Dwemer, do you like their heritage? Their Animunculi? The warm shiny look of their metal-parts? How about getting one, how about creating your own shiny Dwemer gear. But there is existing more than one type of their constructions. Versatility, this is the keyword here.
Introduction
Basic facts
The Goldsmith
The Machine
The Master Technicus
Closing words
"What would you do, if you're a gold- and locksmith and then a civil war breaks out and nobody wants your things anymore, huh? Okay I can start smithing armours and little weapons, for heavier items I lack the power. Yesterday you could have impressed a woman with a well done necklace, today it have to be the heroic story of a battle. Looking down my body I know, I will never survive any without running away instantly. I will have to fight them in my dreams. Okay, no problem, then use magic, destructive or healing one, you might say, sadly I possess no magical talents. But there is always a solution for a problem and this here will have one too."
This character started existing as I tried my first sword'n'bord character, actually it was fun, but only the first twenty levels, then it got boring. Moreover I hate to start a new character, but all my ones before stopped between level forty and fifty. It is always said that there is a soft cap at level fifty, that is true, but there is another at level sixty. After this level no new enemies appear, except the Ebony Warrior. Did you know the most effective version of Miraak's sword is available at level sixty or higher. So this build should reach level sixty without getting boring, but also it should not be overloaded, the skills should fit together. Impression were the Animunculi and this is my attempt to put them into one character at legendary difficulty. It was fun to play and a second time, too, after some gameplay fixes. So here it comes, the Master Technicus.
Gender: Male
Race: Imperial, boni to all skills. Nord or Breton or even mer are also fitting.
Stats: 3/2/0, he is a weak one, he does not have the talent to use the magicka and this contribution will ensure that, once 300 health are reached put the rest in magicka.
Human Skills: Smithing, Heavy Armour, One-handed, Archery, Block, Speech, Enchanting
Mechanic Skills: Heavy Armour, One-handed, Archery, Block, Two-handed, Destruction, Restoration
Shouts: Fire Breath, Elemental Fury, Slow Time, Unrelenting Force, Whirlwind Sprint
Stone: Lover Stone, later the Atronach for some spell absorption and the lower magicka regeneration, which is more logical in this build.
An explanation how the magic and the shouts fit in here will follow soon.
I recommend to stay the first levels around Whiterun, in the camp Haltered Stream and the Embershard Mine you will find the needed ores to increase your smithing skill to get the Dwarven Smithing perk. Once the perk is acquired the hunt for Dwarven metal begins. For help I hired Uthgerd the Unbroken, she is the total opposite of our little goldsmith and is really good in taking out enemies in early steps of the game, so he can train the use of sword, shield and bow easier.
As the right level comes, he hears about the Dawnguard, which uses crossbows, a fascinating weapon for the Master Technicus, he joins them. At the same time rumours occur, that on Solstheim a legendary Dwarven helmet lies. This one is a travel to that island worth. After obtaining this a new part of gameplay is beginning.
Head: Steel Helmet (without horns)
Neck: Amulet of Zenithar (Of course he whorshippes the god of honest work, Zenithar)
Chest: Blacksmith's Apron (white)
Hands: Nordic Steel Gauntlets
Feet: Steel Cuffed Boots
Shield: Hide Shield
Weapon: Iron or Steel Dagger, Hunting Bow with Iron or Steel Arrows, Steel Crossbow with Steel Bolts
If the goldsmith needs to restore health or stamina, he uses found or bought potions.
"Dwarven metal is something special. It lies in the middle between steel and gold. Although it is not corroded by oxygen like gold it is not as heavy as it, but it is not as heavy as it and even harder than steel. The Dwemer were not just great engineers, they knew how to create a good metal too."
Although he wears some heavy armour part he does not really belong to the front line. In fight man versus man he may have a chance, but it is better to let his follower do the fighting in the close quarters. Staying back and shooting bolts is recommend, alternatively, when the follower takes the hits, supporting with some strikes of the dagger and shield bashes are good too. By the way spare some perk points for Destruction and Restoration.
- The book of love (easy to do and magic resistance is always welcome)
- Wedding (The sleeping bonus is good to have for all the crafting that has to be done, I have chosen Ysolda)
- Lost to the ages (At least clear the first ruin, because Zephyr is a really great bow and can make your life later easier)
- Join the Dawnguard
- The lost expedition (In Nchuad-Zel are so many Dwarven metal-parts that can be melted and a complete Dwarven Armour set, let your follower carry a lot to get everything with you)
- Ancient knowledge (Increased smithing experience? This is a must have)
- Retrieve the Visage of Mzulft (Once this is yours the Machine can start)
This is a start of something completely new. But before we got into the details of several moves, that this Dwemer Armour allows, just let me tell somet basic things. At start I mentioned, the Master Technicus has no talent in using magic, but there are still magic skills listed. This is no magic in this build.
Restoration and Destruction represent the skill in controlling heat and fire, enchanting stands for the ability to put some mechanisms in this armour set. For that reason I “used” some cogs and levers along with the soul gems while enchanting. Of course there cannot be anything enchanted but Dwarven stuff. Actually the Dwarven Armour as we know it is the hard shell of an Dwarven Aminunculi that is smaller than a Centurio. This one was found in large numbers in the ruins of Kemel-Ze. The goldsmith named this Animunculi the Legionair.
I stated, that our little hero is not the strongest and he cannot mess with the Nords in fighting. How can he wear this heavy set of armour? It is easy, he puts a little steam engine in the chest part. It looks so bulky, there is enough space for it. This engine allows him to carry this weight. So magicka is not a magical resource anymore, its the fuel he needs to fire the engine or he sets on fire and throws it on enemies.
Stamina is not his physical strength anymore, it is the steam which is needed to activate the cylinders that gives the support in strength to move on, to hit harder or to release the Breath of Nchuak.
If he takes blows, it is not his body that is hurt, its the Dwemer suit, that gets damaged. It is made out of metal and this can be welt.
So in short form: Power attacks need power, power is created by the steam engine, using steam (stamina), steam is created by boiling water, water can be found everywhere, the energy for boiling delivers fuel (magicka). To those who still not believe Magicka is fuel, here is the proof: If you combine Dwarven Oil and Fire Salt, an oil and an explosive powder, you get a liquid that restores Magicka and fortifies Magicka regeneration. Any questions left? By the way only this liquid can be used to restore some fuel when the Machine is active.
"The best thing about machines is you don't have to worry about their loyalty nor their motivation, they will always fight - no matter how superior the enemy is."
A short description to the philosophy of the skills are used by the machine:
We will have a focus on only one spell here: Heal. This continuous stream of light that this spell is emitting looks a bit like the light that can be seen while welding, doesn't it? And exactly this is what is done. To heat the needle we need to burn fuel and if we burn it we can use it directly for creating some steam for some energy efficiency reason. This is a very cheap form to heal, but it will take time, consider this when you are fighting.
The focus lies on the fire spells, all will be utilized here. You may say, wait, the Dwarven Spiders use shock spells. Yes, that is true, but fire was easier to realize, just ignite the fuel and viola, everything around you is set on fire.
Smithing allows us to spare points here, so we do not need to spend points in extra defensively perks. We want Fists of Steel for extra unarmed damage, Conditioned so the armour does not slow down, finally the goldsmith learned how to use the steam engine correctly. Deflect Blows provides a chance of doing more damage passively.
A shield can be both, shelter and a weapon and that is exactly how it will be used. Precision is not needed here, force will compensate that. A point on every perk except Disarming Bash is invested here. Shield Charge allows really combat changing mechanics. It is so much fun.
More basic perks are taken here except the dual-wielding ones. Because of the different weapon types that are used, no particular weapon perk was chosen.
A big hammer will be used and the perks shall fit to it. So Skullcrusher and everything up to Paralyzing Strike is taken. The last perk will representate the sheer brutality that lies behind the strikes
It does not matter how precisely the arrows or bolts come out, it matters that they come out quickly and power should behind it, the enemy must feel that he is hit. The left path will be chosen until Quick shot.
Helmet: Visage of Mzulft: Enchantments: Fortyfy Stamina, Breath of Nchuak
- This one is the main piece, it has a string in it, that can vibrate when you use shouts, so the effects will be activated. Switching Animunculi will unlock different shouts. The breath, the extra steam-container (stamina) and the very high armour rating are also useful. Without this helmet the whole suit does not work!
Chestpiece: Dwarven Armour: Enchantments: Fortify Health
- The small steam engine is inside it, the fuel tank and the steam tank are here and it contains the weapon depot also. It has interfaces to the other parts of the armour.
Gauntlets: Dwarven Gauntlets: Enchantments: Fortify Unarmed
- Nearly everything is done with the hands, carrying weapons or a shield, releasing fire or welding. Getting disarmed, unarmed hits are an option.
Boots: Dwarven Boots: Enchantments: Fortify Stamina
Shield: Dwarven Barrier: Enchantments: Fortify Health
- A second skin is always nice to have. The shield increases the survivability a bit.
Necklace: Any Necklace: Enchantments: Waterbreathing, Poison Resistance
- The suit also is waterproof, allowing to stay longer under water, swimming and diving is steam supported too, because the weight is so high. Poisons do not hurt so hard if staying in a second skin of metal.
Ring: Any Ring: Enchantments: Fortify Destruction, Fortify Unarmed
- Most energy can be lost at the very last end before the release, in terms of efficiency a better nozzle is installed. I recommend to name the jewellery with “Dwarven” first so it is in the inventory list with the rest of the armour.
Arsenal:
- Dwarven Waraxe: This is the standard weapon for the main hand.
- Dwarven Dagger: Standard weapon for the off hand if needed.
- Zephyr with Dwarven Arrows: A fast bow, used for quick changes between close and ranged combat.
- Dwarven Warhammer: Slow two-handed weapon.
- Enhanced Dwarven Crossbow with Dwarven Bolts: The standard ranged weapon.
- Glowing Dwemer Sword:
- Enchantments: Fire Damage, Fiery Soultrap: This is a glowing sting, heated by burning fuel. It has also the ability to absorb the special energy that is within every creature.
- Glowing Enhanced Dwarven Crossbow with Exploding Fire Dwarven Bolts:
- Enchantments: Fire Damage, Damage Stamina: This is a speacial weapon only used from time to time. The heat fatigues the enemies
- Glowing Dwarven Warhammer:
- Enchantments: Fire Damage, Damage Stamina: Devastating weapon in close quarters.
The enchantments will always be the same. I recommend to start directly with enchanting after obtaining the Visage of Mzulft, if you do it after your skill is maximized, you will be behind in casting fire and welding. Just exchange some parts from time to time, as enchanting improves.
Its important to say that the Master Technicus does not use this armour set, when he is together with other people, even followers or his wife, it is his secret. But of course he can clear a bandit's camp in it, just make sure nobody sees you when you put it on and nobody sees you walking away. Along with a Steadfast Dwarven Sphere he can use it, machines never talk.
After knowing what equipment we do need, let us focus how to use it:
Because of the low space that is in the armour everything needs to be put in it in the right order. This means you cannot switch between the weapons, that are organized in stances, as you want. In his graphic below you can see what changes are allowed. After changing a stance you have to stay in it about a minute. So choose wisely in which stance you start the fight.
Basic Aminunculi are great for defensive purposes, but the best is they can be switched as the player wants.
This is the very basic Animunculi and the only one that allows to heal. Switching between the two basic fire spells gives a little offensive option if nothing has to be healed.
Left: Heal, Flames, Firebolt
Right: Heal, Flames, Firebolt
Voice Control: Whirlwind Sprint
- Spiders can do a leap, and this is very similar, the engine has to work a bit faster. Ideal for getting out of dangerous situations quickly or getting in close range for a melee weapon and transforming in a Dwarven Defender or Dwarven Sphere
Abilities: Welding
- Requires: Heal dual wielded, Respite, Regeneration
- Just a heal.
The most defensive one, heavily armoured with the shield this Animunculi can soak up a lot of physical damage, but once the perk Elemental Protection in the block tree is unlocked the magical defence is good too.
Left: Dwarven Barrier
Right: Dwarven Waraxe
Voice Control: Dismay
- Can there be something more fearful than a human, totally covered by metal and making a noise like a heavy Dwarven machine. No! Moreover the Legionair line is able to release the Breath of Nchuak.
Ability: Steam-bull of Nchuak
- Requires: Dwarven Barrier, Shield Charge, Breath of Nchuak
- The engine has power and this moves you forward, no matter what is in front of him. He raises the shield, releases steam and starts sprinting. If a cliff is in the near it is possible to push enemies down. But please stop sprinting before the edge...
The last basic Animunculi has more offensive versatility, allowing the quick change of melee and ranged combat at the costs of any defence but the armour and its quickness.
Left: Dwarven Dagger, Dwarven Arrows
Right: Dwarven Waraxe, Zephyr
Voice Control: Elemental Fury
- This time the engine lets the arms move much more quickly. It is nothing new, Elemental Fury and dual-wielding weapons is a great combination.
Abilities: Weapon Change
- Requires: Zephyr, dual-wielded weapons, bash
- Once a foe comes in range for the waraxe, he quickly does a bash with Zephyr and switches the weapons. Now he can do a power attack at an enemy, that cannot block
These are an upgrade to the basic ones, coming with heavier weapons and to keep everything in order in this Dwarven suit the different Animunculi cannot be switched in any way. They have to be activated in the right basic Animunculi and must be transformed back into that one.
A whole arsenal of fire spells lies in this evolved Dwarven Spider. It has the ability to set ground on fire, which is really useful in small corridors, to cast big explosions, a firerune in melee combat is a great assistant to the sword, that can absorb soul energy. If the fuel is out the sword hits hurt a lot too.
Left: Flames, Firebolt, Fireball, Incinerate, Wall of Flames, Firerune
Right: Glowing Dwarven Sword, Flames, Firebolt, Fireball, Incinerate
Voice Control: Whirlwind Sprint
- The leap is still viable.
Ability: Soul Leap
- Requires: Whirlwind Sprint, Glowing Dwarven Sword
- If the target is low and you want to have its soul, just jump to it, do the last two or three strikes. Then sprint back and restore the distance to make use of the range.
The big one, the brute one, there are a lot of words to describe a Dwarven Centurio. This Animunculi can deal the most devastating hits and is a master in damaging groups of enemies with his big hammer. The defence is quite okay.
Left: Dwarven Warhammer
Right: Dwarwen Warhammer
Voice Control: Cyclone
- This quick movement throws everything around him a bit away giving him a little moment to breath.
Ability: Power of Nchuak
- Requires: Quick Reflexes, Power Bash, Deadly Bash, Dwarven Warhammer, Breath of Nchuak
- If an enemy is not impressed by the Centurio and goes for a power attack, he gets in the block stance, so Quick Reflexes activates, deals a power power bash, that has nice damage too, releases the Breath of Nchuak and performs himself a power attack with his hammer. This is how a Centurio strikes back!
This beast can not shoot the big bolts like the original one, but Dwarven bolts still hurt a lot. The staggering effect is applied nearly every single shot, which is nice for kiting. Very good against a low amount of enemies
Left: Enhanced Dwarven Crossbow
Right: Dwarven Bolts
Voice Control: Slow Time
- The machine can work really fast from time to time, sometimes it feels fast, sometimes it feels like everyone else is moving slow.
Ability: Pew, Pew, Pew!
- No special ability is needed here, just never stop shooting and moving back during the reloading process! If a enemy comes close a bash with the crossbow is a good decision to get some space.
These are truly powerful, but the usage is limited by time. The engine starts working like crazy heating the whole suit and even Herma Mora himself gave the goldsmith his secrets to make these stances better. Activation is done by casting Fire Cloak in one of the Evolved Animunculi and after after time is up the Master Technicus has to leave the Dwarven suit because it gets too hot. The Dwarven parts need the rest of the day to cool down. So spare these for the toughest enemies.
Fire, fire and more fire, that is the motto here.
Left: Wall of Flames, Fire Storm
Right: Fire Storm
Voice Control: Fire Breath
- Steam was yesterday, nowadays we breath fire
Ability: Fire Blast
- Requires: Wall of Flames, Fire Storm, Secret of Arcan
- For preparation Wall of Flames are set around the machine. After activating Secret of Arcana several Firestorms will blow up nearly everything without the worry of getting low on fuel. A Fire Breath at the end is also possible. I used this most times in Draugr crypts when the last boss called many lower Draugr.
Combining massive power with heat and fire does not only sound awesome it is indeed incredibly strong. The gameplay does not differ much from the normal Centurio.
Left: Glowing Dwarven Warhammer
Right: Glowing Dwarven Warhammer
Voice Control: Unrelenting Force
- Pressured air released through a nozzle has really devastating results. It is always fun to push enemies more or less far through the air
Ability: Distraction of Nchuak
- Requires: Unrelenting Force, Quick Reflexes, Breath of Nchuak, Sweep, Secret of Power
- Getting overwhelmed? No problemo, this move will ensure the victory. When a foe is preparing a power attack, he activates Quick Reflexes, interrupts the enemy, casts the Breath of Nchuak and performs a sweeping Strike hitting everybody. After this he steps back and unleashes the Unrelenting Force throwing a lot of foes away so he can concentrate after the activation of Secret of Power on the one or two that are still at him.
The normal Dwarven Ballista was strong, but sometimes enemies must be taken down faster. This can be done with the enhanced version. The bolts are heated and explode on impact.
Left: Exploding Fire Dwarven Bolts
Right: Glowing Enhanced Dwarven Crossbow
Voice Control: Marked for Death
- The machine launches a corrosive liquid that melts down enemies' armour. The crossbow alone has a good armour penetration, but now the effective armour of a foe goes slowly down to zero.
Ability: Volley
- Requires: Marked for Death
- After the activation of Marked for Death he focuses on his enemy. Every single shot will hit harder. This is useful against enemies that regenerate a lot of health points.
Usually it is recommend to stay in the basic Dwarven Defender or Sphere if you do not know what expects you, because you have always the Spider Worker as a quick back up which allows welding. The Spider Guardian is a bit the magic counterpart to the Dwarven Sphere and it has also the Spider Worker connected to it. All in all you can say the Dwarven Spider line is a good choice against very heterogeneous groups of enemies like bandits, Draugr or Falmer.
Foes that heavily rely on doing damage, like magicians, archer or dual-wielding melee fighters should be faced with the Defender or the Centurio. These have the required crowd controlling abilities and the toughness to take several blows until the enemy is killed by bashes and strikes. I choose the Defender against very large groups and dragons also, if there is no shelter, otherwise their breathes are deadly.
When just one or two enemies appear, the Dwarven Ballista is the best aminunculi. Staggers and a good damage and nothing will touch you seriously. It also excels in ranged combat against other marksmen and some magicians.
Caution, around level forty Draugr Deathlords will appear and they can disarm. Whenever you are disarmed you cannot pick up your weapon, you have to wait until the fight is over to do so. It takes some time to fit the weapons in the complex weapon order system. This is why there are two enchantments for unarmed combat, it will do low damage but helps you over time until you can switch the Animunculi.
Never sneak, an engine is loud!
Another thing that must be mentioned is crafting. In my opinion it is a good way to collect ingots, Dwemer metal-parts, filled soul gems, gems, Dwarven oil and fire salts during the adventures and storing them at home. With the Lover Stone and Lovers Rest it gives a 30 percent experience bonus, with Ancient knowledge even more for smithing.
When training smithing I crafted mostly Dwarven bows, Dwarven ammunition, Dwarven daggers, steel daggers, steel ammunition and some jewellery. The number of arrows and bolts that get broken or lost is really high.
I enchanted the Dwarven weapons and the jewellery with the most expensive enchantment I had, this allowed me to buy more and more ingots and soul gems.
A little danger exists in crafting. When it is pushed at the wrong time it can destroy a character, if it is pushed to early, you lack the combat skills and get high level enemies. Just level it up from time to time, I had my crafting skills around the level of the one-handed skill. After hitting level forty I trained them more intensively, so they reached the maximum at level forty-six. If you improve your final armour- and weapon-set please do not use alchemy potions. These will make you too strong and the fun is gone, with enchanting it is the same.
After the crafting skills are maximized, I switched to the Attronach Stone.
"I don't know why the Dwemer are gone, but I'm lucky they are. Otherwise we would all be their servants, their technology would have enslaved men and mer..."
This build caps at level sixty. That is a long way to go and in this paragraph I will tell you how to level up more quickly. Generally frequent sleeping helps most here, but every skill and perk has its own influence.
Weapon skills gain experience proportional to their base damage, this means, you do not level faster if you push the damage higher, in this case less is more. It is better to strike more times and split tanking with a follower, I set the first perk, that increases the damage on 2/5 until I reached the last levels. Another positive effect, if you have to do some more hits, the enemy can do more hits too. Heavy Armour and Block profit from this, I never had to power-level these skills.
Looking at the offensive skills I cannot say that, the problem: Four skills. But there is a simple solution, while One-handed and Archery are trained from the very beginning Two-handed and Destruction follow around level fifteen. The last two skills need a little boost, it is nearly impossible to focus on both, so I met a trainer for Two-handed and around skill-level sixty it went on its own. I did not choose Destruction for gameplay reasons, because there are only magic trainers in Skyrim and here it is no magic just the talent in controlling fire. By the way you can train Destruction in the early levels a bit, if you ignite some enemies with a torch, simply bash with it. If you have chosen Imperial you get a good bonus in Restoration, no problems should occur here.
If your warrior skills hit around level ninety, read the Oghma Infinium and choose the Path of Warrior.
Speech will go faster up if you do not have any boni on prices. Simply sell your crafted and found things, buy ingots, soul gems, pelts and jewellery. I never had any money problems with this character. If you are out of a fight feel free to open every lock in dungeons: Doors, chests and boxes are no problem for you, remember, you are a locksmith!
Get the Steadfast Dwarven Sphere
Explore Blackreach
- There is so much to see and to collect, the dragon in the artificial sun is always nice to fight
Getting the shouts
Visit the needed Draugr crypts.
Join the the Companions, you should be strong enough now, get the Fire Breath shout and leave them.
Destroy the Dark Brotherhood, I reverse pickpocket Grelod and put a poison of fury in her inventory, the rest will be done if you lay a Dwarven weapon beneath her helper.
Join the College, you are not a mage and you can only play a bit with fire at the first test outside the College. If you shall do something different, come back later and persuade Faralda. Inside the College it is not the magic you seek for, it is the library and its knowledge, Herma Mora has infected you a bit with his thirst for knowlede. The excess to Labyrinthian.
Join the Imperial Legion, just do the quest around the Jagged Crown. The goldsmith is not a revolutionary.
The main quest: Talk to the Greybeards in your Dwarven Armour, they will not tell your secret, this allows you to perform the shouts. Clear Skies is done that way too.
Finish Lost to the ages
Retrieve the Spellbreaker
This shield weights a lot more than the pelt shield, but he can carry it now, the best thing is the unique ward it creates when blocking, this really increases survivability in fights where you cannot use your Dwarven armour, especially in villages against dragons or when you have to fight in quests with others together, I am looking at you, Harkon.
Defeating the Vampires
Once Serana follows you, you cannot get rid of her. You two made a deal, you will not spread each others secret to the world, she is a vampire and you possess a crazy machine. Finish this questline, vampires are nearly as bad as the civil war for a business with luxury goods. At the siege of Volkihar Castle you cannot use your Dwarven suit, too many visitors. I recommend to have a lot steel bolts and arrows and some explosive bolts too. You will need a lot of healing potions also, because in Harkon's chapel you cannot use the suit either, Auriel's bow is the reason. After this fight you two go separate ways.
This is the last way to perfection or an attempt to restore and develop the old business:
"Actually I don't want to go back to the old business, adventures are so much fun and allow me to stay away from my wife, she can be really annoying, her obsessions with trade and Khajiit for example. I made a lot of money, first we moved to Markath, but Ysolda said, business is bad there. These damn Forsworn, I killed their king when he was going to flee out of the mine and I was investigating in the crimes of the Silverblood family. But my wife didn't stop crying there, so we moved to Solitude, that city is more for her taste. The city is okay, but I hired Sven as an apprentice that will do the smithing business there, so I can travel on my own again. I'm not quite sure, maybe I will be a vendor for locks and jewellery. Apropos locks and keys, the old Nord had interesting mechanism for locking up rooms, their keys are big dragon claws, one day I want have them all, they are something very representative for business partners. For now the last Dwemer artefact a on the top of my list, I have read about it in the library of the Mages' College."
The Master Technicus has a bit more wealthy equipment as he makes more and more money.
Head: Steel Helmet (without horns) or a hat
Neck: Amulet of Zenithar (His god has not left him allthough the influence of Herma Mora grew)
Chest: Fine Clothes (Blue with pelt)
Hands: Nordic Steel Gauntlets
Feet: Steel Cuffed Boots
Shield: Spellbreaker
Weapon:
- Keening (I know, if you are not playing on computer with the unofficial patches this sweet jewel is bugged, but even bugged it is stronger than a steel dagger and it looks better)
- Aetherial Staff (If one Dwarven Sphere is not enough call a second or a spider, or some crap. The crap is also nice if your storage of Dwarven metal ingots gets low)
- Enhanced Steel Crossbow with Steel bolts or Exploding Fire Steel bolts
Retrieve Keening
Trade with Herma Mora
Herma Mora has good offers for you, if he can learn more about the machine you have created, He will allow you to reset the perks of the Enchanting skill-tree so you can put them into One-handed, Two-handed and Archery. He also shows how not to hurt the Dwarven Sphere-follower and gives you a servant at your side so you can carry more with you.
Restore peace
Dragons and civil war are bad for business, so finish these questlines.
If you are still not level sixty, explore Draugr crypts collecting the dragon claws or lift bandit's and forsworn's encampments, these are troublemaker too. I just missed a level.
Last battles
Miraak is big threat on Solstheim, where the trade just stopped because of Draugr, Thalmor and so on. Clear it up, there is good business to make once the money flows when the mine open. The fight with Miraak is really challenging if you go alone.
Fighting Karstaag, this old frost-giant king, creates a lot of fun, because he is so challenging.
That is it, the Master Technicus, thank you for reading. If there is still something not clear about the Animunculi-concept feel free to ask and I try my best to help you.
I'd like to thank the hosts of this website for keeping this site clean and alive, some builds here put me back behind my computer and made me play Skyrim for many hours again.
Credits to the images I used:
Image 1
Image 2
Image 3
Dwemer, do you like their heritage? Their Animunculi? The warm shiny look of their metal-parts? How about getting one, how about creating your own shiny Dwemer gear. But there is existing more than one type of their constructions. Versatility, this is the keyword here.
Introduction
Basic facts
The Goldsmith
The Machine
The Master Technicus
Closing words
"What would you do, if you're a gold- and locksmith and then a civil war breaks out and nobody wants your things anymore, huh? Okay I can start smithing armours and little weapons, for heavier items I lack the power. Yesterday you could have impressed a woman with a well done necklace, today it have to be the heroic story of a battle. Looking down my body I know, I will never survive any without running away instantly. I will have to fight them in my dreams. Okay, no problem, then use magic, destructive or healing one, you might say, sadly I possess no magical talents. But there is always a solution for a problem and this here will have one too."
This character started existing as I tried my first sword'n'bord character, actually it was fun, but only the first twenty levels, then it got boring. Moreover I hate to start a new character, but all my ones before stopped between level forty and fifty. It is always said that there is a soft cap at level fifty, that is true, but there is another at level sixty. After this level no new enemies appear, except the Ebony Warrior. Did you know the most effective version of Miraak's sword is available at level sixty or higher. So this build should reach level sixty without getting boring, but also it should not be overloaded, the skills should fit together. Impression were the Animunculi and this is my attempt to put them into one character at legendary difficulty. It was fun to play and a second time, too, after some gameplay fixes. So here it comes, the Master Technicus.
Gender: Male
Race: Imperial, boni to all skills. Nord or Breton or even mer are also fitting.
Stats: 3/2/0, he is a weak one, he does not have the talent to use the magicka and this contribution will ensure that, once 300 health are reached put the rest in magicka.
Human Skills: Smithing, Heavy Armour, One-handed, Archery, Block, Speech, Enchanting
Mechanic Skills: Heavy Armour, One-handed, Archery, Block, Two-handed, Destruction, Restoration
Shouts: Fire Breath, Elemental Fury, Slow Time, Unrelenting Force, Whirlwind Sprint
Stone: Lover Stone, later the Atronach for some spell absorption and the lower magicka regeneration, which is more logical in this build.
An explanation how the magic and the shouts fit in here will follow soon.
I recommend to stay the first levels around Whiterun, in the camp Haltered Stream and the Embershard Mine you will find the needed ores to increase your smithing skill to get the Dwarven Smithing perk. Once the perk is acquired the hunt for Dwarven metal begins. For help I hired Uthgerd the Unbroken, she is the total opposite of our little goldsmith and is really good in taking out enemies in early steps of the game, so he can train the use of sword, shield and bow easier.
As the right level comes, he hears about the Dawnguard, which uses crossbows, a fascinating weapon for the Master Technicus, he joins them. At the same time rumours occur, that on Solstheim a legendary Dwarven helmet lies. This one is a travel to that island worth. After obtaining this a new part of gameplay is beginning.
Head: Steel Helmet (without horns)
Neck: Amulet of Zenithar (Of course he whorshippes the god of honest work, Zenithar)
Chest: Blacksmith's Apron (white)
Hands: Nordic Steel Gauntlets
Feet: Steel Cuffed Boots
Shield: Hide Shield
Weapon: Iron or Steel Dagger, Hunting Bow with Iron or Steel Arrows, Steel Crossbow with Steel Bolts
If the goldsmith needs to restore health or stamina, he uses found or bought potions.
"Dwarven metal is something special. It lies in the middle between steel and gold. Although it is not corroded by oxygen like gold it is not as heavy as it, but it is not as heavy as it and even harder than steel. The Dwemer were not just great engineers, they knew how to create a good metal too."
Although he wears some heavy armour part he does not really belong to the front line. In fight man versus man he may have a chance, but it is better to let his follower do the fighting in the close quarters. Staying back and shooting bolts is recommend, alternatively, when the follower takes the hits, supporting with some strikes of the dagger and shield bashes are good too. By the way spare some perk points for Destruction and Restoration.
- The book of love (easy to do and magic resistance is always welcome)
- Wedding (The sleeping bonus is good to have for all the crafting that has to be done, I have chosen Ysolda)
- Lost to the ages (At least clear the first ruin, because Zephyr is a really great bow and can make your life later easier)
- Join the Dawnguard
- The lost expedition (In Nchuad-Zel are so many Dwarven metal-parts that can be melted and a complete Dwarven Armour set, let your follower carry a lot to get everything with you)
- Ancient knowledge (Increased smithing experience? This is a must have)
- Retrieve the Visage of Mzulft (Once this is yours the Machine can start)
This is a start of something completely new. But before we got into the details of several moves, that this Dwemer Armour allows, just let me tell somet basic things. At start I mentioned, the Master Technicus has no talent in using magic, but there are still magic skills listed. This is no magic in this build.
Restoration and Destruction represent the skill in controlling heat and fire, enchanting stands for the ability to put some mechanisms in this armour set. For that reason I “used” some cogs and levers along with the soul gems while enchanting. Of course there cannot be anything enchanted but Dwarven stuff. Actually the Dwarven Armour as we know it is the hard shell of an Dwarven Aminunculi that is smaller than a Centurio. This one was found in large numbers in the ruins of Kemel-Ze. The goldsmith named this Animunculi the Legionair.
I stated, that our little hero is not the strongest and he cannot mess with the Nords in fighting. How can he wear this heavy set of armour? It is easy, he puts a little steam engine in the chest part. It looks so bulky, there is enough space for it. This engine allows him to carry this weight. So magicka is not a magical resource anymore, its the fuel he needs to fire the engine or he sets on fire and throws it on enemies.
Stamina is not his physical strength anymore, it is the steam which is needed to activate the cylinders that gives the support in strength to move on, to hit harder or to release the Breath of Nchuak.
If he takes blows, it is not his body that is hurt, its the Dwemer suit, that gets damaged. It is made out of metal and this can be welt.
So in short form: Power attacks need power, power is created by the steam engine, using steam (stamina), steam is created by boiling water, water can be found everywhere, the energy for boiling delivers fuel (magicka). To those who still not believe Magicka is fuel, here is the proof: If you combine Dwarven Oil and Fire Salt, an oil and an explosive powder, you get a liquid that restores Magicka and fortifies Magicka regeneration. Any questions left? By the way only this liquid can be used to restore some fuel when the Machine is active.
"The best thing about machines is you don't have to worry about their loyalty nor their motivation, they will always fight - no matter how superior the enemy is."
A short description to the philosophy of the skills are used by the machine:
We will have a focus on only one spell here: Heal. This continuous stream of light that this spell is emitting looks a bit like the light that can be seen while welding, doesn't it? And exactly this is what is done. To heat the needle we need to burn fuel and if we burn it we can use it directly for creating some steam for some energy efficiency reason. This is a very cheap form to heal, but it will take time, consider this when you are fighting.
The focus lies on the fire spells, all will be utilized here. You may say, wait, the Dwarven Spiders use shock spells. Yes, that is true, but fire was easier to realize, just ignite the fuel and viola, everything around you is set on fire.
Smithing allows us to spare points here, so we do not need to spend points in extra defensively perks. We want Fists of Steel for extra unarmed damage, Conditioned so the armour does not slow down, finally the goldsmith learned how to use the steam engine correctly. Deflect Blows provides a chance of doing more damage passively.
A shield can be both, shelter and a weapon and that is exactly how it will be used. Precision is not needed here, force will compensate that. A point on every perk except Disarming Bash is invested here. Shield Charge allows really combat changing mechanics. It is so much fun.
More basic perks are taken here except the dual-wielding ones. Because of the different weapon types that are used, no particular weapon perk was chosen.
A big hammer will be used and the perks shall fit to it. So Skullcrusher and everything up to Paralyzing Strike is taken. The last perk will representate the sheer brutality that lies behind the strikes
It does not matter how precisely the arrows or bolts come out, it matters that they come out quickly and power should behind it, the enemy must feel that he is hit. The left path will be chosen until Quick shot.
Helmet: Visage of Mzulft: Enchantments: Fortyfy Stamina, Breath of Nchuak
- This one is the main piece, it has a string in it, that can vibrate when you use shouts, so the effects will be activated. Switching Animunculi will unlock different shouts. The breath, the extra steam-container (stamina) and the very high armour rating are also useful. Without this helmet the whole suit does not work!
Chestpiece: Dwarven Armour: Enchantments: Fortify Health
- The small steam engine is inside it, the fuel tank and the steam tank are here and it contains the weapon depot also. It has interfaces to the other parts of the armour.
Gauntlets: Dwarven Gauntlets: Enchantments: Fortify Unarmed
- Nearly everything is done with the hands, carrying weapons or a shield, releasing fire or welding. Getting disarmed, unarmed hits are an option.
Boots: Dwarven Boots: Enchantments: Fortify Stamina
Shield: Dwarven Barrier: Enchantments: Fortify Health
- A second skin is always nice to have. The shield increases the survivability a bit.
Necklace: Any Necklace: Enchantments: Waterbreathing, Poison Resistance
- The suit also is waterproof, allowing to stay longer under water, swimming and diving is steam supported too, because the weight is so high. Poisons do not hurt so hard if staying in a second skin of metal.
Ring: Any Ring: Enchantments: Fortify Destruction, Fortify Unarmed
- Most energy can be lost at the very last end before the release, in terms of efficiency a better nozzle is installed. I recommend to name the jewellery with “Dwarven” first so it is in the inventory list with the rest of the armour.
Arsenal:
- Dwarven Waraxe: This is the standard weapon for the main hand.
- Dwarven Dagger: Standard weapon for the off hand if needed.
- Zephyr with Dwarven Arrows: A fast bow, used for quick changes between close and ranged combat.
- Dwarven Warhammer: Slow two-handed weapon.
- Enhanced Dwarven Crossbow with Dwarven Bolts: The standard ranged weapon.
- Glowing Dwemer Sword:
- Enchantments: Fire Damage, Fiery Soultrap: This is a glowing sting, heated by burning fuel. It has also the ability to absorb the special energy that is within every creature.
- Glowing Enhanced Dwarven Crossbow with Exploding Fire Dwarven Bolts:
- Enchantments: Fire Damage, Damage Stamina: This is a speacial weapon only used from time to time. The heat fatigues the enemies
- Glowing Dwarven Warhammer:
- Enchantments: Fire Damage, Damage Stamina: Devastating weapon in close quarters.
The enchantments will always be the same. I recommend to start directly with enchanting after obtaining the Visage of Mzulft, if you do it after your skill is maximized, you will be behind in casting fire and welding. Just exchange some parts from time to time, as enchanting improves.
Its important to say that the Master Technicus does not use this armour set, when he is together with other people, even followers or his wife, it is his secret. But of course he can clear a bandit's camp in it, just make sure nobody sees you when you put it on and nobody sees you walking away. Along with a Steadfast Dwarven Sphere he can use it, machines never talk.
After knowing what equipment we do need, let us focus how to use it:
Because of the low space that is in the armour everything needs to be put in it in the right order. This means you cannot switch between the weapons, that are organized in stances, as you want. In his graphic below you can see what changes are allowed. After changing a stance you have to stay in it about a minute. So choose wisely in which stance you start the fight.
Basic Aminunculi are great for defensive purposes, but the best is they can be switched as the player wants.
This is the very basic Animunculi and the only one that allows to heal. Switching between the two basic fire spells gives a little offensive option if nothing has to be healed.
Left: Heal, Flames, Firebolt
Right: Heal, Flames, Firebolt
Voice Control: Whirlwind Sprint
- Spiders can do a leap, and this is very similar, the engine has to work a bit faster. Ideal for getting out of dangerous situations quickly or getting in close range for a melee weapon and transforming in a Dwarven Defender or Dwarven Sphere
Abilities: Welding
- Requires: Heal dual wielded, Respite, Regeneration
- Just a heal.
The most defensive one, heavily armoured with the shield this Animunculi can soak up a lot of physical damage, but once the perk Elemental Protection in the block tree is unlocked the magical defence is good too.
Left: Dwarven Barrier
Right: Dwarven Waraxe
Voice Control: Dismay
- Can there be something more fearful than a human, totally covered by metal and making a noise like a heavy Dwarven machine. No! Moreover the Legionair line is able to release the Breath of Nchuak.
Ability: Steam-bull of Nchuak
- Requires: Dwarven Barrier, Shield Charge, Breath of Nchuak
- The engine has power and this moves you forward, no matter what is in front of him. He raises the shield, releases steam and starts sprinting. If a cliff is in the near it is possible to push enemies down. But please stop sprinting before the edge...
The last basic Animunculi has more offensive versatility, allowing the quick change of melee and ranged combat at the costs of any defence but the armour and its quickness.
Left: Dwarven Dagger, Dwarven Arrows
Right: Dwarven Waraxe, Zephyr
Voice Control: Elemental Fury
- This time the engine lets the arms move much more quickly. It is nothing new, Elemental Fury and dual-wielding weapons is a great combination.
Abilities: Weapon Change
- Requires: Zephyr, dual-wielded weapons, bash
- Once a foe comes in range for the waraxe, he quickly does a bash with Zephyr and switches the weapons. Now he can do a power attack at an enemy, that cannot block
These are an upgrade to the basic ones, coming with heavier weapons and to keep everything in order in this Dwarven suit the different Animunculi cannot be switched in any way. They have to be activated in the right basic Animunculi and must be transformed back into that one.
A whole arsenal of fire spells lies in this evolved Dwarven Spider. It has the ability to set ground on fire, which is really useful in small corridors, to cast big explosions, a firerune in melee combat is a great assistant to the sword, that can absorb soul energy. If the fuel is out the sword hits hurt a lot too.
Left: Flames, Firebolt, Fireball, Incinerate, Wall of Flames, Firerune
Right: Glowing Dwarven Sword, Flames, Firebolt, Fireball, Incinerate
Voice Control: Whirlwind Sprint
- The leap is still viable.
Ability: Soul Leap
- Requires: Whirlwind Sprint, Glowing Dwarven Sword
- If the target is low and you want to have its soul, just jump to it, do the last two or three strikes. Then sprint back and restore the distance to make use of the range.
The big one, the brute one, there are a lot of words to describe a Dwarven Centurio. This Animunculi can deal the most devastating hits and is a master in damaging groups of enemies with his big hammer. The defence is quite okay.
Left: Dwarven Warhammer
Right: Dwarwen Warhammer
Voice Control: Cyclone
- This quick movement throws everything around him a bit away giving him a little moment to breath.
Ability: Power of Nchuak
- Requires: Quick Reflexes, Power Bash, Deadly Bash, Dwarven Warhammer, Breath of Nchuak
- If an enemy is not impressed by the Centurio and goes for a power attack, he gets in the block stance, so Quick Reflexes activates, deals a power power bash, that has nice damage too, releases the Breath of Nchuak and performs himself a power attack with his hammer. This is how a Centurio strikes back!
This beast can not shoot the big bolts like the original one, but Dwarven bolts still hurt a lot. The staggering effect is applied nearly every single shot, which is nice for kiting. Very good against a low amount of enemies
Left: Enhanced Dwarven Crossbow
Right: Dwarven Bolts
Voice Control: Slow Time
- The machine can work really fast from time to time, sometimes it feels fast, sometimes it feels like everyone else is moving slow.
Ability: Pew, Pew, Pew!
- No special ability is needed here, just never stop shooting and moving back during the reloading process! If a enemy comes close a bash with the crossbow is a good decision to get some space.
These are truly powerful, but the usage is limited by time. The engine starts working like crazy heating the whole suit and even Herma Mora himself gave the goldsmith his secrets to make these stances better. Activation is done by casting Fire Cloak in one of the Evolved Animunculi and after after time is up the Master Technicus has to leave the Dwarven suit because it gets too hot. The Dwarven parts need the rest of the day to cool down. So spare these for the toughest enemies.
Fire, fire and more fire, that is the motto here.
Left: Wall of Flames, Fire Storm
Right: Fire Storm
Voice Control: Fire Breath
- Steam was yesterday, nowadays we breath fire
Ability: Fire Blast
- Requires: Wall of Flames, Fire Storm, Secret of Arcan
- For preparation Wall of Flames are set around the machine. After activating Secret of Arcana several Firestorms will blow up nearly everything without the worry of getting low on fuel. A Fire Breath at the end is also possible. I used this most times in Draugr crypts when the last boss called many lower Draugr.
Combining massive power with heat and fire does not only sound awesome it is indeed incredibly strong. The gameplay does not differ much from the normal Centurio.
Left: Glowing Dwarven Warhammer
Right: Glowing Dwarven Warhammer
Voice Control: Unrelenting Force
- Pressured air released through a nozzle has really devastating results. It is always fun to push enemies more or less far through the air
Ability: Distraction of Nchuak
- Requires: Unrelenting Force, Quick Reflexes, Breath of Nchuak, Sweep, Secret of Power
- Getting overwhelmed? No problemo, this move will ensure the victory. When a foe is preparing a power attack, he activates Quick Reflexes, interrupts the enemy, casts the Breath of Nchuak and performs a sweeping Strike hitting everybody. After this he steps back and unleashes the Unrelenting Force throwing a lot of foes away so he can concentrate after the activation of Secret of Power on the one or two that are still at him.
The normal Dwarven Ballista was strong, but sometimes enemies must be taken down faster. This can be done with the enhanced version. The bolts are heated and explode on impact.
Left: Exploding Fire Dwarven Bolts
Right: Glowing Enhanced Dwarven Crossbow
Voice Control: Marked for Death
- The machine launches a corrosive liquid that melts down enemies' armour. The crossbow alone has a good armour penetration, but now the effective armour of a foe goes slowly down to zero.
Ability: Volley
- Requires: Marked for Death
- After the activation of Marked for Death he focuses on his enemy. Every single shot will hit harder. This is useful against enemies that regenerate a lot of health points.
Usually it is recommend to stay in the basic Dwarven Defender or Sphere if you do not know what expects you, because you have always the Spider Worker as a quick back up which allows welding. The Spider Guardian is a bit the magic counterpart to the Dwarven Sphere and it has also the Spider Worker connected to it. All in all you can say the Dwarven Spider line is a good choice against very heterogeneous groups of enemies like bandits, Draugr or Falmer.
Foes that heavily rely on doing damage, like magicians, archer or dual-wielding melee fighters should be faced with the Defender or the Centurio. These have the required crowd controlling abilities and the toughness to take several blows until the enemy is killed by bashes and strikes. I choose the Defender against very large groups and dragons also, if there is no shelter, otherwise their breathes are deadly.
When just one or two enemies appear, the Dwarven Ballista is the best aminunculi. Staggers and a good damage and nothing will touch you seriously. It also excels in ranged combat against other marksmen and some magicians.
Caution, around level forty Draugr Deathlords will appear and they can disarm. Whenever you are disarmed you cannot pick up your weapon, you have to wait until the fight is over to do so. It takes some time to fit the weapons in the complex weapon order system. This is why there are two enchantments for unarmed combat, it will do low damage but helps you over time until you can switch the Animunculi.
Never sneak, an engine is loud!
Another thing that must be mentioned is crafting. In my opinion it is a good way to collect ingots, Dwemer metal-parts, filled soul gems, gems, Dwarven oil and fire salts during the adventures and storing them at home. With the Lover Stone and Lovers Rest it gives a 30 percent experience bonus, with Ancient knowledge even more for smithing.
When training smithing I crafted mostly Dwarven bows, Dwarven ammunition, Dwarven daggers, steel daggers, steel ammunition and some jewellery. The number of arrows and bolts that get broken or lost is really high.
I enchanted the Dwarven weapons and the jewellery with the most expensive enchantment I had, this allowed me to buy more and more ingots and soul gems.
A little danger exists in crafting. When it is pushed at the wrong time it can destroy a character, if it is pushed to early, you lack the combat skills and get high level enemies. Just level it up from time to time, I had my crafting skills around the level of the one-handed skill. After hitting level forty I trained them more intensively, so they reached the maximum at level forty-six. If you improve your final armour- and weapon-set please do not use alchemy potions. These will make you too strong and the fun is gone, with enchanting it is the same.
After the crafting skills are maximized, I switched to the Attronach Stone.
"I don't know why the Dwemer are gone, but I'm lucky they are. Otherwise we would all be their servants, their technology would have enslaved men and mer..."
This build caps at level sixty. That is a long way to go and in this paragraph I will tell you how to level up more quickly. Generally frequent sleeping helps most here, but every skill and perk has its own influence.
Weapon skills gain experience proportional to their base damage, this means, you do not level faster if you push the damage higher, in this case less is more. It is better to strike more times and split tanking with a follower, I set the first perk, that increases the damage on 2/5 until I reached the last levels. Another positive effect, if you have to do some more hits, the enemy can do more hits too. Heavy Armour and Block profit from this, I never had to power-level these skills.
Looking at the offensive skills I cannot say that, the problem: Four skills. But there is a simple solution, while One-handed and Archery are trained from the very beginning Two-handed and Destruction follow around level fifteen. The last two skills need a little boost, it is nearly impossible to focus on both, so I met a trainer for Two-handed and around skill-level sixty it went on its own. I did not choose Destruction for gameplay reasons, because there are only magic trainers in Skyrim and here it is no magic just the talent in controlling fire. By the way you can train Destruction in the early levels a bit, if you ignite some enemies with a torch, simply bash with it. If you have chosen Imperial you get a good bonus in Restoration, no problems should occur here.
If your warrior skills hit around level ninety, read the Oghma Infinium and choose the Path of Warrior.
Speech will go faster up if you do not have any boni on prices. Simply sell your crafted and found things, buy ingots, soul gems, pelts and jewellery. I never had any money problems with this character. If you are out of a fight feel free to open every lock in dungeons: Doors, chests and boxes are no problem for you, remember, you are a locksmith!
Get the Steadfast Dwarven Sphere
Explore Blackreach
- There is so much to see and to collect, the dragon in the artificial sun is always nice to fight
Getting the shouts
Visit the needed Draugr crypts.
Join the the Companions, you should be strong enough now, get the Fire Breath shout and leave them.
Destroy the Dark Brotherhood, I reverse pickpocket Grelod and put a poison of fury in her inventory, the rest will be done if you lay a Dwarven weapon beneath her helper.
Join the College, you are not a mage and you can only play a bit with fire at the first test outside the College. If you shall do something different, come back later and persuade Faralda. Inside the College it is not the magic you seek for, it is the library and its knowledge, Herma Mora has infected you a bit with his thirst for knowlede. The excess to Labyrinthian.
Join the Imperial Legion, just do the quest around the Jagged Crown. The goldsmith is not a revolutionary.
The main quest: Talk to the Greybeards in your Dwarven Armour, they will not tell your secret, this allows you to perform the shouts. Clear Skies is done that way too.
Finish Lost to the ages
Retrieve the Spellbreaker
This shield weights a lot more than the pelt shield, but he can carry it now, the best thing is the unique ward it creates when blocking, this really increases survivability in fights where you cannot use your Dwarven armour, especially in villages against dragons or when you have to fight in quests with others together, I am looking at you, Harkon.
Defeating the Vampires
Once Serana follows you, you cannot get rid of her. You two made a deal, you will not spread each others secret to the world, she is a vampire and you possess a crazy machine. Finish this questline, vampires are nearly as bad as the civil war for a business with luxury goods. At the siege of Volkihar Castle you cannot use your Dwarven suit, too many visitors. I recommend to have a lot steel bolts and arrows and some explosive bolts too. You will need a lot of healing potions also, because in Harkon's chapel you cannot use the suit either, Auriel's bow is the reason. After this fight you two go separate ways.
This is the last way to perfection or an attempt to restore and develop the old business:
"Actually I don't want to go back to the old business, adventures are so much fun and allow me to stay away from my wife, she can be really annoying, her obsessions with trade and Khajiit for example. I made a lot of money, first we moved to Markath, but Ysolda said, business is bad there. These damn Forsworn, I killed their king when he was going to flee out of the mine and I was investigating in the crimes of the Silverblood family. But my wife didn't stop crying there, so we moved to Solitude, that city is more for her taste. The city is okay, but I hired Sven as an apprentice that will do the smithing business there, so I can travel on my own again. I'm not quite sure, maybe I will be a vendor for locks and jewellery. Apropos locks and keys, the old Nord had interesting mechanism for locking up rooms, their keys are big dragon claws, one day I want have them all, they are something very representative for business partners. For now the last Dwemer artefact a on the top of my list, I have read about it in the library of the Mages' College."
The Master Technicus has a bit more wealthy equipment as he makes more and more money.
Head: Steel Helmet (without horns) or a hat
Neck: Amulet of Zenithar (His god has not left him allthough the influence of Herma Mora grew)
Chest: Fine Clothes (Blue with pelt)
Hands: Nordic Steel Gauntlets
Feet: Steel Cuffed Boots
Shield: Spellbreaker
Weapon:
- Keening (I know, if you are not playing on computer with the unofficial patches this sweet jewel is bugged, but even bugged it is stronger than a steel dagger and it looks better)
- Aetherial Staff (If one Dwarven Sphere is not enough call a second or a spider, or some crap. The crap is also nice if your storage of Dwarven metal ingots gets low)
- Enhanced Steel Crossbow with Steel bolts or Exploding Fire Steel bolts
Retrieve Keening
Trade with Herma Mora
Herma Mora has good offers for you, if he can learn more about the machine you have created, He will allow you to reset the perks of the Enchanting skill-tree so you can put them into One-handed, Two-handed and Archery. He also shows how not to hurt the Dwarven Sphere-follower and gives you a servant at your side so you can carry more with you.
Restore peace
Dragons and civil war are bad for business, so finish these questlines.
If you are still not level sixty, explore Draugr crypts collecting the dragon claws or lift bandit's and forsworn's encampments, these are troublemaker too. I just missed a level.
Last battles
Miraak is big threat on Solstheim, where the trade just stopped because of Draugr, Thalmor and so on. Clear it up, there is good business to make once the money flows when the mine open. The fight with Miraak is really challenging if you go alone.
Fighting Karstaag, this old frost-giant king, creates a lot of fun, because he is so challenging.
That is it, the Master Technicus, thank you for reading. If there is still something not clear about the Animunculi-concept feel free to ask and I try my best to help you.
I'd like to thank the hosts of this website for keeping this site clean and alive, some builds here put me back behind my computer and made me play Skyrim for many hours again.
Credits to the images I used:
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