Orsimer, or orcs as they are more commonly known, are one of several races that players can choose in The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim. Like in other depictions in popular fantasy, orcs are various shades of green, have serious underbites, and are typically warriors. Most of the time players who choose to play as orcs in Skyrim will be going for melee builds.
Unlike earlier games in the Elder Scrolls series, there are no set classes in Skyrim, which means players are free to level whichever skills they choose. They could make an orc thief or even an orc mage. There are orcs more cerebral in nature like orc mage Urag gro-Shub, the librarian of the joinable College of Winterhold.
Still, these types of builds are best left to those who enjoy role-playing in Skyrim. A pure orc mage won’t be as powerful as a high elf mage due to the high elf’s unique abilities. Those looking to make the most powerful character they can as an orc will want to choose melee skills or skills that enhance melee combat. This is due to orcs’ skill bonuses and special ability in Skyrim.
Melee Combat Orc Build In Skyrim
When players begin a new game in Skyrim, they start by choosing their race. Orcs get +10 in Heavy Armor and +5 in Block, Enchanting, One-Handed, Smithing, and Two-Handed. Other characters get a different set of race bonuses to skills depending on what they pick. This means that from the beginning of the game, orc players have an advantage in melee combat compared to Argonians for instance, who are more suited for sneaking and general thievery.
Orcs could have a sword and shield, or they could use both hands to wield a massive battle axe, but players should expect to be doing a lot of close combat as an orc. Using a one-handed weapon and shield is probably the best option for beginners. It allows for more defensive possibilities, and Block has some extremely useful perks. Deflect Arrows is great, as arrows that hit the shield no longer do damage. This effectively neutralizes archers, who are one of the more frustrating enemies of melee builds. Players unlock Shield Charge when Block reaches its highest level unless they make it a legendary skill. Shield Charge allows players to sprint with a shield raised and knock down most enemies they hit.
Additionally, since orcs have a bonus to heavy armor and smithing, players can take advantage of that as well. Crafting armor and selling it is a great source of money, especially when combined with enchanting. Players can keep the best armor they make for themselves, meaning they can be well-protected early on.
Additionally, each race has special powers that can be used once per day. For orcs, it is Berserker Rage. When it’s activated, the player character takes half damage and deals double damage for 60 seconds. It’s important to note that double damage works only for physical damage, which includes melee weapons and bows; it does not apply to magic. It has great utility against multiple enemies or a single tough enemy. However, since it only lasts for a minute once per day, it should be saved to use against Skyrim‘s most dangerous enemies for the direst of encounters.
Using the Unrelenting Force shout in combat as an orc is great too, because, even at its most basic level, it still staggers enemies, meaning players can get extra hits in and not get hit back. Ice Form works well too, as it freezes enemies. Enemies will unfreeze as soon as they take damage, but it works well against groups to take one out of the fight for a bit, allowing players to deal with other enemies first or recover and heal.
Furthermore, each race has additional bonuses if players have enabled Skyrim’s survival mode. Orcs are among the hardier races, getting resistances to hunger, fatigue, and cold. It’s important to manage all aspects of survival, but those playing warriors will want to pay the most attention to hunger. Being hungry affects stamina as well as weapon effectiveness. Making hot soups cures both hunger and cold. Given cold decreases maximum health, players should try to cook hot soups as much as possible, which means they will need to hunt down fire salts.
Playing A Mage The Orc Way In Skyrim
While it may not be quite as powerful, players can also excel with orcs in Skyrim by making a build like a Battlemage or Spellsword from previous games. These hybrid warrior-mages will wear heavy armor and have points in melee combat skills combined with one or more of the schools of magic. They would not rely on magic exclusively like a true mage would, but rather use magic to supplement their other abilities and help them in melee combat. This type of build is for the thinking orc. Instead of charging headlong into combat while shrugging off damage, this requires a little more planning and strategy.
Orcs can make great use of any of the healing spells in the Restoration school of magic. This becomes particularly crucial in survival mode, as health does not regenerate even outside of combat. If they really want, players can use spells that harm the undead for dungeon-delving, but axes and maces are just as effective.
Conjuration is another great school of magic for those who want to play an orc battlemage. Summoning magical allies in combat helps keep players from getting overwhelmed. Since orcs are proficient with melee weapons, Conjuration lets them summon powerful weapons in combat too. Finally, they will want Soul Trap to fill Soul Gems because it allows them to enchant more items.
Players may want to develop Alteration as well. Spells which improve armor rating like Oakflesh are good to make orcs tougher to kill in combat. Candlelight and Detect Life are useful tools too, but Alteration’s real strength is Transmute, which turns iron ore to silver ore, or silver ore to gold ore. Players can make a lot of money very quickly transmuting iron ore by making silver or gold jewelry, enchanting it, and selling it. This also levels the skills enchanting, blacksmithing, and Alteration, meaning players will gain power rapidly.
As mentioned previously, the orc ability Berserker Rage doesn’t apply to magic, which means that Destruction doesn’t synergize well with orcs. However, there are a few Destruction spells worth getting. Choking Grasp, Strangulation, and other spells which drains the health of enemies and transfers it to the caster are valuable, especially in survival mode.
The least useful school of magic for orcs is likely Illusion. Some spells, like Clairvoyance or Fury can have a place in an orc’s spellbook, but many of Illusion’s spells are designed for stealthy characters, which goes against orcs’ most powerful playstyles.
The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim is available on PlayStation 3, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox 360, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, Nintendo Switch, and PC.
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