Mage Vs All Other Classes

[dbukalski]

Im not looking for more of a challenge or anything ive played through on skyrim on many different breeds of characters and builds, alls im saying is in my experience being a full mage is quite easy even on master, all i did basicly was suffer a bit till i got arch-mage gear and played untill i got my enchanted daedric armor now i don't even need any followers i just run around with infinite mana casting thunderbolt on anything and every hit stuns and beast, dragons, alduin, and specific quest dragon, literally anything every hit stuns along with chain lightning if you find yourself in a pickle or unrelenting force, i zipped through the quest in about a hour n a half with no potions needed, and i travel aimless through skyrim with out fear.

The only other that comes close i think is a thief but they don't kill as swift to my liking.

as far as overpowered characters go mage is at the bottom of the list. you killed everything super fast and thought you reached the top of the mountain but you didnt. Without using any cheats, just normal in game abilities(necromage + vampire, all the crafting skills stacked) you can get.

orc with maces who does 940 damage with one mace, dual weild, orc berserk, one handed buff enchantments puts the damage at around 8k damage with one swing at 75% ignore armour. you took the end dragon(forget name) down in 6 hits, I did it in one swing with spare damage.

He had 80-85% magic resist AND magic absorb AND physical resistence
900 life because he had free casting on all schools of magic and unlimited powerattacks/stamina
Had silent running, +80% sneaking

After the melee characters the next strongest ranged character would be with a bow not with magic. Magic is limited in damage by the spells at like 150? per hand. A bow can do 900 damage before sneaking bonuses. A bow can one shot the end dragon with proper sneaking damage mulitipliers.

None of the characters would be less protected than the mage. Last thing Ill say is the half casting cost perks are useless. You dont need half casting when you have 100% reduction to schools

 

[Necromis]

****SPOILERS BELOW****

My mage is being fun so far, but I have to say I have loved two hit killing boss mages from the shadows. Snipe and Move. I took out that death priest at the shrine before you go thru the portal to fight Alduin from the shadows. Another fun thing was hiding down one of the little nooks prior to that and using the storm call shout and watching the dragons fall outa the sky.

 

[Necromis]

as far as overpowered characters go mage is at the bottom of the list. you killed everything super fast and thought you reached the top of the mountain but you didnt. Without using any cheats, just normal in game abilities(necromage + vampire, all the crafting skills stacked) you can get.

orc with maces who does 940 damage with one mace, dual weild, orc berserk, one handed buff enchantments puts the damage at around 8k damage with one swing at 75% ignore armour. you took the end dragon(forget name) down in 6 hits, I did it in one swing with spare damage.

He had 80-85% magic resist AND magic absorb AND physical resistence
900 life because he had free casting on all schools of magic and unlimited powerattacks/stamina
Had silent running, +80% sneaking

After the melee characters the next strongest ranged character would be with a bow not with magic. Magic is limited in damage by the spells at like 150? per hand. A bow can do 900 damage before sneaking bonuses. A bow can one shot the end dragon with proper sneaking damage mulitipliers.

None of the characters would be less protected than the mage. Last thing Ill say is the half casting cost perks are useless. You dont need half casting when you have 100% reduction to schools

Ah but remember at the start you don't have those gears. So the perks do help out in the beginning. Also you have to select them in some schools to get to the top perks. I wouldn't be able to last a strong fight with my mage right now if I didn't have the half cost perk in my destruction and restoration schools. I burn thru magic in non-magic fights. However, in mage/dragon fights I am unlimited in magicka because of my magic resist and absorbtion.

That being said, sneak archers own any other build. Especially with the right bow and/or perks. My mystic archer can go anywhere with no weapons and conjure his bow and take out the whole place. Silent cast and daedric level damage from the shadows is devestating. Just takes patience.

 

[dbukalski]

Ah but remember at the start you don't have those gears. So the perks do help out in the beginning. Also you have to select them in some schools to get to the top perks. I wouldn't be able to last a strong fight with my mage right now if I didn't have the half cost perk in my destruction and restoration schools. I burn thru magic in non-magic fights. However, in mage/dragon fights I am unlimited in magicka because of my magic resist and absorbtion.

when I played a mage i only half relied on magic, was still heavily focused on melee. Which is good because you need those melee skills to increase so you can get higher level. Cant be done using only a handful of skills.

More than that, getting insane equipment takes like a day or two at whiterun. Smithing, alchemy, enchantment can all be done without ever getting into a fight. When you finally step outside your first city your unstoppable.

I have a lvl 81 character save who has no perks at all. Just power leveled all the skills. I can use him to generate any type of character I want. So going without half casting perks is certainly doable.

That being said, sneak archers own any other build. Especially with the right bow and/or perks. My mystic archer can go anywhere with no weapons and conjure his bow and take out the whole place. Silent cast and daedric level damage from the shadows is devestating. Just takes patience

depends how you rate most powerful. The main thing Im looking for is how quickly I can run through a dungeon. Being able to one shot everything with a mace while sprinting at full speed results in faster clearing than any type of bow/sneaking. Bow is capable of a higher max damage. But at 8k damage with mace it doesnt matter much

 

[Static]

More than that, getting insane equipment takes like a day or two at whiterun. Smithing, alchemy, enchantment can all be done without ever getting into a fight. When you finally step outside your first city your unstoppable.

No, when you finally step out of the city you're unstoppable for a short while, and then the NPC's catch up and begin to slaughter you and your low combat skills.

 

[dbukalski]

no your unstoppable. Crafting skills trump combat skills. When i exit the city with full crafting and no other skills Im still 80% physical/magic resist/absorb. Im still free casting all schools. And Im still carrying 500+ damage weapons.

100 skill in single hand/armour + perks to increase damage just take it to the next level(900 damage weapons)

 

[Necromis]

Ok, so if you want to power level then yes, it is unecessary for those perks. However, for those roleplaying thru w/o power leveling and acquiring skills through normal progression, those perks are needed at start.

On the melee running thru a dungeon as fast as you can being your style of being powerful. That is fine if it is your style. Personally just running thru a dungeon takes away from the game it's like, ok I have done everything really fast, beat everyone, and I am winner in less time than you. Rather than imersing yourself into the roleplaying of the character and exploring through this wonderous dungeon you have found. Plus, as my sneak thief, pilfering all the loot you can on the way out.

 

[MushroomGenius]

when I played a mage i only half relied on magic, was still heavily focused on melee.

That's not a Mage.

More than that, getting insane equipment takes like a day or two at whiterun. Smithing, alchemy, enchantment can all be done without ever getting into a fight. When you finally step outside your first city you're unstoppable.

No it can't.

"Without ever getting into a fight." Is a bold statement. Making the trek from Riverwood to Whiterun, there isn't much to be plundered.

How do you explain getting enough gold to purchase smithing materials?

How do you explain acquiring items to disenchant to then create enchantment bonuses?

I have a lvl 81 character save who has no perks at all. Just power leveled all the skills. I can use him to generate any type of character I want. So going without half casting perks is certainly doable.

For the normal player that plays the game straight-up, it is NOT feasible to go without half casting perks. As a real Mage (non-melee), your survivability depends on your magicka pool and your ability to evade attacks. The example you are using is an extreme example of abusing the system. While that's fine for entertainment and research purposes, for the vast majority of players, this isn't possible.

 

[Opium_Bunny]

I created the typical archery/assassin sneak type and it was soooo easy..even on master, and i am the worst at video games. enjoyed it..but it got boring.

 

[stagnant94]

playing mage is good later on, but every tim you level up you have to level up magicka, health and stamina, whereas if playing as a soldier you only really need health and stamina

 

[MushroomGenius]

playing mage is good later on, but every tim you level up you have to level up magicka, health and stamina, whereas if playing as a soldier you only really need health and stamina

There's no reason for a Mage to require Stamina. At least I haven't needed it.

 

[M'aiqaelF]

my mage is at level 28 now and I have not spent a single upgrade on stamina

 

[Wraith]

On every one of my characters and every one of my playthroughs there has been one constant. One thing that should I use it will create an almost god-like capacity for combat and survival. One trump card that should it be played to it's capacity assures total victory.

A shield.

It seems so very simple, but once the perks begin to flow and the skill points stack up suddenly that simple piece of wood and steel starts to become invaluable. My bash will put both Mage and Warrior down to a knee, My raised shield and sprint puts both Archer and Fireball tosser flat on their back while their arrows and spells bounce off my wall of unstopable force like waves crashing against the cliff.

Of course, perhaps it's just that my personal playstyle is perfectly aligned with the shield skill.

 

[Necromis]

ah, but if it was my mystic archer, you would never have even gotten to use your shield.

Update: as also said, you don't need stamina for any mage, unless you are running away alot. LOL Serioiusly, Magicka is your main concern, then health. Right now I am running about 2:1 ration on that.

 

[dbukalski]

On every one of my characters and every one of my playthroughs there has been one constant. One thing that should I use it will create an almost god-like capacity for combat and survival. One trump card that should it be played to it's capacity assures total victory.

A shield.

It seems so very simple, but once the perks begin to flow and the skill points stack up suddenly that simple piece of wood and steel starts to become invaluable. My bash will put both Mage and Warrior down to a knee, My raised shield and sprint puts both Archer and Fireball tosser flat on their back while their arrows and spells bounce off my wall of unstopable force like waves crashing against the cliff.

Of course, perhaps it's just that my personal playstyle is perfectly aligned with the shield skill.

apparently if you use anything but magic your not a mage, how dare you

playing mage is good later on, but every tim you level up you have to level up magicka, health and stamina, whereas if playing as a soldier you only really need health and stamina

A soldier only needs health. a weapon with absorb stamina = unlimited power attacks.

That's not a Mage.

using melee weapons in conjunction with magic while you level up at which point magic can be your only weapon is still a mage. I play on master difficulty at the onset of the game. Good luck not using a weapon while your skilling up. Your magicka will run out before the enemies dead

"Without ever getting into a fight." Is a bold statement. Making the trek from Riverwood to Whiterun, there isn't much to be plundered.

How do you explain getting enough gold to purchase smithing materials?

How do you explain acquiring items to disenchant to then create enchantment bonuses?

gold comes from alchemy skill. By 100 alchemy skill you should have like 200k gold. At which point your ready to buy all the leather/iron you need to get smithing to 100. And all the gold you need to buy filled soul gems for enchanting. And all the gold you need to buy enchanted items from the weapon merchants in whiterun

For the normal player that plays the game straight-up, it is NOT feasible to go without half casting perks. As a real Mage (non-melee), your survivability depends on your magicka pool and your ability to evade attacks. The example you are using is an extreme example of abusing the system. While that's fine for entertainment and research purposes, for the vast majority of players, this isn't possible.

If your looking at end game builds then going without half casting perk most certainly is possible. MORE specifically the person I directed my comments at crafted items for 100% free casting. if your going to over power your character like that you might as well make that extra step and save the perks on the useless endgame perks that are the half magic perks.

If your concerned about preserving the cherry of the straight-up player do not worry. They can have their half magic perks since they wont have the 100% free casting gear.

 

[Wraith]

ah, but if it was my mystic archer, you would never have even gotten to use your shield.

....are you aiming at my knee?

 

[MushroomGenius]

gold comes from alchemy skill. By 100 alchemy skill you should have like 200k gold. At which point your ready to buy all the leather/iron you need to get smithing to 100. And all the gold you need to buy filled soul gems for enchanting. And all the gold you need to buy enchanted items from the weapon merchants in whiterun
.

You still didn't answer my question. You said "Without ever getting into a fight." So again, I ask you, how do you find the items to disenchant?

 

[dbukalski]

wow thats a serious reading comprehension fail right there. Let me slow it down for you

All...the...gold...you...need...to...buy...enchanted...items...from....the...weapon...merchants...in...whiterun

 

[MushroomGenius]

wow thats a serious reading comprehension fail right there. Let me slow it down for you

All...the...gold...you...need...to...buy...enchanted...items...from....the...weapon...merchants...in...whiterun

No, it's not a fail in the least.

The merchants don't always have all of the items you need to disenchant to achieve 100% reduction. You also arrive at Whiterun with, at best, around 3k in gold. I understand you're building alchemy, but with what ingredients? Mountain flowers and thistle?

Since I'm obviously slooooooooow, why not detail it for me from leaving Helgen. What steps do I need to take to achieve what you're talking about "without ever getting into a fight."

 

[dbukalski]

helgen go to riverwood pickup faendal for carrying stuff go to whiterun. You might get attacked by wolves. Feel free to ignore them. You will see giant being attacked by companions feel free to ignore them.

Use your money to buy all ingredients at alchemist shop. Craft potions, sell potions, buy ingredients, craft potions sell potions until alchemy maxed. Theres things you can do to speed this along but thats a whole nother topic about how best to power level. At the end youll be filthy rich.

Buy enchanted items, wait 2 days, buy enchanted items, wait 2 days, buy enchanted items, wait 2 days until your happy with the enchantments you have

If your question is how do you power level enchanting thats by enchanting daggers which you have from smithing power leveling.