Dwarven Centurion (Skyrim)

"That's a Dwarven Centurion, its very strong and very deadly"

- Karliah

Dwarven Centurions are very large mechanical guardians of abandoned dwarven ruins. Their giant bodies, undoubtedly designed for combat, are constructed of solid metal blocks and armored with thick metal plates. Their arms are equipped with a hammer and an axe. Their enormous bulk makes them move slowly, but their attacks are incredibly powerful.

Of all the Animunculi left behind by the ancient Dwemer, the Dwarven Centurions are the most elaborately constructed, well-armed, and arguably the most dangerous.

Description
Centurions are difficult opponents who will try to stay within melee range of the player, which can stagger lower level players. Compared to other Dwemer automatons, they have a very high damage resistance. Like the other Dwemer automatons, they are highly resistant to magic and ranged attacks. Higher level Centurions can fire steam as well as melee. The only weakness of the Centurion is its speed.

Centurions have valuable loot, dropping gems, 2 Dwarven Oil, Grand Soul Gem (empty or filled), Dwarven Parts, Arrows based on level and are one of the only ways to obtain Daedric Arrows.

Subtypes
There are three different models of Dwemer Centurions.

Dwarven Centurion
These are the most basic model of Centurions. They attack with melee attacks, and have relatively low health compared to the other models.

Dwarven Centurion Guardian
This model uses powerful melee attacks combined with firing hot steam at their opponents. The steam will do a lot of damage in one hit.

Dwarven Centurion Master
This model features a lot of armor, as well as the capability to do more damage to their opponents with every attack. The Master Model will attack with melee and steam, and will do massive amounts of damage to lower level players.

Tactics

 * A good way to kill low-medium level Centurions is to hit them with the Unrelenting Force shout then run in and land lots of melee hits whilst they stagger, if they don't die first time just keep your distance for a while (whilst using a bow if possible) then shout and attack again. Repeat for as long as necessary.


 * If you're a warrior and can dish out and take a lot of damage, a possible strategy is to get up close and personal with the centurion and the steam may blow over your head.


 * If you have a good sneak level and a good One-Handed, you can sneak behind it, and then strike with a good sword, like an Ebony Sword. If it is only the Basic Model, it can deplete 4/5 of its health, allowing another strike that should kill it. This strategy is even more efficient with the Assassin's Blade perk.


 * A good strategy is to attack head-on with Windshear as every attack will stagger him, making him effectively paralyzed as long as you keep a steady stream of attacks on him.


 * Another good tactic is to stay from a far or unreachable area and to use strong bows and arrows to attack it.


 * A dwarven centurion has slow reactions and takes a long time to perform an attack. Running around it while attacking it should be able to damage it without it making much damage on the player.


 * Dwarven Centurions also sometimes found near Falmers or other hostile creatures. A possible strategy with a high-enough sneak then is to activate it and let it fight the other hostiles first.


 * The easiest way to deal with Dwarven Centurion Masters is from afar, with a bow. If you have the shout Call of Valor available, summon one of the three heroes of Sovngarde and then attack the Centurion's back. You could also use the Summon Spectral Assassin Power from the Dark Brotherhood storyline, or similarly, Arniel's Shade.


 * Should the Dragonborn be unable to defeat Dwarven Centurion normally, he may be able to attack him without being attacked back by standing on a high object, making the Dwarven Centurion unable to reach the player, an example would be going up stairs or jumping to a near by ledge where he cannot get you.
 * It has been proved that if Wabbajack is used against the Centurion, the chances of transforming it to a sweetroll are increased, and the chances of killing it instantly are also slightly increased.
 * Spark spells (and other lightning spells) seem to do massive damage to Centurions at any level. Whether this was programmed to have a greater affect because of their metal bodies is unknown.
 * Flame Spells counter the Centurion's steam attack, essentially forming a shield in front of the player. This may allow you to get closer for melee attacks.
 * If all else fails, if you are a werewolf (from the Companions storyline), you can transform and take down the Centurion with a few good swipes of your claws.

Location
These giant machines can be found in Dwemer ruins (for example, Shimmerist Grotto). The player will run into a couple while on the Main Quest (Skyrim), during the Quest Elder Knowledge, in Alftand and Blackreach, inside charging stations. In Blackreach, a lever can be found near or on the frames that will activate the centurion inside the frame. These models are usually Dwarven Centurion Master. A few are also encountered on the Thieves Guild questline, as well as various other quests throughout the game. During the quest "Revealing the Unseen" in the Mzulft ruins, a Centurion Master can be found guarding the key to the Oculary.

Activate them with caution though, as they will become hostile toward anything except for Dwarven spheres and spiders. They will usually attack the player before any other hostiles, unless the hostile attacks them first.

Items Dropped
Constant drops: Random drops:
 * Centurion Dynamo Core (1-2)Centurion dy.png]]
 * Dwarven Oil(1-2)
 * Grand Soul Gem (filled or empty)
 * Greater Soul Gem (filled or empty)
 * Daedric Arrows (high levels only)
 * Ebony Arrows (high levels only)
 * Glass Arrows (high levels only)
 * Elven Arrows
 * Dwarven Arrows
 * Orcish Arrows
 * Gold Coins
 * Arrows - Dropped types are all dependent upon level.
 * Dwarven Misc Items - Dwarven gears, cogs, and other such items.
 * Gemstones

Bugs

 * After killing a Centurion the Dragonborn can sometimes appear to shoot steam out of his/her body. This can effect the detection of the hero while invisible or sneaking.
 * Sometimes the metal supports holding them can't be activated while using the Ethereal Shout. (Xbox360 confirmed)
 * Sometimes using a shield bash on a dormant Centurion will cause it to remain paralyzed until it is killed.
 * Sometimes when shouting as a werewolf it stops and doesn't attack.
 * Sometimes when you close the gate before entering Blackreach the Centurion Goes through it.