I have been considering a mage role, but after my barbarian/necromancer I promise myself I was going to quit the hybrid all together even though this game caters to them for the most part.
I wanted to play a dedicated mage or pure mage as some call it. No armor or weapons, except the occasional staff. I'm having a really hard time deciding which magic schools to go into.

Basically I want to stay away from the enchanting/alchemy exploit, but wonder if just doing one would be ok or if they are even needed. I'm not very fond of the crafting disciplines, but some of the benefits seem ok, plus they both seem like a good for money if nothing else.

This is the build I been considering.

Destro/Alteration/ restoration or conjuration (I was thinking illusion but after looking into it sound a bit op)

Here are some questions.

1. Which would be better for a mage, Alchemy or Enchanting, do I need either? I was thinking of just making one of this two my third focus skill. The poisons that inflict weakness to elements seem cool but that means I have to use a weapon of some sort...sight

2. Is restoration really worth it. The obvious answer would be "DUH!" it heals you but wasting magic for a slow heal while a pot could do the same job instantly puts it into question. I have read mix reviews about the wards. The idea sounds great on paper but I have try one and found it again to be of occasional use. How do they do against dragons or late game mages? Does the "Warp Absorb" perk makes a big difference.

Any advice would be appreciated.

Anything with illusion or conjuration is doable, if your playing without armor and weapons you need crowd control to allow your pets or destruction spells the time to take them down.

Alteration is handy at higher levels, but hard to level before completing Labrinthyan.
Restoration is ok if your planning on fighting lots of undead, and there are lots in skyrim.

Restoration has a perk that actually gives you mana regen in battle.(I think. have not actualy tested.) Destruction becomes annoying to use in later levels do to spells stop becoming stronger. I've heard invisibility is screwed up, but I have not tested this. There is no spell creation, so magic is severely lacking in Skyrim.

My goal is Conjuration Illusion and Destruction. Seems plenty viable in theory. Maybe top it off with some enchanting and alteration.

Yes you can spend perks in Restoration on 25/50% mana regen, and as with all mana regen it works both in and out of combat.
You can also spend perks in alteration on 10/20/30% magic resist and 30% magic absorbtion.

There aren't really any passive perks in destruction or conjuration though, All their perks work by affecting spells. not sure about illusion, havent really used it.

I recently dusted off my mage and having a blast again. Basically the key to mage particularly if you playing a pure mage that only wears clothe and no melee weapons is not to get stuck in the front lines. Choose a good tanking companion like Lydia. Equip her with Heavy Armor & Sword and board. In addition grab the War Dog. You now have two party members taking aggro in the front lines for you, this does not include your conjured pets which will now make it party of 4.

If you want to hack and slash and fight on the front lines roll warrior. If you want to sit back and play the support role and watch your companions in action go mage.

thanks for the replies. I should had mention that im using a mod that improves destro and helps with the scaling issues of that skill so im not really worry about my fireballs losing their punch later on. But wonder how to compliment that skill with a more defensive option or to take one of the crafting skills like enchanting or alchemy.



you make a good point. cc is a must if im going to become this squishy

I read an interesting build in this forum but can find the post. Something like:

Illusion/Conjuration/Restoration

But is it worth it to take Restoration beyond mana regen? The more I look at this tree and the spells it offers the more I'm put off by it. I could see it as a good choice for a paladin type or any build that would use it as its only magic option but for what it offers it feels like everything it can do I can find an alternative that does it better.

I fear companions more than the bloody plague. While I can appreciated the idea behind it and what they were trying to do with their introduction, the bad AI just makes them a pain in the ass. There are certain traps you can't navigated them around, and they always charge into the fray if you are not constantly on top of them. At least with conjuration they eventually take the hint and disappear.

Destruction and conjuration seem to be the most important for me - Master difficulty.

Conjuration is very powerful as a mage, and as a plus its very easy to level. I certainly recommend it unless it isn't part of your play-style.
Same goes for illusion, again its up to your playstyle.

Those 2 are the most powerful for magick atm, and you can easily build a character around them without much trouble even on Master.


The rest of the skills are support skills and you can get what you like.