Iaido Master

Khajiit - Sword - Clothing - Light - Warrior

Background

Iaido is the martial art of drawing a weapon, almost always a katana and attacking with it in the same fluid motion. It is the foundation of some forms of dueling, and its masters are feared and respected throughout the world.

The focus of the build is on speed by using shouts and frost damage to slow down enemies.

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Weapons

A Blades Sword is used as it's a Katana and once be be found without progressing the main story as the Dawnfang/Duskfang creation allows you to get a full set of Blades equipment, including the sword, from withith Riften Ratways. Before this a regular steel sword can be used.

The sword is enchanted with Frost Damage to both increase damage and slow enemies. The second enchantment is Absorb Health which keeps the character alive with little need for in combat healing using spells or potions although the build features these as fallback if needed.

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Armor

The final build is a Leather Helmet, Dawnguard Light Gauntlet and Dawnguard Light Boots and the blue Common Robes introduced by Ghosts of the Tribunal. The helmet can be crafted straight away, the gauntlets and boots can be taken for free from the battlements of Fort Dawnguard and the robes sometimes appear in Fethis Alor's inventory in Raven Rock or you can find several of them at the end of the Ghosts of the Tribunal quest. While levelling I used a full set of Leather Scout Armor for the body, hands and feet armour slots and swapped these out for the Dawnguard equivalents once I had obtained them. I kept the Leather Scout Armor in the body slot until I had levelled all my crafting skills and was ready to enchant my final gear.

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Spells

Restoration for heals. Alteration for some utility spells. Destruction spells purely to take it to level 60 for the perks.

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Standing Stones

The Lord Stone, Guardian Stones of Lover Stone while levelling. Take The Atronach Stone for 50% spell absorption, 50 Magicka but -50% Magicka regeneration when you have reached 100 Alteration and have the Atronach perk, which is a total of 80% spell absorption.

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Shrines

Use a Shrine of Talos for the 20% reduction to shout cooldowns.

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Shouts

Slow Time (Time - Sand - Eternity)

Location: Hag’s End, Korvanjund (The Jagged Crown), Labyrinthian (The Staff of Magnus).

Slows time down for you a bit and everyone else a lot. Can be used to get multiple very quick hits in.

Unrelenting Force (Force - Balance - Push)

Location: Just follow the main story quests

Staggers enemies but you'll probably only be using Slow Time.

Whirlwind Sprint (Whirlwind - Fury - Tempest)

Location: Dead Men’s Respite, Volskygge, High Hrothgar (The Way of the Voice)

Use to reach otherwise inaccessible places and to quickly evade attacks or catch up with fleeing enemies.

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Character Creation

Female Khajiit

I picked Khajiit as they are normally used for stealth builds so and I wanted to show that they can be used for other play styles. Redguard is a good fit for the build as an alternative race.

Pick female as the sex for your character as there are more male humanoids than females to fight in Skyrim so the 10% damage bonus against the opposite sex from Agent of Dibella gets more use. All Dwemer Automatons count as Male.

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Attribute Distribution

Place attribute points at 0/3/1. At level 60 which is required for all the perks the attributes are:

Magicka	Health	Stamina
100 (150)	550 (665)	240 (355)

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Perk Point Distribution

The skill boosts for Khajiit are marked in bold.

Mage		Warrior		Rogue
Alteration	9	Archery +5	0	Alchemy +5	7
Conjuration	0	Block	5	Light Armor	5
Destruction	3	Heavy Armor	0	Lockpicking +5	0
Enchanting	10	One-handed +5	7	Pickpocket +5	0
Illusion	0	Smithing	3	Sneak +10	0
Restoration	8	Two-handed	0	Speech	2
Total	30	Total	15	Total	14

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Skills and Perks

Mage Skills

Warrior Skills

Rogue Skills

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Spells

Alteration

Spell	Level	Description
Candlelight	Novice	Creates a hovering light that lasts for 60 seconds
Transmute	Adept	Transmute one piece of unrefined Iron Ore to Silver, or Silver Ore to Gold, if the caster is carrying any
Telekinesis	Adept	Can pull an object to you from distance. Add it to your inventory or throw it
Waterbreathing	Adept	Can breathe under water for 60 seconds

These spells are situationally useful which is why I've described them previously as utility spells. I generally train Alteration to 50 with Dravynea at Kynegrove to the south of Windhelm. Then you can purchase Waterbreathing from Tolfgir at the College of Winterhold. Casting this spell when stood in a river is a reasonably quick way to level Alteration. Taking the Adept Alteration perk when Alteration is at 50 drops the cost to 82 magicka.

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Conjuration

Spell	Level	Description
Soul Trap	Apprentice	If a target dies within 60 seconds, fills a soul gem

Soul Trap is used to level Conjuration and also fill soul gems.

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Destruction

Spell	Level	Description
Unbounded Storms	Expert	Targets in melee range take 40 shock damage per second to Health, and half that to Magicka. Random lightning strikes deal an additional 30 damage

Unbounded Storms is purely used as a means to level Destruction.

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Illusion

Spell	Level	Description
Courage	Novice	Target won't flee for 60 seconds, and gets some extra health and stamina.

Courage can be used to level illusion.

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Restoration

Spell	Level	Description
Healing	Novice	Heals the caster 10 points per second
Healing Hands	Apprentice	Heals the target 10 points per second, but not undead, atronachs, or machines
Fast Healing	Apprentice	Heals caster by 50 points
Close Wounds	Adept	Heals caster by 100 points
Grand Healing	Expert	Heals everyone close to the caster 200 points. Does not affect atronachs, machines or undead

You can start using better healing spells as the cost reduction perks are acquired but I pretty much just used Healing and Fast Healing before getting enchanted gear.

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Enchantments

The effects listed below are based upon 100 Enchanting skill, all the enchanting perks in the build and with a set of enchanted crafting gear. Read my guide on making crafting gear if you are not familiar with it.

Summary of combined effects

One-handed weapons do 225% more damage.
Weapon uses no charges.
Destruction spells cost no magicka.
Restoration spells costs 46% less magicka.
Health and Stamina are increased by 115 points.
Light Armor skill is increased by 46 points.
Block 75% more damage.
Resist 37% of all magic.

Item	Enchantment	Effect
Head	Fortify Destruction	Destruction spells and enchantments cost 46% less
	Fortify Restoration	Restoration spells and enchantments cost 46% less
Body	Fortify Destruction	Destruction spells and enchantments cost 46% less
	Fortify Health	Health is increased by 115 points
Feet	Fortify One-handed	One-handed attacks do 75% more damage
	Fortify Stamina	Stamina is increased by 115 points
Hands	Fortify Block	Block 75% more damage with your shield
	Fortify Light Armor	Light Armor is increased by 46 points
Amulet	Resist Magic	Grants 37% resistance to all magic
	Fortify One-handed	One-handed attacks do 75% more damage
Ring	Fortify Destruction	Destruction spells and enchantments cost 46% less
	Fortify One-handed	One-handed attacks do 75% more damage
Sword	Frost Damage	Target takes 85 points of frost damage to health and stamina
	Absorb Health	Absorb 55 points of Health.

With the Sallowed Regent Black Book the magnitude of all enchantments can be increased.

Please note that Black Books can only be used on Solstheim.

The magnitude of the enchantments can be further increased by equipping 4 pieces of Azhidal's gear.

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Alchemy

All the details for the potions and poisons are based on having all the listed alchemy perks, Alchemy at 100 and a set of crafting gear.

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Potion of Fortify Health

Ingredients	Blue Mountain Flower & Wheat
Effects	Fortify Health	170 points for 60 seconds
	Restore Health	266 points restored

All of the ingredients can be found in or around Whiterun.

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Potion of Fortify Destruction

Ingredients	Glowing Mushroom, Snowberries & Steel-Blue Entoloma
Effects	Fortify Destruction	213% stronger for 60 seconds
	Resist Frost	Resist 128% of frost damage for 60 seconds
	Resist Shock	Resist 128% of shock damage for 60 seconds

Go to Shimmermist Cave to the North East of Whiterun and pick 2 Glowing Mushrooms from the entrance. The remaining 7 are in the secret lab at the farm. I gathered the Snowberries from the path from Helgen to Ivarstead but you can also get then all from the farms near Windhelm. Steel-Blue Entoloma can be purchased from Khajiit caravans.

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Potion of Fortify Enchanting

Ingredients	Dreugh Wax/Stoneflower Petals & Snowberries
Effects	Fortify Enchanting	85% stronger for 30 seconds

Dreugh Wax and Stoneflower Petals are only available from Khajiit caravans. Some travel between Whiterun and Markarth. Snowberries are abundant near Windhelm.

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Potion of Fortify Smithing

Ingredients	Dreugh Wax/Gold Kanet & Glowing Mushrooms
Effects	Fortify Smithing	213% stronger for 30 seconds

Dreugh Wax and Gold Kanet are only available from Khajiit caravans. Some travel between Whiterun and Markarth. Glowing Mushrooms are in Falmer caves.

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Farming

For more information on getting to and setting up your farm read my guide.

Ingredients Needed

6 x Blue Mountain Flower
9 x Glowing Mushroom
11 x Snowberries
13 x Steel-Blue Entoloma
5 x Wheat

Potions and Poisons Produced

24 x Potions of Forify Health
52 x Potions of Fortify Destruction

Main Area (27)

Ingredient	Qty	Harvest	Green Thumbs
Steel-Blue Entoloma (3)	13	39 + 13 = 52	78 + 13 = 91
Glowing Mushrooms (5)	9	45 + 9 = 54	90 + 9 = 99
Wheat (4)	5	20 + 5 = 25	40 + 5 = 45

Side Area (11)

Ingredient	Qty	Harvest	Green Thumbs
Snowberries (4)	11	44 + 11 = 55	88 + 11 = 99

Planters (6)

Ingredient	Qty	Harvest	Green Thumbs
Blue Mountain Flowers (3)	6	18 + 6 = 24	36 + 6 = 42

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