Newbie Mage

[ScubaSteve]

First run through Oblivion and need some advice on playing as a mage. I think I may have picked a bad race in retrospect for mage type,but didn't think about it much at moment. Didn't think it would make too big an impact. My sign and class is mage though. I've been putting points into Int, and Wisdom and extra in Stre or Endurance.

Anyways so far I have felt balanced until I just hit level 10. My last few levels seemed rather quick. I decided to try one of the random oblivion gates which was fun, not too hard however not easy. I did blow through a lot of potions though. Finding stuff for HP/mana I suck at finding.

I just did a quest for fighters guild ( I already joined mages, currently just got the drawf orrey thing) and it is only 2nd quest for them kill goblins and deliver weapons. And I got my ass kicked.

Noticed it before that I blew through mana quickly even with weaker spells. And often find myself running around attempting to melee which is about worthless or blowing through my staff charges.

A new summon might help only have scamp and skeleton. If I use a more powerful spells one I am mana drained for most fight specially facing more than 1 enemy.

Should I try crafting my own spells? If so any suggestions? I feel like I could make a good one but then it would just drain my mana so fast itd be pointless....Agh. The touch spells seem cheaper though.

Any ideas?

[Omgwtfbbqkitten]

Making your own spells won't help much until you have higher skill in the respective schools of magic because the spells that you make will be capped at your current skill level.

What race did you choose? What class are you and what are your major skills?

I personally don't like default classes as they can be to limiting. The problem you are probably having is that you are not maximizing your skills at level up and your character is gradually becoming weaker than the leveled enemies you face.

When you level up you can get +5 to three attributes every level if you do things right. You don't have to do 5 all the time since there is plenty of room to work with, but by not doing so in the beginning you risk becoming weaker than your enemies.

I know of a way that might make things a little easier for you as a mage, but I need to know your race.

[ScubaSteve]

I choose Argonian mainly for looks haha, didn't really think about the bonuses much when making character. I choose mage and it gave me the default major skills. I didn't know how the level up system worked as it is my first play through from what I have read it is better to have my main skills be minor. Kind of too late for that now and really don't want to restart just for that :\

EDIT: Also can you explain the +5 thing more? I think I usaully get like 2-4 plus points.

And what is best way to go for that? I just put into Int, Will, and either End/Stre

[Omgwtfbbqkitten]

The Default Mage class is not that bad. Basically the only change I would have made to the class is to have taken out Conjuration to use it as a minor skill. You can focus on raising Destruction to gain levels and raise your Willpower, while using Conjuration to raise your Intelligence. I would have chosen Mercantile as an alternative to Conjuration.

That way you could focus completely on leveling Destruction and Conjuration by 10 every level until you get to 100. This method would allow you to cap Destruction at 100 by level 9 and Conjuration by whatever level you wanted since as a minor skill it wouldn't affect your level ups. This is a minor more efficient change, but hardly necessary and since you don't want to start over is not really an option anyways. Keep it in mind for your next playthrough.

As far as your race goes Argonian is obviously not the most ideal race for a mage character, but it is doable as with any race.

There is kind of a work around you can use if you are interested, but it requires using console.

Basically console allows you to add any spell in the game, but more importantly you can also add racial abilities using console since they are classified as spells. This is technically cheating, but I thought i'd mention it as an option to consider. Using console can be a useful tool if used in moderation.

Now you don't have to do this, but it can help make things a little bit easier.

You can add Breton and/or High Elf enhanced magicka to your character to ease the limitations of the race you chose for mage.

To add Breton Enhanced Magicka Fortify Magicka 50, enter the following into console.

player.addspell 00047ad2

For High Elf Enhanced Magicka Fortify Magicka 100 enter the following.

player.addspell 00047adc

If you want a small boost just use Breton, if you want a bigger boost use High Elf, and of course if you want a huge boost add both.

Originally posted by The Great McNoltee:

Also can you explain the +5 thing more? I think I usaully get like 2-4 plus points.

And what is best way to go for that? I just put into Int, Will, and either End/Stre

Basically in order to get maximum stat boosts, you have to raise 10 skills that use the same attribute (major/minor combined) For instance, in order to get INT +5 every level you must raise any combination of Alchemy, Conjuration, or Mysticsm by 10 skill or you can focus on just one.

Getting 10 skill ups that focus on a particular attribute will reward you with the choice of boosting your attributes by +5 at level up.

INT +5 is 10 skillups in either Alchemy, Conjuration, or Mysticism.
WILL +5 is 10 skillups in either Alteration, Destruction, or Restoration.

ETC.

So in order to maximize your stats every level you must gain 30 skillups, 10 skillups that focus on the 3 attributes you want to raise each level.

Of course this is a bit tedious and can take the fun out of the game a little bit if you focus on ithis aspect of leveling. It is alot easier to do in the earlier levels. Trainers can help later on.

It isn't completely necessary since you have plenty levels to cap out your attributes, but if you only take +2 ~ +3 boosts in the early levels enemies can become alot harder to beat.

Also be aware that if you gain +10 skill in a major skill before completing the +10 for other attributes your level is over the moment it tells you to rest and any skill gained after that counts towards your next level. The trick is to level minor skills before getting 10 in your major skill.

Wow that turned out longer than I thought it would.

[ScubaSteve]

Thanks for the info. I might consider the addition of other racial bonus if I find it becomes too unbearable or move the diffculty slider down. Like not to though.

Maybe for these next few levels I'll try to max for attributes as Im only at 64 will and 67 int if I remember right, and already ready to level again, pretty sure won't get max bonus.

I'm gonna experiment with making some spells myself see how that turns out. Any ideas where to find more summon spells all the ones in mages guild require too much magicka or conjuration.

[Omgwtfbbqkitten]

There are a few summon spells in the Shivering Isles that are decent. A few of them might be better magicka wise, but not by much.

There are a few spells that are better to use for each tier of Conjuration.

You can check out the values of Effect Base cost here:

http://www.uesp.net/wiki/Oblivion:Summon .

The only way to reduce the magicka cost of Conjuration spells is to level up conjuration. The magicka cost will reduce at 25, 50, 75, 100

That is why I would have used Conjuration as a minor skill as a mage. So you can raise the skill as much as you want without it leveling you up. You could level it up 10 skill per level until it caps and then spells would cost less magicka to cast.

I use Conjuration as a major skill with Destruction as a minor, but I don't play a pure mage. I am more of a Warrior/Conjurer Hybrid. Conjuration is my primary focus. I cap conjuration at 100 by level 9. Since you are a mage it is more useful having Destruction as a Major and more convenient having Conjuration as a minor so that they won't limit you from using them both simultaneously, because doing so will cause you to level up to quickly when they are both major skills.

If you have access to a spellmaking altar there are a couple spells I recommend you to make. Use the smallest amount possible for each spell. Note that you may have to buy a spell in the same line to gain access to some spells in the spellmaking altar.

Restoration Skillup 1: Fortify Fatigue 3 for 1 second on self.
Restoration Skillup 2: Health 3 for 1 second on self.
Conjuration Skillup: Boots for 1 second on self.
Alteration Skillup: Shield 1 for 1 second on self.
Destruction Skillup: Frost 3 for 1 second on self. (This will do damage to you)
DestructionArmorer Skillup: disintegrate armor on self. 3~7 for 1 second on self.
Illusion Skillup: Light for 1 second on self.
Mysticism Skillup: Detect Life 3 for 1 second on self.

These spells will help you to maximize your stats each level by allowing you to repeatedly spam them for the lowest possible magicka cost. They will allow you to level up as fast as you want and more easily control your attribute bonuses for each level up.

Keep a shield in your inventory.

If you hold down block with a shield equipped while casting spells it will increase your spell casting speed. It can help you spam spells at a faster rate, but it won't work with conjuration as you will cast to quickly and get an error.

[ScubaSteve]

There are so many summons and I can only summon one at a time correct? :(

What summon best pulls aggro?

Oh I just ran into a quest where I have a staff which constantly summons everscamps they are called. Been using them for target practice. Strangely when I when into a temple thingy, Twanle it was called not sure, on the map for example if I don't attack enemy sometimes they will attack scamps.

Useful for leveling my light,block and blade up right now.

I will make those spells and use them for leveling good idea.

Is it possible to remove spells I've made in past that I no longer use?

[Omgwtfbbqkitten]

Originally posted by The Great McNoltee:

There are so many summons and I can only summon one at a time correct? :(

What summon best pulls aggro?

Oh I just ran into a quest where I have a staff which constantly summons everscamps they are called. Been using them for target practice. Strangely when I when into a temple thingy, Twanle it was called not sure, on the map for example if I don't attack enemy sometimes they will attack scamps.

Useful for leveling my light,block and blade up right now.

I will make those spells and use them for leveling good idea.

Is it possible to remove spells I've made in past that I no longer use?

You can only summon one at a time.

What level is your conjuration at? The best summons will depend on your skill level. Generally most enemies will target your summons quickly, but it might be best to use summons that deal high damage and have decent health.

My favorite summon is the Clannfear. It has a low base cost, deals high damage, and stays out a long time. My favorite part about it is its size. It is a very quick and aggressive summon that can block your enemy to great effect in small areas.

I generally use Hunger and Zombie in the beginning and Headless Zombie, Decrepit Shambles, and Gluttonous Hunger as I gain levels. Skeleton Hero is ok.

For the expert levels (75) I usually only use Clannfear, Ravenous Hunger, Shambles, Frost Atronach, and Daedroth. Faded Wraith is ok too and you will need it eventually to complete hte Master Conjuration Training quest.

For Master levels (100) I will only use Storm Atronach, Voracious Hunger, and Replete Shambles.

Most of the other summons are too weak to be worthwhile imo. They have low base damage and cost alot of MP to use.

Once I get Conjuration to 100 I will make some custom Summons so that they can stay out longer. I also make couple of short duration spells 15~20 seconds that I use to block enemies that are chasing me and just keep resummoning to keep blocking small passageways when I don't want to fight.

There is a way to remove spells by using console, but I am unsure how to do it with custom spells. You have to find out the spells ID in order to remove it using the player.removespell command.

[ScubaSteve]

61 Conjuration right now.

I will look into the remove spell thing, I want to experiment with spells making powerful ones but would hate to be cluttered with the ones I dislike ya know.

I have shivering isles and other DLC, but haven't touched it yet heard it was better for later levels or after completing the game I guess.

[Omgwtfbbqkitten]

Originally posted by The Great McNoltee:

I have shivering isles and other DLC, but haven't touched it yet heard it was better for later levels or after completing the game I guess.

You should definintely go to the Shivering Isles asap so you can buy all the summons from Earil. They are worth having.

You will also find a few good destruction spells that combine elements from the same NPC. There is nothing wrong with exploring the Isles. You only need to defeat the Gatekeeper.

You should only wait until level 30 before doing any following quests after killing the Gatekeeper, because one of the early quest rewards is a leveled enchanted sword that is best at level 30.

The only concern is doing the Fork of Horripilation quest because the quest NPC is a dumbass and will get himself killed before you can complete the quest. So try not to linger in the city for to long or he will die.

[Darth Cannabis]

Be sure to build and add in illusion effects into your made spells, as a lot of the illusion efffects can completely change a battle. Adding 1 sec of paralysis to any ranged spell effectively makes it a knockdown spell. Fear effects added into time release damage spells ensure that you can recharge your mana before having to use it again (due to enemy running from you as the damage happens). As your illusion skill builds you can also add in some frenzy, calm or actual control of targets. As you level as a pure mage, battle control can be a bigger adavatage than raw damage (not that raw damage doesn't have it uses) and you and the suggesters have a good start on the summoning, but imagine that spell you use to summon, also touch turning target to your side, as you go invisible and watch a 3 on 1 battle turn into a 2 on 2, with you haveign the option of spectating or being 3rd in on your side.

[__-__-__]

If the enemies are getting too tough you can allways hold off on leveling, you only level when resting, you generally don't have to rest through the whole game, meaning you can put off a level up indefinately. A word of warning though, you will likely find that you can level multiple times once you decide to, don't level more than once or the enemies levels will jump a significant amount and you may find you are no better off than you were when you began, and very likely in an even worse situation.