Hello forumers, still awaiting the 1.5 patch for consoles, and still making builds. Now, the latest, is a classic, the Barbarian. Two Handed, Smithing, Block, and Heavy Armor (yes, I know light would make more sense but Ancient Nord Armor is heavy, and what I'll be wearing). Now here's what I am debating with myself: the inclusion of Archery. On one hand, I enjoy hunting, it fits the character, and running out to murder a deer or goat with a greatsword seems a tad... retarted to say the least. Also, it provides range for when it is needed (pesky dragons). On the other... Barbarians and Nords in general seem to be a tad disgusted by Archery. They find it cowardly and worthless. If so... I will use one handed in its place to have dual axes as a backup to my greatsword. What do you guys think?

And also, what are some tenets I should follow in terms of role play? Drink lots of mead, yes, but any other suggestions? Peace.

Some form of ranged combat will be useful in other occasions such against concentration of enemies to weaken them before going face to face. Maybe with smithing you can create overpowered armors and blades to gain a decisive advantage in battle but I wouldn't discount archery.

Most of the hunters found in the wild in Skyrim seems to be very good archers.

I think its magic they have a distaste for. Nothing is wrong with being an Archer. How else would they provide for their families if they did not hunt? You can't hunt in heavy armor and great swords. If i were you i would still go light armor if i wanted to be a barbarian. You will be faster and use less stamina. You want to have pretty much no magica and alot of health and stamina. Besides eventually through light armor you can get dragon armor.

Skip this long post if you don't want to waste your time reading my long description I accidentally wrote without thinking. The last paragraph is a quick short summary.

It does look awkward using a Sword to hunt animals. I think a bow is only dishonorable when fighting another man. Possibly Skeletons/Draugr depending on your personal thoughts. I think to hunt a bow is the tool to be used. It doesn't show you are a coward, at least not while hunting docile animals. Bears, Saber Cats, Trolls and other aggressive beasts may be a different story. I think if they're aggressive to you first you could possibly be a man and fight them in close quarters, but if you are hunting and you strike first you could use the bow I suppose, but I prefer to use the bow against the docile creatures and my blade against the aggressive.

As for Dragons, you need the bow unless you want to wait forever for the dragon to come down. I play on Master with my warrior that doesn't use any range attacks and just fighting a normal "Dragon" takes so many hits it's not challenging but tedious. I have to wait forever for it to land and usually I get 5-10 slashes if I am lucky, I also have to watch out for it's AoE stomp.

I think if the Dragon is in the air, use the bow to attract it's attention and bring it down to fight 1 on 1 like a man. The Dragon is flying so that you can't get it and it knows it, because it's going to be killed. Bring it down to the ground then once it is down bring out the blade, if it takes of use the bow. Don't kill it with the bow only, finish it with the sword to show you're brave or something.

This is just a long post of how I would view it...

Docile Animals and Airborne Dragons = Bow.
Wild, Aggressive Beasts = Melee (Can use bows on these animals if you are hunting them I suppose, but not if they come up from behind or attack you first.)
Men = Melee
Other enemies: Draugr, Skeletons, ect = I'd say Melee as they were once men or at least seem to be hehe.

If you are barbarian you should dislike cities - visit in them only when you are forced and leave them as soon as possible. Own no houses. When you need a place to sleep use camps or Inns you can found on the wilderness. Dislike or/and fear magic in it's all forms. Do Kynes sacred trials and carry corpses or pelts of beasts to wilderness shrines and leave them there as an offerings and marks of your true strength. Live with mead and venison.

Living in a harsh land like skyrim hunting with a bow would be 2nd nature for any Nord and something they would grow up doing.

No one said that nords and barbarians don't like archery.
Anywere.

How would they hunt for food without archery? They would'nt charge into deer hunting with a greatsword all the time.
Some prey you can't fight with melee, it has to be ranged weapons. It's just too fast or far away for anything else.
All people can use bows. It's something you would learn, whatever your class.
All classes need a ranged option.
They don't have to specialise in it, but they would all be able to use one without shooting themselves in the face.
What you use for hunting is'nt what you use for fighting, nesseserily.

Even in the rigid Dungeons And Dragons Online system, they all can use bows or crossbows.

Just give them a bow, they don't need to train it or specialise in it. Just have it there for when you need it.

I'm just wondering how to keep both bow/arrows and a mighty 2h weapon ready and handy in combat, since both need to be arranged on the player chars back. That said, it's even fantasy being able to put a bow weapon on your back.

That's the only thing turning me off when playing my barbarian, it's more an RP-complain.

Archery is in warrior school, not sneakthief school. It's a perfectly valid warrior art. But then again, sneak attack with archery is so satisfying.... There is no dishonor in sneaking and cunning in war, I'd say. Unless you are an Orc.

Well I use archery on all my combat and stealth classes either as a secondary or main weapon and I think archery would suit a barbarian as a Secondary weapon, and by the way use the fur armour on your Barbarian character, handicapping yourself is alot more fun then it sounds.

I'm in this dilemma as well. Got two builds I'm looking to rock, but only one will be focused on at the moment. A 2 hand Nord Barb with maybe 4-5 points in the first archery trait, or a Nord Ranger with deep archery and either a 2 hander or one hand axe with shield/block.

Anyone running a good Nord Barbarian/Ranger build that they would care to post?

I looked to the barbarian tribes of the middle east through out history for inspiration and found that they tended to use gorilla war fare more so then the charge in sword swing style that movies would lead you to believe. Now don't get me wrong, they were feared by all for their veracity but from warring amongst the tribes for power they developed a gorilla style of fighting with horse drawn chariot but seeing how there is no mounted combat I threw in some north Vietnam gorilla style. What I'm trying to say is that this idea that barbarians were psychotic, charge in head first warriors is not wholly true they were very adept warriors who knew the art of war fare inside out. So I cannot see any problem with including archery in a barbarian build, I did.

What exactly is a distinctive barbarian culture anyway? There were germanic cultures, celts, etc. just calling them barbarians you just continuing 2000+ years old greek/roman propaganda.

Don't let Aela hear you say that.

"gorilla style fighting" would be fun. Is there a way to pound your chest, roar, knuckle walk/run and bite your enemy in this game?

I don't think they have a problem with archery. I think kit is only magic they tend to steer away from (with exception of enchanted items - My Nord uses restoration as well)

I added Stealth to my barbarian nord build. In those pseudo historical movies that had barbarians, hundreds of barbies would sneak up to the roman army, 50 feet away from them, stealthy killing the picket guards, trigger the war cry, and be on top of their arses wearing heavy armor and greatsword (or skirmisher's light armor and greatsword) - weeeeeee.

Just 1 point in the base sneak perk, up the left side. I didn't take the shadow warrior perk (too assassiny mystery training).

I went light armor though. Smithing up the left side to advanced armor and wore scaled armor. Hated the light armor helmet though. Wore the heavy armor horned iron helmet or the ancient nord helmet.

Marry Mjoll.

He was a BEAST. If at all possible, jump down from great heights, do the stealth roll and decapitate your enemies.

I had no perks in Archery, though I do carry a bow.

Morrowind had the Barbarian class have Archery as a minor skill, so it's not unheard of for a barbarian to use a bow. In fact I would think it odd if he didn't.

Course I also think it really odd that a Barbarian uses heavy armor, I mean, way out of character. So, if you are going to do that anyway, you might as well do anything you want and just justify it how you seems fit.