Dual-casting Firebolt (which is apprentice level) kills most human enemies in one hit. I don't even want to know how crazy powerful more advanced spells are. You can also draw and fire a hell of a lot faster than a bow.
There's actually a pretty legitimate complaint going around (seems legitimate atleast, I'm not that high of a level) about how straight up mages are seriously underpowered from about level 35+. See, every combat skill (bows, 1h, 2h, etc.) scales according to your level in that particular skill. A warrior with 20 1h skill will do considerably less damage than an identical warrior with 80 1h skill. Magic does not, at all. No matter how high your destruction level is, that firebolt will always do the same amount of damage until the end of the game without perks. But then, lets look at the perks. Every combat skill has a perk that will up their damage by 100%, so long as the proper number of points are put into that skill. Mages only have a perks which can raise each individual spell type by 50%. Mages, at their highest level, will have their most powerful spell do about 100 points of damage and eat up a chunk of Magicka, while warriors and thieves in sneak will be hitting for hundreds of points. On top of that, when a mage runs out of magicka, they better have potions or their screwed. When warriors and thieves run out of stamina, they can continue to slash away. Again, hard to say since I haven't reached the level, just what I've read. Destruction isn't the only spells mages should be using, but it should be one of their primary damage outputs.
Ya, that was something I was wondering about. I think maybe the spells should be leveled rather than do fixed damage. That way a spell will always be useful and you can decide what spells to use based on attack style preference rather than just finding the strongest spells. Magic seemed overpowered when I first tried it, but as I got higher I noticed it was getting harder and harder to kill something quickly.
I think it all evens out. With magic you get range, the effect of the spell, once you buy your spell you don't need to spend anymore money on it, and the college gives a bunch of enchanted equipment that'll help your magicka problem out. My only complaint is the enchanting and soul gems. The skill is a time consuming and costly one.
The biggest problem with that would be the fact that you can't use it with an Enchanted weapon, which means I can't use it with Dawnbreaker. Sad face. As for being a straight up Mage: I use a combination of Magic and Warrior skills. I've tried being a straight up mage before, but you get **** on by some of the higher level enemies. AND HOLY ****, Master Conjurers are ridiculously powerful. On apprentice difficulty, in which I have twice upgraded Steel Plate Armor, which is enchanted with a bunch of different resistances, he killed me in two hits of a lightning spell, both which he cast very quickly after eachother. I met these ones at a fort just up from the exit of Stillborn Cave.
Mages may have the lowest single target damage at higher levels, but they also get a lot of aoe to some of their spells, I think it evens out. Sacrifice the 1v1 damage for the ability to hit multiple enemies at once.
Just got an item with an enchantment that increases 2-handed damage by 20%; I think I know what's going on my armour now.
I just got 100 Smithing. Get at me. Time to get my Enchanting to 100 now. Does anyone know the fastest way of leveling it?
Go to any Dwemer ruin and stock up on some filled petty soul gems. Or common or whatever's small. Then get an excess of worthless items like iron daggers, and enchant them. Enchanting a shitty item with a tiny soul raises your skill by the same amount as doing it with a better item or better soul. Doesn't really make a difference.
I found a cheaper way to level my smithing skill, although it does require a little more work. There are a few area's in the game ****ing covered in deer, bears and sabre cats. I just take a bow and spend a little while hunting, come back with a SHITLOAD of pelts and such. Turn them into leather and make hundreds of leather braces and strips. And killing Giants has become strangely easy. Although I had a scary run in today while a dragon swooped down as I was fighting 2 Giants, and instead of attacking eachother, they focused their attacks on me. And then the Mammoths came...
I plan on maxing out Smithing, Enchanting, Sneak, Archery, and One-Handed. Smithing- make Dragon Armour, Glass if Dragon isn't Light Armour Enchanting- double enchant my armour with Fortify Archery Sneak- awesome one-handed and archery damage bonuses Archery- 15% paralyze enemy, plus it's my main choice of combat One-Handed- for the up close encounters
yeah, but those really doesnt matter after a while. i believe dark elves have 10% destruction and 5% sneak along with other perks but my archery is still managing to be insanity my sneak has everything else of mine doubled. im about to go get my enchanting and smithing up before i do much else, really the same stats youve been working on. rofl.
Jesus Christ, its like we're triplets. Also, I was wondering how I get enchantments, I haven't dabbled much in enchanting yet and was going to soon. level 100 pickpocket level 70 somethin archery level 80 somethin sneak level 70 somethin lockpicking level 30 something light armor... Those are my highest stats