While Skyrim removed the major and minor skill systems from previous games, it replaced them with an impactful tree for each skill. This made build variety better than in previous entries in the ser𒉰ies while allowing unprecedented levels of flexibility.
From using magic t♛o burn down cities to striking enemies from the shadows with your trusty bow, here are 15 b🌳uilds to try for Skyrim. Due to Skyrim's difficulty, or lack thereof, these entries are in no particular order. Pick what sounds most fun to you, and do with it what you will - be it saving the realm from dragons or otherwise.
Updated May 11, 2024 by Quinton O'Connor: To better serve your build-ready purposes, we have enhanced our coverage with further insight into what makes our picks so mighty.
Elemental Fury
Elemental Fury Overview
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Skyrim introduced the ability to dual wield items, allowing players to equip two swords simultaneously or use two different spells at once.
Dual-wielding swords is one of the coolest things you can do in Skyrim, and it makes for a very powerful build as well. Scale your one-handed damage through the respective skill tree.
From there, use the Elemental Fury shout to slash through opponents twice as fast. Redguards ♈and Orcs have racial bon𝕴uses that make this playstyle even stronger. Rapidly striking enemies with two swords never gets old.
Paladin
Paladin Overview
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The paladin is a classic archetype from any RPG game and is easy to replicate in Skyrim. Utilizing Restoration and Blade skills, paladins smite the unholy with a melee-spellcasting hybrid playstyle.
Healing spells are great, but don't sleep on Sun Fire, an excellent anti-undead spell. This build is best for Bretons, who make great half-mages due to their innate racial bonus that provides them with +5 in a variety of skills.
Focus on Heavy Armor, One-Handed, 168澳洲幸运5开奖网:and Restoration skills, which will make for a charact🥂er who can sustain a lot of damage in a fight while also keeping themselves and any allies up꧒. (It's also a fantastic build for players that love roleplaying.)
If you want to take this build to its limit, check out our 168澳洲幸运5开奖网:Skyrim paladin in-depth build guide.
Dual Dagger Assassin
Dual Dagger Assassin Overview
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Dual-wielding is an underappreciated build in Skyrim, mostly because it takes away some of the flexibility seen in other builds that incorporate shields or one-handed spells. That said, it makes for some interesting builds, including the Dual Dagger Assassin.
Orcs are a great race for this build with due to their special ability called Berserker Rage, which allows them to deal twice as much damage for one minute while taking only half of all incoming damage.
It's a high-damage, up close and personal kind of build, utilizing Light Armor and Sneak to get the drop on your foes.
If combat gets too hot to handle, use some Illusion spells to manipulate enemy AI. Mayhem and its predecessor skills will prompt NPCs and creatures to attack anything, while Hysteria and its own predecessors will cause them to flee in panic.
Spellsword
Spellsword Overview
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The Spellsword is a more standard version of the Paladin build, focusing more on flexibility. The spellsword is one of the most versatile and customizable builds because of how many schools of magic and we🍸apon types you can weave together.
In essence, Spellswords rely on the One-Handed skill and a few spells of choice from multiple schools of magic.
168澳洲幸运5开奖网:Destruction magic is one of the best to roll with in the game, especially Flames, which deals targets eight damage per second.
More defensive variants can be created as well, utilizing Wards and Alteration magic to mitigate incoming damage.
For a more in-depth look at Spellswords, check out our 168澳洲幸运5开奖网:Skyrim spellsword build guide.
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Pure Mage
Mage Overview
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Players looking to really challenge themselves should absolutely go for a pure mage build. This build has a serious learning curve, requiring extensive knowledge on how bonuses and enchants work.
The result is a character that can tu💃rn every enemy into ♕dust.
Those wanting to reap all the benefits of this build should go for a High Elf as a starting race. A +50 for Magicka, the Highborn trait that allows you to regenerate Magicka more swiftly, and last but not least, bonus points to all Mage trees - what's not to love?
The Pure Mage requires the player to pick a school of magic (or several schools of magic) and specialize. Destruction is great for damage, 168澳洲幸运5开奖网:but Conjuration is also excellent when fighting multiple enemies.
Necromancer
Necromancer Overview
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Although there isn't a proper necromancy school in Skyrim, there are still ways to play as a Necromancer type of mage.
Conceptually, the Necromancer can be thought of as the opposite of the Paladin, specializing in the heretical uses of Conjuration, Destruction, and Alteration schools of magic.
To make the character even more vicious and sustainable, the player can opt for Heavy Armor and Two-Handed. Bonus points for all-timer style if you unlock Daedric Armor!
The Wrathman, Storm Atronach, and Seeker are our picks for 168澳洲幸运5开奖网:the most powerful conjured summons. The pure carnage from these vicious forces of darkness will blast through ജyou🍸r foes.
168澳洲幸运5开奖网:If you're OK with modding Skyrim, this build beco✤mes much stronger with Ordinator or Vokrii installed.
168澳洲幸运5开💜奖网: Skyrim: Stealth Archer Build Guide
Want to be the shadow who shoots their way to victory in Skyrim? 🌃Consider building a stealth archer.
Bound Warrior
Bound Warrior Overview
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While most associate Conjuration with summoning creatures from Oblivion to fight alongside you, Conjuration can also create weapons for you to use.
Bound weapons are incredibly powerful early-game spells in Skyrim. Bound Bow and Bound Sword are great spells that summon Daedric-quality gear for the player to use for a minute.
Upgrading the tree can make these weapons deal even more damage while also allowing you to summon Dremora Lords to do your bidding. It's an enjoyable build thaꦓt is fantastic in the early to mid-game of Sಞkyrim.
For the endgame, this build can easily be tweaked into a Necromancer.
Pugilist Khajit
Pugilist Khajiit Overview
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Every race in Skyrim has a unique passive that keeps them distinct from the rest. Khajiits have a few, one of which grants them increased unarmed damage. Therefore, the Pugilist Khajit is yours for the choosing.
There is also a perk in the Heavy Armor skill tree called Fists of Steel, granting unarmed damage equal to your gauntlet's base armor rating.
Get a pair of Daedric Gloves, obtain the Fortify Unarmed enchantment, then enjoy punching 168澳洲幸运5开奖网:everything from humans to dragons to a pulp.
For added pulp-beating, the Marked for Death shout reduces the target's armor rating for 60 seconds, with the second and third Words addin🐽g another 25 each.
Crafter
Crafter Overview
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If you aren't sure what to play when you create a character for Skyrim, focusing on crafting professions isn't a bad idea. Skills like Enchanting, Smithing, and Alchemy can be remarkable boons at higher levels.
If you take this build to the extreme, you can 168澳洲幸运5开奖网:make the strongest weapons aꦦnd armor in the game.
Enchanting allows you to add unique modifiers to weapons and armor, including increased damage and health. Smithing will let you create virtually any non-quest item in the g🎃ame, ranging frꩵom iron armor to Daedric gear.
Alchemy is one of the most underrated skills in Skyrim, letting the player create potions that grant temporary bonuses that can make you virtually invincible.
Tanky Conjurer
Tanky Conjurer Overview
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Blocking attacks in Skyrim can be fun to do, but there is little reason to do so when you are wearing great armor. On higher difficulties, however, the ability to absorb damage is key.
Unlike most tank builds, using Conjuration as a secondary skill supplies the Tanky Conjurer with a high degree of versatility.
Conjuration allows you to summon two Dremora Lords; we've covered their strength, but crucially, they'll draw the attention of most of your enemies.
The shield you use is still a great backup for when enemies decide to focus on attacking you, giving your Dremora Lords free rein to attack and kill them.
168澳洲幸运5开奖网: Skyrim: Two-Handed Build Guide
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Werewolf
Werewolf Overview
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Those who go through the Companions questline will eventually be offered the ability to become a Werewolf. It might not seem like a big deal (beyond the lore impl🍎ications) at first, but give it time.
The Dawnguard DLC adds a skill tree for Werewolves to invest in, granting powerful bonuses when they feed on corpses.
Playing a dedicated Werewolf allows you to have unrivaled passive Stamina regeneration, 168澳洲幸运5开奖网:strong melee attacks, and wolf allies who fight alongside you.
With the Ring of Hircine, you can keep transforming into a Werewolf as much as you like, making this a proper playstyle instead of a temporary buff.
Windshear Stun Master
Windshear Stun Master Overview
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168澳洲幸运5开奖网:The Windshear is a unique scimitar found in the "Hail Sithis!" quest for the Dark Brotherhood. You can find it on the ship on the main deck.
This scimitar is so powerful that you can make a build with just this weapon. It has the unique property of staggering any enemy it hits, letting you stun-lock targets with rapid attacks.
When Windshear can't be used to strike targets, you can use a Chain Lightning staff to stun targets from afar, letting you close the gap to stun-lock them the old-fashione🌟d way.
If you want to attack even faster, equip a non-enchanted dagger in your left hand and use the Elemental Fury shout.
Stealth Archer
Stealth Archer Overview
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If there's one ferocious build folks love to chat about, it's Stealth Archer, which combines the high damage of Archery with the absurd Stealth damage bonuses from Sneaking.
Unlike most builds, the Stealth Archer has fantastic damage that is buffed by massive Stealth damage multipliers. Your bonuses get bonuses. In other words; it's da🅷𓃲mage for days.
Better yet, having a high Stealth rating allows you to stay concealed during the toughest of encounters, preventing enemies from attacking you since they can't see you.
The main flaw with🗹 this build is how long it takes to get going, making it somewhat annoying to level for⭕ the first few hours.
Once you get better sneak multipliers and bows, Stealth archer can one-shot virtually every enemy in the game on lower difficulties. Even on higher one༺s, you can expect to shred through the competition in seconds.
Illusion Assassin
Illusion Assassin Overview
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Taking much of what makes Stealth Archers broken, Illusion Assassins are stealth characters which focus on daggers and spells rather than bows.
Since you'll be investing in Illusion as well, you'll be frenzying every enemy in a room into fighting each other, letting you clear many dungeons without so much as raising a weapon.
For dragon fights, you can use Marked for Death and rapidly strike the enemy from behind to kill them in seconds. Your multipliers can reach 15x or even 30x,🎃 meaning even on the highest difficulty, the fight's practically over before it begins.
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