by SCS_HammerA Guide by Tim Faroe, from the Tamriel Vaults
When the strong are not held accountable, the weak suffer the consequences. Knights represent the noblest of warriors who stand up against this sort of behavior and offer up their strength to stop those who abuse martial prowess. Clad in shining armor, wielding razor sharp blades and mounted atop mighty steeds, knights selflessly serve the realm and swear oaths of fealty to uphold the ideals of society and serve their patron with unswerving loyalty. Let all monsters, outlaws and evildoers beware, for if they cross paths with a knight of honor they will not survive for long!
***if the music bother you, scroll down to the player at the bottom and click pause
The Build
Overview: This is a fairly straight-forward build with a heavy roleplay emphasis. On paper the mechanics may seem a bit dull, as you won’t find any skill synergies or devastating combat maneuvers. What really makes this fun is trying to live like a knight would, without using any sort of dishonorable behavior while at the same time being an powerful and badass warrior. I’ve listed some of the rules and the overall philosophy of living as a knight, but first I’ll discuss the nuts and bolts of how this build will play out. I was flipping through the “most underrated builds” thread and I noticed that a lot of people were interested in more of a pure warrior/mage/thief type of build. This is also the core class for an exhaustive series of builds to come where I will delve into the various knightly orders of Daggerfall! Stay tuned for those if you like what you see.
Skills:
One-Handed – This one is a no-brainer, knights are almost always seen using the sword and board style. I decided to go all out and specialize in both axes and maces. I left Badesman unperked because the critical hit damage isn’t really worth spending 3 perk points on in my opinion. You can get a crit using a charge with any of the weapons, so it didn’t seem like a very big deal. I also left out dual wielding and Paralyzing strike because you’ll always have a shield and paralyzing strikes aren’t very honorable.
Heavy Armor – Again, totally obvious choice here, the stereotypical knight wears shining metal armor. Every perk in the tree was used, as this is one of the most important aspects of being a knight.
Block – Shields are another big part of being a knight, supplementing your already fantastic armor rating. I personally love the block tree, almost all of the perks are quite useful and you can nullify so much damage. No perks were left out from this tree. I also like to use a torch when fighting the undead or trolls, shield bashing with one lights the enemy on fire.
Smithing – You have to keep your armor and weapons in top quality. I enjoy smithing all kinds of gear, so I took every perk there was, with the exception of Daedric. This is because a true knight does not profane himself with the dark arts, including the forging of Daedric armor. Dragonbone is superior anyway and you’ll still have plenty of other options at your expense. Forging will also allow you to have more items to sell, which will be important for raising your Speech skill. My favorite sets were Steel Plate and Ebony, they look the most knightly to me. If you’re not as crazy about getting to 100, just go up the left side to get Advanced Armors and throw the extra perks into Illusion or something else that might need it.
Speech – The one perked skill that isn’t linked to the Warrior stone is Speech. Knights must carry themselves with respect and courtesy at all times. It also never hurts to be good at bartering. I went up the right side to get more skilled in negotiating, and went partway up the left to improve trading skills.
Illusion (unperked) – In Oblivion, Illusion was a major skill of the knight, but the skill was a bit different and knights primarily used it to charm people into giving them better prices or telling them information. So I decided to make use of Courage and Calm spells interspersed throughout the playthrough.They’re cheap enough to cast without dumping anything into magicka. Calm will be hard to cast at first, but if you find a magic item of Illusion or Magicka, use them to bolster your abilities. It helps you level up more quickly as Illusion is one of the easiest skills to raise.
Base Stats: 0:2:1 Health is the main priority, but stamina is also nice, both for carrying capacity and power attacks. I know you can just make vegetable soup and power attack infinitely, but I think it’s nice to have a good stamina pool. Even though I put zero for magicka, it can be fun to occasionally throw one into that for the sake of casting Calm spells more easily.
Race: Human cultures primarily tend to employ knights, but members of any race can join knightly orders should they prove themselves worthy. I personally loved playing as an Imperial, both for having appropriate skill boosts and for the Voice of the Emperor power that could calm a room down instantly. Orcs, Redguards and Nords are also obvious strong choices.
Standing Stones: The Warrior or any of its charges: the Lord, the Lady and the Steed. Personally I like the Steed the most, both because it fits with the knight theme and also allows for more stuff to trade, which will be very important for raising Speech.
Followers: Generally you’ll want to stick with honorable warriors that have similar ideals, so mostly go with strong fighters who wear heavy armor and have some kind of moral standing. A knight should avoid employing the services of a sellsword, as they are mainly in it for the profit, not the well-being of the realm. You could also go for a character who uses light armor that takes on the role of squire or armiger. I also like using Erandur from the Vaermina Quest because he’s a priest of the Mara.
The Code of Chivalry
- Believe the Divines’ teachings and observe all the Temple’s directions.
- Defend the Temples of the Divines.
- Respect and defend the weak.
- Love your homeland.
- Do not recoil before an enemy.
- Show no mercy to heretics. Do not hesitate to make war with them.
- Perform all duties that agree with the laws of the Divines.
- Never lie or go back on one’s word.
- Be generous to everyone.
- Always and everywhere be right and good against evil and injustice.
Interpretation of the Rules:
While every knight will endeavor to follow the rules of chivalry, individuals will interpret them from differing perspectives. Certain aspects will shift depending on several factors, like the knight’s homeland and religious background. Some believe in Talos, others do not, some may even worship the traditional gods of their people. While there is some flexibility, Daedra worship is forbidden and necromancy should be considered evil. Magical staves and Daedric gear are also forbidden.
For the most part, magic is rejected but knights may still use magical weapons and armor provided it’s not rooted in Daedric magic. Potions are allowed as they walk the line between magic and science but poisons are still considered unfair. Positive illusion spells are used to bolster allies or avoid conflict. Even though mechanically you are casting a spell, think of it less as magic and more as an offshoot of the knight’s natural charisma and leadership prowess. If that breaks your immersion too much you may also think of it as being the conduit of divine blessing, capable of ending needless combat peacefully and getting the best performance out of your followers.
A knight’s oath is his bond, you must never betray your chosen patron as long as his honor is intact. This can be tricky to navigate in certain cases, just remember, whoever has the most just and righteous cause is the one you follow. It’s a bit of a dance that becomes questionable at times, but a knight must keep a clear conscience. Men are corruptible but ultimately you answer to the Divines. As such, you are released from any vow if that patron proves dishonorable or unrighteous.
Fallen knights who break their vows will often turn to negative illusion spells that cause fear and betrayal. They have no qualms about using Daedric artifacts or magic items and will take every advantage at their disposal, using poisons and backstabs whenever they wish. Many disgraced knights will join the Dark Brotherhood or the Thieves Guild and turn to Daedra worship. If you decide that you want to turn evil, it can be a really fun roleplay, but once you break your vows, it is nearly impossible to go back. Only through great acts of penance and valorous service can you regain your honor.
Quests
Main quest: Doesn’t get much more knightly than saving the world from a dragon bent on devouring everything. It’s up to your discretion to decide if you side with the Blades or the Greybeards, a knight could choose either path and maintain honor depending on where their strongest loyalties lie.
The Companions: Okay, so this one is tricky to justify given all the werewolf nonsense, but they are the closest thing to a knightly order that there is in Skyrim. I think it’s okay because it isn’t obviously evil at the beginning and ends with redemption. If you are a hard core purist then don’t accept the beast blood and remain a lesser member, but the positives outweigh the negatives for me.
Civil War: Knights are noble combat leaders so this one is pretty obvious. Join whoever makes the most sense for your character’s way of thinking. Both sides can be justified as honorable depending on one’s perspective. Even an Imperial might think that the Empire dishonored itself by signing the White-Gold Concordat and side with Ulfric. This is up to your discretion, just make sure you stay loyal to your chosen faction.
Divine Quests: Help priests with their respective quests. You serve the gods in a righteous and holy manner, and they bless you for it. Pray at altars regularly. Examples are the Kynareth quest in Whiterun regarding the Gildergreen Tree and the quest from the Temple of Mara in Riften that reunites lovers.
Dawnguard: If you have this DLC, joining the vampire hunters is a natural choice, there is much valor to be found on this path. Saving the realm from the vampire threat will honor the Divines and protect the innocent residents of Skyrim from being dragged off and used as cattle.
Radiant Quests: While I’m sure people usually play these anyway, I thought it worth mentioning because they often involve assisting someone who needs help. Perform these deeds for the well-being of society, not with an attitude of entitlement or reward seeking. Of course, many will still reward you, but that shouldn’t be your underlying motivation. Any gold you make can be dumped into combat training or better gear so that you can better serve the people of the realm. A knight’s life is not about accumulating wealth, but rather using your wealth in the service to others.
Radiant quests that involve stealing or any kind of injustice should be rejected, for example, don’t steal the Argonian Ale for Brenuin in Whiterun. Becoming a thane of each hold is a cool way to emulate being a knight-errant who travels the land and also allows you to buy a house and adopt orphans.
So that’s my build, hope you like it! Let me know if I’ve mucked something up or made anything unclear, I’m open to constructive criticism. And remember to ride a horse as much as possible =p
If you liked this, check out my other builds
Also check out Percival Black’s thread on
for some additional inspiration!
Addendum
I’ve noticed a lot of people who are more interested in two-handed weapons, as well as some interest in a fallen knight variant. You asked, and I shall deliver, I’m starting a new section with modified versions of the original. Hope you like it!
Class Variants
Two-Handers – For those who love their Greatswords, Battleaxes and Warhammers, I have put together the heavy offense variant, specializing in two-handed weapon skill. Since I was able to remove a bunch of perks from one-handed and block, you even get a few bonus perks in Illusion:
All Melee Options – If you like both fighting styles and don’t want to have to pick, here is a version that uses both one- and two-handed at the expense of some mercantile skill and weapon specializations: Fallen Knight – If you fall away from the path of honor or were simply evil from the start, this path is for you. Delving deeper into trickery and oppression, this variant focuses much more on Illusion than the others. You also will take the Daedric Armor perk and utilize that gear set to signify your sinister nature. Prioritize magicka much more for this one as you’ll be shooting Illusion spells off at people. For questing, focus heavily on the Daedra quests: