I'M BACK!

Okay, so now I'm thoroughly bored with Dragon's Dogma (great game, but the community is a bunch of clichy folks that have set their own rules as to how anyone is supposed to play - SIDEBAR for those of you who've never played it - it's like a very limited Skyrim where you are forced to hire other people's created 2nds just to have a full team - and lord help you if you let one of those hires die!) and I'm waiting for the new Dragon Age to come out on 11/18 (yes - I've preordered! and I'm already bored with Shadows of Mordor and Fire in Blood on the PS4.

Let me just say two things: 1) Skyrim is the GREATEST game ever created! Bar none. & 2) This community is the best one on the web. At least y'all have a sense of humour and can rip an idiot to shreds and still make 'em enjoy it (I should know )

In any case - So I'm coming back and looking for suggestions from y'all. I am considering a High Elf pure mage. While I am very familiar with destruction, illusion and conjuration, I am less familiar with Alteration and Restoration (both very respectable fields).

I could use some suggestions on techniques for those two disciplines and the best way to use them effectively. It's nice and all blasting the heck out of someone with a fireball, or conjuring a Frost Antronach and having them pummel the heck out of your enemies or even raising some poor soul from the dead and using them as a distraction while you run like heck, or even making your opponents run in fear from you or fight each other to the death, but I would really like to create a well rounded mage that uses all schools effectively.

Any thoughts?

Also thinking about creating a Khajit mage/assassin (yes, I like dark characters), but, the RP on that has always thrown me. Maybe this time I'll just clear out Blindcliff and live there.

My mages always have high restoration skills but I only use healing in one hand and destruction in the other. I usually conjure my atronach and then switch to a healing. Grand healing is really amazing because it heals both you and your followers so you don't have to worry about them. The wards can be useful when fighting mages since it's basically a shield for magic. You can also make undead flee but I never use this one since I just blast them with fire from one hand and heal myself with the other.

I don't really use alteration. I always mean to and I end up forgetting to cast stoneflesh. Maybe I'll make a character that uses alteration as there are a lot of fun little things you can do with it.

My main is currently level 100 in Alteration. It's a pretty neat school of magic. One of the best ways to level it up is just cast Flesh spells repeatedly; at first it will level up whether in or out of combat - in fact it will even act as sort of an alarm system, where your Alteration level goes up a level just as an enemy appears if you already have a Flesh spell active. After that ceases to work, simply cast an Atronach or use your follower to draw away attention, which will give you time to cast a Flesh spell, level it up and then go charging in at the enemy.
Detect Life, once you get it, will also level up Alteration quickly even into the higher levels. Detect Dead even more so. Casting Detect Dead the other day got my Alteration level up to 100 without even meaning to.
Anyway hope that helps a bit. Any other questions you may have about Alteration, just ask.


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Also, welcome back!


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ecozombie said:

My main is currently level 100 in Alteration. It's a pretty neat school of magic. One of the best ways to level it up is just cast Flesh spells repeatedly; at first it will level up whether in or out of combat - in fact it will even act as sort of an alarm system, where your Alteration level goes up a level just as an enemy appears if you already have a Flesh spell active. After that ceases to work, simply cast an Atronach or use your follower to draw away attention, which will give you time to cast a Flesh spell, level it up and then go charging in at the enemy.
Detect Life, once you get it, will also level up Alteration quickly even into the higher levels. Detect Dead even more so. Casting Detect Dead the other day got my Alteration level up to 100 without even meaning to.
Anyway hope that helps a bit. Any other questions you may have about Alteration, just ask.


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Click to expand...

Interesting. I was experimenting with Alteration with a knockaround build over the weekend and noticed that it didn't level at all until I started using the Transmute spell.

Are you saying that, simply by casting my flesh spells regularly (like when they wear off) as I go about my business that it will aid in leveling the ability as I go along and run in to enemies?

That's a great tip! Thank you!

Rhew said:

My mages always have high restoration skills but I only use healing in one hand and destruction in the other. I usually conjure my atronach and then switch to a healing. Grand healing is really amazing because it heals both you and your followers so you don't have to worry about them. The wards can be useful when fighting mages since it's basically a shield for magic. You can also make undead flee but I never use this one since I just blast them with fire from one hand and heal myself with the other.

I don't really use alteration. I always mean to and I end up forgetting to cast stoneflesh. Maybe I'll make a character that uses alteration as there are a lot of fun little things you can do with it.

Click to expand...

I like the healing spells and, you are right, turning undead is no fun when you can make them go boom, but is there more to Restoration than those two things? I believe some of the spells you get from Dawnguard are Restoration spells, aren't they? I like to take my mages Vamp, but, since I really would rather have this build be more along the lines of a Holy Avenger sort of thing, I thought I might go Dawnguard (well, and DB/TG as well - I would do Companions, but it really wouldn't make any sense as they're so adverse to magic). First off, I would guess would be to head to Winterhold, eh?

Daelon DuLac said:

Interesting. I was experimenting with Alteration with a knockaround build over the weekend and noticed that it didn't level at all until I started using the Transmute spell.

Are you saying that, simply by casting my flesh spells regularly (like when they wear off) as I go about my business that it will aid in leveling the ability as I go along and run in to enemies?

That's a great tip! Thank you!

Click to expand...

Yup, that's exactly what I'm saying. Stumbled on that on my first playthrough.
Only thing is it only works until, oh, level 15 or so, give or take. Then you'll need to cast it when face to face with an enemy to level it higher. No problem, glad I could help.


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Well, I have the most fun with characters that burn thru magika and stamina when confronting foes. If I just use one or the other, combat gets boring after awhile.

For example, my current character uses no armor -- only the latest fashions from solitude -- yet thru spells has a nice armor rating. She's deadly with 1H weapons, conjuration, bow.

Now, I don't do jack of all trade characters, just those that perk up specific trees once I realize how they like to fight

Daelon DuLac said:

Rhew said:

My mages always have high restoration skills but I only use healing in one hand and destruction in the other. I usually conjure my atronach and then switch to a healing. Grand healing is really amazing because it heals both you and your followers so you don't have to worry about them. The wards can be useful when fighting mages since it's basically a shield for magic. You can also make undead flee but I never use this one since I just blast them with fire from one hand and heal myself with the other.

I don't really use alteration. I always mean to and I end up forgetting to cast stoneflesh. Maybe I'll make a character that uses alteration as there are a lot of fun little things you can do with it.

Click to expand...

I like the healing spells and, you are right, turning undead is no fun when you can make them go boom, but is there more to Restoration than those two things? I believe some of the spells you get from Dawnguard are Restoration spells, aren't they? I like to take my mages Vamp, but, since I really would rather have this build be more along the lines of a Holy Avenger sort of thing, I thought I might go Dawnguard (well, and DB/TG as well - I would do Companions, but it really wouldn't make any sense as they're so adverse to magic). First off, I would guess would be to head to Winterhold, eh?

Click to expand...

If you side with the dawnguard you can get a few extra spells in the restoration school. vampire's bane, stendarr's something..... They both do sun damage to vampires which is fun but honestly fire does more damage (could also be that by the time I did the DG my destruction was overpowered by then with making it legendary 3 times already).

If you side with the vamps you can get heal undead. which is also nice if you have thralls. Helps keep them alive longer

I'm excited for Dragon Age too.

Shadow of Mordor really seems interesting too

Rhew said:

Daelon DuLac said:

Rhew said:

My mages always have high restoration skills but I only use healing in one hand and destruction in the other. I usually conjure my atronach and then switch to a healing. Grand healing is really amazing because it heals both you and your followers so you don't have to worry about them. The wards can be useful when fighting mages since it's basically a shield for magic. You can also make undead flee but I never use this one since I just blast them with fire from one hand and heal myself with the other.

I don't really use alteration. I always mean to and I end up forgetting to cast stoneflesh. Maybe I'll make a character that uses alteration as there are a lot of fun little things you can do with it.

Click to expand...

I like the healing spells and, you are right, turning undead is no fun when you can make them go boom, but is there more to Restoration than those two things? I believe some of the spells you get from Dawnguard are Restoration spells, aren't they? I like to take my mages Vamp, but, since I really would rather have this build be more along the lines of a Holy Avenger sort of thing, I thought I might go Dawnguard (well, and DB/TG as well - I would do Companions, but it really wouldn't make any sense as they're so adverse to magic). First off, I would guess would be to head to Winterhold, eh?

Click to expand...

If you side with the dawnguard you can get a few extra spells in the restoration school. vampire's bane, stendarr's something..... They both do sun damage to vampires which is fun but honestly fire does more damage (could also be that by the time I did the DG my destruction was overpowered by then with making it legendary 3 times already).

If you side with the vamps you can get heal undead. which is also nice if you have thralls. Helps keep them alive longer

Click to expand...

Totally agree, but this time the whole "Holy Avenger" thing would probably keep me from keeping thralls or dealing with the undead, although I do so love my Necromancy.

Nyoxios said:

I'm excited for Dragon Age too.

Shadow of Mordor really seems interesting too

Click to expand...

Give SoM a shot. It is fun. Not as developed as I would have liked but great combat and the graphics are absolutely amazing. I am SOOOOO looking forward to DA-Inquisition! I've even started DA-O again and will do DA-II again as well.

Daelon DuLac said:

Rhew said:

My mages always have high restoration skills but I only use healing in one hand and destruction in the other. I usually conjure my atronach and then switch to a healing. Grand healing is really amazing because it heals both you and your followers so you don't have to worry about them. The wards can be useful when fighting mages since it's basically a shield for magic. You can also make undead flee but I never use this one since I just blast them with fire from one hand and heal myself with the other.

I don't really use alteration. I always mean to and I end up forgetting to cast stoneflesh. Maybe I'll make a character that uses alteration as there are a lot of fun little things you can do with it.

Click to expand...

I like the healing spells and, you are right, turning undead is no fun when you can make them go boom, but is there more to Restoration than those two things? I believe some of the spells you get from Dawnguard are Restoration spells, aren't they? I like to take my mages Vamp, but, since I really would rather have this build be more along the lines of a Holy Avenger sort of thing, I thought I might go Dawnguard (well, and DB/TG as well - I would do Companions, but it really wouldn't make any sense as they're so adverse to magic). First off, I would guess would be to head to Winterhold, eh?

Click to expand...

oh, also with the companions.... I had my mage join and hit Vilkas with a sword once and he was down. She was already in the 70s. After that she used magic for everything. Also I really like the contrast of a mage and the raw animal power of the warewolf. It's a fun play.

Daelon DuLac said:

I'm excited for Dragon Age too.

Shadow of Mordor really seems interesting too
Give SoM a shot. It is fun. Not as developed as I would have liked but great combat and the graphics are absolutely amazing. I am SOOOOO looking forward to DA-Inquisition! I've even started DA-O again and will do DA-II again as well.

Click to expand...

I've only played DA-II. I really liked that