So... moving on to The Dunmer.
Dark Elves.
I'll start this article by saying that in the past I have LOVED playing as a Dark Elf. I played a Dark Elf Archer in Oblivion for a long time. They were awesome because of their natural resistance to fire - which when you were roaming the planes of Oblivion is something you got attacked with A LOT. They made great sneaky types and had a natural talent for destruction magic. If you wanted to play the game as a Vampire character a Dark Elf was also a good choice, because their natural immunity to fire offset against a Vampire's natural weakness to it.
All very clever.
But as I'm sure you've probably guessed by now, from my tone and the use of past tense, that I have a bit of a problem with Skyrim's Dark Elves. Much as with the other Elf Races there has been a certain amount of... cosmetic tinkering with Dark Elves since Oblivion. As I've said before, while it may be a matter of personal taste, in fantasy games I like Elves to at least some degree be aesthetically pleasing . I don't mean in an obvious or porny way. I don't need that. But Elves should look in some way, for want of a better word... beautiful. Even Dark Elves - just in a slightly darker, bewitching, kind of way. It's certainly how things were in the last Elder Scrolls instalment.
In Skyrim? Well, here's the good news. If you still wanted to play as a Dark Elf Vampire you can. The problem is that now you're kinda going to look the part a bit more...
Remember how they used to do Vampires on Buffy the Vampire Slayer? Looking at those images it feels like I'm having flashbacks to the late 90s/early 2000s. It's the sharp protruding brow, wrinkled face, and deep circles around the eyes. A bewildering, and definitively non-sexy, makeover. :)
Equally bewildering is the voice acting for male Dark Elves in Skyrim. They've all become Cockneys. Seriously. Cockneys! Well, bar Arvel - the dodgy Bandit Thief who stole the Golden Claw. When you meet him in Bleak Falls Barrow, all caught up in a giant spider web, he appears to be from Sheffield or somewhere vaguely Northern. Can't quite pin it down...
But the others? Cockney. Cor. Blimey. Love a Duck. Etc.
I wanted to create a Dark Elf Female. That was the plan. A Spellsword - able to take advantage of a Dark Elf's natural talent for magic, and to creep around in Light Armour making use of the natural Sneakiness. But in doing so, time and again, I struggled at creating anything which didn't...look like a hag. This isn't the Oblivion character creator. You cannot soften certain natural features by tweaking the head mesh anywhere near as much. I'm playing on Xbox 360, so mods were not at my disposal. It became pretty clear that at best I was likely to create a character which was certainly more likely to look like an androgynous male, than the female I wanted to make. But I made do. And this was the end result.
Vendrela Helas. For that is what I have called her. And for a spellsword type there is plenty on offer in the tutorial area at Helgen. Light Armour, be that Imperial or Stormcloak, swords, bows for ranged fighting, and a Spell Tome of 'Sparks' to add to your magical arsenal. They're all there.
There's no obvious Lore based path for a Dunmer to follow. I mean there's no obvious reason to side with Imperials or Stormcloaks, or even The Thalmor - who doubtless see them as a corruption of their Elven ideal. I chose to have Vendrela follow Ralof of the Stormcloaks out of Helgen. It seemed the more likely of the two, I guess, but I won't have her joining up with the Stormcloaks in all likelihood. It wouldn't really make a lot of sense to me.
(You know, from the side I don't think she looks quite so odd.)
Anyway, as with other light armoured characters I swapped out the inferior Stormcloak Cuirass and Imperial Light Armour for some proper Leather Armour. From an aesthetic point of view it doesn't look quite right on a Dark Elf. My hope would probably be, at the earliest point, to try and get her into some Falmer Armour or something. It's probably the Light Armour type which looks most natural on a Dark Elf. You can't BUY it, of course. I'll have to hunt some down in a Falmer lair or Dwemer Ruin, but after my first playthrough I know of quite a few places to find Falmer, now. Although I think they'd probably kick my
ass at this level.
I chose not to get involved with followers on this playthrough. To be honest there wasn't really much need for them. It might just be my own personal opinion, but playing as a Spellsword type is probably the best
all-rounder character you can produce. You get to sneak, hack with a sword, burn with a spell and fire with a bow if you want or need. It's a play style I know of old, and I swept through Bleak Falls Barrow pretty darn quickly and easily. I did have to head back to Riverwood half way through, to sell loot after becoming over-encumbered. It happens. It's not a big deal.
Everything else involved with this run-through was pretty much the same old... same old. I got nothing of true unique use from the chests at the end. The improvements I've made through perks were Armsman (To improve one-handed sword damage), Agile Defender (For more efficient use of Light Armour), and Fighting Stance (To use less stamina on power attacks). And if I continue I'll probably hunt down the Lover Stone (All skills rise faster) to compliment the 'All-Rounder' feel of the character.
The problem is, I'm not entirely sure I will.
It's not because of look of the character. A bit annoying, granted, but not enough to stop playing. A Spellsword is a GREAT all-round archetype of a character, allowing so many multiple disciplines to be toyed with. Vendrela would also be a viable option for all four main Faction Quests - Mage College, The Companions, Thieves Guild and Dark Brotherhood.
So, what's the problem?
Well, in creating these characters I was trying to specialise. I didn't want another all-rounder. I tried that in my first playthrough. Been there. Done it. Playing as Vendrela would be enjoyable enough, but it wouldn't be exploring anything in depth, and it wouldn't be anywhere near as challenging.
So in all likelihood I probably won't be coming back to this. Sorry if that offends the Dark Elf fans out there.
If anybody has a better idea for a Dark Elf character archetype, of course, I'd be willing to listen. :)
So... 9 Races down. 1 remaining.
Breton.
What to do with a Breton? Well, I had a plan. It was a bit mental. But it might just work.
Next Time: The Necromancer. Can you play Skyrim PURELY by raising the dead? Come back and find out...
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