Magic

[Rhubarb&Custard]

I don't know if it's me (it probably is) but magic on the whole just seems weaker than mashing your enemies with a proper weapon. I'm in the Voluunruud tomb place where I have to defeat a ghost and a load of magic weilding dragurs firing their bloody frost antronachs everywhere. I'm level 16 with 48 destruction. I should be able to do this, yet I keep getting my furry little head pounded into the ground. Any tips on what I should do? (for want to make this an actual useful thread, rather than a rant at the game.)

 

[Squirrel_killer-]

See thing is you need the right spells and perks. Those early on sustained spells are weaker then the ranged spells. Mages have two major draw backs, magicka pools, and low armor. The best thing is to depend on more than just destruction magic. My best mages have been conjurers. The trick is you need to have a follower with a mage and to not run out of magicka. Having a good ward also helps. Mages hit hard. So long as you keep 'em up to par. Make sure you got a deep magicka pool, high magicka regen, low magicka costs, and good spells. Backed up with the right perks, the right summon, the right support spells, and a tanking melee follower you are set.

 

[Rhubarb&Custard]

I did have Lydia, but she must've died, cause she's not with me anymore, good thing I didn't have anything valuable on her.

 

[MushroomGenius]

Would agree with most of what Squirrel mentioned above. Would disagree on wards, I just never really found them useful enough to bother pausing the game to equip.

Conjuration is a big part of playing a Mage. Adding an extra party member, even temporarily is a huge plus. If you're fighting in crypts, use your summons to block passages so that Draugr, or whatever you're fighting, can't get to you. As you see your summon's health depleting, back up a bit and simply recast them. No need to bother with dual casting on conjuration.

Destruction on the other hand, you should be dual casting ranged destruction at your targets in conjunction with the Impact perk. This staggers your opponent for a few seconds which lets you, and your summon, get some additional non-defensible hits in. Just be aware that you cannot re-stagger an opponent that is in the middle of the stagger animation. Once the animation is done and they're upright, you can hit em again.

Not sure how far you are on the College questline, but the Archmage Robe, Completed Gauldur Amulet, and Morokei mask are great for the Mage.

 

[Psiberzerker]

Destruction Damage caps low, so ironically, your level is the problem. You're right, you do more damage faster with an enchanted weapon, it's not just you. Fire works best on undead, but Scourges, and such (The ones what drop the Frosties) have a pile of Health, so it's not enough unless you pile on the Burnind DOT effect. Try Altercasting, halstacking so you relase one Incinerate as the other is charging. High ROF, and they keep getting more afterburn before the last time out. Also, seperate them so they can't hit you at the same time. Or, switch to a weapon.

 

[Thallik the Orc]

No flaming hands or lightning balls can compare to crushing your enemies skulls with an ebony warhammer. Period.

 

[Medea]

Magic does significant damage in Skyrim if you don't use alchemy/smithing/enchanting exploits to increase weapon damage beyond what it's supposed to be.

 

[Psiberzerker]

Actually, the only way you can up your Destruction Damage is Fortify Potions, but it's tough to make enough for every fight. (There's not enough Wisp Mothers.) You can get pretty impressive, for the big fights.

 

[i K33L n0085]

No flaming hands or lightning balls can compare to crushing your enemies skulls with an ebony warhammer. Period.

I highly disagree. Doesn't it get boring using the same freaking attack over and over. When you get a new warhammer, sure it does more damage, but it's still the same freaking thing. When a mage gets a new spell, it has an entirely different effect than the last one. When playing as a mage, you actually use strategy instead of mindlessly hitting your enemies.

 

[Psiberzerker]

I highly disagree. Doesn't it get boring using the same freaking attack over and over. When you get a new warhammer, sure it does more damage, but it's still the same freaking thing. When a mage gets a new spell, it has an entirely different effect than the last one. When playing as a mage, you actually use strategy instead of mindlessly hitting your enemies.

Well, that's how you make up for low damage with unfair tactics, like kiting Giants over Wall of Flame (Fire Roading)

 

[i K33L n0085]

I prefer conjuring something, then using destruction spells.
I love it how enemies are stupid enough to attack your atronach instead of you.

 

[Bourn]

I played a mage-ish guy and I found myself favorite-ing most of my spells, my Ward, Chain Lightning, Ice Spike, Fireball, Firebolt, Flames, Frostbite. I would pop one spell, switch, pop another etc. But like people siad, alot of it revolves around you're perks/armor.

 

[Psiberzerker]

I prefer conjuring something, then using destruction spells.
I love it how enemies are stupid enough to attack your atronach instead of you.

Oh yeah, Conjuration is more effective at higher level, I just love Wall spells. Sure it's "just" 50-75 damage (depending on Augment perks) but it's per second, and there's various ways to keep them taking that damage. With fire, and the afterburn effect, it does plenty. You can also mix, and match, like Frost to drain the stamina, so Trolls can't attack, and dragons can't take back off. Meanwhile, you're running around out of reach of meleers, and a moving target for Archers. Done right, you can actually outdamage the sluggers, who have to get closer to just get started.

Armoring up, and hitting mobs with heavy things is a no brainer. That's why Mages are the Intelligence class. If you aren't smart about it, you don't live very long, because you've got no armor, and spent level points on Magicka instead of just Health.

 

[Rhubarb&Custard]

If you aren't smart about it, you don't live very long, because you've got no armor, and spent level points on Magicka instead of just Health.

That's where I went wrong, I've got about 180/90 magicka and only about 120/30 health and stamina. Skyrim is my first RPG, so when I did my first playthrough, I just went with what I know and what was easiest, which was just hand to hand melee combat, then later on I switched to archery with one handed as a backup, which was only in tight spaces anyway. I feel sad that my game farted and I lost that save when I made a new one.

 

[Psiberzerker]

Well, I play 100 health unarmored mages, but I like knowing I could die in a fight. While you can wear Armor as a mage, you certainly don't have to (unless you ask most guys on the intenet.) I've also done a Bash&Burn shiledmage, stagering is one of the things you can do to keep them in your pool of Flames (Along with a cloak.)

 

[Squirrel_killer-]

Oh yeah, Conjuration is more effective at higher level, I just love Wall spells. Sure it's "just" 50-75 damage (depending on Augment perks) but it's per second, and there's various ways to keep them taking that damage. With fire, and the afterburn effect, it does plenty. You can also mix, and match, like Frost to drain the stamina, so Trolls can't attack, and dragons can't take back off. Meanwhile, you're running around out of reach of meleers, and a moving target for Archers. Done right, you can actually outdamage the sluggers, who have to get closer to just get started.

Armoring up, and hitting mobs with heavy things is a no brainer. That's why Mages are the Intelligence class. If you aren't smart about it, you don't live very long, because you've got no armor, and spent level points on Magicka instead of just Health.

If you have played Kingdom of Amalur: Reckoning you would know it has three ability sets. Sorcery (mage), Might (Warrior), and finesse (Rouge) I found this a nice way to show what each one revolves around. Lets apply that to Skyrim. Sorcery revolves around the effects of your spells and hitting hard while avoiding taking damage at all costs since you are so squishy. In Skyrim this is a mage, you need to know the effects of your spells and use the right spell for the job. Might just means to run in there and smash them to bits with raw strength and no real thinking beyond which weapon to use and what armor lets you take the most hits. In Skyrim this is a warrior, just hit 'em harder then they can take so that they just die. Finesse revolves around skill, reflexes, and careful planning before a fight so you can hit hard and fast and not giving them a chance to hit your squishy butt back. In Skyrim this is your common assassin or thief. Put an assassin in the open with no poisons or sneak attack bonuses, they are screwed in an extended battle if they can't find a way to escape and hide. Long and the short is each play style revolves around a different way of dealing your damage. Mages aim for enemies weaknesses and debilitate them, warriors focus on taking hits and dealing them, and thieves/assassins focus on high DPS bonuses and killing targets before they can fight back.

 

[SprSynJn]

It's good to read up on what others turn their mages into. Up until recently I was mainly a destruction Mage with restoration heavily used of course. I started using alteration spells, mainly stone flesh and the like. I have Lydia with me, but she often gets run over. Just yesterday I picked up a conjugation spell from a dead necromancer, so I've decided to start putting points into that as well. It would be nice if we could take points out of previous skills we upped, but we can't have it all I suppose.

 

[Haru17]

I highly disagree. Doesn't it get boring using the same freaking attack over and over. When you get a new warhammer, sure it does more damage, but it's still the same freaking thing. When a mage gets a new spell, it has an entirely different effect than the last one. When playing as a mage, you actually use strategy instead of mindlessly hitting your enemies.

Actually no, I've done dual 1h swords & daggers, sword / shield, and two hand swords & maces and there's a lot of nuance in power attacks, perk changes, and each weapons unique enchantment & characteristics. That being said Skyrim's combat seems a little less deep with spell creation gone and a lot better with dual wielding.

 

[ShadowGambit]

With Enchanting, Smithing and Alchemy at your best, then weapons are much more powerful than Magic spells.

The reason is that if the player, or the follower if rightfully equipped, can reach the 567 armor cap, no NPC or creature reached that cap. I think the max that you see is 300 AR.

In the other hand, magical damage are much more resisted because NPC and creature for most have a inherent resist. A lot of creatures in Skyrim have Frost resistance, due to the fact tha tSkyrim is mostly a "cold" place. Not that many have Shock resistance though.

Overall, that makes physical damage stronger than magical damage, mostly at High level or high difficulty level.

If you set it well, a destruction spell can do around 400 damage though.

 

[Epic Keith]

"Magic, is the true power in this world"
Magic is weak at first but when you go stronger, you feel WAY more powerful. I usually have a mix character with destruction, conjuration and illusion.
The thing is that destruction takes time to level, and conjuration is good but for bound weapons, you need to level, archery, 2 H and 1 H.

I still think Mages are cooler then warriors