Forums » Elder Scrolls

Suggestions for a No-Kill Playthrough

    • 158 posts
    January 1, 2014 12:50 AM EST

    Who out there has done a no-kill play through?  I'm curious about tactics and strategies to stun, immobilize or evade enemies for the early game before you get good gear and your sneak stats are high.

    Some tactics I've thought about:

    - Ice Form

    - Paralyze poison on an arrow

    - Beef up magicka with Elsweyr Fondue or Fortify Magicka and dual cast Fear or Calm

    - Illusion cost reduction gear

    - Fortify Illusion potions

    - Invisibility potions

    Any other suggestions?  I'd love to hear more ideas.   I searched the site, but I didn't find this posted anywhere.

    • 37 posts
    January 1, 2014 1:25 AM EST

    Voice of the sky so you won't have to kill every annoying wolf every 50 feet along the roads while facing bandits or the Thalmor at the same time.

    Disarm, Dismay, Whirlwind Sprint (when in doubt, RUN AWAY!!!) shouts.

    Fear poisons.

    Racial powers: Nord battlecry, Imperial voice of the emperor, Redguard adrenaline rush (RUN AWAY!!!), Altmer highborn to boost illusions, Argonian to recover health while fleeing after getting hit the first time.

    Standing Stone: The shadow.

    Shield bashes.

    hmmm... suddenly i feel like making a Coward errr... Pacifist build.

     

    • 485 posts
    January 1, 2014 1:41 AM EST

    By "No kill" do you mean not dealing direct damage, or just plain not wanting anything you face to die? Because there's many fun ways to dispatch your enemies if you're at least open to indirect damage. 

    • 158 posts
    January 1, 2014 2:29 AM EST

    the character I'm playing is definitely a coward build - he's a drunken, broken man with severe PTSD from watching his society crumble into war around him.  He doesn't want to kill any humans or mortals if he can avoid it - it's an active neurosis.  Inflicting minimal damage to incapacitate or paralyze is acceptable, but no death.

    That being said, I'd love to hear about your indirect dispatching of enemies - perhaps I'll use them on some other play through :)

    • 158 posts
    January 1, 2014 2:31 AM EST

    I'm using a conjured atronach for undead, ice wraiths, etc.  But for RP reasons, he isn't actually actively in control of the atronach.

    • 158 posts
    January 1, 2014 2:32 AM EST

    these are great, thanks!

    • 485 posts
    January 1, 2014 3:48 AM EST

    I can't go around giving everyone all my ideas.

    • 158 posts
    January 1, 2014 3:54 AM EST

    Well, if you put together some kind of build using them, then keep me posted!

    • 1483 posts
    January 1, 2014 6:36 AM EST

    I've done a no-kills playthrough once, finished a few questlines and a lot of side quests with 0 in my combat stats. I agree with all the Cold Steel's suggestions and would like to add a few of my own 

    Shouts: Kyne's Peace, Animal Allegiance, Throw Voice (for distracting enemies and opening new passages when sneaking), Become Ethereal

    Racial: Orc Berserker Rage has great defensive potential and Breton Resist Magic+Dragonskin could be a life saver when running away from mages. Command Animal is also useful for evading wildlife.

    Skills: Alteration school has Paralysis spell and Ash Spells added by Dragonborn. It also has nice passive magic resistance perks and protection in form of flesh spells and Dragonhide. Also you may want to consider Enchanting. With high health regen enchantments you will become much harder to kill and can use it to escape enemies without the fear of stray arrow

    Powers: Mora's Grasp (paralyzes enemy and makes them immune to damage), Mora's Boon (restores all your health+magicka+stamina), Mora's Agony (has a nice stagger effect that stops enemies in their tracks), Nightingale Subterfuge (irresistible Frenzy spell, works even on dragons), Shadowcloak of Nocturnal (free invisibility every time you crouch), Shadow Stone (free invisibility), Serpent Stone (free paralysis), Secret of Protection (cuts received damage in half), Vampire's Seduction (low level calm spell, boosted with Illusion potions), Bones of the Earth (free Dragonhide), Bardic Knowledge (regen stamina effect, useful for running away)

    Effects: Agent of Mara (+15% Resist Magic), Dragonborn Frost (makes Frost Breath a version of Ice Form), Force Without Effort meditation (higher health recovery while in Ethereal mode. Not mixing anything it's a bug in the game.  Here is the link to the starting comment (this is the start the discussion goes for a few more pages from there!), Sailor's Repose (more effective healing spells)

    Also, I may get the wrong impression, but from your description of the character I have trouble imagining him manipulating minds of the others with Illusion spells in combat. On the indirect killing methods I know a few, used them a lot  Followers and summons attribute to your kill count 

    • 158 posts
    January 1, 2014 8:13 AM EST
    whoa, thanks! shazam, I think that covers it all!

    man, you guys on this site are awesome! I am very glad to be here with y'all!

    He's not a mage but a bard, and his craft is pretty much what holds his shattered self together. When he's performing, he can pull it all together and be very charismatic, drunkard or not. For that reason, I think the Illusion spell piece could work. I'll be putting up a profile for him as soon as I've playtested enough to figure out exactly how I want to run him.

    thanks again, all!