help to make money without selling/buying

[simplyjuan]

Hi all,
I have been reading this forum for some time but this is my first post.

Trying to build a pure mage. main skills will be Destruction and Alteration with Illusion and Conjuration as back up.

My idea is to keep my level low and only increase my magic skills. I am now around lvl 20ish and I am having problems with money. Robes and spell books are really expensive at these levels. I dont want to sell my loot as that will increase my speech skill...and chopping wood is really boring...

at the moment, I explore all dungeons I can. I use that orc librarian in Whinterhold to send me to find books....money is not good.....but i fight and I increase my destro/alt skills.

Any more tips?? I am thinking about the jobs for the TG...

 

[ZombieTrash143]

If you have a lot of time on your hands you could always go around cities and loot the gold from chests in houses? As long as you only sneak when you're about to open the chest, I don't think it will level your sneak. It's a long process but it will accumulate over time and you can carry on doing all your other jobs at the same time. The gold in the chests respawns after a while so it's an idea.

 

[Nighthiker77]

Dark brotherhood hits with illusion instead of sneak. I think they pay around 800 per hit. 12 hits and you could maybe buy some master robes. $20k for the last hit.

Or just finish the College questline and use archmage robes, gauldur Amulet Focus on getting quest items you don't have to buy. Also, hoard a while and sell stuff in stacks, or ignore the value /weight ratio and only carry expensive loot out. You get a lot less speech experience selling a $1000 item or stack than selling 10 things that add up to $1000.

My last playthrough I bought alchemy ingredients and my speech shot up into the 80s effortlessly, because it was tons of low value transactions.

 

[Nighthiker77]

Thieves Guild quests will mostly require lockpicking, and you won't get paid if you kill the wrong people. A fence also isn't going to do you any good if you aren't selling loot, unless you finish all of it so they have 4k to buy bigger stacks.

If you kill all the dragons and dragon priests at the word walls, they usually give good gold. I would also ask somebody like Psiberzerker how to work the radiant system. If you only pick up certain things, it influences what kind of loot is dropped later. And he is a master of holding level down in mage builds.

I'd also do a little research on spell books that can be found so you don't waste money on them.

A few hours of dark brotherhood quests could get you up to probably 50k

 

[The Wanderer]

Honestly I would head to riverwood and Chop wood for Hod at the mill, I do it when ever i need an easy 1k or so, only takes about five minutes to earn a good profit too, you can also go to farms and harvest crops for the farmers.

 

[Psiberzerker]

Hi all,
I have been reading this forum for some time but this is my first post.

Trying to build a pure mage. main skills will be Destruction and Alteration with Illusion and Conjuration as back up.

My idea is to keep my level low and only increase my magic skills. I am now around lvl 20ish and I am having problems with money. Robes and spell books are really expensive at these levels. I dont want to sell my loot as that will increase my speech skill...and chopping wood is really boring...

at the moment, I explore all dungeons I can. I use that orc librarian in Whinterhold to send me to find books....money is not good.....but i fight and I increase my destro/alt skills.

Any more tips?? I am thinking about the jobs for the TG...

Destroy the Dark Brotherhood, there's a real nice purse on that one. I also try to limit the number of Tomes, and Robes I need by skipping the ones I don't (Occam's Razor.) There's some useful tomes scattered around the region, if you know where to look. The Scorched Cape, for example. Look here for ones you might not have to pay for.

I adventure, loot, and don't spend money on other stuff like mead, and inns. Sleep in Bandit Camps, and that sort of thing. They give you a bed in the Hall of Attainment you can actually get Well Rested in if you follow Mirabelle during her introductory speil. Other than that, there's lots of lucrative forts, caves, and crypts scattered about, so don't forget to loot the Urns, and Shelf/Nice Draugr that don't wake up to attack you. I also have my Follower open chests to avoid Lockpicking experience...

 

[simplyjuan]

Thieves Guild quests will mostly require lockpicking, and you won't get paid if you kill the wrong people. A fence also isn't going to do you any good if you aren't selling loot, unless you finish all of it so they have 4k to buy bigger stacks.

If you kill all the dragons and dragon priests at the word walls, they usually give good gold. I would also ask somebody like Psiberzerker how to work the radiant system. If you only pick up certain things, it influences what kind of loot is dropped later. And he is a master of holding level down in mage builds.

I'd also do a little research on spell books that can be found so you don't waste money on them.

A few hours of dark brotherhood quests could get you up to probably 50k

Hi,
is that true?? I mean...the items you loot will influence what you find later?? that is new!!!!
I have just started the main quest....I didnt feel strong enough to kill dragons from the beggining....but yes...this is my plan...now i need to find them.....(blades quest??)

About the Dark B hits...it is my understanding that the money you get is leveled.....and the number of contracts is limited. I will give it a try anyway...but killing people with destructin is not gonna be silent....

 

[Psiberzerker]

Hi,
is that true?? I mean...the items you loot will influence what you find later?? that is new!!!!
I have just started the main quest....I didnt feel strong enough to kill dragons from the beggining....but yes...this is my plan...now i need to find them.....(blades quest??)

About the Dark B hits...it is my understanding that the money you get is leveled.....and the number of contracts is limited. I will give it a try anyway...but killing people with destructin is not gonna be silent....

No, it's been in the game system from the start, before they even went Beta. If you pick up all the Light Armor from Helgen keep, you'll find more Fur, and Hide in random loot as early as Bleak Falls Barrow. Also, effects you use seem to affect what kinds of Enchantments you find. To wit, if you run around in Nightingale Boots, you're more likely to find Dragonscale boots of Muffle. It's random, though. There's no telling exactly what you'll get, and when, just raising your odds. It's an art I've practiced in all my playthroughs, but it never gets down to an exact science.

 

[simplyjuan]

No, it's been in the game system from the start, before they even went Beta. If you pick up all the Light Armor from Helgen keep, you'll find more Fur, and Hide in random loot as early as Bleak Falls Barrow. Also, effects you use seem to affect what kinds of Enchantments you find. To wit, if you run around in Nightingale Boots, you're more likely to find Dragonscale boots of Muffle. It's random, though. There's no telling exactly what you'll get, and when, just raising your odds. It's an art I've practiced in all my playthroughs, but it never gets down to an exact science.

I meant it was new for me!! I honestly did not know that....and I have not realized in my previous playthroughts where i used to pick up everything I could carry.
The fact I dont want to sell my loot makes me be selective. So far I only pick jewlery and and some enchanted items...to disenchant them.....

are the enchanted items sold by merchants are also influenced by the items you pick??

 

[Psiberzerker]

I meant it was new for me!! I honestly did not know that....and I have not realized in my previous playthroughts where i used to pick up everything I could carry.
The fact I dont want to sell my loot makes me be selective. So far I only pick jewlery and and some enchanted items...to disenchant them.....

are the enchanted items sold by merchants are also influenced by the items you pick??

Seem to be, and Spellbooks if you specialize in Destruction, expect to see Incinerate shortly after you reach 65 in Destruction if that's the only school of Magic you use. Doesn't seem to differentiate Elements, or other sub sets like Rage/Terror/Peace in Illusion, but does seem to pick up on Weapon Type (Axes if you Hack&Slash a lot) though.

Unfortunately, having picked up practically everything on previous playthroughs is going to retard it a bit. It got so used to not being selective, and going for high value over coin count (It's far too complicated to explain with any brevity) so it has to unlearn that on your new account. I switch characters a lot, and noticed things like a Hide Helmet of Conjuration in the first Thalmor Soldier by the shrine of Talos West of the Guardian Stones. On a 2 handed Heavy Armor Archery fighter without any magickal skills because my last few characters were heavy into Conjuration.

 

[Nighthiker77]

Frenzy will get you a $40 bounty if you are seen, and the guards will kill him. And your atronachs can be used if there aren't witnesses around.

If you finish the DB questline, you get Dark Brotherhood Forever, and you can get as many contracts as you like, but only 1 at a time.

 

[Simus]

Question: Why do you WANT to keep your level down? Would you not get more magika for your mage by leveling? Would getting enchanting to 100 not allow you to put a 25% magika discout on up to four of your items, thus making one or two schools of magic free to cast, depending on how much you fill out the perk tree?

Also, picking up jewelry gives you nice things to enchant, but what do you do with the jewelry you don't use if you don't sell anything? I'm a huge pack rat so this is a hard concept to get my head around. I've been thinking about pire mage myself anyway. Seemes like a nearly insurmountable challange at lower levels though. Getting enchanting to 100 would make it easy though, since you can turn yourself into a giant energizer battery.

 

[Psiberzerker]

Question: Why do you WANT to keep your level down? Would you not get more magika for your mage by leveling? Would getting enchanting to 100 not allow you to put a 25% magika discout on up to four of your items, thus making one or two schools of magic free to cast, depending on how much you fill out the perk tree?

Also, picking up jewelry gives you nice things to enchant, but what do you do with the jewelry you don't use if you don't sell anything? I'm a huge pack rat so this is a hard concept to get my head around. I've been thinking about pire mage myself anyway. Seemes like a nearly insurmountable challange at lower levels though. Getting enchanting to 100 would make it easy though, since you can turn yourself into a giant energizer battery.

Because Destruction becomes practically useless after about level 25 (On master) unless you build a character around it:

http://theskyrimblog.ning.com/group/character-building/forum/topics/stunmer

 

[Simus]

Well I can't argue with that. My main is a 60 battlemage and any flames like spells are just blowing hot air at that point. And they don't benefit from impact, which sucks.

 

[simplyjuan]

Question: Why do you WANT to keep your level down? Would you not get more magika for your mage by leveling? Would getting enchanting to 100 not allow you to put a 25% magika discout on up to four of your items, thus making one or two schools of magic free to cast, depending on how much you fill out the perk tree?

Also, picking up jewelry gives you nice things to enchant, but what do you do with the jewelry you don't use if you don't sell anything? I'm a huge pack rat so this is a hard concept to get my head around. I've been thinking about pire mage myself anyway. Seemes like a nearly insurmountable challange at lower levels though. Getting enchanting to 100 would make it easy though, since you can turn yourself into a giant energizer battery.

If I keep my level down....so will be my enemies.
I think destruction is not very efficient at high levels. an adept destruction spell is just 60 damage with 2 augmented perks.
My idea is to keep myself in lvl 30ish....even I think this is too high. At this levels some bandits will have more than 400 health.....Most likely they will get me before I kill them.....and once they reach me....run for my life or I am dead...If I put my few points on mana...I cannot run a lot....

I still need to decide about enchanting. To make use of it, I need to invest 7 perks....which I dont have....most likely I wont invest any perk on enchanting until I decide to make my endgame gear...

 

[simplyjuan]

Because Destruction becomes practically useless after about level 25 (On master) unless you build a character around it:

http://theskyrimblog.ning.com/group/character-building/forum/topics/stunmer

This.
I am building a pure mage. altmer. no armor.no weapons. Playing in master. Lord stone at the moment because of the magic resistance.
main skills: Destruction and alteration. The intention is to max out these ones.
secondary skills: Illusion and conjuration.

I use conjuration for distraction only....while I am running for my life...
as an altmer, I have got Fury from the beggining but it only affect up to lvl 14. i will need to dual cast or invest more perks to make that spell affect highr levels. The same is applicable to calm (lvl 9)

 

[Psiberzerker]

This.
I am building a pure mage. altmer. no armor.no weapons. Playing in master. Lord stone at the moment because of the magic resistance.
main skills: Destruction and alteration. The intention is to max out these ones.
secondary skills: Illusion and conjuration.

I use conjuration for distraction only....while I am running for my life...
as an altmer, I have got Fury from the beggining but it only affect up to lvl 14. i will need to dual cast or invest more perks to make that spell affect highr levels. The same is applicable to calm (lvl 9)

A Breton, or Altmer can do it with just Conjuration, or Destruction, and/or Alteration, Illusion, or Restoration. I've built just about every conceivable combination of 2 school mages. Flaming Familiar, Ice Storm, and Aura Whisper cleaned out Forelhost solo by standing behind the bitmap for defence. You have to switch tactics for Rahgot, but a Scroll of Guardian Circle, or two certainly help. Something deeply satisfying about taking one of them down with nothing but magic. I've taken Vokun at level 1 as a Breton. The lowest I've gotten it is Block, and Destruction.

Illusion does indeed cap low, in terms of affected NPCs, otherwise like Destruction. I don't think you're going to be low enough for your damage/affected level to be high enough working 4 skills, though. Conjuration will pretty much replace Destruction, if you chose to keep it. You can always lower the difficulty if you have to, but I see that as a sign of a broken build.

If you don't mind going the Stealth route, Alteration, Illusion, and Destruction is a perfectly viable combo, though not as OP as Illusion/Conjuration (with Shouts.) Alteration/Destruction/Illusion isn't bad, and will cap out with a slightly greater challenge (Starting with an Altmer) without getting completely gimped. This also lets you use Spell Absorbtion with the Atronach Perk/Stone.

 

[Kory Stukenborg]

Ever heard of chest glitches? I get my money from the hidden chest in Whiterun, Solitude, Dawnstar, ect.

 

[Fishmann]

Ever heard of chest glitches? I get my money from the hidden chest in Whiterun, Solitude, Dawnstar, ect.

That just ruins the fun

 

[Fishmann]

Well, there's always prostitution.