Im doing a Conjuration/Archery mage/thief, and I was wondering what type of armor I should get. I intend to do some sneaking around (a lot of it in fact), so heavy armor is out of the question.

But here is what I am wondering: Is it worth going for light armor and enchanting it, or am I still going to be better in robes? From what I understand the only real difference is the Alteration perk that triples your Skin spells if you have no armor on, but im not really sure I want to go that deep in this tree.

I guess it really comes down to : Can i get the same bonuses that I would from robes on my light armor through enchanting or not?

Robes seem pretty useful this time around, I guess you haven't seen the 50% Magic Regen bonus yet, and +20 Magicka on Hoods. A lot of them also come with a secondary effect too with 12% less spell cost with certain spells.

All of which can be enchanted on armor and regeneration doesn't work in combat. The only reason to wear robes is appearance, the Alteration perk or not having the skills and resources to enchant armor yet. Armor really isn't a big deal for a ranged class regardless of whether you use Destruction or Archery. You survive by being smart and avoiding getting hit in the first place, not by absorbing it.

But requires heavy enchantment investment.

If you're going to invest in enchantment, I highly suggest using heavy armor. If you're not going to invest in enchantment, stick to robes.

Those are just at the low levels. Gear at higher levels is even more impressive.

Unless I had maxed out enchanting to customize some glass armor for my mage, I'm going 100% unarmored.

Does armor increase casting costs? I'm pretty sure it did something like that in Morrowind and Oblivion, but I'm not entirely sure.

No, it does not.

I've got Cloth robes and hood, and Light Armor bracers and boots.

straight up +magika and -spell cost enchantments stack really well on armor - the only thing you lose completely with armor is the huge regen bonuses. We don't know all the details yet, but it's up in the air whether +magika or +regen give you more regen during combat. Either way, stacking -spell cost improved my combat longevity a lot more than either of the other two.

Perked mage armor gives pretty similar AP to perked heavy armor, though, if you don't have blacksmithing. The other perks in the tree seem more important to which you'd choose, imo. 30% magic resist and combat regen for spell damage taken - vs - reflection? Depends what you want, and how you envision your character.

Both? Come on man, the robe and the hood is like 2lbs.

Yarrr! Armor all the way, every way, every time!

My preference would be to wear light armor, having already leveled a mage with cloth and found that there are very limited options, and aesthetically, it is rather boring. Unfortunately, for a game that supposedly allows you to play the way you want, people are finding there are just some combinations that refuse to work together without a lot of awkward and unreasonable scarifices. A mage in armor is one of them.

As others have said, if you plan to wear light armor, it is doable...just be prepared to level enchanting in order to get maximum returns. With a mage, using perk point planning becomes critical (unlike warriors, where you might spend a portion of the game pondering indecisively what to spend them on). Enchanting will be yet another skill that is svcking up very valuable points.

It also depends what level you're playing on. If your aim is just to have fun on Adept, you might not have to worry as much. If you're going to play on Master, you will need to powergame, and you might spend the later levels regretting your choices if you don't plan accordingly.

I am rolling a High Elf - Mage. Destruction/Restoration/Conjuration. I love the robes, my friend got hold of the Thalmor ones and they seem to supersede any kind of armour I want, except for Elven/Glass. At any rate, any advices how NOT to get stuck?

You won't "get stuck". This is an amazing game, despite the criticisms which are minor. It's about having fun. It's not an MMO. You don't need to squeeze every ounce of performance out of your character.

As a high elf mage with cloth, you will do fine. My only advise is to plan out your perks ahead of time on higher difficulty levels. Otherwise, just enjoy the game. Don't start thinking about it clinically, or the fun will be gone.

What is that comment about armor negating restoration? I wear bracers and boots with the mage gear... I use restoration as I fight all the time... heal, heal, heal with the left... destroy, destroy, destroy, with the right.

Are you saying I'd get more bonuses if I took all the armor off completely? I don't know these rules.

I use conjuration and archery, prefer light armor. Too bad we can't wear unenchanted robes over armor, wouldn't been a nice aesthetic option that wouldn't affect balance..