Concept:
I'll be honest guys, I usually find tanky characters really boring. Either they're overpowered to the point that gameplay has no challenge or you try to balance them out with low DPS and spend the entire game grinding. Maybe there's something I'm missing, but I've just never been able to make an interesting tank.
Not until recently that is, when I had the idea of turning the usual conjuror-conjure relationship on its head. Instead of summoning damage sponges and distractions to protect your frail mage body, you'll be the juggernaut that has to guard your atronachs. You'll hardly do any damage on your own so your success in battle will rely entirely on your companions, while your job will simply be to keep them alive.
Oh yea, and one more thing...I've added a little incentive to make sure you take good care of your atronach. You'll have a severe weakness to fire/magic and if they die, getting trapped in the resulting explosion is likely to kill you as well. Sure, you can just keep your distance...but at base mana, Secret of can only let you cast Flame Thrall once a day, so it might be a good idea to stay close enough to guard them.
Background:
Ahura Mazda was once the champion of Meridia. With the Daedric Prince of Life Forces watching over his, he never really faced any real threat of death in battle. Only glory and victory befell him. So when he fell ill in his old age, mortality was still a terrifyingly foreign concept. In desperation he begged and pleaded with Meridia to grant him the immortality he knew she could. However, with her previous champion Umaril's failure still a fresh wound, she refused to venture the same path as before. This sent Ahura into a spiral of regret and depression.
Sensing the frail state of his rivals champion, Molag Bal came to Ahura hoping to strike a deal. He offered immortality, but at a price...the Champion of Meridia would have to forsake his master and become the one thing she hated most, the undead. In his grief and anger the warrior hastily accepted The God of Schemes' proposal and became a vampire, immediately curing his terminal illness.
Upon learning of her follower's betrayal, Meridia flew into a rage. She appeared to the vile monster who was once her champion, determined to teach him a lesson. She flooded the ungrateful traitor's mind with images of his own death, the countless ways he would have met his end had she not intervened. She asked him if he had any idea how difficult it was to protect the life force of such an arrogant and reckless warrior as he had become.
The bewildered Ahura was unable to respond as gory visions filled his head. So in a fit of frustration Meridia cursed him to spend his immortality learning to appreciate everything she had done for him. From then on the only way the warrior could triumph in battle would be to Conjure his own eternal flame into the form of an Atronach, he would then be tasked with guarding his own life force just as Meridia once did.
Build:
Race - Nord Vampire
Nord gives you Battle Cry which can really help manage large groups. Vampire brand you'll get vampiric drain and the first half of this builds defining trait: a severe weakness to fire magic.
Standing Stone - Apprentice Stone
This will be the second half of your magic weakness. This makes the explosion from a defeated Atronach do substantial damage, so protecting them is very important.
Magic/Health/Stamina - 0/1/2
Health investment is up you, I'll try to help you make an informed decision in the Tips/Tricks section. Once you know how much health you want, the rest should go into stamina.
Skills - Block, Heavy Armor, Conjuration, Smithing, Enchanting, Alchemy
Yes, we are investing in three crafting skills...and yes it's a balanced build! Even grinding is encouraged so long as you follow the Potion restriction and use only the approved Enchantments.
Powers - Secret of Arcana
This power will allow you to cast Summon Flame Thrall without any magic investment. Ideally, your only summon should be a once-a-day thrall...but obtaining this power may be difficult early on.
Shouts - Slow Time, Whirlwind Sprint
Both of these will help you to deal with certain kinds of enemies, explained in the Gameplay Strategy section.
Blessings - Blood of the Ancients
This gives Vampiric Drain the very tactical ability to absorb stamina.
Spells - Flame Thrall, Flaming Familiar, Vampiric Drain
Flaming Familiar is a fun alternative to having two Flame Thralls once twin souls is unlocked. It veers slightly from this builds core concept, but by then I figure you've earned the right to engage in combat.
Weapons - Knife
Enchant with Frost Damage and eventually Dispel. This is for enemy Flame Atronachs, explained in the Tips/Tricks section.
Armor - Dragonplate Armor Set, Dragonplate Shield, Aetherial Shield
Enchantments should be used to protect from outside magic damage. Give yourself some shock resistance and add a little to your inherent Frost resistance, but not fire or magic resistance of any kind!
Potions:
Essence of Knowledge (Creep Cluster+Dwarven Oil/Taproot) - Restore Magicka and Weakness to Magic
Essence of Strength (Salt Pile+Blue Dartwing+Rock Warbler Egg) - Restore Health and Weakness to Magic
Essence of Willpower (Jazbay Grapes+Orange Dartwing+ Torchbug Thorax) - Restore Stamina and Weakness to Magic
Perks:
Block - The more defensive left branch is a higher priority than the right. The bash-damage enhancing perks should only be taken late game, if at all.
Heavy Armor - Grab all the armor boosting perks as soon as you can. The left side of the tree isn't important at all.
Conjuration - If you obtain Secret of Arcana and a Flame Thrall Spell Tomb (from The Sallow Regent) early on then you can skip the cost reduction perks.
Smithing - Smith your gear often and upgrade to the strongest materials as they become available. This skill in particular would be OK to grind with this build.
Enchanting - What you need from enchanting is to have strong "Fortify X" effects. You can grab Frost Enchanter for enemy Flame Atronachs if you like, but it's not necissary.
Alchemy - All you need from Alchemy is restoration Potions, so only a few perks are necissary. This builds Potions are a double edge sword so how much you invest in strengthening them is up to you.
Gameplay Strategy:
Melee - It's easy to lead melee opponents, just be weary of bringing them to close to your Atronach or it may retreat behind something that blocks it's attacks. Vampiric Drain can be used to achieve unlimited stamina, but there's a certain timing to it so don't expect keep enemies completely stun locked. Just watch your magicka consumption and you can expect to interrupt most their attacks.
Requires: Vampiric Drain, Blood of the Ancients
Archers - Ranged physical attackers are also rather simple on their own. Stay near your Atronach and draw as much fire to yourself as you can. The Deflect Arrows perk will help you sponge hits and Slow Time can be used to intercept and sometimes even catch projectiles that are headed towards your Atronach. Both Archers and Flame Atronach tend to kite, so pay attention to your surroundings and make sure to cast your atronach in a strategic position.
Requires: Slow Time, Deflect Arrows
Mages - Thanks to your weaknesses, the roles are a little more traditional when facing spellcasters. You'll want to avoid fire damage entirely, allowing your flame-immune companion to shield you. Other spells aren't great for either of you, but a quick bash with your Aetherial Shield will make your Atronach the perfect decoy while you charge in to stagger the enemy. You'll have to protect your thrall a few times this way before they'll get a dragon to land so learn their cues and make sure you can bash your atronach and get to cover before getting blasted yourself.
Requires: Aetherial Shield, Whirlwind Sprint
Large Groups - Multiple kinds of enemies can be difficult to manage. Start by turning your atronach aetherial, then do the same to enemy mages and archers. Lead melee enemies toward to your Atronach (who will switch to the closest target after it's own aetherial wears off) and use the melee strategy until the ranged enemies return to battle. Rinse and repeat until only ranged attackers remain. At this point, archers can often be coaxed into going melee, but mages might leave you dodging. Don't forget to use Battle Cry if you feel yourself needing the breathing room.
Requires: Aetherial Shield, Battle Cry
Roleplay/Restrictions:
Weakness Potions - This build has a unique potions restriction. You're more than welcome to use any potion as often as you like, but they have to be player-made potions that include weakness to either magic or fire. Be forewarned, as devastating as atronach explosions normally are for this build, drinking a potion at the wrong time can be a huge mistake!
Tips/Tricks:
Health Investment - On legendary, an exploding Atronach will cause 96pts damage. At 100 health that's only 4pts worth of wiggle room (which you're sure to have taken by then in a battle, so it's pretty much instadeath). I liked playing with 160pts health, which is just enough to make an indoors explosion crippling, but not really lethal unless you've recently used a potion. However, it's also low enough to keep them pretty much fatal in sunlight, where it's a bit easier to escape the blast radius. I found this the most balanced and exciting, because losing an atronach still meant a devastating loss, but while you wouldn't last long in battle, you always had a chance of running away to regroup. Though you can invest less for the thrill of possible instadeath, or more for extreme tankyness.
Knife - The one enemy that your Atronach can't damage just happens to be other Flame Atronachs. You can't just ignore them either because your weaknesses make them particularly lethal to you. Instead, let them attack your Atronach and while they're distracted use a knife with a Frost enchantment on them until they die.. Eventually, dispel will give you an instakill on conjured Atronachs but you'll still want to keep the frost one around for the un-conjured variety.
Concept:
I'll be honest guys, I usually find tanky characters really boring. Either they're overpowered to the point that gameplay has no challenge or you try to balance them out with low DPS and spend the entire game grinding. Maybe there's something I'm missing, but I've just never been able to make an interesting tank.
Not until recently that is, when I had the idea of turning the usual conjuror-conjure relationship on its head. Instead of summoning damage sponges and distractions to protect your frail mage body, you'll be the juggernaut that has to guard your atronachs. You'll hardly do any damage on your own so your success in battle will rely entirely on your companions, while your job will simply be to keep them alive.
Oh yea, and one more thing...I've added a little incentive to make sure you take good care of your atronach. You'll have a severe weakness to fire/magic and if they die, getting trapped in the resulting explosion is likely to kill you as well. Sure, you can just keep your distance...but at base mana, Secret of can only let you cast Flame Thrall once a day, so it might be a good idea to stay close enough to guard them.
Background:
Ahura Mazda was once the champion of Meridia. With the Daedric Prince of Life Forces watching over his, he never really faced any real threat of death in battle. Only glory and victory befell him. So when he fell ill in his old age, mortality was still a terrifyingly foreign concept. In desperation he begged and pleaded with Meridia to grant him the immortality he knew she could. However, with her previous champion Umaril's failure still a fresh wound, she refused to venture the same path as before. This sent Ahura into a spiral of regret and depression.
Sensing the frail state of his rivals champion, Molag Bal came to Ahura hoping to strike a deal. He offered immortality, but at a price...the Champion of Meridia would have to forsake his master and become the one thing she hated most, the undead. In his grief and anger the warrior hastily accepted The God of Schemes' proposal and became a vampire, immediately curing his terminal illness.
Upon learning of her follower's betrayal, Meridia flew into a rage. She appeared to the vile monster who was once her champion, determined to teach him a lesson. She flooded the ungrateful traitor's mind with images of his own death, the countless ways he would have met his end had she not intervened. She asked him if he had any idea how difficult it was to protect the life force of such an arrogant and reckless warrior as he had become.
The bewildered Ahura was unable to respond as gory visions filled his head. So in a fit of frustration Meridia cursed him to spend his immortality learning to appreciate everything she had done for him. From then on the only way the warrior could triumph in battle would be to Conjure his own eternal flame into the form of an Atronach, he would then be tasked with guarding his own life force just as Meridia once did.
Build:
Race - Nord Vampire
Nord gives you Battle Cry which can really help manage large groups. Vampire brand you'll get vampiric drain and the first half of this builds defining trait: a severe weakness to fire magic.
Standing Stone - Apprentice Stone
This will be the second half of your magic weakness. This makes the explosion from a defeated Atronach do substantial damage, so protecting them is very important.
Magic/Health/Stamina - 0/1/2
Health investment is up you, I'll try to help you make an informed decision in the Tips/Tricks section. Once you know how much health you want, the rest should go into stamina.
Skills - Block, Heavy Armor, Conjuration, Smithing, Enchanting, Alchemy
Yes, we are investing in three crafting skills...and yes it's a balanced build! Even grinding is encouraged so long as you follow the Potion restriction and use only the approved Enchantments.
Powers - Secret of Arcana
This power will allow you to cast Summon Flame Thrall without any magic investment. Ideally, your only summon should be a once-a-day thrall...but obtaining this power may be difficult early on.
Shouts - Slow Time, Whirlwind Sprint
Both of these will help you to deal with certain kinds of enemies, explained in the Gameplay Strategy section.
Blessings - Blood of the Ancients
This gives Vampiric Drain the very tactical ability to absorb stamina.
Spells - Flame Thrall, Flaming Familiar, Vampiric Drain
Flaming Familiar is a fun alternative to having two Flame Thralls once twin souls is unlocked. It veers slightly from this builds core concept, but by then I figure you've earned the right to engage in combat.
Weapons - Knife
Enchant with Frost Damage and eventually Dispel. This is for enemy Flame Atronachs, explained in the Tips/Tricks section.
Armor - Dragonplate Armor Set, Dragonplate Shield, Aetherial Shield
Enchantments should be used to protect from outside magic damage. Give yourself some shock resistance and add a little to your inherent Frost resistance, but not fire or magic resistance of any kind!
Potions:
Essence of Knowledge (Creep Cluster+Dwarven Oil/Taproot) - Restore Magicka and Weakness to Magic
Essence of Strength (Salt Pile+Blue Dartwing+Rock Warbler Egg) - Restore Health and Weakness to Magic
Essence of Willpower (Jazbay Grapes+Orange Dartwing+ Torchbug Thorax) - Restore Stamina and Weakness to Magic
Perks:
Block - The more defensive left branch is a higher priority than the right. The bash-damage enhancing perks should only be taken late game, if at all.
Heavy Armor - Grab all the armor boosting perks as soon as you can. The left side of the tree isn't important at all.
Conjuration - If you obtain Secret of Arcana and a Flame Thrall Spell Tomb (from The Sallow Regent) early on then you can skip the cost reduction perks.
Smithing - Smith your gear often and upgrade to the strongest materials as they become available. This skill in particular would be OK to grind with this build.
Enchanting - What you need from enchanting is to have strong "Fortify X" effects. You can grab Frost Enchanter for enemy Flame Atronachs if you like, but it's not necissary.
Alchemy - All you need from Alchemy is restoration Potions, so only a few perks are necissary. This builds Potions are a double edge sword so how much you invest in strengthening them is up to you.
Gameplay Strategy:
Melee - It's easy to lead melee opponents, just be weary of bringing them to close to your Atronach or it may retreat behind something that blocks it's attacks. Vampiric Drain can be used to achieve unlimited stamina, but there's a certain timing to it so don't expect keep enemies completely stun locked. Just watch your magicka consumption and you can expect to interrupt most their attacks.
Requires: Vampiric Drain, Blood of the Ancients
Archers - Ranged physical attackers are also rather simple on their own. Stay near your Atronach and draw as much fire to yourself as you can. The Deflect Arrows perk will help you sponge hits and Slow Time can be used to intercept and sometimes even catch projectiles that are headed towards your Atronach. Both Archers and Flame Atronach tend to kite, so pay attention to your surroundings and make sure to cast your atronach in a strategic position.
Requires: Slow Time, Deflect Arrows
Mages - Thanks to your weaknesses, the roles are a little more traditional when facing spellcasters. You'll want to avoid fire damage entirely, allowing your flame-immune companion to shield you. Other spells aren't great for either of you, but a quick bash with your Aetherial Shield will make your Atronach the perfect decoy while you charge in to stagger the enemy. You'll have to protect your thrall a few times this way before they'll get a dragon to land so learn their cues and make sure you can bash your atronach and get to cover before getting blasted yourself.
Requires: Aetherial Shield, Whirlwind Sprint
Large Groups - Multiple kinds of enemies can be difficult to manage. Start by turning your atronach aetherial, then do the same to enemy mages and archers. Lead melee enemies toward to your Atronach (who will switch to the closest target after it's own aetherial wears off) and use the melee strategy until the ranged enemies return to battle. Rinse and repeat until only ranged attackers remain. At this point, archers can often be coaxed into going melee, but mages might leave you dodging. Don't forget to use Battle Cry if you feel yourself needing the breathing room.
Requires: Aetherial Shield, Battle Cry
Roleplay/Restrictions:
Weakness Potions - This build has a unique potions restriction. You're more than welcome to use any potion as often as you like, but they have to be player-made potions that include weakness to either magic or fire. Be forewarned, as devastating as atronach explosions normally are for this build, drinking a potion at the wrong time can be a huge mistake!
Tips/Tricks:
Health Investment - On legendary, an exploding Atronach will cause 96pts damage. At 100 health that's only 4pts worth of wiggle room (which you're sure to have taken by then in a battle, so it's pretty much instadeath). I liked playing with 160pts health, which is just enough to make an indoors explosion crippling, but not really lethal unless you've recently used a potion. However, it's also low enough to keep them pretty much fatal in sunlight, where it's a bit easier to escape the blast radius. I found this the most balanced and exciting, because losing an atronach still meant a devastating loss, but while you wouldn't last long in battle, you always had a chance of running away to regroup. Though you can invest less for the thrill of possible instadeath, or more for extreme tankyness.
Knife - The one enemy that your Atronach can't damage just happens to be other Flame Atronachs. You can't just ignore them either because your weaknesses make them particularly lethal to you. Instead, let them attack your Atronach and while they're distracted use a knife with a Frost enchantment on them until they die.. Eventually, dispel will give you an instakill on conjured Atronachs but you'll still want to keep the frost one around for the un-conjured variety.
