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Character Build: The Goldpact Knight

Tags: #Character Build Warrior  #Character Build No Crafting  #Rank:Mythic  #Karver Builds  #Character Dual-Wield  #Race Imperial  #The Goldpact Knight 
  • September 16, 2016

    There is always something you´ve never tried in Skyrim, and this time I wanted to try as many restrictions on my character as possible. No crafting, no magic, no shouts, and no major questlines creates really interesting gameplay. It is almost like playing an ordinary guy in a more peaceful Skyrim before the dragons and Civil War tear it apart.

    “The Goldpact Order - if it can even be called an order - was founded in Cyrodiil by men and women who found the Fighters’ Guild incompetent and corrupt. Other than that, there is very little known about these “knights”. One could mistake them for simple mercenaries, yet once they accept a contract - A “Goldpact”, as they call it - they will do anything - fight, bleed or die - to fulfill it. They are the professionals of professionals. And how do you recognize them? They carry two swords, one of them silver.”

    - Viarmo, Headmaster of Bards College -

     

    Race: Imperial

    Stone: Steed (extra carry weight is great and weightless armor doesn´t slow you down while moving + reduces the noise you make while sneaking)

    Stats: 0/1/1 until you have 200 stamina then go full Health.

    Major Skills: Heavy Armor, One-Handed, Archery

    Minor Skills: Block, Speech, Sneak

     

    As I said at the beginning, I wanted to create a character in a more “peaceful” Skyrim where there are no Dragons, nor Civil War; a character who is, more or less, a normal guy. No fancy wizard, no hero or villain, just someone who is trying to earn his daily bread.

    I wanted to play someone who doesn´t like to get involved in politics or any other bullshit like glory. Just a hired muscle, yet with a brain. Someone who doesn´t necessarily want to get killed. Who doesn´t necessarily kill.

    Skyrim actually gives you a plenty of stuff to do besides major questlines: hunting down bandits for the Jarl, Giants, necromancer lairs, clearing some cave near Solitude because of scary lights, gathering ingredients for alchemists, or just taking on jobs as a bodyguard for people who are willing to pay.

     

    “Goldpact what? They have nothing in common with knights. Simple mercenaries, brutish sellswords. They look more like marauders with their gathered armor, like bandits. But if you tempt them with gold before their eyes, they´ll get the job done. And they´ll get it done well.”

    - Calcelmo, Scholar of Markarth -

     

     

    One-Handed

    Some of the finest swordsmen in the Skyrim, Goldpact Knights are proficient with any one-handed weapon - though they excel at swords. They are seasoned duelists, fast and strong with one weapon, but most of them are ambidextrous, using a sword and dagger, or using both their swords with ferocious precision.

    Perks in One-Handed are quite versatile as you can see. I wanted to be able to use any weapon, single or dual-wield, so choosing to use maces, axes or swords is actually the player's preference. I consider the swords to be the best choice though, because they let you attack fast and block quickly. Switching between three melee styles in combat gives this character a lot of versatility - Single sword, sword and dagger, and a sword with a silver sword are the Knight´s favourite styles.

    Heavy Armor

    Their armor is their bed, their blanket and their home. They know how to wear it without losing their mobility, often surprising their enemies with speed and agility, yet being able to stand their ground and return as many blows as they take.

    Heavy Armor is completely maxed out, with every perk serving its purpose - except for Matching Set, because this character doesn´t use matching armor very often. Once you reach Conditioning, you can swap the Steed Stone for the Lord or Lady.

    Archery

    PGoldpact Knights surely can´t be counted as the best marksmen, but they still know how to use these weapons. Either for hunting game in the woods or forcing their enemies to take cover, the bow and crossbow can be deadly in their hands, just as in anyone else´s hands.

    I decided to use only the left side of the tree, because I wanted to avoid using ranged weapons in melee combat. Archery serves the Goldpact Knight as a tool to weaken his enemies until they get close to his sword. Power Shot helps with that a lot, especially when you have crossbow.

    Block

    Proficient duelists know how to use their weapon to parry strikes and Goldpact Knights count among the best duelists. They never use their shield, only their weapon, bashing their opponents with hilts, blocking their attacks or simple using their reflexes to move out of the harms way.

    Going for shield is probably easiest choice, yet I wanted to play more a duelist type character. Quick Reflexes and maxed out Shield Wall is actually more than you need. Blocking at the last moment or just avoiding damage makes you a very deadly oppononent for any bandit you encounter.

    Speech

    Quick with sword, but also quick with their tongues, Goldpact Knights know how to haggle for the best price for their services or wares they want to buy.

    This character uses bought potions and poisons a lot, so Speech is a great way to lower prices. Until you get Merchant perk, Khajiit caravans are the best way to buy potions and poisons, because you can then get your money back by selling them weapons and other expensive stuff.

    Sneak

    It is strange to see a man clad in steel armor yet not hear him. These Knights know how to move silently, either in wilds or forgotten ruins. They are no fools--they are always cautious and mindful of their surroundings. If they have a chance, they will use the moment of surprise for their advantage.

    As you can see, I took only one perk in Sneak, which is strange considering I sneaked a lot. But that one perk is actually all I needed. Steed Stone has the awesome ability which makes your armor weightless. So for the purpose of sneaking, it´s like if you were naked. It gave me the option to slow down, assess the situation and maybe land a Sneak Attack with either bow or swords.

     

    “Despite being called Knights, they aren´t very knightly. They are drinking, whoring, and gambling as any other mercenery, and it seems they aren´t even religious. One would think that this order would be somehow devouted to Zenithar or maybe Stendarr, but they aren´t. Their only god is the gold.”

           - Adonato Leotelli, Imperial writer -

    There is actually only one item that Goldpact Knight keeps on him all the times; that is the Silver Sword, which he uses only in his left hand combined with other weapons, and only in situations when the sword is needed--fighting the Undead.

    As for the other equipment… well, I have to say that I miss that equipment progression when you played the game for the first time, where you were always looking for superior weapons and armor. Something that forces you to loot treasures with hopes of finding equipment better than yours. Everyone use one set of armor and favourite weapons these days, enchanted, smithed or whatever. But the Goldpact Knight uses anything that is better than his current armor or weapon. He´s just a simple man, so he needs some edge over his opponents.

    When I was using enchanted weapons, I roleplayed that everytime the charges depleted, the weapon was broken, so I had to find a replacement for it. As for the enchantments you would probably need Elemental damage or Damage/Absorb Magicka - maybe even Absorb Stamina - on your main weapon.

    The most useful enchantment for your dagger is probably Absorb Health, but having a second dagger with Damage Magicka against mages is advised.

    As for the Armor, everything with Fortify One-Handed, Block, Stamina and Health will work very well for you. Using any armor better than your current creates some interesting looks, mostly making you look like a marauder or bandit chief. But Goldpact Knights are, above all, practical--they don´t care if they look impressive or intimidating.

     

    While the Goldpact Knights aren´t skilled in the use of alchemical formulas, they often gather supplies for various alchemists, getting potions and poisons in return. Honor is worth nothing if you´re dead, and the Goldpact demands you to live. And because Knights are only men, they need an advantage over their enemies, and situational help in form of powerful potions and poisons get them out of a lost fight alive, many times turning the tides.

    Best way to obtain them is of course to buy them from Alchemists. But until you get Merchant perk, you can´t get your money back by selling them expensive ring and enchanted weapons. Until then, Khajiit caravans are the best ones to trade with. They have pretty good supply of elixirs and they´ll buy pretty much everything.

    I would advise to use a Dawnstar Chest Glitch (or any other Chest Glitch) to get lot of stuff for free. Everytime there is a Khajiit caravan in town, go to the entrance of Iron-Breaker Mine and to the left will be a tree and rock under it. Right on it´s edge is the invisible chest with all wares the Khajiit have in stock. All for free!

    Poisons like Damage Health and Magicka are very useful, but so is Paralyze in case you encounter a tough enemy or too many enemies.

    Another very useful poison is Weakness to Magic and Elemental damage. You will be using any enchanted weapon and increasing it´s potency by poisoning your enemies increases your chance to survive by killing them quickly.

    As for potions, Restore Health and Regenerate Health are priceless--your only way to heal yourself. But don´t forget Fortify One-Handed to increase your damage, or in case you encounter mages, Resist Magic combined with Resist Elemental Magic can save your life.

     

    “I once saw a man who claimed he was a Goldpact Knight fight two bandits. He exchanged few blows with them, cut one on his arm and slashed the other one on his leg. And they just fell on the ground, paralyzed! Knight using poisons? Not very honorable.”

                             - Talsgar the Wanderer -

     

    While the Goldpact Knight is more or less pure warrior, he has few tricks up his sleeve. Just remember to prepare yourself when looking for a fight. Different enemies requires different tactics and approaches, and the Knight uses four styles which he can fluently switch between.

     

    Duelist - Single Sword

    The main form of the Goldpact Knight which focuses on the use of one weapon. Combining it with Quick Reflexes creates a versatile style that can save your life in many difficult situations. While your heavy armor can reduce the incoming damage, block will reduce it more and dodge will let you to completely avoid that. If you´re fighting multiple enemies, Quick Reflexes perk is priceless, because it let´s you avoid enemies´ attacks quite easily. Very useful against two-handers and wild animals like bears and sabercats, whose power attacks are very deadly. This style is more about throwing your opponents off balance. Blocking their attacks, then landing a few fast hits, only to back down to wait for another opportunity again. Bash can be very useful for throwing them off balance too.

    Ambidextrous - Sword and Dagger

    Dagger is a weapon that can be easily sheated and drawn out even in the toughest situations. Best used against one-handers, either with shield or without one, but mostly used to overwhelm a single enemy before more enemies arrive or to finish off the last man standing. If the Goldpact Knight needs to overwhelm his opponents with lighting fast attacks, he would switch to this form. Also this is the prefered style against spellcasters. Because the Knight isn´t specialized against them, be sure to prepare your weapons to fight mages. Using a dagger with both Damage Magicka enchantment and poison, combined with sword with Magicka Poison on it, will reduce a mage almost harmless. The trick is to get close as fast as possible while avoiding their spells. Just have a Paralyze poison ready to use if there are more of those bloody spellcasters.

    Undead Slayer - Sword and Silver Sword

    Because undead are usually slow and immune to poisons, you need to take them down as fast as possible. Try to avoid the swings of two-handers and take out spellcasters out of fight quickly as possible.As for vampires, you should fight them similary as spellcasters, with the advantage of your attacks having +20 damage against them thanks to Silver Sword. Don´t let them hit you with their Frost Spells. One hit and you´re basically unable to get near them. Just in case use Resist Magic and Frost potions.

    Marksman - Bow/Crossbow

    Thanks to the Steed Stone, you´ll be able to sneak on enemy without big trouble. This works mostly as opener, where your goal is to reduce your enemies´ numbers or efficiency, especially if there are mages involved. Paralyzing mages with ranged weapons before closing in is one of the best approaches to take them down, but if you want to save your Paralyze poisons, Damage Magicka poisons can work too. Archers can also be dealt with from afar. Find cover and slowly take them down with arrows dipped in Damage Health poisons to increase your damage output.

    Negotiator - Voice of the Emperor

    Voice of the Emperor can be a really powerful ability. It gives you the option to retreat from a fight if you get in serious trouble. But more importantly it allows you to challenge an opponent to fight one on one. Walk into a room, use this ability and everyone will ignore you. During this time you can attack a single enemy like if challenging him to duel. Great way to complete Bounty quests.

     

    “There is something strange about these Goldpact Knights. They are different from common merceneries. Yes, all what they care about are gold coins, but there´s more to that. It´s almost like gold was some kind of god to them, and the contract a prayer. If they accept a contract...they will never break it.”

                   - Lisette, Bard -

    The gods are cruel and give people nothing. That´s why there is the Goldpact. People who can´t get things done will pay for them, and the Knights are the ones who will get things done. And in exchange, they want gold as their reward--because the gods give people nothing.

    The Goldpact itself isn´t some complicated belief or faith. It is just simple creed for people who can´t find any comfort in the cold faces of the gods. These people turn to wordly needs, and it is said that “Gold moves the world”. So why not make “a reward” your god? You will be rewarded for your deeds and that´s more than some distant god can offer.

    There are only few rules to follow:

    Never forfeit a contract.

    Never refuse a contract if there is even small reward.

    Never accept a contract to murder someone in cold blood.

    Stay away from gods and Daedra.

    Quite simple rules, right? Yet, Goldpact Knights are individuals. No one is the same, so the interpretations of these rules can be different. You can be a simple mercenery who won´t move his finger until he sees gold. Or you can be someone who tries to help people as much as possible. Or you can be someone who finds himself in trouble all the time. It is all up to you.

     

    “We have encountered these Knights a few times, mostly dealing with vampires or undead. While they are not devout to any god, or capable as our Vigilants, they are capable enough to deal with these threats. But for some reason they stay away from anything related to Daedra. And the Vigil is thankful. They will live longer and at least they´re not meddling with things the Vigil was created to deal with.”

     - Carcette, Keeper of the Vigil -



    There are a few common jobs Goldpact Knight can take in skyrim:

    Bounty Hunter - Getting paid for clearing bandit camps and hideouts won´t get you much gold, but it´s work the Goldpact Knights consider “a regular job”

    Artifact Scavenger - It is known that Calcelmo is fascinated by anything related to Dwemer, so exploring those ruins for interesting pieces that can be sold to Calcelmo should be profitable.

    Bodyguard - The roads of Skyrim are not safe as they seem, and you might encounter different people on those roads. Escorting them to their destination will earn you few septims.

    (In reality, you won´t receive a single coin, but I found it entertaining to accompanny characters like Talsgar the Wanderer on their journey)

    Brawler - There are people who are willing to bet their gold for a chance to test you in a fight. Easily earned money.

    Recruiter - There are people in Skyrim who might become followers of the Goldpact. Help them with their problems and after that, they might be willing to travel with you.

    This one is actually quite fun. There are lot of characters like Sven who will become available as follower after you complete his quests. Most of them are not warriors or good at fighting, but taking them along on one of your “contracts” adds an interesting challenge, because you have to keep them alive. Plus it let´s you try different followers.

    Vampire Slayer - While I said “no major questlines” I did a few Dawnguard quests but didn´t complete the whole questline. Isran only hired this Knight to help him prepare the Dawnguard to fight vampires. Do that questline only up to the point where you bring Sorine and Gunmar to the fort and stop there. Do only the radiant quests from now on. You will get access to Crossbows and maybe Rune Axe to replace a Silver Sword.

     

    Closing Notes

    I would like to thank Golden Fool for the awesome Perk Spread.

    And of course I have to thank Kael for his support and both Kael and ShinJin for their grammar corrections, and making this readable.

    Don´t forget to check the Faction Profile: The Goldpact Order.



     

  • Member
    May 9, 2017

    This is great, going out and adventuring making your own stories is where it's at.

  • Member
    November 18, 2017

    Hey, what happened to the goldpact order faction profile?

  • Member
    November 24, 2017

    Also, side note, if you want the armor set featured in the images, you can download it here https://www.patreon.com/posts/14979163