The Elder Scrolls 5: Skyrim made many strides to make mage-focused characters much more satisfying to play. While spell crafting was removed in this installment, the inclusion of dual-casting spells and enchanting gear has made this play style much more gratifying than in past installments.
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PostsUnfortunately, leveling a mage is a complete pain. Slow Magicka regeneration and a lack of spells can make mages feel subpar to other playstyles. That is until unique mage gear comes into play. With the right gear, mages are one of the most versatile and powerful characters you can play as. Here are the ten best pieces of gear for mages in Skyrim.
Updated on October 10, 2023, by Jack Pierik: These days, you can play Skyrim on just about anything thanks to Bethesda's stringent porting efforts. Whether it's your first time playing, or your tenth playthrough, it helps to have structure and some goals to strive for. Since you're here, you've either created a mage already, or you're considering trying one. Regardless of the school or schools of magic you decide to focus on, this list provides gear that is useful for any type of mage. This update in particular is to help you in your enchanting efforts, and to expand your offensive capabilities, even when your magicka is completely drained.
13 Staff Of Magnus
Item Type
Staff
Effect
Absorb 20 magicka per second from a target; switches to health if the target has no mana
How To Obtain
Defeat Dragon Priest Morokei in The Staff of Magnus quest
Staves are a mage's best friend, because they're able to store energy in the form of souls, and expend that energy when needed. This way, your damage output isn't only tethered to how much magicka you have.
While the Staff of Magnus might seem a bit underpowered, given that it only starts draining a target's health once their magicka is sucked dry, there is a powerful secret behind this weapon. Since its damage type falls under Destruction, if you're able to achieve a 100 percent Fortify Destruction effect, you can laser your enemies indefinitely.
12 The Black Star
Item Type
Replenishable Black Soul Gem
Effect
Can store souls of any type, just like a Black Soul Gem.
How To Obtain
The Black Star quest
Whether you're enchanting new gear, or giving existing magical gear a fresh charge, every adventurer, especially mages, need a steady supply of Soul Gems. The most versatile of all are Black Soul Gems, as they allow you to capture black souls; the souls of sentient, humanoids.
Black souls are great because they are always stored at the "Grand" level. The only problem is, once you use a soul gem, it gets consumed, and you have to find a new one. The Black Star remedies this issue, because it can store any type of soul, and once expended, isn't consumed in the process.
11 Staff Of Hag's Wrath
Item Type
Staff
Effect
Creates a wall of fire, dealing 50 fire damage per second
How To Obtain
Found in Darklight Tower after completing the Repentance quest
If the Staff of Magnus isn't what you're looking for, and you want to scratch that Area of Effect itch, the Staff of Hag's Wrath should do the trick. So long as it has a charge, you can create walls of fire that deal 50 points of fire damage per second to enemies caught in it.
Given that enemies in Skyrim have anywhere from five to 1,000 points of health, this staff can kill the strongest enemies in the game in as little as 20 seconds, assuming the enemy you're fighting is caught in your flames the entire time.
10 The White Phial
Item Type
Potion
Effect
Magicka is increased by 20 points for 300 seconds
How To Obtain
The White Phial quest
Potions can offer powerful temporary benefits such as healing or increased attributes. Unfortunately, their limited usage makes them rarely used in Skyrim.
There is one potion that somewhat negates this negative: The White Phial. This is the only potion in Skyrim that passively regenerates each day, allowing you to rely on its effects for tough fights. It can be obtained from a quest named after the item.
It grants a potion of your choice once a day, ranging from extra Magicka to a large heal. We recommend the Magicka effect. This will make the early to midgame of Skyrim much more forgiving for mage characters that want to throw out as many spells as possible.
9 Necromancer Amulet
Item Type
Amulet
Effect
+50 Magicka, Conjuration spells cost 25% less to cast, Health and Stamina regen 75% slower.
How To Obtain
Blood on the Ice quest
The Necromancer Amulet is a great example of a powerful item that comes with an equally strong drawback. For smart mages, this negative can be circumvented.
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PostsWhile equipped, the Necromancer Amulet grants 50 flat Magicka and reduces the cost of Conjuration spells by 25 percent. As a downside, it reduces your Stamina and Health regeneration by 75 percent, but the use of Restoration spells can nullify this. Players can find this amulet after completing the Blood on the Ice quest on Calixto Corrium's corpse.
8 Sanguine Rose
Item Type
Staff
Effect
Summon a Dremora for 60 seconds
How To Obtain
A Night to Remember quest
Mages typically have to sacrifice Health and Stamina to upgrade their Magicka. While it's a necessary sacrifice, that doesn't mean there aren't ways of keeping yourself safe from enemy attacks.
Sanguine Rose is a fantastic staff that all mages should have handy. As a reward from the A Night to Remember Daedric quest, it summons a Dremora to fight by your side for 60 seconds. This Dremora is rather tanky and does great damage in close quarters. Its effectiveness scales with your character's level as well, making this a must-grab when you reach level 20.
7 Nahkriin
Item Type
Mask
(Head)
Effect
+50 Magicka, and Destruction and Restoration spells cost 20% less
How To Obtain
Defeat Nahkriin during The World-Eater's Eyrie quest
Nahkriin is a Dragon Priest that inhabits the ruins of Skuldafn. You'll confront the priest near the end of Skyrim's main questline, just before you hop into the portal that takes you to Sovngarde for the final confrontation against Alduin.
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PostsNahkriin's mask adds 50 points to your overall Magicka pool and reduces the cost of Destruction and Restoration spells by 20percent. Considering these two schools tend to be the ones used most often, this mask is extremely useful for all parts of Skyrim. If you don't mind rushing through the main story, grab this mask as soon as you can.
6 Wabbajack
Item Type
Staff
Effect
A blast from Wabbajack with an unpredictable effect.
How To Obtain
The Mind of Madness quest
Sheogorath sure knows how to make exotic artifacts. The Wabbajack is one of the strongest and most iconic items in The Elder Scrolls series that is well-suited for any mage.
Completing The Mind of Madness quest will reward you with this special staff. Unlike most staves, Wabbajack fires projectiles with random properties. Wabbajack can shoot Fireballs, turn enemies into chickens, or instantly kill targets. Needless to say, this weapon is downright overpowered when RNG is on your side.
5 Archmage's Robes
Item Type
Robes
(Chest)
Effect
All spells cost 15% less to cast, and Magicka regenerates 100% faster
How To Obtain
The Eye of Magnus quest
Becoming a leader in any guild comes with some great benefits. The College of Winterhold rewards the player with the Archmage's Robes for completing its questline.
These robes reduce the Magicka cost of all spells by 15 percent, grant 50 flat Magicka, and grant 100 percent Magicka regeneration. This reduction in spell cost can be replicated with Master robes and crafted gear, but those only affect one school of magic; this applies to every spell in Skyrim. If you hate Enchanting or want an all-purpose armor piece, you'll have a hard time finding anything better than the Archmage's Robes.
4 Miraak's Gear
Item Type
Armor Set
(Head, Chest, Gloves, and Boots)
Effect
- Helm: +70 Magicka
- Gloves: +5% spell absorption (requires Miraak's Chest)
- Chest: +15% spell absorption; chance on hit to spawn a tentacle explosion
- Boots: +5% spell absorption (requires Miraak's Chest)
How To Obtain
The Summit of Apocrypha quest
Miraak is a Dragonborn, much like yourself. His dragon blood and servitude with Hermaeus Mora make Miraak one of the strongest characters in Skyrim.
As with all strong characters, defeating him rewards some impressive gear. Miraak's armor is unique in that it grants spell absorption, the only armor in the game to do so. When combined with the Atronach Stone and the Atronach Alteration perk, you can reach 100 percent spell absorption—effectively making you immune to all elemental attacks and spells in the game. Should a spell or dragon breath attack impact your character, you'll gain a massive amount of Magicka, synergizing nicely with a mage's playstyle.
