For an archer high level enough to enounter wisps I don't consider the following tactics exotic at all:

Detect life.
A bow enchanted with 1 or 2 seconds of any of the following: Drain speed 100, Demoralize, Command Creature.

Yet, proper use of those two things can tear up a wisp safely, even at close range.


I imagine wisps represent even less of a challenge to a reasonably prepared mage.

As far as a melee character, one would think that turnabout is fair play - ie: a blade enchanted with absorb life.


I suspect it is more a matter of player experience. New players who stumble upon wisps are likely to be unpleasantly surprised until they visit these forums.

Not really. I meet a willo the wisp for the first time today and kept dying to an extend, that I had to abondon two saves just to avoid encountering them.

The last one I meet was a very easy kill with a flamespell and three hits with an enchanted longblade, while one of the ones I gave up on I hit 30 times with my silver claymore before dying myself, I supposed the difference was that it did not have time to use it's spell on the easy kill.
But they are still the worst thing I have encountered, and now I'm looking for some resist magicka stuff for next time I encounter one.

They are the best things ever. EVER.

Not me. At least not for Atronach characters. They are wonderful refueling stations for Atronachs.

A minor nuisance. I don′t see why people have so much trouble with them. A few slashes with a deadric/enchanted/silver weapon and they′re down :shrug:

Edit: Or a nice spell

I'm not surprised that GameInformer ranked them #3 on the "Top 10 most annoying video game enemies." I mean, they're up there with Like-Likes and generic RPG rats.

I forget how much Magicka they have, but since all their attacks are dependent on it, a weapon that drains/absorbs magicka can leave them unable to fight you while you hack them down. For a mage, start with a Drain or Absorb Magicka spell, then your favorite form of discomfort.

I found ghosts to be as much of a pain at low levels. Immunity to normal weapons is a big thing when you haven't found anything enchanted, and can't afford silver!

if i see one and im near water i swim

if im not near water i run and then quick travel :/

or i keep casting flare untill it dies

They use to be a problem for me in my teen levels. Now, they just don't affect me. They're dead before they can even snuff out 10% of my health.

Sign of the Atronach triumps again.

I found that Drain Speed works well, they move slow (when not teleporting)

A list titled "Top 10 most annoying video game enemies" which does not include Cliff Racers is a bad list and the author of it should be shot, I'm afraid to say.

Now, what's the big deal with these glowing balls? I've played with archers, melee characters and mages on difficulty which was never less than 25 (-100 being the easiest and +100 being the hardest) and I never had any real trouble with these "monsters". Like everything other creature in the game simply attack it two times, step back to avoid the counterattack/spell, attack it two times again and you're done. Sure you need some spells or a silver, ebony or daedric weapon, or simply enchanted, but chances are if you don't have any of that by the time you encounter these yellow balls than you aren't really good of a gamer (and, with all due respect, Oblivion is as easy as it gets in the RPG field).