Archery is most overpowred because of sprint. I playing melee and archery characters only on master difficulty

So Destructon magic does kill enemies after level 40 doesn't it. I've read people on another thread that are doing just fine with Destruction after level 40 sorry bro i'm not buying what your selling. I just don't believe that Destruction magic isn't viable after 40 .

This is comical.

It's like trying to teach someone that 5+5=10 and they just respond with "naah im not buyin it 5+5 equals 8 cause someone else told me so bro"

My point is Destruction magic does work after level 40 i'm not worried about the numbers. I didn't buy the game to crunch numbers .

This is pretty much where I am at on this topic. Though I'd like my mage versatility back, that is what I like about them not doom fireballs. On another note I do think it is a bad idea for you to effectively feel weaker as you level up since your attacks are stagnant past a point, but the enemies aren't.


The entire game mechanic is based on numbers, so if the numbers don;t add up to something good you should care.

Anyway i'm fine with the game as it is if you don't like it don't play it i'm sick of the whining about Destruction magic learn how to Conjure .

5+5 does equal 8.
+ consists of 2 -

So 5+5= 10 minis - - = 8

I'am finding Skyrims magic system to be quite fun and refreshing versus the systems they used in Morrowind and Oblivion. I think many people forget just how easy it was to max out destruction in those games and then you could basically hotbar 2 spells and never need to use any of the other schools, it was too easy. Once you unlocked the arcane university you could max out destruction in less than an hour by casting low damage spells on yourself and then healing the damage, then you could start making spells that would reduce resistance by 100% and deal incredible damage all in one spell, there was virtually no challenge to being a mage at this point. My Breton Vampire mage had a mana regen that was so high he could stay invisible permanently while applying a touch spell to every opponent that would kill them in under 5 seconds flat while still having mana left over to cast invisible again. He could solo 20 guards at once without taking a single point of damage.

In Skyrim, you actually have to use a wider range of spells and combinations of spells to be successful, you can't just hotbar 2 spells and steamroll everything. I love destruction just as much as the next guy, but you have to admit that using the same two spells all the time gets old and boring. Right now, I have a level 54 mage who is specced heavily in illusion and conjuration and I have about 8 spells that I use regularly now, I also maxed my sneak skill so that I could maintain initiative better without having to use a companion to tank for me (I hate using companions/hirelings). All in all, different situations call for different spells which keeps the game interesting everytime I explore a new dungeon area.

Just fyi, I hear many people complaining about scaling issues with magic but I haven't run into any problems so far where my illusion spells don't work, and I play on master difficulty. Bottom line, if you plan on playing on harder difficulty settings you will need to use all the schools of magic or you will not survive. Sneak is a must too if you don't want to use companions/hirelings.

[Old person rant] Really? Those of us who played D&D back in the day before computer games were the rage had to decide whether to play a Monty hall style campaign, where you quickly Get +5 avenger swords and wipe out demi-gods with regularity, or whether it was more fun to play a toned down game where a +2 sword was a big deal. It all comes down to what you consider fun, not how you can best optimize you power. In Oblivion, I played a total Paladin character (totally loved it, btw), with 0 levels in sneak, etc. There were no restrictions stopping me from sneaking, theiving or using descruction spells - I did use those because I was role playing. Me finding out that it was possible to break the game with armor that nobody could hit didn't take away from my enjoyment at all - I just don't get the attraction.

If you're playing a thief, is it realistic that you would have two daggers AND two buffed sword or axes? Maybe you might have one sword and one dagger like Drizzt's foe, but really, would you have 4 weapons?

Again, role playing games aren't dependent on complicated skill trees or the like and prevention of exploits. If they are good, they should depend on you using your imagination. By this measure, Skyrim, and Oblivion before that excel. If it turn s out here that destruction by itself doesn't equal 3 intermixed melee skills, so what? Is it a bad thing that you need to take 20 minutes in a battle where the vid guy did it in two? Said another way, I spent 2 1/2 hours real time cleaning out a basic kept w/bandits that my son's fried (orc, heavy armor, 2 hand, crafting) did in 10 minutes. I still say I had the better playing experience.

Just the generic skill slider. Pop that down to easy or very easy and all your mage spells get an instant power boost.

You don't GET anything for sticking to master. Just adjust the slider until the game is fun for you. Problem solved! It's a single player game and it lets you balance it yourself - pick the setting that's right for you.


More to the point, any 'pure' mage that is expecting just Destruction to carry them through is 'doing it wrong'. Sure, warrior weapons are massively powerful... but that's because warrior play-style amounts to fine baddie, hit baddie with sword. You're a freaken wizard - use all the magic at your disposal, don't fall back to a 1-note warrior play-style.
Illusion spells should be confusing the enemies while their blows bounce off your protective spells and your summoned creatures tear them to bits.
By all means, disintegrate a few stragglers - but you have multiple schools of magic there for a reason - utilize all your assets.

Not to beat a dead horse, but can anyone point to any fantasy story anywhere where a beefy hulk of a brute spent his time collecting plants so that he could brew potions to improve his blacksmithing and enchanting? I've read a lot and have never heard of such a thing. Seriously, role playing shouldn't be dependent on what's necessary to break the game. Yeah, lots of blacksmithing and enchanting examples, but again, I've never seem any of those folks use bows, for instance. Most blacksmiths use hammers - is that what folks are using here?

Are you implying it's not ok to have a character that falls outside what you consider normal in a fantasy story?

Blacksmiths can't use bows? Brutes can't be herbalists?

Huh? It's the Dungeon Master that regulates the power of the campaign, while it's the players job to try to get as much as they can get away with. With computer games the computer takes the role of the Dungeon Master.

they don't >_> when your one shotting things at most you just have to wear heavy armor and let the skill max out but I doubt you need the perks.
I'm not just pulling this outa my ass, my assassin in a straight up fight does enough damage that with no armor perks and with light armor can do well in fights.

But you have a magic difficulty slider to let the computer how powerful your magic should be.
Use it.

if you're grinding your way to a 100 in ANY skill while ignoring all others you're obviously not using a very balanced playstyle and IMO have no reason to complain about a lack of balance
if you end up with 100 in this stats end game and be way overpowered, so be it
but don't complain when you're the one breaking the game

Are the other mages here even using Blizzard/Fire Storm/Lightning Storm?

Nail. Head. Hit.

I also laugh in the face of those who go "OMG SELF BUILT, SELF ENCHANTED WEAPONS THAT HAVE HAD THEIR STATS BOOSTED BY POTIONS AND ENCHANTMENTS THAT BOOST CRAFTING ARE MORE EFFECTIVE THAN DESTRUCTION"

Let me get this straight, its actually a SURPRISE that you get more effectiveness from combining 4 skill trees (one-handed, smithing, alchemy and enchantment) as opposed to one (destruction). How about the effectiveness of Destruction, Conjuration, Illusion and Alteration? Enchantment and Alchemy also benefit mages. I seriously fail to see the validity in this argument.

The balance seems pretty good to me so far. I'm playing an argonian swordmage/thief (sort of a JOAT, or at least a Jack of Many Trades) and spreading my skill usage out over a pretty wide range of skills. I'm at level 22 now (after 70 hours of play). Some encounters are easy one-hit kills (like wolves), some are challenging enough to get my adrenaline pumping, some require multiple reloads to find a winning strategy, and a few are way too difficult and I'm forced to flee (I'm especially weak against mages, dragon priests, and draugr scourge overlords). This mixture is perfect, in my opinion, and I've got the difficulty set to Novice.

None of the other spell tree make destruction better while smithing/alchemy/enchant does. Furthemore basic high level gear can be upgraded without any smithing perks to make it better, couple that with some loot that makes smithing better + looted or bought vanila potions that enchanc smithing and you got yourself legendary gear without grinding and perking smithing/alchemy/enchanting.

Standard upgraded high level looted gear hits harder that the best destruction spell and it dosnt take any stamina to slash but it takes mana to cast.

Exactly.
A warrior isn't out there using -just- his weapon skill. He's using his weapon, his armor, his blocking, etc.
Why, as a caster, would you atempt to rely on a single skill?

Honestly, it comes down to playing how you want to play. If you don't want to be uber powerful, don't be uber powerful. It's not like when you see the game breaking sword you're compelled to against your will to use it. If you find an item that's making the game no fun for you; exercise a little willpower and drop it in the damned ocean and never look back.

People are saying this is a single player game and not online pvp so balance is not needed though all games need balance. Without balance, people would be able to run around naked punching everything to death and be able to complete the main questline like that. People like to build characters that get progressively stronger and worth playing.

The most important balance, maybe the only balance that matters, is that between a skill and the environment, not that between a skill and some other skill.

Sneak isn't broken .. in any way ..

Also Melee characters ARE suppose to be more powerful .. Magic is not more powerful than Melee, I don't know why people think this ..

A double 1h warrior uses his one-hand skill and armor while a mage uses his destruction and armor ( because hes gonna get hit too ) and a battlemage gonna use weapons/shields/armor/destruction.