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You’ve reachedSkyrim’speak. You’ve slain Alduin, taken down Lord Harkon, and even surpassed Miraak, the first Dragonborn himself.
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Then, that man in black armor showed up and challenged you to a duel. And by Talos, he’sone of the toughest you’ve ever faced.
With a bit of help, victory’s still within your grasp. Let’s break down the Ebony Warrior’s abilities and help you with the tactics needed to send him off to Sovngarde. Triumph, and you’ll be well-rewarded with your enemy’s equipment.
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Encountering the Ebony Warrior
The Ebony Warrior only confronts you after you’vereached Level 80.Once you have, visit one ofSkyrim’s five “major” cities:
While running your errands, the Ebony Warrior spawns and challenges you toduel him at Last Vigil.This is his campsite in the mountainsnortheast of Riften.
Your epic confrontation’s battleground is marked on your map, and the quest “The Ebony Warrior” is added to your journal. This quest is refreshingly simple—no puzzles or dungeons necessary—as you only need to travel to Last Vigil for the fight.
The Ebony Warrior’s Abilities
The Ebony Warrior has good reason to wait until you’ve cleared the rest ofSkyrimand the game’s DLCs. Armed with top-tier gear and immunity to basically all ofSkyrim’sdebuffs, this warrior is crushingly tough.
Oh, and he’salsoa Dragonborn. So be ready to get knocked flying byUnrelenting Force.
Dragon Shouts
Close Wounds, Command Daedra, Conjure Storm Atronach, Frost Cloak, Ironflesh
Disarm, Unrelenting Force
This badass Redguard is ready to heal through the pain, steal your summoned allies, and rip the weapons out of your hand. Melee combat is a tough sell, too since his Ebony Sword of the Vampirerefills his healtheach time he depletes yours.
Initiating the fight with the Ebony Warrior from afar isn’t much easier. Arrows fired from his Ebony Bow of Winter willslow you down,making it difficult to carve down this boss’s health by skirmishing. This allows him to force you into melee, where he’s much more dangerous.
In addition, the Ebony Warrior’s skills and perks rival your own. Be especially watchful for:
On the defensive side, the Ebony Warrior’s Magic Resistance and Elemental Protection perks, combined with his enchanted gear, make himhighly resistantto elemental spell damage.
That doesn’t include the Ebony Warrior’s total immunity to effects likeParalysis, Vampiric Grip,or theDisarmshout. You can’t even turn him into a chicken with the Wabbajack.
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Send The Ebony Warrior Back To Sovngarde
So how in the world do you vanquish this guy?
It’s possible to beat the Ebony Warrior with any build, but that doesn’t mean each build is equally easy. In particular, the Ebony Warrior’s most troublesome perk isReflect Blows.This perk for people with Heavy Armor 100 gives him a 10% chance to throw damage back into your face.
Stealth Strategies
Despite all his resistance and powers, the Ebony Warrioralways waits for you to start the fight.I find honor in a death match is a bit silly, so you had better take advantage of it.
Exploit the Ebony Warrior’s patience bystabbing him in the back.His lack of special abilities to notice stealthy players or to prevent sneak attacks is your strongest tactical advantage.
Backstabbing will be most effective if you’re playing the classic “stealth assassin” build with the Sneak skill’s Backstab and Assassin’s Blade perks. Without them, a sneak attack is still a solid way to start the battle, but it won’t be a game-changer.
If you’re using Assassin’s Blade,ensure you save nearby.This perk’s ×15 damage multiplier is AWESOME, but Reflect Blows can kill you post-mortem even if you one-shot the Ebony Warrior.
If you’ve reached Sneak 100 and taken the Shadow Warrior perk,repeatedly crouching to enter Sneakis a good tactic. It’s basically the only way to fight the Ebony Warrior while avoiding close combat.
Disengage repeatedly to fire sneak attack arrows with the Deadly Aim perk.This strategy takes a while due to the Ebony Warrior’s Close Wounds spell and his 5 Potions of Vigorous Healing, but if you’re patient, he’ll topple.
Despite being immune to the Wabbajack, the Ebony Warrior is vulnerable to theinstant kill effect of Mehrunes' Razor.Although the activation chance is abysmal, the Reflect Blows perk has no effect.
Close Combat Strategies
If you insist on going toe-to-toe with the Ebony Warrior, be sure you’re stocked up on healing potions. Since there isn’t a noticeable crack in his armor to exploit, this fight becomes about endurance instead.
Fortunately, by the end ofSkyrimyou’ve almost certainly acquired a hoard of goodies to expend. There is no need to preserve them for future fights; just bring along all your favorite consumables and be prepared to use them.
While this effect can’t really be avoided, you may reduce its impact on the fight.Avoid power attacksand focus onquick single attackswhile dodging or blocking with a shield. Reflect Blows can still trigger, but you won’t accidentally one-shot yourself after a power attack.
Using Alchemy
Even if you’re not a master,using Alchemy to craft some poisonshelps whittle down this boss’s health. As a Redguard, the Ebony Warrior hasPoison Resistance 50%,but this is not buffed by his perks or gear.
While not exactly a vulnerability, applying poison to your melee weapons will cut down the time you’re forced to tank his blows. Plus, Reflect Blows don’t turn back poison damage.
Most debuffs applied by poison (like Paralyze) won’t work, butDamage Healthwill chip him down. Better yet,Ravage Health reduces his maximum health.Can’t heal that!
Not all ingredients are equal, so make sure you’re using the best options available.
Ingredient
Easy Sources
River Betty
Damage Health
Fishing in any river or lake.
Crimson Nirnroot
Only in the Blackreach (make sure you’ve first delivered 30 for the questA Return To Your Roots).
Swampy areas like the Hjaalmarch.
Scathecraw
Ravage Health
Foraging on Solstheim, especially near Raven Rock.
Skeever Tail
Skeevers can be found all over Skyrim. Also sold by Apothecaries.
Giant Lichen
Swampy areas, including both the Hjaallmarch and the marshes east of Solitude.
If you’ve preserved the one-of-a-kindJarrin Rootfrom the Dark Brotherhood questTo Kill An Empire,you can use it to create a Poison of Damage Health100 times stronger than any other in the game.
Magical Strategies
Due to the Ebony Warrior’s elemental resistances, taking him down with magic damage is a big ask. Bring along a follower to keep him busy in melee while your magic slugs away at his Health bar.
If you’re reliant upon Destruction, look for spells that add additional effects. For example,Chain Lightning staggers foesand helps you avoid the Ebony Warrior’s attacks.
Whatever you do,don’t summon Daedraagainst the Ebony Warrior. He’ll just cast Command Daedra and turn them against you instead. To distract this boss, I suggest using non-Daedric Conjuration spells likeDead ThrallandConjure Dragon Priest.
Finally, theAsh Runespell doesn’t deal elemental damage, allowing you to explode the Ebony Warrior successfully. He won’t be affected by the spell’s paralysis effect, but at least you’ll avoid most of his resistances.
The Ebony Warrior’s Loot
Conquering this ultimate challenger rewards you with everything on his battered body. Good news is, that’s a pretty tidy haul.
Ebony Helmet of Waterbreathing
Can swim underwater without drowning.
Ebony Armor of Regeneration
Health regenerates 40% faster.
Ebony Gauntlets of Extreme Wielding
One-handed attacks do 35% more damage.
Ebony Boots of Frost Suppression
Increases Frost Resistance by 50%.
Ebony Shield of Fire Suppression
Increases Fire Resistance by 50%.
No wonder elemental spells do basically nothing! The Ebony Warrior’s gear substantially boosts his elemental resistances.
Ebony Sword of the Vampire
Absorb 25 points of health.
Ebony Bow of Winter
Target takes 30 points of frost damage to Health and Stamina, and moves at 50% speed for 3 seconds.
While the Ebony Warrior’s weaponsaregood, by this point in the game, you’re probably wielding an artifact or three which outclass them. Perhaps you even forged them yourself?
Other Belongings
Ebony Arrows
Deal 20 damage. Carries 13.
Ring of Peerless Wielding
One-handed attacks do 40% more damage.
Necklace of Shock Suppression
Increases Shock Resistance by 50%.
Black Soul Gem
Already filled-up with a Grand soul.
Daedra Heart
Used in Alchemy.
Human Heart
Potion of Vigorous Healing
Restores 100 points of Health. Carries 5.
Flawless Gems
Used in crafting. Carries 1 of each type (Amethyst, Diamond, Emerald, Garnet, Ruby, and Sapphire).
This is where you’ll find the most helpful and valuable loot. Potions and soul gems are always handy, but theRing of Peerless Wieldingoffers a bonus to one-handed weapon damage, which is difficult to match if you don’t invest perks into the enchanting skill.
The Ebony Warrior’s three items enchanted with Elemental Suppression are, admittedly, so-so. Instead of going piecemeal, wear all three together to get hefty resistance tothree of the most common damage types in the game.
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