Fans of Bethesda’s The Elder Scrolls series love the franchise for its sheer take on freedom. After all, players can make their character and go wild in the world of Tamriel. Moreover, games like Skyrim have expanded the world of Elder Scrolls not just with rich lore, but entertaining gameplay elements as well. For instance, hardcore fans know an archer can be one of the best builds any player could make in the base Skyrim game.
Interestingly, fans who did a headshot or two might enjoy the sheer power of using the bow and arrow in Skyrim. Moreover, some might even decide to make the bow and arrow their go-to weapon in most encounters. However, how exactly should players approach a sniper build?
10 Raise Archery, Sneak As Soon As Possible
Snipers master both the art of archery and sneaking, making them invisible killers in almost any setting. In Skyrim, players can achieve elite sniper status faster the sooner they level up Archery and Sneak.
In essence, players can fast-track their Sneak level up in a number of ways. First, they can try to shadow a guard across any city in order to level up Sneak in a couple of hours. Likewise, getting to around Sneak 50 should encourage players to get into nearby dungeons to Backstab its denizens to increase Sneak much faster. Another quick method is to find Ulfr the Blind in White River Watch east of Whiterun. As he’s blind, players can easily get Sneak points up by sneaking in the corner of the room.
Meanwhile, players can go to Archery trainers in cities such as Solitude to get free arrows. Players can level up Archery faster when using the bow, meaning they likely need to go to a few easy dungeons to practice their aim.
9 Become The Perfect Archer
Players who aspire to be snipers should use their Perks across Archery wisely in order to give themselves unique advantages. Thankfully, certain Archery Perks greatly enhance the player’s efficiency in terms of ranged combat.
For instance, Overdraw and Critical Shot can help maximize long-ranged damage. Overdraw 5 can make bows do twice as much damage, with Critical Shot 3 giving players a 20-percent chance of a critical hit with 50-percent more damage.
Meanwhile, Eagle Eye and Steady Hand become must-haves with their zooming mechanic. Likewise, Ranger and Quick Shot become secondary priorities due to their speed boost.
8 Ensure Sneaking Works In Their Favor
In any Elder Scrolls game, Sneak easily becomes a sniper’s best friend alongside Archery. Thanks to a high-level Sneak, players become increasingly difficult to detect, to the point of footsteps being virtually silent with the right approach. Moreover, leveling up Sneak high enough can give players access to benefits perfect for their sniping.
In terms of Perks, Deadly Aim becomes a must-have as it amplifies damage from bow-based attacks three times. Moreover, Stealth 5 enables players to become 40-percent harder to detect. Muffled Movement and Silence enhances these further by lessening odds of detection when wearing armor, plus avoiding detection while walking or running.
Lastly, Shadow Warrior at Sneak 100 will enable crouching to stop combat temporarily, which works great with distant targets.
7 Study The Mark
Thanks to Skyrim’s Radiant AI system, almost all NPCs have specific routines to follow throughout the day. In turn, they almost always have a reason to move. This factor can make it irritating for snipers to line their shots. However, pro snipers should know exactly how to adjust to a mobile target.
In order to avoid irritation, players should try to observe their target’s routines. Chances are, an NPC will repeat a certain list of “movements” throughout the course of the day. Some NPCs may decide to roam around a specific path and traverse the same path back to their home.
Moreover, players should note of places their marks frequent. When players fail to score a killing blow, that mark will panic and will most likely head towards those safe zones – so be sure to line shots along that direction next.
6 Try Getting To Higher Ground
The world’s greatest snipers don’t just line up the perfect shots. Rather, they make sure they aren’t detected. One of the best vantage points when sniping would be higher ground – these can take the form of guard towers or even slopes that overlook towns and fortresses. For instance, Fort Snowhawk west of Morthal faces a mountain where players can snipe most of the necromancers that guard its towers.
Likewise, players should find sniping locations where it would be easier for them to run and sneak away should there be any sign of trouble.
5 Aim Where They’re Headed
Mobile targets often become the hardest to kill, especially as their constant movement can make it hard for arrows to have a concrete trajectory. However, snipers can easily circumvent this disadvantage by aiming in the right direction.
Firstly, snipers should aim for a moving target’s destination instead of its present location. This factor almost always scores a successful shot. Additionally, players with Perks such as Eagle Eye and Steady Hand can use their slow-motion feature to aim properly.
Lastly, players should give their arrows a second or two of traveling towards their target – meaning they should aim at a point around three to four steps away within a moving target’s path.
4 Lure Opponents Into Position
For snipers, having an alerted opponent almost always becomes a bad idea. However, sometimes an alert opponent becomes more susceptible to the kill shot. Remember, enemies become alerted when they hear movement – especially an arrow – nearby. However, most targets commit the mistake of getting closer to the source of the sound.
Snipers can use this factor to set up decoy shots to get the attention of a mobile target. When a target notices the object, they will likely make a detour to investigate the arrow – leaving themselves very open for a killing blow. However, players should take the killing opportunity as soon as possible, as an alerted enemy can spot them much easier.
3 Rely On Light Armor
Rangers and archers in fantasy literature almost always never wear heavy armor. For instance, even games set in different cultural contexts such as Ghost Of Tsushima will have their archers wear very light armor to maximize their mobility. In Skyrim, this mobility gets maximized with Light Armor. Granted, Light Armor provides the “weakest” armor in terms of numbers. However, they provide the best gateway for sniper builds.
For starters, Light Armor naturally produces less sound to the point of silence, especially when wearing a full set of Light Armor. Moreover, Light Armor with the Unhindered Perk becomes more practical for snipers who want to steal items, as Light Armor becomes weightless.
2 Go For The Dragonbone Bow
Snipers never rely on their weapons to prove their worth. However, Skyrim’s snipers reap the best damage with certain weapons. In a general sense, the Dragonbone Bow easily has the highest base DPS bows in the game (Damage 20, DPS 15), making it worthy to get early on and invest in enchantments and upgrades in the long run. Players with Smithing 100 can forge this, or get this from the Keeper in the Soul Cairn.
However, players who don’t have the patience for the Dragonbone Bow might want to find the Daedric Bow, the second-strongest bow in terms of base damage (Damage 19). Other powerful non-enchanted bows include the Ebony Bow (17), Glass Bow (15), and Nordic Bow and Elven Bows (13).
1 Forget The Follower
Most of the time, having a Follower can become a great way of surviving most of Skyrim‘s most difficult dungeons. However, Followers might end up being a burden for snipers. Ideally, players should station Followers far away from them to avoid engaging with targets unnecessarily. They can serve as a great way of stashing equipment or being the last resort when getting caught.
Interestingly, players may still find specific use of Followers – albeit indirectly. For instance, getting an Essential NPC as a Follower (e.g. Mjoll the Lioness) means they won’t die from friendly fire. As such, this can allow players to sneak and shoot to level up both Sneak and Archery.
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