Really? I thought Lighting Bolts couldn't reach the dragons when I fought them before, white firebolts could. lol I'll try it



Yeah I have the Staff of Magnus (Played the game for more then 300 hours).

If you're on PC, download Skyrim Improved Magic System from the Nexus (I'm not on my computer so can't link it). This completely rebalances magic, for you AND your enemies! It makes Destruction Spells more powerful, so mages are actually a force to be reckoned with.

With the Augmented Flames perk to Level 1 and Apprentice Destruction Perk (as well as a ring to increase Destruction effectiveness by 5%), my flames spell damage is 12 per second, the firebolt being 25 (I think).

I'm still only level 11 at the moment, so things can only get better

it doesnt seem to have the projectile problem fireballs, ice spikes, and arrows do, where if you are moving even just slightly to the left or right it veers way off course. as far as accuracy, the enemy has to be pretty friggin fast to dodge something that travels instantly

Yes but 25% is actually a good amount, combine that with the lord stone and that makes 50%. Then get the agent of Mara for an extra 15% to make 75%, then the alteration perks for another 10 and then you have reached the cap without any enchants. But then you can use enchants for elemental resists, I have had it where the health regen in combat was actually more then the damage from an ancient dragon's fire breath, so I actually gained health while standing in it

for the ward-breaking hand make it a novice spell. yes it does peanut damage but those spells cut through wards like it was cake. well. takes a couple seconds but if you keep casting it they cannot get the ward back up and its for minimal magicka while you pummel them with the powerful spell.

I was thinking, Ice Storm passes through wards or not?

i wont be on the recieving end of an ice storm to test. every time i get hit with one it 1 shot KO's me regardless of health. had 480 health and bam. dead from 1 ice storm cast. but it probably should. goes straight through walls i hear

Hmmm nice resistance stacking that way with Breton. Might build a Breton one day with that in mind.
I just prefer the pointy eared snobs lore and looks-wise. I know, I know *sighs*

So it isn't that I am deceiving myself in lightning bolt being dead accurate? Flame bolts do indeed seem to veer off, ice spikes are better but sometimes just a little too slow making you miss.

Ice storm, I dual cast it=epic. Enemies cast it=dead frozen solid Altmer.

I was level 23 when I killed the whole Whiterun with dual cast Ice Storms. I have 450 magicka and with 4 dual casts and 1 single cast it drains me, though that shouldn't be a problem since everyone would be dead before that happened lol

so ice storm is ridiculously op.... weird wonder why it gibs whatever it touches?...

Combine conjuration and destruction. Summon something and zap the enemy as they concentration on the summons. Also if playing a destruction mage focus on no more than about four skills five at most (e.g Destruction, Conjuration, Alteration(or LA) maybe sneak), aim to keep the world level less than 40 at full development.

Still I have been trying a Destruction, Alteration mage. The occasional sneak, and summons in boss fights. Works but making a full Destruction, Alteration, Conjuration mage seems more natural and is probably the most powerful purely mage build. Just remember to not employ any other skills except in exceptional situations.

I think Illusion probably weakens the build overall. Restoration mainly for the avoid death branch is an idea, for healing cooking and potions are much better. You just need to wait a bit longer after every fight.

Stuff like enchantment and alchemy just weakens your character just for the fun of playing with the toys. Using cooking as a skill free way of making healing potions.

My apologies for the late reply, I feel there were some points missed that need to be addressed.


That is why lightning is your friend. You charge the spell as they begin to stand and discharge the spell just prior to them casting their ward spells. Any other spell has a delay at reaching them and they inevitably protect themselves from your still travelling fireball. Another thing to consider is a fireball wastes a large percent of it's power by exploding in all directions, lightning hits with all it's power due to the conductivity of electricity.
Used correctly, and given the magicka reserves of a superior Altmer, you can kill even the mightiest of foes with a low level dual cast lightning bolt without taking any damage. Though it may take you some time.



Good advice overall, but I strongly disagree with your views on Illusion. I think it is the most powerful school of them all, given the right circumstance of course.

Right off the bat you have (If you have the superior skills of an Altmer) Fury. It works on everything you are likely to encounter in groups at the early stages. Continue to improve it with perks and it is effective surprisingly longer than you would think. By the time it reaches the end of it's usefulness, you should be more than able to cast it's replacement, Frenzy.

Calm, Fear and Muffle and very good for crowd control and for surprising your foes. With no real skills in sneaking, I am able to walk right up to my enemies after calming them and dispatch them with a dagger, yes even an iron one. And simpletons that you cast fear on can clear a room of traps for you with no real effort on your part or alert you to wild animals if used outside. Should things go wrong, Muffle helps you make a quiet exit at speed and as a bonus doesn't trigger the automatic defences of Dwemer ruins when you pass them.

Once you have mastered the basic uses of the Illusion school, you will find the more powerful versions add to the complexity of the situations you can involve yourself in to the stage where as a true master of the art, I can walk through the most dangerous of situations without angering a single person or by getting them to dispatch themselves while you go about your business. It is very useful should you need to retrieve information quietly without making yourself new enemies should a disguise not suit your race. Some of you will understand what that means, some of you will not. I will not explain further.