Someone tell me some pros and cons about this skill. I am very new to this game and would like some pointers on it. I have used it before and yeah its pretty cool to just mess around with but in no way I would actually use it in battle.

Do some of the skills in this game give you the same feeling as illusion does for me?

Pro: It is very powerful if you keep it leveled and perked.

Con: You need to almost fully perked to keep it useful at higher levels.
It is kind of boring due to the very limited effects it has.

Illusion is potentially extremely powerful if you go out of your way to use it properly. You need to have a good sneaking skill, the ability to cast silently, and most of the illusion perks. The trick is to simply hide while continuously making your enemies fight each other for you, or else constantly calm your enemies so that they don't attack you while you run past (or hit them, calm them, hit them, calm them, etc. until they die.)

The problem is, if it works, it breaks the game. If it doesn't work, it's useless. There is no in-between.

People will vary on their comments, but I find two very useful - invisibility and clairvoyance. The latter will guide you if you are stuck somewhere such as a dungeon you can't find your way through or out of. I've had that happen a few times probably due to my playing in a bright room so I can't see the screen as well as if the room were dark. So I sometimes miss areas where the scene is dark.

Invisibility along with Sneak is a key to hitting hard or just bypassing an area full of foes you don't wish to contend with or can't defeat. Some others such as Calm obviously gives you a break from the action, but won't work later on. Invisibility is a higher level skill too and worth getting if you can get up that high. I also use Muffle as a way to Sneak a bit better.

Thank yall for the replies, and all I have is low level spells and have no idea where to get them! I have like the muffle, which is helpful, calm, and rage. I saw the master level spells and would like to have them but no store sells anything higher leveled. My illusion is 74 atm

Spamming muffle is a good (but exploitive) way to level illusion, also make sure to keep it perked up or else people will start resisting your rage/calm/fear spells. In my opinion Illusion is one of - if not the - best of the schools of magic.

Pros:
Combined with sneak you become almost untouchable while hidden, keep using frenzy against large groups (makes them attack each other) and then finish off the stragglers with dual wielding. On a single powerful enemy use calm then do a 15x dagger backstab.

Cons:
Useless against dragons.

It's like hellstromism or whatever you call it, when you can read people's body language and reciprocate suggestions. I've used it all my life, because I was quick to understand what others feel or think. Kind of like necromancy of the living if you are ever caught practicing it, but you can never be caught practicing it. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ekd5L3a1s68

It's a lonely path, but I love those who have those brains.

A side effect of giving the mrs. the credit card is that you can turn off the lights while she's gone

All daylight. Fine at night but my schedule (up at 0345) makes night play pretty limited.

BTW, how do you 'spam' Muffle?

...just keep casting it on your self

Oh, thanks.

Frenzy has a crazy fail rate. You're much better off with Pacify.

You get all the higher level spells from college of winterhold illusion trainer, or any other mage for that matter. The dude at dragonsreach or any other Hold's mage.

Master level spells have to come from Winterhold College.

I've been using the frenzy spells the entire game and they only ever consistently fail against city guards (due to the way in witch they level), as long as you keep putting perks into things like kindred mage and rage you should be fine, also there are 3 different levels of frenzy (Fury - Novice -, Frenzy - Adept -, Mayhem - Master ) which one are you using?, what level are you? and what illusion perks do you have?

Good tip ... I've been using Fury all the time and failing, which is a real pain on a sneaking character. Looks like I'll need a trip to Winterhold to see if they have the new level in stock ... I've just got Illusion to level 50 for Quiet Casting, but the spells have been slow in coming into the teachers.

Also, Courage is a great way to level Illusion because you can cast it repeatedly on friendly NPCs and it costs very little mana.

Calm is great in the wilderness if you don't want to have to fight bears and cats. You get some funny comments from humanoids as well when you Calm them. (e.g. "Well, that spell didn't do anything!")

Glad I could help :biggrin:, I've never really tried using courage before (I dont use companions =/) so thanks for the tip - and yea calm is great for that, but I like turning invisible then backstabbing them after :chaos: