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Character Build: The Lone Druid

Tags: #Character Build Archer  #Character Build Witchhunter  #Character Build Agent  #Race:Bosmer  #Rank:Recognized  #Hunter  #Druid  #Ranger  #Survivalist 
  • Member
    December 26, 2012

    Hello all! This is my first character build. I am always a stickler for druids, and I've had a lot of fun playing what I perceive to be The Elder Scrolls' "Druid" type of character since Morrowind - a stealthy survivalist in tune with nature and ready to guard it with bow and spell.

    "I am the hunter this world meant me to be and the avenger it cries out for."

    The Lone Druid

    At once a stealthy hunter and a guardian of the natural world, the Lone Druid is a ranged focused class most at home trekking across the untamed wilds or cleansing the dens of Undead and foul Conjurers that infest the natural environs of Mundus.

    Themes: Hunt. Cleanse. Survive.

    Race: Wood Elf (From a roleplaying perspective, Command Animal and abilities like it are an essential part of playing a Lone Druid. Additionally, the skill bonuses of the Bosmer fit the Lone Druid like a glove.)

    Stone: The Lover is a great way to level the Lone Druid's varied skills, while The Apprentice covers the his general lack of magicka regeneration items.

    Major Skills:

    Sneak  –  By and large, sentient beings of Nirn are conceivable apex predators because of their cunning, rather than their sheer strength. Whether casting spells or shooting arrows, the Lone Druid prefers to hunt and strike from the shadows.

    Archery – The bow and arrow have been used to take down beasts and foes since the ancient days of blood and stone, well before the invention of the forge. They represent a true and fluid mastery of the natural world, as well as a feat most predators only wish they could take advantage of, as it marries maximum lethality with minimal risk to one's person.

    Destruction – The elements of Nirn are at the Lone Druid’s command, fantastic tools for dispatching clusters of enemies. Fire is the Lone Druid’s element of choice, as it cleanses Undead effectively.

    Restoration – This school is not only the very definition of self-preservation and reliance, but also excellent for cleansing the abominable Undead from Nirn.

    Minor Skills:

    Alchemy – The natural world is filled with nearly any benefit or boon the Lone Druid may need, so long as he has knowledge of how to obtain them.

    Alteration – Not nearly as crucial as Destruction and Restoration, Alteration still allows the Lone Druid to survive encounters in the wilds, as well as perceive where his enemies and his prey might be hiding.

    Light Armor – Not crucial in terms of perks, but as the Druid will always be wearing mostly light armor, a few points spent here are never wasted.


    Playstyle


    In combat, the Lone Druid will enter stealthily and use his bow to pick off as many enemies as possible from the cover of shadow, using poisons to weaken key enemies. When combat closes in upon him, he becomes a sudden explosion of devastating elemental damage, and has quite an easy time of staying alive to boot due to healing spells and beneficial potions. Still, tactical versatility is the main draw of the Lone Druid, and any combination of these abilities can be used as the situation dictates.

    Roleplaying

    Lone Druids are survivors in tune with the energies of the natural world. While they are not inherently selfish or evil, they have no qualms with avoiding danger in favor of self-preservation, or even abandoning an ally of convenience if it means saving their own skin. After all, despite the gilded trappings of civilization that abound in Tamriel, all are governed by one immutable law of nature – survive at all costs.

    Lone Druids do have a certain “soft spot.”  As a protector of the natural places, they do not shy away from violence – however, they prefer to avoid unnecessarily harming the beasts of the wild. They will either sneak past the creatures or calm them rather than killing them outright. That said, they shed no tears if forced to kill a beast in self-defense - the law of nature must be followed.

    While Lone Druids are normally content to hunt the wilds and contemplate all aspects of Nature, they loath the unnatural magics of Conjuration, and seek to purge any and all Undead from the world, as their very existence is an insult and a stain upon the natural order. To this end, the Lone Druid focuses on mastering Fire spells and Restoration spells that are a boon against the Undead.

    Additionally, Druids tend to view any aspect of Conjuration as unnatural, as it draws power from planes beyond Nirn, the realm man, mer, and beast were created for. Druids will avoid using enchanted weapons, as their constant use requires energies derived from Conjuration. They also sneer at conjurers in general, while actively assassinating any necromancers they come across.

    Level 50 Build

    Archery: Overdraw (5/5) // Critical Shot – Ranger // Eagle Eye – Quick Shot // Steady Hand (1/2)

    Sneak: Maxed but for Assassin's Blade (you should never get that close)

    Destruction: NoviceExpert // Augmented Flames (2/2) – Intense Flames // Duel-CastingImpact
    (Fire is a universal cleanser and very effective vs Undead, while staggering opponents with duel-casted spells is essential for staying alive once the enemies have closed in around you. Additionally, Fire spells have the most efficient damage-to-magicka spent ratio, which makes it easy on your strained magicka pool.)

    Restoration: NoviceAdept // RegenerationNecromage // Respite // Recovery (2/2)
    (All about making your Restoration spells more efficient and increasing your self-sufficiency. Necromage also improves Destruction spells' damage vs Undead, allowing for even more cleansing of unclean filth from Mundus.)

    Alteration: NoviceExpert
    (Mainly for armor spells and the Detect spells, making the Lone Druid that much better at hunting and surviving.)

    Alchemy: Alchemist (1/5) // Physician // Poisoner // Benefactor
    (Beneficial potions keep your spells flowing and your character alive, while poisons make them weaker to your elemental attacks.)

    There is plenty of wiggle-room in this build. Instead of maximizing Stealth and/ or Overdraw (The basic perks of Sneak and Archery), you could definitely put points into Alchemy for better elemental-weakness poisons - or perhaps, for a more mystical bent, improving Frost and/ or Lightning spells in the Destruction tree for more versatile elemental damage. Casting more healing and turn undead spells is also reason enough to put points into Restoration, if just destroying them outright isn't quite your thing.

    Stats
    Magicka 4 // Health 3 // Stamina 3
    You are a hybrid class, and all attributes will be of use to you.

     

    Pros and Cons


    Pros
    :

    Versatility – the Lone Druid can either sneak and assassinate at range, or blast enemies with specialized elemental damage, adding more tactical complexity and fun to each encounter with an enemy.

    Survivability – With the combination of stealth, ranged combat, and the healing and protective arts of Restoration, Alchemy, and Alteration, the Lone Druid will have plenty of options open to him when it comes to staying alive.

    Utility and Elemental Advantage – Alchemy grants you multiple boons for many situations. Using Destruction spells and Alchemical poisons applied to bows, you will be also able to exploit whatever elemental weaknesses any given enemy may have to a great degree.

    Cons:

    Ranged Focus – The Lone Druid focuses on picking off and/or blasting enemies at range. If caught by surprise and forced into melee with opponents who aren't softened up first, the Lone Druid will be at a disadvantage.

    Doesn’t Play Well with Others – Most Companions will hinder the Lone Druid, either by giving away the Druid’s position or by getting in the way of the Druid’s potent AoE damage spells. Ranged thief types will work best with the Lone Druid’s playstyle, if any.

    Attributes Spread – Being a hybrid class, spreading your Attributes between Magicka, Health, and Stamina can be tricky. Early on, pour stats into Magicka and Health - once you get the Eagle Eye perk you will need Stamina for aiming, but that shouldn't be until levels 8-12 or so.

    Items and Shouts

    Normal Items:

    Fur Armor – Fur Armor is easy to get early on. It not only looks great on the Lone Druid, but fits in with the common thread of Druidic thinking - if it isn't purely natural, don't wear it against your skin.
    Head slot should be reserved for hoods and helms that increase magicka.

    Foresworn Armor and Foresworn Bow – For higher armor and a bow that equates, damage-wise, with the Dwarven bow (and looks the part), travel west and hunt the Foresworn. Having a Foresworn bow early in the game will carry you quite far.

    Weakness to Elemental Damage Poisons – Use your range and your stealth to make a key enemy weak to whatever elemental damage spell you are about to assault it with. You can craft these poisons with Alchemy, so you have no excuse for being without one!

    I have yet to really need a melee weapon with this build, but it's always nice to have a sword in your back pocket for extreme circumstances.

    Unique Items:

    The Gauldur Amulet – Since you will be using all three attributes to great effect, this Amulet is an excellent idea, particularly at early levels.

    Armor of the Old Gods – Foresworn Armor that grants boons to all three of the Lone Druid’s major skills and even looks the part. Dare I say auto-include?

    Archmage’s Robes – Though not light armor, these robes are made of animal furs and grant a great boon to spellcasting, making them great for Lone Druids with a more mystical bent.

    Shouts:

    Animal Allegiance – Area of effect Command Animal, but only for those lvl 20 and below. A good substitute for Command Animal when not playing a Wood Elf.

    Aura Whisper – A good substitute for Detect Life if you don't want to put points into Alteration.

    Kyne's Peace – Again, a repeatable calm effect for surprise saber cat attacks. Also detects wildlife, which is nice and in tune with the Lone Druid.

    Frost and Fire Breath – For Druids more focused on being in tune with the elements than being at peace with the local wildlife.

    Before and Beyond Level 50

    Hearing about the Forbidden Legend and completing that quest early not only grants you the excellent Gauldur Amulet, but also gives you some RP action - you're not just killing a bunch of undead; you are killing powerful undead characters and and cleansing the world of their legendary corruption.

    Upon starting your character, go for Archery first and foremost, then Stealth. Novice Destruction and Restoration spells will last you through the first 12 levels or so, but you should start duel-casting higher level Destruction spells before you reach level 25.

    Just go by the general rule that you are a stealthy archer first, and a spellcaster second. The Lone Druid is happiest hunting, rather than brawling outright.

    ***

    After your Lone Druid is fleshed-out, putting more points into Alchemy in general is an excellent way to go.

    Additionally, you will probably want to have all three elemental Destruction damage trees maxed out eventually - after all, what self-respecting master druid can't wield all three elements to great effect in battle?

    Notes on Shapeshifting

    I am aware that shapeshifting is often seen as a quintessential aspect of druidism in most fantasy rpgs.

    However, the setting of the Elder Scrolls is quite unique, and thus so are its druids. I personally see them as being Mundus-centric, shunning anything directly related to any other plane of existence. In Mundus (aka "the natural world"), they are humanoid - and humanoid they will remain, as taking other shapes while keeping their cunning is unnatural on more than one level.

    Along these lines, druids despise lycanthropy. Furthermore, as man-beasts are governed by a daedric being and forced to serve him after death, lycanthropy is to be avoided at all costs.

    Other Builds
    The Spellbreaker

  • Member
    December 26, 2012

    Was looking for an archer/ranged expert character build to try out. I will be using Smithing with mine, want to get a real "living off the land" feel. Good build.

  • Member
    December 26, 2012

    Just to let you know (good build by the way! +1) you need to add "Character Build:" to the title.

  • Member
    December 26, 2012

    Oops. Thanks for pointing that out!

  • Member
    December 27, 2012

    No problem.

  • Member
    December 28, 2012

    Cool! I do hope you enjoy. I thought about going the werewolf route, but the idea of eternally serving a daedric prince did not appeal to me for general druidic thinking, which I personally think, in Elder Scrolls terms, equates with keeping things Mundus-centric. But versatility is what druids are all about.