"Aah, you were at my side, all along.
My true mentor...
My guiding moonlight..."
Warning: This build contains some disturbing images. I'm not responsible should you have nightmares about a game that's about... well nightmares.
The Accursed Blade pays homage to one of Bloodborne's bosses, Ludwig the Accursed and his weapons, the Holy Moonlight Sword and Ludwig's Holy Blade. The build is a Barbarian-type class that uses one-handed and two-handed weapons along with mage armor.
Each Nine Divines had a group of knights that would serve them such as the Knights of the Circle who serve Arkay, the Knights of Iron who serve Zenithar and the Knights Mentor who serve Julianos to name a few.
They were devout followers, purging Tamriel of Daedra and undead. But they had one weakness, they were uncoordinated, often only following the ways of one Divine instead of all Nine.
Inspired by the Knights of the Nine, a group of priests formed the Church of the Nine, a religious military organization that follows the way of all Nine Divines. Their soldiers were called Church Hunters.
Unlike knights, Church Hunters wore clothes to stay agile and rely on mage armor spells for protection. They wield standard longswords to enormous greatswords to slay the daedra and undead.
One of the first Church Hunters was Ludgar, the Holy Blade.
Race: Male Nord
Stats: 1/2/2 Since our character will be only using mage armor spells, we'll be focusing more on Health and Stamina, particularly Health due to our zero armor rating
Stone: Lord or Lady Depending on your playstyle, the Lord stone could give you some extra protection while the Lady stone could give you a boost in regeneration early on.
Major Skills: Two-Handed, Alteration and Block
Minor Skills: One-Handed and Smithing
Shouts: Elemental Fury and Aura Whisper
Spells: Oakflesh, Stoneflesh, Ironflesh and Ebonyflesh.
Two-Handed
Greatswords are used against multiple enemies. We'll be focusing on "Power Attack" perks, primarily "Sweep", to maximize our damage output. The greatswords we'll be using are the Dwarven Greatsword and the Bloodskal Blade which represents Ludwig's Holy Blade and the Holy Moonlight Sword respectively.
One-Handed
In Bloodborne, a trick weapon is a weapon that has two forms. To replicate that idea, we'll be using swords as the secondary forms for our greatswords. They're useful against single targets as they strike fast and swift. Swords we'll be using are the Dwarven sword and Gauldur Blackblade.
Alteration
Alteration has one of the best defensive perks in vanilla Skyrim. Besides the "Alteration perks", "Dual-casting", "Mage Armor" and "Stability" that boosts our mage armor spells, we'll also be using "Magic Resistance" for extra magical protection in conjunction with using the Lord Stone.
Block
Nearly every melee build must have Block in its skill slot. (Sadly.) This is because of the (Overpowered) "Quick Reflexes" which will save your life during power attacks. If you think you don't need Block, then you can just ignore this skill.
Smithing
Without Block and Smithing, this build would've just have three skills involved. But I decided to include Smithing to upgrade the dwarven weapons and Bloodskal Blade.
Gameplay will revolve around two phases, the Holy Blade and the Accursed. The two phases will symbolise Ludgar's downfall from Church Hunter to the beast he has sworn to kill. Each phase will use different sets of weapons and armor/attire but still maintain the same skills and gameplay.
The Accursed Blade is a build that focuses on fast-pace combat much like Bloodborne. Due to my frame rates, I wasn't able to fully enjoy this build but most of the times, I enjoyed playing it.
We will be using no armor. That's right, not even a single piece (although you can equip light armor gauntlets and boots in the early stages if you're having difficulty clearing dungeons). Instead, we'll be using mage armor spells to keep us protected.
Keeping in line with Bloodborne, we'll be using greatswords and swords as a trick weapon (basically a 2-in-1 weapon). Greatswords are useful against multiple enemies and in crowded rooms but they're slow. To negate this flaw, swords are used due to their fast attack speed.
We will also include a crossbow which is mainly used to stagger opponents (50% of the times....).
The Bloodskal Blade serves as a powerful mid-end game weapon. Mimicking the arcane qualities of the Holy Moonlight Sword from Bloodborne, the Bloodskal Blade can unleash a red beam at the enemy when power attacking. This can be very useful when enemies are backing up or you need to soften up a group.
As for mage armor spells. Use them before entering a dungeon. Start with Oakflesh then work your way up if the enemies get stronger. At later levels, mage armor spells will provide max armor rating if you invest in the perks listed above. In addition, this build will also include the Flesh Beast exploit by Noodles.
For those who are unfamiliar with Noodles Flesh Beast exploit, click on the link above for a more specific description. I'll just cover up a few explanations.
Requirements:
- Ebonyflesh
- Alteration Dual-Casting, Stability, Mage Armor 3/3
- Fortify Alteration potions (50%+)
- Shalidor's Insights: Alteration scrolls (Optional)
- Beast Form
The Flesh Beast exploit is used in the Accursed phase where our build now has the werewolf form.
By default, our werewolf form has 400 Armor rating (AR). But if we dual-cast Ebonyflesh, it will increase to 500 AR for 120 seconds. Now try tripling the AR of Ebonyflesh with Mage Armor 3/3 and we have a whopping 700 AR for our werewolf.
The only problem is the duration. But that can be solved with Fortify Alteration potions along with the "Stability" perk. Shalidor's Insights: Alteration scrolls can be a useful replacement if you don't want to invest in Alchemy at mid-game.
Here's an example of how long can a "Beastflesh" can last:
The base duration of a flesh spell is 60 seconds. Perking Stability will result in that duration becoming: 60 + 60*50% = 90 seconds. Drinking a +60% Fortify Alteration will further increase the duration to: 90 + 90*60% = 144 seconds. And finally perking Alteration Dual Casting will more than double the duration, everything resulting in a flesh spell holding on for more than 5 minutes, approximately 318 seconds.
Overview
The Holy Blade phase focuses on using greatswords, swords and mage armor. Start off with Iron/Steel greatswords and swords until you get the Dwarven weapons.
Mage robes are available the moment you enter Helgen Keep but should you manage to find any fortify Alteration potions, keep it.
Standard mage armor spells you should use is Oakflesh or Stoneflesh, preferably dual-casted.
Best combat strategy is singling out the strongest from the weakest. Use the crossbow to soften them up.
For your skill tree, focus a bit on Two-Handed, One-Handed and Alteration. Get "Quick Reflexes" on Block the moment you unlock it to make your battles easier.
Recommended level: 1 - 20+
---------
Having survived a dragon attack and retrieving his equipment, Ludgar is now ready to face the beasts of Skyrim. Soon, he was able to create a weapon that can transform between a greatsword and a longsword during combat, further improving his combat abilities.
After a while, Ludgar was contacted by the Dawnguard who require his assistance to help them in their vampire crusade. And so he did. In return, he asked that a few members of the Dawnguard would join him as Church Hunters.
But during his quest of annihilating the vampire disease, Ludgar found something that no man or mer has ever endured, fear.
When the fear was too much for him to bear, dancing light sprites appeared in his dream and offered him guidance, showing him the location of a powerful sword made from the moons themselves, buried somewhere north-east of Skyrim.
Main Questline:
Ludgar is a Church Hunter and dragons are a rare beast in his list, especially Alduin.
Grants us the ability to shout and absorb dragon souls to unlock all three Word of Powers for our Elemental Fury and Aura Whisper.
Dawnguard Questline:
Siding with the Dawnguard allows us to gain access to the Crossbow and its variants.
The Lost Expedition and Unfathomable Depths:
Dwemer ruins hold many secrets and dangers. A group of scholars and adventurers both met a terrible end in Nchuand-Zel and Avanchnzel, but their deaths may lead others to lost knowledge held by the Dwemer.
Grants us the use of the Dwarven sword, greatsword and the "Ancient Knowledge" ability.
Laid to Rest:
A investigation on a burned down house in Morthal turns into a vampire hunt as Ludgar uncovers an insidious plot.
Grants us an assortment of boots from Movarth's Lair for... um.. aesthetic purposes?
Misc Quests:
Skyrim is ripe with Daedra and undead. Hunt down every last one of them in the name of the Nine.
Overview
It's now time for the Holy to be Cursed. Gameplay will be the same except for the addition of Beast Form and the Flesh Beast exploit.
Start off with heading to Solsteim (after killing and looting the cultists) and retrieving the Bloodskal Blade. Prepare some resist shock potions for the Zahkriisos boss battle.
With the Bloodskal Blade, every melee combat will be easier. The only problem is just having enough stamina to fire all those Bloodskal beams. "Secret of Strength" can solve that problem. For 30 seconds, you can rain down beams after beams at your enemies. For added visuals, try firing the beams while in Slow Time.
The combination of Beast Form and Flesh Beast can turn your weak werewolf during the end-game session into a very protected and dangerous one. To make full use of the Beast Form, I recommend unlocking all the werewolf perks, the ring of Hircine and the werewolf rings from Dragonborn.
Recommended level: 20+
---------
The Accursed Blade begins his descent to beasthood after recovering the Bloodskal Blade. He has been tainted by the blood of the Beast after years of fighting. Everyday is a struggle to resist the beast within him, saving what's left of his sanity.
With the help of a ring, he manages to calm the beast inside, but it wasn't enough to hold it back for ever.
When rumors spread of a collection of Black Books that hold lost and forbidden knowledge, hidden across the island of Soltheim. Ludgar makes a dangerous voyage to Solsteim, hoping that one of the books holds the cure,
Unbeknownst to him, his fate has already been sealed...
*The Arch-Mage's Boots, or Boots as it's named in the game, is pre-enchanted with Resist 40% Shock. It's found in the Arch-Mage's Quarters near the bed.
The Final Descent:
The light sprites in his dreams have led Ludgar to a powerful weapon that echoes the cries of blood. Does this mark his rise... or his downfall?
Grants us the Bloodskal Blade and the Black Book: The Winds of Change.
The Companions Questline:
These sellswords are honorable, they would make worthy Church Hunters if they were shown the way. But the Beast is starting to emerge, clawing its way out...
Grants us the Beast Form.
Forbidden Legends:
Old tales tell of an Arch-Mage who had a powerful amulet. What happened to him was unknown but a Nordic ruin near Solitude may provide the answer.
Grants us the Gauldur Blackblade and Gauldur Amulet.
I'll Met By Moonlight:
The Beast is relentless for his release. Knowing it would soon overcome him, Ludgar tracks down the ring of Hircine to a quiet town called Falkreath. But can the Huntsman be trusted?
That concludes the Accursed Blade and my entry for the CB Artifacts Event. I would like to thank those who gave their advice and opinion of this build. And sorry if you got spooked by the werewolf pic (unless you saw it coming).
Thanks to FromSoftware for creating another great (frustrating) game and for creating Ludwig, the Holy Blade.
"Aah, you were at my side, all along.
My true mentor...
My guiding moonlight..."
Warning: This build contains some disturbing images. I'm not responsible should you have nightmares about a game that's about... well nightmares.
The Accursed Blade pays homage to one of Bloodborne's bosses, Ludwig the Accursed and his weapons, the Holy Moonlight Sword and Ludwig's Holy Blade. The build is a Barbarian-type class that uses one-handed and two-handed weapons along with mage armor.
Each Nine Divines had a group of knights that would serve them such as the Knights of the Circle who serve Arkay, the Knights of Iron who serve Zenithar and the Knights Mentor who serve Julianos to name a few.
They were devout followers, purging Tamriel of Daedra and undead. But they had one weakness, they were uncoordinated, often only following the ways of one Divine instead of all Nine.
Inspired by the Knights of the Nine, a group of priests formed the Church of the Nine, a religious military organization that follows the way of all Nine Divines. Their soldiers were called Church Hunters.
Unlike knights, Church Hunters wore clothes to stay agile and rely on mage armor spells for protection. They wield standard longswords to enormous greatswords to slay the daedra and undead.
One of the first Church Hunters was Ludgar, the Holy Blade.
Race: Male Nord
Stats: 1/2/2 Since our character will be only using mage armor spells, we'll be focusing more on Health and Stamina, particularly Health due to our zero armor rating
Stone: Lord or Lady Depending on your playstyle, the Lord stone could give you some extra protection while the Lady stone could give you a boost in regeneration early on.
Major Skills: Two-Handed, Alteration and Block
Minor Skills: One-Handed and Smithing
Shouts: Elemental Fury and Aura Whisper
Spells: Oakflesh, Stoneflesh, Ironflesh and Ebonyflesh.
Two-Handed
Greatswords are used against multiple enemies. We'll be focusing on "Power Attack" perks, primarily "Sweep", to maximize our damage output. The greatswords we'll be using are the Dwarven Greatsword and the Bloodskal Blade which represents Ludwig's Holy Blade and the Holy Moonlight Sword respectively.
One-Handed
In Bloodborne, a trick weapon is a weapon that has two forms. To replicate that idea, we'll be using swords as the secondary forms for our greatswords. They're useful against single targets as they strike fast and swift. Swords we'll be using are the Dwarven sword and Gauldur Blackblade.
Alteration
Alteration has one of the best defensive perks in vanilla Skyrim. Besides the "Alteration perks", "Dual-casting", "Mage Armor" and "Stability" that boosts our mage armor spells, we'll also be using "Magic Resistance" for extra magical protection in conjunction with using the Lord Stone.
Block
Nearly every melee build must have Block in its skill slot. (Sadly.) This is because of the (Overpowered) "Quick Reflexes" which will save your life during power attacks. If you think you don't need Block, then you can just ignore this skill.
Smithing
Without Block and Smithing, this build would've just have three skills involved. But I decided to include Smithing to upgrade the dwarven weapons and Bloodskal Blade.
Gameplay will revolve around two phases, the Holy Blade and the Accursed. The two phases will symbolise Ludgar's downfall from Church Hunter to the beast he has sworn to kill. Each phase will use different sets of weapons and armor/attire but still maintain the same skills and gameplay.
The Accursed Blade is a build that focuses on fast-pace combat much like Bloodborne. Due to my frame rates, I wasn't able to fully enjoy this build but most of the times, I enjoyed playing it.
We will be using no armor. That's right, not even a single piece (although you can equip light armor gauntlets and boots in the early stages if you're having difficulty clearing dungeons). Instead, we'll be using mage armor spells to keep us protected.
Keeping in line with Bloodborne, we'll be using greatswords and swords as a trick weapon (basically a 2-in-1 weapon). Greatswords are useful against multiple enemies and in crowded rooms but they're slow. To negate this flaw, swords are used due to their fast attack speed.
We will also include a crossbow which is mainly used to stagger opponents (50% of the times....).
The Bloodskal Blade serves as a powerful mid-end game weapon. Mimicking the arcane qualities of the Holy Moonlight Sword from Bloodborne, the Bloodskal Blade can unleash a red beam at the enemy when power attacking. This can be very useful when enemies are backing up or you need to soften up a group.
As for mage armor spells. Use them before entering a dungeon. Start with Oakflesh then work your way up if the enemies get stronger. At later levels, mage armor spells will provide max armor rating if you invest in the perks listed above. In addition, this build will also include the Flesh Beast exploit by Noodles.
For those who are unfamiliar with Noodles Flesh Beast exploit, click on the link above for a more specific description. I'll just cover up a few explanations.
Requirements:
- Ebonyflesh
- Alteration Dual-Casting, Stability, Mage Armor 3/3
- Fortify Alteration potions (50%+)
- Shalidor's Insights: Alteration scrolls (Optional)
- Beast Form
The Flesh Beast exploit is used in the Accursed phase where our build now has the werewolf form.
By default, our werewolf form has 400 Armor rating (AR). But if we dual-cast Ebonyflesh, it will increase to 500 AR for 120 seconds. Now try tripling the AR of Ebonyflesh with Mage Armor 3/3 and we have a whopping 700 AR for our werewolf.
The only problem is the duration. But that can be solved with Fortify Alteration potions along with the "Stability" perk. Shalidor's Insights: Alteration scrolls can be a useful replacement if you don't want to invest in Alchemy at mid-game.
Here's an example of how long can a "Beastflesh" can last:
The base duration of a flesh spell is 60 seconds. Perking Stability will result in that duration becoming: 60 + 60*50% = 90 seconds. Drinking a +60% Fortify Alteration will further increase the duration to: 90 + 90*60% = 144 seconds. And finally perking Alteration Dual Casting will more than double the duration, everything resulting in a flesh spell holding on for more than 5 minutes, approximately 318 seconds.
Overview
The Holy Blade phase focuses on using greatswords, swords and mage armor. Start off with Iron/Steel greatswords and swords until you get the Dwarven weapons.
Mage robes are available the moment you enter Helgen Keep but should you manage to find any fortify Alteration potions, keep it.
Standard mage armor spells you should use is Oakflesh or Stoneflesh, preferably dual-casted.
Best combat strategy is singling out the strongest from the weakest. Use the crossbow to soften them up.
For your skill tree, focus a bit on Two-Handed, One-Handed and Alteration. Get "Quick Reflexes" on Block the moment you unlock it to make your battles easier.
Recommended level: 1 - 20+
---------
Having survived a dragon attack and retrieving his equipment, Ludgar is now ready to face the beasts of Skyrim. Soon, he was able to create a weapon that can transform between a greatsword and a longsword during combat, further improving his combat abilities.
After a while, Ludgar was contacted by the Dawnguard who require his assistance to help them in their vampire crusade. And so he did. In return, he asked that a few members of the Dawnguard would join him as Church Hunters.
But during his quest of annihilating the vampire disease, Ludgar found something that no man or mer has ever endured, fear.
When the fear was too much for him to bear, dancing light sprites appeared in his dream and offered him guidance, showing him the location of a powerful sword made from the moons themselves, buried somewhere north-east of Skyrim.
Main Questline:
Ludgar is a Church Hunter and dragons are a rare beast in his list, especially Alduin.
Grants us the ability to shout and absorb dragon souls to unlock all three Word of Powers for our Elemental Fury and Aura Whisper.
Dawnguard Questline:
Siding with the Dawnguard allows us to gain access to the Crossbow and its variants.
The Lost Expedition and Unfathomable Depths:
Dwemer ruins hold many secrets and dangers. A group of scholars and adventurers both met a terrible end in Nchuand-Zel and Avanchnzel, but their deaths may lead others to lost knowledge held by the Dwemer.
Grants us the use of the Dwarven sword, greatsword and the "Ancient Knowledge" ability.
Laid to Rest:
A investigation on a burned down house in Morthal turns into a vampire hunt as Ludgar uncovers an insidious plot.
Grants us an assortment of boots from Movarth's Lair for... um.. aesthetic purposes?
Misc Quests:
Skyrim is ripe with Daedra and undead. Hunt down every last one of them in the name of the Nine.
Overview
It's now time for the Holy to be Cursed. Gameplay will be the same except for the addition of Beast Form and the Flesh Beast exploit.
Start off with heading to Solsteim (after killing and looting the cultists) and retrieving the Bloodskal Blade. Prepare some resist shock potions for the Zahkriisos boss battle.
With the Bloodskal Blade, every melee combat will be easier. The only problem is just having enough stamina to fire all those Bloodskal beams. "Secret of Strength" can solve that problem. For 30 seconds, you can rain down beams after beams at your enemies. For added visuals, try firing the beams while in Slow Time.
The combination of Beast Form and Flesh Beast can turn your weak werewolf during the end-game session into a very protected and dangerous one. To make full use of the Beast Form, I recommend unlocking all the werewolf perks, the ring of Hircine and the werewolf rings from Dragonborn.
Recommended level: 20+
---------
The Accursed Blade begins his descent to beasthood after recovering the Bloodskal Blade. He has been tainted by the blood of the Beast after years of fighting. Everyday is a struggle to resist the beast within him, saving what's left of his sanity.
With the help of a ring, he manages to calm the beast inside, but it wasn't enough to hold it back for ever.
When rumors spread of a collection of Black Books that hold lost and forbidden knowledge, hidden across the island of Soltheim. Ludgar makes a dangerous voyage to Solsteim, hoping that one of the books holds the cure,
Unbeknownst to him, his fate has already been sealed...
*The Arch-Mage's Boots, or Boots as it's named in the game, is pre-enchanted with Resist 40% Shock. It's found in the Arch-Mage's Quarters near the bed.
The Final Descent:
The light sprites in his dreams have led Ludgar to a powerful weapon that echoes the cries of blood. Does this mark his rise... or his downfall?
Grants us the Bloodskal Blade and the Black Book: The Winds of Change.
The Companions Questline:
These sellswords are honorable, they would make worthy Church Hunters if they were shown the way. But the Beast is starting to emerge, clawing its way out...
Grants us the Beast Form.
Forbidden Legends:
Old tales tell of an Arch-Mage who had a powerful amulet. What happened to him was unknown but a Nordic ruin near Solitude may provide the answer.
Grants us the Gauldur Blackblade and Gauldur Amulet.
I'll Met By Moonlight:
The Beast is relentless for his release. Knowing it would soon overcome him, Ludgar tracks down the ring of Hircine to a quiet town called Falkreath. But can the Huntsman be trusted?
That concludes the Accursed Blade and my entry for the CB Artifacts Event. I would like to thank those who gave their advice and opinion of this build. And sorry if you got spooked by the werewolf pic (unless you saw it coming).
Thanks to FromSoftware for creating another great (frustrating) game and for creating Ludwig, the Holy Blade.
