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Character Build: The Chevalier

Tags: #Character Build: Knight  #Character build: Supporter  #Character Build: Juggernaut  #Race: Imperial  #SE Rank: Adept 
  • Member
    September 28, 2016

    I have tried many times before to make a build on here yet all have failed. And with the Special Edition out soon now I thought it time to try again. After having been inspired by Ponty's Commander and Horseman builds, I set out to combine the two builds into one with a different playstyle than one might expect. 

    The Chevalier

    The Chevalier is a powerful warrior whose very presence on the battlefield rallies his allies. He specializes in sword and shield combat and can take down any foe with ease. While a juggernaut unmounted, on horseback the Chevalier utilizes hit and run tactics to run any foe through. And by way of rallying his allies, his enemies are sure to be defeated. 

    Race: Imperial. Imperials get boosts to many of the skills this build uses and fits with the theme.

    Attributes: 1 Health : 1 Stamina. This specific allocation gives the Chevalier a large amount of health to survive at higher difficulties with plenty enough stamina to be an effective combatant. 

    Standing Stone: The Warrior in the beginning to allow you to level up more quickly and the Lord towards the late game as, although the armor rating bonus is practically useless for the Chevalier due his already massive armor rating, the Lord stone provides crucial magic resistance to ward off any magic that the Chevalier is unable to block. 

    Key Shouts, Powers, and Abilities: Battle Fury, Call of Valor, Dragonrend, Bardic Knowledge, Companion's Insight. 

    Recommended Quests: Dragon Crisis (Main Quest), Dragonborn, Dawnguard (Dawnguard), Civil War (Imperials), Thane quests, March of the Dead, The Man Who Cried Wolf, The Wolf Queen Awakened, Rise in the East, Lost Legacy, Black Book: Untold Legends, Black Book: Winds of Change. 

    Contents

    I: Major Skills

    II: Minor Skills

    III: Equipment

    IV: Squires

    V: Gameplay

    VI: Roleplaying

    I: Major Skills

    [img05: 1h, align left] One-Handed: The Chevalier's primary offensive skill and will serve as his way to enforce Imperial rule. The Chevalier utilizes the sword as his weapon of choice as it is the weapon of the Imperial Legion and as it allows for faster attacks in between blocks. 

    BlockBlock: A well mounted defense is key to surviving in the harsh land that is Skyrim and the best defense is with a shield. With a shield, one is not only able to block the heaviest of blows but also has the capability to brutally bash his opponents with the aforementioned shield.

    Heavy ArmorHeavy Armor: Heavy armor is vital to the Chevalier's survival as its purpose is to protect him from blows that make it past his shield. And by utilizing the protecton offered by heavy armor, the Chevalier is able to lead the charge at much less risk than his lighter armored comrades.

    II: Minor Skills

    Two-handedTwo-Handed: In the Chevalier's advanced legion training, he learned that warhammers were designed for mounted combat and were later adapted for use by infantry. So on horseback, the crushing blows and extended range of a warhammer are favorable compared to a sword for the Chevalier.

    SmithingSmithing: The Chevalier ought to know how to craft, maintain, and improve his equipment. Through maintaining and improving his equipment, the Chevalier is able to fight at his best and thus has the ability defeat the enemies of the Empire before they can truly harm him.

    SpeechSpeech: The Chevalier has to win over the Jarls' support of the Empire to unify Skyrim and what better way than with charm. If the Chevalier were to threaten the Jarls into supporting the Empire, their loyalty would be fragile and so he must earn their loyalty by serving them as a supporter.

     

    III: Equipment
    Armor

    The Chevalier dons the following apparel: Imperial Closed Helmet, Imperial Armor, Imperial Bracers, and Imperial Boots with an Imperial Shield. As an alternative to the Imperial Shield, the Chevalier can opt to carry the Shield of Solitude by his side. 

    This will give the Chevalier the appearance of an Imperial officer to match his rank. This armor setup is also able to be improved all the way to legendary providing an armor rating past the cap of 567.

    Weapons

    The Chevalier wields an Imperial Sword, with a Silver Sword as a side arm, in addition to the Champion's Cudgel when on horseback.

    An Imperial Sword can be found southeast of Froki's Shack along with the Imperial Closed Helmet. A Silver Sword can be acquired by traveling to Driftshade Refuge or Gallows Rock. Driftshade refuge is to the shoutheast of Dawnstar while Gallows Rock is located southwest of Windhelm. You can then acquire the weapon by looting the body of a Silver Hand member in one of these locations. Lastly, the Champion's Cudgel can be attained by defeating General Falx Carius at Fort Frostmoth during March of the Dead. Fort Frostmoth is located on the island of Solstheim. 

    These weapons will provide ample attack to defeat any foe. The Silver Sword is especially useful in the early levels to deal more damage to the Undead and Werewolves. This is due to a low smithing skill as the Silver Sword cannot be improved. Once you have a high enough smithing skill, the Imperial Sword will do more damage to everything thereby obsoleting your Silver Sword. The Champion's Cudgel also cannot be improved and should only be used on horseback for gameplay and roleplay reasons. 

    Miscellaneous

    The Imperial War Horn found in the dungeon Frossel on Solstheim is a neat roleplay option but certainly isn't necessary.

    IV: Squires

    Your follower who you will buff will be your squire. As a large focus of this build is buffing said followers, your squire plays a crucial part in playing as the Chevalier. You can choose who you want to be your squire but I will list a few I recommend. All of the followers listed have ranged as well as melee attacks. You can, of course, craft your squire a set of Imperial armor and find them an Imperial sword to help with the feel of them being a squire to a knight of the Empire.

    Adelaisa Vendicci - An Imperial soldier who dons Imperial armor and wields an Imperial Sword. Acquired after finishing Rise in the East. Primary skills: Light Armor, One-Handed, Archery, Sneak. Max level - 25

    Lydia - Housecarl to the Thane of Whiterun and a useful follower who wears steel armor and wields a steel sword and shield. Acquired after becoming thane of Whiterun. Primary skills: Heavy Armor, One-Handed, Archery, Block. Max level - 50

    Celann - A Dawnguard vampire hunter who can aid you as a squire and comes equipped with a Dawnguard War Axe. Acquired after Prophet during the Dawnguard main quest. Primary skills: Heavy Armor, One-Handed, Archery, Block. Max level - none

    A Rallying Force

    In this section the specifics of the Chevalier's rallying presence are detailed. The primary factor that plays into this theme is Bardic Knowledge, a powerful ability that summons a spectral drum which boosts stamina regeneration by 50% for 300 seconds for you and nearby allies. This allows you to be able to bash and power attack much more often. The former of which pairs up quite well with another key factor of the Chevalier's embodiment of inspiration: Battle Fury. 

    Battle Fury is a shout which casts an Elemental Fury effect on your squire's weapon and the weapons of any other nearby allies, greatly boosting their attack speed. This can allow for speedy dispatch of enemies and works well with Bardic Knowledge due to how the added stamina regeneration allows you to bash more. The stagger from the bashes allows the Chevalier's squire to assault his enemy almost with impunity.

    The final aspect of the sheer motivating force that the Chevalier exhibits is a subtle one: Companion's Insight. Without this passive effect, friendly fire would likely lead to the end of your squire and no one wants that. Companion's Insight prevents that from occurring as it allows the Chevalier's attacks to also strike his squire without harm to the knight-in-training as long as he is in combat. 

    The Chevalier and his squire, Lydia, fend off against a bandit.

    V: Gameplay

    The Chevalier will play very similarly to a typical one-handed and shield warrior except for the use of followers and buffing said followers. You should try to get a follower to serve as your squire as soon as possible. For almost all fights (once in melee range), while enemy focus is on you, play defensively with your shield and bash often, then when enemy focus is on your squire, use repeated power attacks for massive damage. When you get to a high enough level to safely start Dragonborn, your first priorities should be getting Companions Insight from the Black Book in Bloodskal Barrow, Bardic Knowledge from the Black Book in Benkongerike, and, last but certainly not least, the Battle Fury shout from Vahlok's Tomb. I have also found Call of Valor to be largely underrated. In most challenging fights, I found it is quite difficult to choose from buffing your squire's damage output with Battle Fury or summoning both a distraction and a heavy damage dealer with Call of Valor. Also, be sure to use your racial power Voice of the Emperor. It can save you quite a lot; especially on Master or Legendary difficulty. This is because it is the most powerful pacify effect in the game as it affects all human enemies, including vampires even without the Master of the Mind illusion perk, in the game up to level 99.

    Horse combat also plays an important part. You will charge in and circle around your adversaries, blugeoning them, whilst your squire follows swiftly behind. Your squire will (hopefully) distract some of your enemies, making your horse less likely to be slain and making the battle easier on both of you. Here are a few important notes about mounted combat. Firstly, you cannot block and when wielding a melee weapon you can swing on either side of the horse using either the primary or secondary attack buttons. While it is impossible to block while mounted, power attacks are still possible. Also, it is important to note you cannot use shouts or powers whilst mounted so you will need to dismount in order to cast Call of Valor or Bardic Knowledge. On horseback, you should always and only use the Champion's Cudgel.  Before you acquire the Cudgel, a Steel Warhammer should be used in its stead. Its extra range and massive damage will help much more in combat than the speed of your sword. This is because horse combat is much harder to control for beginners and still isn't easy after you've mastered it.

    A difficult skill to learn is knowing when to fight upon your steed and when to venture forth on foot. I have found is it easiest to utilize mounted combat at almost all times when out in the wilderness. Not only will this greatly improve your skill with mounted combat but will also serve as the only way to level two-handed outside of going against the build and farming your two-handed skill whilst unmounted. The one exception I have found to this is against dragons. As the Chevalier does not use any form of ranged weaponry, he must rely on the Dragonrend shout and, as you cannot use shouts on horseback, it is simply easier to dismount and fight with shield and blade. Additionally, the breath of the dragon will likely kill your horse knocking you down and quite possibly killing you. However, when inside a dungeon or city and seeing as you cannot have a horse indoors, it is your only option to fight on foot. Having both melee combat skills used for different purposes under different circumstances creates an interesting leveling dynamic as well. 

    VI: Roleplaying

    Your purpose here in Skyrim is to maintain law and order. This means you will not join any criminal organization or commit any crimes. The Chevalier is a lawful neutral character and you should act like it. The Chevalier is also bound by honor and will often stick to tradition. As a practitioner of chivalry, the Chevalier will not back down from any challenge and so will brawl if provoked. Whilst a gods-fearing man, the use of Hermaeus Mora's black books are a necessary evil to defend Tamriel and the Empire. Any other daedric deals should be forbidden unless you want to go for a fallen hero sort of thing. One thing I enjoyed doing was building all three homes in Hearthfire and naming each of my favorite candidates for squire as steward and imagining that I am building strongholds of Imperial influence throughout Skyrim. The Chevalier comes from an affluent, noble family in Cyrodiil and so his silver sword is not just a powerful tool; it is also a reminder of home. 

     

    The Chevalier is prepared to defend the Empire at all costs!

  • Member
    September 28, 2016

    Respect for the use of Call of Valour. That shout is pretty lackluster due to it's huge cooldown but I can't help but love it. As for followers, have you considered that chick from Rise in the East? She's a goo follower for an Imperial Knight.

  • Member
    September 29, 2016

    Phil said:

    Respect for the use of Call of Valour. That shout is pretty lackluster due to it's huge cooldown but I can't help but love it. As for followers, have you considered that chick from Rise in the East? She's a goo follower for an Imperial Knight.

    Thanks. In response to the follower question yes I have. Adelaisa is the chick from Rise of the East. But I appreciate the feedback. 

     

  • October 15, 2016
    I think using horses and followers is pretty cool. Followers are pretty powerful, and personally I've never tried horse combat
  • Member
    October 23, 2016

    Cool, interesting build.  I always think of Skyrim (or any Elder Scrolls game for that matter) as a purely single player/solo experience.  It never has occurred to me to play the game with an ally as a permanent playstyle.  That would add some interesting differences to the whole experience.  I will try it when the remastered edition comes out. Neat idea.

  • Member
    October 28, 2016

    Did a big overhaul, giving it a more unique name, a better background, and filling out the skills section.

  • Member
    October 28, 2016

    Looking good!

  • Member
    November 2, 2016

    There was a bug which deleted most of my writing so I had to fix that. Did a minor update as well, fleshing out the equipment section, adding a recommended shouts, and overhauling the roleplaying section. 

  • Member
    June 23, 2017

    Introducing the Chevalier 1.1! With this updated version of the build, I have added a whole new skill, a new weapon, a unique way to utilize said skill and weapon, primary skills for each of the recommended squires, and some general fleshing out. Hope you enjoy!

  • Member
    June 23, 2017
    Nice! :D