Hey Erandur, this could classify as someone with a unique playstyle.

Magic is officialy WAI, move along.

Numbers don't lie. Your the one that's obviously in denial, or never actually played Skyrim.

You can't behead someone as a mage one of the coolest things in the game. I started over as a Warrior with some with occasional points in magic schools , Class the WarriorMage . Different than the BattleMage or the so called SpellSword.

One problem caster seem to face is that the game is built around a premise that a charcter will use about five skills... maybe 4... maybe 6. If you deviate too far from this plan, the game gets all wonky. Try playing with only two skills, and you'll advance those two skills quickly, but not have the other skills needed to survive. Try to skill up 10 skills and your character level starts outrunning your skill levels and you're gimp. I'm playing a mage, and he seems to be doing ok.

When I refer to play style, I'm not really talking about different takes on the "pure mage", or his 2-3 sub types. I'm talking about anything magical based, from the niche, to the less linear archetypal, to the oddballs, outside the box, and truly unique build types. Not all of which were stricken outright from Skyrim, just some got less fleshed out with the removal of certain aspects, or mechanics.


This is a unique playstyle that is gone from Skyrim for example: Magister Inquisitor appointed by the Imperial Church. Who routes out heretics, bringing them to justice. Judge, jury and executioner style. He'll torture, mostly the innocent, then brings heretics and divinators before the Temple steps (through Illusion) for public executions he enforces with his bastard sword Veredictum.

This is one that just got diminished: An Argonain Witchdoctor that uses custom 'curse' spells to debuff, while following up with created poisons (Bog Asp venom) on a rudimentary dagger, while being accompanied by Ageceph Voodoo Thralls.

BTW

don't go crazy on crafting skill cause you can easily hit level 20 and realize that all your "combat" skills (magic or otherwise) are 25 and you are pretty much fraked

300? Strange, I get 350 Armor. Also, Alteration is not useless, you have Paralyze(Has helped me out BIG time with tough enemies), 30% Magic Absorption Perk, 30% Magic Resistance perk, Detect Life, Detect Undead

Modded != Vanilla

Modding something and than saying it is overpowered is just so funny... You don't need spell creation when you just create your own spells anyways...

Level 37 mage on expert difficulty doing fine

with balanced magic I get 800 + armor on the dragon skin spell and it lasts 3 minutes and takes 1 second to cast talk about useful

unmodded I made an OP mage as well though he did die from one shot from any 50+ beast, but they could never reach me

and balanced magic does not make magic OP it just makes it great to use especially in early levels, BUT once I get to 100 enchant I become OP again with or without mods.

I feel ya. Lets hope Bethesda takes heed, that's all I can really say.

The Witchdoctor build sounds mighty fun, I must say.

Ditto. You svck at playing a mage. You HAVE to change tactics, which is a much more realistic expectation in a non-party RPG. You CAN NOT run into a room, turn a corner blindly, etc. There just is not enough time for you to react if you come face to face with a melee combatant. You have to plan your course of action, or react quickly. You can't rush or bulldoze. And yes, you may have to retreat and fight while backpedaling. You HAVE to, unlike the action-RPGs of late where mages are basically warriors with magic in place of swords and armor. They are, in effect, essentially the same characters. TES has never been this way really. If you play a mage, you MUST learn how to use your spells effectively. You CAN NOT rely on one spell 100% of the time (or even 50%). You can't even rely on ONLY one school. Mages are, truly, one of the most diversified characters you can play, and the most complex.

The character I am currently playing is a mage. He started as a mage and has never touched a weapon other than a very special dagger. He doesn't even use scrolls or staffs, pure magic. He's level 51, 100 in Enchanting, almost 100 in Conjuration, about 75 in Destruction and Alteration and Illusion, 50-60 in Restoration. Use no armor. Seriously. Work the perks. A holed-up studious mage wouldn't specialize in protecting himself from swords and such, but an adventuring mage would almost certainly invest in boosting those spell abilities. Perk mage armor, perk magic protection (both Alteration) and USE protective spells. Also, upgrade your spells. Buy new books when you can if you haven't found them. Perk your Atronachs since you're Conjuring. Let them enter the room. Cast them ahead of yourself as you stealth/hide. Dual-cast in major schools. And, above all, change tactics when yours are failing. It is entirely possible to take on an army of Forsworn and come out with nary a scratch. If you can't change your style, change your character.

idk my mage was fine going through a dwarven ruin at level 6, so I dont know what to tell you-strategize better?

I believe that the scaling for all magic schools except illusion is horrible
conjuration: people say "two demora lords kill everything" really? I have had a bandit marauder kill 3 dremora lords with ease just one bandit marauder In a dungeon full of them and there is no way to make dremora lords stronger or the dead thrall level cap over 40 making it useless at high levels
destruction: the damage is horrible up to 20+ not to even mention that you continually need to level up destruction to get new spells
alteration: good at Low levels but the master spell is useless it lasts a minute and has a 5 second cast alteration spells in general need to be longer Also becomes useless at high levels because you have weak protection
restoration: the turn undead spell has a level cap of 35 useless at high levels
what ruins magic is it's limitations and scaling it should be that your weak at low levels at are unstopable at high levels but it's the other way around

After playing the game with various characters to high levels I can say that Mages are probably the most balanced playstyle (while still having its problems). Warriors and Archers literally go around OHKing everything in the end game while being near immortal due to massive damage mitigation. I really don't want the Mage playstyle, in regards to combat, to end up as terrible as the others.

Mages are incredibly weak when compared to Warrior and Archer builds but when compared to the power level of enemies they are about right, perhaps a little weaker than they should be in regards to Destruction and Alteration.

Mage related balance problems Skyrim has..

- Spells don't scale in the right way, they lower in cost when they should be increasing in magnitude
- Master spells are terrible
- Enchanting scales too high into end game


"MAGIC IS OP BUT I USE A MOD TO MAKE IT OP HERP DERP"

Good post bro.

I staggered enemies with every hit (including dragons) before I got that. As long as it was a dual cast shot.

Mages are always rubbish at first. it takes time and patience to get good. Mages are well known for having to hide behind protection from friendly fighters or their own summoned creatures while they work their spells. It`s traditional magery and I`m glad Bethesda have at least kept that.

It`s also logical too. If you were super-good right at the start then you`d simply walk through the game and `pwn` everything. There would be no challenge no game.

But everything has its pros and cons. Once you get near the top of your powers, then you`ll be stronger than any band of warriors and scare armies... traditionally.

anyone else notice how threads on the forums are a lot alike the random greetings from npcs in skyrim?

The problem is progression, Mages becomes comically overpowered at higher levels. Level 30 is when we start to shine, everything before that is exactly as you described it.

but at 40+ they start to svck again other than illusion

I have tons of friends that are playing straight up mages - though I play Mace in one hand - destruction/restoration in the other. I have a good follower to help things out and you migth want to consider a good archer/fighter follower to use as a meat shield

this. if you know what spells to use at the right times then mages are nearly unstoppable provided they dont run out of magicka from the ridiculous spell costs of some of the heavier hitting spells.