Character Build Showcase: The Black Dragon

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14275539?profile=RESIZE_710xHello and welcome back to another weekly build showcase! In these showcase’s we take a build that is a stellar example of what the site has to offer and feature it prominently on the homepage for a week. You never know when it might be your own in the spotlight! Last week we had JustJam’s terrifyingly amazing Rotting Beast, an Argonian who is adept at making all things associated with poison and disease work in beautiful synergy to make for a real powerhouse of debilitations. This week we are taking to the shadows with Avispon’s Black Dragon, based off of ESO's Lyra Viria. With some serious skills in subterfuge and plenty of enticing ways to approach combat The Black Dragon promises for both an awesome and diverse playthrough. The build also boasts one of the most impressive and natural story arcs I’ve seen in a while. Here is a snippet of what you can expect from the build….

 WHO IS LYRA VIRIA?

Lyra is the main antagonist in the Elder Scrolls Online Dark Brotherhood storyline. Without spoiling the entire story, she at one point served the Dark Brotherhood as a Silencer, and later betrayed the Family as the Black Dragon—the First Sword and right hand of a corrupt priest of Akatosh. Eventually she abandoned Akatosh as well, and when if the player defeats her, her soul is hauled off to the Void. For reference she appears in two in-game journals, her own (The Black Dragon’s Journal) and that of her erstwhile Brother, Green-Venom-Tongue (Venom’s Sanctuary Marginalia) 

The chaos of the 4th Era threatens Sithis and Akatosh, and their influence on Mundus, as much as it does Skyrim’s people. This playthrough assumes that these gods strike desperate bargains with Lyra, who was once a powerful avatar for both of them. She accepts their quests, but her former experiences have left her wary of trusting blindly in gods or their proxies. She seeks redemption but also freedom and independence from Sithis, Akatosh and the shackles of any Tamrielic religion. 

Is she up to fulfilling their tasks? Will she succumb to the same weaknesses that once led her astray, or will she find a new resolve and achieve true freedom?

GAMEPLAY:

Lyra's mastery of her various skills, combined with the power of her enchantments, opens up new avenues for combat. She is more capable in each discipline, and also learns to combine those disciplines in creative ways. I forced myself back into stealth mode every so often to keep things diverse, but eventually Lyra had no need for the shadows and could tussle with anyone and anything in the game.

COMBAT MOVES:

Dawnbreaker of Smiting: Regular Attack, Forward Power Attack, Sideways Power Attack, Varied Attacks.

All one-handed perks come together in this deadly maneuver. Lyra's regular attack boosts subsequent power attack damage (Cross Cut), her forward power attack sets the enemy bleeding (Falling Sword), her sideways power attack knocks the enemy back (Windswept), and if they are not already dead, their low health and bleed state will cause her next attacks to do massive damage (Falling Sword). Takes a bit of practice. Use of the actual Dawnbreaker sword against the undead is optional, but extremely satisfying.

Forward Momentum: Survival Instinct & Tempting Fate Perks, Dodged Power Attack, Slow Time (one word).

This is a cousin of the beloved Quick Reflexes / Slow Time glitch. By dodging a power attack while activating Slow Time, you will be 30% faster while everyone else slows down. You are channeling Akatosh's time mastery to create a wide speed differential between you and your enemies for a short window of opportunity.

Ritual of Retribution: Warrior’s Flame Perk, Related Perks.

As noted above. You merely need to be present and this "move" will occur on its own. With all of the restoration perks listed, Lyra will randomly (and with fair frequency) become nearly unstoppable for 10-second chunks of time, while sapping her enemies’ strength and straight up roasting the undead.

Eye of the Storm: Shadowbond, 3x Lightning Rune, Any Ranged Attack.

Lyra combines the stealth of Sithis with the power of Akatosh with this attack. Shadowbond turns you and an enemy invisible, and when you break that invisibility you swap places with that enemy. Cast three runes from stealth at your feet, then cast Shadowbond, then break stealth however you wish. You will appear where your enemy was, and he or she will appear on top of your runes and, as they say, will get rekt. Combined with Demolition Job, few enemies can survive this. Fortunately for game balance, this move is a pain to set up, so you won’t be tempted to use it that often.  

WRAPPING THINGS UP

If a hardy resourceful Nightblade is up your alley, look no further, you’ve found one of the best! Avispon has done a very awesome job with this character – particularly for their first foray into character building, so pop on over and give The Black Dragon a like and a read, and be sure to tell Avispon your thoughts. And so, we come to the end, thank you for checking out this week’s build showcase and keep an eye open next week because your build could be up next!

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Comments

  • Congratulations Avispon! A well deserved feature. 

  • You guys! Thanks so much - really cool to see this featured. 

    • No problem mate you've earned it! The Black Dragon is a true gem.

    • I’ve actually played this build and thoroughly enjoyed it. Spotlight well deserved.

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