Pure Mage Build... High Elf or Breton?

[Amody]

Very new to Skyrim, just started a few days ago. After getting more used to the controls, pretty sure I want to be a mage, I'm a breton now but should I start over as a high elf? Also, should I invest all my level ups in Magicka??

[Sir Squirrelliam Walnuts]

İlk olarak Amody tarafından gönderildi:

Thanks man thats very helpful!

İlk olarak Thrashmetalfan92 tarafından gönderildi:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w7nM6yRnipw

Np he does guides for all classes so you can check them all out if you ever decide to make another character.

[D3monofChaos]

+50 magic is useless so pick whatever you like better

[AttilaWalker]

Honestly, I prefer Orc or Argonian for mage builds. Bc powerbuilds are boring as hell.
If Altmer vs Breton, then Breton is instawin. Magic resistance is ALWAYS good (for any build).

[FTL_FAM]

Amody:

Since you are new to the game, here is something that you won't know right away:

Skyrim's magic uses a system where spells don't really get stronger, but they just cost slightly less to cast you level up. So, get a mod that reverses this; as you level up, the magnitude of spell strength goes up as cost goes down. This why magic is considered underpowered compared to warrior & thief builds. Plus, Mages can't just craft more powerful robes (armor) and spells (weapons) like warriors & other classes can. This is another reason why you need to research some of the magic overhaul mods to see which one would suit you best.

Speaking of perk overhauls, I would definitely recommend one to go along with a magic overhaul as well.

Normally, I would say for your first play through to just play the vanilla game, but the vanilla game is so unbalanced it's not very fun, or interesting in my and many others opinions.

S.P.E.R.G. is a good perk overhaul along with Skyrim Redone, and others that strive to bring a more balanced and robust leveling system where your actual progression means something compared to the default.

[WALKaBOUT50]

Quest of minds ALK

[deadly]

I'd stick with breton if your still gonna use swords (some times) but if it is JUST magic then i'd go high elf

[Bargingo]

Highelf.

[Shelt]

I build for defense, so Breton. After you reach 100 in enchanting, magica isn't an issue since you can double enchant to reduce casting costs to 0 anyway.

[istvan_v]

İlk olarak d3monxchaos tarafından gönderildi:

+50 magic is useless so pick whatever you like better

It is not useless early, because it allows for buying (e.g. from Calcelmo or Wylandriah) and casting some useful apprentice level spells like "conjure flame atronach" already at the lowest levels. These typically have a base magicka cost above 130. Also, it makes it possible to increase health or stamina instead of magicka more.

One minor advantage of high elves that perhaps was not mentioned yet is that (at least according to the wiki) they can run slightly faster, because of being the tallest race. This can be useful when you want to keep a distance from the enemy, and avoid melee combat.

İlk olarak Shelt tarafından gönderildi:

I build for defense, so Breton. After you reach 100 in enchanting, magica isn't an issue since you can double enchant to reduce casting costs to 0 anyway.

Although with dual enchanting, the 25% magic resistance is not that important either. A mage character wearing only enchanted clothes can become almost invulnerable to magic (against which armor rating is useless) anyway, with stacking resist magic + fire/frost/shock enchantments. But of course being a Breton always saves one slot for other enchantments. The main threat is physical attacks, which are deadly on legendary difficulty even with 600+ health but no armor. For this reason, the berserker rage ability of orcs can actually be useful sometimes.

[Diarrhea Blaster]

İlk olarak Two Bears tarafından gönderildi:

İlk olarak Smile n Fire tarafından gönderildi:

you are though

Reported.

Dude tried helping you with mods and you got butthurt, he didn't "troll" you, quit crying.

[Mormacil]

As a good magic overhaul for starters I recommend Better Magic. It changes a lot but all very little keeping the experience very Vanilla (not modded).

İlk olarak Amody tarafından gönderildi:

Also, does 50 Magicka realy make a huge difference later on in the game?

No, barely any race bonus matters in the game. With enchanting, perks and spells you can create incredible manapools and magical defences. You're Breton is great as a mage as would be a high elf. But any character can be any class to great effect. Be aware that a mage his power will be in his distructionspells and conjuration summons. Spells are a slow affair with lots of spamming, you won't be one hitting much.

[Skyrimnut]

I tend to play pure mages as either or, depends on how I approach enchanting, but lol, I've run around as a khajiit doing the same things too, so really, race matters little in the end. If I go for enchanting, I usually pick a high elf cause I think they'd be very good at it. If I am going for a no-crafting mage, I usually pick a Breton, as the magic resistance with a few quests, and stone choice frees up a slot for equipment. For a pure mage in the beginning, since I'm not a player that is very concerned about leveling quickly, I tend to opt first for the Atronach stone, lol, after I get a horse. The magicka regen stunt is offset by robes, you get a 50+ boost to magicka (which lets an Altmer cast some heavy duty spells), and you absorb 50% of all magic attacks coming at you. This is never a bad thing. Later game, I'll either switch to Lord, or use the Aetherial crown and keep Atronach and Lord. It'll kill a slot for spell reduction, but who can argue with 50% spell absorption, 25% resistance to magic, +50 magicka, and +50 armor rating all in one head piece? And it's all pretty with saphires and stuff. Mr. Buttons looked fabulous in it. He was my khajiit.

I also don't invest heavily into magicka, but focus more on regen and spell cost reduction. I've played pure mages that have put no levels into magicka and were able to cast master level spells in a few choice schools because of spell reduction costs. It's a bit different, especially on a no-craft mage, as you can't do all the schools with zero cost reduction, so you need to specialize, or except that fact that some schools of magic will cost more. My no-craft mages also tend to wear some form of armor as there are very few items in the game that are clothing (barring the boots the in the arch mage's quarters and some dunmer equipment) that are enchanted, so you are kinda forced to utilize enchanted gauntlets or boots, or simply go without an extra slot or two, until you come across those ingame items. It affects alteration slightly, as you can't max out the armor rating, but I've never played as a min-maxer. I will use the Necromancer's amulet at times, so for those builds, I put points into health and stamina.

Up to you, though. Play how you want. An orc illusionist who only has frost atronachs defending it is a totally viable way to play and I'm sure quite fun. My use of the Atronach stone limits my Conjuration. Summons still work, just only 50% of the time, so honestly, I treat it as a roleplaying item, and have some spells fail. Necromancy, bound weapons, and Arvak if you have the dlc, are still viable.

There is an exploit using Restoration potions that I'm currently using on a build of mine. Advanced Atronach. Pop a restoration potion right before activating the stone and you get an increase in the amount of magicka and spell absorption. You also get a penalty in the regen too. Right now, my Advanced Atronach gives me 77% spell absorption, +77 magicka, and 77% stunt in regen. You can exploit the Apprentice stone in the same way, and if you use the Aetherial crown and opt never to remove it, you can alter both stones and make a pretty interesting mage. Just an interesting tidbit for you.

[Amody]

İlk olarak Skyrimnut tarafından gönderildi:

I tend to play pure mages as either or, depends on how I approach enchanting, but lol, I've run around as a khajiit doing the same things too, so really, race matters little in the end. If I go for enchanting, I usually pick a high elf cause I think they'd be very good at it. If I am going for a no-crafting mage, I usually pick a Breton, as the magic resistance with a few quests, and stone choice frees up a slot for equipment. For a pure mage in the beginning, since I'm not a player that is very concerned about leveling quickly, I tend to opt first for the Atronach stone, lol, after I get a horse. The magicka regen stunt is offset by robes, you get a 50+ boost to magicka (which lets an Altmer cast some heavy duty spells), and you absorb 50% of all magic attacks coming at you. This is never a bad thing. Later game, I'll either switch to Lord, or use the Aetherial crown and keep Atronach and Lord. It'll kill a slot for spell reduction, but who can argue with 50% spell absorption, 25% resistance to magic, +50 magicka, and +50 armor rating all in one head piece? And it's all pretty with saphires and stuff. Mr. Buttons looked fabulous in it. He was my khajiit.

I also don't invest heavily into magicka, but focus more on regen and spell cost reduction. I've played pure mages that have put no levels into magicka and were able to cast master level spells in a few choice schools because of spell reduction costs. It's a bit different, especially on a no-craft mage, as you can't do all the schools with zero cost reduction, so you need to specialize, or except that fact that some schools of magic will cost more. My no-craft mages also tend to wear some form of armor as there are very few items in the game that are clothing (barring the boots the in the arch mage's quarters and some dunmer equipment) that are enchanted, so you are kinda forced to utilize enchanted gauntlets or boots, or simply go without an extra slot or two, until you come across those ingame items. It affects alteration slightly, as you can't max out the armor rating, but I've never played as a min-maxer. I will use the Necromancer's amulet at times, so for those builds, I put points into health and stamina.

Up to you, though. Play how you want. An orc illusionist who only has frost atronachs defending it is a totally viable way to play and I'm sure quite fun. My use of the Atronach stone limits my Conjuration. Summons still work, just only 50% of the time, so honestly, I treat it as a roleplaying item, and have some spells fail. Necromancy, bound weapons, and Arvak if you have the dlc, are still viable.

There is an exploit using Restoration potions that I'm currently using on a build of mine. Advanced Atronach. Pop a restoration potion right before activating the stone and you get an increase in the amount of magicka and spell absorption. You also get a penalty in the regen too. Right now, my Advanced Atronach gives me 77% spell absorption, +77 magicka, and 77% stunt in regen. You can exploit the Apprentice stone in the same way, and if you use the Aetherial crown and opt never to remove it, you can alter both stones and make a pretty interesting mage. Just an interesting tidbit for you.

Whoa, thanks for all that info! It sounds a long way ahead of where I am now I kept restarting b/c I couldnt decide which race to stick with, but people say it doesn't matter much in the long run so I'll just pick either Breton or HE and go along, haven't heard of Atronach stones yet so I'll just look that up now. Thanks! :D

[Amody]

I decided to continue as Breton. I guess I don't want to restart again for High Elf haha, Thanks for the help :), also I think I will get Better Magic Mod as suggested by John and Mormacil

[Mormacil]

Hey any TES game for me is littered with characters around level 10 then abandoned for the new cool thing. Either that's an Orcish summoner or a canabalistic Bosmer Thief without a bow (just daggers) or it's a Redguard necromancer who's afraid of the dark.