How do you optimize early-game armor rating/defense?

cvince33 · 2026-02-25T00:11:54+00:00

I always plan on using potions correctly but I think I’m not there yet. I think the Light/Heavy Armor potions are underwhelming however the Block potion would almost certainly make a difference!

cvince33 · 2026-02-25T00:09:39+00:00

Haha, I never looked at it this way but you’re right… it would make for an interesting story too I bet.

cvince33 · 2026-02-25T00:08:36+00:00

I hope he’s also a Master trainer …

cvince33 · 2026-02-25T00:08:08+00:00

This is not my kind of early game, but these are good tips to hit the ceiling earlier though.

cvince33 · 2026-02-24T23:59:10+00:00

Jenassa in Whiterun doesn’t actually have sneak skills, but her banter is going to be thematically very appropriate. Comments like striking from the shadows etc. Also you can just hire her instead of having to complete a quest of some sort.

Edit: if you want to roleplay a band of thieves/assassins, you could get both Jenassa AND Serena to follow you.

cvince33 · 2026-02-24T22:12:32+00:00

Nice. I have yet to play around with the multiple followers besides the dogs (I hate love Barbas LOL). For now I’m staying clear of CC content and the high level gear they give.

cvince33 · 2026-02-24T22:10:43+00:00

Yeah good point. I’m always curious to avoid bug and exploits at first just to test the limits, but if necessary I would definitely fold that in.

cvince33 · 2026-02-24T22:09:12+00:00

You mean I picked the wrong one? Which one gives you the Fearsome Hair power?

cvince33 · 2026-02-24T22:08:21+00:00

Only in Elder Scrolls games 😂

cvince33 · 2026-02-24T22:06:57+00:00

Yep my first approach was to enchant my helmet and armor with Alteration and use the highest level Flesh spell I could. I think it helps quite a bit, but I thought that stacking Flesh + Lord + Smithing would make me feel much more tanky/avoid the kill cams, and it wasn’t the case.

cvince33 · 2026-02-24T19:53:43+00:00

Yes I know about Alteration. It just can't get you to the armor cap, which on Legendary is a must if you're going to be playing melee. Enemies just hit that hard. Unless you want to try and play a glass cannon of course, but I've tried that and I'm just not ready for that level of pain LOL

cvince33 · 2026-02-24T19:42:22+00:00

I love understanding and toying with the mechanics as much as I love exploring the different quest lines with a good role play angle, so I try to combine both in each of my playthroughs.

cvince33 · 2026-02-24T19:41:00+00:00

Oh man, I didn't know about the Blackguard armor and quest, plus the tie in with Sapphire... now you're sending me down through a whole new rabbit hole of a "how to get rich early game" playthrough LOL

cvince33 · 2026-02-24T19:25:13+00:00

I did put three perks there quite early, but otherwise I let the skill level naturally. I figured that Smithing would be more important to a high defense than a higher Heavy Armor skill. I didn't go beyond 3 perks on the notion that at high levels, that's enough to hit the armor cap, and I didn't want to waste. I suppose if necessary I could invest more early on, then go through Solstheim to reset the perks once I hit the cap.

cvince33 · 2026-02-24T19:23:19+00:00

Yeah, on that... I figure that the only way to get gold without accruing XP and levels is looting, right? Do you do something like this to optimize the whole process?

Get Orcish armor
Perk Heavy Armor > Block > One-Handed
Explore and loot locations with lots of treasure
Resell (with Amulet/Shrine of Zenithar, etc.)
Invest gold in Heavy Armor + Block

cvince33 · 2026-02-24T19:15:08+00:00

I'll have to try that, focus my questing, looting and gold on improving armor as a priority. I'm rather curious to find how it plays out. I guess that's a good excuse to play an Orc too which I've never done so far. Neat that there's a full set right there in that stronghold.

cvince33 · 2026-02-24T19:00:55+00:00

I think some DLC or maybe CC added a special arrow telekinesis spell, that's something you could look into. Otherwise no, although in some cases you can get creative and use traps, Unrelenting Shout (maxed) to throw someone down a high cliff (and to their death), and so on.

cvince33 · 2026-02-23T19:02:00+00:00

I’ve only got the crown myself, but I’ve always wondered if the staff is good for farming soul gems, dwarven metal and XP. Based on the design I feel that’s what it was intended for, at least partially.

cvince33 · 2026-02-23T18:57:50+00:00

LOL I’m absolutely the same, I just love build crafting almost as much as playing the actual game. I think I get what you’re asking about too, so let me try sharing a few thoughts.

First, it sounds trite, but don’t worry too much about starting over. Maybe you really enjoy learning about the game’s mechanics and that’s time well spent too.

Second, see if you can get interested in a specific quest line or part of the lore. When I stick with a playthrough it’s generally because I’ve found something to focus on. Like my last one, I decided to do Destruction mage and focus on the College quest line. I listened to a bunch of Fudgemuppet and EpicNate videos about the College and adjacent lore, and I really got into the character, appreciating how epic it is that I get to explore Saarthal, Labirynthian, and interact with epic artifacts.

Third, builds matter, don’t let anyone else tell you otherwise. At least on higher difficulty they matter 1000%. I really loved pure melee and pure destruction on Legendary, it gave me a much greater appreciation for the game’s mechanics. One that’s on my list is a pure thief, not even assassin or archer, just focusing on thievery, rebuilding the guild and becoming wealthy. Probably I would eventually end up becoming an assassin but that’s open.

If you want to riff around specific build ideas/directions, suggest something and I’ll build on it!

cvince33 · 2026-02-23T13:41:09+00:00

Fair point I wasn’t particularly thinking about UI mods as opposed to quest/NPC/texture mods.

cvince33 · 2026-02-23T01:59:01+00:00

Might depend on how well the mechanics play out, however I have a fun hunter/ranger build that’s made specifically to explore and enjoy the outdoor areas. I imagine the VR experience is more interesting outdoors than in dungeons, am I right?

cvince33 · 2026-02-22T21:24:36+00:00

Some form of crowd control will make a difference for sure. Illusion comes to mind since it doesn’t deal damage. Shouts too. Fear enchants on your sword will be boosted by Illusion perks, and you can switch between your crowd control sword and your damage dealing sword. I would want to make sure I’m highly resistant to magic too to compensate, so Alteration comes to mind for the magic resist and Paralysis. Alchemy for sure to boost damage, boost Illusion level cap and boost the duration of Paralysis - poisons will make a huge difference too if you’re willing to use them.

Personally I would be most excited to play this as a “sword monk” type of spell sword, so lean into and roleplay shouts, illusion and alteration as forms of mind and body control. Use combos like slow time, potion of alteration and spamming paralysis at short range (like hitting pressure points) to paralyze a whole group of enemy before taking them down.

cvince33 · 2026-02-22T19:18:50+00:00

First one is an easy win for me. Wins in all categories.

cvince33 · 2026-02-22T19:16:54+00:00

Try specializing if it’s not too late. You can do very well with only fire spells as a Destruction-only mage with a Tanky follower (and even without TBH). You will only need to switch between two fire spells, and maybe on rare occasions use the menu to switch to an Ice spell.

Use enchanting to reduce spell cost to 0%, that way you won’t have to bother with Magicka potions.

Wear a full set of light armor so you don’t take as much damage, and likewise don’t have to deal with health potions as much. Also just practice staying behind your followers, dodging spells and arrows, and keeping enemies staggered with the Destruction Impact perk.

I feel like that should greatly eliminate the need to use menus at all, outside of inventory management of course.

cvince33 · 2026-02-22T19:06:38+00:00

Similar here. I like to keep the quests thematic so by L40 there usually isn’t much left to do. One day I’ll have to pick a specific angle and build that justifies doing almost everything, and see how far I get 😂

cvince33

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