that you will need to make the build work. >### Optimal races Any, though it would be unlikely to find a member of any of the Aldmeri Dominion races in this role. ### Cosmetics A lot of options here, depending on personal tastes. Look for intimidating heavy armor motifs and go for bloody and/or gory color schemes. Keep in mind that you are a juggernaut, not a berserker - so steer clear of traditional “barbarian” looks (see Berserker for that build). For mounts and pets, look for options themed around blood. ### Mundus Stone Utilize either the Thief stone to increase critical chance or the Shadow stone to increase the damage from critical strikes. ### Stat Distribution Find a balance between Health and Stamina that fits your playstyle. More Health for a bit more tankiness, more Stamina for a bit more offense. ``` ```

### Armor Type Heavy Armor ### Armor Sets You will want to pick up the Crimson Twilight set as well as jewelry and weapons from the Twin Sisters set. Pick up the Merciless Charge arena weapon and put it on your back bar. Top things off with the Lady Thorn monster set. ### Weapon Type(s) Two Handed Axe \page ### Skills Heavy bleed based damage combined with self heal abilities. Set both bars the same, but swap Executioner for Stampede on the back bar: Incapacitating Strike Overflowing Altar Inner Beast Shrewd Offering Carve Executioner/Stampede ### Tactics Start combat on your back bar by unleashing your Inner beast then Stampeding into the fray. Switch to your front bar and drop an Overflowing Altar, then start slaughtering your enemies with Carve. Try to block an attack at least every 10 seconds to make use of your set proc. Use Incapacitating Strike only when you have over 120 Ultimate so you trigger the stun effect. Once the enemy is below half health switch from Carve to Executioner. If you are not healing enough from your altar and armor procs, use Shrewd Offering as needed. Be sure to activate your Sanguine Burst synergy from your Lady Thorn set when it is available. ### Party Role Tank - when in a group you will want to make more use of your Inner Beast skill to keep enemies taunted. Against boss mobs you might want to continue using Carve even after the enemy drops below half health in order to keep the Bleed effect up as well as renew your damage shield.

\page # Bloodmage The power of blood is no secret to a vampire, but while most vampires know only the personal power they can gain from feeding on the blood of others, the Bloodmage has learned to channel that power to aid their allies as well. ## Leveling Base Class: Nightblade The focus for this build is to be a non-traditional healer who heals by sacrificing their own lifeforce while utilizing lifesteal and draining effects to keep themselves healed while dealing damage at the same time. Aim to pickup the Vampire skill line as quickly as you can because the Vampiric Drain skill is going to be your primary source of damage when soloing. For class skills, only the Siphoning line is of interest to you. Equip a Restoration Staff as soon as you can to start working on your heals until you max out your Vampire skills, which is going to take a long time…and as a fallback source of healing in a pinch. Optionally, you can utilize a Lightning Staff for your front bar in the late game after maxing out your Restoration Staff skills, to take advantage of the passive skills that grant AoE damage on heavy attacks. You might want to consider investing in the Provisioning skill for easier access to the Purifying Bloody Mara and Corrupting Bloody Mara to give you more control over your vampire stage. >### Optimal races Any. A member of any race can succumb to the curse of vampirism. ### Cosmetics You’re a vampiric spellcaster, so play it up. Dark colors, mixed with vibrant blood reds. You can go for a robed caster look, a traditional “Dracula” look, or even go with something that plays up the seductiveness often attributed to vampires. Blood themed or undead mounts and pets are the best fit. ### Mundus Stone The Ritual stone is practically a must for a dedicated healer. ### Stat Distribution Because of the unique nature of your healing, you need a more robust Health pool than most healers. You will still want good investment in Magicka, but don’t neglect Health so that you can power your Healthy Offering heals. Remember that as a vampire, your natural health regeneration is penalized or even halted, so having a larger health pool to start out is a godsend. ``` ```

### Armor Type Light Armor ### Armor Sets The Wisdom of Vanus set gives you a nice boost to your healing and the Call of the Undertaker complements your unique style of healing with it’s Lifesteal effect. Complete your equipment with the Lady Thorn monster set for a perfect thematic touch. ### Weapon Type(s) Restoration Staff, possibly Lightning Staff \page ### Skills Your front bar will hold your Siphoning heals, defensive skills, and your primary Drain attack. Your back bar should contain Restoration Staff heals and buffs in case you need to fall back on the more powerful healing effects for a tough fight - if you do choose to use a Destruction Staff on your front bar, make sure to have a Restoration Staff in your backup slot: Soul Siphon Funnel Health/Sap Essence Blood Mist/Healing Springs Exhilarating Drain/Siphon Spirit Healthy Offering/Healing Ward Hypnosis/Radiating Regeneration ### Tactics When soloing, you are going to want to be in Vampire Stage 4 if possible as you will pretty much be relying on Exhilarating Drain for most of your damage anyway, with an occasional Funnel Health to keep a constant heal-over-time effect up. If facing multiple opponents, use Hypnosis to stun the group while you bring down each target one at a time. Against very large groups of weak enemies, you can use Blood Mist to soften them up, but the damage output is too low for this to be effective against all but the largest of groups. Drop a Soul Siphon whenever it is available. Remember to keep yourself healed to counter your health regen penalties, and that you are particularly vulnerable to fire based attacks. ### Party Role Healer - Proper positioning is crucial for this character, as your most potent heal requires you to be facing your target. Make sure you are always positioned in such a way that the party tank is directly between you and the enemy so you can throw out a Healthy Offering when needed. Be careful about using your Exhilarating Drain when you are the group healer, as you cannot interrupt the drain to throw out a heal if needed. Drop Soul Siphon whenever it becomes available, unless it is clear that the group does not need healing at that moment. Use Blood Mist form against groups of enemies to limit the damage you are taking, while still dealing damage to any enemies in range. You might want to consider dropping down to a lower stage of vampirism when in a group, since you will not be relying as heavily on your vampire skills and the penalties can be a bit of a problem, especially against dungeon bosses.

\page # Blood Stalker Fear of the dark is one of the most common fears amongst mortals, and with creatures like the Blood Stalker lurking in the shadows, these fears are not entirely unfounded. These Vampires are masters of the shadows, striking when one least expects it, then vanishing into the night, leaving only death behind. ## Leveling Base Class: Nightblade The Blood Stalker is a Vampire build that utilizes their natural aptitude for stealth to strike an enemy from the shadows, then retreat before their target’s allies can respond. You will want to pick up the Vampire skill line as early as possible, and you will be leveling the Assassination and Shadow lines from your class. You may find the abilities from the Thieves Guild and/or Dark Brotherhood line useful as well, and both Alchemy and Provisioning are recommended for easy access to potent potions and the Bloody Mara recipes. >### Optimal races Vampires can be of any race or clan, but some clans are more suited to the skillset of the Vampire Stalker than others. Consider playing as a member of the Dunmer Berne clan; a feral Khajiit survivor of the Night Stalker purge; or a Redguard or Breton member of the Khulari, Lyrezi, or Vraseth clans of the Iliac Bay region (refer to Appendix I: Vampire Clans and Werewolf Packs). Also consider that, due to racial passives, Khajiit and Bosmer vampires will have a slight edge when it comes to stealth. ### Cosmetics Depending on how you want to play this character you will want to either dress in the finest assassin’s leathers to play up the sophisticated Vampire rogue persona or in ragged outfits to play as a feral bloodfiend. You will rarely use a mount so pick whatever you like, but a bat or wolf makes the ideal pet. ### Mundus Stone The Thief stone boosts your chance of landing a critical strike. ### Stat Distribution Mostly Magicka to maximize damage output, with a bit into Health ``` ```

### Armor Type Light Armor will maximize your damage output, but Medium Armor is better for survivability and for boosting your stealth ability. If you have the CP to boost your stealth that way, Light Armor is probably the better choice - if not I would use Medium and take the hit to your damage output. ### Armor Sets Your armor set of choice if you go Light Armor will be True-Sworn Fury for the Crit and Damage boosts, and for Medium Armor wearers will be Night Mother’s Embrace for the damage and stealth bonuses. With either choice, utilize Shadow Walker on your jewelry and weapon slots to give yourself a quick way to heal between fights despite your Health Regen penalty from being a Stage 4 Vampire. If you have access to the Harpooner’s Wading Kilt use that in combination with one piece of any monster set that gives a bonus to Critical Chance with the 1 piece bonus. If you do not have the kilt, use the Slimecraw Set as your monster set and just wear both pieces. I don’t normally mention enchantments, but you will probably want some Fire Resist gear to offset the vulnerability you get as a Vampire. ### Weapon Type(s) Dual Wield (Daggers) - even though you won’t be using any weapon styles, you want the passive boosts to damage and Critical Chance. \page ### Skills This character is built primarily around the Vampire skills, but utilizes a handful of other skills for utility: Perfect Scion/Soul Harvest Elusive Mist/Concealed Weapon (solely for the Sneak bonus, DO NOT USE FOR COMBAT) Stupefy/Lotus Fan Exhilarating Drain/Shadowy Disguise Simmering Frenzy/Assassination skill of your choice Blood for Blood/Assassination skill of your choice ### Tactics Utilize stealth to approach your target with your back bar active for the Concealed Weapon Speed Bonus. Once in range, open combat with Lotus Fan and immediately switch to your front bar. Once your enemies turn to face you, hit them with Stupefy, activate Simmering Frenzy and lay into them with Blood for Blood. Make sure to deactivate Simmering Frenzy before it gets out of hand, and reactivate if needed. You can use Stupefy again if needed once the crowd control resistance wears off. Use your Exhilarating Drain ability if you need to heal in combat. Elusive Mist gives you a quick escape if you need one, and Perfect Scion is your emergency trump card to fall back on - eliminating your vampire penalties while also giving you some substantial bonuses. If you do need to flee with your Elusive Mist skill, switch to your back bar once you see an opportunity to Shadowy Disguise and break line of sight to restealth. Do NOT use Concealed Weapon in combat, the stun from Stupefy lasts longer and you do not want to put your enemy in CC resistance for a 3 second stun when you could get a 5 second instead. ### Party Role Melee DPS - in a group you might want to fall back on your Exhilarating Drain as your primary attack to avoid the healing block effect of Blood for Blood. Alternatively, you could consider swapping out one piece of Light Armor for Medium (I recommend the breastplate for maximum defense) and using the Ring of the Pale Order since your party would be unable to heal you anyway.

\page # Champion of Boethiah The Champion of Boethiah follows the precept that glory is found by defeating powerful opponents, and does so by using their own strength against them. Boethiah teaches that it is a guar-eat-guar world out there, and this build takes that literally by feeding on the lifeforce of their opponents to strengthen themselves. ## Leveling Base Class: Nightblade This build starts out slow, because it is VERY gear dependent, and you won’t reach your full potential until you are able to acquire your item sets. While leveling, focus on Two handed weapons - which will be your bread and butter in the late game - but use your Siphoning skills from the Nightblade class to leech health from enemies to keep yourself alive, and use Heavy Armor to mitigate as much damage as possible. Once you get your armor sets, you will not be as dependent on the Siphoning skills. >### Optimal races Dark Elf is the natural choice for a follower of Boethiah, as only they and the Khajiit openly venerate Boethiah (or Boethra, as the Khajiit call him/her). Members of any race, however, can choose to join a Boethiah cult. ### Cosmetics You are the stereotypical black knight, so that’s the look you want to go for. Ebony armor in styles that inspire fear in your opponents, with an ebony 2-handed blade or axe greataxe to match. ### Mundus Stone In the early game you will want the defensive buff from the Lady stone, but once you have your item sets you may want to consider switching to the Lover stone for the damage boost. ### Stat Distribution Heavy investment into both Health and Magicka is recommended for the early game, but later you might want to respec into a Health/Stamina split as you shift away from the Siphoning skills in favor of more Two Handed skills. ``` ```

### Armor Type Heavy Armor ### Armor Sets The Leeching Plate and Crimson Twilight sets are the lynchpin of this build, allowing you to take on both large groups of enemies as well as challenging single targets like World Bosses with relative impunity. Cap off the build with the Titanic Cleave arena weapon. ### Weapon Type(s) Two handed \page ### Skills The focus here is on heavy single target and AoE damage, with a ranged taunt allowing you to function as a primary tank despite your choice of Two Handed weapons: Berserker Rage Inner Beast Sap Essence Stampede Wrecking Blow Carve ### Tactics Early game, make judicious use of the Swallow Soul skill from the Siphoning line, while using your Two Handed weapon skills to bring down opponents. At this point, you should be filling a melee DPS role if you party. Once you have your item sets, everything changes…the life siphoning effects of the two armor sets create a powerful synergy that allows you to heal almost as fast as enemies can hit you. Simply Stampede into battle and let your siphoning effects from your armor do the work of keeping you alive, while you utilize Carve and Wrecking Blow as appropriate and drop a Berserker Rage on your biggest target whenever it becomes available. ### Party Role Tank - Same basic strategy as when running solo, but throw in frequent uses of Inner Beast to keep the enemies taunted. Remember that your taunt is a RANGED taunt, so take advantage of that to pull adds into the crowd you are already in rather than chasing them down - you are at your best when your armor set procs are hitting multiple targets.

\page # Clockwork Apostles As a Clockwork Apostle, you are a devotee of Sotha Sil, and an adherent to his teachings. Whether you follow a martial path - or lean towards the mystical arts - you pursue the Psijic endeavor with a fanaticism that seems like a well-oiled machine. ## Leveling Base Class: Dragonknight (Clockwork Knight) or Sorceror (Clockwork Mage) _Special note: This build actually consists of two very distinct builds. Either of these builds are designed to work independently, but also work very well together as a pair. Consider playing these builds as a husband-wife team, or with a friend that you regularly play at the same time with._

Depending on your predilection towards either the martial or the mystical you will seek to hone your relevant abilities to clockwork precision. As a Clockwork Knight, you will seek to enhance your combat prowess via the One Hand and Shield and Ardent Flame skill lines, while as a Clockwork Mage you will focus on all three of your Sorceror class lines. In either case, you will also be progressing into the Psijic Order skill line for utility and control options. >### Optimal races Dark Elf is the most natural fit for an agent of the Clockwork City, but members of other races are possible. ### Cosmetics You will want to utilize the appropriate Apostle motif for your Clockwork Apostle. Alternatively, you can use the Factotum polymorph and roleplay as a full automaton. Clockwork pets and mounts of any sort will work for either variation.

``` ```

### Mundus Stone The Lady stone will best help you fulfill your tank role as a Clockwork Knight. As a Clockwork Mage, instead use the Thief Stone to improve your precision. ### Stat Distribution As a Clockwork Knight you will want to put a heavy emphasis on Health, with a modest investment in Stamina. If you are pursuing the Clockwork Mage alternative, invest mostly into Magicka, with only a small investment in Health. ### Armor Type Heavy Armor for Clockwork Knights, Light Armor for Clockwork Mages. ### Armor Sets As a Clockwork Knight, you will utilize the Livewire and Automated Defense sets to give yourself a continuous source of healing, along with enhancements to your healing received. Cap things off with the Puncturing Remedy arena set.

As a Clockwork Mage, utilize the Mad Tinkerer and Master Architect sets to boost your damage output and your critical hit chance. Top things off with the Engine Guardian monster set to add utility in the form of a mechanical construct that heals and renews resources. ### Weapon Type(s) One Hand and Shield (Knight) or Lightning Staff (Mage) \page ### Skills As a Clockwork Knight, you will focus on abilities that allow you to tank, as well as control and debuff options: Shield Discipline Time Freeze Crushing Weapon Channeled Acceleration Empowering Chains Pierce Armor

As a Clockwork Mage, you will focus primarily on control options, with some solid sources of reliable damage: Precognition Time Freeze/Mend Spirit* Bound Aegis Rune Cage Lightning Flood Crystal Fragments ### Tactics As a Clockwork Knight, you will want to open combat by buffing with Channeled Acceleration then using Empowering Chains to close the distance between you and the opponent. Drop a Time Freeze to stun your enemies then begin weaving castings of Crushing Weapon with Light Attacks to keep your enemy debuffed and boost your damage. Use Shield Discipline if you need to block a big hit. As a Clockwork Mage, you will want to open from a distance with Crystal Fragments. The Verminous Fabricants from your Mad Tinkerer set proc should buy you some time before the enemy reaches you. Once the enemies have closed in, drop a Time Freeze followed by a Lightning Flood at their feet and pummel them with Crystal Fragments and/or blasts from your staff. Renew Lightning Flood as needed. Use Rune Cage to stun and damage adds throughout the fight as needed. Use Bound Aegis if you need to block a big hit, but it is mainly there for the passive buff. If you take a big hit, use Precognition to undo the damage. ### Party Role Tank (Knight) or DPS/Healer (Mage) - The Clockwork Knight is well suited to be the party tank. Make good use of your Pierce Armor taunt and Empowering Chain skills to keep enemies close to you to trigger your Livewire heals. As the Clockwork Mage, stay in the back line and use ranged attacks, but switch out your Time Freeze skill for Mend Spirit if heals are needed, especially if paired with a Clockwork Knight who can use their own Time Freeze skill.

\page # Daedric Knight The Daedric Knight is a highly trained soldier that has turned to Daedra worship and the use of Dark Magic to augment their combat prowess. Legion Zero of the Imperial regiments were the first to tread this dark path, dedicating themselves to the service of Molag Bal in exchange for power. ## Leveling Base Class: Sorcerer You will be drawing most of your skills from the Daedric Summoning and Dark Magic skill lines, with a couple One Hand and Shield skills to round things out. Deck yourself out in a full set of Heavy Armor as soon as you can. >### Optimal races Any, but the original Legion Zero knights that first pursued this path were Imperials. ### Cosmetics Think “evil knight” and you’ll be on the right track. Dark colors with intimidating Daedric looking motifs are your go tos. Choose an imposing mount and pet, preferably something of Daedric origin. ### Mundus Stone Utilize the Lady Stone to improve your damage resistance. ### Stat Distribution Heavy emphasis on Health with a smaller investment into Magicka. ``` ```

### Armor Type Heavy Armor ### Armor Sets You will want the Foolkiller’s Ward and Coldharbour’s Favorite sets. Top things off with the Lord Warden’s monster set. For a slightly more offensively oriented build, swap out one of the other two sets for the Destructive Mage set. ### Weapon Type(s) As a traditional tank you will focus on the One Hand And Shield line. \page ### Skills Put a mix of offensive and defensive abilities on both front and back bars, but make sure to have your taunt on both bars: Suppression Field Ransack Crystal Weapon/Defensive Rune Dark Conversion/Restraining Prison Daedric Minefield/Deep Slash Bound Aegis/Hardened Ward ### Tactics With their long duration, you should be able to easily enter combat with Defensive Rune and Daedric Minefield already active. Switch freely between your bars, using Bound Aegis and Hardened Ward to mitigate damage and Crystal Weapon, Deep Slash, and Ransack to output damage. Be sure to occasionally Block in order to activate your damage shield from your armor set. If you need a heal despite your substantial damage mitigation, use Dark Conversion. Recast Daedric Minefield and/or Restraining Prison and take a step back from immobilized enemies if you need to give yourself a little breathing room, and drop a Suppression Field whenever it becomes available. ### Party Role Primary Tank - Same overall tactics as solo play, but make sure to utilize Ransack frequently to keep enemies taunted.

\page # Dark Tormentor You thrive on the torment of others. Maybe you are a follower of Molag Bal, maybe you frequent the darker corners of Sanguine’s Myriad Realms of Revelry, maybe you are a descendant of the Ayleids who wants to revel in torture like your ancestors, or maybe you are just plain sadistic; but regardless of the “why” you want to keep your victims bound to you so you can hear their dying screams. ## Leveling Base Class: Dragonknight The Dark Tormenter is a tank build that uses tether effects to benefit from keeping enemies close to them. You will be leveling all of your class skill lines and will need to get the Fighter’s Guild line to at least two for the Silver Bolts skill. You will also want both the One Hand and Shield and the Destruction Staff weapon skill lines. >### Optimal races Any race can fill the role of a Dark Tormenter. ### Cosmetics You are going to want to go for a Daedric look, so any motifs of Daedric origin or appearance are good: Daedric, Xivkyn, or Hollowjack are good fits. Choose a mount and pet of Daedric origin. ### Mundus Stone The Lover Stone grants damage penetration bonuses and is fitting for the theme. ### Stat Distribution Heavy investment in Health for tanking purposes, the rest in Stamina for damage output. ``` ```

### Armor Type Light and Heavy Armor mix; All Heavy Armor would be better for tanking, but due to how the weapon swapping will work you will need to mix in some Light Armor. ### Armor Sets This one is a little bit more complex than usual in order to get all the tethers functioning as intended. You will want Bani’s Torment for your chest, legs, boots, weapon, and shield slots; Dark Convergence for belt, gloves, and jewelry; and the Stone Husk monster set. Put a Wrath of Elements FROST staff on your back bar. You may also want to pick up a Void Bash set for group play (see party tactics below) ### Weapon Type(s) One Hand and Shield/Frost Staff \page ### Skills One Hand and Shield skills on front bar, Frost Staff skills on back bar with your pulls and class skills on both bars: Shifting Standard Pierce Armor/Unstable Wall of Frost* Shielded Assault/Elemental Drain+ Unrelenting Grip Cinder Storm Silver Leash
*swap to Pierce Armor if using Void Bash
+swap to Power Slam if using Void Bash

_Addendum: You can also make this setup work with a Warden by replacing Unrelenting Grip with Frozen Retreat, Cinder Storm with Corrupting Pollen, and Shifting Standard with Permafrost and switching to Magicka instead of Stamina. You will have to be careful not to accidentally proc DC with your Frozen Retreat runes with this setup, which is why I opted for Dragonknight._ ### Tactics You will be doing ALOT of bar switching with this character. You will want to initiate combat from your back bar with Elemental Drain to trigger your tether from your staff, then immediately shift to the front bar and close the distance with Shielded Assault. Hit an enemy with Pierce Armor to trigger the Bani’s Torment tether then switch BACK to your back bar and drop an Unstable Wall of Frost to trigger the Dark Convergence proc and gain a damage shield. Use a HEAVY attack on your enemies to trigger your Stone Husk tether. Keep this overall pattern up, keeping track of the timers on your tethers and Dark Convergence cooldowns so you can switch bars as needed to reactivate them. Drop a Cinder Storm for some healing if needed and trigger another Dark Convergence proc in the process. You can also use (or move) your Shifting Standard to trigger your Dark Convergence as well. ### Party Role Tank - your goal is to keep as many enemies as possible stuck to you so use your pulls to drag enemies in before hitting them with Dark Convergence procs. When running with a group you should switch out your Wrath of the Elements staff for your Void Bash set, foregoing the damage tether for the ability to keep your enemies piled up on you. With this setup, you can initiate combat by using Shielded Assault to rush in, Power Slam an enemy to pile them all up, then immediately use Cinder Storm or Shifting Standard to trigger your Dark Convergence.

\page # Dervish A whirlwind of blades, the Dervish moves through the battlefield like a biting sirocco, slicing down enemies all around herself. To an onlooker, the Dervish’s strikes move with such speed that they seem like they must be magical, but they are merely the result of years of training with the blade. ## Leveling Base Class: Dragonknight The Dual Wield skill line will be your bread and butter, with a bit of Flame and Wind themed abilities thrown in for a bit of desert wind theme after a little bit of reflavoring. You will utilize the Earthen Heart class skill line for buffing and supplemental damage, but your focus is on using your superior speed to move quickly around the battlefield and strike with your Dual Blades. >### Optimal races Dervishes are most common among the desert-dwelling Redguards where even those who fail to manage the discipline required to master the shihei frequently can wield a pair of blades with more skill than those of other races can imagine. Khajiit monks, particularly those of the Order of the Desert Wind, are also adept at this style of fighting. ``` ``` ### Cosmetics You are an agile desert warrior, so look for outfits that fit that theme. Flowing outfits that allow for free movement, in light colors like whites and tans are most appropriate. Scimitar- or khopesh-style blades - particularly Yokudan, Pellitine, or Anequina styles - are the most fitting for weapons. For pets/mounts, try to select a desert dwelling creature, or go with wind-themed creatures. ### Mundus Stone The Steed stone further emphasizes your enhanced mobility. ### Stat Distribution As a dedicated melee weapon user lean heavily into Stamina. ### Armor Type Medium Armor ### Armor Sets Get the Arms of Relequen set for some additional wind-themed damage and Gryphon’s Ferocity for a boost to your speed. Round things out with the Chaotic Whirlwind arena set. Consider replacing the Chaotic Whirlwind weapons and working the Kargaeda monster set into the build instead for a more thematic fit. ### Weapon Type(s) Dual Wield (swords)

\page ### Skills Heavy emphasis on AoE melee damage with a smattering of secondary skills: Thrive in Chaos Molten Armaments Eruption Whirling Blades Deadly Cloak Rapid Strikes ### Tactics Start combat by enhancing your blades with desert heat with Molten Armaments, then use Eruption to summon a burning desert sirocco around your enemies. Move in to melee range and let loose with your remaining skills, leaning heavily on Whirling Blades for the stacking buff from Chaotic Whirlwind. Use your superior mobility to avoid enemy AoEs and try to keep as many targets in range of your blades as possible. ### Party Role Melee DPS - no change in tactics from solo play. With your speed you can easily intercept adds and kite them away from weaker party members until the tank can taunt them - if they don’t die to your attacks first.

\page # Disciple of Mephala Why get your own hands dirty, when you can manipulate others into doing the dirty work for you? That’s the mindset of the Disciple of Mephala; using Mephala’s arts of manipulation - specifically poison and summoned daedra - to take down her enemies. As a follower of the Mistress of Sex, Lies, and Secret Murder your goal is to let others take the blame and never let the evidence lead back to you. No one can trace a murder weapon when it was a summoned blade after all. ## Leveling Base Class: Sorcerer Right out of the gate you will want to start focusing on your Daedric Summoning and Bow Skill lines. These will be your primary skills for the entirety of your career. You will be letting your summons do most of the work for you, while providing backup in the form of bow attacks, leaning into abilities that do poison damage specifically. Early on, you might want to slot the Daedric Prey skill to add to your pets’ damage output, swapping it out later once you have your armor sets to boost your poison attacks. >### Optimal races A Dark Elf is the most natural choice for a follower of Mephala, as she is venerated as a patroness of the Dunmer race, but members of any race can conceivably become followers of the Webspinner. ### Cosmetics Think “venomous spider” and dress accordingly. I personally like the New Moon Priest motif in deep greens and black. As a follower of the Webspinner, you are anything but an arachnophobe. If you can pick up Selene’s bow style it is the perfect fit for this character. For pets/mounts, anything spidery is good, or anything that screams “poisonous”. ### Mundus Stone The Thief stone is good for adding to your critical hits and overall damage output. Strike fast, strike hard, leave no survivors. ### Stat Distribution Lean heavily into Stamina. While you DO utilize summons, most of your Magicka expenditure is done outside of combat, and your Health is less important since you are attacking from range while your Unstable Clannfear is doing the tanking. ``` ```

### Armor Type Medium Armor - as a ranged weapon attacker you benefit more from Medium Armor than any other type. ### Armor Sets The Swamp Raider and Witch-Knight’s Defiance sets give nice boosts to your poison damage, and the Master’s Bow is a natural fit for this build ### Weapon Type(s) Bow \page ### Skills Keep your summons on your bar at all times, fill the rest of the bar with ranged attacks with an emphasis on poison-based skills. I set up both bars the same except swapping Acid Spray (short range AoE) for Arrow Barrage (long range AoE) for use in group play: Summon Charged Atronach Summon Twilight Matriarch Summon Unstable Clannfear Poison Injection Acid Spray/Arrow Barrage Bound Armaments ### Tactics Keep your pets summoned at all times so you aren’t wasting time and Magicka summoning them at the start of a fight. At the start of combat, cast Bound Armaments then start pummeling your enemies with your Poison Injection skill and Light Attacks. Throw down a Summoned Charged Atronach when needed, and use Acid Spray if the opportunity presents itself to catch multiple enemies with the shot. ### Party Role Ranged DPS - Same strategy as solo play, except use Arrow Barrage to keep up a steady stream of AoE damage when the situation calls for it.

\page # Disciple of Mehrunes Dagon While many see Mehrunes Dagon as nothing more than a harbinger of destruction, you know that the chaos he brings serves a purpose. For change to happen, existing regimes have to be brought down and sometimes - nearly always in your eyes - that requires violence. And that is where you come in, as a Disciple of Mehrunes. ## Leveling Base Class: Dragonknight A true pyromancer at heart, you will focus on the Ardent Flame skill line as well as wield an Inferno Staff throughout your entire career. Destruction is what you revel in, and you desire nothing more than to watch everything around you burn. You will still want skills from your other class skill lines, so don’t neglect them entirely. As a pure spellcaster you should consider joining the Mages Guild for access to more destructive magic, but the Psijic Order holds no interest for you. >### Optimal races Bretons make for natural spellcasters and are more likely to be drawn to Mehrunes worship than other magically-inclined races. Renegade Dark Elves also are a good choice thematically with their natural resistance to flame. Ultimately, however, members of any race can find themselves drawn into the service of a Daedric Prince. ### Cosmetics Go all in on the fire theme. Flaming red robes, fire Atronach pets and mounts, just surrender to the flame. ### Mundus Stone The Apprentice stone provides an increase in damage to your spells. ### Stat Distribution Invest heavily in Magicka to power your spell casting. Because many of your attacks are short range however, you may want to invest a little more in Health than a typical caster, as you will more often find yourself in harm’s way. ``` ```

### Armor Type Light Armor. As a pure spellcaster you benefit most from a full set of Light Armor. ### Armor Sets Any two of the Burning Spellweave, Mantle of Siroria, or Silks of the Sun sets. The Maw of the Infernal monster set caps your damage output off and fits the character theme nicely as well. ### Weapon Type(s) Inferno Staff \page ### Skills Flame damage is the name of the game here, with a very minor heal to make up for the extra damage you are taking by being in close range. Front bar and back bar the same except for the Ultimate skill - use Shooting Star for more AoE damage (if you pursued the Mage’s Guild skill line) and Standard of Might when you need a buff to single target damage: Standard of Might/Shooting Star Flames of Oblivion Burning Embers Obsidian Shard Engulfing Flames Burning Talons ### Tactics Open with Flames of Oblivion, ideally from just outside of detection range, then burn your enemies to cinders with everything in your arsenal: Burning Embers for single targets, Engulfing Flames (or Shooting Star when it comes available) for groups - with an occasional Obsidian Shard to help recover some of the damage you are taking if you need it. Drop a Burning Talons to root an enemy out of melee range if you find yourself getting overrun and a Standard of Might if you need a damage boost. ### Party Role Ranged DPS - No change in tactics from solo play, except that you will probably want to open up boss fights with your Standard of Might and recast it any time it is available. ``` ```

\page # Disciple of Peryite Disease is a blessing in disguise. Disease is a part of the natural order that serves to purge the weak and the unworthy, allowing the strong to not only survive, but to thrive. As a Disciple of Peryite, you seek to bring his blessings to all, knowing that those who survive will ultimately be the stronger for it. ## Leveling Base Class: Nightblade This character specializes in Disease damage, which limits your skill selection to close combat skills from the Assassination skill line. You will also dabble in the Siphoning line a little. Weapon selection is largely irrelevant, so choose any martial melee weapon type you like - One Hand and Shield for higher defense, Dual Wield for higher single target damage, or Two Handed for AoE splash damage. You will not be using Weapon skills, so the difference will be subtle and is really just a matter of preference. >### Optimal races As with other Daedric Princes, members of any race can be found in the service of the Taskmaster. ### Cosmetics Primitive, or better yet tattered, gear is the goal gear. As a faithful follower of Peryite, you are afflicted with all manner of diseases and shunned by civilized society, so try to dress like a social pariah. If you can get the Peryite’s Afflicted skin, use it. For pets/mounts look for choices that look diseased or that are fungal in nature. ### Mundus Stone Choose the Mundus Stone whose bonus matches your weapon type - Lover(mace), Shadow(axe), Thief(dagger), or Warrior(sword). ### Stat Distribution Lean heavily into Stamina, with maybe a little Health for survivability. ``` ```

### Armor Type Medium Armor - you are a Stamina based melee combatant and benefit most from Medium Armor. ### Armor Sets The Affliction and Morag Tong sets will boost your Disease damage. Utilize the Maarselok, Thurvokun, or Velidreth monster sets to add additional Disease Damage. ### Weapon Type(s) Any melee Martial Weapon style \page ### Skills Close combat skills with an emphasis on Disease Damage: Incapacitating Strike Ambush Leeching Strikes Relentless Focus Power Extraction Killer’s Blade ### Tactics Activate Relentless Focus before initiating combat, then open with Ambush, trying to place yourself in range of as many targets for your Power Extraction as possible. Pummel your enemies with a rapid barrage of Light Attacks, firing the spectral arrow from Relentless Focus when it is available. If you are using the Maarselok set, try to toss in a Heavy Attack every 10 seconds for the proc, otherwise try to stick to Light Attacks. Use Killer’s Blade to finish off enemies at low health, and activate Leeching Strikes if you need the healing boost. Use Incapacitating Strike whenever you have the 120 Ultimate to trigger the stun effect. ### Party Role Melee DPS - no change in tactics from solo play.

\page # Disciple of Tu'whacca As a devout follower of Tu’whacca, you have dedicated yourself to protecting the spirits of the Redguard people by hunting down and destroying undead and the necromancers who create them. Wielding the holy power of Tu’whacca, you seek to burn away the unclean with holy fire. ## Leveling Base Class: Templar You will be using a Flame Staff as your primary weapon and focusing on the Dawn’s Wrath skill from your class. You will also want to invest into the Aedric Spear line (mainly for passives). Optionally, you can level your Restoring Light line for some backup heals. >### Optimal races Traditionally only Redguards follow the Yokudan pantheon, but this could be reflavored to a different divine entity if you wanted to play a different race. ### Cosmetics You are a desert warrior priest, so wearing desert appropriate styles is your aim here. Light colors - particularly whites and tans - are good, in loose fitting desert garb. Pick up a desert appropriate mount - perhaps a camel - and a desert dwelling pet. ### Mundus Stone As a follower of the Trickster god, use the Thief stone to boost your chance of a critical hit. ### Stat Distribution Primarily invest in Magicka, but consider putting a few points into Health for survivability. ``` ```

### Armor Type Light Armor - you are a spellcaster and benefit most from wearing light armor. ### Armor Sets Any two of the Burning Spellweave, Mantle of Siroria, or Silks of the Sun sets. Top things off with the Zaan monster set. ### Weapon Type(s) Flame Staff \page ### Skills Load up with damaging skills from your Dawn’s Wrath and Destruction Staff Skill lines. If you leveled your Restoring Light line, put some heals on your back bar: Fiery Rage/Solar Prison Radiant Ward Vampire’s Bane Radiant Glory Flame Pulsar(or Solar Barrage) Purifying Light ### Tactics Open combat with Vampire’s Bane, then drop a Purifying Light on your target. If the enemy is below half health hit them with Radiant Glory, otherwise use Flame Pulsar(or Solar Barrage) to soften them up. Use Radiant Ward if you come under attack and need the protection. Drop a Solar Prison or Fiery Rage when they come available. ### Party Role Ranged DPS/secondary healer - no change in tactics from solo play, but if you chose to level your Restoring Light line you can swap to your back bar and throw out some healing if needed. ``` ```

\page # Disciple of Vaermina Vaermina. For most people in Tamriel, the name of the Lady of Nightmares is spoken in hushed whispers - if at all. To draw her attention is to invite the horrors that dwell in the darkest corners of your sleeping mind. But for those who serve the Lady, these terrors hold a power that, if harnessed, can be turned on one’s enemies. As a Disciple of Vaermina, you do not shy away from fear, for you ARE fear itself. ## Leveling Base Class: Nightblade The Disciple of Vaermina is a Flame Staff wielding, Light Armor wearer that specializes in fear and debuff effects. You will primarily be focusing on the Shadow class skill line to unlock your fear skill, but you will ultimately utilize skills from all three of your class skill lines. You will also want to level your Undaunted skill line. >### Optimal races As with other Daedric Princes, members of any race can be found in Vaermina’s service. ### Cosmetics Dress to terrify. Look for motifs and color schemes that appear frightful. The Hollowjack or Grim Harlequin styles can make for a good choice, as can some styles of Daedric origin. Choose mounts and pets that have a frightening appearance. ### Mundus Stone The Mage stone gives a much needed boost to your Max Magicka. ### Stat Distribution Primarily focus on Magicka, with just enough into Health that you can survive a big hit. ``` ```

### Armor Type Light Armor ### Armor Sets You will want to make use of Rush of Agony jewelry and weapons, and Critical Riposte armor pieces. Cap things off with the Shadowrend monster set. ### Weapon Type(s) Destruction Staff (Flame) \page ### Skills Load up your front bar with your utility skills. Fill your back bar with your choice of attack skills for some offensive capability. Veil of Blades Mass Hysteria Tangling Webs Lotus Fan Sap Essence Crippling Grasp ### Tactics You will initiate combat by teleporting in with Lotus Fan - launching a spray of daggers at your target and pulling all nearby enemies in due to Rush of Agony, then immediately follow up with Mass Hysteria to fear them. Drop a Tangling Webs at their feet and debuff them with Sap Essence and Crippling Grasp. Switch to your back bar to bring them down, switching back to reapply fear and debuffs as needed. ### Party Role Ranged DPS - Use similar tactics to solo play, but forego your Lotus Fan in order to maintain distance. Recast Tangling Webs as needed so that party members can utilize the synergy and in general just try to keep enemies feared as much as you can. ``` ```

\page # Dro-m'Athra _"Namiira's darkness swirls amid our dreams and doubts. All the evils of Oblivion rake their claws and gnash their fangs against the Lattice, seeking to take our old souls as a prize. Be cautious. Move swiftly. Hide your hearts away in the thick jungles of the self and think often of their great worth. For if you fail to hear the beating of your own heart, the beat of Lorkhaj's will take its place forevermore."_ —Rid-Thar-ri'Datta

A unique balance of light and dark exists within the Khajiiti heart, and a Dro-m’Athra is a Khajiit whose soul has been corrupted by Namira. This is particularly emphasized in this build due to the darkness-based powers that are corrupted versions of “holy” powers. ## Leveling Base Class: Templar As a Dro-m’Athra, you embrace the power of corruption and the void. You will focus primarily on the Dawn’s Wrath skill line, specifically for the “dark” morphs of the Solar Flare and Eclipse skills. You will also need to level the Mages Guild, Undaunted, and Soul Magic lines. Pick either Two Handed or Dual Wield weapons to maximize offense. >### Optimal races While members of any race can be corrupted by Namira, only Khajiit can become Dro-m’Athra. ### Cosmetics The Dro-m’Athra motif is the obvious choice and if you have the Dro-m’Athra skin all the better. Use the darkest black dyes that you can. For pet/mount try to pick something with a shadow theme. ### Mundus Stone The Shadow Stone is - without question - the most thematic choice for a void corrupted Dro-m’Athra. ### Stat Distribution Lean heavy into Stamina but with a decent investment into Health since you will be in melee combat with limited self-healing abilities. ``` ```

### Armor Type Medium Armor ### Armor Sets You will want to get Grace of Gloom weapons and jewelry, the Shadowrend monster set, and the Sload’s Semblance set for the rest for several shadow-themed abilities. ### Weapon Type(s) Two handed or Dual Wield \page ### Skills Offensive skills with a general theme of corrupting either yourself or the target: Onslaught/Thrive in Chaos Consuming Trap Dark Flare Living Dark Degeneration Mystic Orb ### Tactics Open combat by buffing yourself with Living Dark followed by a Mystic Orb from range. Fire off a Degeneration as you close to melee range. Weave Dark Flares with regular attacks to take full advantage of the Empower buff from Dark Flare while making sure to renew your Living Dark effect as needed. Use Onslaught or Thrive in Chaos (as appropriate for your weapon type) when it is available. If an enemy is about to die try to hit them with a Consuming Trap for some extra self-healing. ### Party Role Melee DPS - No change in tactics from solo play.

\page # Druid of the Old Ways The Druids of the Old Ways are practitioners of an ancient form of magic that originated amongst the Nedes in the Merethic Era, long before the coming of Ysgramor to Tamriel’s shore. Passed down for generations by the Bretons of the Systres, the way of the Druids teaches veneration of Y’ffre and the natural world. The Druids are primarily split into three major Circles: the friendly Stonelore Circle, the wary Firesong Circle, and the xenophobic Eldertide Circle. Members of any Circle are able to draw on the powers of any of the elements as they impose their interpretation of Y’ffre’s will.

_Special Note: Druidic Circles are separated by ideologies - not by specific elements. For purposes of build design, I have separated them into templates based on element, but you could easily play a Firesong tank or Stonelore healer - or mix and match powers to form a hybrid build. Also refer to the Hedge wizard build for another hybrid “Druid” option._ ## Leveling Base Class: Dragonknight(Firesong/Stonelore) or Warden(Eldertide) Depending on which path you choose, your leveling will be vastly different. The Stonelore tank build will want to focus on the Frost Staff line and the Dragonknight’s Earthen Heart line. Get your Destruction Staff leveled to the point that you can evolve your Destructive Clench skill ASAP so that you have a taunt. The Firesong DPS build will instead wield a Flame Staff, and will draw upon powers from the Mage’s Guild line as well as all three of the Dragonknight lines. Finally, the Eldertide healer build will focus almost entirely on the Green Balance skill line, but you will also want to pick up the Psijic line for one skill. Again, remember that members of any Circle can draw upon the full range of Druidic powers and are not limited to a specific element or build, so feel free to play a xenophobic Eldertide tank, or a friendly Stonelore healer. >### Optimal races Bretons are the most likely candidates for membership in a Druidic Circle, but the Stonelore Circle is accepting of members of any race ### Cosmetics Go for somewhat of a natural look with the Druid. Simple styles, with an emphasis on fur and bone motifs, work best. Use greens and earthy tones. You should look like someone who lives alone in the forest, so no fancy embroidery or flashy pieces. If you can get the Chokethorn or the Nazaray weapon style it fits perfectly on a Druid. For mounts/pets, try to go with something natural, like an elk or wolf. ``` ```

### Mundus Stone Use either the Lady, Shadow, or Ritual stones depending on whether you are going Tank, DPS, or Healer respectively. ### Stat Distribution A mix of Health and Magicka, leaning more towards Health for an Earthlore build and more towards Magicka for Firesong/Eldertide. ### Armor Type Heavy Armor for Stonelore, Light Armor for Firesong/Eldertide. ### Armor Sets For all three types, plan on using the Chokethorn monster set for a nature-themed boost to your healing ability. Stonelore: you will want the Grave Guardian and Haven of Ursus sets. Firesong: you will want the Flame Blossom and Hiti’s Hearth sets. Eldertide: you will want the Whorl of the Depths and Spell Power Cure sets. ### Weapon Type(s) Frost Staff (Stonelore), Flame Staff (Firesong), or Lightning Staff (Eldertide) \page ### Skills Your skill selection will depend on your choice of build, but in all cases will contain a mix of offense and healing. Only the Firesong build requires use of the back bar, but you could easily make use of the back bar on the Stonelore or Eldertide build to either hybridize your skillset or double down on your existing focus.

Stonelore: A mixture of offensive and defensive options, with a taunt to let you tank. Equip a Frost Staff on your front bar. Optionally, add a One Hand and Shield to your back bar for additional tankiness or load up with Destruction Staff skills for more Offense. Magma Shell Stone Giant Fragmented Shield Shattering Rocks Cinder Storm Frost Clench

Firesong: Put a Flame Staff on both your front and back bar. Each bar will have a mixture of heavy offense and some moderate healing: Fiery Rage/Shooting Star Flame Lash/Burning Embers Cauterize/Cinder Storm Dragon Fire Scale/Igneous Weapons Flame Clench/Flame Pulsar Scalding Rune/Burning Talons

Eldertide: Equip a Lightning Staff on your front Bar to get a little bit of added offensive punch. Optionally, equip a Restoration Staff on the back bar to double down on your healing capabilities or simply load up on Destruction Staff skills for more offense. Healing Thicket Budding Seeds Living Trellis Green Lotus Nature’s Embrace Symbiosis ### Tactics Stonelore: Open up combat by activating Fragmented Shield and closing with your opponent before activating Stone Giant to give yourself three charges you can launch at your enemies to stagger them. Use these charges (renewing as necessary) in combination with Shattering Rocks to keep enemies off balance. Renew your Fragmented Shield as needed, throw out a Cinder Storm as needed to hinder your enemies and heal allies, and activate Magma Shell to absorb big hits when available. Firesong: Although you use a Flame Staff, a number of your skills require you to be closer to your enemies. Activate Dragon Fire Scale and/or Igneous Weapons as you close with your enemies - renewing as necessary - then drop a Scalding Rune so it can start charging. Keep Cauterize and/or Cinder Storm up as much as you can to have a renewable source of healing. Use any combination of Flame Lash, Burning Embers, Flame Pulsar, and Flame Clench to damage your enemies, keeping the secondary effects of the skills in mind to get the best effects, and drop a Fiery Rage or Shooting Star whenever they become available.

Eldertide: You have very little in the way of offensive capabilities, so you will be relying on basic Light and Heavy attacks as well as your superior healing abilities to survive in combat. Try to open combat with Green Lotus and Living Trellis active, and renew them as needed. Drop Budding Seeds as needed throughout combat, and a Healing Thicket if in dire straits. ### Party Role Stonelore: Tank - Similar strategy to solo play, but be sure to work Frost Clench into your rotation to keep enemies taunted.

Firesong: Ranged DPS - Keep the same basic pattern as in solo play, but use Burning Talons to pin down adds as needed.

Eldertide: Primary Healer - Group play is where you shine. Few enemies will be able to keep up with your formidable healing skills. Use the same tactics as in solo play, but throw out a Nature’s Embrace for a quick targeted heal when needed. If you somehow are finding yourself still overwhelmed, forego your Green Lotus and activate your Symbiosis instead.

\page # Frostcaster The shamans of the frozen north still sometimes practice the ancient art of Frost Magic, harnessing the power of the environment they dwell in to create potent magicka effects. Known as Frostcasters, these practitioners of magic utilize Frost Magic in all of its forms to great effect. ## Leveling Base Class: Warden Focus on the Winter’s Embrace and Destruction Staff skill lines, as all of your skills except one will come from those two lines. You will also want to complete the Mage’s Guild line for the Ice Comet morph of the Ultimate. >### Optimal races While many mages utilize Frost Magic, only the Skaal Nords are really known for their Frostcasters. ### Cosmetics You will want to outfit your Frostcaster in traditional Nordic outfit styles, with the Stahlrim Frostcaster motif being the ideal look. Use either Ice-based or wolf mounts and pets. ### Mundus Stone The Mage stone boosts your available Magicka to offset the costs of your spells. ### Stat Distribution As a dedicated spellcaster, focus on Magicka. ``` ```

### Armor Type Light Armor ### Armor Sets Frostbite and Ysgramor’s Birthright give the biggest boost to your Frost Magic damage. Finish the build with the Iceheart monster set for additional Frost effects. ### Weapon Type(s) Frost Staff \page ### Skills Load up your bars with the available Frost Magic spells, the only difference between front and back bars is the Ultimate skill: Ice Comet/Icy Rage Winter’s Revenge Arctic Blast Blockade of Frost Ice Fortress Frost Pulsar ### Tactics Cast Ice Fortress before combat starts. Open combat with a Frost Pulsar and Winter’s Revenge, then drop a Blockade of Frost and use Arctic Blast if enemies get close to you, while pummeling enemies with blasts from your staff. Let loose with Ice Comet or Icy Rage when your Ultimate comes available ### Party Role Ranged DPS - Use your ability to limit enemy movement with your Chill effects to help control adds and keep Ice Fortress up on your party at all times. Use your Ultimates against targets of opportunity.

\page # Guardian As long as evil exists, there will be need for individuals willing to protect others from that evil. As a Guardian, you call upon the holy powers of the Aedra to aid you in protecting those around you. Even those who fight on the front lines can benefit from the presence of a Guardian, with their powers to both protect and heal. ## Leveling Base Class: Templar As a Guardian you will be utilizing skills from all three of your class skill lines, and you will also need to level up your Alliance War skill lines to at least 6. You will be wearing Heavy Armor and wielding One Hand and Shield armaments and will level those naturally as well. >### Optimal races Any race can fill the role of a Guardian. ### Cosmetics You are a holy warrior dedicated to protecting others, so you are aiming for a “white knight” look. Personally I like the look of the Gloambound shield, reflavored as a “force shield”, but for the most part you will want to avoid anything that looks Daedric. Aedric or holy themed pets and mounts are your go to. ### Mundus Stone The Lord Stone will help boost your tankiness, allowing you to devote more of your stat points to your Magicka for your powers without risking your Max Health being too low to take some hits. ### Stat Distribution Relatively even split between Health and Magicka. ``` ```

### Armor Type As a tank, you will want to utilize Heavy Armor. ### Armor Sets You will utilize Almalexia’s Mercy jewelry and weapons and Grave Guardian armor pieces. This will give you two party buffs for any party members near you. Top things off with the Lord Warden’s monster set. ### Weapon Type(s) One Hand and Shield \page ### Skills Utilize a mix of healing, protective, and offensive powers: Replenishing Barrier Extended Ritual Mystic Guard Solar Barrage Biting Jabs Pierce Armor ### Tactics Activate your Solar Barrage as you enter combat and drop an Extended Ritual when you get into melee range. Kill your enemies by alternating between Biting Jabs and Heavy Attacks. Renew your Solar Barrage and Extended Ritual as needed, and activate Replenishing Barrier whenever it comes available. Block big hits for the extra protection from your Grave Guardian set. ### Party Role Offtank/backup healer: in a group setting you actually function best by letting someone ELSE take the aggro as you act to protect them with your Mystic Guard, redirecting a portion of the damage to you while also keeping yourself healed to take the load off of the healer (or possibly even run without a dedicated healer). Stay close to your protected ally and make sure to keep your Extended Ritual active. If you see a big hit coming in, block EVEN IF YOU ARE NOT THE TARGET to give your nearby allies extra protection from your Grave Guardian bonus. Alternatively, you can serve as a traditional main tank and put your Mystic Guard on your healer and use Pierce Armor to taunt enemies onto you. Try to keep Replenishing Barrier up on your party whenever you can in boss fights. In either case, you will still be attacking using your usual tactics.

\page # Hedge Wizard As a spellcaster drawing upon the power of nature, a Hedge Wizard uses their magical prowess to both draw upon the power of and defend nature against those who would despoil it. Calling upon their magical powers to both destroy and to heal, a Hedge Wizard can be a force to be reckoned with. A devout Bosmer follower of the Green Pact, an Argonian Hist Druid, or a Wyrd Witch are all examples of Hedge Wizards. ## Leveling Base Class: Warden You will be a hybrid damage dealer/healer with this build, utilizing powers of ice, lightning, and nature to harm your foes and heal your allies. Front bar a Lightning Staff and back bar a Restoration Staff. While leveling, you might want to stick a Restoration Staff skill on your front bar so it can be passively leveling. You will be using all three of your Warden skill lines >### Optimal races As mentioned, Wood Elves, Argonians, and Bretons are the most natural fit for a Hedge Wizard. ### Cosmetics Go for somewhat of a natural look with the Hedge Wizard. Simple styles, with an emphasis on fur and bone motifs, work best. Use greens and earthy tones. You should look like someone who lives alone in the forest, so no fancy embroidery or flashy pieces. If you can get the Chokethorn weapon style it fits perfectly on a Hedge Wizard. For mounts/pets, try to go with something natural, like an elk or wolf. If building a Druid of the Hist, use lizards as your pets/mount. ### Mundus Stone The Shadow stone provides a good bonus to both your critical damage and your critical heals. ### Stat Distribution Magicka heavy. As both a Magicka DPS and a healer, you will need a substantial amount of Magicka.

### Armor Type Light Armor ### Armor Sets You will want to acquire the Thunder Caller and Winterborn sets, as well as the Chokethorn monster set. This will provide you with a diverse, but thematic, set of abilities that befit a Hedge Wizard. ### Weapon Type(s) Lightning Staff, Restoration Staff \page ### Skills A mixture of damaging skills of different types on the front bar, with a variety of heals for different situations on the back bar: Thunderous Rage/Healing Thicket Deep Fissure/Healing Springs Destructive Touch/Radiating Regeneration Crystallized Slab/Polar Wind Winter’s Revenge/Nature’s Embrace Screaming Cliff Racer/Living Trellis ### Tactics Open with a Screaming Cliff Racer at maximum range for maximum damage. Rely primarily on a mixture of Winter’s Revenge and heavy attacks to cause your armor set procs to trigger, using your other skills sparingly as appropriate. Switch to your back bar and drop some heal over times as needed before swapping back to offense. Drop a Thunderous Rage when you get the chance. ### Party Role Ranged DPS, Healer - the opposite of solo play - use your back bar to keep your party under the effects of a heal over time, switching to your front bar to get in a few shots here and there.

\page # Inquisitor of Meridia The ruler of the Colored Rooms, Meridia, frequently calls on mortal champions to root out and destroy evil in the Mundus, particularly in the form of the undead. And while many of her champions are indeed noble individuals, committed to doing good, they also have a tendency to be zealots who see things in strict terms of black and white - with little room for moral ambiguity. These Inquisitors use their martial and magical might to burn away any evil they encounter. ## Leveling Base Class: Templar You will be relying primarily on the Dual Wield and Dawn’s Wrath skill lines for your offensive capabilities and you will dabble in the Restoring Light line. You also want to start working on your Fighter’s Guild skill line ASAP because you absolutely want the FG Ultimate skill - what follower of Meridia would pass up a chance to wield Dawnbreaker? >### Optimal races Members of any race can find themselves drawn into the service of a Daedric Prince, but Bretons and Nibenese Imperials - with their innate magical prowess - are the most likely to be drawn towards the path of the Inquisitor. ### Cosmetics Meridia’s champions dress in ornate gear in resplendent shades of gold and carry golden weapons. For pets/mounts, look for options that are light themed. ### Mundus Stone The Lover stone benefits both your weapon and spell attacks. ### Stat Distribution Heavy Magicka, with a modest investment in Health. You are a close combat fighter and need to be able to take a hit or two, while maximizing your damage potential.

### Armor Type As a hybrid close combat fighter who uses both magic AND martial attacks you will want a mix of armor types. Use a Heavy Armor breastplate to maximize your physical resistance; Medium Armor helm, shoulder, and leg pieces, and the rest Light Armor. ### Armor Sets Use Kinra’s Wrath for your medium pieces and two pieces of your jewelry, New Moon Acolyte for the rest of your armor and jewelry, and Stinging Slashes pieces for your weapons for boosts to your offensive capabilities. ### Weapon Type(s) Dual Wield (swords) \page ### Skills You will use a mix of magic and melee skills, using a combination of fire, magic, and physical damage types: Dawnbreaker of Smiting Shrouded Daggers Blood Craze Radiant Aura Solar Barrage Vampire’s Bane ### Tactics Try to open the fight from a distance with Vampire’s Bane, but try to close to melee range quickly. Cast Radiant Aura and Solar Barrage to hit as many targets as possible, then use Blood Craze to attack. Toss a quick Shrouded Dagger to interrupt casts, and use Dawnbreaker whenever it is available. Renew your Aura and Barrage as needed throughout the fight. ### Party Role Melee/Ranged DPS - no change in tactics from solo play. Remember that Radiant Aura benefits your entire party, so try to keep it up at all times.

\page # Knight Weaponmaster Many across Tamriel can claim to be experts in their weapon of choice, but only a few can truly claim to be Weaponmasters - skilled in ALL forms of weaponry. _(Disclaimer: Moreso than any other build I have posted, this build is an inefficient use of skill points. There is rarely a need for more than one weapon type, and virtually never a need for more than two. Learning every weapon is PURELY for flavor and does virtually nothing to actually add to the combat effectiveness of this character.)_ ## Leveling Base Class: Dragonknight The Weaponmaster is skilled in martial weapons of every shape and size, so pick up the One Hand and Shield, Two Handed, Dual Wield, and Bow skill lines as soon as possible so you can start leveling them. You will also want to level the Fighter’s Guild skill line, as it is the only way to get a crossbow based skill (Silver Bolts), and we do want to be the master of ALL martial weapons. While leveling, set one skill from the weapon type equipped, plus the associated ultimate skill and one skill from any class skill line - fill the other three slots with a skill from each of the other three types so they can passively level. Once you have capped out all the class and weapon skill lines, simply equip a different weapon type for each bar and fill your bars with all of the skills of your equipped weapon types. Ultimately, you want to master every skill in all 4 weapon types, plus the passives from all of your class lines. The only class skill you will use will be the Hardened Armor skill from the Draconic Power line, but you will want the passive boosts from all three class skill lines. For an easier time leveling, you might focus on just one or two weapon skill trees initially, then slot one skill from EACH class line so you can unlock your passives faster - going back to learn the other weapons later. >### Optimal races Every race boasts members that are masters of the art of war, and while some races are more inclined towards a martial bent than others, members of any race can choose to pursue the art of a Weaponmaster. ### Cosmetics Depends on your chosen race, but the idea is to look knightly. One good option is the faction armor styles, but anything that looks like a knight of the appropriate race is fitting for this build. ### Mundus Stone Use the Warrior stone for the boost to weapon damage. ``` ```

### Stat Distribution Do a mix of Stamina and Health, leaning one way or the other depending on whether you want to do more damage or be more durable. ### Armor Type Heavy Armor

\page ### Armor Sets If using One Hand and Shield use the Knight-Errant’s Mail set for the Damage boost and the Akaviri Dragonguard set for more frequent use of your weapon ultimates. If not using One Hand and shield combine Akaviri Dragonguard with a set of your choice from the Berserking Warrior, Deadlands Assassin, Dreugh King Slayer, Eternal Warrior, Immortal Warrior, Juggernaut, Nikulas’ Heavy Armor, Rattlecage, or Sergeant’s Mail sets, as desired to flavor your Weaponmaster. You will also want to pick up the appropriate Arena Weapons for your chosen 2 weapon types at the very least. ### Weapon Type(s) All Martial Types. Alternatively, choose your two favorites since you can only set up two skill bars anyway. ### Skills See above for advice during the leveling process. Once you have all your skills at 50 you will want to select two weapon types and load all of the skills for those weapons onto the appropriate bars. Replace one skill of your choice with the Hardened Armor skill and one skill with the Silver Leash skill from the Fighter’s Guild line (unless you are using a bow), so each bar looks as follows: Weapon Ultimate Weapon Skill 1 Weapon Skill 2 Weapon Skill 3 Hardened Armor Silver Leash (or Weapon Skill 4 if using Bow) ### Tactics Tactics will vary widely depending on your choice of weapons. Open combat with Hardened Armor active, and refresh as needed. Use Silver Leash to pull stray adds into melee range, and use your weapon skills as appropriate for your weapon choices. Make frequent use of your weapon ultimate. ### Party Role Tank, Melee DPS, or Ranged DPS (depending on weapon selection) - no change in tactics from solo play

\page # Knightmare of Vaermina The Mistress of Nightmares has few followers in Tamriel, though many pray that she not touch their sleep with her nightmarish visions. Those that do follow her tend to dwell away from larger settlements where their proclivities might be discovered. Rarely do the followers of Vaermina act openly like the Supernal Dreamers do, preferring to utilize more subtle means of influencing others - as befits the Lady of Nightmares. But you have chosen to instead EMBODY the nightmares of the citizens of Tamriel - acting as an enforcer in the name of Vaermina, for you are her Knightmare. ## Leveling Base Class: Necromancer You will be almost singularly focused on the Bone Tyrant skill line, but you will want passives from the One Hand and Shield and Two Handed weapon skill lines, as well as the taunt from the Undaunted line. You can actually neglect your other Necromancer skill lines because even the passives will be of minimal use to you. >### Optimal races Of the races that lean more towards martial prowess over magical, Nords and Colovian Imperials seem to be the most drawn to the cult of Vaermina. But as with all Daedric Princes, a member of any race can find themselves drawn to their worship. ### Cosmetics Skull and bone motifs fit this character perfectly, and if you are able to acquire a scythe weapon style that’s just icing on the cake. Choose mounts and pets that have a terrifying appearance, like undead mounts, as befit a servant of the Mistress of Nightmares. ### Mundus Stone The Lord stone adds to your maximum Health which enhances many of your Bone Tyrant skills. ### Stat Distribution Put a decent investment into Health, with the rest in Stamina. ``` ```

### Armor Type Heavy Armor ### Armor Sets The Grace of Gloom and Grave Guardian sets enhance your tanking ability while also fitting thematically. Cap it off with the Kjalnar’s Nightmare monster set. ### Weapon Type(s) Two handed, One Hand and Shield \page ### Skills Front bar a One Hand and Shield and Back bar a Two Handed weapon and set both bars to the same skills. You will rely almost exclusively on the Bone Tyrant skill line for both offense and defense, with the sole exception of your taunt: Ravenous Goliath Inner Rage Hungry Scythe Beckoning Armor Deaden Pain Agony Totem ### Tactics Cast your Beckoning Armor as you enter combat, and drop your Agony Totem at the first opportunity. You will rely on Hungry Scythe as your primary attack, and cast Deaden Pain after enemies start dropping. Activate Goliath form when needed for a massive Health boost. When soloing you will probably want to use your Two Handed bar for the increased multitarget damage from passives ### Party Role Tank/Melee DPS - switch to your One Hand and Shield bar and make use of your Inner Rage skill, but otherwise the same tactics as when soloing.

\page # Lich The pursuit of necromancy leads many down the path of evil. For some - like Mannimarco - the path of necromancy is the path to immortality itself, though not all who follow his path seek godhood. The Lich is a Necromancer focused on the magical aspects of the class who hopes to one day become an immortal lich through the accumulation of magical power. ## Leveling Base Class: Necromancer You are a master of the necromantic arts, and will be investing in all of your class skill lines. Make sure to keep at least one skill from each tree in your main bar while leveling so nothing falls behind. You don’t have to worry about any skills outside of your class skills. >### Optimal races Bretons and High Elves, as the races with the most natural magical talent, are the most likely to pursue the path of Lichdom - though members of other races can certainly practice the dark arts as well, as demonstrated by the Dragon Priests of the Nords. Redguards, with their aversion towards necromancy - and Dark Elves, with their ancestor worship - are the least likely to pursue this path. ### Cosmetics You are the spellcasting master of undeath, so dress accordingly. Dark robes, adorned with bone, are your accoutrements of choice. Undead mounts and pets complement your army of summoned undead, giving you quite the menagerie of undead minions. ### Mundus Stone The Mage stone provides a boost to Magicka to power your spells. ### Stat Distribution The Lich requires a heavy investment in Magicka to fuel their spells. ``` ```

### Armor Type Light Armor - as a pure spellcaster you benefit most from a full set of Light Armor. ### Armor Sets The Caluurion’s Legacy and False God’s Devotion sets will be your staple sets, giving you a boost to Spell Critical and some extra effects when you do land a crit, while also decreasing the Magicka cost of your abilities. Finish things off with the Nerien’eth monster set for a thematic match. ### Weapon Type(s) Lightning Staff

\page ### Skills You will be utilizing both bars to hold the wide variety of necromantic powers at your disposal: Glacial Colossus/Renewing Animation Empowering Grasp/Skeletal Arcanist Unnerving Boneyard/Spirit Guardian Ricochet Skull/Agony Totem Blighted Blastbones/Braided Tether Renewing Undeath/Detonating Siphon ### Tactics The Lich is a complex character to play, with their wide variety of skills. Start combat on your back bar and get your Skeletal Arcanist and Spirit Guardian on the field, ideally before combat starts. Drop an Agony Totem, then switch to your main bar, where you will stay most of the time, and drop an Empowering Grasp then use your Ricochet Skulls and Blighted Blastbones skills to deal damage. Try to keep your Arcanist, Guardian, and Empowering Grasp up as often as possible, and switch to your back bar to utilize your corpse-based skills when the opportunity presents itself. Summon your Glacial Colossus when it becomes available. ### Party Role Ranged DPS - When in a group your overall strategy remains the same, but you will probably have more opportunities to utilize your corpse-based skills. Don’t forget that you have some healing capacity, especially when there are corpses lying around, or that if things are looking bleak you have access to a full party resurrection via your Renewing Animation Ultimate, so don’t be too quick to summon your colossus if it looks like party members might start dropping.

\page # Lusty Argonian Maid Few in the lands of Tamriel have not heard of Crassius Curio’s “The Lusty Argonian Maid”, but what if she was more than just a work of fiction…and what if she was more than she seems?

_"It's going to be fabulous, my little sweetroll. "The Lusty Argonian Maid" will stir the soul, touch the heart, and rouse the...masses from their slumber."_ -Crassius Curio ## Leveling Base Class: Nightblade The Lusty Argonian Maid is an Argonian female healer build that has a sinister side. You will be leveling Restoration Staff skills, and to the world - and to prospective employers - will appear to be a healer who is a bit…overdedicated to serving her master. But when no one is watching, you seek to strike down your supposed “master” using your finely honed Assassination and Shadow skills. You will absolutely want to pick up the Dark Brotherhood skill line on this character, both to hone your assassination skills - and as a source of prospective future employer/targets. The Thieves Guild line will help as well - though you have little interest in thievery itself, having the contacts to keep your reputation clean will keep your resume pristine when looking for a new “master” to serve. Finally, you will want to learn the Provisioning and Alchemy skills so you can both cook for your master, as well as “cook up” some special concoctions for them. Making this character viable for veteran level content will likely require you to utilize the Armory system to switch between loadouts, rather than trying to be two things at once. >### Optimal races The Lusty Argonian Maid is an argonian, obviously, though there is no reason a member of any race could not fill a similar role. ### Cosmetics Make yourself as unassuming as possible. You want to appear as a sweet, “innocent” argonian maid that lives only to care for others. You might consider costumes that are just common clothes. Look for outfits that could conceivably hide form fitting Medium Armor underneath. Choose whatever “mount” and “pet” you would like. ### Mundus Stone The Shadow stone allows your critical strikes to hit harder. ### Stat Distribution Focus on Magicka. You will utilize healing skills as well as Assassination morphs that are Magicka focused. ``` ```

### Armor Type Medium Armor - though no one would know it from your outward appearance. ### Armor Sets Utilize the Toothrow and Venomous Smite sets to boost your chance of critical strikes and add poison damage to your crits. If you really need to emphasize your healer side - which shouldn’t be necessary unless you are going into vet content as your group’s primary healer - consider using the Armory system to swap to a more traditional healer-oriented loadout. ### Weapon Type(s) Restoration Staff and Dual Wield (Daggers) \page ### Skills You will have a very diverse set of skills between your two bars, with one bar dedicated to Restoration Staff heals, and the other focused on stealth and assassination. Life Giver/Soul Harvest Illustrious Healing/Impale Rapid Regeneration/Concealed Weapon Blessing of Restoration/Lotus Fan Healing Ward/Reaper’s Mark Elude/Shadowy Disguise ### Tactics In solo combat lean into your assassin side. Greet your “master” with a fan dance (Lotus Fan) then “expose” their weakness with Reaper’s Mark. Use Shadowy Disguise to assume the position for a Concealed Weapon strike. When they get low on health, show them what it REALLY means to Impale your target. Activate Soul Harvest whenever it is available. ### Party Role Healer/Melee DPS - In a group you can use your usual tactics or you can fall into the role of a dedicated healer with your powerful Restoration Staff abilities. ``` ```

\page # Paladin Mighty warriors in service to the gods, Paladins call upon holy power to augment their martial prowess in the pursuit of their chosen god(s) agenda. Whether a Hand of Almalexia in service to ALMSIVI, a holy knight in the service of the Temple of the Divines, or an Orc (or even High Elf) sworn to serve the ideals of fallen Trinimac, Paladins serve their gods above all else. ## Leveling Base Class: Templar One of the easiest builds for a new player, the Paladin combines martial prowess with holy magic to harm, protect, AND heal. Decked out in Heavy Armor and wielding a One Handed weapon and Shield, you will utilize the Aedric Spear line to dish out heavy damage and the Restoring Light line for healing. You will want to level the Dawn’s Wrath line for the final passive, but will otherwise not use the skill line. >### Optimal races Orcs, Dark Elves, Bretons, Redguards, and Imperials are all known for their Paladin orders in some form. ### Cosmetics The best outfit for your character will depend largely on what entity you serve. A Dark Elf Paladin in the service of ALMSIVI might want Buoyant Armiger or Militant Ordinator pieces, while a Breton Paladin of Jephre would obviously want the Jephrine Paladin set. Deck yourself out in Heavy Armor in a style that fits, and use colors that bring to mind the idea of a holy warrior like whites and golds. Your pet/mount choice is also largely dependent on your patron - but as a rule of thumb look for holy- or light-themed options. ### Mundus Stone You will utilize the Lady stone to boost your ability to absorb damage. ### Stat Distribution Invest heavily in both Health for durability and Stamina for offense. ``` ```

### Armor Type Heavy Armor ### Armor Sets Lunar Bastion and your choice of Aegis of Galanwe and Claw of Yohlnahkriin. Aura based abilities are a hallmark of the Paladin, as they bolster their companions while holding the line. ### Weapon Type(s) One Hand and Shield \page ### Skills A mixture of AoE and single target damage, with a dose of defensive options: Crescent Sweep Puncturing Sweep Pierce Armor Explosive Charge or Invasion Blazing Spear Radiant Ward/Extended Ritual ### Tactics Relying on your not insubstantial self healing abilities, you will want to take enemies head on and try to bring them down as quickly as possible with your powerful holy strikes. Open with your charge ability of choice and drop a Radiant Ward at the start of combat. If facing a group, drop a Blazing Spear as well. Debuff your opponent’s defenses with a Pierce Armor, then utilize a mixture of Puncturing Sweeps and Light Attacks to bring down your enemies one at a time, renewing your Radiant Ward and Blazing Spear as needed. On the off chance you are taking more damage than you can handle, switch to the back bar long enough to cast an Extended Ritual, then resume your attacks. ### Party Role Tank - Same tactics as solo play, but make sure to utilize Pierce Armor to keep enemies attention on you.

\page # Priest of Arkay As a Priest of Arkay, your connection to the dead has granted you intimate knowledge of the necromantic arts. With the knowledge at your fingertips, you could easily become a master of necromancy, but since the tenets of your faith forbid the raising of undead, you instead have focused your skills on keeping your allies from crossing from life into death. ## Leveling Base Class: Necromancer You will be using a Restoration Staff throughout your career, and focusing almost exclusively on the Living Death class skill line. You will dabble in the Bone Tyrant skill line for some offense, but it will never be a primary focus for you. >### Optimal races A member of any race can be a Priest of Arkay. ### Cosmetics Simple, unassuming robes are ideal. A Priest of Arkay does not try to look ostentatious. Use a plain pack animal suitable to your race like a horse or guar as your mount, and a race appropriate domestic pet. ### Mundus Stone The Ritual stone is the stone of choice for most any healer build. ### Stat Distribution As a healer, you will want a heavy investment into Magicka ``` ```

### Armor Type Light Armor provides the most useful bonuses to a healer. ### Armor Sets Spell Power Cure and Prayer Shawl are your go to sets. Cap things off with the Nightflame monster set. ### Weapon Type(s) Restoration Staff \page ### Skills Healing skills from the Necromancer skill line on front bar. Healing skills from Restoration Staff on back bar. Mix and match skills to your personal taste: Renewing Animation/Life Giver Resistant Flesh/Radiating Regeneration Expunge and Modify/Combat Prayer Renewing Undeath/Healing Ward Braided Tether/Illustrious Healing Hungry Scythe ### Tactics You are first and foremost a healer, so your offensive options are severely limited. When fighting solo, use Hungry Scythe and blasts from your staff to bring down your enemies, Braided Tether or Renewing Undeath to heal yourself up as necessary, and Expunge and Modify to remove debuffs as the need arises. ### Party Role Healer - Fall back into a full healing role when in a party. Try to keep Resistant Flesh going on your primary tank, and use Braided Tether or Renewing Undeath for party heals as needed. In the event of a party wipe, use your Renewing Animation to bring everyone back from the brink of death. ``` ```

\page # Priest of the Eight A devout worshipper of the Temple of the Divines, the Priest of the Eight has dedicated their life to spreading the will of the Aedra to all races. Dedicating their life to aiding others, these individuals provide unparalleled healing to those allied to their cause. ## Leveling Base Class: Templar The Priest of the Eight is the ultimate healer - to the exclusion of any appreciable offensive capabilities. You will be best served running with a party at all times due to the nature of your skillset. You will focus almost exclusively on the Restoring Light and Restoration Staff skill lines - though you should dabble in the Dawn’s Wrath line for some minimal offensive capability for when you ARE forced to run solo. Because of the overall potency of your heals, you will want to select morphs that add additional buffs over those that simply increase the amount healed. Optionally, join the Psijic Order for access to the Mend Spirit ability to turn even your regular attacks into heals - not strictly necessary for the build, but definitely thematic. >### Optimal races Imperials, High Elves, and Bretons are the most likely candidates to serve as a Priest of the Eight Divines. This build can very easily be reflavored to fit other races’ religious orders, however. ### Cosmetics As a priest of a holy order you should dress in simple robes that signify your status as a servant of the gods, dedicated to serving others. For pets/mounts, look for options that are light-themed or that are thematically tied to one of the Aedra - avoid anything Daedric in origin. ### Mundus Stone The Ritual stone boosts the effectiveness of your already potent healing. Alternatively, use the Shadow stone to boost your critical heals. ### Stat Distribution Pure Magicka. As a dedicated healer, you will need a substantial Magicka pool. ``` ```

### Armor Type Light Armor ### Armor Sets Spell Power Cure and Prayer Shawl both give boosts to your Spell Power to make your heals more powerful, your Magicka, and also grant a bonus effect when you overheal a target, which will happen often with this build. Pick up the Grand Rejuvenation and/or Mender’s Ward arena weapons to cap off your gear. ### Weapon Type(s) Restoration Staff \page ### Skills Load up your bars with your Restoring Light and Restoration Staff skills in whatever combination you want. Replace one skill (I would choose Siphon Spirit) with Purifying Light and/or Mend Spirit: Remembrance/Life Giver Breath of Life Hasty Prayer Radiant Aura Extended Ritual Channeled Focus Illustrious Healing Radiating Regeneration Combat Prayer Healing Ward Siphon Spirit

Mend Spirit* Purifying Light* ### Tactics Use a combination of Purifying Light and Heavy Attacks to bring your enemies down, while using your vast array of heals and buffs to ensure you stay alive until you can find a group. ### Party Role Healer - Use your vast array of heals and buffs to ensure EVERYONE stays alive.

\page # Ragnar the Red Oh, there once was a hero named Ragnar the Red, Who came riding to Whiterun from ole Rorikstead. And the braggart did swagger and brandish his blade, As he told of bold battles and gold he had made. But then he went quiet, did Ragnar the Red, When he met the shieldmaiden Matilda who said, Oh, you talk and you lie and you drink all our mead - Now I think it's high time that you lie down and bleed. And so then came clashing and slashing of steel, As the brave lass Matilda charged in full of zeal. And the braggart named Ragnar was boastful no more When his ugly red head rolled around on the floor ## Leveling Base Class: Dragonknight or Necromancer I’m going to do something a little different with this one and do two different builds - a “before”(b) and “after”(a) version. The “before” version is a brash young Nord who seeks to emulate the boastful “hero” from legend - although hopefully not meeting the same end. He will be a blade wielding warrior focused on the Draconic Power and Two Handed skill lines, who fights boldly and recklessly. The “after” version is the reanimated corpse of Ragnar himself - cursed to walk Tamriel after death due to his hubris. This version will be focused on the Grave Lord and Two Handed lines. >### Optimal races Ragnar the Red is/was a Nord. ### Cosmetics (b)Red hair, red beard, Nordic-themed armor dyed red, with a massive two handed sword that is obviously an attempt to compensate for something. Use the Heroic personality and get a plain looking horse for a mount. (a)Get one of the skins or polymorphs that make you look like an animated corpse. Draugr is best, but several others work. The Zombie personality fits nicely as well. ### Mundus Stone The Steed stone - because Ragnar is known for “riding to whiterun” ### Stat Distribution Mix of Stamina and Health, Ragnar is a boastful warrior, and no mention is made in his legend of him having any magical prowess. ``` ```

### Armor Type Heavy Armor ### Armor Sets Utilize the Berserking Warrior and Warrior’s Fury sets to fill the role of a brash Nord warrior who fights recklessly. Pick up either the Frenzied Momentum or Merciless Charge weapons to complete the list. To complete the look, make sure you use the “Hide Helmet” option for your outfit. ### Weapon Type(s) Two handed Sword - the legend isn’t clear what kind of “blade” he wielded, but as he was known for showing off I’m going to assume that Ragnar carried the biggest sword he could carry. \page ### Skills The (b) version of Ragnar uses defensive skills from the Dragonknight class, while the (a) version literally throws his own severed head at the enemy in the form of a Venom Skull and draws upon the power of the grave. Both versions utilize Two Handed skills as their primary form of offense: Berserker Rage Green Dragon Blood/Venom Skull Hardened Armor/Unnerving Boneyard Wrecking Blow Stampede Rally ### Tactics Open combat with your class based skills, either buffing yourself with Green Dragon Blood and Hardened Armor before Stampeding into combat, or launching an offensive with Venom Skull and Unnerving Boneyard before closing with Stampede. Once in combat cast Rally, and renew the buff as needed, using Wrecking Blow (and Berserker Rage, when available) as your primary offensive. ### Party Role Melee DPS - no change in tactics from solo play. ``` ```

\page # Ranger of Y'ffre Just as at home wandering the wilderness of Valenwood as they would be in the comforts of their graht-oak home, a Ranger of Y’ffre is a devout follower of the Green Pact. Working in tandem with both flora and fauna, they bring down any opponent who threatens the tranquility of nature…or the borders of Valenwood. ## Leveling Base Class: Warden This build is the stereotypical ranger - master of both archery and of the wild. Clad in Medium Armor and wielding a Bow, you will make heavy use of the Animal Companions and Bow skill lines, while dabbling in the other Warden skill lines. >### Optimal races As the patron of the Wood Elf race, it is only natural that followers of Y’ffre are almost exclusively Bosmer. Members of any race can, however, learn the arts of the Ranger. ### Cosmetics Remember that as a follower of the Green Pact you are sworn to never harm the natural plants of the Valenwood, and as such should try to use outfit and weapon styles that utilize materials like leather, horn, and bone. Use natural colors that would allow you to blend in with the forest. Choose a mount and pet of natural origin - bear mounts are particularly appropriate. ### Mundus Stone The Steed stone provides a valuable boost to your mobility. ### Stat Distribution Full Stamina. You should be relying on your range and superior mobility to stay out of harm’s way. ``` ```

### Armor Type Medium Armor ### Armor Sets The Hawk’s Eye set adds useful bonuses to your Bow skills, and the Hunt Leader set gives a good survivability boost. Set the Caustic Arrow bow on your front bar for general use, and Thunderous Volley on the back bar. ### Weapon Type(s) Bow \page ### Skills Long ranged attacks for both single and multiple targets, along with a damage and mobility buff and a minor area heal. Optionally consider replacing Arrow Barrage with Focused Aim on the front bar only, otherwise just keep both bars the same and only switch to the back bar when fighting particularly large groups where you can really take advantage of the boost to Arrow Barrage: Wild Guardian Poison Injection Bird of Prey (Focused Aim)/Arrow Barrage Budding Seeds Growing Swarm ### Tactics Keep your enemies at range as best you can, letting your pet tank for you as much as possible. Have your bear summoned before combat begins. Open with Focused Aim if you chose to slot it, followed by Growing Swarm. Keep the Poison status on enemies with the Poison Injection skill and use light attacks to pepper the enemy while your bear mauls them. Drop an Arrow Barrage or Budding Seeds as the situation warrants. ### Party Role Ranged DPS - No change in tactics from solo play, except that it should be easier to stay at long range. Keep in mind that with your skillset you have a longer effective range than any other player so you should try to stay at the maximum range for your skills whenever possible unless mechanics necessitate you staying closer to the enemy or other party members. Depending on the fight mechanics, you might want to use Budding Seeds on your allies, rather than yourself.

\page # Servant of the Sload The Sload are arguably the most evil race ever to dwell upon the face of Nirn, having gone so far as to create the Thrassian Plague that wiped out over half of the population of Tamriel. Members of this completely amoral race care nothing about anyone outside of themselves, going so far as to use their own offspring to make “Sload soap” for use in their alchemical experiments. But while they may not care about “lesser mortals”, they are not averse to using them as expendable tools to further their own schemes, and YOU are not averse to letting them think they are using you while using their gifts to further YOUR own schemes. ## Leveling Base Class: Necromancer Like their Sload patron, this character will utilize their necromantic skills to spread Disease and desolation to their enemies. You will be utilizing all three skill lines from the Necromancer class, and Alchemy poisons just seem like a natural fit for this character as well. You will be focusing on abilities that deal Disease Damage or that are themed around dealing pain, as befits someone who serves the race that created such atrocities as the Thrassian Plague. >### Optimal races Any race could conceivably have power hungry individuals that seek power from the Sload, but the Sload would likely see no usefulness in any race that isn’t naturally magically inclined - making High Elves, Bretons, and Dark Elves the most likely candidates…though other races are not expressly excluded. ### Cosmetics In order to even be recognized as moderately useful by the Sload, you need to have an air of superiority about you so try to dress to impress with elaborate styles. Even though you are going to be using Medium Armor, I suggest using the outfit system to modify the appearance to the most elaborate mage robes you can acquire. If you can get your hands on a scythe-type weapon motif, that is just the icing on the cake - turning you into a reaper-like figure on the battlefield. Undead or voriplasm mounts/pets are probably the most fitting. ### Mundus Stone Use the Tower Stone for a boost to total Stamina. ### Stat Distribution Stamina is the name of the game here. You want to maximize your damage output with your Disease abilities without worrying about running out. ``` ```

### Armor Type Medium Armor gives you the most bang for your buck as a Stamina-based caster. ### Armor Sets Use the Affliction and Plaguebreak sets to increase your Disease Damage output and the Thurvokun monster set makes for a nice capstone with its Disease Damage defensive proc. ### Weapon Type(s) My suggestion is to go Two Handed (see cosmetics above), but you won’t be relying on your weapon that much for combat prowess. \page ### Skills Load up with your Disease Damage skills, and fill the remaining ability slots with utility skills and a thematic spammable attack: Pestilent Colossus Ruinous Scythe Mortal Coil Agony Totem Detonating Siphon Blighted Blastbones ### Tactics Try to open combat from a distance with your Blighted Blastbones for an initial burst of damage then drop an Agony Totem. Use your Detonating Siphon and more Blighted Blastbones throughout the fight to keep the Disease Damage flowing while you use Ruinous Scythe and Light Attacks as your sustained damage. Drop a Pestilent Colossus when available, and use Mortal Coil to heal and restore Stamina as needed. ### Party Role Ranged DPS - Utilize the same tactics as when soloing, but keep positioning in mind for your Mortal Coil so that ideally a party member or two can benefit from the healing. ``` ```

\page # Shadow As a Shadow you combine the mastery of stealth and martial prowess. Maybe you serve as an Eye of the Queen in service to the Aldmeri Dominion; maybe you are a Nightingale of Nocturnal, sworn to serve the Mistress of Shadow even beyond death; maybe you are a simple military scout; or maybe you are just a “gentleman thief”. Whatever your reasons, you prefer to act from the shadows, but are able to hold your own if the need arises - and you put your talents to use in service to a greater purpose, even if that purpose is merely a means to the ultimate end of generating personal wealth. ## Leveling Base Class: Nightblade Naturally, you are going to want to invest heavily in the Shadow skills from your class, although some attention should be given to the Assassination skills as well. The Siphoning line can be safely ignored. If you want to play up the more larcenous side you will also want to max out the Legerdemain and Thieves Guild lines, but this is not strictly necessary if you are going for a “military spymaster” type. For combat, you will rely on a pair of blades. >### Optimal races Khajiit and Wood Elves are both strong choices due to their natural aptitude for stealth, but Shadows can be found in some capacity across all races in Tamriel. ### Cosmetics Outfit options vary based on the flavor you are going for. If you are in the service of an organization or military unit, you may want to wear the livery of that group to show your affiliation. If you are of the more larcenous type, you may prefer dark outfits that help you blend into the shadows. You will not often rely on a mount in the interest of stealth, but you should have a relatively nondescript option for those times you DO need to mount up. ### Mundus Stone The Steed stone allows for quicker escapes when things DO go wrong and you get caught by an enemy patrol…or a guard ### Stat Distribution Heavy investment in Stamina. You are going to want to stay stealthed 99% of the time - even when not in combat - so having a large stamina pool is essential plus it helps with your weapon damage. Putting a decent amount into Health allows you to hold your ground when your cover is broken and you are forced to fight. ``` ```

### Armor Type Medium Armor - you are a pure stamina DPS and will benefit the most from a full set of Medium Armor. ### Armor Sets Night’s Silence and Vesture of Darloc Brae are your go to sets, giving you increased speed and healing while stealthed as well as decreasing the cost of Sneak. Add a Spectral Cloak arena set to cap off the build. ### Weapon Type(s) Dual Wield \page ### Skills Mix of melee combat skills and buffs for when Sneak fails. Fill the back bar with additional combat skills of your choosing from the Dual Wield, Assassination, or Shadow skill lines with Rend as your Ultimate skill: Incapacitating Strike/Rend Flying Blade Deadly Cloak Concealed Weapon Ambush Dark Cloak ### Tactics Stay in stealth most of the time. If you can get the jump on an enemy, open from behind with Ambush followed IMMEDIATELY by Concealed Weapon. If the enemy is already coming towards you, open with Flying Blade twice to hit and then jump to them. Once in melee range, drop a Deadly Cloak and lay into the enemy with Light Attacks boosted by the Reave effect from Incapacitating Strike. Drop a Dark Cloak if needed for healing. When your Ultimate fills you can switch to your back bar and activate Rend for heavy damage against groups, or stay on the front bar and hit a single target with Incapacitating Strike. Use your Flying Blade to interrupt casters when you get the opportunity. If you choose to place other skills on the back bar, remember the passive Reave effect from Incapacitating Strike will not be in effect while on that bar. ### Party Role Melee DPS - no major change in tactics for fighting in a group, but keep in mind that you want to try to attack from the flanks to maximize your damage and take advantage of extra stuns on some of your attacks. ``` ```

\page # Shadowsniper The journey of an archer can take many paths. Maybe you are a Knight, dedicated to the mastery of your weapon. Maybe you are a Ranger, living as one with the wilderness. Or maybe you follow the shadowy path of the Shadowsniper. Whether you are a part of the Shadow Walkers of Coldharbour, the Vinedusk Rangers of Valenwood, or merely a lone wolf that finds solace in the darkness, you strike with deadly precision with your arrows from the shadows. ## Leveling Base Class: Nightblade As a Shadowsniper, you will obviously be focusing on the Bow skill line. You will also be drawing on abilities from the Nightblade’s Shadow line to improve your Stealth abilities, and you will want to level your Assassination line for the passives. >### Optimal races Any race can be a Shadowsniper, but the role comes most naturally to Wood Elves and Khajiit due to their racial bonuses. ### Cosmetics Dark leathers with face concealing masks or hoods are your preferred accoutrements. Like other stealth-based characters, you will not often want to use a mount or pet - but when you do, choose something dark or shadowy in nature, though not necessarily Daedric in origin. ### Mundus Stone The Shadow stone for increased damage or the Steed stone for improved movement speed would be ideal choices. ### Stat Distribution Like other stealth-based characters, focus nearly completely on Stamina to maximize your stealth capabilities. ``` ```

### Armor Type Medium Armor provides the greatest benefit to a stealth-based character. ### Armor Sets You will utilize the Archer’s Mind and Night’s Silence sets and the Point-Blank Snipe arena weapon. (Alternatively, contract Vampirism and get the Dark Stalker Passive and swap out Night’s Silence for Vesture of Darloc Brae for better stealth capabilities.) ### Weapon Type(s) Bow \page ### Skills A mix of ranged attacks and shadowy arts. Keep Concealed Weapon on your bar for the passive boosts to stealth. Set your back bar with the same skills except switch out your offensive skills for Twisting Path and Mass Hysteria in case you need to make a quick getaway: Toxic Barrage Shadowy Disguise Concealed Weapon Shadow Image/Twisting Path Focused Aim/Mass Hysteria Venom Arrow ``` ``` ### Tactics You will want to engage your enemies from a stealthed position, and open with a Focused Aim from as close as you can get without being detected to maximize your Point-Blank Snipe bonus. After your initial shot, drop a Shadow Image, then use Shadowy Disguise to become invisible for your next shot. With your Point-Blank Snipe bonus, you will maximize your damage by hitting targets from as close as possible, so try to stay right on top of them after the first shot. Be sure to weave in Light attacks to take advantage of the bonus from your Hawk Eye passive. Repeat this pattern until your target dies, then move to the next target. Use Venom Arrow to interrupt casters and launch a Toxic Barrage when available. If you are overwhelmed, switch to your back bar and drop a Mass Hysteria to give yourself an opening and use Twisting Path and Shadowy Disguise to make an expedited getaway. ### Party Role “Ranged” DPS - same tactics as solo play

\page # Sibyl of Dibella While some view the Dibellan Arts as vulgar, you know well the power that beauty, passion, and seduction can bring. As a Sibyl of Dibella, you know how to utilize your Lady’s blessings to manipulate those around you, using your charisma to persuade them to do your bidding…and using force when your charms alone are insufficient. ## Leveling Base Class: Dragonknight You will be primarily a support/healer character, but with an unusual twist. Your abilities will focus on controlling your enemies on the battlefield - either by locking them in place or by pulling them where you want them. Your offensive capabilities will be sorely limited, however. You will want to pick up the Mages Guild skill line, solely for the Persuasion ability for flavor. You will not be utilizing any skills from the Earthen Heart class skill line, and even it’s passives are of minimal use to you. Get a Restoration Staff from the start, and max out the skill line ASAP. >### Optimal races Worshipers of Dibella are most common among Nords, Redguards, and Imperials. Despite being one of the Eight Divines, her worship amongst the elven races is limited to mostly artists who somewhat ignore her other aspects. ### Cosmetics Seductive, but tasteful, outfits are the goal here. You follow the goddess of beauty, passion, and seduction - not Molag Bal, the god of domination. Even though your abilities may scream “dominatrix”, a practitioner of the Dibellan Arts places high value on beauty. Try outfits like the Shrike’s Nocturnal Frock. For a pet, choose Dibella's totemic animal - the moth, and select an elegant mount. ### Mundus Stone The Ritual stone is the go to stone for any healer. ### Stat Distribution As a dedicated healer, you will need plenty of Magicka. ``` ```

### Armor Type Light Armor ### Armor Sets You will want the Spell Power Cure and Healer’s Habit sets to maximize your healing abilities. ### Weapon Type(s) Restoration Staff \page ### Skills Mostly a mix of healing and crowd control abilities, with a single attack skill to fall back on. Load up your back bar with buffs for use in group play, but don’t plan on using them while soloing for the most part : Life Giver Flame Lash/Radiating Regeneration Unrelenting Grip/Combat Prayer Choking Talons/Siphon Spirit Illustrious Healing/Igneous Weapons Healing Ward/Energy Orb ### Tactics Solo combat will be challenging for this character as you have limited offensive options. Use Choking Talons to keep enemies from reaching you while you Flame Lash them to death one at a time. Utilize your powerful healing abilities and Healing Ward to keep yourself alive. ### Party Role Healer/Support - this is where you will shine, as you can focus on supporting allies without worrying about damage output. Utilize the buffs on your back bar to enhance your party’s combat abilities and switch between bars as needed for crowd control or stronger healing.

\page # Skyrim Courier Neither snow nor rain nor heat nor gloom of night nor dragons stays this courier from the swift completion of their appointed rounds, but without an official postal system who is sending him, and where is he getting all this money to hand out? Every adventurer that has spent time in the lands of Skyrim has encountered this mysterious courier, but no one ever questions his deliveries. It is assumed that he has been hired by the survivors of the deceased, but who is he really? ## Leveling Base Class: Nightblade (This build is not meant to be taken seriously, and was made as a joke. No attempt has been made to make this build combat viable, so play at your own risk. If you seriously want to play this character, get used to running scouting missions in Cyrodiil as your primary source of experience.) The abilities of the Nightblade lend themselves to damage avoidance best, so you will want to level your Shadow and Assassination trees. There are some useful skills in the PvP Assault line as well, so be sure to spend some time making deliveries in Cyrodiil so you can level that skill line also. >### Optimal races The Skyrim Courier is a Nord. ### Cosmetics The Skyrim Courier wears plain, unassuming leathers. Get a plain draft horse for a mount, and a boring dog pet. ### Mundus Stone The Steed stone is the natural pick here for the enhanced movement. ### Stat Distribution Stamina is your primary focus so you can run longer distances on your deliveries. ``` ```

### Armor Type Medium Armor ### Armor Sets Use the Adept Rider and Jailbreaker sets to maximize your movement speed at all times. Add the Ring of the Wild Hunt for even more speed. ### Weapon Type(s) Any, the Skyrim Courier rarely relies on weapons to fight. \page ### Skills Your focus is on staying out of combat and avoiding attacks: Bolstering Darkness Phantasmal Escape Refreshing Path Shadowy Disguise Retreating Maneuver Anti Cavalry Caltrops ### Tactics Run away from anything that you encounter. Use Phantasmal Escape to break out of any snares and to avoid damage from AoE, Refreshing Path for a little bit of healing while you run away, Shadowy Disguise to shake those pesky pursuers, Retreating Maneuver to reduce the damage you take while running away, Anti-Cavalry Caltrops to slow down mounted pursuers, and Bolstering Darkness to boost your defenses. ### Party Role Mooch - Hide behind your party members and let them do the work as you are useless in combat. ``` ```

\page # Spellblade Like a streak of lightning, the Spellblade moves through the battlefield, arcs of lightning flashing between his blades and in a lingering aura around the smoldering corpses of his enemies strewn about the battlefield. While both utilize a mix of magic and steel, combining arcane and martial prowess to cut down their enemies is the hallmark of a Spellblade, setting them apart from the more defensively oriented Battlemage. ## Leveling Base Class: Sorcerer You will focus primarily on your martial prowess via the Dual Wield skill line, but you will utilize skills from your Storm Calling class line to improve your combat mobility, as well as grant you a bit of area Shock damage. >### Optimal races Bretons, Dark Elves, and High Elves are the most inclined to follow the path of the Spellblade. ### Cosmetics Choice of cosmetics varies by race, but overall you want to go for a light skirmisher look. Lightly armored, but still able to maneuver quickly on the battlefield is the idea. Pick a pair of weapons of your choice, preferably something with a Lightning effect. Choose any mount or pet you like, as appropriate to your race. ### Mundus Stone The Lover stone allows both your physical and magical attacks to hit harder. ### Stat Distribution Primarily Stamina, as most of your offensive capability is based on your weapon damage. Put a little bit into Health as well for survivability. ``` ```

### Armor Type Medium Armor provides the best bonuses for a melee DPS. ### Armor Sets Auroran’s Thunder weapons and jewelry add additional Shock damage and Flanking Strategist allows you to utilize your superior mobility to get bonuses to your attacks. Top it off with the Ilambris monster set. ### Weapon Type(s) Dual Wield \page ### Skills A mix of mobility/damage skills and weapon attacks: Rend Steel Tornado Rending Slashes Rapid Strikes Boundless Storm Streak ### Tactics Open combat with Boundless Storm, and close the distance by targeting an enemy in the rear with Streak. Use your Weapon skills to tear into the crowd, using your superior mobility to take advantage of flanking damage bonuses. Renew Boundless Storm as needed, and use Streak when CC immunity wears off (no more than once every 4 seconds) to restun the group and get another blast of Shock damage. ### Party Role Melee DPS - no change in tactics from solo play.

\page # Spider Knight The Spider Knight is a devout worshipper of Mephala who seeks to take on the traits of a spider as a sign of reverence. Donning thick protective carapaces - in the form of heavy armor - and (quite literally) weaving webs to stymie their opponents, these warrior-priests serve as elite soldiers in the service of the Webspinner. ## Leveling Base Class: Dragonknight You will need both One Hand and Shield and Two Handed weapon skills, so start training up both early on. You will be wearing Heavy Armor for your entire career also. You will be pulling from the Ardent Flame and Draconic Power class skill lines, as well as from both the Fighter’s Guild and Undaunted lines. >### Optimal races Dark Elves are the most natural fit for a Mephala worshipper, but a member of any race can become a follower of the Webspinner. ### Cosmetics Spiders. More spiders. Spider mount and spider pet. The Selene motif is a natural fit if you can get it. Anything that look chitinous, like the dark elf House motifs works well. Dye it all in blacks, with maybe a splash of red (think black widow spiders). ### Mundus Stone As a worshipper of the Whispering Lady, use the Lady Stone for the boost to defense. ### Stat Distribution As a tank you will want a heavy investment in Health, with the rest in Stamina. ``` ```

### Armor Type Heavy Armor ### Armor Sets You will use the Hand of Mephala set, Swarm Mother Monster set, and the Void Bash Arena set, with Tormentor pieces in the remaining slots and a Tormentor 2-handed weapon on the back bar. ### Weapon Type(s) One Hand and Shield and Two Handed

\page ### Skills Front bar is One hand and Shield with skills focused on stuns and taunts; back bar is more offensive with your AoE charge and a passive boost to Crit damage: Ferocious Leap Volatile Armor Noxious Breath Inner Beast/Camouflaged Hunter* Shadow Silk Reverberating Bash/Stampede

*Camouflaged Hunter is NOT necessary for this build to work but it does provide a passive buff to critical damage. If you want to slot Inner Beast on both bars - or another offensive skill - it will work just fine. ### Tactics Open combat with a Ferocious Leap, followed by a Reverberating Bash to pull everyone towards you with the Void Bash proc. Immediately swap to your back bar and Stampede to taunt anyone that got missed in the initial leap. (If your Leap is not available, Stampede, swap to your shield to Bash, then swap back and Stampede again.) Activate your Volatile Armor and Shadow Silk, and use a combination of Noxious Breath and regular attacks to bring down enemies. Occasionally repeat the Reverberating Bash/Stampede combo to renew your area taunt. Renew Volatile Armor and Shadow Silk as needed. ### Party Role Tank - make sure you are reaching the enemies ahead of your party to ensure you can pull everyone in before they spread out too far. Use Inner Beast to taunt enemies back in from range if they get too far from the pack.

\page # Thundermaul A wise man once said, “Speak softly and carry a big stick,” and the Thundermaul is the embodiment of that sentiment. Wielding a huge hammer, and striking with the force of a thunderstorm - the Thundermaul is a force to be reckoned with. ## Leveling Base Class: Sorcerer As a Thundermaul, the Storm Calling and Two Handed skill lines are your bread and butter. You will also make a little use of the Daedric Summoning line, and you will want passives from all three of your class skill lines. You will level your Heavy Armor skill naturally as well. >### Optimal races Thundermauls can be found amongst most races; though Khajiit, Bosmer, and Argonian Thundermauls are a rare sight ### Cosmetics Try to evoke a sense of lightning or storm clouds for a thematic look. The Dro-m’Athra motif is a good fit visually, as is the Pyandonean motif. Greys and blues can evoke the stormcloud theme. Choose pets and mounts that are lightning or mist based. ### Mundus Stone Utilize the Thief stone to increase your chance of landing criticals. ### Stat Distribution Heavy Stamina investment, with a decent amount into Health for survivability. ``` ```

### Armor Type Heavy Armor ### Armor Sets You will want Auroran’s Thunder armor pieces and Thunder Caller weapons and jewelry. The Archdruid Devyric set tops off your equipment. This combination gives you some pretty easily Lightning damage procs on your Heavy Attacks. ### Weapon Type(s) Two-handed (maul) \page ### Skills A combination of Lightning and physical attacks: Summon Charged Atronach Streak Lightning Flood Critical Surge Wrecking Blow Brawler ### Tactics Open combat by buffing yourself with Critical Surge, then Streak into battle and drop a Lightning Flood. Hit your primary opponent with alternating Wrecking Blows and Heavy Attacks to take advantage of both the Empower buff and your armor sets’ procs. Against large (>3) crowds, use Brawler to hit multiple targets while simultaneously shielding yourself. Reapply Lightning Flood and Critical Surge as needed, and drop a Charged Atronach when needed. ### Party Role Melee DPS - no change in tactics from solo play. ``` ```

\page # Tomb Raider The notion of the sanctity of a gravesite sounds like foolishness to your ears. You know that those who have passed on no longer have need of their belongings - or even their old bodies. You learned the art of necromancy so that you can put those old shells to use once more, on your path to wealth acquired from those who no longer have need of wealth. ## Leveling Base Class: Necromancer Your modus operandi is to throw stolen bodies at your opponents, then lash out at them with your blades while they are dealing with your army of skeletons. You will be utilizing skills from all three class skill lines, with an emphasis on summoning and “stealing” from enemies. Your choice of weapons is somewhat irrelevant, but see the cosmetic section for a reason to go with Dual Wield. >### Optimal races Members of any race can turn to graverobbing as a means of seeking their fortune. ### Cosmetics Graverobbing is frowned upon by all of the civilized races of Tamriel, so your proclivities make you a social pariah, which makes a “bandit” look very appropriate for the Tomb Raider. However, you also have plundered the tombs of many victims, and thus have accumulated wealth and could go with an opulent look instead - flaunting your ill-gotten gains. For weapons, I think dual-wielding a pair of Moon Crescent sickles is an absolutely PERFECT fit for the theme, but feel free to go with a scythe type weapon if that is your preference. Pick a race appropriate mount/pet. ### Mundus Stone You will burn a lot of Stamina on your summons, so the Serpent stone can help offset the heavy Stamina use. ### Stat Distribution Heavy emphasis on Stamina with a bit of Health since you will fight at close range. ``` ```

### Armor Type Medium Armor ### Armor Sets The Battlefield Acrobat set gives a much needed boost to your Stamina reserves and the Grave-Stake Collector is a useful, and thematic, addition. ### Weapon Type(s) Dual Wield - see Cosmetics above \page ### Skills Front bar loaded up with abilities you will use frequently, with longer duration skills on the back bar: Animate Blastbones Blighted Blastbones/Spirit Guardian Ruinous Scythe/Skeletal Archer Empowering Grasp/Avid Boneyard Necrotic Potency/Summoner’s Armor Mortal Coil/Mystic Siphon ### Tactics Start on your back bar and don your Summoner’s Armor at the initiation of combat. Summon your Spirit Guardian and Skeletal Archer and drop an Avid Boneyard on your target. Switch to your front bar and chain a stream of Blighted Blastbones and Ruinous Scythes, occasionally dropping an Empowering Grasp to boost your Archer and Guardian. Use Necrotic Potency or Mortal Coil if you need healing. Switch to your back bar to drop an occasional Mystic Siphon and to recast abilities as needed, making especially sure to keep Summoner’s Armor active to keep costs down. Use Animate Blastbones if a party member needs resurrecting or to simply summon a quick army. ### Party Role Ranged DPS/Healing - In a group, drop Ruinous Scythe from your tactics and try to keep some distance. Let your pets do the work and use your Ranged skills to deal damage and heal your party.

\page # Tongue of Kyne The Nords of old were gifted by Kyne with the ability to use the Thu’um, turning their very voice into powerful magical effects. It is said that masters of the Thu’um, called Tongues, were able of shouting down city gates, call down storms, and even shout Alduin the destroyer thousands of years into the future. Much of the art has been lost over time, with only a handful still retaining even a fraction of the power they once had. You are one of those few. ## Leveling Base Class: Sorcerer You will primarily use the Storm Calling class skill line and the One Hand and Shield line. Your other two class skill lines can be largely ignored as you will not use any skills from those lines. This character is built around the idea of manifesting the Thu’um as lightning in various forms, while still emphasizing the martial prowess of the Nords. >### Optimal races Only Nords are blessed by Kyne with the power of the Thu’um. ### Cosmetics As a champion of the Nord race, Nordic themed outfits are the most fitting for a Tongue of Kyne. The Dro-m’Athra style also works well visually with it’s lightning-like appearance. Lightning themed or wolf themed mounts and pets fit best with the Tongue of Kyne’s heritage. ### Mundus Stone The Lady stone helps to bolster your defenses as a tank. ### Stat Distribution Utilize a mix of Health to supplement your tanking ability and Stamina to power your Shock damage abilities. ``` ```

### Armor Type Heavy Armor ### Armor Sets To add to your Shock abilities for both offense and defense, utilize the Storm-Knight’s Plate, Thunder Caller, and Stormfist monster sets to add a variety of passive Shock damage options. ### Weapon Type(s) One Hand and Shield \page ### Skills A mix of offensive and defensive abilities, with multiple methods of stunning opponents: Power Overload Pierce Armor Defensive Stance Streak Mage’s Wrath Reverberating Bash ### Tactics Open combat with either Mage’s Wrath at range or Streak if you want to close the distance quickly. Use a mix of regular attacks, Pierce Armor and Mage’s Wrath attacks, with an occasional Reverberating Bash when their crowd control immunity wears off. When Power Overload becomes available, activate it, using Light Attacks against single targets or Heavy Attacks against groups. ### Party Role Tank - You will probably want to open with Streak in most cases while grouping so you can get in and start taunting targets with your Pierce Armor attacks. Make sure to frequently apply your taunt, but otherwise maintain the same strategy as when playing solo. ``` ```

\page # Venomblade Poison. The tool of evil assassins who hide in the shadows. A crutch for weaklings who dare not strike in the open. But you know better; using a tool to further your ends does not make you weak or evil, it makes you practical - and you are more than willing to cross blades with any would say otherwise. ## Leveling Base Class: Dragonknight The Venomblade is a heavy warrior who does not eschew the use of poison in battle, seeing it as a useful tool. Whether an enforcer for the Camonna Tong, an evil brute who enjoys seeing others suffer, or simply a mercenary warrior willing to use any method necessary; you embrace the use of Poison to accomplish the goal of defeating your enemies. But you are no assassin, hiding in the shadows - you face your enemies openly, with no care for what they think of your methods. You will be utilizing all three of your class skill lines, as well as the One Hand and Shield Line. It is also advisable to pursue EITHER the Alchemy skill line for weapon poisons OR Enchantment for Poison damage runes. Optionally, you can back bar a Two Handed weapon for increased damage when soloing. >### Optimal races Any race can be a Venomblade. Argonians make a good thematic choice, but any race can easily take up the role. ### Cosmetics Serpentine styles like the Scalecaller motif are a fitting theme for a Venomblade - especially in deep greens. Insectoid motifs are also a good option, especially if you are going for a Camonna Tong Enforcer build. Same theme with mounts/pets - scaly critters or venomous spiders are the ideal choices. ### Mundus Stone The Lover stone gives you Damage Penetration to get through your opponents armor. ### Stat Distribution Heavy investment into Health and Stamina to maximize your tankiness while still doing good damage. ``` ```

### Armor Type Heavy Armor ### Armor Sets Gear up with Poisonous Serpent weapons and jewelry and Leeching Plate pieces in your armor slots. Top things off with the Slimecraw monster set to get a permanent damage buff. ### Weapon Type(s) One Hand and Shield \page ### Skills Focus on skills that deal Poison damage, with a little bit of utility in the form of a taunt, heal, and charge ability: Corrosive Armor Pierce Armor Shielded Assault Venomous Claw Noxious Breath Green Dragon Blood ### Tactics Charge straight into a group of enemies with Shielded Assault, then let loose with your Noxious Breath to poison as many of your enemies as possible. Follow up with Light Attacks, renewing the poisoned effect on your target with Venomous Claw as needed. Heal yourself with Green Dragon Blood as needed to supplement the healing you are receiving from your Leeching Plate and use Corrosive Armor whenever it becomes available. ### Party Role Tank - Tactics remain largely the same when grouped, but be sure to use Pierce Armor to keep your target(s) taunted. ``` ```

\page # Vigilant of Stendarr As a Vigilant of Stendarr, you have dedicated your life to the elimination of the “unnatural”. Daedra, the undead, Werewolves, and Vampires have no place in the Mundus, and you will stop at nothing to remove them from it. Unlike a Priest or Paladin, however, you do not use holy might to strike down your enemies - but instead hone your fighting and alchemical skills to destroy the evils of the world. ## Leveling Base Class: Dragonknight or Nightblade You will want to pick up the Fighter’s Guild skill line as soon as possible. Alchemy, both for potions and poisons, will also be a staple for this build. Depending on whether you start as a Dragonknight or as a Nightblade, you will develop as a more defensive tank build or as a more lightly armored skirmisher build. As a Dragonknight, level Draconic Power and Earthen Heart for passives; for Nightblade do the same with Assassination and Shadow. Choose two martial weapon styles to fit your preference between One Hand and Shield(Tank), Bow(Ranged DPS), and EITHER Dual Wield OR Two Handed(Melee DPS). >### Optimal races A member of any race can join the cause of the Vigilants of Stendarr. ``` ``` ### Cosmetics A Vigilant of Stendarr values function over form so look for simple, practical plate armor(DK) or leathers(NB). Get a good hunting dog pet and a heavy armored warhorse mount. ### Mundus Stone The Warrior stone boosts your damage with weapons and epitomizes the values of Stendarr. ### Stat Distribution Primarily Stamina, with some investment in Health. With a Dragonknight build lean a little more into Health than with a Nightblade build. ### Armor Type Heavy Armor (DK) or Medium Armor (NB) ### Armor Sets Use the Red Eagle’s Fury set (which can be crafted in either Heavy or Medium, as fits your build) for the weapon damage boosts and Moon Hunter set Jewelry and weapons for further boosts and to enhance your alchemical poisons, which you will want to make heavy use of with either variant of this build. Top things off with a Monster Set of your choice. ### Weapon Type(s) Any martial weapon type

\page ### Skills Choose your favorite two skills and your Ultimate from your chosen weapon style. Repeat on your back bar with your other weapon style: Weapon Ultimate Weapon Skill 1 Weapon Skill 2 Ring of Preservation Evil Hunter Barbed Trap ### Tactics Tactics will vary based on your chosen weapon style - One Hand and Shield users should make sure to select a taunt as one of their chosen skills. Make sure you are using advanced crafted poisons on your weapons. Start combat by dropping a Ring of Preservation, then activate Evil Hunter and Barbed Trap. Use your Weapon Skills as appropriate for your chosen style, but try to stay in your Ring of Preservation rather than chasing enemies around the field when possible. ### Party Role Tank/Melee/Ranged DPS - same tactics as for solo play. Your weapon type determines your role.

\page # Werewolf Behemoth You are fury unleashed. Your already impressive power as a werewolf has been enhanced by Archivist Ernarde’s experiments - granting you strength and prowess beyond your “lesser” werewolf brethren. Not all survive the transformation, but you endured the process and are now a Werewolf Behemoth. ## Leveling Base Class: Sorcerer, Nightblade, or Templar The Werewolf Behemoth is a genetically enhanced werewolf of the Moon Hunter Pack. Initial class is largely irrelevant (see recommended classes for classes with most beneficial passive skills) as you will be focused almost solely on your Werewolf skills. Try to get your bite as early as you can and max out your Werewolf skill line right away. When not in werewolf form, focus on leveling skill lines that have passive skills that will benefit you in werewolf form. Equip a Two Handed or Dual Wield weapon for maximum damage outside of werewolf form. >### Optimal races A member of any race can become a Werewolf Behemoth. ### Cosmetics Aim for a feral look with motifs comprised of furs and animal hides. If you have access to the Beast personality, it is a perfect fit. Alternatively, consider the Werewolf Lord Polymorph. Select a wolf mount and pet, naturally. ### Mundus Stone Utilize the Warrior Stone to further boost your damage potential. ### Stat Distribution Heavy investment into Stamina with a lesser investment in Health. ``` ```

### Armor Type Equip a full set of Medium Armor. ### Armor Sets You will want to use the Salvation and Savage Werewolf armor sets, as well as the Shapeshifter's Chain mythic. Cap things off with shoulders from a monster set that boosts Weapon damage. ### Weapon Type(s) Two Handed or Dual Wield \page ### Skills Equip whatever class/weapon skills you want on your main bars, but make sure to slot your transformation as your ultimate: Werewolf Berserker Brutal Pounce Hircine’s Rage Ferocious Roar Howl of Despair Claws of Life ### Tactics Your primary goal is to transform into your werewolf form as early as you can, and stay in it for as long as possible. Utilize your class/weapon skills to keep yourself alive until you can transform, then just tear into your enemies with a ferocious assault - utilizing Hircine’s Rage when you need it to augment your healing. Howl of Despair will be your primary spammable, but be sure to keep up your buffs and debuffs from your other skills. Utilize your natural speed and Brutal Pounce skill to move from a fallen target to your next victim quickly to keep your werewolf form up as long as possible. ### Party Role Melee DPS - no change in tactics from solo play. Your job is simply to deal as much damage as you can. \page # Witch For generations, the Reachmen have turned to their shamanistic Witches for spiritual guidance. These hags dabble in ancient nature magic, often tainted by Daedric entities like Namira, whom the Reachfolk revere. The powers they wield can be used for weal or woe - bolstering and healing the Reachmen, while placing powerful hexes on their enemies. ## Leveling Base Class: Nightblade As a Witch, you will want to level all three skill lines from the Nightblade class. You will also wield a Lightning Staff and will naturally level that skill line as well. You will be focusing primarily on skills that debuff enemies or buff and heal your allies - or both at once. >### Optimal races The Witches of the Reach are of Breton stock, but it could be possible to find members of any race that dabble in the dark arts. ### Cosmetics As a Reach Witch, you will want to go with a primitive look consistent with the folk of the Reach. Drab, earthy colors in fur and bone motifs are fitting, as are tattered looking robes. Choose a mount fitting of the highland environment, like a ram, and a raven or other bird as your pet. ### Mundus Stone Use the Thief Stone to increase your chance of proccing your Defiler set. ### Stat Distribution Focus primarily on Magicka as a focused spellcaster, with a small investment in Health. ``` ```

### Armor Type Light Armor benefits you most as a caster. ### Armor Sets You will want to acquire the Defiler and Affliction sets to add some additional Disease and Poison damage effects, and cap things off with the Nightflame monster set. ### Weapon Type(s) Lightning Staff \page ### Skills Your skillset is a combination of healing and debuff-oriented offensive powers. Equip a Lightning Staff in both bars: Bolstering Darkness Refreshing Path Manifestation of Terror/Reaper’s Mark Funnel Health/Shadow Image Debilitate/Destructive Reach Sap Essence/Elemental Susceptibility ### Tactics When soloing, open combat with a Reaper’s Mark and focus fire down one enemy at a time, placing a new Reaper’s Mark on each enemy in turn. Try to keep the buff from Sap Essence active on yourself at all times as well as keeping a Shadow Image up to increase your offensive potential, and use Elemental Susceptibility and Destructive Reach to bring down enemies quickly. Use Manifestation of Terror to stun crowds if needed, and Refreshing Path and/or Funnel Health as needed to keep your health up. ### Party Role In a party, try to keep your distance and keep as many debuffs active on enemies as possible. Worry less about dealing damage and more on keeping buffs/debuffs going. Throw out a Bolstering Darkness whenever you can to help buff your allies. If you are serving as a healer make liberal use of your Funnel Health, Sap Essence, and Refreshing Path skills.

\page

## Appendix I: Vampire Clans and Werewolf Packs

Rather than creating full build writeups for the various Vampire clans and Werewolf packs found throughout Tamriel I have chosen to instead present them a little bit differently for several reasons:

1)I already have included a couple of vampire builds - the Bloodmage and the Blood Stalker - and werewolf builds are pretty simple as it just involves slotting your werewolf skills. 2)The differences between most clans/packs are, from a mechanical standpoint, relatively minor. This would mean that there would be several dozen builds that would only differ by one or two skills. 3)Members of a given clan/pack are not going to be homogenous. While they may share common goals and traits, they will have come from different backgrounds and have different skillsets prior to their infection with Vampirism/Lycanthropy.
So with all this in mind, I will present the various clans/packs in the following format:
__Clan/pack name__ •Brief description of the clan/pack including predominant race(if applicable) •Any specific class or skill(s) that would commonly be found by members •Suggested builds if they fit any of the existing builds •Suggested morphs for specific Vampire/WW skills if relevant

When building a Vampire or Werewolf character that is associated with a specific Clan or Pack, simply build your character as you normally would, but make sure to include any relevant skills either as a "default" skill from your build, or by swapping out one (or more) skills for skills appropriate to your Clan or Pack. ### The Grey Host Of special note is the Grey Host. This “clan/pack” is unique in that it encompasses both Vampires AND Werewolves and is comprised of ALL races. A Grey Host character can have literally ANY combination of skills as long as they are either a Vampire or a Werewolf. ### Vampire Clans __Anthotis Clan__ •The Anthotis Clan is a mixed race vampire clan based in Hammerfell and is noted for the intelligence of its members. •No specific skills are associated with this clan. •No specific builds are associated with this clan, but their proclivity towards intelligence could steer them towards “mage” type characters.

__Aundae Clan__ •The Aundae Clan is composed primarily of Dunmer, and most members are mages of some kind. •No specific skills are associated with this clans, though most members show an aptitude for spellcasting over martial prowess. •Members of this clan tend towards builds like the Archmage.

__Berne Clan__ •The Berne clan is composed primarily of Dunmer, and is known for the unnatural stealthiness of its members. •No specific skills are associated with this clan, though most members are adept in the art of stealth. •Members of this clan will naturally gravitate towards builds like the Shadow or Blood Stalker.

__Bloodborn Clan__ •The Bloodborn are comprised primarily of Bretons and are known for their skill with frost magic. •Members of this clan should be Wardens and/or utilize a Frost Staff, with at least one frost-based skill slotted. •The Bloodborns' propensity for frost magic makes the Frostcaster build ideal for them.

__Bloodmist Clan__ •This primarily Orsimer clan is allied with Molag Bal and count a number of necromancers amongst their numbers. •Necromancers of this clan tend toward diease-based skills and heavy warriors utilize lightning based attacks from the Sorcerer's Storm Calling line. •No specific builds are associated with this class.

__Bonsamu Clan__ •The Bonsamu clan are Bosmer vampires that are indistinguishable from normal Bosmer, except when viewed by candlelight. •No specific skills are associated with this clan. •No specific builds are associated with this clan.

__Cyrodiilic Order__ •The Cyrodiilic Order is a mixed race organization of vampires that involves itself heavily in Imperial politics. •No specific skills are associated with this clan. •No specific builds are associated with this clan.

__Garlythi Clan__ •The Garlythi clan is a mixed race vampire clan based in High Rock and its members are known for their ability to magically shield themselves from damage. •Make sure to take at least one skill that grants a damage shield if you are playing a Garlythi vampire. •Due to their talent for damage shields, the Battlemage build could be a good fit for this clan. \page __Glenmoril Coven__ •Not to be confused with the Glenmoril Witches, the Glenmoril Coven is a group of Breton vampires that lives disguised amongst the High Rock elite. •No specific skills are associated with this clan. •No specific builds are associated with this clan.

__Haarvenu Clan__ •The Haarvenu clan is a mixed race vampire clan based in High Rock and its members are known for their skill in Destruction Magic. •Choose a build with at least one Destruction Staff skill if you are playing as a Haarvenu vampire. •No specific builds are associated with this clan.

__Hollowfang Clan__ •This primarily Khajiiti vampire clan is known for their use of blood magics and poisons. •Members of this clan should master the Alchemy skill line, particularly the art of poisonmaking. •Both the Bloodmage and Blood Stalker build are good fits for this clan, as is the Venomblade.

__House Montclair__ •House Montclair is a Breton noble house whose members have contracted Vampirism. •No specific skills are associated with this clan. •No specific builds are associated with this clan.

__House Ravenwatch__ •House Ravenwatch is a vampire clan composed of vampires who wish to live openly in society, and who go to great lengths to avoid feeding on civilized races. They actively work to eliminate hostile vampires and show that vampires can be valuable members of society. •No specific skills are associated with this clan. •No specific builds are associated with this clan.

__Khulari Clan__ •The Khulari clan is a mixed race vampire clan based in Hammerfell and its members are known for their ability to paralyze their foes. •Make sure to have at least one non-weapon based stun skill if you are playing as a Khulari vampire. •No specific builds are associated with this clan.

__Lamae Pureblood__ •The first vampire clan, the members of this clan can trace their vampiric lineage back to the first vampire, Lamae Bal. Members of this clan have widely varying abilities, but are feared for their power. •No specific skills are associated with this clan. •No specific builds are associated with this clan. •Lamae Purebloods should take the Perfect Scion morph.

__Lothid Clan__ •This clan of Nord vampires has a reputation for being brutish. •No specific skills are associated with this clan, but you might consider using heavy weapons like axes or mauls to emphasize the brute aspect. •No specific builds are associated with this clan, but the Berserker would be a good fit. •Members of the Lothid clan should take the Simmering Frenzy morph.

__Lyrezi Clan__ •The Lyrezi clan is a mixed race vampire clan based in High Rock and its members are known for their ability to turn invisible and to silence their enemies. •Members of this clan should slot the Shadowy Disguise skill if a Nighblade, or either of the Negate Magic morphs if a Sorcerer. Having at least one skill that can interrupt a caster is also advisable. •No specific builds are associated with this clan.

__Keerilth Clan__ •This primarily Bosmer clan is noted for its members' ability to utilize the Mist Form skill. •Members of the Keerilth Clan should be certain to slot the Mist Form skill (either morph). •No specific builds are associated with this clan.

__Montalion Clan__ •The Montalion clan is a mixed race vampire clan based in High Rock and Hammerfell and its members are known for their ability to teleport. •Members of this clan whould slot a skill that allows them to teleport, like Teleport Strike. •No specific builds are associated with this clan.

__Nighthollow Clan__ •The Nighthollow Clan is a primarily Nord clan of vampires that have been corrupted by Namira due to their prolonged contact with the Dark Heart. •No specific skills are linked to this clan, but the Dark Magic and Shadow skill lines fit thematically. •A modified version of the Dro-m'athra build would fit this clan well, as would any build that makes heavy use of the Sorcerer Dark Magic or Nightblade Shadow skill lines.

__Quarra Clan__ •The Quarra Clan is a highly aggressive Dunmer clan of vampires. •No specfic skills are associated with this clan. •No specfic builds are associated with this clan, but they tend towards aggressive DPS-oriented builds. •Members of the Quarra clan should select the Blood for Blood, Simmering Frenzy, and Exhilarating Drain morphs.

__Selenu Clan__ •The Selenu clan is a mixed race vampire clan based in Hammerfell and its members are known for their resistance to elemental damage. •Members of this clan should take a skill that grants the Evasion and/or Resolve buff to represent their innate elemental resistance. •No specific builds are associated with this clan.

\page __Sun Eater Clan__ •The Sun Eaters are a Sithis-worshipping clan of Argonian vampires. •No specific skills are associated with this clan. •As Sithis worshipping Argonians, the Shadowscale is a perfect fit for this clan. •Members of this clan should select the Arterial Burst morph.

__Telboth Clan__ •The Telboth are a clan of Bosmer vampires that are known for targeting and subsequently replacing children. •No specific skills are associated with this clan. •No specific builds are associated with this clan.

__Tenarr Zalviit (Night Stalkers)__ •The Tenarr Zalviit were a Khajiiti vampire clan that peacefully coexisted with the living until the time of the Knahaten Flu, when they became desperate and were ultimately wiped out, leaving only a few survivors who choose to feed on animals rather than on other humanoids. •No specific skills are associated with this clan. •No specific builds are associated with this clan. •Members of this clan should choose the Swarming Scion morph.

__Thrafey Clan__ •The Thrafey clan is a mixed race vampire clan based in High Rock and its members are known for their healing abilities. •All members of this clan should slot at least one self-heal skill. •This clan lends itself to the Bloodmage build. •Members of this clan should select the Blood Mist and Sated Fury morphs.

__Thorn Legion__ •The Thorn Legion is a mixed race vampire clan loyal to Lady Thorn. They are allied with the Grey Host. •No specific skills are associated with this clan. •No specific builds are associated with this clan.

__Volkihar Clan__ •One of the most powerful vampire clans, this predominantly Nord clan boasts a number of purebloods amongst their ranks. •Volkihar vampires are known for their frost-related abilities, and should use them if available to their class. •No specific builds are associated with this clan. •Volkihar vampires should take the Perfect Scion morph.

__Vraseth Clan__ •The Vraseth clan is a mixed race vampire clan based in High Rock and its members are known for being very nimble. •No specific skills are associated with this clan. •The nimbleness of this clan lends its members to classes like the Shadow or Spellblade. •Members of this clan should choose the Elusive Mist morph.

``` ``` __Whet-Fang Clan__ •The Whet-Fang are Argonian vampires that keep their victims alive for a renewable feeding source. •No specific skills are associated with this clan. •No specific builds are associated with this clan.

__Yekef Clan__ •This Bosmer clan of vampires is widely feared for their reputation of "swallowing men whole". •No specific skills are associated with this clan. •No specific builds are associated with this clan. ### Werewolf Packs __Frostmoon Pack__ •The Frostmoon Pack is a small werewolf pack operating on the isle of Solstheim. •No specific skills are associated with this pack. •No specific builds are associated with this pack.

__Magnar Pack__ •The Magnar Pack is a large, primarily Breton pack that operates in the Wrothgar region. •No specific skills are associated with this pack. •No specific builds are associated with this pack.

__Moon-Hunter Pack__ •The Moon Hunter Pack is one of the largest werewolf packs ever to exist in Tamriel and is led by Vykosa, one of the first known werewolves. It is comprised largely of former members of the Silver Dawn who had the misfortune of contracting lycanthropy when they were overrun by the pack. •No specific skills are associated with this pack. •While this pack is very diverse due to its size and could thus contain members of almost any build, it is also the only known source of Werewolf Behemoths.

__Thornfang Pack__ •This primarily Bosmer pack operates on Summerset Isle and is known for its savagery. •No specific skills are associated with this pack. •Many members of this pack will be Rangers. •Members of the Thornfang Pack should choose the Pack Leader morph.

__Wolfpack__ •The Wolfpack is a small pack of Hircine-worshipping Bosmer operating out of Reaper's March. •No specific skills are associated with this pack. •No specific builds are associated with this pack. \page

## Appendix II: Suggested Builds by Faction

### Orc Clans Clan orcs live simple, but violent, lives and those that choose to venture beyond the lands claimed by their clan will generally fall into either the Berserker or variant Knight Weaponmaster role.

Agluk Clan Agra Crun Barkbite Clan Darkfern Clan Lhurgash Clan Morkul Clan Murtag Clan Oathbound Clan Seamount Clan Shatul Clan Shurgak Clan Tumnosh Clan ### Bandits/Mercenaries/Smugglers This category encompasses a wide variety of informal militias, pirates, bandit groups, smugglers, and ragtag groups of miscreants. These groups will be mostly composed of variants of Vigilant of Stendarr and Knight Weaponmaster builds with a smattering of other builds. Smuggler groups will include more Shadow, Shadowsniper, or other assassin types, and some groups may contain Spellblades or even full caster types. Some groups may be race specific (noted below), but others will include multiple races. If a particular group is known for specific archetypes it will be noted below, otherwise the above guidelines apply. _(Special note: I have included Maormer groups as you can approximate a Maormer character using a High Elf.)_

Arbordawn Cult - Disciple of Mephala Bitterhand Bandits Bjoulsae Boys Black Daggers Black Dart Black Gulls(smuggler) Black Snails Black Wake(Altmer) Blackguards(Argonian) Blackheart Haven Pirates Bloodsharks Bloodthorn Cult - Lich Bonechime Gang(Khajiit) Bronzefist Camonna Tong(Dunmer)(smuggler) Colovian Raiders Crimson Raiders Crossroads Profiteers Crosstree Bandits Dawnmead Bandits(Khajiit) Dirty-Drakes Draugrkin(Nord) - Tomb Raider Dreadsails(Maormer) Drowned Dogs Duneraider Bandits(Khajiit) Ember-Eye Slavers Euraxians(Imperial) - Lich Frostbite Raiders Frostedge Bandits Gleaners of Aurbis(smuggler) Gray Vipers Greycloak Mercenaries Hounds of Hircine - Ranger variant Iron Hound Jackdaw Pirates Keel Cutters(Maormer) Maulborn Midnight Union(smuggler) Night Runners(smuggler) Outlaws Pellingare Mercenaries Pit Rats(Dunmer) Red Rooks Red Sails Red Sun Bandits Renrijra Maor/Krin(Khajiit) Roadside Bandits Ropefish(Orc)(smuggler) Ruddy Fangs(Khajiit)(smuggler) Rumblegarde Scaled Court Sea Drakes Sea Vipers(Maormer) Shark's Teeth Silken Ring - Shadow, Shadowsniper, Disciple of Mephala Snowblades Society of the Dragon Sovngarde(Nord) Sphinxmoth Bandits Steel Shrikes Stonefire Cult Storm Sharks(Maormer) Supernal Dreamers - Knightmare or Disciple of Vaermina Supremacists(Altmer) Sword-Disciples - Dervish The Thorns(Imperial) Treasure Hunters The Ungodly Veiled Heritance(Altmer) - Disciple of Mehrunes Dagon Wake Walkers Wayward Guardians(Breton) - Witch \page ### Ashlander Tribes These Dunmer have rejected the teachings of the Tribunal, and choose to follow the teachings of the so called “good daedra”: Boethiah, Mephala, and Azura. They live semi-nomadic lives of toil, believing that purpose is found in overcoming adversity and will mostly consist of Ranger or Vigilant of Stendarr variants.

Ahemmusa Tribe - peaceful hunter/fishers Ash Exiles Erabenimsun Tribe - particularly warlike Kagesh Mabrigash Red Exiles Ulath Tribe - emphasize Mephala worship Urshilaku Tribe Vereansu Zainab Tribe ### Military Organizations These are highly organized military groups - town guards, province military units, or particularly well trained (and well equipped) mercenary companies. These groups will be mostly comprised of Knight Weaponmaster or Vigilant of Stendarr variants, though some organizations might include other archetypes as appropriate. Some groups may be race specific.

Black Fin Legion(Argonian/Imperial) Bloody Fists(Redguard) Buoyant Armigers(Dunmer) Cygnus Irregulars Divine Prosecution (Altmer) - Paladin, Spellblade, Priest of the Eight Dragonguard Evermore City Guard(Breton) Ferhara's Warclaws(Khajiit) First Auridon Marines(any Aldmeri Dominion) Fists of Thalmor(Altmer) Gold Coast Mercenaries Hands of Almalexia(Dunmer) - Paladin House Redoran(Dunmer) Imperial Legion Iron Wheel(Redguard) Ivory Brigade Jade Dragoons(Aldmeri Dominion) Jode's Chariot Knights of Saint Pelin(Breton) Knights of the Dragon(Breton) Knights of the Flame(Breton) Knights of the Silver Rose(Breton) - Paladin Legion of the West Weald Lion Guard(Daggerfall Covenant) Northern Elsweyr Defense Force(Khajiit) Order of the Hour Ordinators(Dunmer) - Paladin Pale Watch Pride of Alkosh(Khajiit) Ra Gada(Redguard) - Ansei, Dervish Saltwalker Militia Seventh Legion Shields of Senchal Shornhelm Guard Society of the Steadfast - Shadow, Spellblade, Archmage Stonehands(Breton) Swords of Solitude Tamriel Guard Thalmor(Aldmeri Dominion) True-Sworn Vanguard(Dunmer) ### Spy/Intelligence Organizations Most members of these organizations will be a Shadow .

Eyes of the Queen - Aldmeri Dominion Hidden Armigers - Ebonheart Pact Hollow Moon Ring of Daggers - Daggerfall Covenant ### Reachfolk These primitive-seeming folk of Breton stock reject the trappings of civilization, choosing to live a life more in tune with nature. Most clans will be primarily composed of Berserker, Witch, and variant Ranger builds - but some clans may have other archetypes among them. The Reachfolk worship Hircine, so werewolves are not an uncommon sight among their number.

Black-Moon Clan Boneshaper Clan - variant Knightmare of Vaermina Cinder-Heart Clan Crow-Eye Clan Dark Witnesses Dragonclaw Clan Dreadhorn Clan - Blood Knight Eagleseer Clan Ghostsong Clan Hearteaters Hillhunter Clan Rageclaw Clan River-Elk Clan Shadefeather Clan Six-Ford Clan Spiritblood Clan Stonetalon Clan Thornroot Clan Treeshade Clan Wildblood Clan Wildspear Clan Winterborn \page ### Mage Organizations These organizations include mystical scholars and necromantic cults. Most of these organizations will lean strongly towards either the Archmage or Lich builds, though some may encompass both.

Blackcaster Mages Guild - Archmage or Servant of the Sload Blackmarrow Cult - Lich Bleak Veil - Lich Firstmages - Archmage House Telvanni - Archmage Order of the Eye - Archmage Saraathu Tong - Archmage Sagacians - Archmage or variant Servant of the Sload Sapiarchs - Archmage Shadowed Path - Lich Withered Hand - Lich or Tomb Raider Worm Cult - Lich ### The Hunters These organizations are comprised of individuals dedicated to tracking and hunting down one or more specific type of enemies: either undead, daedra, lycanthropes, vampires, or members of a specific faction. All of these organizations will have some generic fighters that fit the Knight Weaponmaster build, but the majority of the members of these organizations will use the build designated below.

Ash'abah - Disciple of Tu'whacca Blacksap Rebellion - Ranger of Y'ffre Brackenleaf's Briars - Ranger of Y'ffre Death Hunters - Vigilant of Stendarr Pyre Watch - Vigilant of Stendarr or Disciple of Tu'whacca Resolutes of Stendarr - Vigilant of Stendarr Silver Dawn - Vigilant of Stendarr ### Argonian Tribes Argonians live in a tribal society, and each tribe sets their own societal norms. Some tribes are friendly to outsiders, but most are fairly xenophobic. The deeper into the Blackmarsh province a tribe dwells, the less friendly towards outsiders they tend to be. Sithis worship is a common thread through Argonian society and most tribes will have at least a few Argonian Shadowscales amongst their number, though tribes like the Black-Tongues intentionally breed for the traits. Every tribe will also have a good number of Knight Weaponmaster “shellbacks” that serve as the tribe’s guards and hunters, as well as at least a few behemoth Berserker types. Rounding things out will be at least one Hedge Wizard that tends to the hatching grounds for the tribe. Some tribes, notably the Dead-Water and Sul-Xan, are of a subspecies called the “Naga” - and will have a higher than average population of behemoths.

Black-Tongue Tribe - Argonian Shadowscale Bright-Throat Tribe Dead-Water Tribe(Naga-Kur) - Berserker Ghost People Tribe(Veeskhleel) - Lich Keepers of the Shell - Hedge Wizard Miredancer Tribe Moss-Skin Tribe Root Stewards Root-House Tribe - Berserker Root-Whisper Tribe Sharp-Eyes Su-Zahleel Sul-Xan - Berserker Xit-Xaht ### Miscellaneous Organizations Organizations that do not fit nicely into the above categories. Members of these organizations are generally tied together by a devotion to a common philosophy - and sometimes by devotion to a particular Daedric Prince. Not ALL members of one these organizations will necessarily share the same build, but most will fit the mold.

Claws of Daegon - Disciple of Mehrunes Dagon The Darklings - Agent of Nocturnal Malacath Fanatics - Berserker Order of the Waking Flame - Disciple of Mehrunes Dagon Shadow Walkers - Shadowsniper Spider Cult - Disciple of Mephala Stormwardens - variant Tongue of Kyne or Spellblade Sword-singers - Ansei Vinedusk Rangers - Shadowsniper Whispering Shadows - Agent of Nocturnal \page

## Appendix III: NPC Classes

Most humanoid opponents in ESO are assigned a 'NPC class' that determines their skills and style of fighting. These classes are not as fleshed out as the Player Classes - but if you want to emulate one of these characters, many of them line up well with the builds in this guide. Some minor modifications may need to be made in some cases, but others can be played as is.
In addition, many of these classes use suboptimal setups - particularly using One-hand & Shield weapons when they are clearly not meant to be tanks. ##### NPC Class Table | NPC Class | Weapon Type | Armor Type | Recommended Build | Notes | |:----:|:------|:------|:---------|:-------| |Arbalest|Bow|Medium|Vigilant of Stendarr (bow)|| |Archer|Bow|Medium|Shadowsniper|| |Assassin|Dual Weapons|Medium|Shadowscale|| |Battlemage|Staff|Light|Battlemage|| |Beastcaller|Sword and Shield|Heavy|Ranger of Y'ffre|(Note 2)| |Berserker|Dual Weapons|Medium|Berserker|| |Blood Mage|Staff|Light|Bloodmage|| |Bodyguard|One-hand & Shield|Heavy|Guardian|| |Bonelord|One-hand & Shield|Light||| |Bounty Hunter|Dual Weapons|Medium|Vigilant of Stendarr (DPS)| |Brute|One-hand & Shield|Heavy|Vigilant of Stendarr (tank)| |Cauterizer|Restoration Staff|Light||| |Chemist|One-hand & Shield|Light||| |Chillfiend|Frost Staff|Light|Frostcaster|| |Dreadweaver|Frost Staff|Light|Disciple of Vaermina|| |Eviscerator|One-Hand & Shield|Heavy|Knight Weaponmaster|| |Fear Mage|Staff|Light|Disciple of Vaermina|| |Feral|Hands|Any|(Note 1)|| |Fire Mage|Flame Staff|Light|Disciple of Mehrunes Dagon|| |Flame Adept|Hands|Light|(Note 1)|| |Foot Soldier|One-hand & Shield|Medium|Vigilant of Stendarr (DPS)|| |Frost Mage|Frost Staff|Light|Frostcaster|| |Healer|Restoration Staff|Light|Priest of the Eight|| |Honor Guard|One-hand & Shield|Heavy|Knight Weaponmaster|| |Icereaver|Two-handed|Heavy|Ansei|| |Knight|One-hand & Shield|Heavy|Knight Weaponmaster|| |Mage Guard|Lightning Staff|Light||| |Necromancer|Staff|Light|Lich|| |Nightblade|Dual Weapons|Medium|Shadow|| |Nullifier|Two-handed|Heavy|Daedric Knight|| |Pet Ranger|Bow|Medium|Ranger of Y'ffre|| |Poison Archer|Bow|Medium|Disciple of Mephala|| |Ravager|Two-handed|Heavy|Knight Weaponmaster|||

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| NPC Class | Weapon Type | Armor Type | Recommended Build | Notes | |:-------------:|:------|:------|:---------|:-------| |Reach Mage|Staff|Light|Hedge Wizard|| |Sea Mage|Lightning Staff|Light|Druid of the Old Ways (Eldertide)|| |Shadow Mage|Staff (Shadow)|Light||| |Shaman|One-hand & Shield|Light||| |Shade Sentinel|Dual Weapons|Medium|Shadow|| |Sentry|One-handed & Torch|Heavy||| |Spellblade|Two-handed Sword|Heavy|Spellblade|(Note 3)| |Spirit Master|Staff|Light||| |Storm Mage|Lightning Staff|Light|Archmage|| |Sun Mage|Two-handed|Heavy||| |Swashbuckler|One-hand & Shield|Light||| |Tank|One-hand & Shield|Heavy|Knight Weaponmaster|| |Thundermaul|Two-handed Maul|Heavy|Thundermaul|| |Time Bomb Mage|Staff|Light||| |Vanquisher|One-handed and Javelin|Medium||| |Void Mage|Staff (Void)|Light||| |Void Striker|Two-handed|Light|Dro-m'Athra|| |Warpriest|Sword & Shield|Heavy|Paladin||

1)without a viable Unarmed Combat skill, these characters cannot effectively be replicated except as novelty characters 2)swap out Bow Skills for Dual Wield Skills and replace the Hawk's Eye set and Arena weapons with melee appropriate options
3)swap out Dual Wield Skills forTwo Handed Skills and replace the Flanking Strategist set with a thunder themed Heavy Armor set