The Soul Of Cinder
The one prophesied to defeat Alduin has arrived, but it is not who the people of Skyrim were expecting...
An ancient and terrible construct, born of all those who have died in dragon fire, the Soul of Cinder is an amalgamation of all the races of Tamriel, sent by the Divines to exact vengeance on the Dov and slay Alduin before he brings about the destruction of Nirn. Taking the form of a tall, dark-skinned Altmer clad in heavy plate and wielding both steel and spell, the Soul is capable of taking on any foe by activating one of its numerous "phases", fighting styles that change depending on its enemies.
I wanted to capture the feel of the final boss of Dark Souls 3 in this build - an ancient being destined to preserve the world, and armed with the weapons and magic required to perform that duty. This build, rather than focusing on one or two combat styles, has five separate phases - just like the Soul of Cinder in DS3 - to defeat any enemies it may come across.
Race/Stone/Stats/Shouts
Race - Altmer, but try to make it look as human as possible to represent the blending of men and mer. The magicka bonus can let the Soul focus on building it's defences in the early game, the Highborn power can help it take down enemy mages with ease, and the race's stature helps the imposing appearance of the Soul.
Stone - Lord Stone. 50 extra armour points are nothing to sneeze at, and the 25% magicka resistance will help for a long time into the game.
Stats - 0/2/1 till boosted magicka and stamina are equal, then 1/2/1. The Soul makes good use of all three stats, but health is a bit more important to create that "juggernaut" feel.
Shouts - Fire Breath, Call of Valor, Summon Odahviing, Summon Durnehviir, Storm Call, Dragon Aspect.
Primary Skills
Two Handed - The main weapons of the Soul are enormous, enchanted, two-handed blades and hammers, capable of rending armour and flesh alike.
Conjuration - The Soul is capable of projecting its component spirits onto the battlefield to fight for a short time, or shaping them into arcane weaponry. No necromancy for this build, as the Soul doesn't actually harness Oblivion to perform it's conjuration.
Destruction - Channeling the raw power of Aetherius through itself, the Soul harnesses the destructive forces of fire and lightning to deal death to it's foes.
Heavy Armour - The Soul can take damage as well as it dishes it out. Clad in a full suit of steel plate, ancient Dwemer, or arcane Ebony armour, the Soul is nigh unstoppable.
Secondary Skills
Restoration - The Soul is capable of repairing damage to itself, both in combat and out of it.
Smithing/Enchanting - In addition to repairing itself, the Soul can upgrade it's offensive and defensive capabilities using forges and arcane enchanters.
One Handed - Only one of the Soul's phases uses one-handed weaponry, but it still requires a degree of effectiveness.
Perks
Here's what I had at Level 70: https://skyrimcalculator.com/build/462712/the-soul-of-cinder/perks
Gear
Your equipment will probably vary depending on your playstyle. However, the gear you will definitely need for this build includes:
A full suit of improved, matching heavy armour. Ebony, Dwarven, and Steel Plate all fit very well with the build. You can even go and get the Ebony Mail if you want to be a bit sneaky.
An improved, possibly enchanted, two-handed weapon. The Soul of Cinder from DS3 wields a greatsword, but you can make do with whatever you find/craft and are pleased with. I went with a Dwarven Greatsword, then an Ebony Battleaxe, both enchanted with Fiery Soul Trap.
The Ebony Blade. One of the Soul's phases utilises the powerful health enchantment of the Blade in order to heal whilst dealing repsectable damge. (The quest "Destroy the Dark Brotherhood" can net you a bunch of charges for the Blade, guilt-free.)
The Gauldur Amulet. A +30 boost in every stat the Soul uses is very welcome indeed. Alternately, an Amulet of Talos grants a neat 20% shout cost reduction that stacks with the Awakened phase.
Enchanted Ring. Use a ring of your choice. Ideally, you would take a ring that boosts Two-Handed or Heavy Armour.
(Optional) The Ebony Mail. If you fancy a stealthier Soul, and don't mind slaying one of your innocent and loyal companions to get it, the Ebony Mail can fit perfectly in the build.
Phases
The bread and butter of the build. Rather than sticking with one fighting style and a few special "moves" the Soul Of Cinder has five separate phases that it switches between depending on its current foe.
Warrior Phase
The Soul charges into battle, hammering foes with devastating power attacks from its greatsword and tanking any and all damage it receives in turn.
This is the Soul's standard phase, and the one I used for the vast majority of my playthrough. This phase is decent against most enemies, but it really shines against heavily armoured foes or foes who block a lot. Take advantage of the Soul's massive stamina pool and near-impenetrable defense to charge headlong into battle, staggering foes with bashes or power attacks before finishing them with a flurry of enchanted strikes.
Mage Phase
Harnessing the destructive power of Aetherius, the Soul rains fire and death upon its foes from afar.
This is your main ranged phase, and works well against enemies who you can't quite reach with your sword, such as archers or the Soul's hated foe, dragons. This phase is brutally simple - find a position of advantage, conjure your allies, and unleash a barrage of flame against your enemies. If your magicka drops too low for comfort, the Highborn racial power can have you up and running again in no time.
Blade Phase
With broad, sweeping strokes of its curved blade, the Soul slays scores of foes at once, all the while healing itself of damage.
The Ebony Blade's powerful health enchantment, coupled with the AoE damage given by the Sweep perk, creates a method of healing that outshines almost any other method in game. Get the attention of a bunch of enemy mooks, wait for them to swarm you, then open up with a barrage of Sweep attacks which should render them slain and you back to full health in no time. Use this phase against large groups of weak enemies, or when you need to regain health without diturbing the flow of combat.
Arcane Phase
Using the soul-sapping power of lightning and bound weapons, the Soul renders enemy mages useless before cutting short their existence on Nirn.
Mages, despite their inherent squishness, tend to be some of the toughest foes in Skyrim - at least for me. I can remember dying to the final boss of the Dawnbreaker quest more than any other foe in the game. The Arcane phase takes advantage of the magicka-sapping lighning spells and the smiting power of the Bound Sword to first figuratively, and then literally, kill the power of those mages. This phase is best used against enemy magic users, their conjured allies, and any Oblivion-spawn you may happen across.
Awakened Phase
A storm of hellfire and flashing steel precedes the Soul of Cinder as it brings its full might to bear upon its foe.
Despite only using it a handful of times in my playthrough, this was definitely my favourite phase to use. Meant to represent the full awakening of the Soul's power, this phase combines all of its major skills in order to bring the wrath of the Divines against the foe who dares to stand against it. Open with a Fire Storm, to stop any mooks from interfering, then cast a Flame Cloak to doubly ensure no-one will approach you during this duel. Use the Dragon Aspect shout to buff your self up, then charge into battle. Only use this phase against the most challenging of enemies in Skyrim (Miraak, Alduin, the Ebony Warrior, Harkon etc.).
And remember, no matter what phase you happen to be using, always supplement your fighting with conjured allies, restoration spells, and dragon shouts.
Followers
There are not many in Nirn who would willingly follow the Soul of Cinder in it's mission to destroy the dragons, however there are those who will.
- Housecarls are sworn to carry your burdens amd fight by your side, even if it means running headlong into the dragon's lair.
- Mjoll the Lioness (my personal favourite) will help you rid the world of another plague, and her immortality means she fears neither fire nor steel.
- Mercenaries will do anything you ask them to, provided their palms are well greased beforehand.
Quests
The only mandatory quest for this build is the Main Quest, and I highly recommend Destroy the Dark Brotherhood, The Book of Love, and Azura's Star for sheer convenience. With the skills and gear described above, however, the Soul should have no problem doing the other questlines.
Conclusion
So, there we have it. My first build on this page, and hopefully one you guys will enjoy playing as much as I did. If you have any critisms about this build, feel free to post them below. Thank you, and have fun!
The Soul Of Cinder
The one prophesied to defeat Alduin has arrived, but it is not who the people of Skyrim were expecting...
An ancient and terrible construct, born of all those who have died in dragon fire, the Soul of Cinder is an amalgamation of all the races of Tamriel, sent by the Divines to exact vengeance on the Dov and slay Alduin before he brings about the destruction of Nirn. Taking the form of a tall, dark-skinned Altmer clad in heavy plate and wielding both steel and spell, the Soul is capable of taking on any foe by activating one of its numerous "phases", fighting styles that change depending on its enemies.
I wanted to capture the feel of the final boss of Dark Souls 3 in this build - an ancient being destined to preserve the world, and armed with the weapons and magic required to perform that duty. This build, rather than focusing on one or two combat styles, has five separate phases - just like the Soul of Cinder in DS3 - to defeat any enemies it may come across.
Race/Stone/Stats/Shouts
Race - Altmer, but try to make it look as human as possible to represent the blending of men and mer. The magicka bonus can let the Soul focus on building it's defences in the early game, the Highborn power can help it take down enemy mages with ease, and the race's stature helps the imposing appearance of the Soul.
Stone - Lord Stone. 50 extra armour points are nothing to sneeze at, and the 25% magicka resistance will help for a long time into the game.
Stats - 0/2/1 till boosted magicka and stamina are equal, then 1/2/1. The Soul makes good use of all three stats, but health is a bit more important to create that "juggernaut" feel.
Shouts - Fire Breath, Call of Valor, Summon Odahviing, Summon Durnehviir, Storm Call, Dragon Aspect.
Primary Skills
Two Handed - The main weapons of the Soul are enormous, enchanted, two-handed blades and hammers, capable of rending armour and flesh alike.
Conjuration - The Soul is capable of projecting its component spirits onto the battlefield to fight for a short time, or shaping them into arcane weaponry. No necromancy for this build, as the Soul doesn't actually harness Oblivion to perform it's conjuration.
Destruction - Channeling the raw power of Aetherius through itself, the Soul harnesses the destructive forces of fire and lightning to deal death to it's foes.
Heavy Armour - The Soul can take damage as well as it dishes it out. Clad in a full suit of steel plate, ancient Dwemer, or arcane Ebony armour, the Soul is nigh unstoppable.
Secondary Skills
Restoration - The Soul is capable of repairing damage to itself, both in combat and out of it.
Smithing/Enchanting - In addition to repairing itself, the Soul can upgrade it's offensive and defensive capabilities using forges and arcane enchanters.
One Handed - Only one of the Soul's phases uses one-handed weaponry, but it still requires a degree of effectiveness.
Perks
Here's what I had at Level 70: https://skyrimcalculator.com/build/462712/the-soul-of-cinder/perks
Gear
Your equipment will probably vary depending on your playstyle. However, the gear you will definitely need for this build includes:
A full suit of improved, matching heavy armour. Ebony, Dwarven, and Steel Plate all fit very well with the build. You can even go and get the Ebony Mail if you want to be a bit sneaky.
An improved, possibly enchanted, two-handed weapon. The Soul of Cinder from DS3 wields a greatsword, but you can make do with whatever you find/craft and are pleased with. I went with a Dwarven Greatsword, then an Ebony Battleaxe, both enchanted with Fiery Soul Trap.
The Ebony Blade. One of the Soul's phases utilises the powerful health enchantment of the Blade in order to heal whilst dealing repsectable damge. (The quest "Destroy the Dark Brotherhood" can net you a bunch of charges for the Blade, guilt-free.)
The Gauldur Amulet. A +30 boost in every stat the Soul uses is very welcome indeed. Alternately, an Amulet of Talos grants a neat 20% shout cost reduction that stacks with the Awakened phase.
Enchanted Ring. Use a ring of your choice. Ideally, you would take a ring that boosts Two-Handed or Heavy Armour.
(Optional) The Ebony Mail. If you fancy a stealthier Soul, and don't mind slaying one of your innocent and loyal companions to get it, the Ebony Mail can fit perfectly in the build.
Phases
The bread and butter of the build. Rather than sticking with one fighting style and a few special "moves" the Soul Of Cinder has five separate phases that it switches between depending on its current foe.
Warrior Phase
The Soul charges into battle, hammering foes with devastating power attacks from its greatsword and tanking any and all damage it receives in turn.
This is the Soul's standard phase, and the one I used for the vast majority of my playthrough. This phase is decent against most enemies, but it really shines against heavily armoured foes or foes who block a lot. Take advantage of the Soul's massive stamina pool and near-impenetrable defense to charge headlong into battle, staggering foes with bashes or power attacks before finishing them with a flurry of enchanted strikes.
Mage Phase
Harnessing the destructive power of Aetherius, the Soul rains fire and death upon its foes from afar.
This is your main ranged phase, and works well against enemies who you can't quite reach with your sword, such as archers or the Soul's hated foe, dragons. This phase is brutally simple - find a position of advantage, conjure your allies, and unleash a barrage of flame against your enemies. If your magicka drops too low for comfort, the Highborn racial power can have you up and running again in no time.
Blade Phase
With broad, sweeping strokes of its curved blade, the Soul slays scores of foes at once, all the while healing itself of damage.
The Ebony Blade's powerful health enchantment, coupled with the AoE damage given by the Sweep perk, creates a method of healing that outshines almost any other method in game. Get the attention of a bunch of enemy mooks, wait for them to swarm you, then open up with a barrage of Sweep attacks which should render them slain and you back to full health in no time. Use this phase against large groups of weak enemies, or when you need to regain health without diturbing the flow of combat.
Arcane Phase
Using the soul-sapping power of lightning and bound weapons, the Soul renders enemy mages useless before cutting short their existence on Nirn.
Mages, despite their inherent squishness, tend to be some of the toughest foes in Skyrim - at least for me. I can remember dying to the final boss of the Dawnbreaker quest more than any other foe in the game. The Arcane phase takes advantage of the magicka-sapping lighning spells and the smiting power of the Bound Sword to first figuratively, and then literally, kill the power of those mages. This phase is best used against enemy magic users, their conjured allies, and any Oblivion-spawn you may happen across.
Awakened Phase
A storm of hellfire and flashing steel precedes the Soul of Cinder as it brings its full might to bear upon its foe.
Despite only using it a handful of times in my playthrough, this was definitely my favourite phase to use. Meant to represent the full awakening of the Soul's power, this phase combines all of its major skills in order to bring the wrath of the Divines against the foe who dares to stand against it. Open with a Fire Storm, to stop any mooks from interfering, then cast a Flame Cloak to doubly ensure no-one will approach you during this duel. Use the Dragon Aspect shout to buff your self up, then charge into battle. Only use this phase against the most challenging of enemies in Skyrim (Miraak, Alduin, the Ebony Warrior, Harkon etc.).
And remember, no matter what phase you happen to be using, always supplement your fighting with conjured allies, restoration spells, and dragon shouts.
Followers
There are not many in Nirn who would willingly follow the Soul of Cinder in it's mission to destroy the dragons, however there are those who will.
- Housecarls are sworn to carry your burdens amd fight by your side, even if it means running headlong into the dragon's lair.
- Mjoll the Lioness (my personal favourite) will help you rid the world of another plague, and her immortality means she fears neither fire nor steel.
- Mercenaries will do anything you ask them to, provided their palms are well greased beforehand.
Quests
The only mandatory quest for this build is the Main Quest, and I highly recommend Destroy the Dark Brotherhood, The Book of Love, and Azura's Star for sheer convenience. With the skills and gear described above, however, the Soul should have no problem doing the other questlines.
Conclusion
So, there we have it. My first build on this page, and hopefully one you guys will enjoy playing as much as I did. If you have any critisms about this build, feel free to post them below. Thank you, and have fun!
