[Top 5] Skyrim Best Assassin Builds That Are Fun To Play (2022 Edition)

The Elder Scrolls V:Skyrim, Best Assassin Builds 2022, Sneak, Stealth, Skyrim Builds, Top 5

Updated:

05 Feb 2022

Put on your cloak, we're going hunting in the shadows tonight.

Embracing the shadows, many of us turn away from our destiny as Dovahkiin and instead choose to listen to the Night Mother’s soft whisper, which calls us deeper into depravity. Whether it’s striking sharp daggers to the heart, stunning enemies with unarmed takedowns, or sending sinister arrows into the heads of foes, we’ve all got our signature culling styles. And now for all of you stealthy sons of Sithis, let’s wrap up five of the most fun builds with a special focus on assassination and the Dark Brotherhood.

5. Dream Strider

Skyrim : Mage Assassin Build Class : Nightblade by ESO

Origin Story:

Taking refuge in Skyrim after the devastating eruption of Red Mountain, a Dunmer woman finds herself being discriminated against by Nordic citizens. Filled with rage, her soul cried out to Namira, the Mistress of Decay, to take revenge on those who shunned her. Swiftly, the Daedric Prince infiltrated her mind, enabling the infuriated Dunmer to stride through the dreams of her enemies and discover their weaknesses.

Following in the footsteps of Namira, the Daedric Prince of darkness and shadows, the Dream Strider chooses to stalk her prey and psychologically torment them using a range of mind-altering spells. You’re also granted freedom in your choice of light armor, and weapons. As the Dream Strider, you can dual-wield daggers, with a focus on stealth, or opt instead to use only illusion spells to bewilder your opponents. I thoroughly enjoyed this build purely for the various combinations that I ended up trying in battle, resting finally on using Frenzy and a Daedric dagger. My best strategy for this build would be to force enemies to kill each other first and then pick off the last man standing.

As a detour from the cliché stealth archer, this build provides a thrilling Skyrim experience as most quests favor stealth, and using Frenzy creates incredibly entertaining fights between your foes. By focusing your efforts on mastering Illusion and Sneak, playing as a puppet master can become practically undefeatable even at Master difficulty. This mage-assassin is an overpowered build that can easily be adapted and altered to meet the needs of your playstyle, making it a great choice for your next playthrough.

Build Strengths:

The Dream Strider evades most combat, choosing instead to bend the will of her enemies so that they destroy each other while she waits in the shadows.
If discovered, she can use Rout and then stab fleeing enemies.
Using Morokei and Vampire Royal Armor grants 225% Magicka Regeneration.
As a vampire and master of illusion, the Dream Strider can cast spells that are 25% more effective and useful against high level enemies.
Becoming a vampire and using the serpent stone, she can paralyze enemies and become invisible, making it easier to quietly neutralize them.
As a Dunmer, she has +5 skill boosts to Light armor, Illusion, and Sneak.

Build Details:

Skills:

- Sneak

- Illusion

Spells:

- Frenzy

- Frenzy Rune

- Rout

- Fear

- Calm

Gear:

- Miraak’s Robes (Dragonborn DLC)

- Master Robes of Illusion (Illusion spells cost 22% less to cast, Magicka regenerates 150% faster)

- Vampire Royal Armor (125% faster Magicka Regeneration)

- Vaermina Robes (Recommended)

- Elven Gauntlets

- Elven Boots

- Morokei (100% faster Magicka Regeneration)

Weapons:

- Skull of Corruption

- Daedric Dagger (Dual-wielded) (Fear)

Potions:

- Frostbite Venom

Factions:

- Volkihar Clan (Dawnguard)

Standing Stone:

- The Shadow Stone (Become invisible for 60 seconds once a day)

- The Serpent Stone (Paralyse opponent for 5 seconds + 25 damage)

Shouts:

- Dismay

- Marked for Death

- Aura Whisper

4. The Morag Tong Assassin

Skyrim SE Builds - The Morag Tong Assassin - Remastered Build by FudgeMuppet

Origin Story:

Dwelling underground with his Dunmer family, The Morag Tong Assassin learned his skills from elders who left the labrynth of caves to complete killing contracts. Honing his skills beneath the city of Blacklight in Morrowind, the Morag Tong Assassin pledged his eternal allegiance to the Mephala and awaited the day of his ascension into the world to continue his family’s legacy. Now in Skyrim’s dense woodlands, he continues in his family’s footsteps by carrying out contracts for the Dark Brotherhood.

This build deserves an award for capitalizing on the complete Morag Tong armor set available in the Dragonborn DLC. Not only does this predatory assassin wear his ancient garb, but he is also a Dunmer which correlates perfectly to Skyrim lore. Adaptable to multiple playstyles, this assassin build enables you to switch between archery for distant kills and a life-siphoning Katana for visceral slashing at close quarters.

This build is one of my favorites because of how fun it becomes once you acquire all of the necessary weapons. In no time you’ll find yourself testing your shooting skills on living targets, backstabbing unsuspecting enemies, and then deciding to leave the safety of the shadows and fiercely disembowel foes with Mephala’s blade. The only change I would recommend for this build is using The Lord Stone or The Lady Stone instead for greater ability variety and more protection when you’ve been discovered by enemies. Additionally, the standard build places a lot of ability points into Magicka but I rarely ever used spells with the build.

Build Strengths:

Receiving 20 starting Sneak, Light armor, and Illusion, Dunmer have the greatest advantage as assassins.
Ebony Blade can be made more powerful during the many kills made during assassination contracts.
In the shadows, the ebony blade and Dwarven Bow of Fate can be used efficiently. And in open combat, the Katana can be used to face your attackers head-on.
Combining Frenzy with an assassin build allows you to kill your target without ever even touching them.

Build Details:

Standing Stone:

- The Lover Stone (learn skills 15% faster)

- The Atronach Stone (+50 Magicka, Absorb 50% spell damage, 50% slower Magicka regeneration)

Stats:

- 40% Health

- 30% Magicka

- 30% Stamina

Factions:

- Dawnguard (Dawnguard DLC)

- Dark Brotherhood

Skills:

- Two-handed

- Archery

- Illusion

- Light Armor

- Sneak

Spells:

- Invisibility

- Pacify

- Fear

- Frenzy

Gear:

- Morag Tong Armor (Dragonborn DLC)

- Morag Tong Boots (Dragonborn DLC)

- Morag Tong Bracers (Dragonborn DLC)

- Morag Tong Hood (Dragonborn DLC)

Weapons:

- Ebony Blade (Absorbs life essence of foes)

- Dwarven Black Bow of Fate (50% chance for each attribute to absorb 25 points of Health, Magicka, or Stamina)

- Ebony Dagger

- Ebony Arrows

3. The Illusionist

Skyrim - Best Assassin Build: The Illusionist (SPECIAL EDITION BUILD) by Roshank Redemption

Origin Story:

Born of royal blood, a young Breton boy concealed his hidden ambitions for unlimited power in the elusive art of illusion. Betrayed by his mother, an assassin sent by her attempted to kill The Illusionist but instead met his own early demise. Continuing along a path of darkness and destruction, The Illusionist brutally murdered the rest of his family and justified his actions by viewing them as obstacles on his path to world domination. Soon after, The Illusionist would enter the dense forests of Skyrim, continuing to focus his studies on the illusion magic to become feared and respected in all of Tamriel.

Representing the pinnacle of the mage-assassin class, The Illusionist masterfully evades detection and slaughters each opponent by using stealthy spells. This build infuses classic illusion spells with pure stealth, resulting a cliché but highly overpowered build. Using a Dragonscale Bow and Dagger, The Illusionist is virtually undefeated in combat. And when he chooses to keep blood off his hands, he can use an impressive set of spells to manipulate enemies into turning on each other. In situations where stealth is required, The Illusionist clears the battlefield in minutes using his enhanced weaponry and magic.

Personally, I found the greatest challenge presented in this build to be in Smithing, specifically when acquiring the full set of Dragonscale Armor. I would recommend using an amalgamation of any light armor pieces while gathering the perks and resources needed to craft his final protective gear. However, after a lengthy grinding process, this build delivers a uniquely fun and overpowered playstyle.

Build Strengths:

Bretons begin with Illusion and Restoration skill boosts which are useful in stealth and combat during assassination contracts. Bretons also have natural Magicka spell absorption and resistance, a trait that is useful against mages.
The Illusionist has 100% Magicka resistance, making him practically invincible against Dragon Priests and mages.
Using Invisibility and Muffle, The Illusionist remains unseen and unheard until he’s close enough to deliver the final blow.
By combining multiple Fortify Archery item enchantments, The Illusionist deals incredible damage with his already powerful Dragonbone Bow.

Build Details: