Mage / Thief & Weapons / Armor

Oscuro_Sol · Post by **Oscuro_Sol** » Wed Aug 15, 2007 1:24 pm

Okay, I have a few questions here.

The first is if a mage / thief combo is worth playing. Usually I prefer 100% thief characters, and I'm wondering if adding magic abilities will push the thief abilities lower, making the whole point of a theif, well... useless. Like, say for major skills I have,

- Acrobatics
- Light Armor
- Short Sword
- Security
- Sneak

If I add, say, Destruction and Alteration to that list, then two of the above abilities won't be as high and then the thief isn't so thief-ish.

My second question is if mages should be wearing armor or if a high enough unarmored skill will suffice. Spending money on training isn't an issue for me, neither is the weight of armor.
Also, weapons for mages. Are they even really required? I mean, sure, you SHOULD have a backup weapon in case your magicka runs out, but is it worth putting a weapon into your major or even minor skills? If so, what weapon would you suggest for a mage or a mage / thief?
TIA.

fable · Post by **fable** » Wed Aug 15, 2007 2:51 pm

The first is if a mage / thief combo is worth playing. Usually I prefer 100% thief characters, and I'm wondering if adding magic abilities will push the thief abilities lower...

Not in the long run. You will take higher to reach all your goals because you have more, but you will simply be better at a lot of things, rather than a few.

If I add, say, Destruction and Alteration to that list, then two of the above abilities won't be as high and then the thief isn't so thief-ish.

Whatever you leave out will take longer to rise and will start lower, but you can still raise everything. I would suggest leaving out Sneak, since that can be raised by simply placing yourself behind a stationary NPC and leaving the key combination to sneak on for a very long time. Yes, I know it's incredibly cheesy, but then, so is the only way to raise that skill. You might also leave out Acrobatics, and just pay to raise it, later--perhaps Sugar-Lips Habasi, as I recall.

Oscuro_Sol · Post by **Oscuro_Sol** » Wed Aug 15, 2007 2:58 pm

So a mage / thief would work out okay for the main plotline and things like the Mages/Thieves/House etc Guilds and side quests? I'm a little concerned about battles and things like that, which is why I asked about the other things.

fable · Post by **fable** » Wed Aug 15, 2007 3:20 pm

Oscuro_Sol wrote:So a mage / thief would work out okay for the main plotline and things like the Mages/Thieves/House etc Guilds and side quests? I'm a little concerned about battles and things like that, which is why I asked about the other things.

Now you're asking other questions, entirely.

You're concerned about battles? Well, then a mage/thief combination isn't the best way to go, though it's certainly a possible way. I'd recommend a fighter/mage, because the game is skewed towards fighting skills (with the need for some very good defensive spells). A mage takes a long time before they can cast anything approaching the strength of a single sword attack, and what's more, do it repeatedly. But that's just my opinion. Suffice to say, if you want a thief/mage combination, it can be done easily, without problems.

And by the way, do get alchemy. It's really great. You can safely ignore Enchanting, but use money to buy yourself an extremely good enchantment on a short sword, if you run a thief, as soon as you can.

And check out the various mods at PlanetElderScrolls, which can add all sorts of items, and even adjust abilities.

Oscuro_Sol · Post by **Oscuro_Sol** » Wed Aug 15, 2007 3:28 pm

I'm not too concerned about finding enchanting weapons. After playing the game as a theif sixty times over I can find good stuff pretty easily.

I don't know too much about Alchemy though. Is it only to make potions?

fable · Post by **fable** » Wed Aug 15, 2007 4:03 pm

Yes. I wasn't aware you were that familiar with the game! If so, you probably don't need me advice.

Oscuro_Sol · Post by **Oscuro_Sol** » Wed Aug 15, 2007 5:02 pm

Don't say that! >_<

I've really only played the game as a rogue. I'm one of those gamers who doesn't like to go around on a killing spree.

So with alchemy, I'll have levitation potions and stuff... So Alteration probably isn't recommended as a skill to pick? Even though I'll probably try out Telvanni, and they have those awful towers..

fable · Post by **fable** » Wed Aug 15, 2007 5:10 pm

Oscuro_Sol wrote: Don't say that! >_<

I've really only played the game as a rogue. I'm one of those gamers who doesn't like to go around on a killing spree.

Okay.

I'll help where I can, then.

So with alchemy, I'll have levitation potions and stuff... So Alteration probably isn't recommended as a skill to pick? Even though I'll probably try out Telvanni, and they have those awful towers..

Alchemy lets you mimic many magic schools. That means that, yes, you can make potions to levitate instead of putting Alternation in your majors or even minors. And you can get really good at it, just by making successful potions, which you then get to use, or sell. Build up money. So--it's actual beneficial to you financially to learn this skill.

Plus, if you ever run out of mana in a battle and find your defenses dispelled, you can always drink a potion instead of relying solely on defensive spells.

there are, by the way, some mods that expand the number of ingredients available, as well as add alchemy effects. And there are a few house mods that include special alchemical sorters, that automatically take all the ingredients you've gathered, and correctly split them among the proper labeled bottles in an alchemy lab.

Oscuro_Sol · Post by **Oscuro_Sol** » Wed Aug 15, 2007 6:08 pm

Ahhh, that's great then.

Do you suggest any other magical schools? Destruction I'm taking no matter what.. then Alchemy, and maybe one or two in minor.

AmpaSand · Post by **AmpaSand** » Thu Aug 16, 2007 1:05 am

I agree with fable.

Use the movie and bounce cheeses for sneak and acrobatics. Ie stand behind put a weight on sneak and watch a movie and just move by bouncing.

Alchemy is amazing. If you think that the potions in the game a re good then look at this.

Alchemy 25~30 or so and i made a restore fatigue potion restore atigue 21 pts for 33 seconds.

Is that not cool?

dragon wench · Post by **dragon wench** » Thu Aug 16, 2007 7:40 am

My favourite class to play is as a rogue/mage. I find it works very well, and the skills required often complement one another. This is particularly true if you select a lot of spells from the school of Illusion.
Also, Archery (something I view as a rogue skill) works nicely alongside ranged magic, since so many foes reflect spells or have resistances to fire/cold etc.

And.. you just can't go wrong with Alchemy!

Oscuro_Sol · Post by **Oscuro_Sol** » Thu Aug 16, 2007 11:33 am

So I don't even need a melee weapon?! With Destruction and marksmanship I should probably be good... right?

Kipi · Post by **Kipi** » Fri Aug 17, 2007 5:06 am

Oscuro_Sol wrote:So I don't even need a melee weapon?! With Destruction and marksmanship I should probably be good... right?

Well, it's possible to play such character without melee weapon, but it would be hard. I would take at decent sword with you, because there may be situations where you are out of mana, and don't have restore mana potions. It's quite annoying to try to run backwards while trying to aim your opponent, who probably won't run straight to you but takes turns and curves while chasing you down. Also, harder enemy would take very long time to kill with arrows (or any other missile weapon) if you don't happen to have some very powerful ammunitions.

Oscuro_Sol · Post by **Oscuro_Sol** » Fri Aug 17, 2007 9:54 am

Thanks Kipi

Yeahh, I found that it was hard to kill even Foryn (think that's his name) in Seyda because my magicka was pretty low to start off with.