Hi guys.


I keep starting new topics, I guess I'm just enjoying finally becoming a member of the forum!


Does anyone know best type of equipment for a hunter build?


What I mean by this, is more 'specialised' equipment. Obviously you'll need a bow, arrows. Possibly a one handed weapon for a bit of melee and maybe alchemy to fit in with the whole 'understanding of the surroundings' that a hunter would have.


I've only ever played an archer type character once. I got bored, fast. I'm thinking maybe a twist on the build could make it more interesting...

Are you on PC? If so, then the best "equipment" for a hunter would be the mod http://www.nexusmods.com/skyrim/mods/33201/?. And there's a really nice bow mod from InsanitySorrow: http://www.nexusmods.com/skyrim/mods/57870/?: it's not overpowered to begin with, and you can find upgrades for it in the world over time. And it keeps itself pretty close to your own level, so you're not having to replace your gear all the time....

When I do a hunter/ranger type, I use both those mods, make a Wood Elf girl, put her in light armor and concentrate on sneak and archery. By the time she's level 10 or so, and so is the bow, she's pretty good at killing before she's in any real danger. Which is the whole point....

My girls have always been scout/rangers which fits your build requirement. Changed a bit now with a stronger melee capability....but traditionally the build was light armour dagger and bow.


Daggers are fast and if used with paralyse (alchemy) can take a camp/fort of bandits down fast. Good with a bow, not far behind a dedicated archer. Fast on her feet. Great at stealth recce and "gettin' the hell outta there" when required.


Of late my girls have more reliance on mace and shield in close quarters, but still the principle of move fast and get enemy intel before engagement. Staying hidden and choosing the moment to strike is key.


Blundering in and just hoping to slay your way to victory doesn't work well with a ranger.

I still keep my dual katanas on the hunters. I know how to use them to perfection.... I don't like daggers, never have.... In other games, even my mages have used one-hand swords as available.

I'm on both PC and console. There is something really appealing about traversing the wilds of Skyrim hunting the game and relying on the terrain for your advantage. But I guess I've never had the patience to actually give archery a chance. I'll have to look at the above mentioned mods though, thanks for the heads up

Another mod to look into...for the exploration is http://www.nexusmods.com/skyrim/mods/34492/?.

http://www.nexusmods.com/skyrim/mods/64798/? is very good for a hunter...

My hunters generally know Alchemy and smithing of leather, steel and Iron...

http://www.nexusmods.com/skyrim/mods/23179/?...very helpful for immersion

Yes, Hunterborn and Campfire, the mod authors have them working great together, you cannot go wrong with both of them . My hunter girl uses light armor, of leather usually, bow and axe or warpick. She is skilled in alchemy and smithing as Areial stated above, though just recently she added elven and glass, for making and selling as per her role play. She sneaks very well, though has no perks in it. This is probably the most fun play for me, and no doubt I will be doing it again.

You'll find that you will be able to make and utilize a lot of special equipment with Hunterborn and Campfire, as well as new skills/perks.

Areial, thanks, I'm going to check out that Northern Encounters mod!

I love Northern Encounters - I don't just use it on the hunter-girls.... I have it active on everyone now.

I have to say - I don't do alchemy period. I don't like it, have no use for it. If I need pots I'll buy them. I don't use the enchant and smithing boosts, just not my thing (and really I don't need any pots at all since I play god-mode period). I don't use smithing much either - you gain levels too fast using any of that. I smith Steel Katanas and get enough points in enchanting to put frost damage on the left one and soul trap on the right one. And that's all I do other than tempering for a LOT of levels - until I start finding ebony weapons in game.

At that point I use the console to boost my smithing to encompass ebony (because I'm NOT going to level it up to that - I don't WANT to get those levels artificially - that's the main reason I really don't like "level by ability" as a mechanic) so I can make ebony katanas, then I temper them and enchant them the same as the steel ones. And those last me forever.

Bows, though.... well, The Huntsman - I've tempered it a bit, and enchanted it with Soul Trap - very low level, very few seconds, but it's still okay. I don't ever use anything but grand souls for enchanting - what's the use of the lowers except to artificially boost that skill? Which I don't want to do.... so it takes a fair while for me to get enchants on stuff.

I have my break-points of course. If I get to one of them, and things are just more annoying than they should be, well - *shrug* - I cheat, using the console. So? Sue me.... The game's meant to be fun. I play it how it's fun for me.

The brief look I took a minute ago looks great....then I look at my mod load and cringe a bit. Guess I'm still a bit paranoid about that wipe and redo everything a while back. But it has me tempted in a big way!

I've got around a hundred fifty mods now - not all of them are active on everyone (since so many are one-girl house and business mods). But I'm not having any issues at all. Everything runs along the rails like it should.

Now, I admit, I haven't had the OMG moment you did - yet. See.... I know it can happen any time.... When it does, I'll reload a backup of everything from a while back (eh, I have redundant backups - of redundant backups - of redundant backups - most of the used gigs on my drives are "redundant backups"....) and figure it out from there. You note I said "when" - not "if"....

A mod I just started using is the Profitable Hunter. It's new and only makes some light weight changes by increasing what you get from animals and the value of what they drop. While I really like Hunterborn it wasn't something that I used in game often enough to keep it in my load order.

http://www.nexusmods.com/skyrim/mods/27563/? is another good one...

Andra... I have 336 mod's downloaded, not all used at once of course. I have had no issues with Northern Encounters so far... I have had compatibility issues with other things, but between LOOT and Wyre Bash, I can usually figure it out. I know all the mod's I have are not compatible and generally I don't use them all on one character. ( I should mention 62 are armor and clothing... 36 in models and textures..23 environmental * cough..Renthal,,,cough*.) and I just downloaded 3 new to me mod's... one is very...umm un-lore friendly, but I decided that Kurdan was going to have a few "issues" to deal with.....

Yes, agreed, Hunterborn And Campfire -- and also there is a Hunterborn - Campfire patch mod that makes these two mods work together better : http://www.nexusmods.com/skyrim/mods/64934/?

I also agree with Areial that the Sit Anywhere mod is great for immersion here.

For bows I like the Better Bows mod -- it gives you a great selection and you can get a bow that both fits your character/race and that looks good: http://www.nexusmods.com/skyrim/mods/13317/?tab=3&navtag=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.nexusmods.com%2Fskyrim%2Fajax%2Fmodimages%2F%3Fuser%3D0%26id%3D13317%26gid%3D110

When your skill gets high enough, the pelts sell for very high coin in Hunterborn. I just started getting the occasional pelt that sells for over 5000 gold.

I have Wet and Cold too...and well, you have more mods than me, I'm just paranoid enough to worry about more active ones. I have 211 active. Renthal's too, LOL.

I have that patch, can't really do without it. And Sit Anywhere also...very handy. I have tons of different bows available....so of course, I'm using an elven one, lol.

Sere, I hope it never happens to you!!!! (or anyone)

ouch... no wonder your paranoid... the most I have active is 153. ( Aillyn)..with quite a few of those are armor/ clothing.. I haven't updated Renthal's floral this month... but I have that with two over-rides, I like his original Dragon tongue and thistle. Most are thing's like The Ruffled feather, Water Two, Imaginator and Bird's of Skyrim... Beautiful Skyrim Galaxy and nebula..

I have one *test* character... or in that phase with 160... but so far she hasn't even made it out of Character creation...lol

The newest release of Hunterborn no longer requires that compatibility patch- Hunterborn has been updated by the same modder who created the patch.

I recommend iNeed http://www.nexusmods.com/skyrim/mods/51473/? or a similar mod, so you have to eat some of the food you hunt.

Hypothermia http://www.nexusmods.com/skyrim/mods/6745/? with Hypothermia Plus added on top http://www.nexusmods.com/skyrim/mods/67467/? instead of Frostfall, because it is much much much much much more lightly scripted.

Hunting in Skyrim http://www.nexusmods.com/skyrim/mods/18866/? for trapping, and Fishing in Skyrim http://www.nexusmods.com/skyrim/mods/16139/? until Art of the Catch is rereleased.

Borcha's Hunting Quests http://www.nexusmods.com/skyrim/mods/67302/? adds more... wait for it... hunting quests.

Script Free Ship Sailing http://www.nexusmods.com/skyrim/mods/67727/? adds a rideable canoe.

I think I'll have to get the laptop out and start using some of these mods they sound really cool ??

No, you don't have to have the patch, but it still does 3 things: allows to forage for deadwood, branches, and tinder. Check the pg 2 post (on mod page) by teabag (who now maintains the mod). That foraging ability is quite nice.

Oh man, one of my first ever RP's was a hunter build. Honmir the Woodsman. All he used was the http://www.uesp.net/wiki/Skyrim:The_Woodsman%27s_Friend and a hunting bow with iron arrows. He was more of an explorer of the temperate areas, rather than a full blown story.

All I did with him was hunt and explore Falkreath, Whiterun plains, and the Rift. The only skills used outside of archery and two-hand was smithing, and I only made iron arrows. I would sell all the pelts I gathered when I stopped into a town and buy a few drinks at the tavern.

His story ended with marrying Sylgja and settling in Shor's Stone with her.

Oops, also forgot to mention that my hunter also carries a wood axe and mining pick, both of which can double as weapons if needed. The particular axe I like is the Poacher's Axe. (can be tempered)

Hmm, the sticky post says otherwise. I guess I'll ask Teabag directly, best to be sure.

No problem. I have the patch though, and it does what he says. I'm just thoroughly happy with the HB+Campfire combo.

Yup, these are great mods.

Did you know that if you have Hunting in Skyrim installed, Hunterborn will automatically use it's skinned animal meshes and textures? Pretty cool.

I didn't know that, thanks so much!!

Okay, The Official Answer^TM is that you are not to use the old patch anymore.