Pirates of Tamriel: A Skyrim Character Building Contest

Replies

- - - - Lee > Dewalt July 22, 2019 at 4:39pm
        
        Believe it or not, but yes they are. A few examples, my own Cutthroat was tested on Expert (modded combat making things harder), as well as the Sea Ghost (kept it vamilla, no mods whatsoever minus Unofficial Patches), and another being the Pirate Queen.
        
        Something people fail to realize is that playing on Legendary (minus the fact that enemies just become damage sponges) or even Master. You learn to adapt, not run-and-gun and hope for the best. You apply tactics to combat, whether it’s a 1v1 with a Bandit or Bandit Leader or a 3v1 with several mages.
        
        Some Builds - I’m more than happy to list them for everyone - use tactics such as sneaking and distraction, others confusion and mayhem etc etc.
        
        In my experience, using one crafting skill in Legendary is understandable, 2 or even 3 though is pushing it, as you can fly through it - or ‘cheese’ the combat. Especially with certain glitches that downplay the reasons for playing on Legendary such as the Fortify Restoration loop
        
        Chris Diokno > Lee July 22, 2019 at 4:42pm
        
        Yeah, the old Restoloop can, if abused, make any build godtier
        
        Curse > Dewalt July 22, 2019 at 6:32pm
        
        “These builds are great for roleplay”
        
        I think that’s the first positive thing you’ve ever said here. I call that progress.
        
        But joking aside I think you’re a smart guy who simply lacks imagination when it comes to character builds. I feel you have a very narrow view of what is viable at high difficulties. If you ever take a chance and play some of these builds I think you’ll come to change your mind.
        
        Legendary difficulty itself isn’t much of an accomplishment I feel. It’s great for testing beefy and strong characters against a highly disadvantageous damage balance, but that’s it. Enemies are no smarter on legendary than they are on novice. And it’s for that reason a lot of people aren’t impressed when a builds main selling point is it’s viabity on legendary.
Curse July 4, 2019 at 3:31pm

The Dead Tide

Gameplay -

Teccam: 8/10 - I love the cursed undead pirate aesthetic, and you did a decent job translating that to Skyrim. Also good job managing the mod setup to avoid being too complex. That being said, it is still pretty overwhelming, all the different perks and abilities. For anyone not already familiar with these mods, I think it’s a bit too much to take in. I think you could have trimmed some of the less critical perk descriptions and done a bit better of a job of explaining how the truly essential ones work/relate thematically and practically. Seems like a fun character to play, but with modded builds, it’s always a bit harder to convey gameplay.

Percy: 9/10 - I love the concept of this build, as well as the mix of playstyles. All the perks are explained well and, though being a lot, feels well put together and makes sense for what this build was trying to accomplish.

Ely: 5/10 - Good in-depth explanation of modded perks and how they work together for a bit of a non traditional pirate. The swashbuckling combat style keeps the piratey feel and the crafting skill is integrated with the character.

Avg = 7.333

Presentation -

Teccam: 6/10 - Well written and good flow of information. A couple minor typos but no major issues. The table for health/magicka/stamina was an interesting idea, but the formatting feels off. The mod list feels like an inefficient use of space, and the perks section feels overly dense. I also had trouble reading the perk spread. Good use of images. I would reduce the amount of text that is center-aligned and save that for images or other “cut-away” type of content.

Percy: 7/10 - The images are well-done. The perkspread looked cool and fit the theme well, though the font was a bit hard to read. Everything flowed well and was well paced throughout. Some things could have been improved upon.

Ely: 5/10 - Great screenshots and captions. A few grammatical and formatting errors. The perkspread’s font (while cool) is a bit difficult to read. Otherwise, the images and prose help convey a mood.

Avg = 6

Lore -

Teccam: 9/10 - One of the better backstories of the entries, engaging and creative. I’m surprised more people didn’t touch on Thras (or Pyandonea) as most TES canon piratey lore can be traced to those southern islands. The Sload curse and necromantic treasure feels thematically appropriate. I think you did a really good job integrating a non-TES concept/franchise and making it feel at home in the TES world, keeping TES lore central, etc. I’m definitely interested to see your next idea if you have any more builds in the works.

Percy: 9/10 - The lore is fun to read and engaging, as well as being well rooted within TES lore. It really helped the player get a feel for the character. The little snippets throughout worked well and helped keep the pace.

Ely: 7/10 - Skyrim needs more folk myths like this, because I really like it. POTC fits in surprisingly well and some good creative license was taken in transferring it over.

Avg = 8.333

Roleplay -

Teccam: 6/10 - There isn’t much detail in terms of explicit roleplay elements to drive the character. I think enough is implied in the backstory and skill set as well as peppered through the writeup to give a fair idea of how the character should be roleplayed, but some more direction would have been nice.

Percy: 7/10 - There is no explicit roleplaying section, though I feel we get a good feel for the character through the lore but some extra fleshing out would have been appreciated.

Ely: 6/10 - There isn’t a dedicated roleplay section, but I still have a very comprehensive feel about who this character is and how they would interact with the world.

Avg = 6.333

Score 27.9997

Likes = 10+

Total Score 37.9996
- NomadDash > Curse July 27, 2019 at 11:45am
  
  Oh I didn’t realise this was here, thanks for the feedback. I definitely need to streamline my builds more, but I’m happy with that score.
  - Curse > NomadDash July 27, 2019 at 12:30pm
    
    You did really well.
Curse July 4, 2019 at 3:32pm

The Kraken-Born

Gameplay -

Teccam: 5/10 - I think going to level 81 is way overkill; even 50 is generally a pretty hard sell if you want other people to consider playing your build. I also think it leads to a sort of utilitarian takeover that really removes a lot of the swashbuckling theme you are presenting. I would advise trimming some of the skills/perks and emphasizing more of the swashbuckler/kraken stuff, and maybe reigning in some of the power just a bit. You’re using arguably the three strongest items in the game with Windshear, the Ring of the Erudite, and Miraak’s Sword, plus 100% spell absorption and basically every decent perk. Keep in mind that “most powerful build” and “best build” are very different meanings!

Percy: 6/10 - The gameplay is decent. Level 81 is a little overkill and I think the rewrite of the playstyle at level 60 is a bit much. I would recommend integrating the two playstyles together at lower levels. That being said, I do think the playstyles are interesting on their own.

Ely: 3/10 - A level 81 build is daunting at best. The powerleveling of crafting isn’t my cup of tea and doesn’t directly enhance the character or its gameplay. Only getting into the grove at level 60 is another drawback. The symbol of Miraak’s sword being a writhing tentacle is good, but the justification for 100% Spell Absorb (“so Draugr Deathlords can’t disarm you”) feels weak for such an overpowered mechanic.

Avg = 4.6667

Presentation -

Teccam: 5/10 - Awesome lead artwork, but the images get slowly less relevant/thematically appropriate further down. I like that you placed a couple of the images in-line with the text, I think that helps a lot with readability/flow. But it still has some wall-of-text syndrome. I would advise more strong differentiation of headers (either HTML formatting or something like CoolText) to help break up the sections. Using bulleted list and maybe a bit more color and/or bold text to emphasize key elements would also help. There were a few noticeable typos such as “Argonain” and “Stat Ditribution”.

Percy: 5/10 - The artwork at the beginning is really good, but the latter ones feel out of place. The text is not broken up except by bold words, which hurts the readability. Some of the images could be placed in between certain points to help it flow better.

Ely: 4/10 - Nicely spaced with images, no issues with grammar or formatting. Average and unoffensive. Captain Jack is a bit out of place and the lack of Cool Text is a bummer.

Avg = 4.6666

Lore -

Teccam: 7/10 - I get the lovecraftian aesthetic connection between Hermaeus Mora and mythological krakens, but other than the aesthetic, I’m not super sold on the connection. I like it is a justification for being Dragonborn and driving most of the gameplay, but I think it’s missing something to really bind those two themes into a cohesive concept.

Percy: 6/10 - I like the lovecraftian theme of this build, and though it’s not very lore friendly, I wouldn’t mind the hand waving that it would use. It’s also good that the lore helps drive gameplay.

Ely: 6/10 - Decent justification for an Argonian Dragonborn (which I always find troublesome), and a believable background Daedric curse that follows “the rule of cool”. It’s not canon but it fits and I’ll buy it.

Avg = 6.3333

Roleplay -

Teccam: 6/10 - The desire to possess all knowledge is not in itself uninteresting, but again, I think it dilutes from the pirate, swashbuckling, kraken aesthetic. The roleplay integration therefore feels a bit hard to get onboard with. That said, I think you do have some reasonable justification, and you put in some effort to flesh out the character.

Percy: 6/10 - The roleplaying elements of this build are interesting but I don’t think that they really start getting as interesting as they could be until level 60, which is a high level to have your build start to come together. There also isn’t great justification for completing every guild and the book obsession fits with Hermaeus Mora but doesn’t feel like it fits the character or the aesthetic.

Ely: 4/10 - There are few characters who can complete all the guilds and still feel like themselves and I don’t think this is one of them. Even after Hermaeus Mora’s takeover, the obsession with books feels a bit shallow.

Avg = 5.3333

Score 20.9997

Likes = 9+

Total Score 29.9997
Curse July 4, 2019 at 3:34pm

The Sea Ghost

Gameplay -

Teccam: 8/10 - I’ve never been a huge fan of no-crafting builds, as well as builds that put the Ritual stone in the aetherial crown. But I think in some ways they cancel each other out -- no-crafting is less of a handicap when you have such a powerful ace in the hole (used sparingly). The bevy of ghostly artifacts is an interesting idea, but I can’t help feeling like I would only end up using around ⅓ of those items in practice if I played this character. Overall, the gameplay doesn’t look overly groundbreaking or unique, but it does seem engaging enough, and certainly thematically appropriate. I like the special moves. They feel special without being too complex/cumbersome.

Percy: 7/10 - Great work selling a not-super-unique playstyle and using it effectively. I enjoy the artifact idea and the special moves. The gameplay feels fun while not overly unique.

Ely: 7/10 - Good thematic use of frost and storm magic. The “frosty spellsword necromancer” is a good playstyle and sold well, but it’s not terribly inventive. The use of Wrathman is good. Good explanation of mods and how they enhance gameplay.

Avg = 7.3

Presentation -

Teccam: 10/10 - Fantastic work here. The artwork is amazing and appropriate, with really nice stylization on those borders that help push the art into the writeup. Great use of formatting. I like the headers and the little rune artwork that breaks up each section into easily digestible pieces. It all flows together in a logical and very readable stream. Really well done.

Percy: 10/10 - The images are fantastic and fit perfectly with the theme. Every part feels broken up very well and the flow is excellent. The formatting was excellent and every image looked wonderful.

Ely: 10/10 - Fucking excellent. The Nordic icons, the edited images, the Cool Text, the opening story. It’s all very well done and enhances the mood and theme.

Avg = 10

Lore -

Teccam: 10/10 - Demonstrates a very acute and meticulous understanding and implementation of lore, with the in-world text as a foundation. You did a great job bringing it to life with your character. This is a book I hadn’t read before, and you sparked my interest.

Percy: 10/10 - Holy crap, dude. That backstory piece at the top. It immediately drew me in and it amazes me how you took a relatively not well known piece of lore and expanded it into a full build and story. This bit of lore perfectly connected with the other aspects of the build.

Ely: 10/10 - Fully grounded in somewhat obscure yet still Skyrim-based lore that highlights parts of the character and feeds into the pirate theme of curses and the sea.

Avg = 10

Roleplay -

Teccam: 10/10 - Character feels rich and detailed, with clear and compelling motivations that tie well into the contest theme. I’m not enough of a roleplay person to be able to pick apart anything here. I think you went into just the right amount of detail to convey the characterization and the core elements that drive it, without completely laying a color-by-numbers core path.

Percy: 9/10 - The build has excellent roleplaying aspects. The roleplaying seamlessly connects with the lore and gameplay. You know everything about the character that you need to know from reading and no recommended quest feels out of place. Great job!

Ely: 9/10 - Creative use for fast travel. A pirate of souls, rather than coin, is a great interpretation and executed well. There are very clear objectives to complete in-character and the possession element is spooky.

Avg = 9.3333

Score 36.633

Likes = 10+

Total Score 46.633
- Dr. Long-Chapper > Curse July 4, 2019 at 4:12pm
  
  This is very helpful to read, thank you. It's always good to see what others are thinking about your material and I've never had it offered up like that, so it's really appreciated. There is always room for improvement. And that you all had to sit and read through all these builds and not just gloss, but read in depth to understand what's being done. Again, thank you.
  
  I am wincing a bit at my gameplay comments, but I will well admit, it's never been my strength. I do my best with the limitations (no overhaul mods, etc), but yeah, I am not the best button masher and perk mods and special moves make my head spin. That I even had some special moves for this build definitely resulted in smoke coming out of my ears due to the effort and I had to sleep for a good 12 hours afterwards. :D I'll never do that again! What's funny, is that I typically do not play summoners and necromancers, so it was a big step out of my confort zone for me, because the gameplay had to fit the build concept, not how I personally want to play (snek ar'chry all the time!). I hate followers and summons in general because I feel like its sooooo not me earning the victory, you know? Except dogs, I love dogs. If I had my way, you'd get a dog in every darn build I make because, well... dogs.
  
  The images were extremely fun to create, it's a layered smoke effect, so many of the images are composites layered on top of each other. I use PowerPoint.
  
  I've done Companions builds in the past that touch on the legends and stories from The Song of the Return, but not in such a dark way.
  
  Again, thanks for the feedback and the opportunity to participate in this contest. It was great working alongside other talented builders and watching what they came up with. Makes me desire Ordinator very, very much. But I shall have to carry on as a PS4 peasant for quite some time more.
  - Teccam > Dr. Long-Chapper July 4, 2019 at 5:37pm
    
    Mods are interesting in that they open a ton of new doors, but also bring in a slew of issues to overcome -- you expand the pool of gameplay mechanics by orders of magnitude, and you then have to figure out how to concisely and accurately explain what the mods do while still selling the build and keeping it understandable. You can do some great stuff with mods, but they can also be a headache. A good vanilla build is at least universally approachable to any reader.
    
    I tend to be a "gameplay first" builder, which I think is somewhat different from how you approach your builds. But I have to say, it was a seriously impressive submission. Easily one of the best builds I've read in a long time, and every bit worthy of first place. Great job! I still need to read the others you've posted, but I'm sure they will be excellent too.

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