Tamriel Vault

This Build is a collaborative effort by Emer Dareloth and No snakes aLive! (Credit goes to Ponty for the screenshots and CouchWarrior and TZ for the videos!)

The Shadowscale: born Assassin, physical extension of the darkness itself. This is a rare breed of killer, one whose skill-set far surpasses the tiptoeing and throat-slitting limitations of his comrades' capabilities. The Shadowscale is just as likely to look you in the eye in broad daylight to distract you from the dagger at your back - and it's your own dagger at that! - as he is turning the darkness of night into a playground for your fears and terrors to run amok in.

Hail to Sithis, blood’s drop on blade’s edge. 

Before you, nothing. Behind you, the Void. 

Catalyst, agitator, many-fanged maw. 

Whisper your need to the Scales.

Any two bit assassin can dress the part and wield the weapon, tiptoe up to a target and slit a throat undetected. True mastery of stealth and the art of killing - the kind that cannot be taught but rather that one must be born into, as the Shadowscales are - that kind of expertise entails being able to blend into crowd as well as darkness, remaining not merely undetected but also unassuming. The Shadowscale just as easily hides in plain sight, neither wearing the infamous set of armor that is calling-card to his profession nor wielding the weapons that would give away his intentions, as he hides in the darkness, terrorizing his victims with the knowledge that death could be around any corner. You may pass a Shadowscale in broad daylight and never be alerted to the presence of such a killer; at night you may never learn of his whereabouts, but he will surely make his presence known. No matter when or where, a Shadowscale will leave you dead where you stand, betrayed by your own weapon, and he will do so without a trace.

The purpose of this build - a collaborative effort between Emer Dareloth and No snakes aLive- is to make an Assassin build worthy of the lore that supports it: one that is unique and tactical in ways rarely seen in such a class. One that elevates the notion of stealth beyond just the ease of reaching enemies silently and without being spotted. A Shadowscale trains in the art of stealth from birth, a destined assassin, and should play as one. Thus the goal of this character is to rely heavily on both the abilities to play off his enemies' fears from the darkest corners, unseen, and to relieve them of their weapons before using their own steel to kill them, unexpectedly. Would a master of stealth and born-assassin run around with daggers in tow, wearing a set of armor that may as well double as a neon "Assassin" sign? A Shadowscale would not. He would wear unassuming robes and carry items crafted only for his defense, and so no one would expect a thing until it's already too late, and their weapons are already in his hands (or worse yet, against their throats).

Between the ability to disarm enemies via shout, shield and stealth, there are plenty of means around which to focus this unique playthrough. Coupled with the ability to use Illusion to terrorize enemies from the shadows - causing them to flee in horror, freeze up with fear, and fight amongst themselves - a far more thoroughly strategic playstyle is born to create an Assassin playthrough like no other. And whereas the high-risk, high-reward style of other Assassin builds sees them falter when found, a Shadowscale will always have the defensive capabilities to turn the tide of battle back in his favor even when detected.

Your goal will be to part your enemy's weapon (and perhaps even armor too) from their possession to slaughter them with, whether via the Pickpocket skill when able and undetected, the Disarm Shout (and telekinesis or a quick roll and grab afterward, if your skill and timing are worthy of a Shadowscale)when necessary, or even your trusty shield and the corresponding Block perk when faced with direct combat. This means there are many methods of employing the core gameplay tactic of this build, who carries no weapons of his own and relies on killing his targets with theirs, as well as plenty of back-up plans (and daggers) were one of those methods to fail.

The other core mechanic you'll be employing, to thin the herds and replicate the feeling of a true lord of the shadows, will be to terrorize them with Illusion spells. Make them run scared towards comrades of theirs who are ready to kill whatever rounds the corner, freeze them up with fear before strolling up to them and snatching their sword from their helpless hands, and simply wreak havoc to shroud your assassinations and escapes in the ensuing chaos. And the best part is that, should you fail at your stealth approaches (as if any Shadowscale would fail at that)this build has unparalleled capabilities of surviving, escaping, or even turning the tide of battle back in its favor.

Should you find yourself found, there is no single power better-suited towards staying alive than Histskin, and paired with both your defensive spellcasting expertise (Illusions and Flesh spells)as well as your prowess with a shield and the fully perked Block skill, this build should easily be able to handle what enemies throw at it before finding a means of either escaping back into the shadows or relieving your threats of their weapons to use against them, and thus, clearly regain the upperhand. Even the Argonians' other racial ability, often seen as nothing more than a nifty gimmick, can become an essential component to this build! Fly towards the water with Whirlwind Sprint and disappear into its depths where no man or mer can follow.

The Shadowscale is not some overpowered slayer of everything in sight, no whirling dervish of magic dagger attacks and one-shot bow snipes. He employs the finesse of a true assassin, avoiding detection and creating opportunities at a moment's notice, for a gameplay style that is surely more methodical in its approach than what most are used to, but one that can be infinitely more rewarding too.

Shouts

On to the Shadowscale's bread and butter: Shouts, the most obvious of which being Disarm. If you're ever detected before you can pickpocket an enemy's weapon and stab them with it, you still have this trick up your sleeve to wrench their weapon from their grasp and retrieve it in stylish fashion before they can even react, either with Telekinesis or a quick Silent Roll to close the distance before they can. Aside from that, Aura Whisper is excellent for alerting you to your enemies' presence so you can get the drop on them, and Throw Voice is the perfect means of both distraction and the repositioning of enemies, so that the Shadowscale can divide-and-conquer to take out even the most heavily guarded of targets. And of course, it also never hurts to have a target Marked for Death before pickpocketing his dagger and plunging it through his back.

Special Moves:

Mind Games: A true master of stealth and Illusions, the Shadowscale can appear as though he's right in harm's way. And as his enemies repeatedly swing and miss, and the realization that the Shadowscale isn't where they thought he was and could be anywhere at all sets in, they are driven mad with fright.

Become Ethereal + Hysteria/Mayhem

Argonian Advantage: When the Shadowscale's target lays dead with his henchman's blade protruding from his back, and all angry eyes turn towards the culprit, he will already be long gone. Gone swimming, that is, for there is safety in the darkest depths that no enemy can reach without the certainty of drowning.

Whirlwind Sprint + Argonian Waterbreathing

What's Yours is Mine: Upon realization that the Shadowscale is upon them, many men will simply be paralyzed with fright. There is no better opportunity to remove their weapon from their possession and return it, point-first, through their eyesocket.

Pacify + Misdirection + Backstab

Turn the Tide: The Shadowscale needn't strike terror in the hearts of men and approach them unnoticed in order to remove their bladed advantage and make it his own. From any distance and in a split second, the Shadowscale can turn the tide of battle by making your weapon his, either by diving towards it with unmatched swiftness or even pulling it towards him with the powers of Alteration.

Disarm Shout + Telekinesis/Silent Roll

Fight or Flight: The Shadowscale plays off his enemies' fears from the safe embrace of the shadows, forcing them to turn on one another. When one enemy is ready to flee in a horrified panic and another is terrified enough to attack the next thing that moves, the Shadowscale has created a cocktail of fear that sees his enemies eliminating themselves at his amusement.

Throw Voice + Rout + Frenzy

Born Assassin: Enigmatic and intelligent, Argonians are experts of guerilla tactics. Shadowscales then are no mere experts, but true masters, who possess unrivaled expertise in the art of assassination. A Shadowscale is capable of turning face-to-face combat into a lethal backstabbing in the blink of an eye. Shadow Warrior (Crouch) + Shadow Stone + Hidden Backstab 

This Build is a collaborative effort by Emer Dareloth and No snakes aLive! (Credit goes to Ponty for the screenshots and CouchWarrior and TZ for the videos!)

The Shadowscale: born Assassin, physical extension of the darkness itself. This is a rare breed of killer, one whose skill-set far surpasses the tiptoeing and throat-slitting limitations of his comrades' capabilities. The Shadowscale is just as likely to look you in the eye in broad daylight to distract you from the dagger at your back - and it's your own dagger at that! - as he is turning the darkness of night into a playground for your fears and terrors to run amok in.

Hail to Sithis, blood’s drop on blade’s edge. 

Before you, nothing. Behind you, the Void. 

Catalyst, agitator, many-fanged maw. 

Whisper your need to the Scales.

Any two bit assassin can dress the part and wield the weapon, tiptoe up to a target and slit a throat undetected. True mastery of stealth and the art of killing - the kind that cannot be taught but rather that one must be born into, as the Shadowscales are - that kind of expertise entails being able to blend into crowd as well as darkness, remaining not merely undetected but also unassuming. The Shadowscale just as easily hides in plain sight, neither wearing the infamous set of armor that is calling-card to his profession nor wielding the weapons that would give away his intentions, as he hides in the darkness, terrorizing his victims with the knowledge that death could be around any corner. You may pass a Shadowscale in broad daylight and never be alerted to the presence of such a killer; at night you may never learn of his whereabouts, but he will surely make his presence known. No matter when or where, a Shadowscale will leave you dead where you stand, betrayed by your own weapon, and he will do so without a trace.

The purpose of this build - a collaborative effort between Emer Dareloth and No snakes aLive- is to make an Assassin build worthy of the lore that supports it: one that is unique and tactical in ways rarely seen in such a class. One that elevates the notion of stealth beyond just the ease of reaching enemies silently and without being spotted. A Shadowscale trains in the art of stealth from birth, a destined assassin, and should play as one. Thus the goal of this character is to rely heavily on both the abilities to play off his enemies' fears from the darkest corners, unseen, and to relieve them of their weapons before using their own steel to kill them, unexpectedly. Would a master of stealth and born-assassin run around with daggers in tow, wearing a set of armor that may as well double as a neon "Assassin" sign? A Shadowscale would not. He would wear unassuming robes and carry items crafted only for his defense, and so no one would expect a thing until it's already too late, and their weapons are already in his hands (or worse yet, against their throats).

Between the ability to disarm enemies via shout, shield and stealth, there are plenty of means around which to focus this unique playthrough. Coupled with the ability to use Illusion to terrorize enemies from the shadows - causing them to flee in horror, freeze up with fear, and fight amongst themselves - a far more thoroughly strategic playstyle is born to create an Assassin playthrough like no other. And whereas the high-risk, high-reward style of other Assassin builds sees them falter when found, a Shadowscale will always have the defensive capabilities to turn the tide of battle back in his favor even when detected.

Your goal will be to part your enemy's weapon (and perhaps even armor too) from their possession to slaughter them with, whether via the Pickpocket skill when able and undetected, the Disarm Shout (and telekinesis or a quick roll and grab afterward, if your skill and timing are worthy of a Shadowscale)when necessary, or even your trusty shield and the corresponding Block perk when faced with direct combat. This means there are many methods of employing the core gameplay tactic of this build, who carries no weapons of his own and relies on killing his targets with theirs, as well as plenty of back-up plans (and daggers) were one of those methods to fail.

The other core mechanic you'll be employing, to thin the herds and replicate the feeling of a true lord of the shadows, will be to terrorize them with Illusion spells. Make them run scared towards comrades of theirs who are ready to kill whatever rounds the corner, freeze them up with fear before strolling up to them and snatching their sword from their helpless hands, and simply wreak havoc to shroud your assassinations and escapes in the ensuing chaos. And the best part is that, should you fail at your stealth approaches (as if any Shadowscale would fail at that)this build has unparalleled capabilities of surviving, escaping, or even turning the tide of battle back in its favor.

Should you find yourself found, there is no single power better-suited towards staying alive than Histskin, and paired with both your defensive spellcasting expertise (Illusions and Flesh spells)as well as your prowess with a shield and the fully perked Block skill, this build should easily be able to handle what enemies throw at it before finding a means of either escaping back into the shadows or relieving your threats of their weapons to use against them, and thus, clearly regain the upperhand. Even the Argonians' other racial ability, often seen as nothing more than a nifty gimmick, can become an essential component to this build! Fly towards the water with Whirlwind Sprint and disappear into its depths where no man or mer can follow.

The Shadowscale is not some overpowered slayer of everything in sight, no whirling dervish of magic dagger attacks and one-shot bow snipes. He employs the finesse of a true assassin, avoiding detection and creating opportunities at a moment's notice, for a gameplay style that is surely more methodical in its approach than what most are used to, but one that can be infinitely more rewarding too.

Shouts

On to the Shadowscale's bread and butter: Shouts, the most obvious of which being Disarm. If you're ever detected before you can pickpocket an enemy's weapon and stab them with it, you still have this trick up your sleeve to wrench their weapon from their grasp and retrieve it in stylish fashion before they can even react, either with Telekinesis or a quick Silent Roll to close the distance before they can. Aside from that, Aura Whisper is excellent for alerting you to your enemies' presence so you can get the drop on them, and Throw Voice is the perfect means of both distraction and the repositioning of enemies, so that the Shadowscale can divide-and-conquer to take out even the most heavily guarded of targets. And of course, it also never hurts to have a target Marked for Death before pickpocketing his dagger and plunging it through his back.

Special Moves:

Mind Games: A true master of stealth and Illusions, the Shadowscale can appear as though he's right in harm's way. And as his enemies repeatedly swing and miss, and the realization that the Shadowscale isn't where they thought he was and could be anywhere at all sets in, they are driven mad with fright.

Become Ethereal + Hysteria/Mayhem

Argonian Advantage: When the Shadowscale's target lays dead with his henchman's blade protruding from his back, and all angry eyes turn towards the culprit, he will already be long gone. Gone swimming, that is, for there is safety in the darkest depths that no enemy can reach without the certainty of drowning.

Whirlwind Sprint + Argonian Waterbreathing

What's Yours is Mine: Upon realization that the Shadowscale is upon them, many men will simply be paralyzed with fright. There is no better opportunity to remove their weapon from their possession and return it, point-first, through their eyesocket.

Pacify + Misdirection + Backstab

Turn the Tide: The Shadowscale needn't strike terror in the hearts of men and approach them unnoticed in order to remove their bladed advantage and make it his own. From any distance and in a split second, the Shadowscale can turn the tide of battle by making your weapon his, either by diving towards it with unmatched swiftness or even pulling it towards him with the powers of Alteration.

Disarm Shout + Telekinesis/Silent Roll

Fight or Flight: The Shadowscale plays off his enemies' fears from the safe embrace of the shadows, forcing them to turn on one another. When one enemy is ready to flee in a horrified panic and another is terrified enough to attack the next thing that moves, the Shadowscale has created a cocktail of fear that sees his enemies eliminating themselves at his amusement.

Throw Voice + Rout + Frenzy

Born Assassin: Enigmatic and intelligent, Argonians are experts of guerilla tactics. Shadowscales then are no mere experts, but true masters, who possess unrivaled expertise in the art of assassination. A Shadowscale is capable of turning face-to-face combat into a lethal backstabbing in the blink of an eye. Shadow Warrior (Crouch) + Shadow Stone + Hidden Backstab