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I've been playing Enderal, Skyrim mod that's, like, entirely its own separate game with production values that of a B game rather than a mod. Skyrim's gameplay got modified quite a bit, i.e. you get XP from quests and killing things to level up and then buy skill books, also they completely nerfed stealth archer and the crown of "Laughably unbalanced easy mode build" there belongs to mages, I don't even to imagine what a pain in the ass melee must be, the way AI behaves in the game. The story is that the low fantasy world has a bit of a Mass Effect reaper problem and you're discount Shepard, though in the end it diverts enough to not be a too blatant copycat. It's also very, very grimdark with absolute majority of quests having downer endings and main quest splitting into downers but with caveats, even I thought it's way too grimdark, and I like grimdark and downer endings. Writing's might be a wee too self-indulgent sometimes - too many moments with our character rooted in spot while a NPC delivers a speech at them, a couple of moments when you gotta walk into obvious trap like a dunce to progress the story, and the most inexcusable travesty of game design - unskippable, unkillable ending credits, but otherwise very positive experience.

This build was created for a collaboration with @Aestus who runs the Youtube channel Aestus_RPG. Here's the video where we talk about this and other builds. This is build 5 of 5 from that collaboration. ----------------------------------------- This build is mainly meant for inspiration. You don't need to follow it in detail to have fun. If you understand the key features - the basic idea what makes this build special - you can usually deviate from my non-core attribute-, skill-, gear- and ability selection and form the build to your own likings and ideas. I do not try to produce the most powerful uberbuilds (often those are the most boring to play in he long run) but to focus on having fun while playing. Usually that means the build is powerful - but it's not the main focus. If you like to read about my personal requirements for "fun to play" builds, you can jump to a list below this post ----------------------------------------- Stefran Johæn Ængelyn Gærmanoða was born into a minor noble family in the Aedyr Empire, a nation steeped in tradition and the grip of authority. From a young age, he was fascinated by power - both the arcane that flowed through his veins and the rigid laws that governed his homeland. His path was clear when he was taken in by the Steel Garrote, an order of Paladins who serve Woedica, the deity of law, justice, oaths, promises, cold retribution... and molten faces. The Steel Garrotes instilled in Stefran the belief that cruelty, when applied with reason, was a necessary tool for maintaining order. He learned to bind his emotions, becoming an enforcer of the goddess's will. His magic, sustained by the rites of Blood Magic, allowed him to fuel his power through sacrifice but also drawing strength from the pain of others. His arcane prowess grew alongside his martial skill, making him both a deadly warrior and a fearsome wizard. In time, Stefran rose through the ranks, his reputation as a relentless but pragmatic enforcer of Woedica’s law spreading across Aedyr. However, whispers of dissent grew in his branch of the order, and Stefran found himself at the center of a brewing rebellion between faction inside the order. It was then that his faith was tested. Rather than defending his reactionary marshal who also smelled of mouldy floorcloth, he chose to enact Woedica’s justice in his own way and asked for a secondment. Now, a self-styled judge and executioner, Stefran roams the Deadfire Archipelago, seeking to restore justice through the lens of his unyielding law - but also with fairness. His path is paved with broken oaths, and the echo of Woedica's will is still guiding his hand and blade. "I won't cry for you I will just deflect the things you do then I'll drain you too See, when you're gone, I'll still be Bloody Parry" - Stefran while parrying very offensively - edit: dang! Should've used a song of Katy Parry instead... rolled a miss there =================================== The Bloody Parry =================================== Difficulty: PotD -------------------------------------------------------------- Solo: untested -------------------------------------------------------------- Class: Arcane Knight - Steel Garrote/Blood Mage -------------------------------------------------------------- Race: Human (or any) -------------------------------------------------------------- Background: Aedyr (or any) - Aristocrat (or any) -------------------------------------------------------------- Stats (w/o Berath's Blessings, ★=recommendation) MIG: 12 (11 +1 Human) CON: 10 DEX: 10 PER: 14 INT: 15 ★ RES: 17 ★★ (15 + 1 Human +1 Aedyr) -------------------------------------------------------------- the unique icons for all passive abilities are part of the Community Patch mod Abilities | Skills | Proficiencies - (!=important, r=recommended) 00. Garrote (a) + Faith and Conviction (a) + Blood Sacrifice (a) 01. Lay on Hands (r) + Concelhaut's Parasitic Staff (r) | Great Sword + Quarterstaff 02. Flames of Devotion (r) | +1 Athletics (->2), +1 Religion (->2) 03. Deep Faith (r)| +1 Athletics (->3), +1 Metaphysics (->2) 04. Zealous Aura + Infuse with Vital Essence | +1 Athletics (->4), +1 Religion (->3) | Medium Shield 05. Divine Purpose | +1 Athletics (->5), +1 Metaphysics (->3) 06. Sworn Enemy (r) | +1 Arcana (->3), +1 Intimidate (->3) 07. Sworn Rival + Concelhaut's Corrosive Siphon (r) | +1 Arcana (->4), +1 Religion (->4) 08. Eternal Devotion (r) | +1 Athletics (->6), +1 Metaphysics (->4) | Club 09. Glorious Beacon | +1 Arcana (->5 ), +1 Intimidate (->4) 10. Exalted Edurance (r) + Essential Phantom | +1 Arcana (->6), +1 Survival (->1) 11. Clear Head | +1 Arcana (->7), +1 Religion (->5) 12. Spell Shaping | +1 Arcana (->8), +1 Survival (->2) | Sword 13. Inspired Beacon + Two-Handed Style | +1 Arcana (->9), +1 Metaphysics (->5) 14. Rapid Casting | +1 Arcana (->10), +1 Intimidate (->5) 15. Iron Gut | +1 Arcana (->11), +1 Survival (->3) 16. Virtuous Triumph (r) + Minoletta's Precisely Piercing Burst | +1 Arcana (->12), +1 Religion (->6) | Large Shield 17. Mental Fortress | +1 Arcana (->13), +1 Metaphysics (->6) 18. Hands of Light | +1 Arcana (->14), +1 Intimidate (->6) 19. Sacred Immilation (r) + Wall of Draining (!) | +1 Arcana (->15), +1 Survival (->4) 20. Bear's Fortitude | +1 Arcana (->16), +1 Religion (->7) | Pike --------------------------------------------------------------- Items (!=important, r=recommended) Weapon Set 1: Whispers of the Endless Paths (! - +Offensive Parry!, +Run Through, +Legendary) Weapon Set 2: Shattered Vengeance (+Superb, +Blessed Defiance - Woedica theme) or Gladiator Sword (+Sharpened Blade, +Superb) & Nerian's Ward (+Legendary, +Father's Masterwork - it's cool and it's from Aedyr...) Head: Cowl of the Piercing Gaze (r - Woedica theme), later Mask of the Weyc (r - +50 deflection+Wall of Draining) Back: Cloak of Greater Deflection (!), later The Magnificient Escape Cape (r - +50 deflection+Wall of Draining) Neck: Token of Faith Grimoires: Weathered Grimoire (auto), Zandethu's Dragon-Scaled Grimoire (r) - and whatever fits your desired spell selection Armor: Gipon Prudensco (r - +No Fool I, +Paranoid) or Nomad's Brigandine (+Tactical Withdrawal, +Head of the Column, +Leg.) or Casita Samelia's Legacy (+high Intimidate skill, +Ardent, +Leg.) Waist: Sash of Judgment (r - Woedica theme) or Physiker's Belt Hands: Woedica's Strangling Grasp (r - I mean... of course), later Bracers of Greater Deflection Rings: Entonia Signet (r), Ring of Focused Flame (r) Boots: Boots of the Stone Pet: Eviee or Misty --------------------------------------------------------------- What is this build about: you combine healing (e.g. from Lay on Hands and Concelhaut's Corrosive Siphon) and the life-draining weapon hits of a Steel Garrote with the Blood Sacrifice of the Blood Mage. Using Blood Sacrifice to gain spell uses will hurt you, but hitting enemies with a weapon will heal you at the same time. Usually you would have to actively attack with a weapon in order to drain health - which doesn’t let you cast during that time obviously. So your action economy would suck. But when you do it the follwowing way your action economy will rock. before getting the signature weapon and key piece of this build, the great sword Whisers of the Endless Paths (which can be optained early), you can use Concelhaut's Parasitic Staff in the very early game. Its health draining feature stacks with the Steel Garrote's passive 15%, giving you plenty of health back from every decent attack. Also the quarterstaff's modal gives you +20 melee defelction which is big in the early game, making you already more durable. by using Offensive Parry - an enchantment of Whispers of the Endless Paths - you will attack enemies who miss you in melee (100% of misses get parried and lead to a counterattack). That attack is instant (no animation, no recovery, just damage numbers pop up) and will daze(!) enemies - which unlocks the Steel Garrote’s life drain immediately. So basically you parry enemies which gives you health WHILE you cast your wizard spells. If you need more spells you use Blood Sacrifice which damages you. But your parries will heal you back up. you need lots of (melee) deflection for this so it’s natural you will be great at tanking - even though you are not meant to be the main tank (you can be later in the game with a few items though. Your defense, obtained via self buffs and passives and items, will be the staple of your build. at some point you want to have lots of bonus deflection items: Bracers and Cloak of Greater Deflection, Entonia Signet Ring, an armor with deflection bonus (I prefer Gipon Prudensco, but Casita Samelia’s Legacy and Nomad’s Brigandine work, too) you welcome melee enemies attacking you instead of fearing them - and you will shower them with whatever spells you like best and which your party needs later you use Wall of Draining to prolong not only your self buffs but also some special items’ effects: Escape Cape’s Escape (+50 deflection) or Mask of the Weyc’s Arcane-Veil-like deflection bonus (+50 deflection) which stack with each other and some of your wizard buffs, giving you insanely high deflection values for a very long time. It can also prolog your Lay on Hands, giving you endless healing. Other benefical effects that can be extended with the Wall of Draining are for example Courageous (Hands of Light), Aware (Eldritch Aim) and also stuff like Avenging Storm from scrolls(!). Avenging Storm + Offensive Parry + Combuting Wounds is an awesome combination. You can also extend the effects of potions of course. at the same time you can be a good healer for allies, too - as any Paladin can be use Inspired Beacon, Sworn Rival and Eternal Devotion to boost your spell and parry damage (for example M’s Piercing Sigil is great with +40% and +20% dmg bonuses as well as a +10% burning lash). If you use Sworn Rival multiple times and then kill the enemies you get all the Zeal for Sworn Enemy back and with a little luck some Zeal on top because of Virtuous Triumph (50% +1 Zeal on kill) Sacred Immolation, paired with "passive" health draining and prolonged healing effects is a nice non-spell-fueled and suddenly risk-free source of damage later in the game, too basically a tank who can heal and deal (AoE) damage, debuff, CC potentially unlimited times you can pick up your own Grimoire collection. There are so many grimoires in the game, so you don't need to pick many wizard spells at level-up. I made do with the starting grimoire, some others in between and the unique Zandethu's Draconic Fury because I liked the unique PL7-spell for this build - but you can def. pick something different and be successful, too. Issues: your reliance on self buffs makes you vulnerable against effects that strip you of those buffs. Arcane Dampeners can screw you up. So a high Will defense is good to have. Whispers of the Endless Paths + Offensive Parry etc. is great against mobs - but not against ranged units and casters. It also doesn’t help much against bosses or single tough foes. In those cases it’s often better to switch to a weapon & shield, just tank for your party and use some cool spells. You are still a full Arcane Knight. Steel Garrote Paladins are cruel and rational - so you need to be a bit of an a*hole at times in order to gain the max benefit from your Faith and Devotion passive. Why is it fun? Arcane Knights are really good right out of the box already - because of their defensive synergies. This draining+sacrifice combo on top improves the action economy and lets you cast more often, unbothered by attackers Blood Mage lets you have unlimited spell uses as long as you pay with health. It’s just very convenient to regain spells and health without having to do much: almost no "downtime". parrying enemies while casting them to pieces is just badass, especially with that giant sword sometimes it can be fun to play a somewhat cruel or even evil guy - although you don’t have to be THAT evil as a Steel Garrote. There are several items in the game that are connected to Woedica which you can use (see item seletion) and that's really nice touch and cool imo Hope you enjoy! Cheers!

Sekiro. Finished the game. Spoilers for the late-/end-game ahead. (Also probably the last opportunity to write at length until the winter holidays). Mibu village. There was something unsettling about a single ninja entering a random village and slaughtering the locals. Regarding the mini-boss, O’Rin aggroed when I tried to run past her (because I remembered her being a rather challenging foe), so I turned around and ran to the idol to reset. Then I remembered that it was possible to get her stuck in one of the boulders on the path, which worked. This time, I also found the High Priest, and, after exploring the Fountainhead Palace, I was able to kill him. Unfortunately, it did not help with the state of the village. The Illusion Monk was defeated quickly due to being the last of the open area bosses. After the battle and picking up the suspicious rock, I had planned to return to the Castle and get the Gourd upgraded. Which was prevented by Owl. There were the first noticeable point of character development and several attempts in open combat. Owl’s voice started to annoy me quite quickly, so I muted the VA for the rest of the battle. In general, most of it consisted of trying to bait punishable attacks and not die. I did try to corner him, but was not able to keep the boss stun-locked. The Mortal Blade special attack, on the other hand, was rather effective and the older ninja died. Also the Ministry forces were surrounding the Castle, with the ninjas in red hats running around and slaughtering the Ashina soldiers. At that point I noticed that I had missed several steps in NPC/ending quest lines I should have completed by that point. It turned out (I checked the wiki) that defeating Genichiro moved an important NPC and a quest item to a more remote and less obvious location, so I spent some time picking up quest and important items and got the Frozen Tears required for the Return ending. Afterwards, I also received Owl’s bell and entered the more challenging version of the Hirata Estate. I did not want to fight another ninja mini-boss, so I just ran past and fought Juzou again (after clearing the bandits around). In retrospect, I should have puppetered the purple ninja there. I left Owl be in his arena for the time being and returned to the main story. Which led me to the bridge to the Fountainhead Palace. The Monk took several attempts as well, including shortening phase 2 by jumping on the Monk during casting. At the Fountainhead Palace I discovered that it was possible to swim to the second idol and not die, though I ran out of not-Estus, then returned back to the start and cleared the area as expected. The rest of the area went reasonably well, though I had to use the Puppeteer Ninjutsu several times - the ball players were hitting rather hard. After defeating the main ball player, I could enter the lake safely, not counting the giant carp and the headless. Somehow I dodged the fish, looted the lake, and entered the last part of the Palace - the road leading to the Dragon, whom I was to make cry. So, it was the perfect spot to turn around and wrap up everything. That included mostly the younger version of Owl. I remembered a rather long battle against him on the previous playthrough and decided that the time had come to mod. My audience of one declined my suggestion to use the Jump Force Shaggy skin, so the mods were only to increase the health bar and the deflection window. Owl technically still could defeat me, but with the power of mods and determination I emerged victorious on the first try. The next stop was the Dragon who, after some inelegant lightning reversal in his face and being cut in the eye, cried. The on-screen message told me that it was a “Gracious Gift of Tears”. Then I teleported to the Castle. The Ministry forces were in full offensive, Issin’s corpse was lying on the floor with Emma next to him and the Divine Heir nowhere to be found. Emma told me to follow the smoke trail to reach him and leave Ashina. The only recently reactivated idols were blocked again and I spent several minutes trying to find a way to the Ashina Reservoir, also discovering and defeating another Iaijutsu samurai boss. At the Reservoir, I looked at the spear-wielding samurai boss and ran to the final boss idol. After activating it, I teleported back to the Castle and explored more. The merchant next to the Temple told me that the Sculptor had run out towards the battlefield. With the grappling point burnt, I had to look for another way to get there. From the Grave idol, I saw that the broken bridge to the earlier area was rebuilt. Another Juzou, this time in blue, was waiting on the other side. After careful consideration, I ran past and reached the battlefield with the Demon of Hatred sitting in the middle. I managed to get him stuck in a tree, scale the wall, and bait him into falling to his death. So, the only meaningful battle left was against the final boss. The mini-bosses, including the Headless, were not inspiring at that point. I reached the hill covered in silvery grass, with the Divine Heir being stabbed and Genichiro holding the other Mortal Blade. Even with the land on fire, he still believed that it could be held. Genichiro could not stand against the wider deflection window and resurrected his grandfather, because why not. The grandfather highlighted that I was still getting full damage from the status effects, then pulled out a gun. Still, without hesitation, I defeated him on the first attempt and gave the Divine Heir a slightly cool Dragon Tears ****tail. The Heir became pink fog and the credits rolled. On the first playthrough, I was greatly annoyed by the moveset switch from Genichiro to Issin and the first, Genichiro, phase being unskippable. Afterwards, I backtracked to the fire Juzou, discovered that I still had no poise, and died. The second attempt involved avoiding getting hit and was more successful. I also activated Sir Alonne’s outfit, though the weapon did not quite work with the special attack, so I used the default sword. Another surviving mini-boss was one of the Ashina Spears and again took 2 attempts, as the sword samurai standing nearby seemed to share the aggro range with the mini-boss. The last mini-boss whose location I knew was the ninja with dogs in the Hirata Estate. Using the Finger Whistle every time he summoned the dogs was somehow amusing. There are 3-4 Prayer Beads left and I would like to try and collect them and kill one of the Headless. Then I might try to sequence-break the game with the Puppeteer Ninjutsu by going to the Temple and then killing the Great Serpent before facing Genichiro. I am unsure how I feel about the higher health and deflection mods, but I know that I do not want to fight Issin head-on. In general, the significant moveset changes and ridiculously high damage from the bosses were more irritating, than engaging. Genichiro, ironically, kept his moveset consistent between phases and the damage from most of his attacks did not take a half of my health bar off (except the charged shot and lightning strike). In terms of story, the state of Ashina was conquered and it was not the MC’s problem. Isshin did not seem to care about it (he passively worked against his grandson), while Genichiro was the antagonist, so whatever he was doing was of inadequate quality. I suppose, the Owl/Shura ending provides some reflection on the social status of the shinobi - disposable and unknown. The MC does not seem to care deeply about anything but the Divine Heir’s objective. Is the Dragonrot bad? Is it worth the ability to continue to pursue one’s own goal? Is the Ministry better than the Ashina ruling family for the population? But it in itself is commentary - the two existing social and personal links were to the father, who had backstabbed the MC, and the Divine Heir who had his own personal and exclusive to him decisions to make. So, the Ashina family and the local population were inconsequential. Will post the screenshots later. I acknowledge the length of the post and that most of it is of little interest due to it being statements like "I defeated Bob and it felt good" rather than any reflection or analysis.

https://www.rawstory.com/kamala-harris-assassination-attempt-trump-mar-a-lago/ Trump talking about de-escalating rhetoric

I don't really know. I see the value in stripping Concentration or making really really sure you interrupt.

Of course! I like how this build can be very flexible, like with a spellblade using Confounding Blind + double BotEP I didn't even need to pick Brute Force, but that character is by no means neccessary because Body Blows + Brute Force is a great starting point already.

Yes, imo it's the best armor overall for him (deflection and relfex buff in combination with the Flanking immunity) - but if it clashes with one's approach towards the Principi something like Casita Samelia's Legacy (with maxed Intimidate - that skill also fits thematically) works well, too. Nomad's Briandine would be best if you want both high deflection and high AR. I would then take the AR passives as well - which I skipped with Gipon Prudensco.

This generation of would be political assassins are apparently of low caliber. I am picturing Trump running around in (showy, bulky) full body armor/helmet and using that as some kind of a statement-platform. Maybe he'll start throwing hot dogs into the audience (a The Dead Zone book reference...). This election is simply a joke. Although I have hope that Kamala Harris can win/maybe bring some sanity, if nothing else, back.

Oh, and I have completely forgotten the first Sunday boss, the Pursuer Now I definitely can say, that it is much much easier to fight him as melee compared to caster. As a caster I had a lot of trouble to be able to fight him and all other Pursuer mobs most of the time. Now I can defeat them, unless I missclick something on hot bar, on first try. So now I have also unlocked the McDuff infusing services

lol that Predator trailer is so terrible. Thank god it's fake.

Why nobody tries to kill Kamala / Biden -Elon Musk

I always like build with high RES, and in this case it feels very suitable. Steel Garrote and Blood Mage fit well each other and the background is so fascinating. I think late game a Chromoprismatic Quarterstaff with high Metaphysics, the modal and increased reach can be good versus single enemy instead of WotEP Maybe also the usual Citzal's Spirit Lance for groups and/or Lance of the Midwood Stag can be helpful. I think you should to pay attention versus disabling enemies and about fortitude and refelx defense, so some food can be in help (Captain's Banquet which also increased spells effectiveness Shark Soup and so on...). Gipon Prudesco means you has make Principi get angry, maybe for a Steel Garrote you need to find some good RPG reasons about that, but it can be done. Oh, and the look is great with all those gears, especially with Mask of the Weyc; he seems a badass German medieval warrior with two handed great sword, very nice!

Played little bit today again. Well more than little bit. I had a lot of time today, due to my wife being at work Unfortunately most of this time was eaten up with the stupid gauntlet towards Executioner’s Chariot Anyway. The way to Skeletal Lords has been fine today. I have cleaned up most of the mobs with no wipes, and I was even lucky with some rare drops, which I was still missing. Then I jumped off the cliff by mistake Then the fight with Skeletal Lords went awesome as well. A lot of help was Yearn sorcery, which attracted all spawned skeletons, which I have been slowly defeating. Few minutes later, soul and new ring have been in my possession. Then, I have decided to go grind for the Lizard Staff… My oh my, From Soft has made this one pretty annoying to get. They definitely hate the completionists To make it short, I made a lot of silly and stupid thing in the arena, so I have been gangbanged few times by the skeletons there, while trying to get the drop out of necromancers. Then I had to run through the stupid gauntlet again. And on the end of the gauntlet, there was red phantom as a bonus encounter. Worst encounter of NG+ so far. His sword has some homing “magic” programmed to it, so whenever I have rolled next to it, he changed his trajectory mid-swing and hit me hard when I was standing up out of that roll Probably 100k lost souls due to this clown… Bleh… Anyway after I have found a pretty good strategy against the skeletons, and purchased one more Yearn Sorcery, I did not needed to run so many times through that gauntlet as before. Still the redphantom clownshoe ended few of them anyway… In the end, I got from the Necromancers the Lizard Staff and their armor pieces so I could finally attempt the boss. Unfortunatelly all this running around through the gauntlet and grind for the loot has made me pretty tired, so I have wiped few times on the boss as well So one of the easiest bosses in the game made me the most trouble in NG+ so far

Yes, it's good. Also nicely themed for a Chanter. A lot less accuracy though (has a build-in -10 ACC and doesn't profit from Arcana like Spearcaster does) - but potentially three interrupts in a row. Spearcaster fits very well for an Arcane Archer (thematically), is early accessible, causes prone, stuck and has a knockback effect on top of the higher accuracy - so I consider it the better pick with this build. For a somewhat similar build that doesn't use Arcane Archer but maybe Ghost Heart or so - and doesn't skill Arcana and also likes crossbows more (I mean there's the universal crit conversion for all your atttacks, too) - Scourge of Bezello could be great. When I have time I can edit the build description accordingly. I hate it a bit that the best crossbows are either gated behind a certain quest outcome or come superlate. Should make a mule char that carries Furrante's crossbow so that it's cool to "skill" for crossbows right from the start.

What about Scourge of Bezzelo? Ok it's super endgame, but I think it worth mentionning at least for the ooze mega boss. Triple roll to interrupt, digging into any concentration in the process feels really in line with the logic of the build. Also fits the Lore!

I am very disturbed by the 6-legged cat.

I think Rymrgand lets you go because, when you "end" his avatar/champion/whatever that thing may be for a moment, you show promise as someone who can hasten his goals: All things must end, including himself.

Bad thing is, IIRC, they actually did practical effects for Thing 2011 but the studio required them to replace the practical effects with digital, and also cut the character development out of the film and use reshoots to clarify the narrative since the character development was gone.

Tito Jackson

Sekiro The boss did not die on this kick. Mixed feelings about killing running monkeys in robes. As expected. Looks safe. I do dislike this mini-boss, but a Prayer Bead is a Prayer Bead. Took some time. And this is where I am not going.