This build has been a long time coming. Kaiser and I first conceived this baby nearly a year ago, at the dawn of the "Classes" Character Building Event. After all manner of distractions, we finally buckled down and got it done.
This was my first collaboration to actually make it past the preliminary testing phase, and it's so rewarding to have seen it evolve. Working with another person, you minimize inefficiency and maximize the potential for awesomeness. I am confident in saying that, for both Kaiser and me, this has been one of the most entertaining playthroughs we've experienced. We hope you enjoy it as much as we have!
THE SAPIARCH
The Crystal Tower was once the pinnacle of magical knowledge and experimentation in Tamriel — until it was destroyed during the Great Anguish. And though the tower itself no longer stands, its power and influence continue to play a key role in the magical community in the Summerset Isles. A society of brilliant arcanists continues to operate under the same framework that was used eras ago, when the tower stood proud. The leaders of this community are called SAPIARCHS, and even amongst the High Elves, their magical abilities are supreme.
There are only a few known Sapiarchs, and each is exceptionally knowledgeable in his or her chosen field. They are, essentially, magical specialists in one area or another. Example titles include: Sapiarch of Oblivion Study, Sapiarch of Enchantment, Sapiarch of Mythohistory, etc. This broad scope provides a lot of room for roleplay and customization, as the player is able to be the Sapiarch of whatever they desire (e.g., the Sapiarch of Arcane Defense, as Kaiser and I have chosen).
Race » Altmer
Attributes » 2 Health / 3 Magicka / 0 Stamina
Standing Stone » Atronach & Apprentice (via Aetherial Crown)
Major Skills » Archery, Alchemy, Alteration, Conjuration
Minor Skills » Destruction, One-Handed, Restoration
Shouts » Marked for Death, Slow Time, Disarm
Spells » Fireball, Bound Bow, Bound Sword, Ebonyflesh
THE BUILD
Now you know the lore and the skills, and may have figured out that this is a Witchhunter. But what makes this guy any different than the dozens of other witchhunters here on the blog? Let us explain!
In the early game, the Sapiarch plays much like a standard archer with some magic mixed in. You’re going to want to nab the Adept Conjuration perk as soon as you can and sprint through Fort Amol to grab Conjure Bound Bow. You should also consider grabbing the Diadem of the Savant from outside Froki's Shack. Combat skills will of course be a priority as you begin to find your way throughout Skyrim.
The midgame is where this character begins to get interesting. You’ll want to push through the Dawnguard questline until you get to the Soul Cairn. Once you are able to enter the Soul Cairn, find the ten pages from St. Jiub’s Opus and complete his quest to obtain the Locket of St. Jiub. This trinket plays an incredibly important role for the character: It is what allows us to obtain unlimited Stamina!
This trick is similar to the Unlimited Concentration Casting glitch observed in Mason’s Seraphim. The Stamina mechanic is a bit different from Magicka however: As many of you know by now, as long as you have any amount of Stamina above 0.00, you are able to power attack, sprint, or do pretty much any other action that requires Stamina. Well, this glitch makes it impossible for the player's Stamina to drain all the way down to 0.00 (most likely due to rounding errors within the game engine). Here’s how to achieve this:
- Do NOT put any points into your stamina pool, it must be at its base 100 for this glitch to work!
- Obtain St. Jiub’s locket. (This can be done using other pieces of equipment but for our purposes the locket is the best option)
- Next you will need to drink three specific potions in the following order:
- Philter of the Healer
- Draught of the Healer
- Another Philter of the Healer
- While the potions are still in effect, equip St. Jiub’s locket.
After completing the aforementioned steps, you should notice that you are able to run indefinitely, power attack repeatedly, and most importantly, maintain Steady Hand forever. Steady Hand makes moving targets much easier to hit — when you are able to shoot every single arrow in slow motion it becomes very easy to find your mark.
Level 50 perks — click the image to expand for easier reading
The endgame is where the character truly shines. Draugr, vampires, and other undead creatures will burn in a blaze of glory. James's discussion on Afterburn damage outlines just how powerful this character becomes when facing undead foes. By grabbing the Necromage perk from the Restoration tree, you will be able to deal insane amounts of damage against undead enemies by taking advantage of the ‘afterburn’ effect of Fireball.
The task of leveling Restoration up to level 70 for the Necromage perk is often a daunting one. However, by utilizing our good friend Florentius at Fort Dawnguard, you can receive Master training in Restoration. Florentius is perfect for training, because he also buys potions from the player. You can sell all those concoctions you’ve been creating while leveling up Alchemy, and finance Restoration at the same time and place!
Finally, the Sapiarch utilizes 100% Spell Absorption. Seeing Alchemy and the Aetherial Crown with both the Atronach and Apprentice stones probably made you think the "Advanced Stones" trick would be used. You would be incorrect! This character does in fact achieve 100% Absorbtion in a brand new way … using Alchemy (duh)! With both standing stones, the Sapiarch benefits from +50 Magicka, +50% Spell Absorption, and +50% net Magicka Regeneration. By drinking a custom potion of Fortify Destruction with a magnitude of at least 67% prior to selecting the Atronach perk in the Alteration skill tree, you are able to enhance its effects from 30% to over 50%. This combined with the Atronach standing stone easily achieves max Spell Absorption and makes the Weakness to Magicka debuff provided by the Apprentice Stone irrelevant!
ALCHEMY
It is very important that you never remove the Locket of St. Jiub, or you will lose your infinite Stamina! So Fortify Alchemy necklaces are off limits! I used the Ring of Pure Mixtures, a set of Major Alchemy Bracers, and an Extreme Alchemy Circlet. This totals +51% Alchemy, and when you throw in the Seeker of Shadows passive, it behaves like +66% Alchemy. Which in turn yields nice, rounded potion numbers, as expressed below:
Tincture of the Tower
Effects » Marksman +100% & Health Regen +125%
Ingredients » Canis Root, Juniper Berries, Namira's Rot
Crystalline Spirit
Effects » Destruction +125% & Fortify Health +100
Ingredients » Glowing Mushroom, Nightshade, Wheat
Toxin of Alinor
Effect » Damage Health -125 & Lingering Damage -25/s for 10 seconds
Ingredients » Imp Stool, Mora Tapinella, River Betty
SIGNATURE TACTICS
Focus Mode
The Sapiarch of Arcane Defense is able to enter an intensive state of calm and control when he draws his bow, and he can remain in this state for ever. Rumor tells of a time when he maintained this state for a night and a day, when challenged by a fellow Sapiarch.
Requires » Infinite Stamina + Steady Hand + Ranger
Ultimate Focus
Through years of practice and experimentation, the Sapiarch has learned how to reach an even deeper state of focus, even when using spells and swords. In this state, he moves faster than his opponents, and slows time around him even more. But only for a few moments at a time.
Requires » Slow Time + Tincture of the Tower
Vanquish
The Sapiarch has spent centuries honing his craft. Through his adventures and experiments, he has learned how to make short work of undead enemies. With this combination of skills, he can dish out truly massive (read: ~950) damage, and at minimal cost to his Magicka pool.
Requires » Necromage + Crystalline Spirit + Dual-Casting + Fireball
In case it wasn't already clear, this build was a joint effort between Kaiser and me. So any positive feedback should be directed as much to him as to me. Kaiser, it's been a true pleasure working with you on this build. I couldn't be more proud of how it turned out!
We also owe thanks to James. His findings regarding Taper Damage and Infinite Stamina were both core components of this build from the very beginning. He was also the one who turned us on to the "advanced Atronach perk". This build really wouldn't have been possible without his contributions! James, I know you haven't been around much lately, but if you see this, I owe you a beer or something.
The header art is called "Rhanloo" by Anndr. Gorgeous piece!
Here's an album of 50+ 1080p screenshots of this guy in action, for anyone who wants more! Also have a quick video demonstrating how to activate infinite Stamina for your convenience.
Thanks for reading!
Replies
This build looks great, stunning presentation as always, Teccam!
Thanks, Aysleph! :)
Thank you! If you do try it, let me know how it goes, and if you have any questions/comments.
Or if you don't mind doing some digging yourself, this one could help: <a href="https://theskyforge.ning.com/groups/the-lore-group/forum/where-to-f...;
If neither of these work for you, you can make stuff up for character building purposes.<br/>
Sorry for long addresses instead of short, practical links, but I can't do that on phone I'm afraid.
For the most part, I'd say you can make one up. The only ones confirmed in the lore, to my knowledge, are the Sapiarch of Oblivion Studies and the Sapiarch of Indoctrination. There might be one or two others buried deep in the lore, but mostly I feel like you can decide for yourself what would constitute an appropriate discipline/specialization and roll with that.