Skyrim Character Building » Discussions


Character Build: Atmoran Totems - The Wolf

Tags: #Race:Nord  #Character Build Healer  #Character Build Assassin  #Character Build Werewolf  #Rank:Exemplar 
  • May 27, 2015

    If you are not one of those lone wolfs, beasts with scars, who have to rely on cunning to survive, pack makes much more sense for these hunters. The way how they hunt deers clearly shows that. How they just tire it down, saving their own strenght, relying on their numbers.

    Because of my Greenskin I can totally understand why to leave followers at the entrance. Even if their sneak skills is good, they are not good as you. Frankly because they don´t have Silence and Shadow Warrior

    Regarding the dogs, Meeko can take as much pain as he can deal, only problem with these dogs in Skyrim is that it is almost impossible to fire an arrow around them, so I feel your pain trying to play with them.

  • Member
    May 27, 2015

    Heh, in my games I am easily the biggest threat to Meeko.  

    But with this build, I found myself hardly ever using the bow.  It was mostly used to start a fight with those roosting dragons.  Anything else got an axe in the skull first. 

    But if you're taking a follower + a dog, you're probably not going to pull off a melee sneak attack very often.  In that case, a ranged sneak shot is easier to pull off, then you probably go axe + ward and start hacking away, applying healing to yourself and your allies as necessary. 

  • May 27, 2015

    To be honest, this build got me really interested. If I find some time between Oblivion, Fallout:NV and something in Skyrim I´m curently working on, I´ll definitely give this a shot.

  • Member
    May 28, 2015

    I don't think it's fair to say this build is "more one hand and archery".  If you look at the perk selections, you'll see that the Hawk focuses on dual-wielding swords with Elemental Fury, while the Wolf uses a war axe with Hack & Slash or a dagger.  They may both be One Handed, but they are perked differently, and they play differently. 

    Same thing with Archery.  Archery is a *major* focus for the Hawk build - for the Wolf it isn't even perked!  Sure, Archery is mentioned in both builds, but again, they're used completely differently:  The Hawk uses fast shots, kiting, bow bashing, Ranger, etc - the Wolf will take a potshot from stealth to open up a dragon fight.

    I also want to make clear the pattern with this series of builds:  there are 9 totems and 18 skills in Skyrim.  I decided to give each totem 2 "primary" skills that are unique to it.  For the Hawk those skills are Archery and Light Armor.  For the Wolf they are Sneak and Restoration.  Each totem will have its own distinct pair of primary skills.  

    However, I don't want to restrict each build to 2 skills only.  So I came up with "complementary" skills that match the concept.  There will necessarily be some overlap, since there are only 18 skills in Skyrim - but the main idea is that the primary skills are the major focus of the build, and the complementary skills are there to round out the character.  So yes, one of the Wolf's complementary skills (One Handed) matches one of the Hawk's complementary skills - but, as above, they are in both cases not the main perk investment of the character, and they are used and perked differently in each build.

    As the series continues, I think you'll see the differences between builds more clearly.  They don't all use One Handed, for example:  only 3 totems will perk that skill; it just so happened that 2 of those were released back to back.  

    Your Restoration question is a good one.  Traditionally, a sneak character can avoidcombat entirely and bypass the need for healing.  But this build favors a war axe, which doesn't swing silently.  That means in many cases, he'll take out one enemy, but will alert others.  That may seem like bad design, but if you've ever played a pure sneak assassin type you'll know the frustration of those dungeons where a fight is inevitable - the boss pops up out of a coffin, or summons a roomfull of minions.  So by ensuring that my character got in some open combat, I was able to keep Restoration at a decent level for those types of fights.  

    Plus, it was just fun to be able to emerge from the shadows with a Bane of the Undead to disperse the minions, use a ward to negate the boss's shouts or magic while we trade blows, and use Shadow Warrior to scurry, heal, and get in another sneak attack.  Not a typical type of sneak play, at least as I've done it! 

  • May 28, 2015
    It's all in the tactics man. You can't assume two builds function the same because they share similar perks. Two builders given the same perkspread can create vastly different builds.

    Each totem emulates how their respective animal hunts. The hawk is more about taking out the enemy from afar with speed and ferocity. The wolf carefully stalks his enemies but is able hold his own and endure if locked in a head on battle.
  • Member
    May 28, 2015

    Precisely - very well said!

  • May 28, 2015
    The mudcrab totem will feature pinching and underwater ambushes.
  • Member
    May 28, 2015

    I love this Paul, I love wolves, and this build caught their dual nature in lore and real life. Can't wait to see the rest

  • VDW
    Member
    May 30, 2015

    I'm in the early stages of running this build through its paces. So far, the play has been very interesting! Ragged Trousers aren't the easiest to come by though, so I started out with the Fur Armor (Kilt only) though I gave that up and went back to the Roughspun Tunic after my Light Armor skill started shooting up. I didn't want to level too quickly. Can't wait to see what's coming next!

    One thing I'd like to see is the use of an exclusive Standing Stone for each of these. You may already have that planned, of course. Keep 'em coming!

  • Member
    May 30, 2015

    Yes, I've got ideas for a Stone for each build - though there will be a bit of overlap in the Guardian Stones, and some builds would need to double up given the number of Stones in game.  

    There's some Ragged Trousers in the fort west of the Western Watchtower.... Fort G-something-or-other.... They're on a bookcase just outside the room with the prison cells.  

    Once you get the Wolf Gauntlets + Helmet, you'll see Heavy Armor start levelling, surprisingly quickly.  I found myself hitting 50 in HA around level 30.  At that point I was still using the Mage Stone to speed up the Restoration leveling.  

    Glad you're giving it a shot!