Although the fabled Dragonborn doesn't appear in The Elder Scrolls Online, players of this unique MMORPG can play as the next best thing in the Dragonknight, a powerful damage-dealing warrior that enhances their melee capabilities with intense Fire-based spells and the ability to shrug off any attack as though it were nothing. Due to the ease at which players can customize their character builds in Skyrim, this makes the Dragonknight one of the easier Elder Scrolls Online classes to replicate.
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Like many classes in The Elder Scrolls Online, Dragonknights are just as capable at wielding spells as they are at using melee weapons, though in this case, it is better to focus on the melee aspect of a Dragonknight's abilities while supplementing them with Destruction spells and various dragon Shouts.
There are a handful of races that would make a good Dragonknight in Skyrim, though the best in terms of their offensive spell powers is the Dunmer, which takes reduced damage from Fire spells as well as having the Ancestor's Wrath ability that creates a Flame Cloak spell without the need to cast it. This Flame Cloak is particularly useful in the early game, but it also allows for the melee side of a Dragonknight to deal more damage while in close proximity to enemies.
As several of the Dragonknight's powers in The Elder Scrolls Online involve clawed attacks, the Argonian is also a great pick, not accounting for the fact that its reptilian appearance also makes it look more like an actual dragon than any of the other races in Tamriel. Argonians also have the Histskin ability, which improves health regeneration by ten times for 60 seconds, a skill that is incredibly useful for any character, though especially so for melee characters.
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Finally, Redguards are also a good pick due to their increased levels in One-Handed, Block, and Destruction, meaning that players can get the ball rolling on the skills they want to use without having to grind too much in the first few hours of the game. Redguards also gain the Adrenaline Rush ability, which improves their stamina regeneration for 60 seconds similar to the Histskin ability, and is useful for using power attacks repeatedly in battle.
While Dragonknights do have a larger focus on melee attacks than other classes, the fact that they also supplement their physical attacks with magical spells means that Two-Handed weapons aren't as useful unless the player is happy to constantly swap out weapons for spells on the fly. The quick-select function in Skyrim makes this relatively easy, though it is also more efficient to wield a shield in one hand and either a spell or sword in the other. This allows the player to maintain a defensive position that Dragonknights are so adept at while also being able to deal with enemies from both a distance and in close-quarters combat.
One of the Dragonknight's greatest abilities is their knack for taking much more of a beating than other character builds while still being able to shrug it off and keep on fighting. With this in mind, the Heavy Armor skill is the armor skill that should be invested in. Aside from granting the player a higher armor rating much faster, there are also several perks in the Heavy Armor tree that the Dragonknight can benefit from. If players chose to take the Argonian race in Helgen, the Fists of Steel perk allows them to use clawed attacks with increased damage, though this perk is much more efficient on a Khajiit than an Argonian, as their claw attacks have a base damage of 22 rather than an Argonian's base damage of 10.
Investing in the Heavy Armor skill tree also allows for a greater range of options when it comes to choosing a shield, as there aren't many Light Armor shields to choose from in Skyrim. The best choices by far are the Spellbreaker shield, which casts a Ward spell when blocking, the Shield of Solitude, which grants inherent resistance to magic as well as a decent increase to armor rating, and Auriel's Shield, which stores the energy of blocked attacks to be released in a power bash that functions similarly to the Unrelenting Force Shout.
As a Dragonknight in Skyrim, the player will need some form of ranged attack if they want to survive against the many dragons that fly around the world or against mages who can deal significant damage from a distance. Investing in the Destruction skill tree also grants access to the Cloak spells in Skyrim, including the Flame Cloak if players didn't choose to begin with a Dunmer. The ranged Fire spells are also incredibly deadly against almost all enemies with their damage over time effects, with the exception of Alduin and Flame Atronachs, which are both immune to Fire spells.
As well as the Heavy Armor, One-Handed, and Destruction skills, players should also invest in skills that help accentuate a Dragonknight's ability to tank heavy hits and keep on fighting. The main wait they can do this is with the Block skill, which can both keep melee attackers at bay as well as block potentially deadly spells and shouts from mages and dragons. Dragonknights should also invest in Restoration, as it allows them to keep fighting even when they are close to death. In particular, Dragonknight builds should focus on obtaining the Avoid Death perk, which does exactly what it says on the box and prevents the player from dying once per day as well as healing their wounds entirely.
As powerful warriors, the Dragonknight's most obvious choice of guild is the Companions of Whiterun, as they will get not only a lot of time to shine in battle, but after completing the Companion's questline, players are also given access to several new followers that are also Skill trainers, meaning players can trade money they have paid in exchange for levels back to the player and get Skill levels increased for free. This love of battle can also be channeled into the Blades, so long as the player chooses to kill Paarthurnax rather than spare them, though this does mean they won't be able to get help from the Greybeards anymore.
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The second guild suitable for a Dragonknight is the College of Winterhold, as this will allow them to not only hone their skills in the Destruction tree but also gain access to incredibly powerful Destruction spells, such as the Master level spell Fire Storm, which causes a powerful fiery explosion when cast that deals significant damage to any enemy caught at the epicenter.
A Dragonknight in Skyrim might as well benefit from the unique powers that give them their namesake and there are several Shouts in Skyrim that suit this build nicely. The most obvious is Dragon Aspect, which not only gives the player dragon aesthetic that is missing from most armor sets in the game but also powers up their other Shouts significantly while providing some improved defensive capabilities as well. The other most obvious Shout is Fire Breath, which can be increased in power through the Dragon Aspect Shout, the Dragon Priest mask Ahzidal, and the Fire Within meditation, as well as the Fire spell damage improvements obtained in the Destruction spell tree. With all this combined, Fire Breath can be a very powerful offensive tool if the player doesn't have time to switch weapons out for spells and needs to deal quick damage in a pinch.