My Destruction skill is 33, and I am having some trouble killing relatively simple enemies, especially when there are three or four of them to contend with. Spells such as Flames and Sparks just don't cut it, and Lightning Bolt is difficult to use accurately, and it takes up a lot of mana. Are there any other Destruction spells that my mage would be able to use at the moment? If so, where can I find them? I've just had my ass handed to me repeatedly by a group of witches, and my Flame Atronarch wasn't much help.

I also get the feeling that I am missing out on some useful Alteration spells such as shield- where can I find those? Thanks.

Destruction mage is alot harder to play then archer and warrior. And mage takes more time to kill npcs then warrior,unsless you use mana potions

I visited the Jarl's mage in Whiterun last night. I wasn't expecting much, but I actually picked up some useful spell tomes. Some were for creating lights, buffing up armor...but then I also bought a fire rune spell, which is kinda nice.

If you're eating through your magicka too quickly, make sure you're increasing it as you level up and invest in the perks that reduce spell casting costs. Also look for enchantments that do the same. A single fireball [censored] my magic bar before level 10, but now I can cast several before depletion. They still go down quickly when I dual-cast, but it's getting better as I level up.

As your skill upgrades, you'll find merchants will stock new levels of spells. If you can use lightning bolt then fire bolt and ice spike should also be purchasable. I should not you cannot buy Master level spells without doing quests to earn them/unlock them on particular merchants though there is a random factor that sometimes has them show up on other merchants. You can also find some through various means out in the world/dungeons.

You may want to talk to the mage guy in the first city the game directs you to. He, and the general merchant, both sell spell books with stuff a little more powerful than Flames.

Also, be sure to get the perks that reduce the mana cost of your spells.

You can also find gear that reduces cost to specific schools, and if you're a really dedicated mage to more than one.

Really?! I found it much easier. Just keep running and tossing fire and ice on warriors. Fire and lightning on mages. They will never catch ya.

I have been upgrading my magicka exclusively and I am level 9. I now realise that this was foolhardy and that I should have also been upgrading my health bar. My companion, Uthgerd the Unbroken, died and this has seriously halted my progress because she was the only thing that was allowing me to get past anything that was attacking me. Where can I find another decent follower? Thanks for the tips.

I would strongly suggest mixing in some Illusion magic into your tactics. I'm currently at level 8 with my mage and spells like Fury and Calm are your best when dealing with multiple foes.

Say I come up against a group of enemies, I cast Fury on one or two of them, and they will attack each other, then I just take out the one remaining enemy! This is one of many methods, invest in more Conjuration as well, Flame Atronarchs are pretty powerful, and a great summon for lower levels.

Perhaps I've just been unfortunate, but whenever I've used Fury on an enemy the dude just gets angry with me instead of his buddy.

Any tips as to where I'd find a replacement for Uthgerd the Unbroken?

Lydia isn't so bad. You can get her early on after your first dragon fight. There's also a dunmer in the drunk huntsman in whiterun but she will charge 500 gold, Companions are almost everywhere you just have to find them.

I have found this at times, but as long as your somewhat prepared with the spell ready, it's usually OK. I find backing off and allowing them to come closer together usually gets them fighting, as the effect is attack anything in sight, just make sure you get to a distance where your not the closest thing to the enemy you cast it on.

As for a follower, once you kill the first Dragon, you get a follower named Lydia, given to you by the Jarl of Whiterun, other than that, there's usually Mercs in taverns.

Got it, I'll try that tactic with Fury that you suggest. Everything is just decimating me at the moment, so I need all the strategies that I can muster!

You'll have to rely on the stagger effect basically through the entire game.

As a lvl 27 pure mage with 100 illusion, most illusion perks and choosing almost only more magicka when I lvl up...the game is [censored] hard.
I constantly run out of magicka, my illusion spells won't work on level scaled bandits , and destruction is [censored] (lvl 43). I actually do more damage with a sword and shield combo, and I'm
at around lvl 25 with both! Magick is tedious and underpowered in this game....

There are better spells, yes, and there is the option to dual-cast. If you want an alternative for melee-intensive moments, you could always go the furry route. It's an ICANWIN button if you're getting mobbed.