Let me begin by saying that I am completely new to Elder Scrolls, so I have plenty to learn.


I'm a mage, and my style of playing is using a bound sword in one hand and an illusion spell in another (with a flame atronach), occasionally playing stealthily when brute force just isn't enough.


So with that style, I'm torn between which defensive skill to focus on. I want light armor, so Alteration seems to work well there, but Restoration can work well with wards and fast healing. Then there's alchemy which seems to be the best to use, but requires the most effort and money. I just can't decide.

It's obvious that Alteration is the best defensive skill. It has skin spells (physical defense), Magic Resistance and Atronach perks, Paralyze/Ash and Detect Life/Death spells.

Alchemy can make you filthy rich actually...

Early on, especially if using the bound weapon spells, Alteration's "skin spells" really tap out your magicka pool.

Alchemy I'm not a fan of for purely personal reasons (I hate "stopping time" to drink a potion).

Restoration I like because you can also heal any allies that may be with you and it has that nice perk that helps with magicka regeneration (I think)

With Skyrim, though, it is fun to experiment and find what you are most comfortable with