Exalted Question

[Deca]

I'm playing my first game of Exalted with my gaming group soon. I'm fairly new to the rules so I need a bit of guidance.
I'm thinking of playing a Zenith Caste. Idea being that he's a hard old geezer who just can't be stopped. As in, he's got a high defence, great soak, resists a whole bunch of stuff etc, etc. Main virtue is Conviction naturally.

Anyway, I'm still trying to look through all the charms and I sincerely doubt I have any good grasp of Exalted optimisation.
What are good and ideal charms for this character?

[Terraoblivion]

To go with what looks good and makes sense. Really optimization is not something you do outside D&D due to differences in focus. Also there is no real, straightforward optimization in Exalted since it depends on what you will be up against. Poor editing and many charms designed by people who were more focused on the narrative side also means there are a lot of holes in the system if you want to push it to its limits.

[The Demented One]

Resistance Charms will be very useful for the "can't be stopped" aesthetic. Things like Adamant Skin Technique, Iron Skin Concentration, and Immunity to Everything Technique let you just say "no" to bad stuff.

Integrity is another thing you'll want to look into, as it acts much like a social equivalent to Resistance or Dodge. Integrity-Protecting Prana lets you shut down shaping, one of the more powerful attack forms in the game, while Elusive Dream Defense is your counter to mind control. Righteous Lion Defense and Stubborn Boar Defense also sound like they'd fit your character pretty well.

Not sure how you want to handle combat, but going with a soak-heavy builds synchs up well with Martial Arts. Taking some Solar Hero charms is a pretty sure bet.

[Jerthanis]

Well, take Resistance and Integrity at 5 for one. In Resistance you can get away with just Durability of Oak + Iron Skin Concentration at character creation. In Integrity, if there's going to be a lot of super strong social antagonists, take the charms up to Elusive Dream Defense, but if not you can probably get away with just having the dots. Integrity Protecting Prana is another charm that helps you be invincible.

Then for sheer unstoppableness, take Larceny for Lock Opening Touch and Door Bypassing Method. Take Shattering Grasp in Craft for if you're chained/tied up. On a more abstract note, take Investigation and Awareness, plus maybe Athletics so people can't even "stop" you by evading or hiding from you. Take Archery and eventually go for Accuracy Without Distance so they can't even stop your attacks.

Then you're basically the Saint of Killers from the comic book "Preacher", but you could probably take that guy in a fight.