How does a pure mage defend himself? : V

» Mon Dec 05, 2011 1:12 am

I just need help... I'm assuming I should cast:

Oaken Flesh for Melee Opponents
A Ward for Enemy Mages

And then what else? With 0 armor I just find myself getting wrecked all over the place unless I conjure up a familiar/atronach and just run away from opponents.

There has to be a better way. Just level up perks in Mage Armor? (I'm level 13 by the way)

» Sun Dec 04, 2011 8:03 pm

Enchanting your robes? Other than that, I guess using cover a lot AND use your companion...

Also, here's a link to a guide:
http://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=http://forums.bethsoft.com/index.php?/topic/1274091-how-does-a-pure-mage-defend-himself/s&source=web&cd=2&ved=0CCIQFjAB&url=http%3A%2F%2Fsegmentnext.com%2F2011%2F11%2F14%2Fskyrim-magic-guide-how-to-learn-spells-and-play-mage%2F&ei=ajXETuqcDMinsQLZ95nOCw&usg=AFQjCNHH4nxmyvUfL7-gySAqHIGoJZPp_g&sig2=rEl1-Q8Dedqi0YXI58ad_g

ALSO - look at the alteration spells! You can use stoneflesh and stuff.

» Mon Dec 05, 2011 2:14 am

Summon things, let them take the hit for you. At the high level I'd suggest invisibility but you really need to stealth with it as well, which might not be pure mage enough for you. If I am not in stealth mode things pinpoint me almost immediately and eat my face.

» Sun Dec 04, 2011 10:35 pm

Impact and summons. That's all you need. Armor is not the answer.

» Sun Dec 04, 2011 11:50 pm

2) press alt and run+sprint while u dont have mana to cast things

1) Make alot potions

» Sun Dec 04, 2011 4:07 pm

Impact and summons. That's all you need. Armor is not the answer.

At his level I think avoiding dual casting is better, it eats way to much mana. A situational stagger here and there to get some more distance is always useful though.

» Mon Dec 05, 2011 5:33 am

Defend yourself? Your enemies don't even need to see you. In a cave cast Fury from far away, sit back and watch them kill each other. This also works on Dreugr I think. Or you can kill an Orc, then re-animate with zombie for an ally. I am at early stages but can see most of the problems which people mention (scaling for example) are down to not being able to use magic properly. I haven't tried illusion yet, but as far as I can see (level 6) there are no problems with magic in the game.

» Mon Dec 05, 2011 6:48 am

Well, get the Mage Armor perk to beef up the armor spells, and wards will also add to your defense against melee attacks, they just don't totally negate it like they do magic.

And get a companion. If you're like me and don't have much interest in Conjuration, a companion is damn-near essential to a mage.

» Sun Dec 04, 2011 10:01 pm

At his level I think avoiding dual casting is better, it eats way to much mana. A situational stagger here and there to get some more distance is always useful though.

It doesn't eat that much mana. He won't be able to fight a frost troll efficiently, but he'll still kill most things he encounters before he runs out.

» Mon Dec 05, 2011 3:49 am

If you are a pure mage you should be using charm spells, summoning creatures, using frenzy so they kill each other before you even have to use a direct damage spell.

» Mon Dec 05, 2011 4:37 am

Thanks guys. Currently I have a lot of points in Conjuration, so my familiars and stuff last a lot longer...

» Mon Dec 05, 2011 7:14 am

its not so much in a mages nature to physically defend himself.. but you must create distractions and be quick on your feet. instead of circleing enemies coming at me, try placing runes down, using shouts to keep your distance. also sprinting is your friend. dont be afraid to turn around and sprint back a few yards to increase your distance. dont bother with oakflesh or those other spells, they are pointless, and waste precious magicka that you could be using to do real damage.

» Mon Dec 05, 2011 4:57 am

My strategy is to conjure a flame atronach, and then dual wield one destructive spell (sparks for mages and fire for everything else). With a lot of help from the atronach, I usually take down most enemies before they have a chance to get much damage on me.

» Mon Dec 05, 2011 12:02 am

Dual Wield A Pair of Fireball Staffs. You will Desimate Almost Anything.

» Mon Dec 05, 2011 6:55 am

summoning and enchanting should definitely help

» Mon Dec 05, 2011 3:42 am

I just need help... I'm assuming I should cast:

Oaken Flesh for Melee Opponents
A Ward for Enemy Mages

And then what else? With 0 armor I just find myself getting wrecked all over the place unless I conjure up a familiar/atronach and just run away from opponents.

There has to be a better way. Just level up perks in Mage Armor? (I'm level 13 by the way)

Don't waste your time or magicka on wards. They are wasteful and pretty much any other use of your magicka is more efficient.

You need a tank to draw aggro for you so you can pew pew pew tougher enemies to death while they are busy.

» Sun Dec 04, 2011 10:07 pm

Since Morrowind the best option against casters was either absorption stacking which I didn't see any on Skyrim gear(but there's the 100 alteration perk which gives you 30% absorption, but keep in mind the more magic resistanc you get the less effective absorption becomes) so I'd say magical resistance stacking is the way to go, you shouldn't worry about melee tho it's trivial to avoid it. You have so much crazy that it shouldn't be a problem, just you can't focus on destruction mainly illusion and alternation are great fillers to make the mage complete.

» Sun Dec 04, 2011 5:05 pm

Or do what I do and Dual-Wield two Dremora Lords.

» Mon Dec 05, 2011 1:56 am

Don't waste your time or magicka on wards. They are wasteful and pretty much any other use of your magicka is more efficient.

Except during dragon fights; wards are a friggin' godsend in dragon fights.

» Mon Dec 05, 2011 12:08 am

You survive by not getting hit. Mages more than any other character need to perfect WASD skills where you sidestep, dodge & kite enemies while killing them.

» Sun Dec 04, 2011 3:16 pm

Don't waste your time or magicka on wards. They are wasteful and pretty much any other use of your magicka is more efficient.

You need a tank to draw aggro for you so you can pew pew pew tougher enemies to death while they are busy.

Yeah, Bethesda needs to really reduce the magicka cost of wards because it's more effective at this point to just heal the damage you take than to waste all your magicka trying to block a few spells. Or maybe they should make it drain magicka only on hits and not a constant drain. It needs some kind of fixing, that's for sure, whether from Bethesda or through the Creation Kit.

» Mon Dec 05, 2011 6:32 am

Use summons. Get Impact from the destruction tree. Bypass alteration except for the +30% magic defense. Don't let melee approach you. Use Fus Ro Dah to knock them back if they get close.

» Mon Dec 05, 2011 12:38 am

Don't forget to use your shouts. Unrelenting force or that one that freezes people solid are invaluable.