Altmer Pilgrim

Block

Shields won’t always save you from an incoming power attack just yet but that doesn’t mean they’re ineffective.

• Gladiator (10): Blocking is 25% more effective.
• Discipline (20): Blocking with a shield reduces incoming arrow damage by 50%.

Light Armor

Light armor is best for travel and your people have always excelled in it.

• Scout 1 (10): Light armor is 25% more effective.
• Agility 1 (20): You gain 50% Stamina Regeneration while wearing a light armor chest piece.

One-handed

Blunt weapons such as maces allow you to break down your enemies with less mess.

• Skirmisher 1 (10): One-handed weapons do 25% more damage.
• Armor Breaker 1 (20): Maces reduce enemy armor rating by 150 for 10 seconds.
• Fighter’s Stance 1 (30): Power attacks with one-handed weapons deal 25% extra damage and have a chance to decapitate your enemies.

Restoration

Novice Restoration won’t offer you anything later on but for now it’s a valuable lifeline.

• Healer 1 (10): Restoration spells cost 25% less Magicka.
• Recovery 1 (20): Healing spells are 50% stronger.

Smithing

Your smithing will be limited to maintaining your gear and crafting valuable jewelry.

• Craftsman 1 (10): You can temper all items by one additional tier.

Speech

A diplomatic touch is all you need to earn more coin in the markets.

• Merchant 1 (10): You receive 25% better prices.

Block

You’re pretty good with a shield. Don’t be afraid to hold it out in front of you while advancing

• Defensive Maneuvers (30): Blocking no longer slows your movement.
• Deflection (40): Blocking with a shield reduces incoming magic damage by 50%.
• Gladiator 2 (50): Blocking is 50% more effective.

Light Armor

A second line of defense in case your shield isn’t enough. And a source of stamina.

• Specialist 1 (30): You receive a 25% armor bonus while wearing a light armor chest piece.
• Unhindered (40): Your armor weighs nothing and doesn’t slow you down while wearing a light armor chest piece.
• Athletics 1 (40): You move 10% faster while wearing a light armor chest piece.
• Scout 2 (50): Light armor is 50% more effective.
• Agility 2 (60): You gain 100% Stamina Regeneration while wearing a light armor chest piece.

One-handed

Extra damage against staggered targets complements your first shout beautifully.

• Bell Ringer 1 (40): Maces deal 25% extra damage to staggered targets.
• Skirmisher 2 (50): One-handed weapons do 50% more damage.
• Fighter’s Stance 2 (60): Power attacks with one-handed weapons deal 50% extra damage and have a chance to decapitate your enemies.  

Restoration

It wouldn’t be a Pilgrim build without the Pilgrim perks, now would it?

• Pilgrim 1 (30): Divine shrines are twice as strong.
• Divine Glory 1 (30): Sun spells deal 25% more damage.
• Illumination (40): Regeneration and Attunement spells last three times as long when dual cast.
• Healer 2 (50): Restoration spells cost 50% less Magicka.
• Pilgrim 2 (60): Divine shrines are twice as strong and you receive additional bonuses when you pray at their shrines.

Smithing

Improved tempering not only gives you more oomph in your equipment, it can make your refurbished loot more valuable.

• Blacksmith (30): You can temper all items by one additional tier.
• Craftsman 2 (50): You can temper all items by two additional tiers.

Speech

Flip your loot in the markets to fund your next adventure, then rinse and repeat.

• Silver Tongue (20): You are much more likely to succeed at persuasion and intimidation, and you can bribe guards to ignore crimes.
• Bard 1 (30): Your bard songs are twice as strong.
• Supply and Demand 1 (30): Merchants have extra gold.
• Minstrel (40): Your bard songs last three times as long.

Block

A passive method of staggering your opponents? An absolute treat for your mace!

• Blocking Expertise (60): Blocking costs 50% less Stamina.
• Determination (70): Blocking with a shield has a 50% chance to stagger your attacker.  

Light Armor

With all of these perks, Stamina should be more than plentiful.

• Adrenaline (60): You sprint 20% faster and spend 50% less Stamina when sprinting while wearing a light armor chest piece.
• Specialist 2 (70): You receive a 50% armor bonus while wearing a light armor chest piece.
• Endurance (80): You spend 20% less Stamina when power attacking or drawing a bow while wearing a light armor chest piece.
• Athletics 2 (90): You move 20% faster when wearing three pieces of light armor.
• Second Wind (100): Your Stamina regenerates twice as fast when you fall below half Stamina while wearing a light armor chest piece.

One-handed

Your blows will be doing serious internal damage at this point. Enemies won’t withstand your attacks for long.

• Flourish (70): You attack 20% faster with One-handed weapons.
• Armor Breaker 2 (70): Maces reduce enemy armor rating by 300 for 10 seconds.
• Execute (80): Power Attacks with One-handed weapons deal 50% extra damage against target who fall below half Health.
• Bell Ringer 2 (90): Maces deal 50% extra damage to staggered targets.
• Onslaught (100): Repeated power attacks against a single target with One-handed weapons deal up to double damage.  

Restoration

Duration buffs for your most-used spells and even more Health Regeneration.

• Repose (60): Regeneration, Attunement, and Circle spells last twice as long.
• Recovery 2 (70): Healing spells are 100% stronger.
• Divine Glory 2 (70): Sun spells deal 50% more damage.
• Resolve (80): Healing spells are 50% stronger when the target falls below half Health.
• Renewal (100): Once per day, you fully heal yourself when your health drops below 25%.  

Smithing

Your ability to repair items would impress Eorlund Gray-Mane himself.

• Armorer (70): You can temper all items by one additional tier.
• Forgemaster (90): You can temper all items by one additional tier.  

Speech

Go into business with favored shopkeepers and it will pay off in short time.

• Merchant (50): You receive 50% better prices.
• Bard 2 (60): Your bard songs are twice as strong and grant an additional bonus to you and your allies.
• Supply and Demand 2 (60): Merchants have even more extra gold for bartering.

The Warrior (Guardian)

Warborn: Your Health is increased by 50, and blocking is 25% more effective.

Despite being a Stealth class, the Pilgrim is best served by the Warrior. A shieldbearer benefits greatly from the blocking bonus and the extra health allows you to spend your early attribute points elsewhere if necessary.

The Atronach

Sorcerer’s Oath: Your Magicka is increased by 100, and you have a 20% chance to absorb the Magicka from incoming spells. However, you cannot regenerate Magicka in combat.

The Atronach runs counter to your racial bonus but with mace and shield in hand you won’t be casting much of anything in the middle of combat. Use the extra Magicka to set up buffs, then draw your weapons and strike.

The Lady

Lady’s Grace: Your Health, Magicka and Stamina Regeneration are increased by 50%, and by an additional 50% when you fall below half Health, Magicka, or Stamina.

The Lady is a solid option for those who want to be versatile and switch from physical to magical more readily. This standing stone will boost your regeneration rates as they’re needed, making sure you have enough Stamina and Magicka in the tank when you swap modes. If you grabbed Sun or Turn Undead spells to use against the undead, this stone is more useful.

Auriel

Your Magicka is increased by 25/50. / Your sun spells and enchantments work on the living, Daedra, and automatons.

The chief deity of your pantheon is never a bad way to go. Extra Magicka will let you invest more into Stamina for mace swinging. A devote follower will be able to unleash powerful Sun magic on most enemies, making up for your lack of ranged options.

Jephre

You gain 10/20% more experience. / You gain an additional bonus that changes based on your bard song.

Jephre the Singer plays to the bard within you and all 3 additional bonuses are useful here. The flute is very situational, but the drum is great for a defensive buff and the lute is perfect for going on the offensive. The God of Songs and Stories will help you protect the world they’ve grown.

Stendarr

Your Health Regeneration is increased by 25/50%. / You are 25% better at blocking and bashing.

The God of Mercy will gladly lend his steadfastness to the devout, making you more resilient on the frontlines. Health Regeneration complements spells such as Regeneration well and the secondary benefit is perfect for the shield you’re already carrying.

Restoration

Restoration is the only school of magic truly utilized by the Pilgrim and most of it is fire-and-forget due to the fact that you’ll have your hands full with your weapon and shield. Sun and Turn Undead spells are nice to have in your back pocket, especially when doing Dawnguard content, but they’re not your focus.

• Regeneration (Apprentice+): Restores 2 Health per second for 120 seconds.
  Without a hand free for active healing, you’ll rely on this to provide you with substantial regeneration on the frontline.

• Attunement (Adept+): Your Health is increased by 50 for 120 seconds.
  Essentially free Health given how long this spell lasts with your Restoration perks.

• Circle of Strength (Adept+): Creates a circle on the ground that lasts for 120 seconds. Restores 10 Health per second inside the circle.
  Honestly any and all Circle spells are your friend here. Vitality and Strength especially allow you to stand your ground in a tough fight.

Dragon Aspect^DB

Cooldown: 180/240/300 seconds

• Mul: Increases Armor Rating by 50 for 600 seconds.
• Qah: Increases Armor Rating by 100 for 600 seconds.
• Diiv: Increases Armor Rating by 100 and Magic Resistance by 25% for 600 seconds.
• Meditation: Dragon Aspect does not trigger a Shout cooldown.

You’re a pretty stalwart fighter and this shout makes you even moreso. The meditation will remove the shout cooldown completely, and Epistolary Acumen can bolster it further however you need.

Marked for Death

Cooldown: 60/90/120 seconds

• Krii: Reduces enemy Health by 50 and Armor Rating by 50 for 30 seconds.
• Lun: Reduces enemy Health by 75 and Armor Rating by 100 for 30 seconds.
• Aus: Reduces enemy Health by 100 and Armor Rating by 150 for 30 seconds.
• Meditation: Marked for Death reduces enemy Magic Resistance by up to 25%.

Your mace already strips the enemy of their armor for more damage, it only makes sense to reduce it even further.

Unrelenting Force

Cooldown: 10/20/30 seconds

• Fus: Deals a 75% stagger to enemies.
• Ro: Deals a 100% stagger to enemies.
• Dah: Deals a 100% stagger and ragdolls enemies.
• Meditation: Unrelenting Force deals additional damage and breaks through wards.

The very first shout you’ll have in your arsenal and one of your best. With the Bell Ringer perk you’ll do at least 25% extra damage to those staggered by this shout.

Weapon

• Damage Armor: Reduces enemy Armor Rating by 150 for 30 seconds.
• Damage Weapon: Reduces enemy weapon damage by 25% for 30 seconds.
• Sun Damage: Deals 40 Sun damage to the undead. Targets on fire take extra damage over time.

These may seem like boring selections but they get the job done. Your mace already lowers their armor so it makes sense to double down and get more out of each swing. Alternatively, you can help mitigate incoming damage, making it easily to block and recover. Sun Damage is a great offensive option as well, but only if you follow Auri-El.

Shield

• Resist Magic: Your Magic Resistance is increased by 25%.
• Resist Power Attack Damage: You resist 50% of incoming power attack damage while blocking.
• Fortify Health: Your Health is increased by 50.

Your shield gives you an extra enchantment slot to play around with. Use it for the coveted Resist Magic if you can (or Resist Spell Damage if you’re feeling confident). In the late game you’ll naturally be at Block cap for regular attacks but additional boosts are necessary for incoming power attacks. Resist Power Attack Damage gets you most of the way there. At lower levels, Fortify Health may be necessary in order to hold the line.

Head

• Fortify Block: You block 25% more damage.
• Fortify Restoration Cost: Your Restoration spells cost 25% less.
• Fortify Power Attacks: You deal 25% more damage with power attacks.

As you reach natural Block cap, Fortify Block remains useful for mitigating power attacks. Fortify Restoration Cost can be a lifesaver early on, allowing you to cast more spells with less Magicka investment. As you get more comfortable in the mid to late game, you can add some oomph to your power attack which land great after stripping off the enemy’s armor.

Chest

• Resist Magic: Your Magic Resistance is increased by 25%.
• Fortify Restoration Cost: Your Restoration spells cost 25% less.
• Fortify Power Attacks: You deal 25% more damage with power attacks.

The Pilgrim is a character that hides behind their shield. Sometimes that shield will be hit with spells. Block can help with that but you’ll want as much protection as you can get. Beyond that, this slot is much like the Head slot above.

Gloves

• Fortify One-handed: You deal 25% extra damage with One-handed weapons.
• Resist [Element]: Your [Element] Resistance is increased by 50%.
• Fortify Magicka: Your Magicka is increased by 50.

The obvious choice is to boost your main source of damage. If you don’t have enough Magicka to dual-cast your buffs for triple duration, consider Fortify Magicka to help you bridge the gap. A third option is protecting yourself from a particular element if general magic resistance isn’t effective enough for you.

Boots

• Fortify Stamina Regeneration: Your Stamina Regeneration is increased by 50%.
• Resist [Element]: Your [Element] Resistance is increased by 50%.
• Fortify Carry Weight: Your Carry Weight is increased by 50.

None of these are must-haves so you can play around with your options. Carry Weight is always nice to have and it can help with bringing home extra loot to sell. Stamina Regeneration is probably the most useful as it will help you block and attack more readily. And more elemental resist is never a bad thing.

Necklace

• Resist Magic: Your Magic Resistance is increased by 25%.
• Fortify Block: You block 25% more damage.
• Fortify Restoration Duration: Your Restoration spells last 50% longer.

Resist Magic and Fortify Block are great for those looking to reach cap and you can’t go wrong putting them in this slot. Fortify Restoration Duration is another option if you truly want to set and forget your buffs.

Ring

• Fortify One-handed: You deal 25% extra damage with One-handed weapons.
• Resist [Element]: Your [Element] Resistance is increased by 50%.
• Fortify Restoration Duration: Your Restoration spells last 50% longer.

Another place to boost your main source of damage. Ideally you have 75% Magic Resistance from your other slots. If so, you can boost an elemental resistance. If not, consider Resist Magic here as well. If for whatever reason you don’t have either enchantment, boosting your buff durations even longer is always an option.