Introduction:

I just wanted to hear some opinions on my character build and, also, share it with people as I have had some users interested in this build when I brought it up on an alternate thread. This build, in its most simplest of forms, is a combination of a warrior and mage build. However, it can be fairly versatile and customised to a degree that allows everyone to still play the game in their preferred style I find.

Race Options:

Since this character relies on both magic and melee skills, picking the right race is essential. Bretons are recommended as they are fairly adept with arcane arts and are also able to take/dish out a decent amount of melee damage. High Elves are also a viable option too, and one which I picked, but they are not as good on the melee side of things as perhaps a Breton. Dark Elves could also be used if you plan on primarily using destruction magic.

Primary Skills:

I prefer to limit myself to three major skills, which I alternate investing in every couple of levels. However, since this build can cater for a variety of styles for playing, it is useful to also pick some secondary skills to invest in once every while.

One-Handed... This is, naturally, a must for a Spell/Sword character build and should not be hesitated to be invested in. One-handed weapons allow us to still use a spell in our other hand.

Heavy Armour... Whilst this build could work with light or medium armour (robes are simply suicidal when on the harder difficulties of the game), I think heavy armour serves this build best. Since our two hands will both be in use by a one-handed weapon such as a sword and then a spell, we don't have the luxury of a shield and so need to be able to take as much damage as possible.

Magic...Magic is naturally another important skill of the Spell/Sword build, but which tree you decide to invest in is entirely up to your play style. Restoration is useful to keep you and your companions at maximum health and allows you to be an utter tank. Destruction can do quite a bit of damage and alteration can be used to improve your armour rating. So, just pick a primary field of magic that suits your style of play.

Secondary Skills To Consider

Whilst not all in the true spirit of the character build, the skills below can prove extremely useful when playing the game on higher difficulties. They are also just useful to those looking to alter the play style of the build a bit.

Sneak...Whilst not to my tastes, this skill could be combined with magical skills such as invisibility and muffle to create a thief/mage combo. Throw in some daggers and you're the perfect Thieves' Guild member or new assassin for the Dark Brotherhood.

Enchanting...Robes can offer some amazing perks to magic-wielding builds such as twice as fast regeneration of magicka, but this type of clothing offers no protection whatsoever and is suicidal to use on the much harder difficulty levels of the game. However, with enchanting, we can add the perks from these robes to the heavy armour we are using.

Alchemy...Naturally, running out of magicka can be very dangerous to a mage and, whilst this build does not suffer from such a issue thanks to one-handed weapon proficiency, producing a couple of healing and magicka-regeneration potions can hardly do any harm.

Try experimenting with some different skills to spice up the build a bit and alter the game style. Leave a comment below if they turn out successful and, as with any part of the guide, I'll edit it to your recommendation.

Level 25 Statistics

Magicka - 240
Health - 200
Stamina - 100

Level 50 Statistics:

Magicka - 300
Health - 340
Stamina - 150

Level 81 Statistics:

Magicka - 300
Health - 500
Stamina - 300

Dawnguard Downloadable-Content

Not really related to the build, but just a note to inform people considering to start the build not worry about saving perks to spend on vampire or werewolf skill trees coming in Dawnguard. You can reach the level cap and still earn perks in these trees by "feeding".

Role-play Options

If you so happen to read some of my few other posts in other threads, you would know I am terrible when it comes to restarting the game and often restart because I regret making certain decisions or want to try something differently. One way I find to cure this "restartitis" is to come up with a remotely decent story to your character.