Magic. Pure Mage? Finishing moves?

[trustyperson]

In other TES games it was impossible to be a pure Mage character. There was no point in being unarmed to use magic as magic didn't need a hand slot. Now that this has been taken away magic should feel more like it's own weapon. So do you think Bethesda will make magic more effective and versatile? Could we finally be able to be a pure Mage character? ...And wouldn't it be awesome to have magic finishing moves like what they are doing for melee? :D Edited April 28, 2011 by trustyperson

[NAPALM13092]

Magic should be substantially more effective in Skyrim. It is already looking to be far more tactical than it ever was in Oblivion or Morrowind with several new magical effects likes inscribing runes on the ground like magical booby traps, chain lightning that can arch between multiple targets, and several additional effects like slowing time, freezing people, igniting the environment with a wall of fire, etc.

 

The biggest problem with pure magic classes in precious Elder Scrolls titles was magicka starvation. Since in Skyrim we can pour stats directly into our magicka pool mages should be able to pack a punch and keep it up for a while rather than going dry after 2 spells and running in circles chugging potions.

Edited April 28, 2011 by NAPALM13092

[trustyperson]

I also felt that having to drink potions non-stop really broke the immersion. It would be more fun if magicka regeneration was much quicker than previous games. And now will we be able to do anything to boost magicka regen? I don't think putting our magic up will put up the regen too.

[NAPALM13092]

I also felt that having to drink potions non-stop really broke the immersion. It would be more fun if magicka regeneration was much quicker than previous games. And now will we be able to do anything to boost magicka regen? I don't think putting our magic up will put up the regen too.

 

Considering there is some 280+ perks last I heard between the several options you get every level and the ones you choose to specialize your skills I am certain you can tailor your character to either be a wizard type character with a super deep mana pool or a sorcerer type character is a shallower but faster regen mana pool.

Edited April 28, 2011 by NAPALM13092

[Corakus]

In other TES games it was impossible to be a pure Mage character. There was no point in being unarmed to use magic as magic didn't need a hand slot. Now that this has been taken away magic should feel more like it's own weapon. So do you think Bethesda will make magic more effective and versatile? Could we finally be able to be a pure Mage character? ...And wouldn't it be awesome to have magic finishing moves like what they are doing for melee? :D

 

It was impossible to play as a pure mage in Oblivion?Are you joking?If anything playing as a pure mage was one of the best builds you could have.All you really had to do was get the Mage's Staff of Paralysis, create a weakness to shock spell 100%, and then use a shock spell with around 50-100 points of damage and you could dominate almost anything that came across your path.This was especially true if you had an invisibility spell and you could bail out anytime your health or magicka was low, and if your willpower was maxed out your magicka wouldn't be low for long.The only thing I feel that magic needs is more variety with the spell and animations, not the same lame animation played over and over again, and more summons and hopefully more diverse sound effects, instead of just using one sound effect for an entire school of magic.But one thing magic doesn't need is to be more powerful, it's playing as pure stealth that was underpowered, having to shoot 40 arrows at one enemy and constantly running backwards.

[NAPALM13092]

In other TES games it was impossible to be a pure Mage character. There was no point in being unarmed to use magic as magic didn't need a hand slot. Now that this has been taken away magic should feel more like it's own weapon. So do you think Bethesda will make magic more effective and versatile? Could we finally be able to be a pure Mage character? ...And wouldn't it be awesome to have magic finishing moves like what they are doing for melee? :D

 

It was impossible to play as a pure mage in Oblivion?Are you joking?If anything playing as a pure mage was one of the best builds you could have.All you really had to do was get the Mage's Staff of Paralysis, create a weakness to shock spell 100%, and then use a shock spell with around 50-100 points of damage and you could dominate almost anything that came across your path.This was especially true if you had an invisibility spell and you could bail out anytime your health or magicka was low, and if your willpower was maxed out your magicka wouldn't be low for long.The only thing I feel that magic needs is more variety with the spell and animations, not the same lame animation played over and over again, and more summons and hopefully more diverse sound effects, instead of just using one sound effect for an entire school of magic.But one thing magic doesn't need is to be more powerful, it's playing as pure stealth that was underpowered, having to shoot 40 arrows at one enemy and constantly running backwards.

 

ok not impossible but lack luster in comparison to what it could have been. The only viable builds for a mage where exploiting the system and basically cheating with certain enchantments and spells. I am not saying that is a bad thing I had a lot of fun dicking around in Oblivion but it wasn't a very flushed out system.

[AdoringStan]

I almost hallways played as a pure mage in oblivion... I remember one time making a spell that made me equip a daedric mace, and made my strength and blunt skills go up while protecting me.... ooohhh the memories. But in Morrowind..... just... no, I did terrible at being a pure mage

[trustyperson]

In other TES games it was impossible to be a pure Mage character. There was no point in being unarmed to use magic as magic didn't need a hand slot. Now that this has been taken away magic should feel more like it's own weapon. So do you think Bethesda will make magic more effective and versatile? Could we finally be able to be a pure Mage character? ...And wouldn't it be awesome to have magic finishing moves like what they are doing for melee? :D

 

It was impossible to play as a pure mage in Oblivion?Are you joking?If anything playing as a pure mage was one of the best builds you could have.All you really had to do was get the Mage's Staff of Paralysis, create a weakness to shock spell 100%, and then use a shock spell with around 50-100 points of damage and you could dominate almost anything that came across your path.This was especially true if you had an invisibility spell and you could bail out anytime your health or magicka was low, and if your willpower was maxed out your magicka wouldn't be low for long.The only thing I feel that magic needs is more variety with the spell and animations, not the same lame animation played over and over again, and more summons and hopefully more diverse sound effects, instead of just using one sound effect for an entire school of magic.But one thing magic doesn't need is to be more powerful, it's playing as pure stealth that was underpowered, having to shoot 40 arrows at one enemy and constantly running backwards.

 

ok not impossible but lack luster in comparison to what it could have been. The only viable builds for a mage where exploiting the system and basically cheating with certain enchantments and spells. I am not saying that is a bad thing I had a lot of fun dicking around in Oblivion but it wasn't a very flushed out system.

 

Yes I see how you could become a sole magic user by using a staff. But what you've explained sounds like very boring gameplay. "Exploiting the system" just isn't fun:L also does anyone feel powerful using a weakness spell on someone before they could actually cast the spell that would do damage? I sure didn't.

[trustyperson]

I almost hallways played as a pure mage in oblivion... I remember one time making a spell that made me equip a daedric mace, and made my strength and blunt skills go up while protecting me.... ooohhh the memories. But in Morrowind..... just... no, I did terrible at being a pure mage

Conjuring bound weapons and armor then running into battle swinging a mace until everyones dead doesn't count as a pure Mage character:L

[Vagrant0]

ok not impossible but lack luster in comparison to what it could have been. The only viable builds for a mage where exploiting the system and basically cheating with certain enchantments and spells. I am not saying that is a bad thing I had a lot of fun dicking around in Oblivion but it wasn't a very flushed out system.

Um, isn't exploiting the system kinda what every magic class in all games does? It's all about knowing what you can combine to pin down your opponent to make them utterly helpless... Then blasting them away bit by bit at your leisure simply because you can.

 

In games though, mage classes usually have someone else to draw attention away from them while they prepare their spells. In TES there is no such person so spells like paralysis become more critical to strategy. Even in D&D, magic classes have been changed to being more of a fast firing, weaker spell tossing class than what they were originally... and still there is that element of first pinning down an opponent and blasting them away.

 

In a game like Oblivion or Skyrim, the position of a magic class using extremely powerful spells just doesn't work simply because it's rarely ever a situation where you are facing a single opponent and will have time afterward to rest and regain mana afterward. And it also doesn't work since those powerful spells often aren't enough to finish the job.