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!

Wow I could never do this (granted I hate all forms of magic) but I applaud you for it. It seems very difficult.

Sounds fun, might try this for my first mage build since I never really use anything but alteration/destruction and low level conjuration will serve their purpose as mere distractions.

I use all forms of magic and have only put 5 pounds into health at lvl 40. I also incorporate 1h and sneak in, but I still use wards and lots of destruction. I use shock mainly cuz I've used it in past titles and loved it along with fire. I might have to try out the apprentice stone as I'm rolling a glass cannon and the regen sounds nice,

I'm gonna try something like this on my next playthrough. Thanks for the thought-out post!

I'm already running almost the same thing. No armor, bound weapons (though I've just added a single weapon since I just got the perk that makes all bound weapons continually cast Soul Trap and there are time when you don't want to Soul Trap), focused on Alchemy, so far focused on Disenchant rather than Enchant, with just enough Smithing to keep my follower alive. And yes, it's a heck of a lot of fun. I'm using the Mage stone atm (I'm right at lvl 20) and oh: I'm a Breton (gotta love that magic resistance and Dragonskin). Funny thing: I find myself leveling much faster than I did with my archer/thief. It's got to do with Conjuring all those bound weapons and those body armor spells, I think.

i have yet to play a magic character (in fact, i rarely do in any games) but, when i do it's always with robes. pure mages and armor don't mix with me and using magic and not being a mage just doesn't feel right.

thanx for the info. i'll definitely reread your post when i do get to my mage character.

sounds like a good alternative to when i play DiD.

I've done something similar. Playing on Expert with a cloth wearing Breton mage. I specialize in Necromancy, Shock spells, alteration, and restoration. wanted to stick to one destruction art so I chose shock since nothing is strong against it (then again nothing is weak to it). Alteration is my only armor and restoration is my only means if healing since I health potions are off limits (I don't even carry them or pick them up). I occasionally have had to use a fire atronach at lower levels due to the game killing my zombies at ever interior cell change, it was so sad when I had one of the bosses from Lost Legend and he melted upon cell change, but I refuse anything above a fire atronach and I'll only make occasional use of them until conjuration is high enough to have my Thralls stick around.

I only pick Magicka when I level, so far I have 400 magicka and 100 health and stamina. This combined with my no fast travel rule, I only take the carriages, makes just stepping out of town incredibly dangerous. I'm around level 27 and a wolf pack is still a serious danger, ice wolves are even more so, any bear can take me in two hits with my flesh armor and the saber cats one hit me, it's really quite sad lol. Getting to the college on foot was an incredible adventure st level 5 or whatever I was at, really took a long time and I died a bunch trying to figure my build out.

I've added in some enchanting so I can make some of thee better looking clothes useful since the robes are so ugly. Also gonna add in smithing so I can make some decent gear to equip my thralls with.

Doing a squishy mage build has been a ton of fun, I'm incredibly powerful when I have a bandit chief or named mob thrall, however if someone gets near me I die very promptly. The excitement is really amped up for this play through, every engagement requires a new strategy and when most traps or wild creatures can easily kill you you're constantly on edge.

Also Op I agree with you, runes are incredibly useful and incredibly underrated.

Cool to see a detailed build post.

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.

since, i like to give myself 2-3 primary skills that i can max and 2-4 minor (50ish max) i'll definitely consider enchant and/or alchemy.

for me, total magicka matters to cast certain spells, but, regeneration speed during combat is what i care about.

again, good stuff.

Shock is good for dragon killing...

Instant travel + never resisted makes it a safe and reliable dragon killer.... and with enough cost reduc.... the cost difference in elements is negligible.

More importantly than making hitting easier with instant travel... it also makes it easier to prevent dragons from EVER getting off a breath attack using impact chaining... DON'T spam as fast as possible, and in fact regen as much as you can between shots instead. When you see the dragon recover from the last blast and rear back to try breathing again.... dual-cast. Rinse and repeat for easy dragon kills.

I'm running a similar character

Just got the Apprentice stone..... makes ALL the difference in the world with combat magicka regen. I think it doubles after ALL OTHER bonuses have been applied... so archmage robes + resto perk + Apprentice stone = 450% normal regen (100% base + 100% robes + 25% perk = 225% w/o stone.... doubled = 450%)

At least, it seems to work that way...

Did this.

Master difficulty level. No armor. I actually thought I'd be using bound weapons, but haven't ended up really needing them. Didn't use the Apprentice Stone either. Went Enchant instead of Alchemy, and it's a good idea to work through the Wizard College questline to get the Archmage Robes as quickly as you can.

This build basically involves a lot of running and making sure you have a nice, aggressive melee-loving follower as a meatshield. Conjuring Fire Atronachs (sp?) is a cost-effective way to buy some time too.

And to be honest, enemy melee attacks and magic will kill you quick, but much more dangerous are opponents who are good with their bows. A single arrow from a skilled opponent can and will kill you, so you have to continuously dance around to dodge them while lobbing firebolts.

It's a fun way to play though. I've just hit level 25 with a pure mage build on MAster difficulty, and to me it seems like fights are finally becoming easier than they were at lower levels.

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.

Definitely the bound sword. I made a dual bound sword wielding Redguard and saw my conjuration from from 17 into the mid 20's after a few fights. I always put away/dispel the swords after a fight and recast on the next fight. Early levels go up very quickly casting this spell.

Awesome Ronin! It seems like the Apprentice Stone was one of the biggest kept secrets in this game! I think many folks were afraid of it because of the weaknesses it gives you, but The Riften Temple Quests + the perks in alteration for Magic Resistance + any generic resist magic ring, etc you cna find in loot or shops negates a good portion of the weaknesses. Potions of Resisit element or magic when the need arises. The Apprentice Stone allows you to just cast more magic without having to resort to fortifying free destruction.

good to know about the Shock on Dragons...i will have to try that...my shock spells work just fine without the perks in them...i have been using a Staff + a Ward on Dragons and it works pretty well...makes you kinda feel like Gandolph the White!

that is how I play.. and lvling ok.. and kills fast.. it is a playstyle that suits me and my RP

Thanks! you made some good points, and yes i do under-rate shock to some degree...i may also over-rated Frost...but i'll explain why. I started using shock almost exclusivly the before i go to the points of picking perks...i decided to force myself to use Frost for a few levels...and it changed my mind completely! i used to think shock was the best magic, but after forcing myself to use Frost it changed my mind.

1. Frost has more utility then Shock- Frost is every bit as useful against mages as shock is, maybe even more so....the Slowing effect of Frost is HUGE....a famous man once said: "A foe who cna't move, can't fight" and this is completely true....I tested a dual-cast Ice Spike Speel against a giant at level 9...me using "no glitches mind you" no running on top of rocks, or anything....wide open plains...me and him...after two hits from a dual Cast Ice Spike...the giant could hardly walk...it took him 3 seconds to take 1 measley step...all the while im pelting him from range...and stepping back...I never had to sprint one time...he had no chance of being able to ever get close to me....thats a significant advantage...most enemies that resist Frost are undead, animals with ice/snow in their names, and nords....the other 70% of the creatures and people in this game are vulnerable to it...and its slow effect makes killing them very easy...it makes your margin of error much larger...the slow effect allows you to make a mistake and still survive...with the other magics..often times you make a mistake...or miss and you die....also The Slow effect of frost just makes it easier to hit your foes...which means you will miss with your spells less often....and that makes all the difference...even with shock being instant...the enemy can move right at the same time you pull the trigger and you can miss....once you land that first shot with ice...you pretty much have slowed them to the point you will never miss another cast.

2. The Stamina Drain - The Stamina drains not only prevents foes from power attacking like He-Man, but it also prevents a wounded foe from fleeing...other mages will fell when their health is low, healing themselves with potions..and then your forced into another fight with them...Frost spells prevent them from getting away from you...from fleeing behind cover.

For my build IMO i feel Frost to have a better value...Taking away the foes mobility with the slow effect(and later paralyze) i feel offers more of an advantage to me then the Instant hit, lesser damage, and magicka drain and disintegrate....i have only have 120 base health...my character can't afford to take a mele shot...Frost gives me 2 advantages which are:

The foes will not get close because he will be slowed big time.

If the Foe does close, I can easily outrun him while he is slowed...and i lead him right into a waiting rune to finish off what health they got left...i play a very crafty playstyle...I use Runes like no ones business...I spam those things...i always cover my tracks with runes and expect to flee when i get hit...leaving a Raised Corpse or Atronach in the fray...if my follwer goes down...and the enemy charges me i run behind my rune to finish them off....

I just noticed that by the time shock spells drain the foes magic they are dead anyways....I do use shock in some situations though like against Dwarven constructs (Since they are immune to Ice, but they also Resist Shock and Fire by 25% Magic Resistance) I also use Shock against Dragon Preists. So it does have its uses.

Your right though, I do under-value shock...and using this build once could swap Ice or fire for Shock and do just fine with it....I have just found Ice and the slow effect to be too good for me to pass up...since i do not use much illusion, its nice to be able to keep mele folks away from me by taking away their mobility...I will admit though...shock does work well against Dragons.

Excellent thread!!

Currently playing a Dectructo/Conj/Alchemist Breton Vampire with the Mage stone and loving it. Will probably start increasing Sneak/Illusion now at around lvl 10. Very challenging on Master, but it keeps the game very interesting, you have to think on your feet and be smart about how you plan your fights. (Frost specialty)

Highly, highly recommended to try!

Yup that's my Mage. Parked him at level 49, way OP. Fun to get out when friends come over.

No armor ever although I built some Dragonscale just for fun and to tryout smithing. Owns everthing real quick. Only my mighty Battlemage can put a Dragon away faster.

Once you can cast two Dremora Lords it's pretty well over. I can cast a Strom Atronach or two and knock Dragons down, then send in the clowns, uh Dremora Lords and it's over in seconds. I am quite powerful myself but I mostly just kite around adding support where needed, mostly sniping archers with lightning.

Lightning rules. Fire and frost are good but lightning saps Magika and only Mages are a problem for me. I use it almost exclusively although I just use lightning bolts. They are the sweet spot in cast Destruction. I can almost cast them forever and the higher level spells are only slightly more powerful while incurring much more Magika cost. With dual cast stagger it's all you need.

I have a similar robed mages build, with fire and frost magic, only I am using more illusion than conjuration and have the Atronach stone instead of the Apprentice. Makes fighting bandits and cave bears a little more challenging than your build but mages and other spellcasters pose no threat. The spell absorbtion works great, and keeps the Magicka full for full on mage battles, although it does gimp your ability to use summoning spells, as they will be absorbed.

What I think is great, and testament to how good this game actually is, is how a pure mage character like this can be just as viable (albeit, more/less difficult) as a pure warrior with 2 handed weapons, heavy armour and no spells. Or a thief/archer with alchemy/enchanting and no spells. Or most any mix of those really.

Just changed my now long time level 34 at the time Atronach Mage to using the Apprentice sign and I am loving it! I play with the Balanced Magic, tSSSS, LO-REbalanced, and PISE.Playing with these mods I have an extra 25% weakness of magic from being an Atlmer as well, but I also get a 100 Magicka boost from the sign too.
Before changing to this my mage would just breeze through everything, and Ancient Dragons were mere pests. Now it is a completely different story, I still destroy melee and range mobs but other spellcasters and dragons breath attacks destroy me! I mainly focus in Fire magic because of the more damage and I'm a little bit of a pyro but I switch out to Frost when I need to kite take out something that is strong against Fire. Because Balanaced Magic changes the Impact to only be 50% I now find all Dragons a challenge as I can't risk dual casting any offensive spell as I need that ward up!

This has changed and improved the way I play Skyrim. I recommend anyone who is thinking of playing a Mage to play it this way first as it is very rewarding.

[EDIT] Dang typos

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