Skyrim builds and how to create classes for your character

Skyrim builds are a way to create certain classic classes in Bethesda’s RPG. This is a game that doesn’t do traditional options, instead opting for a mix of races and birthmarks to shape your starting stat options. This can make it difficult to craft certain building archetypes with unusual skills and perks to play in Skyrim.

However, if you want a particular build of Skyrim, it’s doable if you know where you put your XP, use the right hardware, and choose excellent perks. To help you fulfill those pre-made aspirations, we have a list of the best Skyrim builds you can use to create the character of your dreams.

The best Skyrim mods | Skyrim secret mission locations| Skyrim secret chest locations | The best Skyrim companions | How to get married in Skyrim | Skyrim fascinating guide | Skyrim alchemy guide | The best Skyrim missions | Skyrim Anniversary Edition differences | How to fish in Skyrim Anniversary Edition | Skyrim Elysium

Skyrim is building: Battlemage

War Mages are some of the most intriguing characters in Skyrim. While some companions fight in this style – like Teldryn Sero, one of the best Skyrim companions – this is especially effective when you activate it yourself, due to its devastating damage potential.

If you’re planning to run this combo, you’ll likely be using a weapon in one hand and a Destruction spell in the other. While Destruction is great for taking advantage of elemental weaknesses, your one-handed weapon will be your main damage dealer, so it’s probably best to level One-Handed on its own before adding Destruction to the mix.

The next thing you need to do is equip yourself with enchanted light armor with buffs for Magicka regen and magic costs. That way, you’ll have a much larger pool of Magicka to work with. As for utility perks, you’ll need a good Alchemy stat to be able to craft potions to keep your health high, as you probably won’t have time to switch to Restoration spells very often. You’ll also need a decent Light Armor stat and high Sneak won’t go to waste as it will allow you to deal six times normal damage with a one-handed weapon from a stealth position. The best battle mages in terms of stats are Dark Elves, and Ancestor’s Wrath abilities are great for crowd control when you’re overwhelmed. However, Redguards and Imperials are also well suited to this playstyle, with good fighting skills and an innate proficiency for Destruction magic.

Skyrim builds: Archer

This might seem pretty self-explanatory, but to become the best archer in Skyrim you’ll need more than a fancy bow. You’ll need a max Sneak stat or as close as you can get, plus high Alchemy and Enchantment.

The goal is to equip yourself with light armor with Sneak spells. On top of that, you’ll need a bow enchanted with elemental damage and soul trap to keep it in top shape, as well as the best arrows money can buy.

Once you’ve taken care of all this, you’ll need to use Alchemy to craft devastating poisons. Applying these to your weapon will make your arrows much more powerful, so much so that you will pierce ancient dragons like it’s nobody’s business. The archer playstyle often involves sneaking onto high ground and raining death on an unsuspecting group of unfortunates, but having a companion by your side definitely pays off. You can shoot countless arrows from a safe distance while they take fire on the front lines. The best archers from afar are Wood Elves, who are resistant to the poisons they work with and naturally gravitate towards Archery and Sneak. Honestly, anyone can be a great archer, but Valenwood’s Bosmers are truly the archery elite.

Skyrim builds: Wizard

Sorcerer is a vague term in Skyrim, as there are various magical stats for leveling up, and they all have their own advantages. However, there is one type of mage that stands out from the crowd: the chaos mage (which is a term I just coined for the purpose of this build).

You definitely want to be a Breton, High Elf or Dark Elf here, all of whom have incredibly comprehensive base magic stats. To be honest though, High Elves are probably best for this due to their Highborn abilities, which regenerate 25% of the character’s Magicka per second for 60 seconds – and that’s on top of the fact that High Elves start with +50 Magicka.

To become a Chaos mage, you need to invest in more than Destruction magic. If you maximize Conjuration, you can spawn two atronachs at once. You can Calm enemies with Illusion or send them into states of fear and madness if you wish. You can even turn enemies against each other by giving you the opportunity to withdraw from battle while your former rivals do your job for you. The whole point of this building is to wreak havoc, fill the battlefield with magical creatures, and instill fear in anyone who opposes you.

Here you will need some good magic gear, maybe Archmage’s Robe and Savos Aren’s talisman, as well as some Magicka potion. Also, no matter how much chaos you have the potential to create, you will benefit greatly from a tough friend like Vilkas or Mjoll the Lioness. They can distract enemies as you prepare to pit them against each other, from which point you can join the fight and devastate the battlefield with the Bliss spell.

Skyrim is building: Assassin

Assassins are similar to archers in many ways, but Wood Elves aren’t necessarily the best. In fact, the races best suited to this nature are the Argonians, Khajiit, and Dark Elves, for they are all masters of deception.

As an assassin, you’ll pretty much only wield bows and daggers, both receiving massive damage bonuses if you’ve unlocked the correct Sneak perks. Like an archer, you will craft all manner of deadly poisons, so grinding Alchemy is an absolute must.

You’ll want to complete the Thieves Guild questline as quickly as possible to get yourself some fancy, Sneak-enchanted armor. The goal, however, is to maximize Smithing and Enchanting so you can enchant your own Dragonscale light armor. Ideally, you’d want them to evolve skills like Sneak, Pickpocket, and Unlock, as these skilled abilities are the bread and butter of an assassin.

An assassin build lets you pull off some of the most interesting wargames in all of Skyrim. If you have a high enough Pickpocket stat, you can actually kill people by planting poison on them inconspicuously. You can also barrel roll around dungeons, quietly thrusting double daggers into the backs of unsuspecting enemies. Assassins are strong, interesting to play and very skilled for non-combat situations.

Skyrim builds: Bruiser

Bruisers are Orcs, Nords, and Red Guards. Here, you’ll likely be wearing heavy armor, but light armor can also work if you’re particularly aggressive and focus on damage output.

This is the build that lets you have some fun with two-handed weapons, but you can also opt for a sword-shield combo. Either way, the whole point of a bruiser is to always be in the middle of the battle, dealing tons of damage and doing twice as much damage. You’ll want to enchant your armor to increase its defensive abilities, and you can definitely benefit from grinding Restoration. You’ll get lots of hits on the front lines, so using your shallow Magicka pool to maintain peak health is a good resource to have. Also, if you use one-handed weapons, you can heal and deal damage at the same time, making you a champion that is almost too powerful to be killed.

Bruisers are also the warriors who rely the most on Shouts, since you have little to no magic output. Fend off your enemies from cliffs, blast fire and ice at airborne enemies you can’t reach with your sword, and unleash Dragonrend to command the dragons to face you.

Character builds in Skyrim are ambiguous because there are no official builds to follow. However, if you have decided on a playstyle, you can create your own builds by investing in certain skills, abilities, armor and weapons. The best character build for you is the one you enjoy playing the most, so see which of the styles above best matches your desired play style and tailor it from there.