Weapon for a mage

[rcbecker123]

I have done both but playing a mage in robes is much more dangerous if caught off guard.

[Mattbott]

my mage has always worn no armour and the mage robes are the best because spells are cheaper to cast and your regen is boosted - the arch mage robes and boots are a great low to mid level combination but you have to get your magicka score up high and choose your perks carefully (specialise). Because alchemy was a major thing for me i always had a decent sword skill and used poisons when enemies got through

Spoiler:

It took a while before fights stopped being routinely scary (I actually think it might be getting to the level where your health is around the 250 mark) but i relied on avoiding combat, summoning allies and having companions, and the alteration school for protection. Restoration's wards were not very effective imo because hits can dispel the ward and whilst you are re casting more damage comes through, plus wards use up so much magicka you can't do much else than hide behind them, so i prefer to attack and finish the fight quickly or simply avoid damage. I am was mainly a fire mage at lower levels so dawnbreaker, flame atronarchs and spammed fireballs were my thang. Definitely one of the most fun characters i have played

[LordAshton]

Per the topic: Weapons? For a mage? magic is your weapon. If you want a weapon, use a bound one.

[Mattbott]

i went through a phase of collecting firebolt/ice bolt type staves and dual wielded them

that was fun

[LordAshton]

i went through a phase of collecting firebolt/ice bolt type staves and dual wielded them

that was fun

I was just saying, when it comes to mages, one should not be eager to wield a regular weapon.

[Varyag]

I've seen Illia, my altmer's follower, dual wield staff of firebolt and staff of ice storm. She was real killing macine.

[Evol]

Thought I'd get in on this, as my main character is currently going mage. I usually rely on my magic but I carry a dagger and blades sword with me, enchanted with useful enchantments for a mage, that I can dual wield or use only one plus a spell.
I'm also thinking of only wearing robes and gloves, boots (no armor). Rely on flesh spells and conjuration/follower for distractions, then use magic, staves, and my enormous collection of scrolls only. No potions. No weapons, just those things.

@Varyag I currently have Breylana (I can't recall her name atm, but the CoW dunmer follower) as my follower and she has staff of paralysis and blades sword with fire/absorb health when an enemy is near I've watched her conjure a frost atronach, cast a flesh spell then pull out staff, paralyze enemy go up and whack them to death. I'll usually cast a atronach or two in there too and just watch the fight.

[Mattbott]

i went through a phase of collecting firebolt/ice bolt type staves and dual wielded them

that was fun

I was just saying, when it comes to mages, one should not be eager to wield a regular weapon.

i agree,


tho I still think of alchemy as a mage-ish skill so usually have a poison delivery weapon. Those weakness to 'x' and damage magicka effects are too much fun to ignore when you're up against an enemy wizard lol

my current guy has an enchanted shiv (i took it into the diplomatic immunity mission) which does very little physical damage but hits hard esp when poisoned - so my one handed weapon skill is irrelevant compared with the damage my 'mage' skills have allowed me to inflict with it

[p-sto]

You know, I've had inclinations to play pure mage in a number of fantasy games and Elder Scrolls games have never been among them. But Skyrim does get me closer than Morrowind. There are a ton of advantages to playing without armour in Skyrim and not much hindrance. It is a lot harder for me to give up weapons, however.

Though I suppose this is somewhat apt.

I was just saying, when it comes to mages, one should not be eager to wield a regular weapon.

I tend to find around level five it's a lot easier to pull out a sword and hack away my problems but the only playthroughs where destruction was ever a viable skill in the late game were ones where I stuck through the pain and used destruction magic where other means were more convenient in the early game.

[Derp53]

i went through a phase of collecting firebolt/ice bolt type staves and dual wielded them

that was fun

I was just saying, when it comes to mages, one should not be eager to wield a regular weapon.

i agree,


tho I still think of alchemy as a mage-ish skill so usually have a poison delivery weapon. Those weakness to 'x' and damage magicka effects are too much fun to ignore when you're up against an enemy wizard lol

my current guy has an enchanted shiv (i took it into the diplomatic immunity mission) which does very little physical damage but hits hard esp when poisoned - so my one handed weapon skill is irrelevant compared with the damage my 'mage' skills have allowed me to inflict with it

Unless you're playing an altmer, that's not really feasible at lower levels. Personally I can't stand altmer, so all my mage characters are bretons and dunmer with one redguard because why not and all of them used an elven dagger or orcish sword until they could spam firebolt without having to watch their magic bar. Granted, it was a back up weapon for when my back was to a wall and I had no other way out, but it's handy at low levels for an unarmored mage at low levels with nothing but oakflesh for damage protection.

[Mattbott]

yep, my guy is high level (a redguard)

Lower levels the bound sword is good cos it also levels conjuring very quickly. But i compromised totally on my wizard at low level, he was a sort of fire mage at first and used dawnbreaker as his last resort weapon

[Derp53]

even without upgrades, Dawnbreaker an OP on anything undead, kinda defeats the point of using fire based spells on most things you encounter.

[rcbecker123]

The character Im using currently is armed with bound weapons and a dagger for fighting as support I use a staff of Storm Atronach Which you can make for cheap at the college. The only thing you have to buy is the empty Greater soul gem. I also found that archery or one handed skill enhancers on rings and such really helps the bound weapons.