Combat Skills: The Path of Might – Block

Block is the art of deflecting an enemy’s blows with your shield or weapon. Your Block skill reduces the damage you take and the amount you stagger when you block an attack. Your skill increases when you successfully block damage (based on the damage of the blow before it was blocked) or when you successfully bash an enemy with a weapon or shield.

Parries with one- or two-handed weapons are also improved by your Block skill and by many Block perks—you don’t have to use a shield to benefit from this skill. But remember that if you have a second weapon or spell equipped in your left hand, you can’t block at all.

In the Block constellation, the left arc offers shield-specific damage-reduction perks, while the right arc focuses on Bash and Power Bash perks that work with both shield and weapon blocks.

• Constellation: Path of Might
• Available Perks: 13

1–5. Shield Wall (5 ranks)

• Rank 1: Blocking is 20% more effective.
• Requires: None
• Rank 2: Blocking is 25% more effective.
• Requires: Block 20, Shield Wall 1
• Rank 3: Blocking is 30% more effective.
• Requires: Block 40, Shield Wall 2
• Rank 4: Blocking is 35% more effective.
• Requires: Block 60, Shield Wall 3
• Rank 5: Blocking is 40% more effective.
• Requires: Block 80, Shield Wall 4

6. Deflect Arrows

• When you block with a shield, arrows that hit the shield do no damage.
• Requires: Block 30, Shield Wall 1

This perk greatly reduces the damage you take while rushing archers, but it’s much less effective once you’ve engaged the enemy, since your shield may not be in the right place at the right time.

7. Power Bash

• Able to do a Power Bash.
• Requires: Block 30, Shield Wall 1

This perk unlocks a new Power Bash move that sends enemies flying. This is a great addition to your arsenal, especially if you’re employing a weapon-and-shield combat style.

8. Quick Reflexes

• Time slows down if you are blocking during an enemy’s power attack.
• Requires: Block 30, Shield Wall 1

Quick Reflexes gives you a chance to react and dodge or (better yet) respond with a bash to counter the attack.

9. Deadly Bash

• Bashing does five times more damage.
• Requires: Block 50, Power Bash

While this sounds powerful, bashes don’t do much damage to start with. The damage bonus certainly doesn’t hurt, but it’s still much faster to kill enemies with your weapon than with your shield.

10. Elemental Protection ★

• Blocking with a shield reduces incoming fire, frost, and shock damage by 50%.
• Requires: Block 50, Deflect Arrows

This perk is especially powerful when fighting mages. Combine with the Breton’s Magic Resistance or the Alteration Magic Resistance perks for almost impenetrable defense, allowing you to shrug off enemy spells with ease!

11. Block Runner

• Able to move faster with a shield raised.
• Requires: Block 70, Elemental Protection

Block Runner helps you close the distance with a ranged mage or archer and allows you to cover more ground when making a Shield Charge.

12. Disarming Bash ★

• Chance to disarm when power bashing.
• Requires: Block 70, Deadly Bash

Disarming Bash gives you a chance to knock away an enemy’s equipped weapon if he is in the middle of executing a power attack. While many enemies have backup weapons (often daggers), they’re significantly less powerful, so you can usually crush a disarmed foe with ease. This is a great perk, at least until you learn the Disarm Shout, which does this more reliably. Consult the Shouts section to find out how to acquire this; you may wish to ignore this perk if the Shout becomes more useful to you.

13. Shield Charge

• Sprinting with a shield raised will knock down most targets.
• Requires: Block 100, Block Runner OR Disarming Bash

Shield Charge is great for forcing your way out of a mob of enemies if you get surrounded or buying a few moments to recover in the middle of a difficult battle.

Racial Benefits

• +5 Block
• Imperial
• Nord
• Orc
• Redguard

Trainers

• Expert: Njada Stonearm, the Companions of Jorrvaskr, in Whiterun.
• Master: Chief Larak, Mor Khazgur, in The Reach.

Other Resources

• The following quests can also increase this skill:
• Other Factions Quest: Rjorn’s Drum.
• Daedric Quest: Discerning the Transmundane.
• Miscellaneous Objectives: Haafingar Hold (Dragon Bridge): Dragon’s Breath Mead*.
• Miscellaneous Objectives: The Reach: The Ghost of Old Hroldan*.
• Favor: Item Retrieval (Bandit Camp)* Favor: Item Retrieval (Cave)*
• Solstheim Side Quest: Filial Bonds