Treva's Watch from the "Saga of Regine" by Brunhilde the Bard.

 The following is an excerpt from The Saga of Regine (Biography of a Vampire) as told by Brunhilde the Bard. 

ONE

Regine approached Treva’s Watch from the shoreline of the Treva River. The fort sat large on the northern shore of the river. The southern wall faced the river, and a single gate secured the entrance. Several timber ramparts protected most of the wall sections, providing cover for archers or mages. The fort’s tower occupied the northwest corner, providing an elevation advantage agains any assaults from the north where enemies could attack along a hillside. A campfire provided some orientation on the northeast wall where bandits could rest and eat when not on patrol. 

East of the fort another campfire offered some illumination against the growing darkness of night. As Regine approached she notice three Nords sitting in a half-circle around the fire. They were engaging in conversation she couldn’t quite make out. 

A man named Stalleo sat on a wood stump. He had gray hair cut in a thick stripe and the sides of his head were shaved to the scalp. A large beard extended well beyond his chin, almost to the chest, and matched his hair in color. His eyes were deep set and blacked with war paint. Across from Stalleo a female donned in heavy steel armor sat, her features muddled by the firelight and steel helmet. A male in fur armor and a hunting bow sat to Stalleo’s left. He turned toward Regine, and asked if she was there to help, mistaking her for a mercenary. 

She told him he was and she would be better than anyone else he could find. Her fee was high though. Stalleo agreed, and told her a story.  

It was about three or four months ago when everything started going bad. My friends here, and my family, we’re doing work to the exterior of the fort when a Stormcloack courier arrived. He walked to the gate and asked if he could come inside to discuss the militia that was forming. As a good son of Skyrim, I agreed to hear him out. I opened the gate and let him in the courtyard. 

It turned out he was visiting every village and city in Skyrim. He didn’t have a horse, or carriage ride to hold capitals. Only his own two feet as mode of transportation. He looked exhausted and weary. He limped profoundly. His eyes were sunken and dark, the whites more red than not, and his cheekbones looked like they would burst free at any moment. “Come on in and have some meade,” I said.  He started to refuse but I cut him of with a hard glance. “You’re coming in for some meade and a meal. You look like you’re an hour away from being a draugr that escaped the Ansilvund crypt.” He mulled it over for a moment then nodded his head slightly as if too much movement would cause it to tumble off his neck and roll into the Treva River. I slapped him on the shoulder and guided him toward the door where my wife stood ready to ring the dinner bell. 

I led him into the dinning room and offered him a seat. “What’s your name, soldier?”

He sat down, slowly, and with a grimace splitting his face into one part pain and one part exhaustion. He sat for a moment before speaking, and when he did the words seemed just as pained as his face, “We aren’t supposed to give anyone our names, sir.” He shrunk farther into the chair, head bowed, arms limp to his sides. 

I finally noticed this man wasn’t in his late twenties or early thirties but not even out of his teens. He likely took the courier job to show his loyalty and patriotism, but didn’t account for the severe impact such a job would take on his health and body. Walking long distances for hours and hours, avoiding wolves, frostbite spiders, trolls, and Imperial patrols could age a man years within weeks. And here he sat so worn down from trying to prove himself to the Stormcloak cause he appeared to be decades older than his years actually accounted for. 

I felt a knot of sorrow and sympathy far deep inside tying up my guts and heart. This is the toll that war takes on not only those on the frontline but by everyone. When this conflict with the Imperials finally ended the whole of Skyrim and her people will bear the burden for generations. Friends and family will be dead from enemy attacks, others will die of starvation, and more still will succumb to disease and illness. Proof sat at the table, broken and scarred physically and emotionally. 

“Here you are,” my wife said, placing a bowl of tomato soup, a plate of carrots with apples and cabbage, and a platter with beef steak and crab cakes in front of our guest. “Ale or meade?” She waited for a moment, but he didn’t answer. She placed a flagon of ale on the table. My wife handed the rest of us a bowl of tomato soup and ale. Then she sat down and gave me a slight glance, I nodded in reply. 

The message bearer sat for a time, staring at the food and drink before him. I didn’t think he would eat on his own. “Go ahead. Dig in.” He grabbed a fork with a shaky hand and took a mouthful of crab cakes. It must’ve been tasty as he ate without so much as a look up. Every morsel of food was consumed in less than five minutes. None of the rest of us had done anything but watch him eat. 

Vampire Regine Journal Entry 5 (Skyrim Anniversary Edition)

Regine Journal Entry 5

The mine is well-lit with torches. I take them down as I creep along. They will definitely expose me and make the prey more difficult to subdue and feast upon. A tripwire stretches across the ground, it will trigger a rock trap if I’m not careful. I skirt around it carefully. 

The air is thick and cool. Damp and musty. Dust hangs in the air, sparkling from the flickering light of the torches. When I snuff out the torches, the dust recedes into the darkness of the cave as though it isn’t safe to be unexposed. 

As I creep forward, i can hear voices. A discussion about the guard securing the door; the guard i already dispatched. They are bandits and their blood won’t be the most flavorful, but being cautious is more important right now. I don’t need to be exposed. Vampires aren’t the most welcome of creatures, even by the lowlife of Skyrim. I image fear is why vampires are so loathed. 

I wait patiently, hungrily. The two men separate. This is beneficial as I can attack them individually. Although, I feel more and more powerful with every feeding, I am not confident I can take on more than one of the living. One of them walks down a lit corridor (I haven’t been able to remove all the torches), and the other lies on a bedroll. I advance on him. 

Back outside in the daytime, I cringe against the sunlight. The heat and brightness saps my strength and energy. But it doesn’t feel as powerful a drain as before. The eight bandits inside the mine fully satisfied me, and one in particular (the archer) tasted sweet. There was something in her blood that seemed to speak to me. A few words floated along her blood, within her veins. Riften. The Thieves Guild. 

I think I should attempt to join The Thieves Guild. If it actually exists. Ready access to homes, to people, to blood. They will know where people live. Yes, that would prove quite advantageous. 

Vampire Regine Journal Entry 4 (Skyrim Anniversary Edition)

Regine Journal Entry 4

I’m on my way to Riverwood, a small village south of Whiterun. I understand there are no guards protecting the small hamlet. A thought blazes through my mind. no guards, no protection. but from what? From me? Is it possible that i am now considering slaughter of everyone living. I shake the thought away, focusing instead on the trip. 

Wolves attack me shortly after I pass an Imperial patrol with what I assume is a Stormcloak rebel. I consider for a moment to decimate the entire contingent. But I don’t. Perhaps there is some humanity still left in this undead heart. This thought leads to another question: do I still have a soul? Moreover, does it matter if I do? 

Riverwood is close, I smell the residents. I enter the east side of town and find the local drunk hovering around the inn. I approach him and stop. Something is wrong with him, within him. Inside his blood. I offer him a drink. He takes it without hesitation.

I am weary from the trip and the excess sunlight. The sun seems to wear on me now. I believe I will miss it’s welcoming and rejuvenating rays. Now only blood reinvigorates me. 

Inside the inn I sense a human with unique blood. It calls to me, but she is awake and wandering the inn, engaging in an argument with the man behind the counter. He has something in his blood, too. But it isn’t alluring or enticing. 

My sleep is restless, devoid of dreams and wants and desires. I arise and leave the inn. Outside the sun stings my eyes, and I instinctively search for shade. 

The blacksmith is an intriguing person. He's passionate about his daughter and often bickers with his wife. He doesn’t tell me this but I know anyway. 

I leave town, and head west. Not far, I notice a mine. Bandits inhabit this mine. And I am hungry. 

Vampire Regine Journal Entry 3 (Skyrim Anniversary Edition)

Regine Journal Entry 3

(Font change)

The bandits at Silent Moons Camp are no match for my growing power. I dispatch them rather easily. New forms of magic arise within me and I use it to take them down. I’m sneaky, quiet, and bloodthirsty. Somehow I can even will myself to be unseen. My mother used to say powerful mages could bend light and become invisible. Somehow I can do this. It is intoxicating. Enrapturing! 

I leave the broken and battered and drained bodies behind and head for a walled city. I believe the community is Whiterun, the most well-known location in all of Skyrim. This is most likely because of it’s central location within the province. The mild weather and wide-open landscape is also a deciding factor. 

Whiterun reminds me of home. I grew up in Northpoint. My father fished the Etheric Ocean and my mother was a trader (selling my father’s catch most of the time). Seven years ago they died at the hands of some thugs from Evermore. The bandits were hired by a rival fisherman. They stole everything not fastened down and torched the rest, including my parents. Only their teeth remained after the fire finally snuffed out. After that, I left. Not knowing where I was going, but wherever it was would be okay as long as it was a long way away. 

Two guards stand on either side of the large doors. Their blood calls to me but I resist. I wonder if my control is accidental from recent feedings or if I can manage my thirst more now? They do not speak or stop me, and I’m allowed to enter unmolested. 

Inside, a man and woman are having a heated discussion, and although I’m not close to them, I can hear each word. I approach just as the conversation ends. The man in Imperial armor asks me something random. His heartbeat is all I can clearly make out. It’s powerful and steady. He is a strong human. I answer his question without ever hearing it. My reply pleases him. I wonder if he can feel that I now have control. I watch as he walks away. 

There are more heartbeats. All around me. Within me. The hunger begins to grow. A small bunkhouse to my left has three guards within. I don’t know how I feel this. I enter and feed on the two sleeping men. A third man sits, he’s the watchman. I need him. Want him. Want, want, want!

He suddenly stands, dazed, entranced. I take the risk and feed while he is unaware. Then, as starkly as he stood and offered himself to me, he sits back in his chair—none the wiser. 

I leave and head directly to the guardhouse. I seem to know exactly where I’m headed. An unseen power guiding me along the cobblestone to where more guards slumber. I’m getting bolder.

Vampire Regine Journal Entry 2 (Skyrim Anniversary Edition)

Regine Journal Entry 2

(changing format to present tense)

I exit the cave. Outside the darkness seems to warm me. The rain lit upon my skin, but it isn’t cold as most rain within Skyrim. I only feel the wetness.

And there is also moisture around my mouth, drying on my chin. The hunger had taken control of me, and the dead bandit was just there…

I shake away the memory, partially from fear and repulsion. Fear of the enjoyment and warmth of the blood. Repulsed by the act itself. Am I now a vampire? A vampire!

I break out in a run. Somewhere. Anywhere. As far from the cave as quickly as possible. I am disoriented. Just go. Run!

Someone in the distance. A guard. Another cave. Fear engulfs me. But so does something else. Hunger.

After I killed the bandit, I feed. It’s an instinct now. I am a vampire. A VAMPIRE! 

Revulsion overwhelms me again and I run. I need distance. But from what and to where? The more I leave my old life behind, the more my new life (as a vampire) begins. Still, I cannot help myself. My legs power themselves as though they are controlled of a different mind, body, or…force? 

I see something in the distance. A tomb maybe? Draugr inhabit tombs. But there aren’t any draugr in this tomb. This one has living blood. And lots of it, beaconing me as I get closer. A need wells up deep within. I must feed again… 

Vampire Regine Journal Entry 1 (Skyrim Anniversary Edition)

Regine Journal Entry 1

I regained consciousness slowly as if swimming up from a depth in dark, murky water. I’m confused, my memories no longer cohesive but a scattering of visions. I saw a man. Attractive and alluring. His eyes (a strange reddish hue?) seemed to have gripped me so powerfully and debilitatingly I couldn’t move nor resist. But did I want to? I felt no fear. Rather…curiosity? Was that it? Was I curios? And if so, why? 

The cavern? cave? dungeon? was dark. A woman mumbled something I didn’t or couldn’t fully comprehend. I heard a sound behind me. A creaky, racketing sound. Fear had gripped me then. 

I looked down and saw I was in new clothing. Gloves with sharp, pointed tips, a red gown, low cut, barely covered breasts, and dark boots. 

Pain rippled through me and I felt a hunger unlike anything I had before. I smelled something I would place within death, maybe the stench of…draugrs? I’d heard stories of the bone-walkers as a child, but waved away the stories of them as tales to keep children away from the tombs and crypts. 

The stone corridor was narrow with only one torch hung on the wall for light. I rounded the corner and saw a man. His skin was pale. He paced. A cage (torture chamber?) nestled against the opposite wall. Next to it appeared to be a dead female bandit. But why wasn’t she in the cage? Moreover, why was she here at all? Did she sneak in to steal? And if so, how did she get by the woman who was mumbling?

I approached the man. He said something that chilled me. I needed to get out. To escape! I took whatever I could and made a break for it. 

Back into the cavern, I saw what appeared to be living skeletons. Not draugr, but actual skeletons standing and wandering around, making a creaking noise. Then woman saw me but didn’t accost me or attempt to keep me from leaving as I approached the exit to the cave. I”m felt certain it was a cave now. 

I wondered if leaving would make me free. Or would I become a slave to something else? And if so, what?

Skyrim SE: My Mods

Unlike many people using mods to play Skyrim, I only use a small handful. And some of those are completely convenience mods. Some mods just allow me to continue growing my characters without the need to declare skills legendary, and they let me build more rounded characters, but they certainly aren’t needed so I won’t include them here.

To be fair some of the mods I am going to share aren’t necessarily must-haves but the do make the game more enjoyable from my standpoint. And essentially that’s all this post offers: my experience with the mods I use and what they might offer you in turn. Now, keep in mind some of these mods may be viewed by you as cheats and that’s fair. But since this is a single player game you’re free to do whatever you want and only have the right to judge yourself.

Anyway, enough disclaimer jumbo-jumbo and let’s get to the mods, which may or may not be available on the platform you play on. I’m on Xbox One X.

The mod I use to make the environment more better (ha ha) is Dolomite Weathers and Lighting Overhaul by Megaloblast. A significantly darker evening requiring artificial light, more intense rainstorms, and different weather options. I’ll also include the A Quality World Map-Vivid with Stone Roads by Chesko. This is simple, it makes the map readable. And finally Dawnguard Map Markers by Arthmoor. This adds markers to nearly all Dawnguard related maps like the Soul Cairn and Forgotten Vale.

Now onto the gameplay mods. Immersive Citizens by Arnaud.dorchymont, which allows you to hear cut dialog and keep all your NPCs alive as you can set them to flee from danger and not attack you when you’re rampaging guards as a werewolf.  Immersive Patrols by Ameermohamedtt. This just adds various patrols throughout Skyrim, which may or may not be hostile. It also adds civil war battles in various locations and forts, which is a great boost to build your skills in my next gameplay mod: Moonlight Tales by Brevi 11. If you want to play as a werewolf this is fantastic. More werewolf perks and skins (even werebears but the skins are the only differences), the ability to be a werewolf right out of Helgen, the ability to cure lycanthropy at any time, the ability to set involuntary werewolf transformations, and the ability to summon blood kin (werewolves and/or wolves) to aid you in combat. I do not believe this mod is available for PS4 users. The mod Werewolf Perks Expanded does offer some additional perks to the beast form though. Moving on to Alchemist Respite, which is a small mod that changes the weight of potions from .5 to .1. Next up is Stones of Barenziah quest markers. This mod flags each location for all 24 gems except the on inside the Dark Brotherhood Sanctuary. And finally my favorite mod for gameplay: Complete Smithing by ThordTV. A simple but exceptionally useful smithing mod. It completely overhauls smithing after Steel smithing. With this mod you no longer have to choose heavy or light as they are combined as you go. So Elven and Dwarven are level 30, Orchish and Advanced at level 50, Arcane and Faction (allows crafting of unenchanted faction clothing like Thieves Guild and Nightingale armor), Glass and Ebony at level 70, Daedric and Dragon at level 100 and Orsinic (higher quality lower-level armor using dragon bones) also at level 100. The mod also grants XP for turning hides into leather and ore into ingots.

Onto character creation. Unfortunately most of these won’t be available on PS4. Better Males by Alaan, Apachii Sky Hair Lite by Apachii, CBBE Body Slim from Jeir, and the superb clothing mod from Jeir: Keo’s Skimpy Outfits for CBBE Slim. Just go with the Forsworn Armor set and avoid the Nightingale armor. Most armor sets are changed to two piece and not one. Thieves Guild Armor, fur armor, elven armor are all tops with skirts. Is it realistic? Of course not. But neither is wearing glass against a warhammer or battleaxe.

Short and sweet. I’ll give my thoughts on the best Creation Club content I’ve purchased in the next post.

Fallout 4 Endurance Attribute

Endurance is the next S.P.E.C.A.L. attribute on the list and it's the most polarizing of all the attributes. Not because it's always argued as one of the worst or best attributes, it's clearly one of the best, but rather because all the perks associated with Endurance are unnecessary. I'll do my best to give a decent argument for some of the perks but none of the perks are absolutely worth early investment unless that's how you're building your character. No more delay...

Tier 1 you'll find the Toughness perk. This perk grants you +10 to your damage avoidance for a total of +50 if you get all the perks. Much like the Refractor perk from Perception, the additional damage resistance is attached permanently to the character in or out of armor. So you could run around in your skivvies and have 50 damage resistance. Good enough for the Corvega raiders but not for the Quincy gunners. All that being said, if you were to play using only the Silver Shroud costume, the plus 50 damage resistance will go along way toward beefing up your armor as the cap of the Silver Shroud costume is in the 80s. And unless you use a mod the Silver Shroud costume cannot be upgraded at a armor bench. So be sure to keep Kent alive and compete the Silver Shroud quest line before level 45 or you'll wait for level 100 to maximize your armor. (Note: The Refractor perk would also be of great benefit it only using Silver Shroud costume for your play through.)

The Lead Belly perk plumps down at Tier 2 Endurance. Aside from survival difficulty I can't see any reason to pick these perks unless you have nothing else to pick. Aside from the early stages of the game, radiation isn't a problem. You'll end up having so much RadAway in your inventory you can clear up a good 10-15 encumbrance by storing or selling RadAway. Besides, cooking foods removes the radiation anyway, and unless you're eating fruits (why bother?) just take cooked food along and use some of the over-abundance of RadAway.

Life Giver perk at Tier 3 is another you could easily pass on. Although the final perk carries an additional benefit of slowly regenerating your health when not in combat it's still probably worth a pass unless in survival mode. That's three perk points you could spend elsewhere and reap more benefits than +60 health and health regeneration. In fact, the final perk in Endurance gives additional boosts the Life Giver perk doesn't. Plus you'll already be getting maximum health by having 10 Endurance. Or maybe invest more into Smithing and negate more damage.

Chem Resistant is the first perk in Endurance that is worth a close look and it comes at Tier 4 and only has 2 levels, which can be achieved at level 22. You earn a 50% resistance to addiction to all chems, including Med-X, and then complete immunity to chem addiction. I will give one caveat to this perk, Refreshing Beverage. The Refreshing Beverage you can craft at a chem station will completely cure all addictions plus remove 1000 rads and restore your health. It's actually the best medical aid you can carry because you have nearly zero wait time for you rads and health to be restored, but it's heavy. Still, the weight of a couple of bottles of Refreshing Beverage might be worth it instead of using two perk points on Chem Resistant.

Tier 5 grants us the ability to use the waterways as a means of travel without drowning and taking radiation damage from water. This is the Aquaboy/girl perk. This is one of my must have perks. Not because you need it, as you certainly don't, but there are enough areas in the base game where water is available to explore or peaceful travel, and Far Harbor even more so, I find this perk invaluable. I don't have to carry extra radiation meds, I don't need the Rescue Diver Suit or a Hazmat suit. Although those options are more than acceptable, they all carry weight to them and for that reason I always pick up the first rank of this perk. To me it's worth one perk point.

Rad Resistant at Tier 6. Much like Toughness and Refractor this perk just gives the player character up to +40 radiation resistance if you have the Far Harbor DLC, and like those previously mentioned perks it offers little value for the high cost. Refreshing Beverage, RadAway, RadX, Baked Bloatfly only cost encumbrance. I would argue for it's value with ballistic weave armor if armor pieces can't be added or the Silver Shroud costume. Otherwise this perk is another skip. And a pro tip for reducing radiation in Far Harbor: stay off the main roads as that's where you'll encounter the most fog. Go cross country to avoid the clickety-clack of the giger counter.

A fairly legitimate perk comes in at Tier 7 with the Adamantium Skeleton perk. If you take all three perks your limb damage goes away permenantly except from fall damage from high elevation, but instead of dying (depending how high the fall is) you'll just break a limb. This also means explosives and explosive turrets do no limb damage as well. A decent investment under Endurance as it's the only way outside of power armor to negate limb damage.

Cannibal takes a bite out of the eighth spot in Endurance. This perk is a complete pass. As it suggests feeding on humans, ghouls, and Super Mutants will restore health. Just use a Stimpak and RadAway. One of the worst perks in the game.

The Ghoulish perk at Tier 9 is another pass unless you are building a radiation based character or plan on using the Assaultron head from Automatron. The early ranks allows radiation to restore lost health. Later feral ghouls may randomly become friendly. Not worth it as you can just kill the ghouls for XP and spend more perks points on better perks.

Finally, we get to Tier 10 and maybe the best perk in the Endurance attribute. Solar Powered is a situational perk like Night Person but instead of increasing Perception and Intelligence you get a boost to Strength and Endurance, plus 2 for each. So for a melee character this is wonderful as you inflict more damage and can take more from six in the morning to six in the evening. Maybe you're building a hybrid character who snipes at night and goes hand to hand during the day. Rank 2 will slowly heal radiation damage and rank 3 regenerates your health, maybe negating the need for Life Giver. Plus you get additional health during the daytime hours with the +2 to Endurance.

A few closing thoughts on Endurance. The higher your Endurance the less action point cost for sprinting, the more health you get each time you level up as well. Maybe a good character build would be a melee or unarmed character with 10 Strength and Endurance combined with the Chem Resistant perks and Solar Powered perks. With that combination and basic perk investment not including clothing you could have 12 Strength and Endurance during daylight hours and you could take all the Jet and Psychobuff you wanted and be able to knock down the Mass Fusion building with one swing of Grognak's Axe.

Fallout 4 Perception Attribute

Next on the list for attributes is Perception. The Perception attribute is useful for a wide variety of play styles. And even more robust for role-playing or character creation than the previous Strength attribute. Perception grants the ability to shoot through cover, see at night, craft explosives, and increases your accuracy during a VATS firearm play style. Let's get started.

Tier 1 in Perception gets you the Pickpocket perk. For the most part, this set of perks aren't of any benefit. There isn't any real need to pickpocket anyone in Fallout 4. At the later ranks you have the ability to steal weapons but by the time you get that perk you can already plant explosives in your intended victims inventory which will instantly kill them if not detected, which negates the need to actually steal and equipped items. I will definitely give this perk a thumbs up for fun factor though as placing live explosives is definitely worth spending a few perk points in the late stages to spice up the play through. Plus, it give you a legitimate reason for keeping all those fragmentation mines you've collected over 30 or 40 levels. A fun perk but not all that useful.

One of the best perks in the game is next in the Rifleman perk. Non-automatic rifles and shotguns in Fallout 4 are incredibly powerful. In fact the most powerful rifle in the game is only usable with the Rifleman perks, and that weapon is the Gauss rifle. No other rifle even comes close to the overall power of the Gauss rifle. With proper perk investment and smithing you can have your Gauss rifle exceeding 440 damage per shot. And if you find a VATS enhanced or two-shot legendary variant...look out bad guys. Not only do you get super powerful one shot per trigger pull weapons but with the Rifleman perk rank 5 your non-automatic rifles and shotguns also ignore 30% of opponents armor with the chance to cripple a limb.

Perception tier 3 introduces the Awareness perk. This perk is a total pass. Knowing the resistances of particular enemies isn't all that necessary and it's a good idea to give this entire perk a miss. Even rank two isn't good enough to spend a perk point to get unless it's late game and you want that extra damage. And if you aren't using VATS this perk is worthless anyway. A non-VATS play through won't be taking the time to pull up VATS to target a certain spot. Besides head shots are always best.

Locksmith is Perception tier 4 and this perk fits in they convenience perks. Although, I find Locksmith a necessity as I don't like leaving any XP on the table. As you can imagine Locksmith grants you the ability to pick higher level locks in the game and can even grant you an unbreakable bobby-pin. Now bobby-pins are so common you'll never need to get the last rank of Locksmith but if you do you can always sell the extra bobby-pins. Locksmith also allows you to uncover more loot and ammo, especially rarer ammo types like missiles and 2mmEC ammo for your uber-powerful Gauss rifle.

If explosions really get your blood pumping then the tier 5 Perception perk Demolitions Expert is a must. This perk enhances the damage from grenades and mines, and allows you to craft your own (although I say pass on crafting grenades due to the high adhesive costs). With rank two you get a throwing arc which is incredibly helpful for tossing grenades through windows. Additionally, the Demolitions Expert perk also enhances weapons like missile launchers, Fat Mans, and the awesome Spray N Pray sub-machine gun.

The Night Person perk at Perception 6 is an absolute pass if you're running a low intelligence character who levels up with the Idiot Savant perk found under Luck. But if you aren't and want to get the maximum XP then this perk is for you. But also the ability to skip the awful night-vision scopes is a huge plus when you grab the second rank of Night Person as you get the ability to see at night while in sneak mode. Word of caution with the second rank, though, and that's to get out of sneak mode before reading any terminals as the text can become hard to read around the edges. The third rank of Night Person (if you have Nuka World) gives 30 extra HP. Give this rank a miss and add another perk to Endurance or something else.

At tier 7, the Refractor perk is certainly a perk that isn't worth the high investment to get to if you don't already have high Perception. And even if you do have high Perception you can eat foods that increase your energy resistance enough to get your through a fight. I would pass on this perk and add the points into Endurance for more HP overall. Much too high of a cost for any value.

Sniper, Perception level 8, is a good perk that goes to a niche perk as do the final two tiers in Perception. This is a high cost perk that gives you some overall value to scoped weapons with the first two ranks and its next bonus turns to VATS users. The second rank of this perk is where the real meat is as you have the ability to knock down your opponent. This frees you up to zero in on the next target while that other poor fool gets up again. Given all that, this perk could be passed on if you have the sneak attack multipliers from the Agility attribute. With those the ability to knock down an opponent is like a moot point as they will most likely be dead anyway. Some food for thought: A maxed Gauss rifle using the Sandman perks and the Ninja perks can sneak attack at over 2,000 damage (weapon damaged plus 30% for silenced weapons multiplied by 3.5 for Ninja sneak attack), enough to one-shot nearly every enemy.

Perception tier 9 and 10 are for VATS users only as the perks themselves require the use of VATS to be effective. The Penetrator perk is first at tier 9. The first rank grants the ability to shoot through cover with a reduction in accuracy. Now cover does include mirelurk shells and a piece of armor, but...If you decide to use a Critical Hit on your target, you will have the ability to penetrate everything. For example, targeting a fusion core from the front behind cover, which equates to multiple pieces of cover. This won't matter as Critical Hits always hit. At rank 2 you suffer no lose of accuracy when shooting through cover.

Finally, the Concentrated Fire perk. Perception tier 10. This perk offers some significant bonuses for VATS users. At rank 1 you earn a 10% accuracy for every attack on a specific body part. What this means is if you target the head of your enemy with VATS six times you get that 10% bonus for every shot not just the overall attack. At rank 2 your accuracy bonus goes to plus 15%, and the creme de la creme rank 3. With the final rank you get an amazing 20% accuracy bonus AND 20% more damage. For some perspective let's go back to the maximum damage from the Gauss rifle at 2,000. Now add an addition 20% to that amount for an unbelievable 2,400 damage.

Notable weapons in the non-automatic weapons category: The Last Minute (the Castle), and variant of the Gauss rifle that does an additional 50% limb damage. Righteous Authority (ArcJet systems) a reward for helping Paladin Danse, double damage for critical shots and critical meter fills 15% faster. The Railway Rifle, a powerful weapons that uses railway spikes. A reward from the RailRoad or can be found at Big John's Salvage, and Bedford Station after level 20. Old Reliable, a two-shot lever action .45-70 found in Acadia with Far Harbor DLC.

The Perception attribute, unlike Strength, offers many valuable perks. Some are quite specific but most are an overall benefit to playing Fallout 4 as an explosives expert, a shotgunner, a sniper. And of course, if you're into raw power with awesome damage output you'll want to trick out your Gauss rifle and snipe away.

Fallout 4 Strength Attribute

Welcome to a new series on my blog where I dive into each SPECIAL attribute from Fallout 4. There are seven attributes from which to create and design your character. I’ll be dissecting and analyzing each perk related to a specific attribute. I’ll also be sharing my opinion on the best perk set and if they are needed, and what type of character would benefit most from each attribute.

Strength. This attribute is the character’s power. It’s related to carry weight, melee and unarmed damage output, heavy guns such as the missile launcher, and the Armorer and Blacksmith perks, Rooted and the power armor specific Pain Train perks. You can also find perks related to gun bashing and hip-fire accuracy for all guns, big or small.

Although, the Strength attribute looks sexy on the surface it is mired with bad perks and perks that aren’t necessarily essential. And I’m directly referring to the Armorer perk. The one and only time the Armorer perk is essential in Fallout 4 is the use of ballistic weave. Otherwise a player can pick up all variants of armor throughout the gameplay. And if a piece of armor comes with a specific modification like muffled for example, it can be return to an unmodded version thus storing the muffle mod in your inventory to be placed on a different piece within a same armor set. Metal to metal, combat to combat, synth to synth. And you can do all this without the Armorer perk. You aren’t able to transfer muffle for metal armor to synth armor. And you cannot transfer legendary modifications from one piece to another. Besides, you can get a fantastic suit of armor early in the game at Hubris Comics. Just take the Silver Shroud armor to Kent in Goodneighbor. Once you agree to be the Silver Shroud, turn off the radio. Start the Silver Shroud quest around level 23 and you’ll get armor upgrades in the mid-twenties -thirties -forties levels providing you save Kent. You’ll need 10 Charisma to do that so go prepared.

Before I get too far off track I’ll jump back to the first perk in Strength which is the Iron Fist perks. You automatically have access to this perk as each attribute requires the first level be the default. Iron Fist along with the second tier perks, Big Leagues, add to the damage output of either unarmed and punching weapons or melee weapons. Each perk point invested adding 20% more damage than before and maxing out at double damage. The Iron Fist perks have different specialties than Big Leagues. Most notably in Iron Fist is the last rank where a critical hit in V.A.T.S. will paralyze an opponent. And if you’re using a lot of V.A.T.S. for your melee character you would be better served with high Agility (Blitz and Ninja perks) and Luck (Critical Banker, Better Criticals, Grim Reaper's Sprint, and Four Leaf Clover perks). Whereas rank four in Big Leagues all enemies in front are struck. Important note concerning Big Leagues rank four: this perk is NOT settler friendly. If a settler is in the line of fire damage to the settler is a distinct possibility. In one of my playthroughs I killed both Connie and Lucy Abernathy with Grognak’s Axe when I attacked a raider they were engaging.

The next perk is Armorer which I’ve already discussed and then the Blacksmith perk. Much like the Armorer perk this isn’t an absolute need. Again you’ll often find the weapon mods during the gameplay. And to use some of the mods you’ll need the Science perks anyway. So, I would skip this perk altogether unless you’re building a power armor based melee/unarmed build, which is important to note you cannot use punching weapons in power armor.

At Strength level 5 you’ll find the Heavy Gunner perks. These perks increase the damage output of heavy guns the same way as Iron Fist and Big Leagues. The trouble with the Heavy Gunner perks are twofold. The high investment cost into Strength and the heavy guns themselves. Fundamentally, I find the heavy guns to be lacking. Unlike semi-automatics, snipers, and full auto weapons, heavy guns aren’t diverse. Sure there are some specialty weapons like the Cryolator and the Striker, but these weapons have extremely rare ammo types much like the Fat Man, which I would argue is one of the worst weapons in the game due to its high ammo price and rarity coupled with a poor area-of-effect damage compared to other explosive type weapons like grenades. You can easily launch a mini nuke at three enemies in close proximity to each other and only kill one. I think grenades are much, much better than mini nukes. And much like the Blacksmith perk you’ll need to invest in the Science (and Gun Nut and Demolition Expert) perks to maximize some of the Heavy Guns if you lack the patience for one to drop in the game.

Next is rank 6 in Strength and here you’ll find one of the more unnecessary perks in Fallout 4, the Strong Back perks. These perks are simply not that valuable. “But what if I’m a settlement builder and I’m a big hoarder?” you ask. Well, there’s a better solution for material management called Scrapper under Intelligence, and it costs fewer perk points overall. And with Scrapper you can collect one automatic assault rifle and you’ll get almost a shipment worth of aluminum and various other options. This frees up space for something else. Sure being able to fast travel while over encumbered is handy but there are better options to collect building materials. Skip these perks.

On to Steady Aim perks at 7 Strength. These perks aren’t worth the high investment to get. Some improved hip fire accuracy from all guns sounds great but is more a waste of perk points.

This also goes with level 8 perks Basher. Seriously? Melee weapons already do more melee damage than bashing does. And at level 8 Strength you’ll have plenty of power with a gun bash without these ridiculous perks. If you have your gun with you why do you need to pistol whip the enemy too? Just shoot them.

Rooted is a great situational perk and its rewards bear this out which is why it takes 9 Strength to get it. At the first rank you’ll get plus 25 damage resistance and you’ll also be inflicting 25% more melee or unarmed damage. The next rank gets 50 for each and the final rank may let you automatically disarm any enemy using melee attacks against you. Not sure if the final rank is worth the perk point though. Of course there’s a catch, you cannot be moving, and must be standing still, for this perk to work. But it will work with the fabulous Blitz perk from Agility. If you wanted to be a melee god combine Rooted with Blitz.

And finally Strength rank 10. This is another poor perk. I don’t want to say bad because it works well, but the exceedingly high cost and the situational nature of Pain Train just isn’t a good investment. Yes the perk offers some comic relief to the clunky power armor and it can get you out of sticky situations, but then again, you are in power armor. To make the most of this perk you’ll have a high investment in Intelligence as well to get the Nuclear Physicist perks so your fusion cores last longer because to use Pain Train you’ll need to sprint, which depletes the fusion core at a much accelerated rate.

Notable unarmed and melee weapons: Pickman's Blade (Pickman's Gallery), Furious Power Fist (Boston Common), Grognak's Axe (Hubris Comics), 2076 World Series Baseball Bat (Jamaica Plane), Deathclaw Gauntlet (Devil's Due quest), Rockville Slugger (Diamond City), and Kremvh's Tooth (Dunwich Borers).

Overall. I belief the Strength attribute the least useful in Fallout 4. You will almost always find better perks under other attributes. So unless you have a specific need (non-sneak, non-VATS characters) for Strength-related perks, save them for late game options.

Skyrim SE: Light Armor vs. Heavy Armor

Welcome back to the blog. In this post I’m going to provide an argument for choosing light armor over heavy armor for all character builds aside from one. Now I realize this concept will go against popular sentiment but once the information is fully broken down I think you’ll agree my argument for light armor is more than valid.

I won’t actually be covering any true mage builds in this post because I haven’t spent enough time working on mage only characters. I’m not a fan of magicka-focused builds. I enjoy magicka but it’s far from a first choice and has thus far only been supplemental.

The most important aspect of armor we need to get out there straight away is the game’s armor cap. This number represents the most damage resistance a player’s character can withstand. And that number is 85% damage resistant. This figures out to 567 armor rating in total. What this means is your super powerful Dark Brotherhood armor set with 1,200 armor rating is only good for 567 armor. With the introduction of dragonplate (heavy) and dragonscale (light) armor with the Dawnguard DLC you can reach the armor cap with both light and heavy armor and light armor is within shouting distance of heavy armor in overall armor rating.

After doing a bit of digging and mathematics I came up with the base armor ratings of both Dragonplate and Dragonscale armor. The final numbers include double improvement and the 50% bonus from the combined Well Fitted and Matching Set perks available in both the heavy armor and light armor skill constellations, which are called Deft Movement and Unhindered. The Dragonplate (heavy) armor went over the armor rating maximum with an overall rating of 612. The Dragonscale (light) was below the armor cap with a 492 rating. Now, looking at these numbers you might say, “See the proof is in the pudding. Heavy armor eclipses the armor cap and guarantees I have the most damage resistance available and the light armor doesn’t.” Of course you are correct by saying this. And if you were not using any enchanting or potions in your gameplay then heavy armor would be more beneficial than light. But, I have one more card to flip over: The Dragonscale Armor misses the rating cap by 75 points. This seems like a lofty number but it actually isn’t all that lofty. With a weak blacksmith potion or a weak smithing piece of apparel (20%) the Dragonscale armor also eclipses armor cap at 590. And a potion of only 15% brings it to 565. So for the armor cap each type of armor, heavy or light, will easily reach 567.

Now that we’ve witnessed light armor being equally protective as heavy armor it’s time to explore the perk constellations for each set. There’s a significant detail that I can’t leave out. If you’re using the Guardian Stones to improve your character be aware heavy armor is under the Warrior Stone while light armor is under the Thief Stone. I always recommend using the Thief Stone as it boosts the only skill you can always improve, in or out of combat, which makes it invaluable for leveling your character and that’s the Sneak skill. As long as you’re in sneak mode and undetected your character continually levels up just by exploring Skyrim. You can also use the Illusion spell Muffle to level your character while outside of combat or the Alteration spell Transmute. But neither are as beneficial as Sneak.

I’ll start with the Heavy Armor constellation. I’m only focusing on non-armor rating improvement perks. It’s fairly obvious to use rating boosts so there’s no need to discuss those. Aside from the Juggernaut, Well Fitted, and Matching Set perks, you’ll find Unarmed, Conditioning, Reflect Blows, Tower of Strength, and Cushioned. You’ll find versions of Conditioning and Reflect Blows in the light armor constellation so I will discuss those with light armor. As for the other perks, two have benefits while one is practically useless. Unarmed and Tower of Strength are the beneficial perks that are specific to heavy armor. Unarmed will do the armor rating in damage, which is awesome, but is only needed for an unarmed build. You should never lose a brawl. Tower of Strength reduces stagger from incoming attacks by 50%. Another great perk but not necessarily all that special. You will better off by blocking the attack, or better yet, using a shield. I can promise you getting hit with Ebony arrows will cause a stagger with this perk. As for the most useless perk in heavy armor we find Cushioned. This perk reduces fall damage by 50%. If you’re jumping from any location far enough to take fall damage you need more than this perk. You can walk straight down a cliff face or use the Become Ethereal shout and leap off anything.

Let’s move on to the Light Armor perks constellation. Like heavy armor, the Reflect Blows and Conditioning perks are available but with different names, Deft Movement replaces Reflect Blows, both giving a 10% of taking no melee damage, and Unhindered replaces Conditioning, which makes armor weigh nothing and not slow you down. Conditioning is more valuable in terms of more encumbrance freed up as heavy armor has significantly more weight. A full set of Dragonbone Armor tipping the scales at 64 encumbrance whereas a full set of Dragonscale weighs in at 20 encumbrance. Now onto the other Light Armor perks and I’ll save the best perk, which also tips the scales to light armor being superior to heavy armor for last, which is the only other perk available for light armor. Light armor has 10 perks in the constellation and heavy has 12. So for the final perk left we will find Wind Walker. The Wind Walker perks grants the character the ability to regenerate stamina 50% faster. At face value this perk doesn’t look so special but hear me out.

Stamina may actually be more important than health. Stamina is used for sprinting, bashing, slowing time in archery, and power attacks. It’s also used for getting out of the way of giants and mammoths bearing down on you at level ten. Or maybe you use it to quickly avoid a fire/frost-breathing dragon. No matter what the reason stamina is critical for survival. So having the ability to regenerate stamina without enchanted armor or jewelry is invaluable. You won’t need to carry stamina potions or waste an enchantment slot of stamina regeneration or even carry supremely heavy food items like vegetable or beef stew (both regenerate stamina). If you recall the heavy armor perk Tower of Strength reduces stagger by 50%. But what if you could just close that gap against the archers and, using that stamina, perform a sprinting attack that staggers them instead. And with your stamina regenerating so quickly, you can follow up the sprint attack with another power attack. So long archers. And this is even better against mages as they typically have no armor.

In my two-handed build I used heavy armor for a long time but ended up switching over to light armor because of the stamina regeneration perk Wind Walker. I still used a stamina enchantment slot for an additional 35% stamina regeneration which basically makes me completely unstoppable in pitched battle. Using the Sweep perk in the two-handed skill, which requires stamina, gives me the ability to attack multiple foes while avoiding damage at the same time. And with my stamina regeneration at 85% these attacks are back to back to back to back.

In summary, we know light armor is equal to heavy in terms of overall protection from damage—with a little help. We know the unique perks in heavy armor are very specialized and often unnecessary or not too useful. We know that light armor requires two fewer perks to fill out and you get to ultra beneficial Wind Walker perk, which regenerates the all-important stamina at a 50% faster clip.

So the next character you build, be it a two-handed, one-handed, dual-wielding, or sword and shield, would you still opt for the ever popular heavy armor or consider the better option light armor?

References: http://en.uesp.net/wiki/Main_Page

Namira’s Ring and Boethiah’s Calling Skyrim

For the veterans of The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim it is well known the Daedric quests are both useful and wicked. For any player with a conscience accomplishing Daedric quests can be tumultuous as completing these quests often require some shady practices. Boethiah’s Calling and The Taste of Death are no exceptions. But I’m here to offer you some peace of mind. You’ll be able to get both Daedric artifacts and offer some much needed justice.

To start these quests you’ll need to locate The Hall of the Dead in Markarth (The Taste of Death) and the Sacellum of Boethiah near Windhelm (Boethiah’s Calling). You will need to be level 30 to start Boethiah’s Calling and will likely be attacked by a Boethiah Cultist. Once you’ve slain this assassin just grab the book off the corpse, which will give you the quest update. Although there isn’t a prerequisite for The Taste of Death if you wait until level 30 you can knock out both of these quests in short order.

What you’ll want to do is go to Markarth first. You can gain access to the Hall of the Dead the first time you find Markarth. The priest is arguing just outside Understone Keep. Talk to him right after the argument for access. Once inside the Hall of the Dead a figure will appear. She will babble about you eating flesh. Just agree to help her clear the cave. In order to obtain Namira’s Ring you’ll need to indulge in minor cannibalism but you will earn your justice shortly.

Once you’ve cleared the location of Draugr, Eola asks you to convince a certain priest for a ceremony, which in Eola-speak is fancy jargon for feast. Either way, go get thoe priest and bring him to the dining room in Reachcliff Cave. Be sure to fast travel to the secret entrance to be sure the priest makes it alive. You’ll find the dining table has a few guests and they may recognize you from Markarth. This is when the quest goes sideways. You can either dine on the priest and earn Namira’s Ring, which grants you increased health and stamina (if partaking in more cannibalism) or you can kill Eola and get a reward. For the sake of this post, we will be eating the dead. Now that you have the ring, you’ll be finishing out your plan, and justice begins now. In my play through I attack and kill all the guests while in werewolf form but keep Eola alive. Maybe have her partake in the slaughter. Now the guests are shop owners or dog trainers so be prepared to lose some commerce. But killing them is worth it. If you commence the slaughter as a werewolf you can earn hearts for werewolf perks. Or just accomplish this goal in whatever fashion you choose and for whatever purpose you desire.

Now onto phase 2 of the double, double cross. Recruit Eola as a follower. She’s a capable spellsword so taking her along for some missions might make justice more fulfilling. However you chose take her to the Sacellum of Boethiah. Complete the ritual Boethiah requires and be sure to answer crudely and selfishly. Now the double, double-cross is complete. Only thing left is to get the unique Ebony Armor. Boethiah requires that only one cultist may live. Follow the others but stop at the top of the steps and watch the loons take each other out. Clean up the remaining survivor. Maybe even indulge Namira with some eating of the dead. Or if you’re a werewolf earn some levels for the next perk. Now off with you to Knifepoint Ridge to get special ebony armor which will poison enemies who are too close.

This is how I complete these two Daedric quests. For me, the priest gets some justice as the mastermind behind his killing is herself killed for the betterment of others. Maybe a little twisted but justified.