For those that like maces

[Dubnoman]

I'd like to make a warrior character that specializes in one-handed, and I think going around with maces would be pretty rad, but war axes seem a little better. They are a little faster so they have a higher damage output than maces, and I hear the hack n' slash perks are real handy. But boy would it be fun to bludgeon enemies with a mace! So, those that like maces, can you make a case for them? Are war axes really better, or are they about equal. Are their any advantages to maces? Does the bone breaker perk set come in pretty handy? Does the bone breaker perk set work well against automatons? Edited May 19, 2012 by Dubnoman

[BrettM]

My first character was sword-and-board. I have another with dual-wield axes. I recently started a new character with mace-and-shield. The mace character hasn't perked Bone Breaker yet, but I'm finding the mace to be just as satisfactory as either of the other two weapons. You can get caught up in arguing the merits of weight, speed, reach, DPS, etc. all day, but, at the end of the day, they'll all work to get you through the game with equal effectiveness. Pick the weapon you like.

 

Nothing prevents you from experimenting if you hold off on perking the weapon-specific choices. Just put points into Armsman and Fighting Stance while trying out each of the weapons. Bone Breaker / Hack and Slash / Bladesman are just icing on the cake once you've made your choice.

Edited May 20, 2012 by BrettM

[Dubnoman]

My first character was sword-and-board. I have another with dual-wield axes. I recently started a new character with mace-and-shield. The mace character hasn't perked Bone Breaker yet, but I'm finding the mace to be just as satisfactory as either of the other two weapons. You can get caught up in arguing the merits of weight, speed, reach, DPS, etc. all day, but, at the end of the day, they'll all work to get you through the game with equal effectiveness. Pick the weapon you like.

 

Nothing prevents you from experimenting if you hold off on perking the weapon-specific choices. Just put points into Armsman and Fighting Stance while trying out each of the weapons. Bone Breaker / Hack and Slash / Bladesman are just icing on the cake once you've made your choice.

 

Maces are cool, but I'm now thinking of just going with war axes. One big reason for this is that I don't want fancy shmancy armor and weapons. So I'm going with modded armor that doesn't look too fancy and I'd like to stick with steel weapons and rely on perks in one-handed and smithing to help make them hold up at later levels. So the best steel is Skyforge Steel, and there are no Skyforge Steel maces, but there are Skyforge Steel war axes.

 

I dunno, are you playing with steel maces only? Maybe playing with a steel mace only is doable if you have the right perks. Plus, I will quest around with a follower or two, so maybe then, playing with a steel mace will be very doable. The war axe has been fun, though. What do you think?

Edited May 21, 2012 by Dubnoman

[BrettM]

Most of my characters do stick with steel weapons (except for bows), and it works fine as long as I keep up with the upgrades. I get Skyforge Steel when the opportunity arises, and eventually get to Nord Hero. By the time I get to level 50, there is very little short of Alduin that I can't one-shot with those weapons playing on Adept.

 

For my mace character (level 33 atm), I'm currently using an Elven mace, and I haven't decided what my ultimate goal will be. Elven gear has such a nice ratio of weight/damage that's hard to beat except with Skyforge stuff, but I may go for Glass or Dragon, since I intend to perk up the light armor side of Smithing and put this character into Dragon Scale.

[Dubnoman]

I'm trying to go with a warrior (female) who will wear steel armor, even in later levels. Hopefully, with the right perks and via smithing, this will be doable. I may go with dwarven armor. Do you think this could work with dwarven armor, or steel armor for that matter? I'd use a mod that makes dwarven armor look like regular steel in color.

 

The thing is, I'm picky about a lot of the metal armors. My character looks a lot more like how I want her to look in steel armor vs. elven or glass armor. I know other people like to choose armors they think are more appropriate aesthetically. It is the same with different weapons. I really like the look of steel weapons in comparison to most other weapons. That is why I want to use Skyforge steel weapons instead.

Edited May 21, 2012 by Dubnoman

[BrettM]

Any armor in the game, heavy or light, can eventually be improved to a level well above the armor cap. So later levels is when you have the least worries about what type of armor you use, since they all provide the most protection the game will give you.

 

The higher-rated armors only give you a benefit during the time before you can make maximum improvements, but the benefit doesn't seem really overwhelming. Putting perks into Agile Defender or Juggernaut can help keep your choice viable between smithing improvements. One of my characters stuck with leather all the way, so all varieties of steel will certainly work. One of my heavy-armor characters is quite pleased with the Wolf armor, which is a great match for the Skyforge and Nord Hero weapons, and looks even better now that I've discovered the Wolf Armor Remix mod. Another made do with regular steel and steel plate loot pieces until he could get the Ebony set he really wanted. So it is perfectly possible to choose your armor for aesthetic reasons.

[Dubnoman]

Any armor in the game, heavy or light, can eventually be improved to a level well above the armor cap. So later levels is when you have the least worries about what type of armor you use, since they all provide the most protection the game will give you.

 

The higher-rated armors only give you a benefit during the time before you can make maximum improvements, but the benefit doesn't seem really overwhelming. Putting perks into Agile Defender or Juggernaut can help keep your choice viable between smithing improvements. One of my characters stuck with leather all the way, so all varieties of steel will certainly work. One of my heavy-armor characters is quite pleased with the Wolf armor, which is a great match for the Skyforge and Nord Hero weapons, and looks even better now that I've discovered the Wolf Armor Remix mod. Another made do with regular steel and steel plate loot pieces until he could get the Ebony set he really wanted. So it is perfectly possible to choose your armor for aesthetic reasons.

 

Wow, you say leather armor can be improved to the armor cap? Fur armor, too? Also, the armor cap is what, something around 550? I believe it is something like that.

[BrettM]

Wow, you say leather armor can be improved to the armor cap? Fur armor, too? Also, the armor cap is what, something around 550? I believe it is something like that.

From the UESPWiki Armor page:

 

With the aid of enchanting (fortify smithing) and pre-made enchanting and smithing potions, and of course the appropriate armor perks, you can reach the armor cap with any style or type of armor in the game, even hide and iron armor. All without even using a shield.

If you're using higher-level armors, including steel, you don't even need to fully optimize smithing to hit the cap, but I always do anyway. It isn't difficult and the results for armor and weapons are worth it.

[Dubnoman]

Wow, you say leather armor can be improved to the armor cap? Fur armor, too? Also, the armor cap is what, something around 550? I believe it is something like that.

From the UESPWiki Armor page:

 

With the aid of enchanting (fortify smithing) and pre-made enchanting and smithing potions, and of course the appropriate armor perks, you can reach the armor cap with any style or type of armor in the game, even hide and iron armor. All without even using a shield.

If you're using higher-level armors, including steel, you don't even need to fully optimize smithing to hit the cap, but I always do anyway. It isn't difficult and the results for armor and weapons are worth it.

 

I need to get smithing higher, but I don't want to power level. I played Skyrim for many hours, but was power leveling, and it took away a lot from the game, so I put the game down for over a month and just got back into it and am trying to play the game properly now, you could say. Trying to avoid fast traveling, avoid power leveling, etc.

[BrettM]

You don't need to power level, which is something I avoid myself. I don't start getting serious about leveling the crafting skills until I'm around level 30, and don't complete them until I'm around level 50. At that point the leveling curve is steep enough that you can do a few training sessions, craft and enchant a handful of iron daggers, etc. without driving your overall level up too fast. Right now my level 41 character is about 90 on enchanting, 75 on smithing, and 25 on alchemy. It hasn't caused any problems with my level outstripping my combat skills, as my one-handed and archery are both around 80, stealth and light armor are pushing 90, and block is about 65.