Hello. I've noticed that, while playing on my level 40 char, that mage seems to be rather weak. It's really not the damage I take, or the fact that I run out of magika often, it's the damage output. I can't seem to do enough damage using purely mage. I really don't want to use a spellsword/battlemage build, because I want a pure mage. I don't mind being a glass cannon either, if that is what it takes to get my damage output up. At level 40 I can use my dual daedric swords (legendary, no enchantment) with my unechanted gear and elemental fury shout, and just cut through an elder dragon in less than 10 seconds. Although if I try using my destruction magic, it takes FOREVER. Any suggestions?

* Don't suggest that I use a melee weapon.

Wtf do you mean you dont do enough damage?

Dont you kill everything with less than 10 dual casted thunderbolts?

If you're going to compare a melee and a mage, if the melee has legendary daedric weapons, it only seems fair for the mage to have 100% cost reduction on his spells.

Why aren't you spamming dual cast incinerate?

Yeah, I wish I could help... but I've got nothing. I'm on my final attempt as a pure mage, before I give up on the game for a while. I may take a break and come back after it has been patched.
All I can say is, I've run into several problems that make this game svck for me.
1) Destruction skill goes up very slow. There's not enough enemies in the world to beat on, and if you go looking, you will just run into things that 1-shot you.
2) I've gotten my Conjuration skill to 50 but still the only spells available are Conjure Familiar and Conjure Flame Atronach.
3) Even with the perks, Alteration shield spells take far too much magicka. In fact, all spells that do anything worthwhile take far too much magicka.
4) Magicka regenerates way, way, way too slow in combat, even with enchantments that make it regenerate faster. Fighting dragons is a horrible experience.

I'm thinking I would have been better off as a heavy armored warrior with a shield. But then I bet I would still fail.

I find adding in Conjured Antronarc(sp) really helps with mob control and DPS. Destruction alone isn't going to get it done.

not at that level yet but I notice my swords are often way more effective than any destruction spell I can cast
using conjuration and the occasional cheesing I seem to manage so far

have read a lot about cost reduction enchantments for destruction on here
haven't gotten into enchanting really but I do keep it in reserve when things do become too tough too handle as a mage
that and I've been raising my 1 handed in case I do decide to "sell out"

Hm. Maybe it's my damage - Magika cost. I might need to look over it again, but Im still looking for suggestions.

Improve your magicka costs. Take up enchanting. You took up smithing and that's not even a mage skill.

Yeah, that char wasn't a pure mage. And magika costs/damage output are 2 whole different worlds imo. I mean, you can cast more consistentley with lower costs, but you are still going to be doing a fixed rate of damage. More or less, Im looking for a way to keep that high damage (well, high damage-enemy health ration) you get in early game during the later game.

On another note, why was spell creation removed? That would have made things much easier.