"Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim": Overpowered Knight Build Guide

Author:
Arc Sosangyo
Updated date:
Jun 26, 2022

Arc is a self-help author/speaker and AI thinker. He also make apps as a side hustle.

This Knight build can steamroll the game.

This Knight build in Skyrim is more than capable in legendary difficulty. It's a melee build that deals really powerful physical and magic damage. The character can also tank heavy hits, especially from magic damage.

I call this build the Storm God Knight because of its affinity to shock and cold (it also deals fire damage).

In case you are wondering, I'm playing the game on Nintendo Switch

Before You Start

The reason why this build is overpowered is because of its gear.

Refer to this article if you want to learn how I crafted overpowered gear.

This greatsword can deal different types of elemental damage.

Stalhrim Greatsword (Legendary)

Aside from its powerful weapon damage, this greatsword is enchanted to deal three types of magic: fire, frost, and shock. Since it's a stalhrim weapon, it deals extra frost damage.

This necklace can boost damage and health.

Gold Diamond Necklace

This item can increase damage from two-handed attacks. It can also increase your health.

This useful ring can boost damage output as well as health.

Gold Sapphire Ring

This ring can also increase the damage from two-handed attacks and your health.

This armor will boost your health and stamina.

Ebony Armor (Legendary)

I chose the Ebony set for this character.

The body armor can increase your health and stamina.

Scroll to Continue

Ebony Boots (Legendary)

These boots will increase your stamina and two-handed attacks.

The Ebony Gauntlets will boost your magic and two-handed attacks.

Ebony Gauntlets (Legendary)

These gauntlets will increase your two-handed attacks and magicka.

Mage Hood

I originally planned on using the Ebony Helmet, but I already reached the max armor cap of 567, and I wanted to give my character a unique look.

The Mage Hood will increase magicka and magicka regeneration.

Although I can make better gear than what is listed here, I decided not to craft more powerful item since it would make the gameplay boring.

Race: Breton

Breton is my personal favorite race because of its passive 25% magic resistance. This works really well for a Paladin or Dark Knight build like this one.

Stats

Health: Your health should be at least 600 (higher is better) in order to take multiple blows from powerful enemies in legendary difficulty.
Stamina: This should be at least 300 (higher is better).
Magicka: This should be at least 550 to be able to cast master level spells with master perks.

Magicka will be a vital stat to use certain spells.

Perks

After I crafted all my gear, I restarted my perk points for redistribution to other perks.

Two-Handed

This is the primary perk. The main priority here is to increase the damage and effectiveness of the greatsword that you're wielding.

Barbarian (5/5)
Deep Wounds (3/3)
Champion's Stance: This can preserve your stamina when you're doing power attacks.
Devastating Blow: This is for power attacks. Your character will be doing the standing one most of the time.

Restoration

This character is a Paladin by default. It will deal large melee damage while having mastery of healing wounds and smiting the undead.

Novice Restoration
Apprentice Restoration
Adept Restoration
Expert Restoration
Master Restoration: This ensures that stats are not wasted too much on magicka for casting master level restoration spells.
Respite: Healing your stamina is very useful for weapon-wielding characters.
Regeneration: This makes your healing spells more effective.
Necromage: This will be helpful since you'll be dealing with a lot of undead enemies most of the time in the dungeons.
Restoration Dual Casting: This character uses both hands regardless of whether it's wielding weapons or casting spells.
Recovery (2/2): This is for better magicka regeneration.
Avoid Death: This comes in handy when the character is placed in a difficult spot.

Alteration

The most useful perks in alteration are the magic resistance and atronach that increases your capability to tank magic attacks.

Novice Alteration
Apprentice Alteration
Adept Alteration
Expert Alteration
Magic Resistance (3/3): At max, this can block 20% of a spell's effect.
Atronach: This grants spell absorption.

Destruction

This is mainly for buffing the shock, cold, and fire damage of your enchanted weapon. The most important perks here are the Augmented types.

Novice Destruction
Apprentice Destruction
Adept Destruction: This is for reducing the magicka cost of dual casting cloak spells.
Destruction Dual Casting: Increases the radius and duration of cloak spells when dual casted.
Augmented Flames (2/2)
Augmented Frost (2/2)
Augmented Shock (2/2)
Disintegrate: Compliments well with the lightning cloak spell for a melee build like this.

Heavy Armor

I didn't put much into this perk since I already reached the max cap of armor from crafting and spells.

Juggernaut (1/5):
Fists of Steel: For prerequisites only.
Cushioned: For prerequisites since my character is not wearing a full set.
Conditioning: Allows you to negate the weight of the heavy armor.

Block

Even without a shield, this perk is still useful for the build.

Shield Wall (5/5)
Quick Reflex: Gives you more time to respond.
Power Bash: For staggering more effectively.
Deadly Bash
Disarming Bash

Conjuration

Novice Conjuration
Apprentice Conjuration
Adept Conjuration
Expert Conjuration
Master Conjuration: You need to decrease your magicka cost to be able to summon Storm Thrall so that stats are not wasted too much on magicka.
Summoner (1/2): You just need one point here for prerequisites.
Atromancy
Elemental Potency
Twin Souls: This is so that you can have two active Storm Thralls.

Alchemy

The most important perk here for this build is the Snakeblood. The rest are just for prerequisites.

Alchemist (1/5)
Physician
Benefactor
Experimenter
Snakeblood: This is a passive perk that massively increases the poison resistance of your character.

Spells and Shouts

For spells, I just listed all that I'm actively using in endgame.

Restoration

Close Wounds: My main healing spell for recovering the health of my character.
Grand Healing: For a massive instant heal that also includes my followers.
Vampire Bane: Just for fun, I use this to kill vampires or any undead mobs on adept difficulty. Especially during the Dawnguard DLC.
Bane of the Undead: For nuking mobs of undead.
Guardian Circle: This is the best defensive skill. It continuously heals your character while repelling undead creatures.

Alteration

Candlelight: Because it's seriously dark in most dungeons.
Paralyze: This really comes in handy for certain situations.
Ebony Flesh: For reaching the max armor rating.

Destruction

Lightning Cloak: For triggering the Disintegrate perk while fighting in melee combat.
Frost Cloak: I sometimes cast this if there's a need for some crowd control.

Conjuration

Summon Arvak: If I need a horse.
Storm Thrall: My permanent summon that shoots lightning. Storm Thrall is a versatile summon and is effective for both melee and ranged combat.

Shout

Unrelenting Force: An effective crowd control shout.
Whirlwind Spirit: This is an instant gap closer. It's also good for traveling.
Storm Call: I use this when I want to go all out with lightning. It looks cool as well.

Standing Stone Blessings

Atronach Stone: This increases your magicka to 50 points. More importantly, it grants 50% spell absorption. But it comes with a cost of decreasing your magicka regeneration by 50%. Which is still a good price for a very powerful buff.