question about illusion

[amycus]

hi, I'm currently playing an illusion mage/assassin, but have noticed that, even with the master spells (like "mayhem"), I'm having trouble to affect town guards (it says their level is too high). I do miss 2 perks that is meant to make these spells more effective, but I'm starting to wonder, do these spells later become useless even with all perks enabled?

[alwayscommando]

hi, I'm currently playing an illusion mage/assassin, but have noticed that, even with the master spells (like "mayhem"), I'm having trouble to affect town guards (it says their level is too high). I do miss 2 perks that is meant to make these spells more effective, but I'm starting to wonder, do these spells later become useless even with all perks enabled?

 

to be honest I havent seen too many people advocating the usage of illusion spells in general. I think they're probably deficient in one way or another compared to the other skills that can be leveled.

[SpellAndShield]

hi, I'm currently playing an illusion mage/assassin, but have noticed that, even with the master spells (like "mayhem"), I'm having trouble to affect town guards (it says their level is too high). I do miss 2 perks that is meant to make these spells more effective, but I'm starting to wonder, do these spells later become useless even with all perks enabled?

 

to be honest I havent seen too many people advocating the usage of illusion spells in general. I think they're probably deficient in one way or another compared to the other skills that can be leveled.

 

Totally disagree. Illusion magic is potentially the most powerful school of magic there is for many reasons BUT especially as an assassin. Spells like muffle make you insanely hard to detect, then there is invisibility but those are just starters, with all the perks spell casting makes ZERO noise and you don't need to fight a single battle, casting high level frenzy spells from the darkness. Illusion is thus the ultimate CC power in every respect, so there is NOTHING deficient about Illusion.

[xlr8films]

Illusion magic is potentially the most powerful school of magic there is for many reasons BUT especially as an assassin. Spells like muffle make you insanely hard to detect, then there is invisibility but those are just starters, with all the perks spell casting makes ZERO noise and you don't need to fight a single battle, casting high level frenzy spells from the darkness. Illusion is thus the ultimate CC power in every respect, so there is NOTHING deficient about Illusion.

 

Totally agree. I have Illusion maxxed and it is nothing to use Throw Voice (Dragon Shout) to get a group of the baddies in one area, toss Mayhem at them, and just sit back and watch. Anybody who gets too close, bam, I nail them with Paralyze, Go Invisible, then stab 'em with a dagger. The Silent Casting perk makes all the difference. I don't even really need the shout, I can just throw a fireball in the same place. But the "Hey, Melon Nose!" is too damn funny to resist.

[Vagrant0]

Unfortunately, just like the case was in Oblivion, the level restrictions cap out far below where even common NPCs do. Even with the perks. The spells cap out at about 49, even bandits cap out after 60+. Resurrect spells are much the same story.

 

About the only redeeming factor is that higher level stuff is often paired with lower level stuff even when the player is a higher level, so you can usually affect one of the weaker ones in a group. Well, that and the silent cast perk applies to other spells as well.

[amycus]

Unfortunately, just like the case was in Oblivion, the level restrictions cap out far below where even common NPCs do. Even with the perks. The spells cap out at about 49, even bandits cap out after 60+. Resurrect spells are much the same story.

 

About the only redeeming factor is that higher level stuff is often paired with lower level stuff even when the player is a higher level, so you can usually affect one of the weaker ones in a group. Well, that and the silent cast perk applies to other spells as well.

I was afraid of that. As others have said before it's a really useful and fun skill tree, but it's a real shame when 90% of the spent perks suddenly become pretty much useless. Hopefully someone will fix things like these when the toolset comes out. I wouldn't mind spending a few extra perk ponts to keep the spells useful, instead of having all perks already bought becoming useless.

[WarKirby3333]

Totally disagree. Illusion magic is potentially the most powerful school of magic there is for many reasons

you almost sound like you believe this >.>

 

Spells like muffle make you insanely hard to detect, then there is invisibility but those are just starters,

stealth skill makes you insanely hard to detect too. AND allows you to return to being not-detected mid battle.

 

 

 

 

with all the perks spell casting makes ZERO noise

i\ve not quite gotten this far, but don't you get seen throwing big light shows around ?

 

and you don't need to fight a single battle,

two words. Assasin's blade.

 

casting high level frenzy spells from the darkness.

as vagrant0 points out, level dependant spells are broken and eventually stop working.

 

Illusion is thus the ultimate CC power in every respect, so there is NOTHING deficient about Illusion.

 

i disagree. for starters, alteration stole your paralysis spell. and it has MASS paralysis. 15second duration in an aoe.

destruction has ice magic which slows enemies, plus fire that causes fear (while damaging). Destruction also has wall and rune spells which can control the battle arena. That is the definition of crowd control.

conjuration has the summons, mainly. they draw attention and tank damage for you.

 

I don't find your arguments particularly compelling. imo, illusion sucks. it needds paralysis back for a start but even then it's still lame.

Where is our smoke cloud spell to blind enemies, and hide from archers.

Where is our Decoy spell to draw enemy attention while you flee, or go around them.

where is our control spell to command enemies to take off their equipment and throw it away. Or to unlock doors for you, or give you things from their inventory, or jump off a cliff. Where is our illusory dragon spell to act as a big scary distraction.

Where is our sound spell. Why should you have to rely on being dragonborn to be able to make a remote sound.

Where is our sleep spell, to make enemies overcome with tiredness and retreat to the nearest bed (vampires need this!

where is our fake money spell, to allow you to buy things for less (or free) and thoroughly piss off the shopkeeper when the money vanishes after you leave.

where is our afterimage spell, to make it hard to discern your exact position, and make enemies less accurate

 

illusion is one big missed opportunity. it sucked in oblivion and they took away the best spell in skyrim and gave it to alteration.

Edited December 5, 2011 by WarKirby3333

[xlr8films]

Outside of the broken Frenzy spells, all you have to do is adapt to the new system. It takes more energy to worry about it than to learn it and implement it well.

 

And, no on the light show -- Silent Casting causes the NPCs to ignore the source of the magic, but not it's effect. I've cast Fireball from a balcony down into a dining area and they never once thought to look up. Had I not had Silent Casting, they'd have been mounting the stairs in droves. Instead, they stared at the wall and searched the aoe of the Fireball for the source. Similar to a rune, I suppose.

Edited December 6, 2011 by xlr8films

[SpellAndShield]

Well there is always invisibility...

[amycus]

Well there is always invisibility...

 

invisibility doesn't always work. If you first get detected, then turn invisible, they still follow you no matter what. I have actually met 2 npcs so far that detected me from the start even when I had invisibility activated. Hopefully someone will fix that in time.