This build was born out of a single desire: to test the viability of bona fide unarmored combat. Now, there are some very good unarmored builds on the blog – Ponty's The Prodigy and Mason's The Alik'r come to mind – but none of them seem to be truly unarmored. That is, they utilize the school of Alteration to compensate for the lack of armor. Instead, this is an unarmored build with zero defenses. The byproduct is a surprisingly effective and not-so-surprisingly frail glass cannon that I've had a lot of fun with. I hereby present:
The Frostmoon Hunter
As a member of the Frostmoon Pack, you were raised in the solitude of Solstheim's wilds. You lived a simple life, hunting game with your fellow pack members; always catching your prey, always striving to gain the favor of your lord, Hircine. You lived far away from other humans, oblivious to the outside world. And you liked it that way. But, the increasing threat of werebears led to a decreasing supply of food, and a decrease in your pack's numbers. Faced with extinction in what had become a hostile, barren wasteland, you bid farewell to your brothers and sisters, determined to find greener pastures, and, with them, riper game. This search led you to Skyrim.
Life couldn't have been better. Elk and rabbits bounded across the plains, and mammoths dotted the frozen tundra. But, an untimely turning led to a rampage in a village. Your bloodlust led you to slaughter many men. You didn't spare women and children, either. After a bloody ordeal, what remained of the town guards were able to subdue you. You were taken to prison and kept under the highest security. You were a monster that deserved a monster's death. An animal to be put down. You would surely be executed soon.
They transported you along with a rebel leader and his men to a town called Helgen. It was there that you would meet your fate at the hands of the headsman. But, a dragon attacked, razing this town worse than you had the other just a few nights ago. Amid the chaos you managed to escape, and start life anew once again.
The soldier who had helped you escape ordered you to send word to the king of the nearby town. This king, or a Jarl, as they called him, subsequently dispatched you to retrieve an artifact from a nearby barrow. Upon its delivery, a guard hurriedly informed this Jarl of another dragon attack nearby. You gladly answered the call of the hunt, eager to please Hircine. Upon vanquishing the dragon, you absorbed some of its power. The men called you “Dragonborn,” a prophesied hero of Nord legend who had the body of a man, but the soul of a dragon, who was destined to stop the return of the dragons. Born as a dragon, yet raised as wolf, you are forever torn between the spirit of the dovah, and the call of the blood.
The Basics
Race: Nord (Lycanthrope)
Stone: Earth
Stat Distribution: 1H/0M/3S
Perk Spread: Level 16 | Level 30 | all werewolf perks
Major Skills
Two-Handed: The crux of this build, the specialization in Two-Handed is chosen due to its governance of warhammers, which have the highest base damage of any weapon, and the Skullcrusher perks, which will eventually ignore 75% of enemy armor.
Sneak: When Alvor gave me a Ring of Minor Sneaking (+15%) to start the game, I knew it was a sign. Sure enough, the ever-useful Sneak skill has proven invaluable to this build. Because Two-Handed weapons receive only a meager sneak attack multiplier (2x, as opposed to the 3x boost to Archery, and the 15x boost to One-Handed,) Sneak will be used less for its perks and more for its practicality. The element of surprise cannot be emphasized enough, and bashing an enemy's skull in before they, or their comrades, can even draw their weapons will repeatedly save this character from otherwise unfavorable odds.
Minor Skills
Smithing: The presence of smithing here is obvious – to manufacture better weapons than what would otherwise be available end-game. The selection of only three skills, which will be explained in detail later, means that this character will become complete at around Level 30. Last time I checked, there weren't even any Ebony Warhammers laying around at Level 30. Instead, you'll be fashioning your own Dragonbone Warhammer, which is not only the most powerful warhammer in the game, but also the best-looking, too. With just some stuff I just found laying around (Glass Gauntlets of Eminent Smith [+20%], a Necklace of Eminent Wielding [+20%], and a Blacksmith's Draught [+30%]), I was able to manufacture a Dragonbone Warhammer that, when coupled with a Necklace of Minor Sure Grip (+15%), spits out 162 damage per hit.
Putting it in Perspective
First and foremost, you're probably wondering how an unarmored can survive with a 1:3 health-to-stamina ratio. The fact of the matter is that, without any armor, this character isn't going to be taking more than two or three hits, anyway. Thus, pouring points into health would be a futile effort. Instead, stamina is the most important stat, as it is used to fuel strong power attacks and induce staggers, which incapacitate enemies quickly and create openings, respectively.
While it may not seem like such a character would be viable at Level 30, no less on Expert, the effectiveness of this build is counter-intuitive, and actually quite simple: less is more. By only specializing in three skills, this character doesn't suffer from being a jack-of-all-trades. Even though Level 30 is a relatively low level for an end-game character, the beauty of it is the fact that all enemies are going to level with you. What this means is that the playing field becomes a little bit level, after taking into consideration the fact that you'll be completely 'defenseless', and here's how.
I'm sure that we've all had a character (or two, or three,) that suffered due to being 'over-leveled.' Perhaps a warrior that took a little too much training money back via pickpocketing, or a mage that sharpened their tongue before their wits. Consequently, such characters will wither more easily in combat due to their short-sighted emphasis on non-combat skills, such as Pickpocketing and Speech. This build, however, flips the concept of 'over-leveling' on its head. Most warrior characters will achieve a Level of 100 in the skill of their choice right about when they become complete. This character, instead, 'over-levels' its Two-Handed rating. What I mean by this is that the Two-Handed rating is very high relative to the character's overall level. Transitively, the build's main form of damage will be 'too good' for what the scaled leveling system dictates should be equal opponents. What this ultimately means is that this character will almost always be one- or two-hitting its opponents, even on Expert.
If you couple this with constantly having weaponry that's about twenty-plus levels 'early' relative to its normal appearances (we'll be rocking a Dragonbone Warhammer seven levels before Ebony Warhammers will even be sold by vendors,) then what we seemingly have is a character that is much stronger and extremely more well-equipped than his enemies. While it appears to be 'overpowered,' in reality, it's not, because those same enemies that are suffering deaths after one or two blows, can also kill you in one or two hits, due to the absence of any defenses. This added element of constantly being in life-or-death situations not only makes the game more exciting, but more realistic, as well. Because you're always one, or two, swings away from death (on either end,) there's less room for error and a greater emphasis placed on combat decisions. With that being said, it's time to move on to gameplay.
Gameplay
What has yet to be mentioned thus far is the incorporation of Beast Form into the build. Not only does it serve as the basis of the build in terms of the lore it offers, but it is also a perfect parallel to the build itself. Combat stratagem as a werewolf and as a berserker are essentially one and the same. In both human and beast form, you're highly susceptible to damage from the enemy. At the same time, both offer high damage output, high staggering rates, agility, and superior reach. However, while functioning similarly, each serves a different purpose.
Beast Form is used when confronted with larger clusters of enemies. This is because, typically, our human form will not work in these scenarios because: 1) you can only stagger so many enemies at once, 2) it doesn't offer a massive form of health regeneration like the Gorging perk does, 3) due to the Animal Vigor perk, human form has a smaller (-100) pool of health and stamina, and 4) while agile, human form is simply not as fast.
While in Beast Form, your goal should be to neutralize the biggest threat of the group by knocking them down, buying you plenty of time to subdue lesser foes, allowing you to then ravage the biggest baddie in a one-on-one scenario. Beast Form is also incredibly useful against dragons, which otherwise pose a huge problem to this build, due to the ability to evade their breath attacks while they're in the air, and the immensely powerful 'critical charge' power attack to cripple them whenever they inevitably make the mistake of landing. If well-timed and followed up with another, standing power attack, dragons can be grounded before they even have time to respond. Due to the staggering effect of the grounding, another wave of power attacks can be unleashed, often resulting in a first round knockout.
Human form, on the other hand, is much more useful when faced with bosses and small groups of enemies. As previously mentioned, the ability to silently stalk your prey is of the utmost importance. Even when confronted with four enemies, it's easy to kill the first one undetected, use a power-attack to kill the next few before they can even draw their weapons, then tank a hit from the fourth, and respond with the final blow. As I stated before, even though the 2x multiplier is better than nothing, the actual element of stealth itself is of more importance.
When confronted with one-on-one situations, however, the goal is to taunt and to stay out of reach. Even though there's no acrobatics skill in Skyrim, this character makes extensive use of dodging. Baiting an opponent into a swing that will inevitably fall short will buy you time for either a power-attack or a couple of regular swings. However, due to the heavy investment in stamina, it becomes very easy to 'spam' power-attacks, which induce beneficial staggers that allow you to escape close quarters and either create a cushion between you and your opponent, or to provide enough space to charge in and land another power-attack.
Instead of a standing stone in Skyrim, I chose to travel the road less taken and opt for one of the All-Maker stones in Solstheim. The Earth Stone is perfect because it gives you the power Bones of the Earth, the effects of which are identical to Dragonhide. Being able to resists 80% of all physical damage for thirty seconds enables you to really duke it out, if the situation absolutely demands it. The only drawback is having to 're-take' the stone, as it's 'consumed' each use. You see this, however, as a pilgrimage. Of course, if this is unappealing to you, the Atronach Stone is good for weathering the elements of unfriendly mages and skying dragons, and the Lady grants an incredibly useful +25% buff to both health and stamina regen. The Lord might seem like a good choice due to its +50 damage resistance, but it's rather insignificant when it's all said and done, and its 25% magicka resistance is dwarfed by the 50% absorption (i.e. resistance) of the Atronach Stone.
At first, I considered using the Fortify Shouts exploit before deciding against it. Nevertheless, shouts are an integral component of the build. Slow Time is an absolute lifesaver, allowing you to either escape a bind or to level the playing field by eliminating several enemies quickly. Whirlwind Sprint, on the other hand, is the antithesis to Slow Time. Rather than slow combat down, it catalyzes it. It can be used to escape unfavorable situations, but it can also be used to 'pounce' on opponents, preventing them from readying themselves. The first and second words of Unrelenting Force also prove to be of great utility, due to their slightly stagger-inducing effects, which can be coupled with power-attacks to 'stack' staggers. Elemental Fury is largely of situational use; it is either to be used to get the drop on opponents using Two-Handed weapons of their own, or to expedite laying a killing blow in a close call. More often than not, though, Slow Time is usually of more use. Ice Form is also incredible, allowing you to pick and choose which enemies to fight one at a time by encasing the ones you don't want to fight in frost and rendering momentarily defenseless the ones that you do. Alternatively, Frost Breath can be used instead if you wish to just slow a single enemy and prefer a shorter cooldown period, or, if you've picked up Dragonborn Frost, used in lieu of Ice Form altogether. Marked for Death synergizes incredibly well with the Skullcrusher perks, causing an otherwise bulky opponent's armor rating to dip into the negative. Its damage over time effect also lends itself well to stalling out such opponents by evading them. The second word of Bend Will becomes an excellent end-game replacement for the racial power of Battle Cry, which eventually loses its effectiveness. Lastly, Dragon Aspect grants us a final 'form' – Dragon Form.
Dragon Aspect grants a huge +25% buff to power-attacks and fire and frost resistance, powers up shouts, and decreases shout cooldown time by 20%. It reduces the cooldown time of the first word of Unrelenting Force to eleven seconds, making it ideal to spam to induce staggers. With the added frost resistance, this character becomes impervious to 75% of frost damage (due to the Nords' racial ability), which is highly useful due to the reliance on speed and stamina.
Special Moves
Ravenous Pounce (Great Critical Charge + Silent Roll)
Although it's no longer a special move at this point, a damage multiplier of 4, coupled with the Skullcrusher perks, allows for a damage output that rivals what a sneak character can do with a dagger and Shrouded Gloves. Once again, this isn't a novel concept, but it's an indispensable addition to this character's arsenal.
Wolfish Fury (Elemental Fury + Running Attack)
This move utilizes an interesting game mechanic which can be used to negate the slow swing speed of warhammers and to imbue this character with a surge of agility. A fully-charged Elemental Fury and a full pool of Stamina allow this character to be virtually untouchable for fifteen seconds. First, 'cast' Elemental Fury, and then perform not a power-attack, but a forward running attack. Continuously tapping the attack button will result in the character continuing to run, but, when viewed in third person, shows that the warhammer 'automatically' returns to the attack position. This means that you don't have to waste precious seconds readying your weapon after each hit. Coupled with Elemental Fury, this not only makes your swings incredibly fast, but your character incredibly fast, as well. The goal is to literally run circles around your foes so that they can't land a proper blow while you are constantly whacking them with your hammer. It is recommended to perform this move in third person against groups of moderately strong enemies, so that you don't waste swings by missing wildly. If executed properly, you will be be able to evade your enemies, but they won't be able to evade you.
Bestial Swipe (Slow Time + Sweep + Warmaster)
When being charged by multiple enemies, use the second word of Slow Time and begin to perform a backwards power attack. Sweep will allow you to hit all of the enemies in front of you, and Warmaster has a 25% chance to paralyze each enemy it hits. There's a 6.25% chance this move will paralyze two enemies, and approximately a 1.6% chance to paralyze three (better than Mehrune's Razor, if you ask me.) However, the greater chance lies in the likelihood that several enemies will become staggered. If there are three enemies, and one is paralyzed, and two are staggered, Slow Time's sixteen second duration will allow you to dispatch the other two just as its effects expire, leaving you in a favorable one-on-one situation with an already weakened foe.
Equipment
For a werewolf, the cost of armor has got to be pretty high. Breaking through your armor every time you turn is not only a real bummer, but financially imprudent, and werewolves aren't exactly rolling around in coin. That's why I decided to go with the simple Roughspun Tunic and Footwraps. Has a worn-in feel and can stretch to fit a wolfish frame. If you prefer to go shirtless, Ragged Trousers is also a good look.
Considering that this is an unarmored character, you would think that there isn't much to consider in way of equipment. Yes, there's the Dragonbone Warhammer. And, of course, the Ring of Hircine. But, aside from that, it's just a mashup of whatever you can find, right? Wrong. There's much more to consider.
Majni, the leader of Frostmoon Pack, sells four different rings: the Ring of Bloodlust, Ring of the Hunt, Ring of Instinct, and Ring of the Moon.
Personally, I opted for the Ring of Bloodlust in keeping with the theme of a glass cannon (and because it was the cheapest). The Ring of Bloodlust offers a +50% boon to damage output in Beast Form at the cost -50% damage intake. Once again, due to the inherent fragility of the character, a little bit more damage isn't going to significantly alter the course of battle. Increased damage output, however, will.
The Ring of the Hunt and the Ring of Instinct are both very good options, as well, as they both mitigate some of the drawbacks to Beast Form. The Ring of the Hunt endows +25% passive health regeneration as a werewolf (werewolves don't normally recover health unless it's through feeding,) whereas the Ring of Instinct slows time for twenty seconds upon transformation, which mitigates the susceptibility to enemy attack during turning, and also provides a greater window of attack.
The Ring of the Moon is easily the worst of the group, offering a +25% duration to howls. When coupled with the Totem of Brotherhood power (obtainable through the Companions' Totems of Hircine quests,) and the Totem of the Moon perk (which summons two werewolves upon howling,) it can be used to wreak bestial havoc with your allies just a little longer. That being said, howls are considered a lesser power, so they can be used multiple times, and, if you aren't getting the job done quickly with three werewolves, you're doing something wrong. It's more viable when used with the Totem of Fear (the default Howl) because it causes opponents to flee for a great period of time.
Of course, you could pick them all for situational usage, but the whole collection has a base value of 10,250 gold (Ring of Bloodlust, 1500; Ring of the Moon, 2250; Ring of Instinct, 3000; Ring of the Hunt, 3500). The Ring of Hircine is there more for roleplaying purposes than anything else, but can be used in a pinch, if needed.
As for your necklace, you should be able to find something worthwhile at some point in the game. I forwent the Amulet of Talos due to this character's dedication to Hircine, instead using a nice Necklace of Minor Sure Grip (+15%) I found.
Roleplay
This character's roleplay synchronized nicely with many of the inquisitive dialogue options in Skyrim. Having been a member of a reclusive werewolf pack on what is largely considered to be a desolate island in Solstheim, you know little of the outside world, especially Skyrim. Therefore, you may occasionally run afoul of its laws and customs. For instance, whenever you see a chicken in a village, you instinctively kill it, not knowing that it's a domesticated animal that belongs to someone. But, because you aren't a bad character, you'll acknowledge your mistake and pay the fine. But, that doesn't mean you're a good character, either. As a devotee of Hircine, you simply live for the hunt. Therefore, you'll never back down from a challenge, even if it means almost certain death. Hunt animals and sell their pelts and meat for money, or do some smithing work if you need extra coin. And eat raw meat. A lot.
Because you're a werewolf, you should keep your eye on the sky. If there's a full moon out, you turn. Even if you're in the most important hold in the province, you turn immediately. You can choose to flee and fight your nature, or you can indulge in the bloodlust and lay waste to the city. Those are your options, but simply not transforming under a full moon is not one of them. You also revel in the bonds the moon forms with your wolfish brethren, and will not attack wolves in the wild. Animal Allegiance and Kyne's Peace are used to soothe the wild beasts.
The Companions questline, at least up until “The Silver Hand,” is essential to the build, as it is the only means by which to contract lycanthropy. In addition to having a rewarding questline, it also offers a means to quickly level Two-Handed, as Vilkas, a Master Two-Handed trainer, is eligible to be your follower upon becoming Harbinger. Additionally, Eorlund Gray-Mane appears to offer better rates on Smithing training upon the questline's completion, although I cannot confirm this. At any rate (no pun intended,) the Companions questline should be played through and through because it allows you to hunt with fellow werewolves.
Despite being a Nord, you're not– as Brunwulf Free-Winter would put it – “one of those Skyrim for the Nords types.” Therefore, you're unsure of where to side in the war, but ultimately side with the Empire because you can't sympathize with the motivations of the rebellion (namely, the forsaking of the 'Nord way of life,' and the banned worship of Talos.) You side with the Dawnguard to fight the vampires, but, not because of some preconceived notion of a 'rivalry' between vampires and lycans, but because vampires are formidable prey, and your conquests will bring glory to Lord Hircine. Vampires think themselves clever hunters, so, by hunting them, you “turn the hunt inside out,” in the words of the Daedric Prince. It is for the same reason (and, of course, to obtain the third and final word of Slow Time,) that you destroy the Dark Brotherhood. Once again, these seemingly virtuous deeds don't come from a place of heroism, but from the sense of glory the conquests themselves provide. Likewise, you see Alduin, as well as his dovah comrades, and Miraak, and all other Dragon Priests, as challenges. As trophies.
After vanquishing these foes, I retired to Lakeview Manor, mounting many of these trophies (like Harkon's Sword and Miraak's Mask) in my armory, adjacent to the named trophy room. Even though the adventuring days were at an end, between the lake and the dense forests of Falkreath hold, there is plenty of game to be found in the area. The blood will forever call though, so hopefully you liked the build and will consider bringing it out of 'retirement.'
Thank you for reading. All feedback, positive or negative, is appreciated. If you liked this build, check out my first one, The Atronach of Argonia, and stay tuned for the next one, tentatively named the Chaos Whisperer. Happy New Year, all!
This build was born out of a single desire: to test the viability of bona fide unarmored combat. Now, there are some very good unarmored builds on the blog – Ponty's The Prodigy and Mason's The Alik'r come to mind – but none of them seem to be truly unarmored. That is, they utilize the school of Alteration to compensate for the lack of armor. Instead, this is an unarmored build with zero defenses. The byproduct is a surprisingly effective and not-so-surprisingly frail glass cannon that I've had a lot of fun with. I hereby present:
The Frostmoon Hunter
As a member of the Frostmoon Pack, you were raised in the solitude of Solstheim's wilds. You lived a simple life, hunting game with your fellow pack members; always catching your prey, always striving to gain the favor of your lord, Hircine. You lived far away from other humans, oblivious to the outside world. And you liked it that way. But, the increasing threat of werebears led to a decreasing supply of food, and a decrease in your pack's numbers. Faced with extinction in what had become a hostile, barren wasteland, you bid farewell to your brothers and sisters, determined to find greener pastures, and, with them, riper game. This search led you to Skyrim.
Life couldn't have been better. Elk and rabbits bounded across the plains, and mammoths dotted the frozen tundra. But, an untimely turning led to a rampage in a village. Your bloodlust led you to slaughter many men. You didn't spare women and children, either. After a bloody ordeal, what remained of the town guards were able to subdue you. You were taken to prison and kept under the highest security. You were a monster that deserved a monster's death. An animal to be put down. You would surely be executed soon.
They transported you along with a rebel leader and his men to a town called Helgen. It was there that you would meet your fate at the hands of the headsman. But, a dragon attacked, razing this town worse than you had the other just a few nights ago. Amid the chaos you managed to escape, and start life anew once again.
The soldier who had helped you escape ordered you to send word to the king of the nearby town. This king, or a Jarl, as they called him, subsequently dispatched you to retrieve an artifact from a nearby barrow. Upon its delivery, a guard hurriedly informed this Jarl of another dragon attack nearby. You gladly answered the call of the hunt, eager to please Hircine. Upon vanquishing the dragon, you absorbed some of its power. The men called you “Dragonborn,” a prophesied hero of Nord legend who had the body of a man, but the soul of a dragon, who was destined to stop the return of the dragons. Born as a dragon, yet raised as wolf, you are forever torn between the spirit of the dovah, and the call of the blood.
The Basics
Race: Nord (Lycanthrope)
Stone: Earth
Stat Distribution: 1H/0M/3S
Perk Spread: Level 16 | Level 30 | all werewolf perks
Major Skills
Two-Handed: The crux of this build, the specialization in Two-Handed is chosen due to its governance of warhammers, which have the highest base damage of any weapon, and the Skullcrusher perks, which will eventually ignore 75% of enemy armor.
Sneak: When Alvor gave me a Ring of Minor Sneaking (+15%) to start the game, I knew it was a sign. Sure enough, the ever-useful Sneak skill has proven invaluable to this build. Because Two-Handed weapons receive only a meager sneak attack multiplier (2x, as opposed to the 3x boost to Archery, and the 15x boost to One-Handed,) Sneak will be used less for its perks and more for its practicality. The element of surprise cannot be emphasized enough, and bashing an enemy's skull in before they, or their comrades, can even draw their weapons will repeatedly save this character from otherwise unfavorable odds.
Minor Skills
Smithing: The presence of smithing here is obvious – to manufacture better weapons than what would otherwise be available end-game. The selection of only three skills, which will be explained in detail later, means that this character will become complete at around Level 30. Last time I checked, there weren't even any Ebony Warhammers laying around at Level 30. Instead, you'll be fashioning your own Dragonbone Warhammer, which is not only the most powerful warhammer in the game, but also the best-looking, too. With just some stuff I just found laying around (Glass Gauntlets of Eminent Smith [+20%], a Necklace of Eminent Wielding [+20%], and a Blacksmith's Draught [+30%]), I was able to manufacture a Dragonbone Warhammer that, when coupled with a Necklace of Minor Sure Grip (+15%), spits out 162 damage per hit.
Putting it in Perspective
First and foremost, you're probably wondering how an unarmored can survive with a 1:3 health-to-stamina ratio. The fact of the matter is that, without any armor, this character isn't going to be taking more than two or three hits, anyway. Thus, pouring points into health would be a futile effort. Instead, stamina is the most important stat, as it is used to fuel strong power attacks and induce staggers, which incapacitate enemies quickly and create openings, respectively.
While it may not seem like such a character would be viable at Level 30, no less on Expert, the effectiveness of this build is counter-intuitive, and actually quite simple: less is more. By only specializing in three skills, this character doesn't suffer from being a jack-of-all-trades. Even though Level 30 is a relatively low level for an end-game character, the beauty of it is the fact that all enemies are going to level with you. What this means is that the playing field becomes a little bit level, after taking into consideration the fact that you'll be completely 'defenseless', and here's how.
I'm sure that we've all had a character (or two, or three,) that suffered due to being 'over-leveled.' Perhaps a warrior that took a little too much training money back via pickpocketing, or a mage that sharpened their tongue before their wits. Consequently, such characters will wither more easily in combat due to their short-sighted emphasis on non-combat skills, such as Pickpocketing and Speech. This build, however, flips the concept of 'over-leveling' on its head. Most warrior characters will achieve a Level of 100 in the skill of their choice right about when they become complete. This character, instead, 'over-levels' its Two-Handed rating. What I mean by this is that the Two-Handed rating is very high relative to the character's overall level. Transitively, the build's main form of damage will be 'too good' for what the scaled leveling system dictates should be equal opponents. What this ultimately means is that this character will almost always be one- or two-hitting its opponents, even on Expert.
If you couple this with constantly having weaponry that's about twenty-plus levels 'early' relative to its normal appearances (we'll be rocking a Dragonbone Warhammer seven levels before Ebony Warhammers will even be sold by vendors,) then what we seemingly have is a character that is much stronger and extremely more well-equipped than his enemies. While it appears to be 'overpowered,' in reality, it's not, because those same enemies that are suffering deaths after one or two blows, can also kill you in one or two hits, due to the absence of any defenses. This added element of constantly being in life-or-death situations not only makes the game more exciting, but more realistic, as well. Because you're always one, or two, swings away from death (on either end,) there's less room for error and a greater emphasis placed on combat decisions. With that being said, it's time to move on to gameplay.
Gameplay
What has yet to be mentioned thus far is the incorporation of Beast Form into the build. Not only does it serve as the basis of the build in terms of the lore it offers, but it is also a perfect parallel to the build itself. Combat stratagem as a werewolf and as a berserker are essentially one and the same. In both human and beast form, you're highly susceptible to damage from the enemy. At the same time, both offer high damage output, high staggering rates, agility, and superior reach. However, while functioning similarly, each serves a different purpose.
Beast Form is used when confronted with larger clusters of enemies. This is because, typically, our human form will not work in these scenarios because: 1) you can only stagger so many enemies at once, 2) it doesn't offer a massive form of health regeneration like the Gorging perk does, 3) due to the Animal Vigor perk, human form has a smaller (-100) pool of health and stamina, and 4) while agile, human form is simply not as fast.
While in Beast Form, your goal should be to neutralize the biggest threat of the group by knocking them down, buying you plenty of time to subdue lesser foes, allowing you to then ravage the biggest baddie in a one-on-one scenario. Beast Form is also incredibly useful against dragons, which otherwise pose a huge problem to this build, due to the ability to evade their breath attacks while they're in the air, and the immensely powerful 'critical charge' power attack to cripple them whenever they inevitably make the mistake of landing. If well-timed and followed up with another, standing power attack, dragons can be grounded before they even have time to respond. Due to the staggering effect of the grounding, another wave of power attacks can be unleashed, often resulting in a first round knockout.
Human form, on the other hand, is much more useful when faced with bosses and small groups of enemies. As previously mentioned, the ability to silently stalk your prey is of the utmost importance. Even when confronted with four enemies, it's easy to kill the first one undetected, use a power-attack to kill the next few before they can even draw their weapons, then tank a hit from the fourth, and respond with the final blow. As I stated before, even though the 2x multiplier is better than nothing, the actual element of stealth itself is of more importance.
When confronted with one-on-one situations, however, the goal is to taunt and to stay out of reach. Even though there's no acrobatics skill in Skyrim, this character makes extensive use of dodging. Baiting an opponent into a swing that will inevitably fall short will buy you time for either a power-attack or a couple of regular swings. However, due to the heavy investment in stamina, it becomes very easy to 'spam' power-attacks, which induce beneficial staggers that allow you to escape close quarters and either create a cushion between you and your opponent, or to provide enough space to charge in and land another power-attack.
Instead of a standing stone in Skyrim, I chose to travel the road less taken and opt for one of the All-Maker stones in Solstheim. The Earth Stone is perfect because it gives you the power Bones of the Earth, the effects of which are identical to Dragonhide. Being able to resists 80% of all physical damage for thirty seconds enables you to really duke it out, if the situation absolutely demands it. The only drawback is having to 're-take' the stone, as it's 'consumed' each use. You see this, however, as a pilgrimage. Of course, if this is unappealing to you, the Atronach Stone is good for weathering the elements of unfriendly mages and skying dragons, and the Lady grants an incredibly useful +25% buff to both health and stamina regen. The Lord might seem like a good choice due to its +50 damage resistance, but it's rather insignificant when it's all said and done, and its 25% magicka resistance is dwarfed by the 50% absorption (i.e. resistance) of the Atronach Stone.
At first, I considered using the Fortify Shouts exploit before deciding against it. Nevertheless, shouts are an integral component of the build. Slow Time is an absolute lifesaver, allowing you to either escape a bind or to level the playing field by eliminating several enemies quickly. Whirlwind Sprint, on the other hand, is the antithesis to Slow Time. Rather than slow combat down, it catalyzes it. It can be used to escape unfavorable situations, but it can also be used to 'pounce' on opponents, preventing them from readying themselves. The first and second words of Unrelenting Force also prove to be of great utility, due to their slightly stagger-inducing effects, which can be coupled with power-attacks to 'stack' staggers. Elemental Fury is largely of situational use; it is either to be used to get the drop on opponents using Two-Handed weapons of their own, or to expedite laying a killing blow in a close call. More often than not, though, Slow Time is usually of more use. Ice Form is also incredible, allowing you to pick and choose which enemies to fight one at a time by encasing the ones you don't want to fight in frost and rendering momentarily defenseless the ones that you do. Alternatively, Frost Breath can be used instead if you wish to just slow a single enemy and prefer a shorter cooldown period, or, if you've picked up Dragonborn Frost, used in lieu of Ice Form altogether. Marked for Death synergizes incredibly well with the Skullcrusher perks, causing an otherwise bulky opponent's armor rating to dip into the negative. Its damage over time effect also lends itself well to stalling out such opponents by evading them. The second word of Bend Will becomes an excellent end-game replacement for the racial power of Battle Cry, which eventually loses its effectiveness. Lastly, Dragon Aspect grants us a final 'form' – Dragon Form.
Dragon Aspect grants a huge +25% buff to power-attacks and fire and frost resistance, powers up shouts, and decreases shout cooldown time by 20%. It reduces the cooldown time of the first word of Unrelenting Force to eleven seconds, making it ideal to spam to induce staggers. With the added frost resistance, this character becomes impervious to 75% of frost damage (due to the Nords' racial ability), which is highly useful due to the reliance on speed and stamina.
Special Moves
Ravenous Pounce (Great Critical Charge + Silent Roll)
Although it's no longer a special move at this point, a damage multiplier of 4, coupled with the Skullcrusher perks, allows for a damage output that rivals what a sneak character can do with a dagger and Shrouded Gloves. Once again, this isn't a novel concept, but it's an indispensable addition to this character's arsenal.
Wolfish Fury (Elemental Fury + Running Attack)
This move utilizes an interesting game mechanic which can be used to negate the slow swing speed of warhammers and to imbue this character with a surge of agility. A fully-charged Elemental Fury and a full pool of Stamina allow this character to be virtually untouchable for fifteen seconds. First, 'cast' Elemental Fury, and then perform not a power-attack, but a forward running attack. Continuously tapping the attack button will result in the character continuing to run, but, when viewed in third person, shows that the warhammer 'automatically' returns to the attack position. This means that you don't have to waste precious seconds readying your weapon after each hit. Coupled with Elemental Fury, this not only makes your swings incredibly fast, but your character incredibly fast, as well. The goal is to literally run circles around your foes so that they can't land a proper blow while you are constantly whacking them with your hammer. It is recommended to perform this move in third person against groups of moderately strong enemies, so that you don't waste swings by missing wildly. If executed properly, you will be be able to evade your enemies, but they won't be able to evade you.
Bestial Swipe (Slow Time + Sweep + Warmaster)
When being charged by multiple enemies, use the second word of Slow Time and begin to perform a backwards power attack. Sweep will allow you to hit all of the enemies in front of you, and Warmaster has a 25% chance to paralyze each enemy it hits. There's a 6.25% chance this move will paralyze two enemies, and approximately a 1.6% chance to paralyze three (better than Mehrune's Razor, if you ask me.) However, the greater chance lies in the likelihood that several enemies will become staggered. If there are three enemies, and one is paralyzed, and two are staggered, Slow Time's sixteen second duration will allow you to dispatch the other two just as its effects expire, leaving you in a favorable one-on-one situation with an already weakened foe.
Equipment
For a werewolf, the cost of armor has got to be pretty high. Breaking through your armor every time you turn is not only a real bummer, but financially imprudent, and werewolves aren't exactly rolling around in coin. That's why I decided to go with the simple Roughspun Tunic and Footwraps. Has a worn-in feel and can stretch to fit a wolfish frame. If you prefer to go shirtless, Ragged Trousers is also a good look.
Considering that this is an unarmored character, you would think that there isn't much to consider in way of equipment. Yes, there's the Dragonbone Warhammer. And, of course, the Ring of Hircine. But, aside from that, it's just a mashup of whatever you can find, right? Wrong. There's much more to consider.
Majni, the leader of Frostmoon Pack, sells four different rings: the Ring of Bloodlust, Ring of the Hunt, Ring of Instinct, and Ring of the Moon.
Personally, I opted for the Ring of Bloodlust in keeping with the theme of a glass cannon (and because it was the cheapest). The Ring of Bloodlust offers a +50% boon to damage output in Beast Form at the cost -50% damage intake. Once again, due to the inherent fragility of the character, a little bit more damage isn't going to significantly alter the course of battle. Increased damage output, however, will.
The Ring of the Hunt and the Ring of Instinct are both very good options, as well, as they both mitigate some of the drawbacks to Beast Form. The Ring of the Hunt endows +25% passive health regeneration as a werewolf (werewolves don't normally recover health unless it's through feeding,) whereas the Ring of Instinct slows time for twenty seconds upon transformation, which mitigates the susceptibility to enemy attack during turning, and also provides a greater window of attack.
The Ring of the Moon is easily the worst of the group, offering a +25% duration to howls. When coupled with the Totem of Brotherhood power (obtainable through the Companions' Totems of Hircine quests,) and the Totem of the Moon perk (which summons two werewolves upon howling,) it can be used to wreak bestial havoc with your allies just a little longer. That being said, howls are considered a lesser power, so they can be used multiple times, and, if you aren't getting the job done quickly with three werewolves, you're doing something wrong. It's more viable when used with the Totem of Fear (the default Howl) because it causes opponents to flee for a great period of time.
Of course, you could pick them all for situational usage, but the whole collection has a base value of 10,250 gold (Ring of Bloodlust, 1500; Ring of the Moon, 2250; Ring of Instinct, 3000; Ring of the Hunt, 3500). The Ring of Hircine is there more for roleplaying purposes than anything else, but can be used in a pinch, if needed.
As for your necklace, you should be able to find something worthwhile at some point in the game. I forwent the Amulet of Talos due to this character's dedication to Hircine, instead using a nice Necklace of Minor Sure Grip (+15%) I found.
Roleplay
This character's roleplay synchronized nicely with many of the inquisitive dialogue options in Skyrim. Having been a member of a reclusive werewolf pack on what is largely considered to be a desolate island in Solstheim, you know little of the outside world, especially Skyrim. Therefore, you may occasionally run afoul of its laws and customs. For instance, whenever you see a chicken in a village, you instinctively kill it, not knowing that it's a domesticated animal that belongs to someone. But, because you aren't a bad character, you'll acknowledge your mistake and pay the fine. But, that doesn't mean you're a good character, either. As a devotee of Hircine, you simply live for the hunt. Therefore, you'll never back down from a challenge, even if it means almost certain death. Hunt animals and sell their pelts and meat for money, or do some smithing work if you need extra coin. And eat raw meat. A lot.
Because you're a werewolf, you should keep your eye on the sky. If there's a full moon out, you turn. Even if you're in the most important hold in the province, you turn immediately. You can choose to flee and fight your nature, or you can indulge in the bloodlust and lay waste to the city. Those are your options, but simply not transforming under a full moon is not one of them. You also revel in the bonds the moon forms with your wolfish brethren, and will not attack wolves in the wild. Animal Allegiance and Kyne's Peace are used to soothe the wild beasts.
The Companions questline, at least up until “The Silver Hand,” is essential to the build, as it is the only means by which to contract lycanthropy. In addition to having a rewarding questline, it also offers a means to quickly level Two-Handed, as Vilkas, a Master Two-Handed trainer, is eligible to be your follower upon becoming Harbinger. Additionally, Eorlund Gray-Mane appears to offer better rates on Smithing training upon the questline's completion, although I cannot confirm this. At any rate (no pun intended,) the Companions questline should be played through and through because it allows you to hunt with fellow werewolves.
Despite being a Nord, you're not– as Brunwulf Free-Winter would put it – “one of those Skyrim for the Nords types.” Therefore, you're unsure of where to side in the war, but ultimately side with the Empire because you can't sympathize with the motivations of the rebellion (namely, the forsaking of the 'Nord way of life,' and the banned worship of Talos.) You side with the Dawnguard to fight the vampires, but, not because of some preconceived notion of a 'rivalry' between vampires and lycans, but because vampires are formidable prey, and your conquests will bring glory to Lord Hircine. Vampires think themselves clever hunters, so, by hunting them, you “turn the hunt inside out,” in the words of the Daedric Prince. It is for the same reason (and, of course, to obtain the third and final word of Slow Time,) that you destroy the Dark Brotherhood. Once again, these seemingly virtuous deeds don't come from a place of heroism, but from the sense of glory the conquests themselves provide. Likewise, you see Alduin, as well as his dovah comrades, and Miraak, and all other Dragon Priests, as challenges. As trophies.
After vanquishing these foes, I retired to Lakeview Manor, mounting many of these trophies (like Harkon's Sword and Miraak's Mask) in my armory, adjacent to the named trophy room. Even though the adventuring days were at an end, between the lake and the dense forests of Falkreath hold, there is plenty of game to be found in the area. The blood will forever call though, so hopefully you liked the build and will consider bringing it out of 'retirement.'
Thank you for reading. All feedback, positive or negative, is appreciated. If you liked this build, check out my first one, The Atronach of Argonia, and stay tuned for the next one, tentatively named the Chaos Whisperer. Happy New Year, all!
