The Flashy-Killing Mage Guide: Part Awesome

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One of the first things you'll notice about Skyrim is that there aren't any character classes to lock you in a role. You're free to do what you damn well please.

 

But that doesn't mean you can be Gandalf, Tyrion Lanncaster, and Leonidas all at the same time, no. You'll specialize in time and come to learn that the combat is significantly different from Oblivion. It is harder, it is faster, and it is far more deadlier. It isn't a game that lets you make mistakes.

 

So in the interest of aiding my fellow gamers I've comprised guides for those whom are interested in playing 'pure'. Be it melee, magic, or stealth, I have advice for you.

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The Bearded Mage with a Badass Scar

 

So you want to play as a pure-mage for this outing in Skyrim? You want to unleash death and kill things before they even gaze upon your blinding manliness/sexiness. Well, you ain't doing that till about level 10.

 

Playing as a mage in Skyrim requires you to unlearn everything you did in Oblivion. You can no longer back-peddle, you'll die extremely quick without defensive spells, and every fight will be twice as fast when compared to melee. These are both blessings and curses. So before we start on tactics let's discuss the two, 'best' mage races.

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You guessed them right.

 

Bretons: This time the Dragonskin power is absurdly amazing. In Skyrim the Dragonskin power halves all spell damage and restores your Magicka with the absorbed damage. It is a godsend in mage on mage combat, and it works on all the breaths dragons spew.

 

You also get very decent bonuses in conjuration and destruction, the staple school for a pure mage.

 

High Elves: The Highborn power will pull you through the roughest spots in the game. It makes the usual, agonizingly slow magicka recharge superbly quick. This makes them, in my opinion, the best choice for a full mage.

 

Again, you also gain bonuses in the magic schools, very excellent ones.

 

As always you can pick which race is best for you as it all comes down to personal preference.

 

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Something smells magey here

 

So you decided on a race you played through the opening, and you just realized how awesome your spells are, even though you only have a handful. For the first few hours of your play you shouldn't need my advice unless you decide to stray from the main quest, which I suggest you don't, at least for the first arc.

 

By following your ally to Riverrun you'll come across the first stones, these are essentially the Birth-Signs of Skyrim except their benefits outweigh those in Oblivion. By picking up the Mage Sign you'll make leveling your skills notably easier, and thus leveling will be expedite as well.

 

By entering Riverrun you start the first arc of the main quest. I strongly advise you keep to it until the Greybeards have trained you. My words will make sense.

 

This is meant to give you Shouts, the first one is invaluable to mages especially when charged up. By the time you've gotten through this you'll start to find things have started to tilt against you. Battles will be nigh-impossible in certain cases and any area outside of Whiterun will stomp you into the ground.

 

This is the first lesson: You aren't Gandalf.

 

The first fifteen levels of the game will be akin to a failing defense. Enemies will generally be able to overwhelm your position by the time you knock them to half health. And generally it will only take two to three swings for a decent enemy to fell you.

 

The key to surviving is detailed here.

 

Know your Room : in a fight you need to know everything about your surroundings. Where you can run to that is open or funnels your foes so their numbers count for nothing. Also you need to know the area so you don't get hung up on anything while you desperately run.

 

Know your Schools: This isn't Oblivion, EVERY school is amazing. Let that knowledge sink in. For once, in the Elder Scrolls, every school gives you extremely helpful magic! Alteration gives you the armor spells like Stoneflesh. Restoration bestows very needed healing spells and Wards. While Illusion allows you to become the ultimate mind-fucker.

 

Know your Stats Unlike in Oblivion, Health doesn't increase on level. You have to manually increase it. Same with Magicka or Stamina. In effect, you can be level 50 but only have 100 health, which will mean that most end-game creatures will one-shot you.

 

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Battle-Tactica

 

So you know the three rules, now let's build on them.

 

The Mage Fight is your Bane: Melee is deadly but a mage is a whole another monster. Many of these human-sized foes will outweigh the danger of any dragon you fight. And if you took the Apprentice stone, you just signed your death note.

 

In a fight against early mages its a battle on who can outdo the other's damage. Soon, though, it becomes a tactical dance that is utterly nerve-wrecking. Any Apprentice-level mage will cast a Ward spell. This spell will look like a shield effect, and it does just that. It will absorb EVERY spell you throw.

 

But luckily it's tied to a mage's mana, let him burn himself out, then unleash a hail-storm of your strongest spells on him. You're goal is to kill this mage before he gains the mana to use a Ward or a Healing spell. If he uses either this fight will become much harder, especially if you've been struck. And you'll almost always fight more than one mage at a time.

 

However, you can use Wards too. These magics serve as your 'mage shield' allowing you to block physical and magical attacks. Just the first one you get will save you from deadly spell effects. To augment this, use spell-resist potions and never try to enter melee range with a mage that's higher than Apprentice.

 

The reason I say this is because the 'spray' spells you get at the start of the game are used by them. The frost and shock sprays are especially nasty. Frost drains your movement speed down to nothing, effectively raping you before you have the chance to heal. Shock sprays drain your mana...completely.

 

 

Back-Peddling isn't dead: Back-peddling has evolved into the 180-turn. Against melee foes this is your prime target. Running away while spinning about to shoot then flee. Against faster foes you should never stand still to aim ALWAYS backpeddle on the 180 but NEVER backpeddle for longer than 1.5 seconds. Mastering this will make nearly every melee fight trivial.

 

FUCKING MISSED: The hit-boxes are far more precise in Skyrim. You can now narrowly miss foes by a hair, which will make you rage on enemies with especially-tiny hit-boxes(Falmer). Don't unleash death everywhere thinking that the mechanics will do anything but face-palm. Aim your shots, especially with shock spells.

 

You shall not-OH SHIT!: The first few hours into the later quests and areas will be rough. There will be many fights you can't finish in a whole mana-bar. Always try to have potions, always try to not use them. Never stand your ground, you're a mage, not a stop-sign.

 

I'm gonna smack the shit outta ya: Melee will not be your clutch unless you level it, which then won't make you a pure-mage. Conjuration can solve this but only use bound weapons when combined with either Stoneflesh or Oakflesh.

 

Dual-cast, pah that's stupid: Dual-casting will be your prime means for whooping ass when you need to. It's never as stylish as throwing flaming-lightning but when you need to two-shot a frost troll, two dual-cast fireballs will do...twenty seconds of flaming-lightning won't.

 

Regen is God: Potions are always nice to have but your base regen for your magicka needs to be strong. There is gear that improves this substantially. In my opinion, Regen always outweighs magicka points. But having more magicka is a good idea too. Just remember this, a pure-mage benefits most from wearing mage robes and there's even a perk, though I forget which tree, that gives you defense bonuses from wearing the good-ol-man-dress.

 

Enchanting First, Alchemy Second: Unless you're suffering from a severe lack of mana every fight, even against one opponent, Enchanting is the best crafting profession. It's easy to level and, if you listen to my advice below, you'll be loaded with soul gems.

 

Fuck Fire, yell at them: Skyrim has haters, and I consider those people foolish. This is a game where you kill something by fucking yelling at it. As a mage this will augment your magical power and finally turn you into a demi-god. Use your shouts, abuse them, especially once you power up Unrelenting Force by speaking to the Greybeards. With a full roster of Shouts, It'd take Darth Vader, Sauron, Korne, Galactus, and Liquid Snake to bring you down.

 

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The Grim Journeys

 

You'll find your travels across Skyrim will be tougher than those of a warrior. Proper mage gear will be hard to come by and the only way you can learn new spells at the start is by finding tomes or buying them (from Court Wizards in each city's Hall).

 

So you might find a +75% regen robe and think that's pretty awesome, well it is, but it doesn't match the rewards of the College of Winterhold.

 

The College should, obviously, be your first destination after the Greybeards. The rewards from this mage-favored organization will save you many woes. It offers trainers, room-and-board, and plenty of spell tomes and books to read.

 

The College is located in Winterhold which by now should be a name you know well. If you want this to go easy, take a carriage to Winterhold and meet with the Faralda at the start of the bridge. Pro-tip, you'll need Firebolt(Which the Court Wizard in Whiterun has).

 

But you're missing out on one the most fantastic journeys in any video game. You'll travel through blinding snow, face beasts that will stomp you into mush, and witness the natural beauty of Skyrim. And if you're me, you'll save a Horker from a Dragon!

 

I suggest you take the route from Whiterun to Windhelm. This one isn't filled with enemies and allows you to discover Windhelm, if you're interested in a certain, shadowy guild. By hugging to the right of Windhelm and the great mountains, you'll cross a wide and beautiful tundra. I know it ain't very grim but it's worth the experience, and if you encounter a dragon, well you'll have plenty of room to fight him on.

 

Once you reach the College, rejoice! The questline is intriguing and will teach you much about the magic mechanics of Skyrim and how to fight magic-resistant enemies. The end reward will give you a dangerous boner to boot.

 

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So that's my little knowledge to impart on you. And one last tip. always keep an eye on the sky, even when you're 'safe at school'.

 

And if you have quests on the mechanics of the magic system or if a tactic is worthwhile, just ask me.