Skyrim Build Guide - Paladin

The Paladin

Intro
The Paladin is the holy warrior of Tamriel, seeking out evil where ever it may be. This has led them recently to Skyrim. Rumours of dragons, the dead rising from their graves, Necromancers being far more outspoken of their work, cults in every other cave and even the dark brotherhood coming out of their hiding hole. The Paladin's work is never done, but they wonder if Skyrim can ever be saved. Typically coming from an Imperial background their orders have been updated recently to include the rejection of all Talos worshipers, just a little something to make their job even more dangerous. Wielding a mix of holy magic and and maces, while protected by expensive plate armour, the Paladins are a strong force of justice and retribution.

Race Selection - Imperial, with their skill in magic and fighting, and their lore friendly background, Imperial is the obvious choice.

Armour/Weapon Selection
Weapon - One Handed Maces. Dawnbreaker Sword.
Off Hand - Restoration spells/Shield. Healing, turn undead and Dawguard DLC Damaging spells.
Armour - Heavy Armour. Imperial Plate with the helmet from Meridia's temple. Dwarven. Dawnguard Heavy.  

Standing Stone - Lover Stone, for exp boosts. Lord Stone, 'cause plate armour just isn't enough.

Skills/Perks Selection 
One Handed - Armsman (5/5), Fighting Stance, Savage Strike.
Restoration - Novice, Apprentice, Adept, Recovery, Respite, Regeneration, Necromage.
Heavy Armour - Juggernaut (5/5), Well Fitted, Tower of Strength, Matching Set, Reflect Blows.
Block - Shield Wall (1/5), Power Bash, Quick Reflexes, Deadly Bash, Disarming Bash.
Smithing - Steel, Dwarven, Orcish, Arcane, Ebony, Daedric, Dragon.
Enchanting - Enchanter (5/5), Insightful Enchanter, Corpus Enchanter, Extra Effects.

Quest Lines
Alduin/Main story - Yes, not because you're the Dragonborn, but because dragons are evil and should be eradicated.
Civil War - Yes, but only siding with Imperials.
Dark Brotherhood - No.
Thieves Guild - No.
Mages College - Yes, may as well enhance your abilities while in reach of the famous college. 
Bard's College - Yes.
Companions - Yes, but no Werewolf form.
Dawnguard - You're here to destroy evil, so definitely join the Dawnguard. This also gives access to damaging Resto spells such as Sun Fire.
Dragonborn - Yes, destroying evil and all that.
Thane Quests - Yes, notoriety is everything in the Paladins world.
Side Quests - Yes, helping citizens is good.
Daedric Artifacts - Yes, I mean, your masters in Cyrodil would want such items destroyed, but if you had a home in Skyrim... What they don't know won't hurt them.  

Final Note;

None for this class, it's a simple, well structured playthrough that gives more importance to the Dawnguard quests.

Skyrim Build Guide - Death Knight

The Death Knight

Intro - 
The Death Knight is a knight of darkness and decay. Death follows him where ever he treads, whether it's that of his foes or just nature around him. Such darkness is often caused by a twisting of the mind due to the death of a loved one or just pure insanity. Because of this Death Knights can be loud and in your face or quiet and unsettling. Either way, people rarely stay around them long and they don't make friends easily. Using the powers of necromancy to bolster their ranks along with their own plated armour and mighty two handed weapons these titans are not easily felled. Whatever their cause, you'd best hope you're not in their way.

Race Selection
High Elf - Due to their starting with 150 mana rather than the standard 100, these are an obvious choice.
Breton - Their 25 starting Conjuration helps with early game leveling, as well as mana absorption and spell resistance. 
Imperial - For their high stats in magic and mellee early game.

Armour/Weapon Selection
Weapon - Two Handed, personal preference which type. I go for swords.
Off hand - None. But switch weapon to spells to raise the dead.
Armour - Heavy, enchanted at later levels. Ebony or Daedric make for the perfect Death Knight look.

Standing Stone - Lover Stone, for 15% boost to Mage and Warrior. Ritual Stone, for raising undead armies. Or Steed Stone, for hoarders. 

Skills/ Perks Selection
Two Handed - Barbarian (5/5), Champion's Stance, Devastating Blow, Sweep.
Conjuration - Novice, Apprentice, Adept, Summoner (1/2), Necromancy, Dark Souls, Twin Souls.
Heavy Armour - Juggernaut (5/5), Well Fitted, Tower of Strength, Matching Set, Reflect Blows.
Smithing - Steel, Dwarven, Orchish, Arcane, Ebony, Daedric, Dragon.
Enchanting - Enchanter (5/5), Insightful Enchanter, Corpus Enchanter, Extra Effect.
Restoration - Novice, Apprentice, Adept, Recovery (1/2), Respite, Regeneration and for those who choose to become vampires ONLY: Necromage.

Quest Lines
Alduin/Main Story - Yes, all the best villains start out as heroes.
Civil War - Optional.
Dark Brotherhood - Yes, while not stealthy as most assassins, killing for money is pefect for the twisted mind of a Death Knight.
Thieves Guild - No, not stealthy enough, thus not lore friendly.
Mages College - Possibly, lore wise it may not work, as Death Knights are rejected by society, but then so is the Mages College.
Bard's College - No.
Companions - Yes, Werewolf Form can add a unique twist if you don't intend on being a vampire.
Dawnguard - Yes, only if it's to become a Vampire Lord. Death Knights, even those who do not join the ranks of the vampires, are met with the same disgust as vampires, and thus have more reason to ally with them than to kill them.
Dragonborn - Yes, as the Death Knight becomes more powerful, challenging someone who shares his unique Dragonborn powers would be hard to resist.
Thane Quests - Possibly, depends how much you wish to roleplay his rejection from society.
Side Quests - Yes, but not always with the good intentions of other heroes.
Daedric Artifacts - Yes, anything to grow his powers.  

Final note; The Advantage of Vampirism

As a Vampire in Skyrim, you are considered Undead, this means with the Restoration perk Necromage, all healing spells on yourself are twice as effective. This also stacks on top of Regeneration, making you nigh on unstoppable.

Skyrim Build Guide - The Wanderer (UPDATED; + 5 Variations)

The Wanderer, AKA The Traveler

Intro summary -

The Wanderer is a lore friendly, role play focused class I've come up with through extensive play of Skyrim, although I'm sure similar builds are already over the internet, this is my interpretation. The Wanderer does not have expensive armour, nor the training to use it, usually found in robes or regular clothes this leaves him light on his feet but vulnerable to attack. The Wanderer uses skills picked up from years of travelling Tamriel, with a grasp of fighting and magic he/she can normally be found with a weapon in one hand and spell in the other. Using Alteration spells to armour himself, destruction to weaken his foes at a distance and possibly even illusion to thin their ranks, only to cut down the remaining enemies with his trusty sword. Due to his extensive use of mana his clothing will always be enchanted and his packs full of potions. Along with his combat knowledge, he will likely have picked up the art of persuasion along his journey, few heroes can match his silver tongue. The Wanderer may appear weak to begin with, but you don't survive years of travelling Tamriel without picking up a trick or two.

There are various types of Wanderer, to begin with I will outline the generic Wanderer and then the various adaptations.

Race Selection - 
Any will work - For lore/roleplay I like Imperial, Breton or Argonian, they seem to suit the idea of a lone traveller. 
Imperial's skill with weapons and magic, as well as their keen eye for gold makes them a good fit. 
Breton's resistance to magic and ability to absorb it is incredibly helpful. 
The Argonian's abilities don't lend themselves to the Wanderer in the same way, however lore wise they fit the bill for lone traveler well.

Armour/Weapon Selection
Weapon - I prefer swords, but axes and maces work too.
Off hand - Magic - Armour spell at opening of fight, destruction during, Resto after or in emergencies.
Armour - Robes or clothes. Early game will likely be robes for enchants, but as enchanting increases you can enchant your own choice of clothing. Early game Light armour gloves and boots could be used until mage armour perk is unlocked.

Standing Stone - Mage Stone, One handed shouldn't fall behind much. For Thief style use Lover.

Skills and Perks 
Alteration - Level Perks up to Expert are a must to get the most out of your armour spells. This unlocks Mage Armour (1/3), Magical Resistance (1/3), Stability and Atronach.
Destruction - Level Perks up to Adept, as enchants will keep costs down at higher levels. I personally don't take and augmentation perks but that's up to you and how you play.
One Handed - Armsman (5/5), Fighting Stance and Savage Strike. Any others are again down to personal preference. 
Enchanting - Enchanter (5/5), Insightful Enchanter, Corpus Enchanter, Extra Effect.
Restoration - Novice, Apprentice, Regeneration.
Alchemy - Alchemist (5/5), Physician, Benefactor, Experimenter (3/3), Snakeblood, Purity.
Speech - Haggling (1/5), Allure, Bribery, Merchant, Persuasion.

This perk setup will take you to level 47, any further perks simply go to the trees mentioned. Other trees are a waste unless you've adapted the class to use them. Illusion is not mentioned despite being mentioned in the intro, that is because I personally do not use it, it is up to you whether to include it.

Quest lines
Alduin/Main story - Personal choice, the Wanderer may or may not rise to the call.
Civil War - No, Wanderers have no affiliation with Rebels or Imperials in this war.
Dark Brotherhood - Personal choice, depending on how far your wanderer will go to earn his coin.
Thieves Guild - For the generic Wanderer, no, you will see why in the adaptations section.
Mages College - Yes, the perfect place for the wanderer to hone their skills is the mages college. 
Bard's College - Yes.
Companions - I say yes, but it's up to you, Werewolf form optional.
Dawnguard - Yes, the wanderer will likely have slain multiple vampires on his travels already, and they will probably be one of the few things to truly worry him, thus the chance to eradicate them is perfect.
Dragonborn - Yes, the chance to explore a new, mineral rich land will be a strong temptation for the wanderer. Helping people and earning some coin on the way is always a bonus.
Thane Quests - Yes, coin is coin.
Side Quests - Yes, the Wanderer needs coin.
Daedric Artifacts - Yes, with Heartfire DLC/mods, the wanderer will eventually have his cabin in the woods, and proudly display such items.  

That concludes the generic set up for The Wanderer, what follows are a couple of adaptions I came up with, which I will summarise in paragraphs. 

The Thief Wanderer

The Thief Wanderer is, as the name suggests, a wanderer who's taken a more dishonest path to his earnings, adding Sneak and Pickpocketing to his skill list, often taking a dagger rather than a sword, adding intimidation to his speech tree and poisons to his alchemy tree. This wanderer prefers not to be seen. This increase in skills can weaken them overall, and in head to head combat he is less effective, but if all goes well he can make off with twice as much gold with half the confrontation. This wanderer will join the Thieves guild where others won't, and those with the blackest hearts will even go as far as the Dark Brotherhood.

The Vampiric Wanderer

The Vampiric Wanderer is much the same as the regular Wanderer, except he has fallen foul of a Vampire's fangs. Since embracing his new found power he has become a much darker creature with less morals than even the Thief Wanderer, leaving him capable of anything and very unpredictable in combat. Some have even been seen amongst Lord Harkon's Court, embracing the power of the Vampire Lords...

The Nordic Wanderer

As the name would have you believe, this wanderer is exclusively of Nordic descent, similar in most every aspect to the normal Wanderer except for the preference of two handed weapons. Wielding such great weapons yields much greater physical damage, however this is at the loss of the off hand abilities, thus, the Nordic Wanderer will rarely, if at all, use destruction, and often be seen dual casting his armour spell before battle. 

The Pirate
The Pirate is very similar in his ways to the Wanderer, but would never identify himself as a mere Traveler, more like the scourge of the seas. It may seem odd, at first, to have a Pirate in Skyrim, but think, two large ports, plenty of shipwrecks and a multitude of gold to plunder, pirates don't spend every waking minute at sea. Whether they're earning money for their first ship, recovering after a wreck on the nothern coast, or just out for a different adventure, Skyrim is a Pirate haven. Pirates, due to their proud nature, are more limited in their equipment choices. Putting greater attention into Restoration and not using Destruction for a start, a Pirate will only ever use a Saber like weapon in close quarters and would never be seen wearing robes, making early game enchantments harder. However he makes up for this by using Archery and Sneak to his advantage, thinning foes from a distance before charging in with his sword. Alteration is still regarded as a necessity among Pirates, in this age of Magic and Crossbows, they may be proud but they're not stupid.

Summarised notes on The Pirate;
No Destruction - Greater focus on Restoration.
Sabre type weapons only.
Bows AND Crossbows may be used.
No armour, no robes, clothes only.
Enchanting still used, as is Alteration etc.
Sabre type sword can be seen in the Scimitar (Vanilla) or sought out in Weapon mods if playing on PC.
Pickpocket etc may be used at player's discretion.

The Monk
This is a variation that I am still developing, and it's looking as if it may even become it's own class, however for now I shall document it here, for my benefit as much as yours. The Monk is not necessarily the man of peace that often comes to mind to those of us with an English disposition such as myself. When I say Monk, I'm thinking more along the lines of Shaolin Monk, or, to refer to another video game, the Monk class in World of Warcraft. Now one idea I've seen on the internet for a Monk class utilises unarmed fighting, which only to a certain point, even with the Khajit's claws. The Monk I have thought of, unfortunately, requires a weapons mod. The same mod I had in mind for The Pirate build (Name at bottom of article, in references section) and thus excludes those playing on console. The Monk travels the world, traditionally to fight evil where ever it may be found, and bring balance to the land. Skilled in the arts of Combat and Healing, he wields a wooden staff, as he has no need for blades with his skills. More accomplished Monks will often adorn these staves with metal tips or rings, to pack an extra punch. The Monk can be identified by his staff and his robes, usually modest but even the most composed Monk will treat himself now and then. Mastering the Two Handed skill to get full potential from his weapon, the Monk abandons Destruction magic, many swearing off it for the unbalance it brings to the world anyway. This, like the Pirate, is a more limited Wanderer build, providing extra challenge, but with it a more defined roleplay.

Summarised notes on The Monk;
No Destruction - Two handed instead of One Handed.
Staves only, maybe spears.
Robes only.
Enchanting, Alteration and Restoration still used.
Pickpocket etc may not be used. (Lockpicking excluded as it's essential to any playthrough, in my opinion.) 


References: AKA "Who gave me inspiration?" "Where the hell do I get the mods?"
Inspiration - 
Wanderer - Original idea from me, although I know from research others have come up with similar builds.
Thief Wanderer - Same as above.
Vampiric Wanderer - My good friend, and co host of upcoming YouTube channel; Kieran. 
Nordic Wanderer - Original idea from myself.
The Pirate - Originally thought of by me as a separate class however became a variation after looking at this build: http://goo.gl/YcI1Mx
The Monk - Original idea from World of Warcraft: Mists of Pandaria expansion.

Mods - 
Weapon Mod necessary for The Monk variation - Heavy Armoury http://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=85291742

Life Changes and Plans

Wooooow it's a while since I posted a blog, and last time I did was... depressing.

So yeah, life's been hectic lately. Had a relationship, that ended, but less said 'bout that the better, k? Had a job, didn't go south, but was only a temp contract so yeah, hi again unemployment. However I have got an interview lined up already, which is cool as technically my contract only ends today, even though my last shift was Friday night. Nice to finally have some money in the bank, intend on saving most of it, but have definitely been treating myself a little. My justification being that A) I fucking worked for 18 months to get that job and B) HOLY FUCK 10 hours on night shift in Sainsburys, three nights in a row, takes a toll on your back! But it was really fun work actually, once I settled into it. Shame it was only seasonal, but it all adds to the CV.

So yeah, considering I'm technically single (There's complications there but that's a whole other story), and unemployed, I actually have a pretty positive outlook on life right now. Have decided to save up for a classic 40s/50s american pickup when I learn to drive, and modify it to a Rat Rod. Am lucky I live in East Anglia in that respect, the air bases mean we have a bigger supply of classic American cars than most other areas in the country. But hey, that's a way off in the future yet.

In the realm of the more-likely-to-happen, I'm looking to restart that Youtube gaming channel with my friends; Emma and Kieran. If nothing else it should be a laugh, but now we can fund ourselves we can get proper mics, editing software and capture cards, meaning we're more likely to stick to it and be able to produce better quality videos! I kinda hope we can actually go somewhere with this though. I'm in a mind set now, having had A LOT of responsibility in my previous relationship, of wanting to take full advantage of the fact that I have no responsibility in life beyond employment and my dog. So yeah, if we can turn this into something big it would be awesome, and I'm definitely willing to put the work in this time, were previously I wavered. A pipe dream of mine recently has been to present a show (Internet or tv, but internet most likely) centered around gaming, whether it's Let's Plays, News or whatever. I'd love to do that, or present a show on Tattoos. I finally got my first tatt and have quickly become obsessed with them. As you can see my confidence exploded. 6 months ago public speaking terrified me now I'm all "Yeah lemme host all these shows it looks like fun." So yeah, oh and also I might be doing some modeling too... (lolwut?) 'Cause apparently my face looks good now.

My life's always been strange, and apparently it's only getting stranger now. But I'm enjoying it. Lot's of change, lot's of opportunities. And you know what? I'm making my own opportunities, because fuck what other people think of me. I may well have fuck all qualifications but I'm going to do what the fuck I want with my life. If it fails, then fine, I'll try something else. But I can't succeed if I don't fucking try.

It's all fun.

~Rusty.