Hello everyone, long time lurker, and build reader here. Some of you may have noticed my name pop up right before the ill-fated transition of last year. Regardless I would like to present to you my first attempt at writing up and presenting a build. Here it is,
The Deep Diver
Background:
The background for this build came from a character I encountered during one of my endless adventures across Skyrim. His name is Deekus, an Argonian treasure hunter/scavenger living in the far north of Skyrim, next to Hela's Folly. Deekus This is my take on such a character. One who spends a lot of time in the water, is an explorer, and uses the gifts that the sea/rivers provide to aid in his adventures.
This character uses several "crafting" skills, but with heavy restrictions.( More on that to follow) It is best described as a rogue, adventurer, and an artisan. A trained Saxheel jeweler he can create beautiful items from simple Iron. There are several builds on this site which use a treasure hunter theme, so I tried my best to make mine stand out as much as possible. This build relies on the Hearthfire add on.
Gameplay:
Race: Argonian. The build is based around the Argonian ability to breathe under water. They also have a starting bonus in several skills. The Histskin ability is a life saver when you encounter something beyond your ability to deal with.
Skills
Primary: ( One Handed, Block, Lock Picking, and Speech )
Secondary: ( Alchemy )
Skills used but not perked: ( Alteration, Smithing )
Stats: 0/2/1
Stone: Lady
The Deep Diver is a sword and shield type character, with little or no AR. As such he will need a lot of health and stamina to survive tough encounters. Alteration being the only magic school employed, and with the restrictions on gameplay, the base 100 Magicka is more than enough.
Shouts: The Deep Diver does not use shouts. However, Aura Whisper, or Whirlwind Sprint would work.
Quests; Halted Stream Camp, any Quests that involve assisting Argonians, Lights Out etc.
Gear: Any assortment of shields, or one handed weapons. I opted for Scaled Horn Armor for the look, with hide braces, and Storm Cloak Officer boots I generally used swords, but with all your exploring use whatever is right for the situation. Stay away from Heavy Armor as it will slow you down, and drown you. ( Or in this case simply leave you on the ocean floor trying to take it off ).
Perks:
One-Handed: Armsman 5/5, Fighting Stance, Great Critical Charge.
Block: Shield wall 1/5. Perk Everything else. the skills from this tree will be our main source of protection. Block Runner, and Shield charge provide a very mobile gameplay, as well as a means of escape.
Lockpicking: Novice - Adept, Treasure Hunter, Golden Touch. The Deep Diver's main source of high level gear comes from Treasure Hunter. Lacking in any crafting skills in the traditional sense this skill makes up for it.
Speech: Haggling 5/5, Allure, Merchant. All of that treasure is worthless if you can't sell it. Also, healing potions are a must and they don't come cheap.
Alchemy: Alchemist 3/5, Physician, Poisoner, Concentrated Poison. Alchemy is a wonderful skill but it can soon make a character a little over powered. I have attempted to tone it down, and placed restrictions on how it can be used.
The Deep Diver focuses on exploring Skyrim's many bodies of water, rivers, lakes, and even the vast seas to the north, and west of Skyrim. There are many treasures and dangers to be found lurking below the surface, or along the shoreline. The Deep Diver is not limited to just exploring underwater, no he is well suited for the many deep dark places that dot the landscape. Places all but forgotten by the most of Skyrim.
There is just so much to sea ( get it ) below the surface. In the Sea of Ghosts you can find various ship wrecks, in The Reach - a boat loaded with a load of Flawless gems, near Ivarstaed - a skeleton with valuable Alchemical ingredients.
When his septims are low, he has also been known to take odd jobs such as retrieving an item or lost artifact for a Jarl. Aided by his bartering skill, The Deep Diver strives to squeeze every septim out of the merchants of Skyrim.
Restrictions on gameplay:
Alchemy:
The Deep Diver is a skilled Alchemist, but he can only create potions from things he gathers from the water.
This is a list of what can be used, River Betty, Histcarp, Slaughterfish Eggs and Scales, Nordic Barnacle, Abecean Longfin, Mudcrab Chitin, Silverside Perch and Salmon Roe
From these he can create several useful potions and/or toxins.
Tetrodotoxin: Slaughter Fish Egg + Scales = Lingering Damage Health.
A potent Toxin that slowly drains the life from the inflicted. Once the target is poisoned, the Deep Diver can hold his guard while his foe is weakened.
Argonian Lungs: Nordic Barnacle + Salmon Roe = Waterbreathing.
An extremely valuable potion, merchants will pay a massive amount for these concoctions.
Mudcrab's Fortitude: Mudcrab Chitin + Histcarp = Restore Stamina.
Despite the overwhelming odds the Mudcrab holds its ground and this potion reflects that fortitude. Used to escape or usual stamina recovery.
Alteration:
The Deep Diver's use of this magic is limited to just two spells, Candle Light and Transmute Ore ( found in Halted Stream camp).
Argonians have an affinity for Alteration, and the Deep Diver is no different. His limited skills allow him to cast but a few spells.
Candle Light is PERFECT for the Deep Diver. Casting it before entering the water will allow it to follow you all the way to the ocean floor. lighting up everything around you. Perfect for searching old wrecks or even dark caves.
Trasmute Mineral Ore allows the Deep Diver to turn simple iron into gold which he can then smith into beautiful works of art.
Smithing:
The Deep Diver is restricted to crafting jewelry to sell, or house building materials.
Winstad Manor
This proved to be a wonderful place to make the Deep Diver's home. I kept it a small single room dwelling with a bed, cooking pot, and simple storage places. The outside will include the fish hatchery which will except all the listed ingredients except Mudcrab Chitin. A smelter and forge can be built for ease of crafting. To avoid constructing a mansion, I opted to use Alchemy in nearby Morthal or on a selling trip to Solitude. It is the perfect home, right next to the Deep Diver's hunting grounds.
Cooking and buying potions are the main form of healing for The Deep Diver. Cooked and consumed includes Horker Stew, Clam Chowder and Salmon Steak. Save up any Salt Piles you find as they are the basis of cooking. Garlic, Lavender, and Tomatoes are also needed for Horker Stew, and milk and butter are needed for the Chowder.
Tactics:
Attrition: Tetrodotoxin, high Block skill, Concentrated Poison.
Strike your foe once with deadly poison, hold your guard until they are weakened, and strike again for another application.
To The Depths: Histskin, deep body of water.
When the odds are not in your favor flee to the depths. Activate Histskin for a massive health recovery and either strike again, or slip away.
General Gameplay Thoughts
From Helgen, jump right into Lake Ilinalta and make your way to the lady stone. Start exploring the lake, collecting fish, and testing your skills against Slaughterfish ( lead them back to the shallows to strike them with your weapon. Following the rivers will provide you with easy fights against weaker Mudcrabs, and allow you to build weapon skills. Focus on One Handed and Block so you can survive. I played on Expert with some encounters proving to be very difficult.
Mages are difficult to deal with at lower levels until the block tree opens up, or until you find decent magic resit gear.
Level 10 or so saw me progressing into dungeons and doing odd jobs. Once you feel up to it head to Morthal and set up your house. Where you go from there is up to you.
Hello everyone, long time lurker, and build reader here. Some of you may have noticed my name pop up right before the ill-fated transition of last year. Regardless I would like to present to you my first attempt at writing up and presenting a build. Here it is,
The Deep Diver
Background:
The background for this build came from a character I encountered during one of my endless adventures across Skyrim. His name is Deekus, an Argonian treasure hunter/scavenger living in the far north of Skyrim, next to Hela's Folly. Deekus This is my take on such a character. One who spends a lot of time in the water, is an explorer, and uses the gifts that the sea/rivers provide to aid in his adventures.
This character uses several "crafting" skills, but with heavy restrictions.( More on that to follow) It is best described as a rogue, adventurer, and an artisan. A trained Saxheel jeweler he can create beautiful items from simple Iron. There are several builds on this site which use a treasure hunter theme, so I tried my best to make mine stand out as much as possible. This build relies on the Hearthfire add on.
Gameplay:
Race: Argonian. The build is based around the Argonian ability to breathe under water. They also have a starting bonus in several skills. The Histskin ability is a life saver when you encounter something beyond your ability to deal with.
Skills
Primary: ( One Handed, Block, Lock Picking, and Speech )
Secondary: ( Alchemy )
Skills used but not perked: ( Alteration, Smithing )
Stats: 0/2/1
Stone: Lady
The Deep Diver is a sword and shield type character, with little or no AR. As such he will need a lot of health and stamina to survive tough encounters. Alteration being the only magic school employed, and with the restrictions on gameplay, the base 100 Magicka is more than enough.
Shouts: The Deep Diver does not use shouts. However, Aura Whisper, or Whirlwind Sprint would work.
Quests; Halted Stream Camp, any Quests that involve assisting Argonians, Lights Out etc.
Gear: Any assortment of shields, or one handed weapons. I opted for Scaled Horn Armor for the look, with hide braces, and Storm Cloak Officer boots I generally used swords, but with all your exploring use whatever is right for the situation. Stay away from Heavy Armor as it will slow you down, and drown you. ( Or in this case simply leave you on the ocean floor trying to take it off ).
Perks:
One-Handed: Armsman 5/5, Fighting Stance, Great Critical Charge.
Block: Shield wall 1/5. Perk Everything else. the skills from this tree will be our main source of protection. Block Runner, and Shield charge provide a very mobile gameplay, as well as a means of escape.
Lockpicking: Novice - Adept, Treasure Hunter, Golden Touch. The Deep Diver's main source of high level gear comes from Treasure Hunter. Lacking in any crafting skills in the traditional sense this skill makes up for it.
Speech: Haggling 5/5, Allure, Merchant. All of that treasure is worthless if you can't sell it. Also, healing potions are a must and they don't come cheap.
Alchemy: Alchemist 3/5, Physician, Poisoner, Concentrated Poison. Alchemy is a wonderful skill but it can soon make a character a little over powered. I have attempted to tone it down, and placed restrictions on how it can be used.
The Deep Diver focuses on exploring Skyrim's many bodies of water, rivers, lakes, and even the vast seas to the north, and west of Skyrim. There are many treasures and dangers to be found lurking below the surface, or along the shoreline. The Deep Diver is not limited to just exploring underwater, no he is well suited for the many deep dark places that dot the landscape. Places all but forgotten by the most of Skyrim.
There is just so much to sea ( get it ) below the surface. In the Sea of Ghosts you can find various ship wrecks, in The Reach - a boat loaded with a load of Flawless gems, near Ivarstaed - a skeleton with valuable Alchemical ingredients.
When his septims are low, he has also been known to take odd jobs such as retrieving an item or lost artifact for a Jarl. Aided by his bartering skill, The Deep Diver strives to squeeze every septim out of the merchants of Skyrim.
Restrictions on gameplay:
Alchemy:
The Deep Diver is a skilled Alchemist, but he can only create potions from things he gathers from the water.
This is a list of what can be used, River Betty, Histcarp, Slaughterfish Eggs and Scales, Nordic Barnacle, Abecean Longfin, Mudcrab Chitin, Silverside Perch and Salmon Roe
From these he can create several useful potions and/or toxins.
Tetrodotoxin: Slaughter Fish Egg + Scales = Lingering Damage Health.
A potent Toxin that slowly drains the life from the inflicted. Once the target is poisoned, the Deep Diver can hold his guard while his foe is weakened.
Argonian Lungs: Nordic Barnacle + Salmon Roe = Waterbreathing.
An extremely valuable potion, merchants will pay a massive amount for these concoctions.
Mudcrab's Fortitude: Mudcrab Chitin + Histcarp = Restore Stamina.
Despite the overwhelming odds the Mudcrab holds its ground and this potion reflects that fortitude. Used to escape or usual stamina recovery.
Alteration:
The Deep Diver's use of this magic is limited to just two spells, Candle Light and Transmute Ore ( found in Halted Stream camp).
Argonians have an affinity for Alteration, and the Deep Diver is no different. His limited skills allow him to cast but a few spells.
Candle Light is PERFECT for the Deep Diver. Casting it before entering the water will allow it to follow you all the way to the ocean floor. lighting up everything around you. Perfect for searching old wrecks or even dark caves.
Trasmute Mineral Ore allows the Deep Diver to turn simple iron into gold which he can then smith into beautiful works of art.
Smithing:
The Deep Diver is restricted to crafting jewelry to sell, or house building materials.
Winstad Manor
This proved to be a wonderful place to make the Deep Diver's home. I kept it a small single room dwelling with a bed, cooking pot, and simple storage places. The outside will include the fish hatchery which will except all the listed ingredients except Mudcrab Chitin. A smelter and forge can be built for ease of crafting. To avoid constructing a mansion, I opted to use Alchemy in nearby Morthal or on a selling trip to Solitude. It is the perfect home, right next to the Deep Diver's hunting grounds.
Cooking and buying potions are the main form of healing for The Deep Diver. Cooked and consumed includes Horker Stew, Clam Chowder and Salmon Steak. Save up any Salt Piles you find as they are the basis of cooking. Garlic, Lavender, and Tomatoes are also needed for Horker Stew, and milk and butter are needed for the Chowder.
Tactics:
Attrition: Tetrodotoxin, high Block skill, Concentrated Poison.
Strike your foe once with deadly poison, hold your guard until they are weakened, and strike again for another application.
To The Depths: Histskin, deep body of water.
When the odds are not in your favor flee to the depths. Activate Histskin for a massive health recovery and either strike again, or slip away.
General Gameplay Thoughts
From Helgen, jump right into Lake Ilinalta and make your way to the lady stone. Start exploring the lake, collecting fish, and testing your skills against Slaughterfish ( lead them back to the shallows to strike them with your weapon. Following the rivers will provide you with easy fights against weaker Mudcrabs, and allow you to build weapon skills. Focus on One Handed and Block so you can survive. I played on Expert with some encounters proving to be very difficult.
Mages are difficult to deal with at lower levels until the block tree opens up, or until you find decent magic resit gear.
Level 10 or so saw me progressing into dungeons and doing odd jobs. Once you feel up to it head to Morthal and set up your house. Where you go from there is up to you.
