Permadeath MQ Completed At Last!

[RatcatcherOfKvatch]

Pascal, Level 65 Breton Warlock (Mage+Alchemy = Warlock?) has become the first to enter Sovengarde with his heart still beating. Many of his Dragonborn forebears sacrificed themselves to imbue his incarnation with respect for Skyrim's deadly perils; giants, Bandit Chiefs, and cruel mistress Gravity lurking over every ledge, catwalk, and outcropping. Standing on their shoulders Pascal has finally succeeded in stopping the End of the World -- and making it home for dinner.

 

Difficulty: Master

Number of Times Died: ZERO ... including horses and companions. (How lucky is this guy?)

Number of Fall Damage Incidents: Two, one a terrifying slide down Sightless Pit, the other an unremarkable drop shortcutting the road from Riverwood to Whiterun.

 

Preferred Shout: "Paul Revere!" (The 3-word Detect Aura)

Preferred Weapon by Damage: Flame Cloak

Preferred Weapon Against Thalmor: Poison

Preferred Weapon Against Dragons: Ice

Preferred Weapon against Mammoths: Stairs

Mammoths killed: I saw a Japanese whaler and Canadian seal clubber embrace. I think they were crying.

Preferred armor: Stormcloak uniform.

Silliest Outfit: Horned Helmet + Black Mage Robe. I looked like a Nintendo mushroom-character.

Unarmored until level: 22 (ulp!)

Preferred Stone by Duration: Atronach (Lord Stone close 2nd)

Preferred Merchant by Gold Traded: Grelka

Preferred Trainer by Gold Spent: Grelka

First companion: Faendal

Second companion: Lydia

Current companion: Lydia

Married: Lydia

Most Melee Kills: Lydia

Worst Sneak: Lydia

Most Healing Received, All Sources: Lydia

Favorite Atronach: Lydia

Most Oaths Sworn to Carry My Burdens: Lydia

 

Useful Perks:

Conjuration: Apprentice, Atromancy

Alteration: MR, Stability, Atronach

Restoration: Apprentice, Regen, Recovery

Destruction: Apprentice, Impact, Aug.Fire, Aug.Frost

Alchemy: 5x20%, Benefactor

Enchanting: 5x20%, Insightful, Corpus, Extra Effect

Smithing: Steel

Light Armor: Unhindered

Sneak: 20%, Deadly Aim

 

Completion (besides MQ):

Harbinger

Archmage

Talos restored to Temple of the Nine

All accessible Thalmor dead, incl. Grey-Mane kidnappers and Ondolomar

Dark Brotherhood destroyed

King Olaf burned, as was the King in Rags

Potema banished

Houses Built: 2, although Lakeview is swarming with insects.

Urchins Underfoot: 2

Daedra Deified: Meridia, Azura, Sheogorath, Sanguine, Clavicus, Peryite, Molag Bal

Daedra Defied: Boethia's Cult wiped out

Misc: Agent of Mara, Sailor's Repose, Ancient Dwemer Smithing Knowledge, Sinderion's Serendipity

 

Restrictions (besides Permadeath):

No stacking Fortify Restoration.

No selling homemade potions.

No fast travel without having walked the specific route first nor without a horse.

 

Cheats / Exploits:

Save & quit when merchants out of gold.

"Dragon Souls to Perks" mod, restricted to non-combat stuff like "Investor", "Deep Pockets", etc, stuff I'd never waste perks on otherwise. Nothing on the "Useful" list.

 

Strategy, Super-Condensed Version:

Get Faendal. Get better spells. Get Lydia.

Take Atronach Stone, Agent of Mara, and MRx1 from Alteration (I take all 3 ASAP, but at this point I only have skill for 1). During Agent of Mara get Gloves of the Pugilist.

If you're going to fight the King in Rags gang do it now.

Next Brelyna's Experiment; reward is MR amulet.

Leverage ridiculously good MR for low level into all kinds of things, esp. Krosis and Azura's, trusting Lydia to absorb physical punishment while I take on the fire, lightning, and such. When Lydia starts to falter -- her armor is pretty lousy -- switch to Mage Stone, marry, build an Alchemy and Enchanting lab, and start poaching mammoths, stampeding them into bandit forts for safety and free bandit loot. When the easy mammoths are gone buy soul gems rather than risk mammoths and giants unarmored on open ground.

 

Use Krosis mask to jump-start Enchanting / Alchemy loop. Keep feeding in soul gems until Krosis mask obsolete. Build smithing gear. Make armor that actually does something.

 

Dismiss follower for Companions questline. Become Harbinger. Take follower back, build her top-of-the-line protection (85% MR, armor cap, Fortify Health), and make her some Nord Hero weapons courtesy of Kodlak and the Skyforge. Get the Shield of Solitude for more efficient MR.

 

Finally it's time to save the world, just watch out for Gravity -- The World is more dangerous than The World Eater.

 

On the Art of Fighting with Lydia:

Instead of switching to Jenassa after becoming Harbinger I stuck with Lydia. She's about as stealthy as Heimskr, but I learned to adapt. With The Lydia Atronach as a stalking horse the bad guys come to us, we clear an area and advance, and a new wave spots Lydia and charges to their doom. Combat has its own rhythm, different from Jenassa, but it works out fine.

 

Onward to Dawnguard I guess ... anyway even if Pascal dies in ignominy tripping over an iceberg hunting skeevers for Aela when he gets to Sovengarde he'll still have been there twice. He'll always have that ...