In the past, I have always played a stealthy thief/archer or a sword and board type of mele character, however a few days ago I thought i would try something different. After much thought, I came up with what i find to be a very fun and risky mage build that has actually peaked my interest in this game back to what it was when the game was launched, and i figured i would share it with you all. I hope some of you try it out because it has been a blast for me so far (im up to level 25 at this point)

Race: High Elf (You could use a Breton if you wanted too, but i wouldn't reccommend it...high born is essential for this build)

Class: Robed Mage

Armor: Robes (With the fastest regen rate you can find, and Destrution Cast reduce if possible)

Standing Stone: The Apprentice Stone.

Primary Skills: Destruction and Conjuration (Focus on Fire and Frost magic Augmented perks, ignore Shock..more on why below)

Secondary Skills: Alteration, Restoration, and Alchemy

Exact build and perks here http://skyrimcalculator.com/#57131

Notes about this build:

This build DOES NOT use armor of any kind...as i said...its a risky playstyle...so no armor....although you will get Mage armor which is good enough because again....your not meant to mele at all....in very very rare cases when you have no choice to mele you should have your opponent weakened enough to produce a bound sword to finish him off if you must....and Mage Armor/flesh spells will allow you to withstand a few hits so you don't die before you can back off you flee and regroup.


This build focuses on Fire and Frost Magic for a few reasons. They are cheaper to cast them Shock Magic. Also Any enemie that resists fire is weak to frost, and any enemies that resist frost are weak to fire.....I know outside of Storm Atronachs, that no enemies resist Shock, but no enemies are really weak to Shock either...in the case you need to use shock spells, your shock spells will be good enough to get the job done....Frost Spells are great against heavily armored mele warriors who you DO NOT want closing to mele range with you...the slow effect works wonders, and the stamina drains prevents them from spamming power attacks that can kill you easily....The fire spells are good all purpose spells, the Fear effect of Intense Flames can save you when you are outnumbered removing an enemy from the battle by them fleeing, Also Fire rocks against Undead, Vampires, etc. The Paralyse effect of Deep Freeze can buy you precious time to divert attention to another incoming enemy, kill the paralyzed guy quickly, or even flee if your health is low....If you really want to use shock thats fine, but IMO your better served with Fire and Ice...ice is so under-rated in this game...I know a lot of enemies resist it, but the Slow effect is wonderful, and not all bandits and such are Nords...many of them are Redguards, Wood Elfs,Dark Elves and Orcs which your frost spells will work quite well on. For the Nords you got Fire.

Rune Spells are ESSENTIAL to this build when exploring Crypts and dungeons.....ALWAYS plan your escape route in advance, Lie Runes behind you as you trek through the cave, if you are swarmed with superior numbers back off and draw them into your runes while your Magicka recharges...Runes are the most under-rated magic in the game...I just completed the Gaulder Legend and Runes so saved my rear end....use them....they can save your bacon at a time when any otherwise you may get killed.

The Apprentice Stone is a MUST for this build...it doubles your magicka recover rate..this is different then Mana Regen you get from robes...You will notice a significant difference in how fast your magicka recovers DURING BATTLES with the Apprentice Stone...it feels like a "lesser version of High Born" The Magika Regen offered by the Apprentice Stone is better then any Robe you can get in the game, the Robe just supplements it....this allows you to save your High Born uses for when you really really need them such as against bosses, dragons, and the like when High Born may be the difference between life and death.

The Apprentice Stone will give you a 100% weakness to magic....this is why i said the playstyle is risky, however its not as bad as it sounds...Wards are your friend....you must use wards...the minute you see another enemy such a drauger thats hand shows signs of an ice spell equip a Ward right away....even if your ward breaks, you have negated most of the damage....the increased magic recovery from The Apprentice Stone will allow you to spam summons or spam raising corpses to take the attention off you....

Alchemy is chosen over enchanting believe it or not because IMO it has more utility uses for this build (since your not going to be wearing any armor of any kind but robes) this will allow you to always have a good stock of healing, magicka, and resist fire, frost, shock, and magic poitions on hand for when you really need them.

The goal of this build is to have a fast mana regen rate, the ability to spam spells effectivly, and make you feel the true mage expereince...

you MUST think ahead time and plan ahead of time to play this build....you can not rush into battle like you normally would on any other character, you WILL DIE you must be cautious...and draw the enemies into your Runes, summon Atronachs as distractions, raise corpses for meatsheilds, switch from missle spells to Sparks, Frostbite, or Flames while maintaining a ward when enemies do close upclose after you have weakended them with missle destruction...switching to spells with less magic cost when your mana is beginning to drain and it doesn't hurt to have a follower...one that will not stand the way of your spells such as another mage or a Archer....however a heavy plate armor tank companion can work well too

This is a flexible build, you could change Alchemy for Enchanting if you wish, and focus soley on Shock or Fire Spells and drop the other two and perhaps drop a perk or two from alchemy if you wish....this is a decision you will have to make there.

I know you cna wear armor, I know you can enchant gear to get free Destuction casting...but thats not the goal of this build...the goal of this build is to expereince the mage experience....to be mortal...to have weakness, to not be god like...to make you have to "plan" your course of action each and every time...you won't have an unlimited mana pool....if you over-extend yourself and run out of options or blindly rush into battle you will die, if you fail to use wards against other spell casters, you will die....however...when you finish that dungeon, when you beat that boss, it will be so satisfying that you pulled off....as a mere mortal spell caster....

Knowing when to switch to your weaker Flames, Frostbite, or Sparks spells, summon a Bound Sword, or fleeing behind your runes is essential for this build...in caves, and crypts you will spam Runes...its part of the gig....your mana is limited...and your only armor is flesh spells...your weak to magic and you will need wards....your advantage is a very fast Magicka Regen, and a hige pool of Magic....as for leveling...you should do 4 to Magicka for every 1 to health....you can never have enough magicka...every ones in awhile throw one into Stamina....so you can flee if need be and to increase your carry weight a little. Since your wearing robes, you won't have the armor taking on to your carry weight.

So if anyone wants to try this build or something simliair to it...please let me know...post your thoughts here...I just never seen many people using the Apprentice Stone and Robes and it seems to be kinda under-rated...sure you will get one shotted sometimes if you don't get a ward up in time, and you will die sometimes...but this build makes me re-think my strategies....and approach different situations in different ways!

In the past, I have always played a stealthy thief/archer or a sword and board type of mele character, however a few days ago I thought i would try something different. After much thought, I came up with what i find to be a very fun and risky mage build that has actually peaked my interest in this game back to what it was when the game was launched, and i figured i would share it with you all. I hope some of you try it out because it has been a blast for me so far (im up to level 25 at this point)

Race: High Elf (You could use a Breton if you wanted too, but i wouldn't reccommend it...high born is essential for this build)

Class: Robed Mage

Armor: Robes (With the fastest regen rate you can find, and Destrution Cast reduce if possible)

Standing Stone: The Apprentice Stone.

Primary Skills: Destruction and Conjuration (Focus on Fire and Frost magic Augmented perks, ignore Shock..more on why below)

Secondary Skills: Alteration, Restoration, and Alchemy

Exact build and perks here http://skyrimcalculator.com/#57131

Notes about this build:

This build DOES NOT use armor of any kind...as i said...its a risky playstyle...so no armor....although you will get Mage armor which is good enough because again....your not meant to mele at all....in very very rare cases when you have no choice to mele you should have your opponent weakened enough to produce a bound sword to finish him off if you must....and Mage Armor/flesh spells will allow you to withstand a few hits so you don't die before you can back off you flee and regroup.


This build focuses on Fire and Frost Magic for a few reasons. They are cheaper to cast them Shock Magic. Also Any enemie that resists fire is weak to frost, and any enemies that resist frost are weak to fire.....I know outside of Storm Atronachs, that no enemies resist Shock, but no enemies are really weak to Shock either...in the case you need to use shock spells, your shock spells will be good enough to get the job done....Frost Spells are great against heavily armored mele warriors who you DO NOT want closing to mele range with you...the slow effect works wonders, and the stamina drains prevents them from spamming power attacks that can kill you easily....The fire spells are good all purpose spells, the Fear effect of Intense Flames can save you when you are outnumbered removing an enemy from the battle by them fleeing, Also Fire rocks against Undead, Vampires, etc. The Paralyse effect of Deep Freeze can buy you precious time to divert attention to another incoming enemy, kill the paralyzed guy quickly, or even flee if your health is low....If you really want to use shock thats fine, but IMO your better served with Fire and Ice...ice is so under-rated in this game...I know a lot of enemies resist it, but the Slow effect is wonderful, and not all bandits and such are Nords...many of them are Redguards, Wood Elfs,Dark Elves and Orcs which your frost spells will work quite well on. For the Nords you got Fire.

Rune Spells are ESSENTIAL to this build when exploring Crypts and dungeons.....ALWAYS plan your escape route in advance, Lie Runes behind you as you trek through the cave, if you are swarmed with superior numbers back off and draw them into your runes while your Magicka recharges...Runes are the most under-rated magic in the game...I just completed the Gaulder Legend and Runes so saved my rear end....use them....they can save your bacon at a time when any otherwise you may get killed.

The Apprentice Stone is a MUST for this build...it doubles your magicka recover rate..this is different then Mana Regen you get from robes...You will notice a significant difference in how fast your magicka recovers DURING BATTLES with the Apprentice Stone...it feels like a "lesser version of High Born" The Magika Regen offered by the Apprentice Stone is better then any Robe you can get in the game, the Robe just supplements it....this allows you to save your High Born uses for when you really really need them such as against bosses, dragons, and the like when High Born may be the difference between life and death.

The Apprentice Stone will give you a 100% weakness to magic....this is why i said the playstyle is risky, however its not as bad as it sounds...Wards are your friend....you must use wards...the minute you see another enemy such a drauger thats hand shows signs of an ice spell equip a Ward right away....even if your ward breaks, you have negated most of the damage....the increased magic recovery from The Apprentice Stone will allow you to spam summons or spam raising corpses to take the attention off you....

Alchemy is chosen over enchanting believe it or not because IMO it has more utility uses for this build (since your not going to be wearing any armor of any kind but robes) this will allow you to always have a good stock of healing, magicka, and resist fire, frost, shock, and magic poitions on hand for when you really need them.

The goal of this build is to have a fast mana regen rate, the ability to spam spells effectivly, and make you feel the true mage expereince...

you MUST think ahead time and plan ahead of time to play this build....you can not rush into battle like you normally would on any other character, you WILL DIE you must be cautious...and draw the enemies into your Runes, summon Atronachs as distractions, raise corpses for meatsheilds, switch from missle spells to Sparks, Frostbite, or Flames while maintaining a ward when enemies do close upclose after you have weakended them with missle destruction...switching to spells with less magic cost when your mana is beginning to drain and it doesn't hurt to have a follower...one that will not stand the way of your spells such as another mage or a Archer....however a heavy plate armor tank companion can work well too

This is a flexible build, you could change Alchemy for Enchanting if you wish, and focus soley on Shock or Fire Spells and drop the other two and perhaps drop a perk or two from alchemy if you wish....this is a decision you will have to make there.

I know you cna wear armor, I know you can enchant gear to get free Destuction casting...but thats not the goal of this build...the goal of this build is to expereince the mage experience....to be mortal...to have weakness, to not be god like...to make you have to "plan" your course of action each and every time...you won't have an unlimited mana pool....if you over-extend yourself and run out of options or blindly rush into battle you will die, if you fail to use wards against other spell casters, you will die....however...when you finish that dungeon, when you beat that boss, it will be so satisfying that you pulled off....as a mere mortal spell caster....

Knowing when to switch to your weaker Flames, Frostbite, or Sparks spells, summon a Bound Sword, or fleeing behind your runes is essential for this build...in caves, and crypts you will spam Runes...its part of the gig....your mana is limited...and your only armor is flesh spells...your weak to magic and you will need wards....your advantage is a very fast Magicka Regen, and a hige pool of Magic....as for leveling...you should do 4 to Magicka for every 1 to health....you can never have enough magicka...every ones in awhile throw one into Stamina....so you can flee if need be and to increase your carry weight a little. Since your wearing robes, you won't have the armor taking on to your carry weight.

So if anyone wants to try this build or something simliair to it...please let me know...post your thoughts here...I just never seen many people using the Apprentice Stone and Robes and it seems to be kinda under-rated...sure you will get one shotted sometimes if you don't get a ward up in time, and you will die sometimes...but this build makes me re-think my strategies....and approach different situations in different ways!

I'm running a character close to this. In fact mages are always my favorite and first choice.

I wanted to add a couple counter points to your post, respectfully of course. Some are in line with what Ronin typed. First I think you over rate frost and under rate shock. Shock spells have no travel time and with disintegrate you effectively lowered all enemies HP by 15%. Also u mention the threat that other mages pose but neglect that shock spells damage magicka.

I'm playin with all the mage skills and alchemy. Illusion is super useful. I feel powerful and mags like when I clear a room of 4 enemies with 2 frenzy spells and an atronach to clean up. No danger or harm whatsoever to myself there.

Good build and good advice. Just wanted to throw in some other ideas. I'm actually focusing in fire, shock and conjugation. I will get frost perks when possible.

This doesn't seem that different from a Pure Mage approach.

No weapons. No magic.

What's risky about playing this way?

Nothing really. Like any style you just have to understand what you're doing and the way magicka works varies enough from "Morrowind" and "Oblivion" that the internet using gamer who's used to knowing everything actually doesn't until they've worked with it a little.

Azrael
The Nord with the Sword

In the past, I have always played a stealthy thief/archer or a sword and board type of mele character, however a few days ago I thought i would try something different. After much thought, I came up with what i find to be a very fun and risky mage build that has actually peaked my interest in this game back to what it was when the game was launched, and i figured i would share it with you all. I hope some of you try it out because it has been a blast for me so far (im up to level 25 at this point)

Race: High Elf (You could use a Breton if you wanted too, but i wouldn't reccommend it...high born is essential for this build)

Class: Robed Mage

Armor: Robes (With the fastest regen rate you can find, and Destrution Cast reduce if possible)

Standing Stone: The Apprentice Stone.

Primary Skills: Destruction and Conjuration (Focus on Fire and Frost magic Augmented perks, ignore Shock..more on why below)

Secondary Skills: Alteration, Restoration, and Alchemy

Exact build and perks here http://skyrimcalculator.com/#57131

Notes about this build:

This build DOES NOT use armor of any kind...as i said...its a risky playstyle...so no armor....although you will get Mage armor which is good enough because again....your not meant to mele at all....in very very rare cases when you have no choice to mele you should have your opponent weakened enough to produce a bound sword to finish him off if you must....and Mage Armor/flesh spells will allow you to withstand a few hits so you don't die before you can back off you flee and regroup.


This build focuses on Fire and Frost Magic for a few reasons. They are cheaper to cast them Shock Magic. Also Any enemie that resists fire is weak to frost, and any enemies that resist frost are weak to fire.....I know outside of Storm Atronachs, that no enemies resist Shock, but no enemies are really weak to Shock either...in the case you need to use shock spells, your shock spells will be good enough to get the job done....Frost Spells are great against heavily armored mele warriors who you DO NOT want closing to mele range with you...the slow effect works wonders, and the stamina drains prevents them from spamming power attacks that can kill you easily....The fire spells are good all purpose spells, the Fear effect of Intense Flames can save you when you are outnumbered removing an enemy from the battle by them fleeing, Also Fire rocks against Undead, Vampires, etc. The Paralyse effect of Deep Freeze can buy you precious time to divert attention to another incoming enemy, kill the paralyzed guy quickly, or even flee if your health is low....If you really want to use shock thats fine, but IMO your better served with Fire and Ice...ice is so under-rated in this game...I know a lot of enemies resist it, but the Slow effect is wonderful, and not all bandits and such are Nords...many of them are Redguards, Wood Elfs,Dark Elves and Orcs which your frost spells will work quite well on. For the Nords you got Fire.

Rune Spells are ESSENTIAL to this build when exploring Crypts and dungeons.....ALWAYS plan your escape route in advance, Lie Runes behind you as you trek through the cave, if you are swarmed with superior numbers back off and draw them into your runes while your Magicka recharges...Runes are the most under-rated magic in the game...I just completed the Gaulder Legend and Runes so saved my rear end....use them....they can save your bacon at a time when any otherwise you may get killed.

The Apprentice Stone is a MUST for this build...it doubles your magicka recover rate..this is different then Mana Regen you get from robes...You will notice a significant difference in how fast your magicka recovers DURING BATTLES with the Apprentice Stone...it feels like a "lesser version of High Born" The Magika Regen offered by the Apprentice Stone is better then any Robe you can get in the game, the Robe just supplements it....this allows you to save your High Born uses for when you really really need them such as against bosses, dragons, and the like when High Born may be the difference between life and death.

The Apprentice Stone will give you a 100% weakness to magic....this is why i said the playstyle is risky, however its not as bad as it sounds...Wards are your friend....you must use wards...the minute you see another enemy such a drauger thats hand shows signs of an ice spell equip a Ward right away....even if your ward breaks, you have negated most of the damage....the increased magic recovery from The Apprentice Stone will allow you to spam summons or spam raising corpses to take the attention off you....

Alchemy is chosen over enchanting believe it or not because IMO it has more utility uses for this build (since your not going to be wearing any armor of any kind but robes) this will allow you to always have a good stock of healing, magicka, and resist fire, frost, shock, and magic poitions on hand for when you really need them.

The goal of this build is to have a fast mana regen rate, the ability to spam spells effectivly, and make you feel the true mage expereince...

you MUST think ahead time and plan ahead of time to play this build....you can not rush into battle like you normally would on any other character, you WILL DIE you must be cautious...and draw the enemies into your Runes, summon Atronachs as distractions, raise corpses for meatsheilds, switch from missle spells to Sparks, Frostbite, or Flames while maintaining a ward when enemies do close upclose after you have weakended them with missle destruction...switching to spells with less magic cost when your mana is beginning to drain and it doesn't hurt to have a follower...one that will not stand the way of your spells such as another mage or a Archer....however a heavy plate armor tank companion can work well too

This is a flexible build, you could change Alchemy for Enchanting if you wish, and focus soley on Shock or Fire Spells and drop the other two and perhaps drop a perk or two from alchemy if you wish....this is a decision you will have to make there.

I know you cna wear armor, I know you can enchant gear to get free Destuction casting...but thats not the goal of this build...the goal of this build is to expereince the mage experience....to be mortal...to have weakness, to not be god like...to make you have to "plan" your course of action each and every time...you won't have an unlimited mana pool....if you over-extend yourself and run out of options or blindly rush into battle you will die, if you fail to use wards against other spell casters, you will die....however...when you finish that dungeon, when you beat that boss, it will be so satisfying that you pulled off....as a mere mortal spell caster....

Knowing when to switch to your weaker Flames, Frostbite, or Sparks spells, summon a Bound Sword, or fleeing behind your runes is essential for this build...in caves, and crypts you will spam Runes...its part of the gig....your mana is limited...and your only armor is flesh spells...your weak to magic and you will need wards....your advantage is a very fast Magicka Regen, and a hige pool of Magic....as for leveling...you should do 4 to Magicka for every 1 to health....you can never have enough magicka...every ones in awhile throw one into Stamina....so you can flee if need be and to increase your carry weight a little. Since your wearing robes, you won't have the armor taking on to your carry weight.

So if anyone wants to try this build or something simliair to it...please let me know...post your thoughts here...I just never seen many people using the Apprentice Stone and Robes and it seems to be kinda under-rated...sure you will get one shotted sometimes if you don't get a ward up in time, and you will die sometimes...but this build makes me re-think my strategies....and approach different situations in different ways!

Thanks guys!

This can be at times a difficult build...The Apprentice Stone will make you a Mele Warrior/Heavy Armor/Archer's worst nightmare, but you will have to be wary of enemy casters and Dragons...due to the weakness to magic the Apprentice Stone gives...but IMO its a fair trade...you need that faster Magicka Recover rate...you will notice your Mana bar refills much much faster during battles where it really counts...this allows you to spam more spells....its very risky...this build is totally full blown offense go for broke.

If you can find any Resist Magic gear, use it (or enchant it if you prefer Enchant over Alchemy). note though that you can create some pretty powerful resist magic potions via alchemy to use in situations where you really need them. Also completing the Temple quest in Riften will help offset some of your weaknesses. Glad you guys liked it, I'll try and update this thread to let folks know how its going at higher levels.