Redguard Barbarian

Destruction

Tava’s storm begins to brew inside you here, providing an alternate method of attack for the moment.

• Elementalist 1 (10): Destruction spells cost 25% less Magicka.   

Light Armor

You’ll be taking hits from the very start. Squeeze as much armor as you can out of your gear.

• Scout 1 (10): Light armor is 25% more effective.
• Agility 1 (20): You gain 50% Stamina Regeneration when wearing a light armor chest piece.
• Specialist 1 (30): You receive a 25% armor bonus when wearing a light armor chest piece.  

One-handed

A heavy investment, a third of your early game points, but worth it to cut down enemies with ease.

• Skirmisher 1 (10): One-handed weapons do 25% more damage.
• Quick Slash 1 (20): Swords and daggers have a 10% chance of dealing critical damage.
• Fighter’s Stance 1 (30): Power attacks with one-handed weapons deal 25% extra damage and have a chance to decapitate your enemies.  

Restoration

Your main source of healing shouldn’t take more Magicka than it needs to.

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

Smithing

Again, every piece of armor counts.

• Craftsman 1 (10): You can temper all items by one additional tier.
• Basic Smithing (20): You can create Steel and Leather items at any forge.

Alteration

The School of Alteration offers a few parlor tricks to shore up your weaknesses.

• Philosopher (10): Alteration spells cost 25% less Magicka.  

Destruction

The storm will come in due time, and it’ll be worth the investment.

• Augmented Shock 1 (30): Shock spells deal 25% more damage.
• Elementalist 2 (50): Destruction spells cost 50% less Magicka. 
• Unstable Current 1 (60): Shock spells have a 25% chance to deal double damage.  

Light Armor

With a goal of boundless Stamina, many perks in this tree are beneficial.

• Unhindered (40): Your armor weighs nothing and doesn’t slow you down when wearing a light armor chest piece.
• Athletics 1 (40): You move 10% faster when wearing a light armor chest piece.
• Scout 2 (50): Light armor is 50% more effective.
• Agility 2 (60): You gain 100% Stamina Regeneration when wearing a light armor chest piece.
• Adrenaline (60): You move 20% faster when sprinting while wearing a light armor chest piece.
• Specialist 2 (70): You receive a 50% armor bonus when wearing a light armor chest piece.

One-handed

Begin your training with two weapons and embrace the storm of blades.

• Dual Frenzy 1 (40): Dual wield power attacks deal 25% more damage.
• Overrun (40): Power attacks with one-handed weapons deal 50% extra damage to targets who are power attacking, drawing a bow, or casting a spell. 
• Precise Cuts 1 (40): Critical attacks with swords and daggers deal three times as much damage.
• 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

Tava’s blessing will stay with you longer.

• Pilgrim 1 (30): Divine shrines are twice as strong.
• Respite (40): Instant healing spells such as Fast Healing and Close Wounds also restore Stamina.  

Smithing

This will push you into the territory of gear that can’t be obtained in the wild.

• Blacksmith (30): You can temper all items by one additional tier.
• Journeyman Smithing (40): You can create Dwarven, Scaled, and Steel Plate items at any forge.
• Craftsman 2 (50): You can temper all items by two additional tiers.
• Rare Smithing (60): You can create Elven items at any forge.
• Armorer (70): You can temper all items by one additional tier.

Alteration

Weakness to Shock, Windrunner, and Whirlwind Cloak are among skills you’ll find useful to have at hand.

• Philosopher 2 (50): Alteration spells cost 50% less Magicka.

Destruction

Lightning Cloak should be a go-to of yours. With these perks it will tear apart your opponents even more.

• Augmented Shock 2 (70): Shock spells deal 50% more damage.
• Static Field (80): Shock spells prevent their targets from regenerating Magicka for 10 seconds.
• Power Surge (100): Shock spells have a chance to overload targets who fall below half Health.  

Light Armor

Even more Stamina benefits that will ensure you’re never caught without.

• Endurance (80): You spend 25% less Stamina when power attacking or drawing a bow when wearing a light armor chest piece.
• Athletics 2 (90): You move 20% faster when wearing a light armor chest piece.
• Second Wind (100): Your Stamina regenerates twice as fast when you fall below half Stamina while wearing a light armor chest piece.  

One-handed

Stronger, more frequent crits are always welcome, as is more power attack functionality.

• Dual Fury (70): You resist 25% of all incoming damage while dual wielding.
• Flourish (70): You attack 20% faster with One-handed weapons. 
• Quick Slash 2 (70): Swords and daggers have a 20% chance of dealing critical damage.
• Execute (80): Power Attacks with One-handed weapons deal 50% extra damage against targets who fall below half Health.
• Dual Frenzy 2 (90): Dual wield power attacks deal 50% more damage.
• Precise Cuts 2 (90): Critical attacks with swords and daggers deal five times as much damage.
• Onslaught (100): Repeated power attacks against a single target with One-handed weapons deal up to double damage.  

Restoration

Renewal is the jewel here. Should someone get the best of you, Tava grants a second chance.

• 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.
• Recovery 2 (70): Healing spells are 100% stronger.
• 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

Put your trophies on display for your enemies to see before their own defeat.

• Exotic Smithing (80): You can create Glass items at any forge.
• Forgemaster (90): You can temper all items by one additional tier.
• Mythic Smithing (100): You can create Daedric and Dragon items at any forge.

The Thief (Guardian)

Cheater’s Luck: Your Stamina is increased by 50, you move 10% faster, and you take 50% less damage from falling.

Extra Stamina is just what you need out of the gate. The extra movespeed helps you get into your opponents’ faces and chase them down if they retreat. This blessing is equivalent to Kynareth’s later on when you have Pilgrim (Rank 2), coincidentally. It’s almost as if Tava herself is watching over you.

The Lady

Lady’s Grace: Your Health, Magicka and Stamina are increased by 25. When you fall below half Health, Magicka, or Stamina, you gain 50% extra Health, Magicka, or Stamina Regeneration.

Balancing your Stamina and Magicka is the key to success and this blessing helps both tanks from emptying completely. The bonus Health Regeneration may save you in a pinch, but without more sources of it you won’t want to rely on it alone for keeping you alive.

The Steed

Charioteer: You no longer spend Stamina when sprinting out of combat, and your Carry Weight is increased by 100.

With enough movement speed, sprinting may be faster than riding a horse. On top of that, you’ll always be ready to fight and won’t be caught dismounting when trouble arrives. This blessing will even boost your Carry Weight by 100, which is less than what the horse offers but definitely nothing to sneeze at.

Dibella

Your Stamina Regeneration is increased by 25/50%. / Your Disease Resistance is increased by 100%.

Ever popular among Redguard women, the Lady of Love is a solid choice for this build. Extra Stamina Regeneration is always appreciated and, for those who’ve rejected the beast blood, you can still obtain its Disease Resistance.

Kynareth

Your Stamina is increased by 25/50. / You move 10% faster and take 50% less damage from falling.

Tava, the goddess of air, weather and sun is thematically the true option for this build. With Pilgrim (Rank 2) you’ll be granted extra speed from the goddess. Use it along with other boosts to stay in your opponents’ faces where it’s most perilous for them.

Tall Papa

You gain 10/20% more experience. / You have an additional unique effect based on your Standing Stone.

Tall Papa’s’ experience bonus is almost always beneficial. His additional effects are all useful as well, especially for Steed Stone users who want as much speed as possible.

• The Thief Stone: You spend 20% less Stamina when power attacking or drawing a bow.
• The Lover Stone: Your Stamina regenerates 50% faster.
• The Steed Stone: You move 10% faster, and your carry weight is increased by 50.

Alteration

This school provides a bag of useful tricks. Just don’t waste too much time or Magicka casting them in lieu of better options. Below are key spells you should consider using. Feel free to grab other utility spells so they’re available if the need arises.

• Oakflesh (Novice+): Your Armor Rating is increased by 40 for 120 seconds.
  These are great early on when your defenses are lacking. Their oomph falls off later when your Light Armor perks start coming together.

• Whirlwind Cloak (Adept): For 60 seconds, enemies in melee range have a chance to be knocked down.
  Perfect for managing a mob of enemies and thematic to boot. Keep this in your back pocket for tougher situations where you need additional crowd control.

• Weakness to Shock (Expert): You reduce enemy Shock Resistance by 50% for 60 seconds.
  Don’t bother using this outside of boss battles. In those longer fights, the extra damage from your Shock magic will make a noticeable difference.

Destruction

Shock magic is the manifestation of Tava’s storm. It also serves as your main source of ranged damage when necessary. Nearly any Shock spell is viable with this build as you’ll have all of the relevant Destruction perks… take care not to confuse yourself for a mage.

• Sparks (Novice+): Deals 8 Shock damage per second to Health and Magicka.
  Simple and effective but it will drain your Magicka battery quickly.

• Lightning Bolt (Apprentice+): Deals 20 Shock damage to Health and Magicka.
  Your option for pesky, distant or otherwise hard to reach enemies. If mages don’t die from this their Magicka reserves will be drained, making it more likely they’ll come closer.

• Lightning Cloak (Adept): For 60 seconds, nearby enemies take 8 Shock damage per second to Health and Magicka.
  You’ll want this active whenever you run into combat. Between this and your swords, anything in close proximity to you will have a hard time holding onto life.

Restoration

Restoration keeps you on your feet. With dual blades, you’ll be casting most of these spells before or after combat as trying to heal in the fray will greatly diminish your damage output. With Respite, many of these spells will also restore Stamina if you’re running low.

• Healing (Novice+): Restores 10 Health per second.
  The healing over time factor makes this less than ideal but it’s the only choice at the start.

• Close Wounds (Apprentice+): Restores 40 Health.
  Instant healing will get your swords back in hand faster. If your Magicka supplies are full enough this is the ideal healing option.

• Regeneration (Apprentice+): Restores 2 Health per second for 120 seconds.
  This does not work with Respite but can help with sustainability if you expect a long encounter. Use this right before a tough fight and your Magicka should recover before you’ll need additional healing.

Cyclone^DB

Cooldown: 60/90/120 seconds

• Ven: Deals 50 Magic damage and knocks down enemies in a small area.
• Gaar: Deals 75 Magic damage and knocks down enemies in a large area.
• Nos: Deals 100 Magic damage and knocks down enemies in a massive area.
• Meditation: Cyclone deals extra damage over 10 seconds.

More thematic than Unrelenting Force but with a longer cooldown. In exchange, it packs a strong punch that will definitely help clear a room.

Storm Call

Cooldown: 180/240/300 seconds

• Strun: Calls a storm for 30 seconds. Lightning bolts from the storm deal 50 damage.
• Bah: Calls a storm for 45 seconds. Lightning bolts from the storm deal 75 damage.
• Qo: Calls a storm for 60 seconds. Lightning bolts from the storm deal 100 damage.

If you’re not traveling with a companion, this is your go-to offensive shout. Call down Tava’s rage to devastate the battlefield as you dance through it. If you are traveling with a companion this will probably kill them.

Whirlwind Sprint

Cooldown: 10/20/30 seconds

• Wuld: Rush forward by 30 feet.
• Nah: Rush forward by 40 feet.
• Kest: Rush forward by 50 feet.

This will help you quickly close the distance with archers and mages, putting you in position to do what you’re best at.

Weapon

• Absorb Health: Absorbs 20 Health.
• Absorb Stamina: Absorbs 30 Stamina.
• Damage Armor: Reduces enemy Armor Rating by 150 for 30 seconds.

While tempting to ride the lightning further with Shock enchantments, your weapons are better used to sustain you. If extra sustainability isn’t needed, you can drop one to weaken your enemy’s armor instead and deal more damage.

Head

• Fortify Power Attacks: You deal 25% more damage with power attacks.
• Fortify Destruction Cost: Your Destruction spells cost 25% less.
• Fortify Armor Rating: Your Armor Rating is increased by 100.

Most of your damage will come from melee power attacks so it’s a safe choice to go with. If that’s not available, making your Shock spells easier to cast can be useful. Failing either, it never hurts to bolster your armor in case you’re hit.

Chest

• Resist Magic: Your Magic Resistance is increased by 25%.
• Fortify Power Attacks: You deal 25% more damage with power attacks.
• Fortify Destruction Cost: You resist 25% of incoming stagger and take 25% less damage while staggered.

Being out in the open makes you an easy target for magic users. Improving your general resistance will allow you to eat the damage and continue your assault, most likely healing yourself in the process. The third option is there for those who want to cast Lightning Cloak with less Magicka investment.

Gloves

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

This is a rare opportunity to boost your One-handed damage and you should take it. Alternatively, boosting your Magicka pool is worth it if it allows you to cast a more expensive spell such as Lightning Cloak. Or you can shore up an elemental resistance as that never hurts to have.

Boots

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

The options here aren’t exciting but they aren’t without usefulness. More Stamina (or Regeneration) means more power attacks which means more devastation. Short of that, you can always bolster your elemental defenses. Or boost your Carry Weight.

Necklace

• Resist Magic: Your Magic Resistance is increased by 25%.
• Fortify Destruction Power: Your Destruction spells are 25% stronger.
• Resist Stagger: You resist 25% of incoming stagger and take 25% less damage while staggered.

More Magic Resistance is always welcome unless you’re already at the 75% cap. If so, this is one of the few places where you can add more Shock damage. Failing both of those, additional Stagger resistance always helps. An Amulet of Kynareth can serve as a low-level option as Tava’ll boost your stamina pool.

Ring

• Fortify One-handed: You deal 25% extra damage with One-handed weapons.
• Resist Magic: Your Magic Resistance is increased by 25%.
• Fortify Destruction Power: Your Destruction spells are 25% stronger.

A competitive enchantment slot and you can’t go wrong with any option. Your bread and butter is One-handed, though, and this is one of two places where you can improve it.