As the video game memes are so prevalent, becoming a stealth archer in Skyrim is almost a default because it’s so powerful it’s beyond broken. Not only can you begin to headshot bosses before they even notice you’re there, it makes the entire game so much more ‘God Mode’ as Skyrim is meant to be felt!
But Ry! I went through as a stealth archer out of necessity and now everything is so strong I have no more choice!
I feel you random voice! It can be really difficult to go from sniping every mudcrap and bandit before they have a chance to land a first hit to then going to trying to kill a Blooded Vampire at night with only an axe and a restoration spell to keep you up.
It’s on this premise exactly that I decided I’d do an entire story run of Skyrim (all side faction storylines, daedra quests, civil war, main story, DLC, etc) without shooting a single arrow! Here’s the set up:
Rytellia’s Arrow-less run through!
- Dark Elf Female
- Mainly using magic
- Have one handed weapons for when magic is gone
- Heavy armor
- Will be doing Imperial route (mainly cause I’ve never seen that one through)
Am also using PS5 mods because I’ve already platinumed the game. Here’s the types of mods I’m using:
- Extra carry weight (yaaaaas)
- Faster leveling
- H.A.S.T.E. Common sense engine (killing someone shouldn’t only be 1k in gold…)
- Pretty environmental ones that make things look nice
Now that that’s all settled, what can I go deeper into!
So far in my run, I haven’t fired a single arrow. I’m mainly using magic to go through the different dungeons and I’m mostly coming out okay. In terms of story wise, I’ve gotten to the point where I was able to slay the dragon outside of Whiterun and got het Graybeards call. I’ve also taken down a dragon on my own, still not using a single arrow in the giant quiver I’ve built up. No carry weight is awesome.
That to be said, it’s not all rainbow and sunshine! I have died plenty of times. Falmer are tough when they can hear your magic and you find a cave early on. I also found I need a lot more potions and food for in battle due to the fact my mana is being used for offense most times and if I get hit I go down fast.
I think doing this run as a pure mage would be tricky, especially for someone not good at FPS games naturally. I have been tempted to power up my one handed and shield in order to have that as my next backup, but I wanna get through all of the magic bits first!
What tips would I give for someone going through this type of run?
Going about not being super sniping rogue like means you have to be ready to take a hit and keep going. Having strong armor that you can fortify yourself with is way more important. That being said, getting comfortable with blacksmithing, the workbench, and the grindstone is important for having the strongest armor. Does it take more materials? Yeah, sadly. Is it worth it? Oh yeah.
Next bit is to have a plan on where your skill points will go. I started with mage stuff, but having Falmer hear me from across the map because my strongest spell is fire wasn’t very handy and took a lot of dying and retrying to figure out a better way.
As I mentioned earlier with blacksmithing, understanding Alchemy and Enchanting will also take you a very far way. Having different armor sets specifically for if you find a nest of mages or if you find a cave of angry trolls will help significantly. Also having enough potions, philters, and poisons on hand to help in any and every scenario will also help.
