I'm thinking about starting a pure mage, and I'm wondering how pure your pure mages are? Do you wear armor or use weapons (other than bound)? If not, then there's really no reason for smithing is there, and next to no reason for enchanting either (unless there are regular boots, gloves and such I can enchant).

Enchanting matches a pure mage cause you can enchant gloves, circlets, robes, etc, and it is directly connected with mage gameplay. I, myself, dropped enchant cause i think it makes the game so easy, without it i get more challenge.

you can enchant regular clothes, boots, gloves and jewelry

All opinion and taste. Mine is no armour, only staff or perhaps a dagger, all the magic skills allowable, plus alchemy, and speech perhaps if you are of the illusionist persuasion. There are non-armour gloves and boots, so enchanting is definitely worthwhile, I find fortify health to be great if you take all magicka boosts at level up.

Battlemages use heavy armor in TES.

Conjerers use everything Bound.

I would say my furthest game file is with my "pure" Altmer mage.

Wears enchanted clothing. Has only staffs, no swords or anything like that. I almost exclusively use only destruction or conjuration to destroy enemies.

I played one not to long ago. I retired her at level 17 after completing the Winterhold College and Bard College (all I really wanted to do with her anyway).

She never touched a weapon and never wore armor. She also never used a AR spell. She basically focused about everything on destruction and killed anything before it got to her. I did have to reload a few times after getting jumped by a Saber Tooth or something, but she held her own most the time.

http://www.skyrimnexus.com/imageshare/images/649591-1325687655.jpg

My mage uses a mace. It makes her feel powerful. She is a necromancer. She uses the mace to crush bones for bone meal, so it is utilitarian as well. Too bad there isn't a bond mace. In town she wears leather armor as a disguise. Silly, but fun for RPG.

I’m wondering if there’s anting that’s ”pure” in Skyrim. At level 50+ my charachter feels pretty perfect for my playstyle (sneaky archer with dual wielding as back up) but I can’t level those skills much longer and have to fiddle with other stats. So I guess I have to go two handed mage or something. Nothing ”pure” about that.

That's exactly how my mage/healer went. I really didn't use Smithing or Enchant many things but I did enchant a few. That skill built from recharging with soul gems. Also I conjured a lot. I didn't take perks for Enchanting. Alteration was very important. At the beginning, I did use armor and two-hand until I got what I needed (spells) to go mage. She also used Archery when it could be helpful. You could think of her as a combination of Gandalf and a bit of Aragorn.

Archery is my favorite skill right now, and one of the reasons I'm trying a pure mage is to try not to use it (I've used in every character so far, lol).

I know what you mean. I just love Archery in this game. It's difficult to not use it in my no-kills game but I'll sometimes shoot at a trap.

i've just recently started a character build that is a 'pure' mage. I tend to use smithing to make jewelery and then i enchant them to either add bonuses to majika etc and to sell on for profit. Pure to me is subjective, someone will argue that if you purposefully use other skills it means that your character is not pure, which is a legitimate arguement to be honest, however; my character is a pure mage but will dip into skills that support that type of play. I am mastering destruction and conjuration. My character is a complete idiot though, he lacks finesse and is morally inept.

How wet is wet?

more wet than damp but not as wet as soaked...

You can't draw blood.
No edged weapons.
No enchanted mace.

This is more for a cleric but if you want a challenge.

My mage wears robes, boots, gloves, circlet and jewelry that i enchant. He also smiths but only to make money and lvl up. I think as long as you dont wear armor and use weapons your playing "pure" mage.

It's been said, but I think pure is up to the player. My first and main character was a pure mage. I don't carry around any weapon, nor do I even use bound weapons. He's not super far, as I just got the game for Xmas, but his skills are Destr 60, Conj 55, Alter, Ill, Rest 50 Ench 45. I also use alchemy, but it's only at a 30. I did wear some light armor gloves and boots for a while, but have since replaced them.

I feel I play as a pure mage, unless there's no magical option, I use spells for everything, combat, healing, protection or whatever. This is part of the reason I was disappointed that there's no lock picking spell or a charm spell to allow me to get better prices when selling. So my lockpicking does get increased and my speech goes up, obviously on its own thru selling.

For my pure mage: No weapons (except Nettlebane for one quest), no armor. Enchanted lots of stuff to make some money to buy spell books! Wish I could have the 'open lock' spell again, but I mostly stick to Novice chests on that character.

I've gone pure mage using an altmer. Used mainly destruction, restoration, and alteration magic, no armor, no staffs, and only used already enchanted robes and other apparel. It's a surprisingly fun way to play, especially since all my previous characters in any game has alway had a sword or a gun in their hands. I imagine my character would be much more powerful if I used enchanting and conjuration more frequently.

I would also look to level up Alchemy,

Alchemy is huge to a mage, it will allow you to make better health and Restore magicka potions . It will also allow you to create potions that make your destruction magic more powerful , for those tougher enemies. It will also allow your summoned creature to last longer and allow you to raise more powerful enemies from the dead. Illusion potions will allow you cast calm and frenzy spells on higher level enemies. Not to mention alteration potions that will give you higher amor ratings and last longer for spells like Stoneflesh.

The only downside to alchemy is how long some of the potions will last.

I think the concept of a Pure Mage is pretty easy to define. You only use Magic as your primary damage source. Typically, this would be Destruction. You would pick up Enchanting and possibly Alchemy. You would not wear armor, only robes.

I've not used weapons or armor as a pure mage and haven't leveled smithing, but I'd say that whether there would be a "point" would depend on your use of companions and how inclined you were to buff their gear. Improving a companion's armor and weapons could contribute as much to group success as improvement of your own.

My "Pure mage" is Allowed:

enchanting
Alchemy
No armor
no weapons only Staff and spell


I however opted for an Artificer style I maxed out Smithing so I could craft and Enchant Items for my follower to use since it was they that had to stand in as a meat shield along with summons to help her. Other then conj and Desruction Restoration enchanting and alchemy where the top players.

Well I lied the only "armor" I used is the circlets and masks but I don't really count them as "Armor".