So I had an idea for a type of "glass cannon" type play style, maximizing damage output but having really weak defensive capabilities. I'd probably be a vampire to decrease my total health, and maximize damage output. So I'd be a mage, but I can't see how to max out my damage. I'm not sure if Destruction would be enough to be able to deal enough damage though, so I'm not sure.

So what I'm asking is pretty simple, I need a way to deal incredible damage through the magic skills. Any advice?

Current build:

-Full magicka, no stamina or health.
-High Elf for +50 magicka as well as highborn.
-Vampire for decreased health.
-Destruction/Conjuration
-Alchemy for Fortify Destruction pots.
-Apprentice Stone, counteracts vampire's lack of magicka regen, 2x magicka regen, 2x vulnerability to magic.

As far as I know, the highest direct dps won't get better than Expert level Desctruction spells.

I would recommend a vampire using Illusion and Sneak attacks. Highest possible DPS and as long as you put your points into Magicka and Stamina you will definitely be fragile. Use Illusion spells to get out of trouble or to distract an enemy so you can re-sneak.

I already have a sneaky magic assassin, I'm looking for something less sneaky this time around. I don't want to avoid damage, just kill things fast enough before they kill me. I'm taking High Elf for the increased Magicka, as well as for their power.

What you are looking for is a Conjurer/Destro mage who can mix effective potions that Fortify Destruction. Do not sneak -- that is not being a "Cannon"... that is being a "sniper". Conjure Atronachs (cheap magicka cost) for the most part, and help out with Destruction spells to eliminate stray opponents. When facing a boss/dragon, quaff a Fortify Destruction potion, and let loose -- I suggest perking Lightning spells first, as they are the easiest to aim and hit with from a distance, and can zap a flying dragon with a minimum of fuss. For the times when your magicka runs low (and it will... Destro is a total magicka hog), have a backup damage staff that you can whip out to keep the pain going.

Have fun!
-Loth

Thanks Loth, nice advice. I was thinking along the lines of conjuration as well. I think that, due to the nature of the build and the high magicka cost, that I'll stick to fire spells as they require lower amounts of magicka and cause damage over time. I didn't think of alchemy, I will be sure to invest in that as well.

Also going to use the Apprentice stone, as that will counteract the vampire effect that stops magicka regen as well as boosts my magicka regeneration, but it also increases my vulnerability to magic. This will make me a lot more delicate as well.

Alchemy and perks are the only way to increase magic damage -- there is no other way without modding. I'd love to be able to say that you can make it work without Conjuration, but there are simply too many powerful enemies roaming the wilds who can very easily outrun you, drag you down, and chomp your face off. Your first Sabrecat will probably kill you very easily if you do not have a reliable way to de-aggro it from your character... and even if you do manage to summon an atronach, you will most likely still have to run around and dodge like a madman to keep the Sabrecat from eating your gallbladder.

About the fire spells, that will work, too... but you are going to miss some of the time until you get AoE like the Fireball spell. Also, fire is very handy vs. undead (and there are a LOT of undead, as you already know), but the reason I pointed you to Lightning is because there is only one enemy in the entire game that is resistant to it: the Storm Atronach. Considering this, and the fact that lighting spells are instant-hitting without projectile travel... well, I think you get the picture. But you'll be fine with fire, for the most part... just don't perk out Cold spells first -- there are simply too many bad guys who are resistant or immune to Frost.

-Loth

Edit: BTW, there is a bug with the Aspect of Terror perk in Illusion that boosts your fire damage... when you have that perk, the Flames spell becomes the most magicka-efficient Destro spell in the game by a large margin. It still won't be a super-kill everything spell, but you will be able to dish out the pain for a relatively low cost. Helpful for when you are out of potions or charges on your staff, and things are looking grim.

I suppose since my character will lack many skill trees to put perks into, I could do both lightning and fire since I'll have the room to put those perks in. Frost never has appealed to me. It's too slow moving. I should probably grab a good follower as well, but I'm not sure who to get when it comes to followers.

Also, does anyone know of any reliable locations to find staves? I know dragon priests drop wall spell staves but it'll be a while before I'm ready to face one of them.

A good follower might be a great idea... You could use one to tank for you with melee, or have another caster to help you do destro. Getting a conjuring mage follower is an even better idea, as you start to fill out your team with temporary allies. Brelyna at the college is a conjurer, and will reliably use damage staves that you give her.


Try hunting around in the college... the teachers there can all have them for sale, IIRC. Court wizards, too. Clearing out necromancer or conjurer/mage caves can often yield one in a boss chest, if you are trying to save up money for a house or something.

-Loth

I looked up the magic caster followers in this game and apparently Marcurio is very good, though I've only ever used him once. Once I have my spells and such I'll use 500 gold to get him. Debating whether or not to stick with the vampire idea, but we'll see.

Thanks for the staff info.

You can steal a lightning staff from Collette Marchance, there's one in her room.

There is also one free right outside Winterhold.

As you approach the bridge that leads to the college, just before the ramp go right, then down the icy slope until you see a rocky ruin. There is a staff along with a couple surprises.

Your build will be completely defenseless against lightning until you get the resists up or rely on wards and hope your deflector shields don't go down. Almost every mage will use lightning against you and the thalmor love the lightning because they are really the sith.

hmmmm well for free staffs, the college of winterhold has a light bolt staff, frost antronach staff and magelight staff just laying around, for the better staffs, like chain lightning or frost storm, sometimes mages sell em, especially after you invest in em. you'll find em eventually, some of the enemies have em, but i can't remember the exactly places that have mage enemies but once you're leveled up a bit if you'll find enemies with em.

he's good, but some of the other mages followers are just as good.

Thanks everyone for the staff advice. One other question, between wards, destructions spells, and my atronach(s) I'll be spending a ton of magicka. I'm currently level 3, 30 Destruction, with a 200 Magicka pool. So far it's been easy cause I just wipe people away with firebolt/flames, but I know that'll change soon enough and I'll have to start relying on wards and my atronach, so does anyone know where I can get some gear that has some nice magicka enchantments on them? I know that I can just use the magic hoods, and that I can get some amulets through the college's quest line that'll increase my pool by 30/50. Does anyone know where I can get a ring or anything else that'll boost my magicka up a decent bit?

The ring you will have to buy if you want magicka on it, better yet you can get a ring of recharging or whatever that has up to 100% magicka regen. You can't enchant rings with magicka regen yourself. Gloves need to be enchanted, there are no good mage gloves that I know of.

Archmage robes have 15% magicka cost reduction in all schools, 100% magicka regen and 50 magicka, you can wear it with a dragonpriest mask.

Diadem of the Savant doesn't have magicka on it, but you can wear it with archmage robes and doesn't count as armor. It has 5% magicka cost reduction in all schools.

Necromancer's amulet you can get by doing a really buggy quest called "Blood on the Ice" in windhelm, after you have traveled to windhelm 4 times. It has 25% magicka cost reduction for conjuration, 50 magicka, and 75% decreased regen for stamina and health.

Morokei is a light armor dragonpriest mask with 100% magicka regen.

Vokun is a heavy armor dragonpriest mask with 20% magicka cost reduction for conjuration, illusion and alteration.

Nahkriin is a heavy armor dragonpriest mask with 20% magicka cost reduction for destruction and restoration and has +50 magicka.

The Gauldur amulet has +30 magicka, health and stamina.

Nightingale Hood is light armor and has 15-17% illusion magicka cost reduction.

Mage's Circlet can have 20-70 magicka on it.

That's all the mages gear that are quest or dungeon rewards that I can think of off the top of my head.

dual wielding is as glass cannon as it gets.

I agree Lend, but naturally if you have swords you wear armor. As I tend to RP, running around in robes while dual wielding isn't going to work for me.

Conjurers can actually do that with mage armor and dual wielding bound swords.

I suppose you could. But I guess it's a little late for that now, eh? I think that'd be super hard compared to this, though. Hmm.

I've done it (DW Bound Swords) on master with Alteration as Defense... as long as you perk everything you can in One-handed, and enchant the living hell out of Fortify One-handed items, you can pwn. It becomes super-easy to raise Conjuration skill when you use it constantly to make swords and conjure atronachs in every fight. On that character, I never touched a destro spell, nor used a single companion. I had Storm Atronachs as regular summons around level 20ish, IIRC.

-Loth

PS Getting the banish perk on your Bound weapon makes it easy to "dismiss" your atronachs when you are done with them and don't care to listen to them stomping around everywhere.

I feel like it'd be boring. You'd be using the same swords the entire playthrough, the only thing that changes are your summons.

You can use glass armor to be a "Glass" Cannon . Otherwise, take Apprentice stone and put all level ups into magicka. Conjuration will definitely be your best friend in staying alive.

Yeah... it kinda was boring, in a way. But the fact that you are in so much danger keeps you going, because not every enemy "keys in" on your atronachs right away, and you have to be really agile and mobile to stay functional while still dishing out damage and not dying. I see a lot of posts in these forums that say Conjuration is OP and dull "because you just watch your atronachs kill everything for you", but that's not what happens to me -- my games NEVER work like that... even when I wish they would! LOL Fighting a Chaurus Reaper with 100 health and no armor is no f'ing picnic, I assure you! They tear through frost atronachs like they aren't even there, and God help you if they hit you just once -- instadeath.

-Loth