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:

• Skills:

- Illusion

- Sneak

- Archery

- Smithing

- Enchanting

- One-handed

- Light Armor

• Spells:

- Invisibility

- Muffle

- Harmony

- Mayhem

- Pacify

- Frenzy

• Standing Stone:

- The Lord Stone (50 points damage resistance and 25% magic resistance)

• Stats:

- 50% Magicka

- 30% Stamina

- 20% Health 

• Additional Items:

- 11 Grand Soul Gems

• Gear:

- Necklace (Fortify Archery + Resist Shock)

- Dragonscale Armor (Fortify Smithing

- Dragonscale Boots (Resist Fire + Resist Frost)

- Dragonscale Gauntlets (Fortify Archery)

- Dragonscale Helmet (Fortify Archery)

- Ring (Fortify Archery)

• Weapons:

- Dragonbone Bow

- Dragonbone Dagger

2. The Shadowscale

 

SKYRIM BUILDS: The Shadowscale - Dark Brotherhood Legacy Build by FudgeMuppet

Origin Story:

Born under the Shadow star sign, The Shadowscale was gifted to the Dark Brotherhood and destined to become a prowling night hunter. Answering the cries of those who perform the Black Sacrament, an unwavering devotion to Sithis motivates the Argonian butcher to stealthily slaughter his unwitting victims. As one of the last of The Shadowscales, he uses his lifelong training to honor the fallen assassins who once embraced him as when he was only a boy. 

Staring down the sight of his Dwarven crossbow, The Shadowscale was created to serve as a one-hit kill assassin who embraces the shadows as a true member of the Dark Brotherhood. In combat, the Argonian assassin uses his Histskin to increase health regeneration while he annihilates enemies with a barrage of poisoned bolts. Although, most of his attacking assets are found in stealth which allows him to combine many enchanted items to neutralize his targets in a single slice.

Personally, this build provided a thrilling experience that brought back flashbacks of the satisfaction I would get from aiming down my sights and lining up a headshot in Call of Duty. Translated into Tamriel, the satisfaction is only heightened when you attempt to gain the upper hand by aiming at distant foes from atop a lofty mountain peak. Eventually, I found the greatest fun could be had from trying to snipe enemies from as far as possible, planning out the order of kills, and stealthily killing one by one until the last man. This build is not especially challenging but it is a classic Dark Brotherhood build with interesting lore that enables you to play an assassin the way Bethesda meant for it to be played. 

Build Strength:

• Argonians have +5 skill boosts to Light Armor and Sneak, skills essential to an assassin’s repertoire. The Shadowscale also has Histskin, allowing him to recover health faster when discovered and under attack.
• Focusing more on Health than on Stamina enables The Shadowscale to sustain a fair amount of damage until he evades detection. Using his greater pool, he can also fair well in open combat. 
• Adept at pickpocketing, The Shadowscale poisons his enemies by placing Slow, Paralysis, or Damage Health into a foe’s inventory.
• Using his skills in Alchemy, The Shadowscale is able to poison his crossbow bolts for further damage.

Build Details:

• Factions:

- Dark Brotherhood

- Dawnguard (Dawnguard DLC)

- Thieves Guild (Optional)

• Standing Stone:

- The Shadow Stone (allows you to be invisible for 60 seconds once a day)

• Stats:

- 70% Health

- 30% Stamina

• Shouts:

- Marked for Death

- Unrelenting Force

• Potions:

- Damage Health Poison

- Slow

- Paralysis

• Weapons:

- Enhanced Dwarven Crossbow (attacks ignore 50% of armor)

- Dwarven Bolts

- Blade of Woe (Absorb 10 points health)

• Gear:

- Nibenese Long Mage Robes (Beyond Skyrim: Bruma mod)

- Nibenese Mage Hood (Beyond Skyrim: Bruma mod)

- Fine Boots

- Shrouded Hand Wraps (One-handed sneak attacks do double damage)

- Shrouded Robe (Destruction spells cost 15% less to cast)

- Shrouded Hood (Increases sneak by 25%)

• Skills:

- One-handed

- Archery

- Sneak

- Alchemy

- Lockpicking

- Pickpocket

• Mods:

-  Alternate Start

- Immersive Armors

- Immersive Weapons

- Imperious - Races of Skyrim

- Andromeda - Unique Standing Stones of Skyrim

- Wintersun - Faiths of Skyrim

- Ordinator - Perks of Skyrim

- Apocalypse - Magic of Skyrim

- Moonlight Tales

- Beyond Skyrim - Bruma SE

1. The Goutfang Assassin

Skyrim SE Builds - The Goutfang Assassin - Toxic Claws Modded Build by FudgeMuppet

Origin Story:

Afraid of coming home empty handed after being robbed, the son of a Khajiit Moon Sugar farmer escaped into a monastery where he learned the ancient claw combat of Goutfang. His soul still corrupted by thoughts of revenge, the young feline left the monastery to kill his former attacker. After satisfying his anger and discovering the lethality of his claws, The Goutfang Assassin rose up the ranks of a drug-trafficking gang, accepting contracts and further confounding his morality. The Goutfang Assassin seeks wealth and will slice anything that stands between him and a few more coins.

Taking first place in this list, we have an interesting build that uses an unexpected combination – stealth and unarmed combat. The Goutfang Assassin delivers an insane amount of damage using only his bare claws by acquiring the correct perks and a sleek set of overpowered gauntlets. By stalking from the shadows, the agile feline doesn’t need to enter open combat to subdue his enemies but opts to outpower any foe with dragon shouts and lacerating talons.

In my opinion, this build is the most challenging I’ve come across in a long time simply because you have no access to long range weapons nor spells. And by roaming about in beggar’s clothes, it takes serious skill and effort to dodge attacks from highly powerful enemies without losing one of your nine lives. To ease combat situations, I recommend using a distance weapon and switching to Dark Brotherhood armor. But when played as originally created on higher difficulties, this build will keep you entertained for hours as you watch the slow motion beating and bashing of a bare-handed assassination.

Build Strengths:

• With a +10 skill boost to Sneak and +5 skill boosts to One-handed and Archery, Khajiit are born and bred for a life in the shadows. The Goutfang assassin also has Night Eye, allowing him to see in the dark, and Claws as his signature weapon.
• This build requires no weapons as The Goutfang Assassin uses his bare claws to deal damage equivalent to that of an Ebony blade.
• Evenly focusing on Health and Stamina, The Goutfang Assassin can deal consistent damage using his agility and sustain sufficient damage until he destroys his opponent.
• Iron Fist perk and focusing a good amount of skill points on Stamina allows him to deal considerable damage when unarmed.
• Remaining undetected, The Goutfang Assassin never requires slow heavy armor and instead finds advantage in flexible light armor.

Build Details:

• Stats:

- 50% Health

- 50% Stamina

• Factions:

- Dark Brotherhood

- Thieves Guild

- Volkihar Clan (Dawnguard DLC)

• Skills:

- Light armor

- Sneak

- Lockpicking

- Pickpocket

- Alchemy

• Shouts:

- Become Ethereal

• Gear:

- Leather Boots

- Ragged Trousers

- Hands of Midnight (Invisibility for 720 seconds when worn; 10 points higher unarmed; slower Health, Stamina, and Magicka regeneration during day; muffled movement) (Oblivion Artifact Pack Mod)

- Necklace (Fortify Sneak)

- Ring of the Gray (Resist Poison 50%, Regenerate Stamina 20% Faster; Fortify Archery 25%; Fortify Lockpick 30%; Fortify Sneak 25% and Muffle; Detect Life) (Oblivion Artifact Pack Mod)

• Potions:

- Fortify Stamina

- Health and Stamina Regeneration

- Waterbreathing

- Cure Disease

- Resist Fire

- Resist Frost

- Resist Shock

• Mods:

- Oblivion Artifact Pack SE

- Andromeda - Unique Standing Stones of Skyrim

- Imperious – Races of Skyrim

- Alternate Start – Live Another Life SSE

- Ordinator – Perks of Skyrim

You might also be interested in:

• The 3 Best Skyrim Assassin Builds
• 31 of the Best Skyrim Mods of All Time
• Skyrim Tips: 17 Things You Must Achieve to Become the Ultimate Dragonborn