Foreword: Continuing on with my theme of Dragon Age Builds, I have decided to explore the classes of the Blood Mage, Force Mage with a sprinkling of the Entropy school as seen in Dragon Age 2.
The word "Sunder" means to rend, rip, sever, divide; Basically, to tear something to pieces in a very violent manner that is not necessarily limited to the physical sense. And that is exactly what this build excels at. If rending your foes apart body and soul, effortlessly tossing them around the battlefield, and opening up gravatic maelstroms to group them all together for devastating combos all without ever drawing a weapon sounds like your cup of tea then read on as I present to you... The Sunder Mage.Appologies:
I have hit a few rough patches recently and due to several difficult events and family commitments I have had to put the story on hold for the time being. Rest assured I'll get it done as soon as I can, and will have it added into this section of the build. You can expect a thrilling and engaging story which will delve into Imperial politics, The Cyrodiilic Vampyrum Orders heriachy, lots of deceit seduction and manipulation and all the other bells and whistles you might expect from the dark temptress this build revolves around.
There is still much to enjoy within and I appreciate your patience. I've worked painstakingly hard at the concept around this character and it was hard to come to the decision of postponing the story. I however wanted to give you something spooky to look at this Halloween, and The Sunder Mage fitted the bill perfectly. So, sit back relax grab some whiskey, wine or a soda and enjoy the ride dear reader.
All of these mods are available on PC and Xbox One
Essential Mods:
- Sacrosanct
- Ordinator:
- 20 Percent More Perk Points
- Summermyst
- Andromeda Standing Stones
- Imperious:
- Apocalyspe:
- Mage Grip:
Reccomended Mods:
- Alternate Start
- Enchantments unleashed
- Wildcat:
- Wintersun:
- Mortal Enemies
- Rebalanced Encounter Zones
- Thunderchild
- TFM Armour Pack VI
- Witcher 3 Female Armors
Imperial Vampire: As an Imperial Ceryse will gain several passive abilities, some of which she has melded greatly to her advantage to empower her already terrifying grasp of Blood Magic even further.
- Discipline: In combat, nearby allies gain bonus armor and attack damage
- Imperial Virtues: Randomly gain bonus Health, Magicka or Stamina regeneration when entering combat.
- The Human Spirit: At levels 10/20/30, you may change your Attributes (Health +100, Stamina -50)/Resistances (Fire +50%, Poison -25%)/Skills (Restoration +20 and Conjuration - 20, Warrior skills do not matter, Speech +20 and Light Armor -20).
- Colovian Star (Power): Unlocked by completing 20 quests around Skyrim. Ceryse can use this to regain lost magicka and stamina and fortify them by the amount restored.
- Cult of Shadows (Vampire): Praying at a shrine will increase magicka and Stamina by 25 points, but the normal shrine effect is reversed.
Standing Stone: The Mage - The disciplined nature of this stone make it a great choice for Ceryse. The stone boasts a trio of magic focused effects.
- Power of the Arcane: Spells are 10% more effective. Scrolls are 20% more effective.
- Mage's Path: Learn all Mage skills 10% faster.
- Ultimate Power (Unlockable): After finding all 13 standing stones gain this once a day power. It will allow Ceryse to choose one of three random schools of magic. Spells are twice as effective and cost half as much for 60 seconds.
Name: Ceryse Vinicius
Gender: Female
Age: 427
Religious Views: As a member of the Cyrodiilic Vampyrum Order, Ceryse worships both the Daedric Prince's Molag Bal and Clavicus Vile, as well as holding Lamae Bal in high esteem.
Affiliations: Cyrodiilic Vampyrum Order
Morality/Personality: Lawful Evil. Ceryse is a calculated, manipulative socialite and provocateur. What others observe as a “warm and playful" personality is but a façade to hide her true self.Those she can’t manipulate through her allure or Illusions are met with the torturous and crushing pain of telekinetic and Blood magics.
Find All Standing Stones: The Standing Stones of Skyrim are said to contain ancient and powerful magic. And ancient and powerful magic is undoubtably something The Vampyrum Order is interested in. Find them all.
Dawnguard (Volkihar): Ceryse’s main reason for coming to the Northern province. Harkon’s foolish blundering is putting vampire existence at risk. Infiltrate and assimilate into his court to put an end to his idiocy once and for all.
Hunt down Feral Vampires: By quelling the feral scum that hide in caves and ruins, Ceryse can assert The Orders supremacy over these lesser “creatures”.
Thane Quests: No stranger to courtly intrigue, Ceryse will gain the trust of those in power, coveting their knowledge and secrets for the betterment of The Order.
College of Winterhold: The mages of Skyrim harbour many intriguing curiosities from the arcane to the mundane. Ceryse “enrols” under the guise of a “Novice” to seek out what the college is hiding within its walls.
Civil War (Imperial) - A Stormcloak victory is ill advised, and should be avoided at all costs. The Order has considerable influence and sway within The Imperial Legion, see that they win this war no matter the cost.
House of Horrors: As the patron father to all vampires, Ceryse will gladly aid Molag Bal in his desire.
Main Quest (At least to Diplomatic Immunity): Ceryse finds herself caught up in an ancient and terrible prophecy. As fate would have it, it’s up to her - a vampire to save Nirn from imminent doom.
Quests for Master Neloth: The old wizard of House Telvani knows many things, aiding him with some of his research may prove to be mutually beneficial.
Destroy the Dark Brotherhood: The Order has heard whispers that there is someone attempting to get the Dark Brotherhood to take a contract on the Emperor. The emperor’s death would bring too much instability to Cyrodiil, see that he lives. To get the brotherhoods attention all that stands in Ceryse’s way is an old hag. Kill her and the Brotherhood will soon reveal itself from the shadows, allowing Ceryse to strike the head off of the snake.
Bards College: The Bards out of Solitude are known for their silver tongues and quick wits. Ceryse joins to see if there is a thing or two she might be able to garner from the colleges library.
Black Books: There are rumoured to be several ancient tomes of eldritch power hidden away on the Island of Solstheim. Acquire their knowledge for the glory of The Order.
A Daedra's Best Friend: As Clavicus Vile is a patron of The Vampyrum Order Ceryse will aid Barbus in returning to his side.
Early Game Gear:
- Black Mage Robes - Simple robes found commonly in mage camps.
- Ring of Fortify Restoration/Destruction/Alteration or Illusion - An easy to find trinket, found as loot or purchased from Radiant Raiment.
- Amulet of Resist fire - An essential enchantment to have early game, it is easily found as loot or is purchaseable from merchants.
Mid to End Game Gear:
- Sunder Mage Robes (Enchanted) - Necromage Robes enchanted with; Deep Breath (X % chance to reduce shout cool down to 3 seconds), and Fortify Health Regeneration.
- Sunder Mage Gloves (Enchanted) - Necromage Gloves enchented with; Fortify Illusion and Destruction.
- Sunder Mage Boots (Enchanted) - Necromage boots enchanted with; Fortify Health Regeneration and Illusion
- Life Drinker (Enchanted) - Yennefer's Amulet Enchanted with; Fortify Restoration and Fortify Health Regeneration.
- Sanguine Circlet - Gold Ruby Circlet enchanted with; Fortify Alteration and Health Regeneration.
- Blood Ring (Enchanted) - Bone Hawk Ring enchanted with; Fortify Restoration and Influence: Fear (Enemies within X distance have a chance to flee in terror), or...
- Ring of the Erudite - A powerful vampiric trinket which greatly augments magicka and magic regenerarion, or...
- Ring of the Beast - An ancient vampiric artifact that raises health by 100 points.
Spells: (Modded and CC content are marked with a *, note that vampiric related spells and powers will be covered in the vampirism section).
Restoration:
- Welling Blood*
- Blood Boil*
- Close Wounds
- Resurgence*
- Natures Balance*
Alteration:
- Flesh Spells
- Equilibrium
- Paralyze
- Ocato’s Recital*
- Spell Twine*
- Knowledge is Power*
- Paralysis Rune*
- Tumble Magnet*
- Mage Grip*
- Malviser’s Gauntlet*
Illusion:
- Frenzy
- Fear
- Calm
- Compelling Whispers*
- Blood for Blood*
- Shared Trauma*
- Empathic Agony*
- Enslave the Weak*
Destruction:
- Frost Rune
- Wall of Frost
- Whirlwind Cloak
Conjuration: (Conjuration is neither perked or trained)
- Soul Trap
- Conjure Dremora Lord (Acquired from Soul Cairn merchant)
- Conjure Wrathman
Shouts:
- Unrelenting Force
- Cyclone
- King’s Bane*
- Slow Time
- Bend Will
- become Ethereal
- Dismay
Special Magical Effects, Spells, Powers and Perks:
Knowledge is Power - This is a unique spell in that it allows any spell to be stored as a once a day power. For Ceryse this means she is able to "make a pact" to gain high level summons to use as fodder once a day.With the use of this power no time training Conjuration is needed. Both the Wrathman and Dremora Lord spell tomes can be acquired whilst in the Soul Cairn.
Spell Twine - Spell Twine allows Ceryse to link certain effects to her spells when she casts them. Blood Boil should be linked with; Crystal: Magic Resist + 15% for 10 seconds. This will help mitigate the self inflicted damage that this spell incurrs. Equilibrium should be linked with; Rock: Weapon Damage taken - 15% for 5 seconds. This allows for safer casting reducing the chance of being felled by a stray arrow when Ceryse is low on health. Empathic Agony should be linked with Flow: Spells are 20% cheaper for 5 seconds. This makes any spells cast imediately after Empathic Agony such as Blood Boil to be cheaper to use.
Ocatos Recital - An extremely useful spell that allows 3 self cast spells to be linked and trigger when combat initates. Whirlwind Cloak, Ebonyflesh and Resurgence should all be selected as spells of choice. Being under the effect of a flesh spell not only will trigger Mage Armor but also any effects chosen from Welloc's Dormant Arcana and the Distorted Shape perk. Whirlwind Cloak will ensure enemies are kept at bay by routinely sending them reeling. Resurgence will trigger whenever Ceryse's health drops below 50% while it is active. When it triggers it will provide a surge of healing for the remainder of it's duration. Ceryse's fervent use of Equilibrium, Blood Boil and Blood Revel ensures that this effect triggers offten.
Wellcoc's Dormant Arcana - With Welloc's Dormant Arcana linked to a Flesh Spell, Ceryse gains a significant buff to her Restoration and Destuction magic power (+10 %) and to her magicka pool (+ 50) whenever she is effected by said spell.
Wild Shrines - There are several Wild Shrines scattered around Skyrim. Each provides Ceryse a particular buff to a school of magic. Alteration + 30% duration, Destruction + 15% Magnitude, Illusion + 15% Magnitude, Restoration + 15% Magnitude and Conjuration +30% Duration.
Spirit Tutors - Two Spirit Tutors roam Skyrim. When found they will each confer one blessing that will increaase the power of Ceryse's Restoration spells by 1% per 20 points of base magicka.
Arcane Thesis - Obtaining this perk will allow Ceryse to push the power of her Blood Boil Spell even further. Obtaining a 20 % outgoing damage boost.
Alter Self Attribute/Resistances - Ceryse is able to alter her biolgy through her understanding of Blood Magic. This will allow her to gain a 25% Boost to both Fire and Shock Resistance as well as a permenant 50 point boost to health.
Wheel of Life - A useful abillity that allows Ceryse to be healed once every 30 seconds as long as she has not used a healing spell within those 30 seconds. Now this spell has saved my life a fair few times but it has one significant drawback you should be aware of before perking it. It very Ironicaly clasess Equilibrium as a healing spell. Which means if Ceryse has used Equilibrium in the last 30 seconds she will not be getting healed.
Ethereal Spirit - Meditating on Feim (Become Ethereal) with Paarthurnax grants Ceryse a 25% bonus in health regeneration. The regeneration becomes particularly potent when coupled with her Fortify Health Regeneration enchantments, making it a very good option to use when she is running low on both health and magicka.
The Human Spirit - This is arguably one of the most essential passives in this build. At levels 10, 20 and 30 Ceryse is able to select several game changing buffs. At level 10 you should choose +100 Health and - 50 Stamina. At level 20 you should choose + 50% Fire Resist and - 25% Poison Resist. At level 30 - You should choose the following, Mage Skills: Restoration + 20 Conjuration - 20, Warrior skills are Irrelevent, Thief Skills: Speech + 20 Light Armor - 20.
Attributes: 1:4:0 (Perk magicka until you reach around 220 points then focus solely on health)
Major:
Alteration - Through the use of Alteration and ancient rituals Ceryse has learned to alter her physiolgy to better accomodate her use of Blood Magic and Telekinetic abilities.
Perks of Note:
- Geomancer - If wearing robes and no armor, you take 30% less damage from attacks while charging or concentrating on a spell.
- Alteration Dual Casting - Dual casting an Alteration spell empowers it, increasing effectivness and cost. (Used for equilibrium).
- Mage Armor - Protection Spells like Stoneflesh are up to 200% stronger if wearing only robes.
Restoration - Restoration can harm as well as heal. Ceryse has learned how to corrupt this noble school of magic and use it to stricken her enemies with potent curses and boil the blood within their veins.
Perks of Note:
- Edge Walker - Restoration spells are up to 30% more powerful if the recipient is bellow half health. The bonus increases as health decreases.
- Chalice of Tears - If you are diseased or undead, your Restoration spells are 15% stronger and last 50% longer.
- Restoration Dual Casting - Dual casting a Restoration spel empowers it, increasing effectivness and cost.
Illusion - Years upon years of making mortals her play things has given Ceryse an uncanny grasp of Illusion, that is only amplified by her vampiric blood. She can easily enthral or bend the will of even the most resilient of minds.
Perks of Note:
- Soulcrusher - Feast upon the minds of those affected by a Fear spell or effect within the radius of imposing presence, absorbing 25 points of magicka per second.
- Nightfall - Those affected by a Frenzy spell or effect within he radius of imposing presence are consumed by battle a hunger when there are no other enemies remainin taking 40 points of damage per second.
- Dream Geas - Activate sleeping victims to send a "dream" that compels them to fight at your side until released or they are slain. You can only have one dream thrall at a time. Chance to fail and wake up the victim based on Illusion skill.
Destruction - With a keen understanding of Frost and Blood Magic Ceryse can freeze the blood of her victims where they stand, or just as effortlessly rend them from the inside out, sometimes so violently they are torn asunder.
Perks of Note:
- Robe of the Magi - If wearing robes and no light or heavy armor, Destruction spells are 30% more powerful.
- Elemental Specialization - (Frost) You may choose one element. Spells and effects of that element are 15% more powerful, while spells and effects of the other two elements are 15% weaker.
- Hypothermia - Frost spells paralyze living targets below 25% health if they are not frost resistant.
Minor:
Enchanting - Ceryse has a more than capable grasp in the art of enchanting. Easily able to imbue magical effects of her desire onto gear as she pleases.
Perks of Note:
- Regalia - New enchantments placed upon robes, circlets, hoods and necklaces are 30% more powerful.
- Attunement - All enchantments on equipped weapons and armor are 10% more powerful and last 10% longer.
- Twin Enchantment - Can place two enchantments upon the same item.
Speech - Ceryse’s provocative charm and allure has granted her a very persuasive and alluring presence, not only that but she has learnt how to use the Th’um to great effect.
Perks of Note:
- And the Universe Listens - Shouting restores points of Health, Magicka and Stamina equal to your shout cooldown in seconds. You gain Speech experience when shouting based on your shout cooldown.
- Force Redoubled 2/2 - 50% chance to reduce the cooldown of any shout to 3 seconds.
- Th'um of War - Your shouts stagger nearby enemies within 25 feet, reducing armor rating by 300 points for 10 seconds and knocking enemies below 25% Health to the ground.
- Manifesto Cyrodiil Vampyrum Order -
To you whom We have seen
Stalking at night by eyes keen
Transcendant of savages
Sating thirst sans avarice
Your coffers stay stuffed
By social graces robust
None know your nature;
save Us
None share your fate;
save Us
None welcome you as kin;
save Us
Below you will find all of the essential Sacrosanct perks you will need to play this build
Vampire:
Wassail - Lose humanity below 25% Health in combat, draining Health, Magicka and Stamina until combat ends. Also reduces them by 10 points until you feed.
Blood Revel - (Power) In combat, gain 25% bonus attack damage and spell effectiveness for 120 seconds or until combat ends, but activate Wassail. (Only when not sated, unless you have King among Kine).
Blood Cauldron - (Power) Expend some of your Vampiric blood to replenish Health, Magicka and Stamina, becoming thirstier. (Only when sated).
Flaywind - (Greater Power) Target person within 10 feet flees while vampire bats absorb 25 Health per second for 30 seconds. If the target dies, counts as feeding. (Only while blood starved, unless you have King among Kine).
Vampires Seduction - (Greater Power) Silently bewitches a person up to level 10 for 30 seconds, calming them and allowing you to feed. (Can be used in combat).
Vampiric Age:
King Among Kine - You no longer lose any powers when feeding.
Oberon's Grail: Reduces the chance to fall victim to Wassail in combat by 75%.
Vicissitude: Hemomancy spells other than Blood Seed do 25% more damage to targets affected by Blood Seed.
Blue Blood Quest:
Potence - Vampiric strength grants 15% more attack damage, increased to 30% when Sated.
Tooth and Claw - Your attacks deal 25% more damage to targets affected by a Hemomancy spell such as Blood Seed.
Vampire Lord Form:
Starving Artist - In mortal form, Hemomancy spells used against people absorb Health equal to 25% of their base damage (dealing that much extra damage and healing the caster for the same amount). Killing people with Hemomancy spells advances your Vampire Lord perks.
Make Them Beautiful - In mortal form, Hemomancy spells used against people have 25% chance to tear apart victims below 25% Health, instantly killing them.
Blood From a Stone - Blood Magic, the Raze spell in your right hand and Hemomancy in mortal form can now damage Daedra and automatons.
Curtain Call - Hemomancy: Briefly pacifies people affected by a different Hemomancy spell before decapitating them, killing them instantly
White Wolf - Your Vampire's Seduction power now works on targets 15 levels higher and you may Drain people under its effect regardless of how thirsty you are. Additionally, Draining a sleeping or seduced victim advances Vampire Lord perks.
Dragon at midnight - You gain 4 perk points to spend in your other perk trees. However, when you are Blood Starved, contact with Sunlight will instantly destroy you!
Hemomancy Spells:
Blood Seed: (Apprentice) Jagged bone shards grow in a living or undead target, dealing 6 magic damage for 10 seconds. (1 draining)
Blood Brand: (Adept) Living or undead target takes 5 magic damage per second. After 10 seconds, detonates for 100 damage. (3 drainings)
Blood Garden: (Adept) Casts Blood Seed on all targets (AOE), inflicting 10 magic damage for 10 seconds. (6 drainings)
Blood Scourge: (Expert) Living or undead target takes 20 magic damage for 15 seconds. On death, spreads to all nearby targets. (10 drainings)
Blood Ankh: (Expert) Hexes the corpse of a living or undead being, causing it to levitate and explode for 200 magic damage. (15 drainings).
Profaned Sun: (Master) Flaming star that follows the target for 20 seconds, dealing 25 magic and fire damage to living targets near it. (21 drainings)
Blood Magic: Nothing inspires as much wild-eyed terror as the Blood Mage. Mages of this type take the raw energy of life and twist it to their own purposes. They can corrupt and control, and sustain their power by consuming the health of others, willing or not. The effects can be vile, but this specialization isn't limited to madmen and monsters. Many see it as the only form of magic that is truly free, because it's tied to the physical, not favors to spirits or demons. It remains an undeniably violent and self-destructive discipline, however, the Blood Mage must be careful. The temptation to take just a little more is always there. - Dragon Age 2 Blood Mage Specialization.
Dark Sustenance – Empathic Agony + Equilibrium
- Ceryse, creates a sinster psychic bond, allowing her blood fueled spells to tap into the life force of her enemies and restore her mana.
Hemorrhage - Empathic Agony + Blooboil + Equilibrium
- A seductively powerful spell combo that tears enemies assunder but also rapidly drains Ceryse's own life force.
Blood Aura – Blood Revel + Wassail + Empathic Agony
- Ceryse's Blood Magic is so potent it harms any nearby.
Death Hex – Welling Blood + Blood Brand
- Cursing her target with a powerful hex Ceryse, ensures her foes will fall swifly in a bloody explosion of gore.
Bloody Grasp – Mage Grip + Blood Boil or Malsiver’s Gauntlet + Blood Boil
- Enemies are held helplessly in a Deathgrip while Ceryse boils the blood in their veins.
Thrall Plague – Calm + Compelling Whispers, Dream Thrall or Bend Will+ Blood Brand + Blood Scourge
- Ceryse enslaves the mind of an enemy or uses one of her thralls. She then imbues them with potent blood magic that will quickly obliterate them and any nearby foes.
Corpse Curse - Dead Body + Tumble magnet+ Paralyisis Rune + Blood Ankh.
- Ceryse pulls enemies into the middle of a gravatic surge paralyzing them while a corpse is infected with a potent curse that explodes for high damage.
Deaths Finale - Ring of the Erudite + Tumble Magnet + Blood Garden + Curtain Call
- Ceryse tears her enemies into a vortex and corrupts them with an intense surge of Blood Magic, slaying them violently.
Reign in Blood – Ultimate Power + Blood Revel + Dual Cast Blood Boil
- Tapping into the very darkest depths of her vampiric blood, Ceryse unleashes a devastating torrent of unbriddled blood magic.
Maelstrom of Chaos – Tumble Magnet + Frenzy or Frenzy Rune + AOE spell
- Enemies are torn toward the centre of a gravatic maelstrom and are infected with mind bending blood magic, that forces them to fight one another. They are also left open to number of AOE spells like Blood Garden or Blood Scourge.
Telekinetic Barrier – Ocatos Recital (Loaded with Flesh Spell, Resurgence and Whirlwind Cloak).
- A powerful barrier envelopes Ceryse against incoming damage, and even has a chance of sending foes reeling.
Winters Ruin – Frost Runes (Ancient Seals) + Mage Grip
- Ceryse rips an enemy across several frost runes and holds them while they ravaged by the bitter cold.
Blood Pact - Knowledge is Power + Conjure Dremora Lord or Wrathman
- Through the art of a dark ritual Ceryse is able to call upon a denizen of Oblivion to aid her in battle once a day.
Gameplay:
Taking direct inspiration from Dragon Age's Force and Blood Magic specializations, Ceryse is capable of of a myriad of devastatingly effective spell combinations, making her a true force to be reckoned with. Adept at crowd control, sustained damage and a slew of mitigating debuffs there is rarely a situation that her magic cannot handle. Able to easily switch between dealing heavy amounts damage and locking enemies down, her repertoire of skills makes for an exciting gameplay experience with a multitude of approaches to different combat scenarios.
Fueled by Blood:
With the inclusion of the Haemomancy spells from Sacrosanct and several spells from Apocalypse and the base game there are plenty of Blood Magic themed spells for Ceryse to play with.
At its heart there are four very essential spells and powers that make this build work. Equilibrium, Empathic Agony, Blood Revel and wassail. As you have well guessed by now everything The Sunder Mage is capable of relies on Blood Magic. Ceryse’s mana pool is very low by design, but her Health is extremely high thus she needs to replenish her mana regularly by sacrificing her life force with the use Equilibrium. Enter - Empathic Agony. With this awesome spell I have made a very effective way of making sure Ceryse’s enemies are always hurting. Empathic Agony is an AOE expert level Illusion spell added by Apocalypse. When cast on a target it will ensure that 40% of any damage felt by the caster is reflected back at the target. This is where the use Equilibruium and the power of Blood Revel to activate Wassail comes in handy, as they will act as a constant health drain on enemies so as long they are under the effect of Empathic Agony.Making this an extremely effective way to make the most out of Equilibrium's and Wassail's self harming effects.
But the power of Blood Magic does not stop there. With the many buffs to Restoration, the “Arcane Thesis” perk, Blood Revel and the “Ultimate Power” power from the Mage Stone; Ceryse is capable of pushing her Blood Boil spell to the extreme. When the spell is dual cast it has the potential of reaching numbers that exceed more than 600 DPS and boasts an extremely wide area of effect. It is worth noting that this is only sustainable once a day and for a short period due to her low mana pool, though most things will have well and truly perished by then.
A note on the Equilibrium spell. If you have Console Commands or the Cheat Room mod it is highly recommended that you add this spell to your knowledge as soon as possible. Failing that, prioritize doing the College of Winterholds questline as early as possible so that you can obtain the spell from within Labyrinthian.
The Force Unleashed:
The true capability of Telekinetic Force is fully realised and explored with this builds plethora of ways to slow, stagger, stun and send enemies flying in surges of raw telekinetic power. Ceryse has tapped into a truly unmatched and dark side of Force Magic that many mages only dream of weilding. With spells and shouts like Mage Grip, Tumble Magnet, Unrelenting Force and King’s Bane, Ceryse can rip foes off their feet with a powerful force choke, group them together to set up extremely effective and devastating combos or cast them aside like dust in the wind.
Complete Control:
Illusion magic and enchantments offer Ceryse the abilty to enrapture, terrorize or utterly unhinge her adversaries. She is capable of enthralling her targets to fight for her, turning foes on each other creating a psychic blood bond that ensures any pain she feels they do too. This school of magic ensures she remains in complete control of the battlefield at all times.
Combat:
- Initiating Combat: Whenever entering combat “Telekinetic Barrier” will automatically activate granting Ceryse an instant buff. When facing a large group, it is optimal to open with casting Maelstrom of Chaos followed up by “Dark Sustenance” or “Hemorrhage”. If the group is full of particularly high-level adversaries “Deaths Finale” is preferential. Singular tough enemies are perfect targets for the “Thrall Plague” ability when they are backed by weaker allies. Lone enemies are prime targets for “Bloody Grasp”, Winters Ruin or “Death Hex”.
- Melee Enemies: Melee enemies are among the easiest for Ceryse to deal with. She has a number of very useful spells and abilities to ensure that they never get close enough to swing a blade at her. Try to group these types together or frenzy them they will fall quick and easy to any of Ceryse’s many talents.
-
Magic Users/Dragons: With Ceryse’s high resistance to elemental damage Mages are seldom too much of an issue apart from Lightning Wielders. When facing such foes paralysis, fear and calm spells and the “Bloody Grasp” ability are quite useful at disabling them. When against dragons Ceryse can stand before most of their frost and Fire attacks and can engage them openly with powerful Hemomancy spells making the most of “Vicissitude’s” bonus and a liberal use of the Become Ethereal shout.
-
Archers: Archers pose a relative hassle, though can be dealt with easily. Abilities like “Winters Ruin” and “Death Hex” are Perfect for taking them out of the picture.
-
Dwemer Automatons: Dwemer machines are among the toughest bunch for Ceryse to deal with at low levels with many of her skills useless against them until later. It is advised to get the “Blood from a Stone” and “Master of the Mind” perks as soon as possible to overcome this weakness. Once these skills have been acquired they can be dealt with like most ranged or melee opponents.
Gameplay Videos:
Below I have two gameplay videos for you to view at your leisure. They show a fair bit but not all of what this character is capable of. Watch and Enjoy.
Thank You:
Firstly, I’d like to thank Lee and Kendrix for being awesome sounding boards throughout Ceryse’s journey I couldn’t have got here without you guys. A big thanks to Curse for designing the awesome “More Builds” banner and providing some great feed back throughout the making of this character. And thanks to everyone else who lent an ear or a word of wisdom, there truly are more than a few of you and you all have my sincere grattitude.
I’d like to state that the art used is not my own (Except for screen shots). Much of it was sourced from Pinterest. So, any accolades should be given to the respective authors of said art.
Lastly thanks to you reader. I sincerely hope you enjoyed the Sunder Mage. This won’t be the last you see of Ceryse so keep your eyes peeled!
If you enjoyed the Sunder Mage I have more builds, just follow the banner below.
Thanks again guys - Furrion
Replies
Made a few updates to presentation and ordering of content as well as some minor grammar fixes. The build will now more closely resemble the layout of the other builds I have done. I appreciate all of the helpful feedback that you guys have posted but I chose to switch the layout back to how it was originally due to personal preference. This ordering just feels more natural to me. There are certainly plenty of additional points made that have given me a heap to think about for the next build i do when ever that may be.
Wow I am late to the party but man was this a great read. Although I don't know the full grounding of it as I am unfamiliar with the source material of Dragon Age. But man, this is truly a top notch build.
Looking at the gameplay videos, this is surely one of those builds that not only works really well but looks and feels awesome. That aesthetic part is key for me because it gives you that real sense of power and epicness that makes all these abilities super satisfying to pull off.
I also really appreciate that this build sports a very high risk/skill = high reward playstyle. Those are always super fun. Watching you drop yourself to low health in those gameplay videos had me on the edge of my seat, but I was enthralled as the enemies around you just got melted. I know from experience that the spell weaving mechanics between Apocalypse, Ordinator, and Sacrosanct are really complex to wrap your head around, but you have nailed it my firend. I look forward to the backstory when it comes out.
Sorry it took me so long to get around to reading thus, but man was it worth the wait. Excellent build man, I can see for sure the amount of time and effort you poured in.
Suuuper late reply to you mate, I'm sorry.
I'll start by saying, Play Dragon Age now. You don't know what you're missing out on. DO IT.
Jokes aside. Thank you very much for dropping by with your thoughts Pixel! I am thrilled to see that the High-Risk high reward gameplay shines through. It certainly was nerve-wracking at times. It kinda felt like a gamble for power at times. Sacrifice health for more spells and damage but risk a stray arrow that could kill you. Part of the reason I tried making an emphasis on being able to crowd control with Illusion and Alteration spells was so the character could in theory safely risk being at such low health often. Empathic Agony paired so well with Equilibrium and Blood Boil, it seemed a crime not use them in tandem. There certainly was a lot of mechanics to get my head around with those mods, and I'm glad I've explained it in a way that shows just how well this build can take advantage of the specific skills and perks held within said mods.
Thanks again mate. It really is great to read such high praise :)
I'm not familiar with ordinator or many of the spells/powers used in this build but they're all explained throughly and I can see how fluid and destructive they are together - even more so after watching the gameplay videos. Looking forward to when the backstory drops!
One thing I'd like to know, is how should we play the early game, before one is able to get their full repertoire of spells and whatnot.
Knowing what to go after first to get my build up and running would be handy
Mage grip. You can find that in Silver drift lair by the word wall. Then you will want to focus on getting Equilibrium pronto. Either via cheating it into your inventory or by running the College quest line. Equilibrium really is the crutch of the build. Without it you'll be running out of magicka a heap. You'll also want to drain as many people as you can to get haemomancy spells. And just spend any surplus money on trainers to help level your skills faster. I focused on Restoration so I could get Blood Boil as fast as I could.
That makes sense, I need to remember to visit the college often between level-ups
Also, any recommendations for followers? I got Inigo, bc of course, but I'm not sure who else would work well with all the AoE going on with this build
I didn't use too many followers. Serana I did use a little. But mostly I found the character was powerful enough without needing any help. You can make your own follower thralls through Illusion perks spells and vampirism also.
Unrelated question: how do you make the necromage armor? I have the charcoal it asks for, but apparently it's not the right charcoal? What gives?
There are, IRC, two types of charcoal. The long thin one, and the thicker, rectangular one
-
1
-
2
-
3
-
4
of 4 Next