I'm fairly new to TES (and this forum!) so forgive me for asking a question that probably already has an answer:

So I've always known that mana regenerates slower in combat, but i've never really given it much thought as I mostly play thief-type characters.
Well, I decided to try a pure mage with conjuration being the focus, and it's really limiting my desired playstyle
I'm not a fan of carrying potions because I like the extra carry space and I hate having to rely on something other than my own skills.

So, would someone who has perhaps already looked into this be able to explain to me the reasoning behind mana regenerating slower in combat? I'd just like to know what Beth were going for when they chose to implement this.

Cheers

I think it may have been some attempt at balancing. Don't know. Gear with increase mana regen by -% can help alot.

It's less that magicka regenerates slower in combat, and more that it regenerates faster outside of combat. I realize there is no practical difference between the two, but I think the intention here is to let you get back to full without having to wait five minutes after a fight, and thus reduce downtime.

My first character was a fire mage who emphasized fast magicka regeneration. I have offer some general tips, but I don't want to be too specific in the general forum even if I am using spoiler tags.

Play as an altmer, the hereditary bonus is awesome for those tough boss fights. I'm not one for 0% spell costs buy you can reduce them whilst massively increasing your magica and regen.

Complete mages quest line, you get a bunch of useful stuff.

I actually enjoy the limitation, makes you work a little more, having to be more creative in your approach.

gear with fortify conjuration or destruction (or whatever schools of magic you use most) will help early on. Getting gear with high enough magicka regen might take a while but it does help. I had two pieces both with +100% magicka regen and I could definitely see the difference. But in the end it would be better to find/buy/enchant your own with fortify to get the magicka cost down.

Why they felt the need to impose this is beyond me. Probably because they threw in -%cost in the game (bad idea if you ask me) and wanted to force you into that. I just don't see how unbalanced it would have been if your magicka regened at its normal rate, just not regen while casting. Could have gotten rid of magicka regen enchants too. Allow the skill to decrease cost (MW and OB methods) and fortify to add to your magicka pool or damage/duration. But that's another thread.

Good luck with your mage.

I focused a lot on a Magika-style gameplay when I started, and I've now got three items of apparel which each give +100% Magika Regen, and it's awesome. From empty I'm back to full Magika, (about 250 (or more if I'm wearing an extra-Magika-enchanted item)), in about six seconds.

What I don't like is that your Magika doesn't regenerate while you've got a spell charged up and ready to release.