While I didn’t make this build for the Two-in-Two event, it was quite the pleasant coincidence that I

was working on a minimalist 2-skill build before it began. Here’s a build using 2 of Skyrim’s most powerful
and expansive skills in tandem to form the perfect combination of evasive defense and swift offense. I
present...

The Night Usher

Race: Altmer Vampire. Starting with an extra 50 Magicka is a godsend, as are the racial ability and faster
running speed. It also fits a self-indulging megalomaniac quite well. Breton or Bosmer can work too.

Archetype: Acrobat, Necromancer

Skills: Conjuration, Archery. As a wise man in central Asia once said, “Two is enough”.

Shout(yes, singular): Tiid Klo Ul, Slow time

Arsenal: Bound Bow and Raise Spells

Apparel:

Bloody Trousers*, Jester's Boots, Ulfric’s Bracers, Amulet of Talos, Ring of the Erudite, Circlet of Peerless
Archery/Conjuration or Aetherial Crown
It might look somewhat strange, but we're going for a rather exotic look here. These trousers are found on the
Volkihar Undercroft Feral Vampire, and turn into snazzy blue pants when worn by male characters.

Backstory:

Having lost his mother to illness and his father to booze, the young Altmer who would be known as The
Night Usher had a childhood of poverty, suffering and abuse. Working himself to sleep every day, he
tried his honest best to earn his meals, only to lose them to his drunkard father and his habits. However,
his greatest frustration was not physical abuse or fatigue, but the looks of pity, disgust and disdain he got
all the time. All was looking grim for him, until his father kicked the bucket and he was adopted by a
noble who once knew his father. Grabbing the opportunity by the throat, the Night Usher swore never to
be looked down on again. He used every resource given to him to their full extent: he learnt magic from
the noble's vast library, learnt martial arts from the guards, earned the favor of the townsfolk and had the
hooligans secretly by his side. His reputation skyrocketed, and his foster family considered him one of
them. All was looking up for the young Altmer

But all that changed when he discovered the Noble's family heirloom: an unholy artifact which granted
profane powers at the cost of the user's humanity. Under the cover of night, unbeknownst to his foster
family, the Night Usher summoned the artifact's powers, but so great was its power that it turned him
berserk. When he finally regained his conciousness, all that remained were the burning ruins of the
mansion, and the corpses of its tenants strewn all around. Drunk with power, he left to test his newfound
powers and to exert his self-ordained kingship.

However, unknown to him, the sole survivor of his powers, his adoptive brother, gathered powerful allies
to slay him. With great vengeance, he stormed the Night Usher's base and dispelled the artifact's magics.
He would have successfully enacted his revenge, if not for the Night Usher's guile and tact. With
countless traps and his own band of hooligans, the Night Usher barely managed to flee with his life. To
avoid the attention the slaughter would reel in, he decided to escape north. Stripped of his unholy artifact,
armed with nothing but wit, luck, relentless resolve and his thirst for power, the Night Usher knew could
start his legacy anew in the frigid land of Skyrim, a land ripe for him to plunder. New lives to take, new
minds to bend, new magics to control, and so much authority to offend.

Gameplay:

The Night Usher is a nimble acrobat who (ab)uses the Slow Time shout and Steady Hand perk for an extended
Slow Time duration, allowing him to weave among enemies while simultaneously making pin cushions out of
them. However, even after relevant perks, there is a brief period of vulnerability between shout cooldowns,
which the Night Usher compensates with necromantic minions.
This build relies greatly on the Extended Slow Time glitch. To do this, you require rank 2 of Steady Hand, a
bow and the first word of Slow Time. This is the build's only, most effective and most spammable special
move, and is what takes the build from viable to borderline overpowered.

 Optional: consume any potion of Alteration to extend the duration further

 Nock an arrow and zoom in, activating Steady Hand and slowing time temporarily
 Press the ‘sheath’ key, cancelling the shot
 As you withdraw the arrow and Steady Hand's time starts to fade, spam the shout button to activate
the first word of Slow Time

Combat usually starts off with some Bound Bow potshots or sneak shots from hiding. Once foes close the
distance, activate the extended Slow Time shout and continue assault and evasion. Once the duration is over, if
opposition remains, raise a zombie (either dispel the bow and raise as per normal, or use the Vampire Servant
power for hands-free casting) and allow it to divert attention from you. By the time the zombie is dead, either
your foes are also dead, or you have Slow Time off cooldown. Of course, for simpler battles or ranged duels,
regular archery might suffice.

Vampirism provides an interesting aspect to roleplay around while keeping gameplay in mind. With the latest
version of Dawnguard installed, Stage 3 Vampirism only experiences 75% stunted stat regeneration under
sunlight. I used this as a constant motivation to feed when I had the opportunity to let me regenerate the much-
needed magicka for casting Bound Bow. I found myself frequently stopping by small settlements to feed and
restock, thus staying in touch with society (I avoided using Vampire Seduction on just any lowlife bandit). On
the other hand, avoiding cities for too long would grant Embrace of Shadows, which represents the Night
Usher’s feral hunting instincts coming into effect.

If you want to get into the thick of things quickly, this is the build for that. It is entirely possible to have the
character at its I found it to be quite a pleasant coincidence that the 2 main skills have free trainers (Faendal for
Archery, Talvas Fathryon for Conjuration) and the main weapon is available at level 1 (free Bound Bow in
Fort Amol Prison). The first word of Slow Time in Korvanjund is incredibly easy to get thanks to military
backup, and luring the dragon from Bonestrewn Crest (North of the Atronach Stone, far south of Windhelm)
into the nearby giant camps nets a free dragon soul to unlock the shout word.

Stat Spread is of minimal importance, but I suggest pouring the first 5 levels into Magika, and the next 5 into
Health. Then onward, stat allocation is subjective to your playstyle and requirements. Do you run out of
Magicka after resurrecting foes or accidentally dispelling the Bound Bow (I've been there)? Boost your
Magicka. Do you tend to sprint or use the bow's zooming/time slow feature a lot? Stamina supports that
playstyle while giving more carry capacity. Are you taking too many hits? (This shouldn't be the case, but if it
is, then) Invest in Health.

Choice of Standing Stone is also completely situational, although the Ritual has the most synergy since it
allows resurrection without needing to sheath the bow. Other than that, I suggest the Apprentice to regenerate
magicka under sunlight (the build’s evasive defenses alleviate the Weakness to Magicka by a good degree),
The Shadow for exceptionally difficult fights where hit-and-run tactics are harder to pull off, or the Serpent for
removing a single strong opponent from battle temporarily.

Perkspread:
Build Complete at Level 25

Archery is our offensive skill, allowing us to shoot faster and harder, while conjuration grants us access to and
upgrades for the Bound Bow, along with defensive zombie meatshields.

Perks are spent on bound weaponry, necromancy and the entire archery tree. Not all perks are created equal,
however. Steady Hand 2/2 is the perk that makes or breaks this build, so rush that Level 60 in Archery. Pick up
the typical archer power spikes from Power Shot and Quick Shot. Mystic Binding and Adept Conjuration
ensure that our Bound Bow is effective and accessible.

Roleplay:

The Background of this character provides a good bit of detail to roleplay about, but here are some specific
pointers:
 Feed on noble townsfolk, but not on bandits or thugs. The blood of lowborn scum is not worthy of
your palate.
 If anyone tries to undermine you or denounce you, make them regret it. Yes, even the guards.
 Make connections across Skyrim, and exploit them to their full extent.
 Use stealth sparingly. Terror is best savored up close.
 Collect artifacts, explore dungeons and learn magic, all in pursuit of power.

Conclusion:

Props to the Living Flame, the build which pioneered the minimalistic approach to building, and to the
organizers & participants of the Two-in-Two CB Event. I wish I could drop a few Jojo memes around the
build, but they’d be too stale to add anything to the build’s quality. Hope you try the Night Usher out, and
hopefully come up with your own ways to do more with less.