I read several articles stating that investing perks that increase magicka regeneration is useless.

Those same articles said that perks which cut magicka use for spells are useless too.

The reason those perks should be ignored is that enchanted items can help increase magicka regeneration and cut magicka use for casting spells. Is this true?

Yes.

Just get four enchants of 25% mana cost reduction for a magic school and casting is free for that school.

That is true if you want to have all of your items focused on cutting magicka use or increasing regeneration. I would prefer to be balanced, invest in those perks and wear items that fortify magicka regeneration. This way you are effecting all the schools of magic instead of only one.

I think magicka regeneration perks are still pretty much must have, unless you plan to only rely on one spell school.

I'm going to go with 0% cost destruction, and pick up regeneration perks to help my magicka regen for when I need to cast illusions/shields/heals etc.

Depends on how you build your character. You can reduce cast costs to 0 for probably 2 schools when you've got 100 enchanting, so they're wasted perks if you plan on doing that.

"Just"


Of course, you still have to play the game for the time until you get that 100 Enchanting and learn the appropriate enchants. So if the perks help you during that time, they probably are good investments. (unless, of course, you do something silly like powerleveling your Enchanting before you really start playing the game )

The mana regen perks are nice. Especially because they off-set using atronach stone, so if Beth ever fixes the absorb effect eating up your summons from time to time, then you'll be able to have base regen while running the atronach stone. You can't have 100% mana reduction for all spell schools, so if you want to rock 0 mana cost incinerates while you have 0 mana cost dragonhide, you'll have to use some mana for summoning dremora lords, and regeneration means that you won't have to wait between fights to whip two of those bad boys out.

Yeah just. There are plenty of items you can get from the merchants to reduce casting. Hell I see loads for 22% reduction all the time. Ands its extremely easy to make 25% ones yourself.

Magicka cost reduction is far better

The argument has two simple choices, both which are valid:

1. I don't have perks to spare, but I DO have a need for a large mana supply, I should just keep investing in mana and ignore a cost reduction perk for a specific tree.
(This is a choice a mage might make concerning a seldom used school.)

2. I have plenty of perks, but I really do not want to invest in mana for the one or two effects of magic I wish to ultilize.
(This is a choice for a more physical character, who desires a select few magic effects, or heavily focuses in one school.)

They are both great choices, you need to decide which build you are, then which choice to make.

I agree.

Cheers

Personally I like to get the 50% magicka regen from Restoration because I can't nullify the cost of all the spells I use. Instead I get some minor magicka regen and I use the following enchants (25-29% depends on whether you use fortify enchanting potions and how good they are, 29% is +32% potion):

Helmet; Vokun - 20% reduced Illusion, Alteration, Conjuration
Chest: 25-29% reduction on Alteration and Destruction
Ring: 25-29% reduction on Alteration and Destruction
Amulet: 25-29% reduction on Destruction and Illusion

(other enchants are: Gloves fortify 1-hand and bow; boots fortify 1-hand and sneak)

The totals are 75-87% destruction, 45-49% Illusion, 20% Conjuration, and 70-78% Alteration. I really like Paralysis and Detect Life/Death from Alteration. Invisibility and Muffle (saves a boot enchant) from Illusion. Destruction is just fun to play around with but needs cost reduction. Conjuration I've found I don't really need much cost reduction because I don't spam it (obviously) and the high cost Thrall spells I just cast outside combat. Restoration I've found is good enough without cost reduction and I usually have lots of magicka and/or potions if I need it. I don't take any magicka cost reduction perks at all with this setup and my low costs with ~300-400+ magicka means I can spam spells like a mad man (though I also play a jack of all trades generally so if my magicka runs out I start stabbing things usually).

Obviously you can tinker with the cost reductions to suit your needs. It's worth noting that the enchants and the perks do not stack additively. So the 50% cost reduction perk + two 25% cost reduction enchants is not a free spell. Instead say it costs 100 magicka the perk will reduce it to 50 then the 50% from enchants will drop it to 25 magicka.

Why not both?

First healing spell is the only one that you could want, last longer heals more.

Of course, you can spend a ton of perks in enchanting and bypass any choices as well.

Do you feel as though you're being stretched too thin mana-wise using all four schools? I've been playing a wizard but I haven't really bothered with illusion.

Even when starting enchanting you can get around 40% reduction if you pad it with a found or purchased robe, that is close enough to the 50% to make the perks not very needed while leveling. Add in that robes, rings etc are really light and you can have a full set for every school and hot swap the items before every spell is cast.

That sounds like a TON of fun.

It probably isn't, but it is a reality of the system they implemented. And besides how often do people have to do it, you will spam cast destruction spells but almost every other school is one off casts. I actually got all the perks and with the archmage robes and 1 magic reduce enchant for every school the costs are about where I want them to maintain the resource mechanic i like and still be effective. But the most effective thing would be to 100 % reduce every school and hot swap items while putting all of your level ups into health.

I've never found much of a problem but as I said I don't play pure mage. I intentionally designed a character that can do everything well enough to be useful on master difficulty but nothing so well it "breaks the game" (I limit myself with fortify smithing/enchanting/alchemy to prevent excessive damage, also part of why all my enchants are for magicka cost reduction). That way I just run around and use whatever seems like fun at the time. I haven't actually hit level 81 yet on a character but I have used all the skills perked this way on a character above level 50 (I'm a chronic restarter).

Here is the level 81 build: http://skyrimcalculator.com/#24308

Obviously when leveling you would perk in to what you are using at the time. You may also want to shuffle some stuff (I personally only go for silent casting in illusion but I don't like enemies running away or fighting each other). Basically those are just the "bare bones" perks for each tree in my opinion to make them useable on master. Yes I use conjuration, no I don't perk it. None of the perks really help my summons be better beating posts and/or distractions. Storm Atronachs run off and hide too much and none of it effects the Dremora at all. Having 2 summons "breaks the game."

I do:

Arch Mage robes
Circlet- -25% conjuration and + 62 magicka
Ring- -25% alteration and + 62 magicka
Necklace- -25% destruction and + 62 magicka
Gloves- fortify one hand and + 62 magicka
Boots- fortify one hand and resist shock

If you're willing to get Enchanting to 100, put eight perks into it and permanently "sacrifice" four of your apparel to do nothing but reduce casting cost... sure.

You're going to want cost reduction enchants and nothing more, preferably 70%~ or more. Regen is horrible waste of enchant space.

You won't need to put any points into magicka or magicka reduction perks if you do 100%.







(P.S) Warning: If you do get 100% reduction this does tend to make the game ludicrously easy and almost trivial. You can debate all day if its cheating or not, but in the end it sure as hell feels like it because the results are practically the same as godmode.

Ive been trying something like that, but I didnt want to grind it all out at once. So Ive been just using low level magic till I can get the enchanting and alchemy up. Im willing to buy materials, but not camp out at the shop just to wait for vendor respawns. Its taking longer than I thought. Might be I finish the game before I finish enchanting to 100, and alchemy is going even slower.

Everyone, thank you for helping.

For as long as you want to cast spells from more than one or two schools, magicka cost reduction perks are still very useful, but in any case, magicka regeneration perks are rather useless.