Honor. Devotion. Justice.
These words are only whispers now in a world full of hatred and corruption. Tamriel has seen darkness, but it continues to grow, spreading to the hearts of all kind: men, mer, and beast.
Theft, murder, subterfuge, corruption, necromancy, vampirism, Daedra worship ... They can be found at all corners of the world. Everywhere you look, evil acts are being committed, souls are lost from a true path, and justice has yet to come to those who prey on the weak and do harm to the innocent.
However, these words must not be whispered. These words must be shouted again and again until the wicked have been rid of the world of the living and laid to rest for them to be judged. If the Divines wish not to interfere ... I will interfere for them.
I have only one solution to the propagators of darkness: Violence. With the Blessings of the Nine Divines, it is with my zealous devotion I face the evils of the land with brutal vengeance and unwavering, merciless fervor...
The Zealot
This character concept is a culmination on some thought about the Aedra: They need a right hand man! Some may say this resembles a Knight of the Nine, which is true. I got a lot of influence from them.
Throughout the elder scrolls lore, the Aedra have interfered very little with mortal affairs, much different from the more devious Daedric Princes who love to meddle in the world of Nirn ... most times for evil. It is with this concept I present The Zealot, a war driven fanatic who by divine blessings delivers holy justice to the undead, Daedra, and any other evil in the world. Playing this character and roleplaying with STRICT conditions has been incredibly fun and provides a unique experience to the game, as it may leave some quests out, most notably the Daedric Quests as you do NOT interact with the Daedric Princes at all. They are wicked and meddlesome, and must be fought back to keep order in the world.
As a little history with this character, this build was my very first attempt at a character back when Skyrim first came out. I have always loved holy type warriors and this character has evolved over time to become The Zealot. I wanted to make something a bit different, albeit it shares characteristics of many paladins and crusaders, but with the addition of Dawnguard and roleplaying restrictions, it has its own unique flavor. This build is also what inspired my account picture here on the blog and what I always return to for personal playing experience.
Build
Race: Redguard. "What? No Imperial?" CORRECT. You are not calming people down here ... Voice of the Emperor has no place in this build as you want to be surrounded by violent justice at all times. Adrenaline Rush fits perfectly for an onslaught of furious power attacks and shield bashes.
Stone: The Lady. Great for regeneration rates of health and stamina with a 25% boost. I also began to role-play as looking up at the night sky and finding the Lady constellation, RPing it as a blessing from your slain wife who was taken from you through evil acts of the undead and necromancy.
Major Skills: One Handed, Block, Restoration
Minor Skills: Heavy Armor, Smithing, Alteration
Apparel:
- Head: Dawnguard Heavy Helmet
- Chest: Apprentice Robes of Restoration
- Hands: Steel Plate Gauntlets
- Feet: Steel Plate Boots
- Amulet/Ring: Fortify Health
Weapons: Dawnguard Rune Axe (Dawnguard/Steel War Axe to start)
Shield: Dawnguard Rune Shield (Dawnguard/Steel Shield to start)
Shouts: Unrelenting Force, Whirlwind Sprint, Slow Time
Stats: Magicka/Health/Stamina ratio - 2/2/1 until a healthy magicka pool. Then 0/3/1 or 1/2/2. I never like keeping track of this, but people ask. I upgrade what I need more of at the moment I level up.
Skills and Perks - Level 50
One Handed: Armsman 4/5, Fighting Stance, Hack and Slash 3/3, Critical Charge, Savage Strike
Block: Shield Wall 3/5, Quick Reflexes, Deflect Arrows, Power Bash, Elemental Protection, Deadly Bash, Block Runner, Disarming Bash, Shield Charge
Restoration: All Perks. (Recovery 1/2)
Heavy Armor: Juggernaut 4/5
Alteration: Novice - Expert, Magic Resistance 2/3, Stability, Atronach
Smithing: Steel, Elven, Advanced
Gameplay
This character is a warrior in all regards with only passive healing and defense/resist buffs to help him. His only offensive spells should be those to damage the undead and purge them from their crypts. These spells include Sun Fire, Vampire's Bane, Stendarr's Aura, Bane of the Undead, Turn/Repel Undead, and Guardian Circle to name the main spells. Wards are also helpful in the early stages before Elemental Protection in the block tree. Wearing robes does not provide as much protection, so flesh spells help boost that in the beginning. At the end game, Ebonyflesh gives a great +100 armor rating buff to help with tougher fights, but your shield and healing spells will be your main defense.
The new equipment provides this character build with some fun little things to note. Dawnguard Rune Shield produces an aura like effect similar to Stendarr's Aura, damaging the undead it touches with 10/s sun damage. Combing this with Adrenaline Rush lets us become an invulnerable turtle that dishes out damage to the undead and have them wither away and die. Dawnguard Rune Axe also has a neat effect. With each undead slain with it (max 10) it adds sun damage (AoE effect) to the weapon, greatly increasing its effectiveness on the undead. Mixing this weapon and shield with Restoration spells make you a force to be reckoned with when facing any draugr. Make sure to not be tempted to use Dawnbreaker. It is useful against the undead, but this character does not communicate with the meddlesome Daedra.
Using one handed war axes and a shield lets this build constantly switch with ease between melee attacks and ranged or other spells, both one and two handed. Sun Fire and Vampire's Bane is great for getting damage done from afar. And Colette Marence gets angry some people call Restoration useless...
As for roleplaying notes:
- No Daedric Quests
- No stealing, murdering, or committing of any crimes
- Pray and visit the shrines of the Nine Divines - blessings come in handy
- No enchanting - Using souls for your benefit can be seen as evil or manipulative ... Blessing from shrines will be your "enchanting"
- No sneaking - No honor in that...
- Only use Restoration and Alteration
- Give to the poor at all times
- Only brawl by using good judgement - Do not fight to intimidate or hurt someone innocent
- Eradicate the Dark Brotherhood and stop any thieves you come across
- Hunt down any and all Daedra, necromancers, undead, and evil doers no matter what. All quests to help the innocent must be taken.
These are just some, but the main points are listed. Be good, act good, and destroy evil.
Some other notes are only use scrolls of spells you have or use. No conjuration from scrolls or staves. You are a Zealot! You make no excuses or exceptions!
I hope you enjoy my take on a holy warrior. The Zealot is to be played as a merciless warrior and violent combatant when face to face with evil. I know many holy-esque builds are on here already and I must say I love them all. I was beginning to experiment with Alchemy as well, sort of a "holy water" to "bless" the character and make him crazed with combat, but it does not seem to fit. My own spin is for my own roleplaying fun and if you have any questions please feel free to ask in the comments I will be glad to answer them. What's funny is I am not religious at all, but I always seem to play a holy warrior in any RPG to start out! Enjoy!
Replies
My knight cleric build was heavily inspired by this build.
Good to see your builds again!
This is the OG DEUS VULT build and I love it.
Another beautiful build of yours Henson, also you hit Rank:Expert!
That introduction gets me fired up and ready to fight evil! I’ll have to take this build for a spin someday soon.
I've started reading the Watchmen Comic because of the show (which is awesome) and this reminds me of Rorschach.