Sometimes you’re sitting there, unsure of what to play, and then you hear that familiar call, echoing from over the mountains.Skyrimis calling, and you can’t simply deny such a thing, can you?
Of course, for many of us, half the battle before we even begin our playthrough is deciding what kind of build we should make. And while, yes, I know, it’s very tempting to go Stealth Archer, sometimes you need to push the boat out a little bit.
The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim: 10 Ways To Make A Second Playthrough Different
Skyrim is a game with a ton of replayability, and here’s how you can make sure you get to experience it all.
Sometimes adding a bit of difficulty and a bit of spice makes the journey all the sweeter. Here are 10 builds that may just make you boot up Skyrim all over again.
10Pacifist
Because That’s What Heroes Do
Build Info
Essentials
Imperial/Nord (Voice of the Emperor to calm foes, Battle Cry to make foes flee)
Restoration, Illusion, Alteration
Spells/Shouts
Invisibility, Pacify, Dragonhide, Paralyze, Grand Healing
Master Robes of Restoration
Now, you might be wondering, how on Tamriel is it possible to play through the game if I can’t kill anything? Well, the answer to that is, well, you will be killing things, but just not by your own hand.
It’s as though you have some kind of guilt complex. Instead, you’re going to be focusing on healing yourself through restoration and dealing damage through other methods.
Whether this is by hiring a companion, leading your enemies through traps or even by using illusion spells to trick your foes, whatever happens, you won’t have any blood on your hands. Which means you’re able to sleep at night. And that’s all that matters, right?
9Beastmaster
Call Of The Wild
Conjuration, Archery, One-Handed, Heavy Armour
Conjure Familiar, Animal Allegiance, Kyne’s Peace
Poacher’s Axe/ Weapon with Huntsman’s Prowess enchantment, Wolf Armour
Ever wanted to roam the wilds, commanding beasts and hunting for your dinner? Well, considering Skyrim’s huge untamed wilderness, this is the perfect place to live out that fantasy.
The Beastmaster build has quite a few options for running the Skyrim gauntlet. You can first select to be a Wood Elf, so you can use the Command Animal Racial perk right from the get-go. Then you have a couple of options:
You can summon ethereal beasts using Conjure Familiar and train your conjuration. Or you can get an actual animal to fight by your side. You can select powerful Huskies from the Dawnguard, or even get yourself a deadly armoured troll. Or perhaps select Barbas from A Daedra’s Best Friend. This powerful ally will never die! Can’t argue with that!
Consider grabbing the Arcane Accessories Creation and hunting down the Pride of Hirstaang spell for your very own bear!
Weapon-wise, perhaps grab the Poacher’s Axe, or maybe even a hunting bow for maximum immersion.
8Necromancer
For When Normal Companions Just Don’t Cut It
High Elf/ Breton
Conjuration, Destruction
Summon Durnehviir, DeadThrall, Icy Spear, Frost Cloak
Ring of the Erudite, Archmage’s Robes, Nahkriin
If you fancy raising corpses from the dead and blasting your way through Skyrim with freezing magic (you need to keep those bodies cold, of course), well, the Necromancer life may just be for you.
Don your creepy black robes and get ready to level that conjuration because you’re going to need as many brainless minions as possible if you seek to bring Necromancy back as a respected form of magic. Last I heard, the mage’s guild had banned it.
Focus on your magical abilities, and don’t be afraid to use some shouts as well. I reckon there may just be a certain dragon in the Soul Cairn who needs your help.
7Modern Dwemer
Through Steam And Storms
Heavy Armour, Combat Skill of Choice
Aetherial Staff, Dwarven Armour, Dwarven Weapon
But the Dwemer are all gone from Tamriel? Well, yes, that’s right, but their legacy is there for the taking. It’s time for you to take on the mantle and charge through the dungeons of Skyrim in their honour.
This build revolves around the Aetherial Staff, which you can obtain from the Lost to the Ages Quest. With this powerful piece of Dwemer tech, you can summon a Dwarven Spider Guardian or Sphere Guardian to fight by your side.
Skyrim: All Aetherium Shard Locations
Time to smash some Dwarven robots and claim these magic crystals.
Naturally, you’re going to be kitted out inDwarven armour. None of that fancy Deadric nonsense here, folks. Consider the Visage of Mzund if you’re going for those Centurion vibes.
Or perhaps if you’re feelingreallybold, instead of just going for a big Dwarven weapon, try out the majorly underutilised Dwarven Crossbow by following the Dawnguard questline. This will be a blast from the past for sure.
6Dragon Master
The Voice Of A God
Dragon Aspect, Become Ethereal, Upgraded Unrelenting Force
Amulet of Talos, Miraak’s Gear
This build is going to be a tough one, but one that focuses truly on the capabilities of the Dragonborn’s unique ability. Shouts are your real weapons here, and you’re going to need to use every one of them to combat the forces that lie ahead.
Shouts can often be overlooked in Skyrim, especially if you’re obsessed with your newest spell or piece of shiny gear. But there are a ton of great options here, especially considering the upgrades that you receive in the Dragonborn DLC.
If you want to take this further and become a true follower of Talos, consider wearing an Amulet of Talos and praying at his shrine to get a cooldown reduction to your shouts. The more shouts, the better. The true goal of this build is to unlock every shout and bring down as many Dragons as possible.
5The Shining Paladin
Enemies Of The Light, Beware
Redguard/ Imperial
Heavy Armour, One-Handed, Block, Restoration
Call of Valor, Heal Other, Sun Fire
Steel Plate Armour, Dawnbreaker, Spellbreaker
Ah, the Paladin, a mainstay of the Fantasy genre, and a beacon of hope to the world. And yes, of course, you can make a Paladin in Skyrim. In reality, this build is extremely effective.
As a warrior of the Divine, of course, you’re going to want to level your One-Handed and Block, equipping weapons likeDawnBreaker and Spellbreakerto blind your foes with your golden aura. Consider equipping some Steel Plate Armour to really complete the look.
In addition, make sure you have some great restoration spells in your arsenal, and maybe even travel with a Mage and an Archer to complete that roleplaying Triangle. Wielding the burning light, you’ll banish the undead back to their cold, dusty graves where they belong.
4Blood of the Wolf
Rip And Tear
Khajiit/ Bosmer
Alteration
Ebonyflesh, Marked for Death
Ring of Hircine, No Armour
In the Dawnguard DLC, a skill tree specifically for werewolves was added, allowing you to cast your feeble mortal body behind and live free as a beast of the moon. These skills really unlocked the true power of the wolf, making this a truly viable build for a playthrough. You’re going to have to devour a lot of bodies to do it, though.
Naturally, you’re going to want to race through the Companions storyline as quickly as possible and accept the werewolf power. But one of the main problems with this is that you’re able to only transform once per day, meaning a lot of waiting around.
you’re able to counter this by completing the Ill Met by Moonlight quest to receive the Ring of Hircine. With this ring, you get additional transformations, giving you total control of your wild and wicked powers. Running around like a frail naked weakling, then transforming into a true destructive force, will never be more satisfying.
3Furious Feline
Claws For Crushing
Heavy Armour, Enchanting, Sneak
Heavy Armour Gauntlets/ Gloves of the Pugilist
As soon as you begin Skyirm, you’re kitted out with spells, weapons and armour before you can even blink. As this is the case, you don’t really stop to think much about using your bare hands as weapons, unlike in Oblivion when Hand-to-Hand was an actual skill.
If you choose to play as a Khajiit, then you’ll actually get bonus damage by using your claws. You can take advantage of this by grabbing the Gloves of the Pugilist down in the Ratways in Riften.
you’re able to also spec into Heavy Armour. Grab the Fists of Steel perk, which will upgrade your bare-handed attacks when using Heavy Armour Gauntlets.
First, enchant these with the enchantment from the Pugilist gloves, and then these will stack with your sharp Cat Claws for some serious damage. There’s no better feeling than taking down a mighty dragon with nothing but your bare, bloody hands.
Sheogorath Would Be Proud
Speech, Illusion
Throw Voice, Hysteria, Mayhem
Wabbajack, Cicero’s Clothes
Equip those jester robes, and whip out your Wabbajack, because it’s time to cause some mayhem. This build revolves completely around chaos and nonsense, using the weird and wonderful powers of the Wabbajack to either obliterate your foes or blast yourself into smithereens.
Firstly, you’ll want to complete the Mind of Madness Quest to obtain the weapon that’s going to “carry” you through the playthrough. In addition, consider completing the Dark Brotherhood Questline to obtain Cicero’s Outfit. Why? Because you’re mad, and so is he. These aren’t going to help you in any way, but the fashion is certainly on point.
While this build might sound like a bit of a meme, the Wabbajack actually has some brilliant effects. You’re just going to have to wave it around a bit before it’ll do what you want it to. Either way, it’s going to create some hilarious moments.
1Alchemical Assassin
Potent Poisons For Perilous Pursuits
Orsimer/Bosmer
Sneak, Pickpocketing, Alchemy, One-Handed, Restoration
Poison Rune, Become Ethereal
Ebony Mail, Daedric Dagger, Crafted Poisons, Ingrediants (Deathbell, Human Flesh, Imp Stool, Etc)
While this build does make use of Sneak, you’re going to be using it in a rather tactical sense, rather than a game-breaking 3x damage sense.
The Alchemical Assassin is naturally a master of sneaking and skilled with the dagger. But this isn’t their greatest asset.Instead, using your knowledge of Alchemy, you can tip your deadly dagger with any poison of your choosing to eliminate your enemies.
While the basic poisons you find can be useful, poisons that you craft yourself can have many more effects and will be far superior. Try the restoration loop if you want some crazy numbers.
Try a poison that deals damage and increases poison weakness for extra effect, or perhaps try out a brew that causes frenzy, spreading chaos in your enemies' midst. Or for those who seek not to kill, just to maim, try out paralysis poisons and watch as your enemies fall so you can plunder their treasure with ease.
Poisons are a seriously overlooked part of Skyrim, but in the right hands, they can be terrifyingly deadly. So next time you feel like sneaking around, remember that poison in your pocket, and be sure to put it to good use.
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From Molag Bal to Azura, here are our picks for the best Daedric Princes in Skyrim.
