Miraak

Miraak: First Dragonborn

Threat Level: 🔴 LETHAL

The first Dragonborn and Daedric servant. Miraak combines dragon shout expertise with master-level magic and extreme defensive capabilities (95% magic resistance, 1000% during Ethereal phase). Invulnerability phases are frequent and unavoidable. This fight requires specific counter-builds; standard approaches fail catastrophically.

The Defining Threat

Ethereal Invulnerability Phases: Miraak casts “Ethereal” gaining 1000 armor rating and 1000% magic resistance (essentially complete immunity). These phases are mandatory waiting periods where NO damage can be applied—you must survive passively.

Elemental Cloak + Weakness Application: Applies 250% weakness to Frost, Fire, and Shock for 20 seconds while dealing 15/s elemental damage in melee. Your resistances become liabilities; every resist you have triggers harder damage.

Knowledge Drain Spell: Deals 150 Health + Magicka damage simultaneously with 75% magic weakness debuff. Stacks with Elemental Cloak weakness to create cascading vulnerability.

Permanent Dragon Aspect: Shout lasts 720 seconds (permanent for practical purposes). Armor +150, power attacks +75% damage, fire/frost resistance +25%, shout cooldown -20%. He gets stronger as fight progresses.

Dual Summons: Maintains 3 summons simultaneously (Twin Souls perk). Atronachs stay for extended duration; managing 4+ targets (Miraak + 3 summons) is mandatory.

Counter Strategies

1. Ethereal Phase Management (Primary Strategy):
   • Accept that 30-40% of the fight is waiting/surviving
   • Use Ethereal phases to reposition, recover stamina/magicka, apply buffs
   • DoT effects (poison, disease, lingering damage) tick during Ethereal—prep these
   • Summon your own creatures to maintain DPS while he’s invulnerable
   • This is NOT a mistake or bug; plan around it
2. Physical Melee Build (Tier 1 Counter):
   • Slashing/piercing resistance is only Tier 2 (low)
   • Miraak is armor-weak compared to magic—enchanted melee is effective
   • Two-hander builds face 45% damage reduction but deal high per-hit damage
   • Close quarters minimizes his spell range advantage
   • Requires tanking Knowledge Drain hits; use heavy armor + restoration
3. Summon-Focused Build (Tier 2 Counter):
   • Summon atronachs or reanimated creatures
   • They tank his elemental damage (Elemental Cloak) while you DPS
   • Extended binding perks let you maintain summons longer than he does
   • Atronachs are immune to Bend Will and his summoning attempts
   • Essentially makes it a summoned creature vs summoned creature war
4. Pure Ranged (High Difficulty):
   • His 95% magic resistance makes spellcasting ineffective
   • Bow damage is limited by Tier 3 ranged resistance (30%)
   • Requires extreme damage-per-shot builds with shock arrows
   • No recovery window during Ethereal phases; must maintain DPS tempo
   • Not recommended; melee or summons significantly better

Critical Mechanics

• 1000% Magic Resistance (Ethereal): This is literal invulnerability; all spells deal 0 damage, including DoTs
• 75% Magic Weakness Debuff: After Knowledge Drain hit, your magic damage is quartered for 5 seconds
• Ancient Dragonborn Manifestation (<50% health): A second Miraak-like entity spawns to protect him, effectively doubling threat mid-fight
• Restoration Healing (Respite Perk): His healing spells restore stamina—he has unlimited resource recovery
• Poison Immunity (100%): Poison damage strategies are completely useless
• Unrelenting Force/Bend Will Immunity: Shout-based displacement/control won’t work
• Skill 100 Destruction: His spells deal 100% more damage than base values
• Spell Duration x5: Any duration effects last 5 times longer than listed (40s becomes 200s, etc.)

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Shouts

Take on the mighty aspect of a dragon, delivering colossal blows, with an armored hide, and more powerful shout (For 720 seconds, armor rating increases by 150, power attacks deal 75% more damage, fire & frost resistance improves by 25%, and shout cooldown reduces by 20%. Also, if His health is below 50%, an Ancient Dragonborn will manifest to protect him

• “Cyclone” A cyclone will be produced, similar in ability to Unrelenting Force, but will instead send the target in an upwards motion whilst dealing 200 damage.
• “Become Ethereal” This shout makes Miraak spectral in appearance and will make them invulnerable to all damage for 15 Seconds
• “Whirlwind Sprint” The shout grants the ability to dash rapidly forward for 10 seconds.
• “Fire Breath” The Fire Breath shout allows Miraak to shout a forceful blast of fire, spreading at a high speed. This force inflicts 300 fire damage and sets enemies in its path on fire (5 damage for 30 seconds) as well as staggers them.
• “Frost Breath” Frost Breath will allow Miraak to shout a frost force in front of him (area of effect: 40–50 feet). Enemies within the area of effect will suffer 60 frost damage for 5 seconds, a stagger/push and a 50% slow.
• “Unrelenting Force” deals 40 unblockable damage and 35 blockable (if players magic resistance is > 35% and they have more than 400 health) as well as a knockdown Push.

Spells (Last 5 times longer than any durations listed)

• “Ethereal” Miraak Gains 1000 armor and 1000% magic resistance
• “Erupt Fire” The evokes an explosion of fire, dealing 100 points of fire damage. The damage increases as the target becomes closer. Summons 2 Fire Spectral Dragon for 8 seconds wherever the caster aims.
• “Elemental Cloak” For 40 seconds, enemies in melee range receive 15 points of frost, fire, Shock and stamina damage per second. and gain 250% Weakness to Frost, Fire and Shock for 20 Seconds.
• “Knowledge Drain” The caster drains the soul of the target for 150 Health and magicka damage, dealing a 0.5 Stagger, and Target is 75% weaker to magic for 5 seconds.
• “Blizzard” Targets receive 50 points of frost and stamina damage for 9 seconds.
• “Chain Lightning” The caster evokes a lightning bolt that deals 100 points of shock damage to Health and half to Magicka and hits multiple targets at once if they stand close to each other. Dealing a 0.5 Stagger to each person hit.
• “Summons Thralls” Summon Flame, Frost and Storm Thrall - Summons a potent variant of each atronoch type for 30 seconds.

Perks

• All incoming attacks reduced to 90%
• 2 handed weapon damage reduced by 45%
• Will take 15% less damage from Summoned creatures
• Skill 100 Destruction - Destruction spells do 100% more damage
• Empowered Elements - He can dual-cast Destruction spells to augment their power by 125% for double magicka cost.
• Impact - Dual-casted projectile Destruction spells have 25% chance of staggering His foes.
• Stabilized Binding - He Can bend the barriers between realms, extending the duration of summoned Spirits and Daedra by 50%
• Focused Mind - learned to keep his concentration when running or sustaining damage, thus all magicka penalties are nullified. Magicka regenerates 50% faster.
• Respite - Healing spells restore both health and stamina.
• Powerful Strike - One-handed and unarmed power attacks shatter bone and sinew. [Power attack damage x 1.2]
• Penetrating Strikes - One-handed power attacks are easier to execute, and further penetrate enemy armor.
  [-50% power attack stamina cost, +5 armor penetration]
• Sword Focus - His masterful skill with one-handed blades further enhances his attacks.[+24% attack speed, +21 armor penetration]
• Weapon Mastery - Improved fighting techniques bolster the damage and ease of his one-handed and unarmed attacks.[Damage x 140% , -50% weapon weight penalties]
• Powerful Charge - His sprinting power attack propels him through the air and deals terrifying damage. [Unlocks sprinting power attack, -25% weapon weight penalties]
• Extended Binding - He can summon Daedra and Spirits up to five times farther away for 25% less magicka.
• Elemental Binding - His Atronachs are much stronger, and his high-level Thralls are immune to Banishment and Control spells.
• Improved Mage Armor He has mastered the art of metaphysical protection. All “Mage Armor on Self” spells provide additional damage resistance.
• Cremation - high-tier fire spells can set ablaze those who are susceptible to fire, and force them to flee in fear. Undead, Automatons and Daedra are immune to the Fear effect.
• Electrostatic Discharge - - His shock spells damage damage his opponent’s Magicka alongside their Health.
• Electromancy 2 (Has this perk twice!) - All shock spells deal 60% more damage.
• Pyromancy 2 - All Fire spells deal 30% more damage.
• Fire Mastery - His fascination with fire now grants him 25% resistance to it, while fire spells are 5% stronger and 10% less costly.
• Frost Mastery - His fascination with Frost now grants him 25% resistance to it, while Frost spells are 5% stronger and 10% less costly.
• Shock Mastery - His fascination with Shock now grants him 25% resistance to it, while Shock spells are 5% stronger and 10% less costly.
• Cognitive Flexibility 2 - mastered the art of Cognitive Flexibility and can now maintain three summons of any type.
• Spell Armor - His Mage Armor spells reduce incoming elemental damage by 15%.
• Twin Souls - He can maintain two atronachs or reanimated zombies.

Basic Stats

Resistances

Weapon Protection

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