I've had this issue since I got the game, and not hearing others complain about it I'm wondering if anyone else has the problem. When I first got the game it was probably 40/60, 40% of the time a summon would actually summon. After all the updates it is down to 10%. 4/10 was annoying, 1/10 is really really aggravating to the point I often just say screw it.

So I point at the ground in a location where the cursor says I can. Then I cast the spell. It makes the noise that a summon makes as the purple circle appears but not the sound of the purple circle if that makes sense. Then nothing happens and my magic replenishes. I've noticed if I am moving I am less likely to cast, and I'm slightly more likely to cast successfully if I'm pointing at perfectly level ground that is the same height of the ground I'm standing on. I am aim at ground slightly lower it is less likely to cast, and if trying to cast on the side of a hill higher than myself it will NEVER cast. Open areas are also slightly easier to cast then in tunnels.


Anyone else having this problem?

I've heard of other people having difficulty to cast summons because they have absorb spell effects (like atronach or stuff like that). If I remember well, your own summon spell is aimed at yourself and can be absorbed that way. I hope they fix this soon...

The higher the cost of the spell, the longer you have to channel it before it will fire off, as that represents drawing on your magicka reserves. Assuming this is not the issue, since you said you were actually casting the spell, then it might be the case that there is a disparity between what is being shown as a 'safe' location and what actually is one.

As I haven't had this issue myself (yet, at any rate) I'm not sure if what I described above is actually the case, but it wouldn't surprise me.

After you get used to it, you'll stop mis-firing. It's something you have to learn to do correctly.

In order to make sure, always cast it at your feet. Might be somewhat impractical if you're planning to have your summon attack first, but that's how you make sure

Mine would do it too. It would drain my magic and make the noise but nothing shows up.

Maybe too much magica resistence. I had a problem conjuring after getting one of the Stone Powers. Sorry don't remember exactly which. But it had to do with resistence to magik.
Are you wearing magika resistence enchantments?

If you play on PC, http://www.skyrimnexus.com/downloads/file.php?id=3352 might fix your issues.

Atronach Stone + the level 100 Alteration 30% absorption perk = 80% total. That suddenly makes sense. Early in the game I had 0 absorption, then got stone, so 50% then atronach so 80%... so my spells don't cast and it got worse over time. Of course healing spells, alteration spells, etc. don't have this problem. It also explains why my magic fills back up after casting it. I would switch to third person and see if I see the absorption 'waves' that come off your character but my character also disappears for a split second when I cast summons, whether they cast or not. I'm not sure if this is it, but it would explain it, and it did get harder to cast about the time I took the atronach perk. However it also doesn't effect bound weapons, and seems it would.

For some of the other theories. I've been casting spells for a long time, I think I know how. Tried casting them at my feet, tried casting them every way imaginable. And with my first character who was a mage I remember standing on high surfaces and casting summons down a floor below me without problems. I can not do that now even though I have a the perk for longer summon range. I remember summoning in combat no problems. I would never try that now, I keep summons with me 24/7 so that I know they are ready for combat.... of course this often means I spend a minute at a time while walking casting the same spell over and over. Then the noise alerts enemies and defeats the purpose. By now I already need to cast it again.

Never had this issue at all lol..

No it isn't. The OP is encountering the bug Conjuration has when being used by a character with spell absorption.

Atronach Stone, Breton Dragon Skin and the Alteration Atronach perk all work against Conjuration. Conjuration spells work as a self buff and for some odd reason this self buff can be absorbed. So if you have the Atronach Stone or the Breton racial active your Conjuration spells have a 50% chance to fail. With the Atronach perk it gets even worse.

Considering that the Atronach Stone is by far the best stone on the game for a Mage it really cripples the fun of using Conjuraton when you have to cast the same spell over and over just to get it to work.

I retired my first Mage for a number of reasons and this Conjuration-absorption bug was one of them.

I've noticed if I have alot of stuff hapenning on my screen and the game lags abit then the summoning has a high chance to backfire :/ Buut sinse I started to use Dead Thrall spell I have nothing to complain about

I've always played Skyrim as a conjurer but that's never happened to me. I play on both XBox and PC.

Remeber they have a summoning "range" now (they just don't spawn near you. ) you have to aim the crosshair's close to your feet as well. (Cross hair's will be red if out of range) so you have to have it charge up and then be in range pointing at the ground where you want them to pop up. You have perks that double the range you can do this.

Conjures can fail? That's never happened to me...




Yeah, that might be the problem.

I'm playing one character as a conjurer. Are you letting the spell completely charge up? Is the reticule orange (no go) or white (fire away)?

Actually I only started having the problem recently. I think it started after I got the 2 summon perk.

edit: and no its not a range issue. I dont have atronach stone or perk, but I am Breton.

I've had this once, I'd been using flame atronach fine for days then all of a sudden they were taking two or three atempts to cast. In my case it was because I had picked up some kind of disease, when I went to a shrine they worked fine again.

You either don't have enough magic to cast it or your not casting it properly. as an example I have conjuration at 100 but if I want one of the permanent conjurations that cost about 3500 coins I still can't use it because I don't have my magic at the level required to cast it. So I have to stick with conjures that are still on a limited time limit. but as for casting point your cursor at the ground near where your standing then keep your finger on the casting button for at least 2 seconds before releasing the button again to cast it.

WOW, im glad i dont have thisproblem >_< .

That happened to me too Playing breton conjurer with Athronac stone I hated that but I think this mod fix this but I am not tested yet http://www.skyrimnexus.com/downloads/file.php?id=3352

So sad.... I can tell who didn't actually read. I think we covered that it is not range, waiting long enough, or the cost of the spell a long time ago.

Unless someone else wants to beat me to it I'm going to try saving, switching stones and see if my conjurations work better. I would of course load that save because I care more about atronach than I do conjuration, but it would give us a concrete answer that spell absorption is the problem.

Its spell absorb effect thats causing it. Its a known issue.

Atronach conjuration fails on me about 80% of the time too. I do have alot of magic resistance perks, skills, stones and enchantments. Also I'm Breton.

Certainly experienced this during my first playthrough. I had Sanguine's Rose, and found that as time went on I'd use the staff and the conjured Dremora would not spawn. The gateway from Oblivion would. But the Dremora would only turn up say 3/10 times. It became quite unreliable.

Early on I had no problems. I could use the staff to summon quite a distance away, and take out Forsworn Camps and the like, without too much danger in the way of injury.

I found the same problem occurred with summoning Flam Atronachs.