Enchanting is the worst as a solo mage...

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Daelon DuLac

How do you backstab a Dragon?
I've discovered that filling soul-gems is a trial as a solo mage (no weapons - including bound) is an awful trial. The spell takes too long and getting close enough to an enemy to cast the spell on them usually leads to death (especially if you want good ones like giants and mammoths!).

My Den simply can't get his enchanting up quickly. Drives me nuts.

I've taken to giving my gems and a weapon to Janessa so she can fill them for me, but I just hate having a follower (even a Dunmer with fire protection 'cause I use a lot of fire).

I like to be sneaky and kill from a distance, not confront things directly. I'm a mage! And I'm only level 27!

Sheesh.

How do y'all handle the situation?
 

Harkin

Necromatic Mastermind
Enchanting well easy to level if you craft a ton of iron daggers or buy them, then enchant every one with something like stamina damage or drain soul.

Also recharging stuff on the fly like a primary weapon that absorbs souls and you'll never lose souls.
 

The Phoenician

Shiney, let's be bad guys.
You can try buying and selling your way to the top. Buy filled gems enchant some stuff then sell the stuff. Depending what enchants you use you should be able break even or turn a profit.
 

Daelon DuLac

How do you backstab a Dragon?
Enchanting well easy to level if you craft a ton of iron daggers or buy them, then enchant every one with something like stamina damage or drain soul.

Also recharging stuff on the fly like a primary weapon that absorbs souls and you'll never lose souls.
It's not the enchanting that gets me, it's the filling of the soul gems.

Since Den doesn't use weapons, refilling isn't an option and capturing souls that way isn't either.

On any other character I can get enchanting to 100 before level 25 easy with a soul-trap enchantment, but this is just driving me nuts and always has on my pure mages.

I have found that, if I take the time to acquire Halldir's Staff (I always end up with 2 for some reason - one from the ashes and one just on the floor), but staves just take up room and a hand that I could be using to cast something else! It does have a longer range though than the hand cast. Maybe I'll just go pick it up tonight since I'm switching over to Den rather than continuing with Ingin for the time being since she's being forced to go to Treva's Watch and doesn't want to go (see my other post!).
 

Daelon DuLac

How do you backstab a Dragon?
You can try buying and selling your way to the top. Buy filled gems enchant some stuff then sell the stuff. Depending what enchants you use you should be able break even or turn a profit.
Again, not the issue for me. I've been enchanting a long time, and my issue is filling the dern gems as a mage. The Soul Trap spell is too close range in most cases and just gets me killed (although I can have a companion do it, I don't like followers) and weapons are a no-no on a pure mage to me (even bound ones). I think I'll just pick up Halldir's Staff at this point and take the hit to my magic use experience.

Enchanting is always the way I make my money on any character. I mean, after all, you can make from 700-1500 on a single dagger depending on the enchantment so I'm usually rolling in the dough by level 20 (I'm at over 60K at level 26 on my spellsword with her soul-trap bow - she tends to buy a lot of leather for smithing) but only at about 4.8K with Den (he buys spell books and selling loot doesn't add up too fast, especially when you buy Breezehome & Lakeview early on).

My runthroughs always center around Riverwood/Falkreath/Whiterun for about the first 50 levels so I'm limited to those vendors and the khajit caravans. For RP purposes, there's no reason to go anywhere else unless I need to, especially on a mage (although you might occasionally end up somewhere weird for the college quests).
 

Seanu Reaves

The Shogun of Gaming
So why do you even need to fill soul gems again?

I mean the obvious answer is just buy filled gems. Since you don't use weapons you don't need to recharge. Even with your RP restrictions You can rub elbows with the court wizards which sounds like it would fit your RP.
 

Daelon DuLac

How do you backstab a Dragon?
So why do you even need to fill soul gems again?

I mean the obvious answer is just buy filled gems. Since you don't use weapons you don't need to recharge. Even with your RP restrictions You can rub elbows with the court wizards which sounds like it would fit your RP.
True, true, but I'm really cheap and soul gems are expensive! You're are right though. If Den is going to be such a snob about not using weapons and not having followers, maybe it's what he deserves. I'll see how it goes with Halldir's Staff first though. As in my introductory post, Den likes his fancy robes and jewelry and thinks he's better than just about everybody,and I want to enchant him up so he can become vampire.
On the plus side, as I'm upping Alteration on this build, I am enjoying the Flesh spells - not so much for the protection, since he's usually far too sneaky to ever be caught (he's at 100 sneak at level 27! Yikes! - not all the perks, but I think he's been crouching WAAAYYYY too much - bad for the back ya know), but because I want paralyze and some of the other perks.
 

The Phoenician

Shiney, let's be bad guys.
You can try buying and selling your way to the top. Buy filled gems enchant some stuff then sell the stuff. Depending what enchants you use you should be able break even or turn a profit.
Again, not the issue for me. I've been enchanting a long time, and my issue is filling the dern gems as a mage. The Soul Trap spell is too close range in most cases and just gets me killed (although I can have a companion do it, I don't like followers) and weapons are a no-no on a pure mage to me (even bound ones). I think I'll just pick up Halldir's Staff at this point and take the hit to my magic use experience.

Enchanting is always the way I make my money on any character. I mean, after all, you can make from 700-1500 on a single dagger depending on the enchantment so I'm usually rolling in the dough by level 20 (I'm at over 60K at level 26 on my spellsword with her soul-trap bow - she tends to buy a lot of leather for smithing) but only at about 4.8K with Den (he buys spell books and selling loot doesn't add up too fast, especially when you buy Breezehome & Lakeview early on).

My runthroughs always center around Riverwood/Falkreath/Whiterun for about the first 50 levels so I'm limited to those vendors and the khajit caravans. For RP purposes, there's no reason to go anywhere else unless I need to, especially on a mage (although you might occasionally end up somewhere weird for the college quests).
Your original post made it seem like you were trying to level enchanting.
 

Daelon DuLac

How do you backstab a Dragon?
You can try buying and selling your way to the top. Buy filled gems enchant some stuff then sell the stuff. Depending what enchants you use you should be able break even or turn a profit.
Again, not the issue for me. I've been enchanting a long time, and my issue is filling the dern gems as a mage. The Soul Trap spell is too close range in most cases and just gets me killed (although I can have a companion do it, I don't like followers) and weapons are a no-no on a pure mage to me (even bound ones). I think I'll just pick up Halldir's Staff at this point and take the hit to my magic use experience.

Enchanting is always the way I make my money on any character. I mean, after all, you can make from 700-1500 on a single dagger depending on the enchantment so I'm usually rolling in the dough by level 20 (I'm at over 60K at level 26 on my spellsword with her soul-trap bow - she tends to buy a lot of leather for smithing) but only at about 4.8K with Den (he buys spell books and selling loot doesn't add up too fast, especially when you buy Breezehome & Lakeview early on).

My runthroughs always center around Riverwood/Falkreath/Whiterun for about the first 50 levels so I'm limited to those vendors and the khajit caravans. For RP purposes, there's no reason to go anywhere else unless I need to, especially on a mage (although you might occasionally end up somewhere weird for the college quests).
Your original post made it seem like you were trying to level enchanting.
Sorry. I can't level enchanting w/out enchanting things and using soul-gems, thus the issue with filling soul-gems. Sorry if it was confusing. That wasn't my intention.
 

HouseHosted

Mundus 9-5, Oblivion weekends
I've found Soul Trap is similar to Healing Hand/Heal Other, where you have to be more and more accurate the farther you are from the target. You can hit someone with Heal Other from around Flames' distance. You just have to be very precise. I'll go check it out, but I seem to remember Soul Trap being the same way.

It appears you've reached a compromise for your dilemma; however, I'll doubly encourage you remember to use Mage's Stone w/ Well Rested whilst creating the items themselves.

Also, try not to get killed. That's a good thing as well.
 

Daelon DuLac

How do you backstab a Dragon?
I've found Soul Trap is similar to Healing Hand/Heal Other, where you have to be more and more accurate the farther you are from the target. You can hit someone with Heal Other from around Flames' distance. You just have to be very precise. I'll go check it out, but I seem to remember Soul Trap being the same way.

It appears you've reached a compromise for your dilemma; however, I'll doubly encourage you remember to use Mage's Stone w/ Well Rested whilst creating the items themselves.

Also, try not to get killed. That's a good thing as well.
Oh yeah! I forgot about the not getting killed thing! :) Good thoughts though, although, at Flames distance, almost anything is going to close on you in seconds anyhow, so that's kind of a pointless distance. :)
 

HouseHosted

Mundus 9-5, Oblivion weekends
We'', I'm glad I mentioned it. Getting killed isn't always first priority for some. Your welcome!

hmm... I suppose, but adapting your positioning can remedy that in a heartbeat. Trees may not be in great abundance where Giants live, little hills and rock faces are. Although this may be more helpful against animals like Sabre Cats and such, as Giants take a little more love and compassion to cut down.
 

The Phoenician

Shiney, let's be bad guys.
Does you Mage use conjuration? If so let your minions do the dirty work while you hit targets with soul trap.
 

Daelon DuLac

How do you backstab a Dragon?
Does you Mage use conjuration? If so let your minions do the dirty work while you hit targets with soul trap.
Good thought, but I'm really not much for followers/summoned beasties/thralls. I'm a loner.
Don't mind the antronachs too much as they're pretty quiet though.
The issue there is still getting close enough to cast the spell without getting splatted. I'm hoping the staff will give me some more flexibility. Haaldir here I come!
 

Papoy

DON'T EXPECT SPOILER WARNINGS FROM ME
Ummm, u dont want to draw attention, but they actualy get close to u quickly and u have no time for soul trap, have u tried to use frost spells instead of fire ones? If u insist on fire, maybe frost breath, unrelenting force, ice form, slow time, should all be somethin ull be relying on even more
Forst spells slow and paralize when health is low, they should prove lot more useful to u... Dwemer dungeuns are soul gem mines, try cleaning few of those and ull get entire ton of filled and empty s.g. beatiful cristals too : 3 slow time with 3 words should also help u a lot with that soul trap spell, and yes soul trap has kinda long range, im using it for quite a while. For yer solo mage, illusion should also prove useful, u go sneaky, right?
 

Daelon DuLac

How do you backstab a Dragon?
Ummm, u dont want to draw attention, but they actualy get close to u quickly and u have no time for soul trap, have u tried to use frost spells instead of fire ones? If u insist on fire, maybe frost breath, unrelenting force, ice form, slow time, should all be somethin ull be relying on even more
Forst spells slow and paralize when health is low, they should prove lot more useful to u... Dwemer dungeuns are soul gem mines, try cleaning few of those and ull get entire ton of filled and empty s.g. beatiful cristals too : 3 slow time with 3 words should also help u a lot with that soul trap spell, and yes soul trap has kinda long range, im using it for quite a while. For yer solo mage, illusion should also prove useful, u go sneaky, right?
Great suggestions! Thank you! Can't use the shouts (don't have any yet :) - not my favorite questline - but the frost is a great suggestion. Yes, I am high illusion so calm and pacify would probably be a really great way to do it as will paralyze once I get alteration up high enough.
Again - these are great! Thanks so much! And Dwemer dungeons, absolutely. I haven't been to any yet since it's so early on in the game, but I need to head out for the Aetherium Crown soon so... :)
 

Papoy

DON'T EXPECT SPOILER WARNINGS FROM ME
haha , not my faovite quest line either, im 46 lvl with my 5-mage-skill-tree-maxed mage and havent spoke to greybeards yet xd, anyway, glad i could help :) see on wikia those frost words locations, will make the buissnies quicker
 

Papoy

DON'T EXPECT SPOILER WARNINGS FROM ME
tgm on ctrl command?
 

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