Just decided to see which people prefer. I prefer the torches because they make you feel like a real adventurer going through the night and you can see your guy hold them in first person. Also I prefer the normal fire light of the torch not some glowing White orb.

Candlelight. I miss nighteye from Oblivion. Yes, I know about khajiits.

Candlelight makes visibility even worse in first person. I have to switch to 3rd person to see anything.

Torches win it for me, but I only carry about 2, so i'm always left to resort to magic.

Candleight and Mage's Light. One allows me to localize light somewhere (even on a companion!) and the other lights me up.

... Just wish I could turn it off whenever I wanted.

I prefer giving my follower a torch or not having any extra light at all.

I tend to prefer torch light, myself. Even in 3rd person, I find Candlelight to be rather glaring. Unfortunately it's a bit difficult to carry a torch while using a two-handed weapon.

Candle light is cooler, but its a little akward in 1st person, and, since bethesda decided to scrap dispell, I cant put it away if I have it on in a dungon,but need to hide from an enemy.

Honestly,I wish they had made it like default "healing" where you hold the button down, and the light would stay in your hand for as long as you hold the button down(but it would still only cost 3 magika).

I find that a torch provides a nicer light, but candlelight lights the room better. I'll choose candlelight over a torch, but it depends on what my character wants to use.

I perfer the way torch light looks but it is more of a hassle. Gets put away while mining, has wieght, burns out after a while. Candlelight is more user friendly but the light color/brightness is annoying to look at.

I can cast candlelight then switch to another spell or a shield, so it doesn't tie up my hand. I can cast whenever I want. The downside is that sometimes you need to put your light away and can't.... that is when I use invisibility so my enemy just sees a random glowing light.... then the light slits their throat .

Torch I have to leave in that hand so I can't do anything else. Torch also has weight, and eventually dies so I have to get a new one.

So I prefer candle light.

On my Warrior I used Torches, on my Assassin I used nothing, and on my Mage I used spells (Candlelight/Magelight).

Candlelight. I like the way they gave the light spells a visible light source now. There's few better ways to look like a true mage than to have a hovering light following you around.

Torches have a nicer light IMO, but they feel like a hassle to use sometimes. I like that Candlelight is "fire and forget," or "fire and rearm your shield." I also like Magelight, because it's handy to simply shoot into an area you want to search and then rearm yourself.

I personally prefer Candlelight, as it doesn't use up space in my inventory or hand. And I don't have quite so much glare as I prefer gaming with brightness turned down, to add to the experience.

Been playing since release (but only 310 hours so far) and have never used a torch. I use candle light or nothing. Usually candle light. And I have my brightness turned almost all the way down so it gets a little harder for characters who don't use it.

Vampirism. You get a toggleable night eye spell under "powers" section. Only downside is it takes up the spot for shouts (on the 360 anyways).

As a High Elf I prefer candle light. There was a book I read where the ancient mer hated fire due to its reference to death or evil so all of their ruins were lit by candle light--some lore.

I don't find one or the other to be better; it depends on how I'm playing. Obviously, playing a mage, I'll prefer candle light. The nice thing about it is that i can cast it and it'll stay out with both hands free. I don't find the light particularly glaring most of the time, and have no trouble with first person.

Obviously, playing something else, I go with a torch... but because my other character uses two-handed swords, I only generally have the torch out after I've cleared a room. It'd be nice if the game had a functionality where I have the torch out when my sword is sheathed, would put it away when drawing my sword, and the torch would automatically come out once I'd sheathed it again.

Torch light.

Candlelight is nice in that it allows you use of both hands, but I hate it in first-person, it sometimes makes it more difficult to see things. Torches are better as far as seeing in the dark goes, but the downside is that you can't hold anything else in that hand.

Magelight trumps both of them and is amazing because you can stick it on objects/people!

If I didn't hate relying on followers, I'd just get them to hold the torches for me though.

The candlelight spell keeps both hands free while you're exploring, of course, but the light, although pretty, seems artificial just like an electric light. At times I prefer the rustic yellow glow from a fire, so I use both.

It's good that the game still caters to mage and non-mage types alike in this regard. Along those lines I would have liked to see a mage-type alternative to lockpicks like in previous games, but that's another topic entirely.

That I didn't know about. Thanks for the heads up. I'll try a vampire character . . . sometime. In general, I think their Skyrim incarnation is icky.

Before I moved to PC, the game was just too bright on the 360. This is with a TV setting of "normal" brightness (if there is such a thing) I guess 50% and the game set at 50%. I very seldom found the need for either. When I did it was just easy to use a spell,

Now I am on the PC and use a mod to make the nights darker, thus it is pitch black when cloudy. And ALL dungeons and caves are completely dark in most areas. Great stuff indeed. I am now forced to carry a torch, lantern (mod) , or use a spell.

I carry a lantern in the inventory at all times. It is not as bright as the torch, but it doesn't burn out and I can put it away when sneaking.

my xbox tends to crash when I use candlelight, especially in blackreach

as long as u put away the torch before it burns out the timer will reset they last forever