Melee + magic buiild questions

[Blindfire187]

Less a question and more a how to build this type of character?

I played Oblivion when it first came out and honestly don't remember much, plus I didn't really know what I was doing and just went straight sword and board. I just picked this up and started as Mage class because everyone said that magic is better compared to Skyrim (which it is) but I also like the melee aspect. So I was wondering what are some good hybrid melee and magic builds.

Skyrim I did what everyone else did, stealth archer. I also tried some magic classes like conjuration but wasn't too impressed so I ended up doing a melee build also but most of my time was the stealth archer.

[parafwen]

a good spell is 100 strength and 100 will power for 20 seconds

[binxmuldoon123]

I'm doing an Argonian spellsword. I'm mostly using touch spells since they cost less magic to cast with all three elements and weakness to magic over a few seconds.

[Nex]

Custom class: Magic specialization, stats endurance and strength for higher difficulties, sign mage or lord (atronach is overrated). Major skills heavy armor, block, blunt (defensive melee) or blade (offensive melee), destruction, conjuration, armorer, restoration. Alchemy is good too, but it´s not required as major skill because you can level it very fast. Race Breton, Argonian, Orc or High elf. Breton can be 100% resistant to magic with Mundane Ring. BIS items can be enchanted heavy armor with +50 magicka sigil stones or mix +50 magicka sigils with +20% shield on higher difficulties. Notable items are Escutcheon of Chorrol, Mundane Ring, Amulet of Axes/Swords, Spellbreaker. You can wear any heavy armor which gives you total 85 armor (this is armor cap). Summons are very good - I use daedroth. Many people prefer clanfear or dremora lord or storm atronach (storm atronach is corridor blocker chonker and helps tank damage).

[Thomas D.]

Depends on what you are looking for.

But you could for example use summons and swing the sword.

Also at the beginning you could use the shield spell for example (especially if you go light armor). Then add in some healing. Maybe some utility spells like detect life.

But if you want to swing your sword I wouldnt use destruction magic or only as ranged option (instead of a bow).

At the beginning it will make you worse if you try to make both equally as good because you will have to split attributes and you will level more abilities which will yield in faster leveling up while your abilities will end up lower during this process.

At the end it wont matter much because you can reach 100 with every attribute (except luck) as also max all your abilities but until then being pure is usually easier.

But if you want some cheese you could use stuff like paralyze and then swing your sword on the enemy that wont do anything.

Also if you consider Alchemy then alchemy is really potent in that game!

Further for a hybrid approach (with focus on Melee): I recommend Mage Birthsign + Breton (100 extra Magicka without any drawbacks). Class and so doesnt matter that much (except for how quick you level). But if you want to go close combat: I recommend Warrior and this:
1. One Melee Style (I prefer Blades),
2. One Armor Style (Heavy is the best Choice at the end you gain the same speed as Light but will have better durability plus it will make it easier to survive early on),
3. Armorer (keeep your stuff repaired)
4. Block
5.-7. Your main Spell Schools (like for example Restoration, Summoning and Illusion, wouldnt take Destruction except if you want to have a Range Option but usually its best to stick to one damage Option early on).

Main attributes:
1. Strength or Agility (depending on Weapon) for Melee Damage
2. Endurance for Survivability (important in Melee if you aren cheesing with spells like Paralyze)
3. Willpower (as you will use Spells primarily as utility and Healing, high Regen is more important than high Magicka especially with the boost from Breton + Mage, also Willpower Boosts stamina regen).

[True Beard]

Originally posted by Nex:

Custom class: Magic specialization, stats endurance and strength for higher difficulties, sign mage or lord (atronach is overrated). Major skills heavy armor, block, blunt (defensive melee) or blade (offensive melee), destruction, conjuration, armorer, restoration. Alchemy is good too, but it´s not required as major skill because you can level it very fast. Race Breton, Argonian, Orc or High elf. Breton can be 100% resistant to magic with Mundane Ring. BIS items can be enchanted heavy armor with +50 magicka sigil stones or mix +50 magicka sigils with +20% shield on higher difficulties. Notable items are Escutcheon of Chorrol, Mundane Ring, Amulet of Axes/Swords, Spellbreaker. You can wear any heavy armor which gives you total 85 armor (this is armor cap). Summons are very good - I use daedroth. Many people prefer clanfear or dremora lord or storm atronach (storm atronach is corridor blocker chonker and helps tank damage).

Good info here.

[Kjoris2]

As you can use spells while having weapons out, you can do whatever you want really.
And now that the health bonus from endurance is retroactive you can just level up without to much worry.
Only do take note that the "shortsword" and "dagger" now fall under agility and not strength, and that armor reduces spell effectiveness.

[Yian Yan]

Most of what would inform a 'build' that's impactful in this version is your race/birthsign (as most things after that would be pretty universal/eventually become the same). Nex's advice/information looks very solid. To reiterate, as far as races go, in order of my recommendation for a new to Oblivion player:
- Breton is solid for the magic resist (melee combat may find it hard to avoid spells) in addition to a natural 50 bonus max magicka.
- Orcs similarly have magic resist (a bit less than the Breton) but no max magicka bonus but do have very nice starting stats for being in melee
- Argonians have full poison immunity which is very nice in melee and also have the fun perk of water breathing.
- High Elves make the best mages with 100 bonus magicka but staggering weaknesses to the elements common in magic which might make them less ideal for melee mages.

Birthsigns for mages are huge (a bit less so in remaster but still potent) and you'll likely want to choose:
- Mage for a small but no malus bearing 50 more bonus magicka (giving a Breton 100 bonus total for a 50% boost to natural maximum capacity).
- Apprentice grants 100 bonus magicka at the cost of 100% weakness to magicka which is likely a death sentence for a melee mage, doubly so if you're an Altmer.
- Atronach grants 150 bonus magicka but stunts magicka regen meaning you will need to use curative items/environmental activators to restore it (which would likely mean delving into Alchemy for an easy source of a large amount of restore magicka potions).

[Aksolotli]

GO MAGIC! GO MAGIC! OR GO VERY EASY WITH MELEE!

Melee Damage caps at 40 x 2 = Damage. Magic goes like 8000 x 8000 = Damage. Melee is just so low in this game. Also every Bandit will wear full Ebony Armor which means they are super armored.

[Thomas D.]

Thats not true with enhancements and improved gear you can go higher than just 40 damage...

Also the insane magic damage is only possible with recasting of custom spells and several casts not with a single cast

[Nex]

Also i would like to add that blunt weapons are my favorite on master difficulty - shield spell on heavy attack + chance to silence enemies. You are literally heavy armored magebreaker Custom spells are Weakness debuffs and destruction spells on touch. I prefer touch as melee mage but you can go target. Block from skill 75+ is great. Shield bash is so satisfying and you can spam it With heavy armor your spell effectiveness will be 95%, but with weakness to magic, frost, fire, shock spell and weapon enchant you don´t need to worry about it.

[☘ Slurri ☘]

Race: Breton
Birthsign: Atronach
Custom Class:
Focus: Magic
Stats: Luck, Intellect
Major Skills: Alteration, Destruction, Restoration, Blunt/Blade (pick one), Alchemy, Mysticism, Armorer
The 7 Majors have little impact on the game compared to the legacy version but they give beneficial boosts at the start and some free spells.

(Edit: When you level up you pick 1 Luck, 4 Int and 4 Str, once Int and Str is maxed you pick Endurance and Speed, Willpower and Personality are your most useless stats and one can be replaced with a spell before talking to NPCs and the other can be replaced with Fatigue Restoration potions)

Right out of the gate you want to head to Bruma and head east for the Frostcrag Spire so you can unlock a Spell Making and an Enchanting Table. (you'll need 7000 gold ish but you'll get that by leveling Alchemy and selling potions)
Also remember to craft yourself magicka restoration potions as you can't regenorate magicka on your own.

Using Armor is a waste and as you are not going for stealth, enchanting Shield on clothing is the best "armor" you can have. 5 clothing pieces with petty soul shield = 30 armor at the start. Which is equal to wearing Heavy armor but doesn't need to ever be repaired.

You want to level up Restoration and destruction to level 50 ASAP.
So you can craft spells with Fortify Strength and combind spells and weapon enchants with Weakness to Magicka.

Usefull gear you are looking for.
Necklace of Swords or Amulet of Axes (depening on if you wend blade or blunt) : Give 33% Reflect Damage and +25 to Blade/Blunt
Mundane Ring : Give 50% Magic Resist and 35% Spell Reflect (you are immune to magic with this)
Sorcerer's Ring : Give Spell absorption 25% and Fortify Magicka 25
Ring of Perfection : +10 all Attributes
5 pieces of Clothing (not armor) with a look you prefer
These 5 pieces should be enchanted with Sigil Stones once you start doing oblivion gates.
What you want is Trancendent Sigil stone with Shield +20%, 3-4 of these is enough.
You also want 1 with Spell Absorption for 15% more Absorption
and 1 with Detect Life or Feather (dealers choice if you didn't go 4 pieces of shield.)

Side note: You could also go 4 pieces of Chameleon and enemies will never attack you unless scripted.

You will now be borderline immortal even on Master Difficulty

For your weapon you want Soul Trap, Shock damage, Absorb Health, Weakness to Shock and Weakness to Magicka (in that order)
Weakness to Shock and Magicka needs to me 100% and for the same duration (3 sec is long enough to stay up between swings), the damage modifier is irrelavant 3 for 1 sec is more than enough, the damage just ramp up quicker the higher it is.

[Thomas D.]

Wasting enchancements on shield is an absolute waste, especially when you can have the armor cap with just wearing armor for free and still be able to use 4 additional enchancements for something of value, like for example extra magicka.

[Nex]

+50 magicka sigils are better. With Necromancer´s Amulet you can get 800+ magicka pool. Bad thing is that you must give up Necromancer´s Amulet to progress Mages Guild questline. But without it 650 magicka is still great and you can use Amulet of Axes/Blades instead. Also master heavy armor nullifies weight of your equipped heavy armor + you can use beast of burden spell for absolute loot goblin playstyle.

[☘ Slurri ☘]

Originally posted by Thomas D.:

Wasting enchancements on shield is an absolute waste, especially when you can have the armor cap with just wearing armor for free and still be able to use 4 additional enchancements for something of value, like for example extra magicka.

Max Magicka is pointless unless you are planing to use super broken high cost custom spells which at the end of the day is just a waste as weakness stacking will out perform it.
Using any armor lowers you magic output by a flat 5% and then an additional penelty / piece if you aren't profficiant enough and that's not including the weight and reparations you will have to do. Clothing give no magicka penalty you can reach Armor Cap with the Shield Enchant and there aren't really any usefull enchants at the end of the day. Infact just applying 100% Chameleon and you won't even have to worry about getting hit by anything so armor and resists becomes irrelavant.

[Thomas D.]

Its definetly of more value than wasting it on something pointless you can get for free.

Also its not true thaz max magicka is pointless because you will need magicka even flr the scaling weakness spells. But now you can cast them more often or make them more potent (quicker scaling). Also there is less of a chanchr that you run out of Magicka mid fight.

The 5% penalty can be more than easilly be offset or surpassed by stronger spells (which you might be able to use even more often than the weaker versions intendet).

Also Heavy Armor becomes completely weightless later even less than cloth...

Plus if you participate in Melee Combat you want to get your Armorer skill high so you can improve your sword.

And sure thr chameleon thing breaks the game but I were argueing about the shield enchancements not chamelon. The chamelon is up to decide for anyone, I wouldnt use it myself because it just to much.