In Skyrim, the totems of the old Atmoran gods can still be found – the symbols scratched into a stone protruding like a jagged tooth from a grassy field, or carved outside the entrance to a forgotten tomb. The symbols speak, it is said, to those who would listen.

Some men and women are said to partake of the spirits of the stones. Even if they know nothing of the symbols or their origin, their companions mark how their strength rivals that of the bear, how their cunning is that of the fox, how their restlessness is that of the hawk. Such individuals body forth the totems in their minds and their hearts, their learning and their fighting, their being and their dying.

 

This is the seventh installment in a series of nine character builds, each keyed to a particular totem. (See here for the first build, The Hawk, as well as an introduction to the project. Other builds so far include The Wolf, The Snake, The Moth, The Owl, and The Whale.) The race for each build presented in this series is assumed to be Nord, as those with the blood of the North are the most likely to bear the aspect of a totem. But just as the Dragonborn can be a member of any race, so too the call of the totems can be answered by any race of man, or beast, or even elf.

 

The Bear

 

In the great dark forests of Atmora, the bear must have loomed large in the peoples' imaginations. Mighty and fearsome, yet almost man-like in its nature, the bear would have been associated with warriors of both great strength and endurance. 

 

The warrior association likely carried through to the later Nordic pantheon, with the Bear totem most strongly connected to Stuhn, "shield-thane of Shor" according to "Varieties of Faith." It is said that Stuhn taught men the value of taking prisoners for ransom in war. The Bear, then, as a primitive glimmering of Stuhn, is not ignorant of mercy. However, the Bear is dangerous when roused to anger.

Eager to come to grips with a foe, those who follow the ways of the Bear totem display unmatched resilience in battle. Wielding heavy maces complemented with a stout shield (or dual-wielded, when offense is paramount), they are the anchors of any battle line.

Primary Skills: One Handed, Block 

Complementary Skills: Smithing, Heavy Armor

Attributes: 0:2:1 M:H:S

Stone: Warrior, then Lord.

Shouts: Dismay, Battle Fury. Dismay is the Bear's signature Shout, allowing him to focus on the strongest foes while sending weaker enemies fleeing. In addition to the fear effect, this Shout causes a light stagger, making it useful even against foes who do not flee.

Battle Fury represents the effect of the Bear's inspiring leadership in the heat of battle. It is of great use in the Civil War quests – be sure to visit Solstheim early in order to learn it.

Mask: Rahgot (“Rage”). The fury of this dragon priest is a natural extension of the Bear's ferocity, and a constant challenge to the forbearance later associated with Stuhn. The incredible Stamina boost is excellent for a character power attacking with heavy maces and bashing with shields.

Gear: Nordic Carved Armor, Helmet, Gauntlet, Boots, and Shield; Nordic Maces; Amulet of Stendarr.

Quests: Civil War (Stormcloaks side); Cleansing of the Stones (for Conjure Werebear and Battle Fury)

The Bear's Dismay Shout overwhelms a feeble mage.

Level 27 Perks

One Handed – Armsman (5/5), Dual Flurry (1/2), Dual Savagery, Fighting Stance, Savage Strike

Block – all perks except Quick Reflexes

Smithing – Steel, Elven, Advanced

Heavy Armor – Juggernaut (2/5)

 

One Handed is the core skill, allowing terrific damage and pairing with a shield for great resilience against all types of foes. Dual-wielding with maces is slow, but then bears are not known for their speed; the focus here is on damaging perks. 

Similarly, Quick Reflexes doesn't seem to suit the fighting method of an in-the-thick-of-it brawler. Instead of avoiding attacks, a follower of the Bear will take them solidly on his shield. The Block skill tree is one of the best in the game, providing defense against magic, the ability to disarm opponents and bash for stagger and decent damage, and ultimately the ability to bowl right through gangs of enemies. 

A passable smith, this character will aim for Advanced Smithing early to craft Nordic gear - the bear motif is a perfect fit, and the weapons and armor are of good quality. 

Since the armor is Nordic Carved, a few perks in Heavy Armor will grant some stronger defense even when not actively blocking. 

A Shield Charge on a narrow bridge can send enemies flying off.

Gameplay notes: The Bear totem offers a straightforward play style, but with a touch of variety in the option to dual-wield for incredible offensive power or shield up for excellent defense.

Battlefield control comes mainly from the Dismay Shout, but is also achieved through pure muscle: power attacks (especially from heavy maces) and shield bashes will keep enemies staggered and, at higher Block levels, disarmed. Of course, Shield Charge is ridiculous fun, allowing you to knock aside hordes of enemies.

For dangerous moments, Conjure Werebear can be a real asset as well - a "spirit bear" taking physical form and coming to your aid. 

 

The only "pure" warrior totem, the Bear is a no-frills build with a bit of lore and roleplay flavor. Simple as the character himself, the build is good, hearty, smash-and-bash fun. 

 

The Atmoran Totem builds:

The Hawk

The Wolf

The Snake

The Moth

The Owl

The Whale

...and more to come.

 

 

 

 

Normally I worry when someone tries to take on a series of builds, especially a series as large and as ambitious as this. But you've managed 7 excellent builds so far. This is probably your most straight forward build yet. At any point did you feel it was too simplistic or did everything feel just right?

Well, the specialty perks tend not to add too much damage anyway, of course.  But the real answer here is, I never got around to it. :) Thanks to the Block perks, I was able to pretty much dominate, so I never felt like I needed a few extra points of damage.

With the Whale character, in contrast, Shouts were the only means of crowd control, and I didn't invest in Block, so a few extra points of damage against a heavily-armed opponent was something I had planned out from the beginning.  

Thanks very much, Curse :)

I had a blast with this character, but then I'm a man of simple tastes. :P  While, say, the Moth and the Owl were interesting in their own rights, I really enjoyed just getting out there and knocking skulls with this guy.  I didn't have to constantly check my inventory for a potion or recharge anything - just straight-up mace-and-board/dual-wielding, with a few shouts/powers for variety.

When it came time to post it, though, yes - honestly, I did have my doubts.  This is a really basic warrior, after all.  No new mechanics, and some folks will be turned off by the total lack of magic/stealth gameplay.  I still feel it has a place in the context of the other totems: I envision the Bear as the warrior totem, without a lot of mystery or subtlety.  Any originality in the build comes from placing it in the context of the lore (as I imagine it).  

This is my type of character!

A straight-up warrior, utilizing dual-wielding and shields is always good fun.

Great job Paul England!

I think the way you incorporate Lore into your builds is your greatest selling point. You have a knack for making even the most basic of build concepts highly enjoyable.

Nice work, Paul! You need to switch to Altmer at some point 

The gameplay is pretty straightforward but I still have a question - how does this character heal? He is tough, I get that, but I would not want to fight a Legendary Dragon in close combat without any means of healing. Also, speaking of dragons, did you find them too irritating with this character? Breath attacks are going to be annoying, even with the resistance from shield (you did use Shield of Ysgramor, right? RIGHT?!)  That said, I play on Master, I assume it'll be much more manageable on Adept.

Hehe, yes - I need to get schooled on Elvish lore! 

As for healing, you know I've never let a little thing like "healing" get in the way of a warrior build!  

I actually used bought/looted potions, and they worked quite well.  Not only was I playing on Adept, but I didn't get this guy much above lvl 30, so I didn't see some of the Uber Bosses of Ludicrousness that you get at those high levels.  Probably the most difficult time for me was around lvl 17-22ish, when you don't have all the defensive perks you want and you're starting to see higher-tier foes show up.  But eventually Block lets you survive just about anything I ran up against.

Did *not* use the Shield of Ysgramor, actually!  Never finished the Companions.  That's a great choice though, yeah, and it would really fit with the look too.  

Dragons were not too bad.  I may have gotten lucky in that I didn't run into many "hovering" dragons.  Once they're grounded, you can bash-lock them, or go nuts dual-wielding.  Plus, being a Nord means frost dragons aren't the danger they are to other races. 

In the great dark forests of Atmora, the bear must have loomed large in the peoples' imaginations. Mighty and fearsome, yet almost man-like in its nature, the bear would have been associated with warriors of both great strength and endurance. 

The Bear, then, as a primitive glimmering of Stuhn, is not ignorant of mercy. However, the Bear is dangerous when roused to anger.

This is the kind of thing I enjoy most about Paul England builds. Without fail there is something poetic in every build of yours which inspires me.