Regardless of what race and school you choose to play a mage in The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim, having good armor and gear is always going to be important. Mage players are often not sure about the type of armor they should you (if use any) and what can be the most effective gear for them.
Playing as a mage in Skyrim can be tricky due to Magicka management so choosing the right gear becomes more important. However, once you have the right equipment, you can deal a lot of enemies to your foes.
In this guide, we are going to share the best mage armor and gear you should have in Skyrim.
Bloodthorn Dagger
The Bloodthorn Dagger is a unique dagger enchanted with a Soul Trap spell. This spell allows players to trap the souls of enemies killed within 3 seconds of being struck by the dagger and place them in the Soul Gems in your inventory. Souls are necessary for Enchanting items as souls are consumed to use these items.
Bloodthorn Dagger can be found on top of an altar on a balcony in Hag’s End, north of Karthwasten.
Diadem of The Servant
Diadem of the Servant is a circlet that grants players a decrease in Magicka usage on spells by 5%. It is not a big number, but is still good enough to be mentioned in the list. It is also light in weight, which adds to the benefit of the item.
Players can find this circlet at Froki’s Shack.
Ring of The Erudite
Ring of The Erudite is a powerful ring and is fitting for a Mage. This ring grants players an additional 100 Magicka upon wearing it and increases the Magicka regeneration rate.
To get your hands on this ring, players have to choose to become the Vampire Lord at the end of the Bloodline quest in the Dawnguard DLC.
Staff of Magnus
The staff of Magnus is one of the best staff weapons to get your hands on in Skyrim for a Mage. This stuff absorbs 20 Magicka per second of the enemy being attacked. And if the enemy runs out of Magicka, this staff starts draining the enemy’s health bar. You can make this staff more powerful by applying Fortify Destruction effect on it.
The Staff of Magnus can be obtained by defeating the Dragon Priest Morokei in the quest, The Staff of Magnus.
The Black Star
The Black Star is a soul collector but with a twist. Usually, Soul Gems collect souls and are consumed once you use the soul entrapped in them, and you have to find more Soul Gems to store souls. The Black Star gives you the advantage of not needing to run around looking for Soul Gems, as it does not get consumed after you use the souls inside. And on top of that, it can store any soul as you need Soul Gems and Black Soul Gems to store souls of the same name type.
The Black Star can be obtained after completing the quest The Black Star.
Staff of Hags Wrath
The Staff of Hags Wrath is another unique staff in Skyrim. Unlike the Staff of Magnus, this staff does not drain the magicka of the enemy. It creates a wall of fire around the area, which deals 50 damage per second to enemies trapped in the walls. This can come in handy when fighting against a group of enemies, as they all get damaged individually.
The Staff of Hags Wrath can be found in the Darklight Tower after you complete the Repentanceb quest.
Potion of Restore, Fortify, and Regenerate Magicka
Potions are a major part of a Mage’s playstyle. Having the right potions at the right time can be a game-changer. The most important potions a mage can use, irrespective of his specialization, are the Restore Magicka, Fortify Magicka, and Regenerate Magicka potions. Collect the ingredients and head to an alchemy table to start making these potions.
Following are the ingredients you need to make these potions:
- Fortify Magicka
- Briar Heart (Found around Lost Valley Redoubt, Hag Rock Redoubt or Broken Tower Redoubt)
- Red Mountain Flower (Found around mountainous paths)
- Restore Magicka
- Dwarven Oil (Found in destroyed Dwarven Automatons)
- Mora Tapinella (Found around tree stumps and fallen trees)
- Fire Salts (Found on defeated flame atronachs)
- Regenerate Magicka
- Salt Pile (Can be purchased at inns)
- Tap Root (Can be looted from Spriggan enemies)
The White Phial
The White Phial is a potion that increases your Magicka at every passing second of use. This potion grants 20 Magicka for 300 seconds once it is used. An effective and highly dependable potion when players are in tough fights.
This potion can be obtained by completing the quest of the same name, The White Phial.
Necromancer Amulet
The Necromancer Amulet is probably the only item on this list that has a downside. Although this amulet grants players +50 Magicka and decreases the conjuration spell cost by 25%, it also decreases the health and stamina regeneration of the player by 75%. To battle the negative effects, simply use Restoration spells.
Complete the Blood on the Ice quest to get this amulet.
Ahzidal’s Ring of Arcana
The Ahzidal’s Ring of Arcana is a unique ring that grants its user the ability to cast two different Destruction spells. One is Ignite and the other is Freeze. None of the two spells can be learned in the game as to why the ring is unique. The two spells cost less Magicka in comparison to the damage they deal.
This Ring can be obtained during the quest Unearthed in Kolbjorn Barrow on Solstheim.
Vampire Armor of Peerless Destruction
There aren’t many armors in Skyrim that benefit Mages without using enchantments. Vampire Armor of Peerless Destruction is among the few that do. This armor grants players a 50% increase in Magicka regeneration and also reduces the cost of Destruction spells by 25%. The best thing about this armor set is that each item grants you with 25% reduction in magicka cost. So if you have 3 items of this armor set equipped, you are reducing your Magicka cost by 75%
You can buy this armor from Hestla. If you are lucky, you might see some vampires wearing this armor.
Miraak’s Staff
Miraak’s Staff is an enchanted weapon with a unique effect. This effect is called Mora’s Agony and it allows the players to create impassable poisonous tentacles from the ground which stop enemies from getting close and inflict high poison damage to them as well.
This Staff can be picked up after defeating Miraak in the Dragonbornquestline The Summit of Apocrypha.
Miraak’s Gear
Miraak is one of the strongest characters in Skyrim. Along with his Staff, his gear also shows the strength of someone who’s considered amongst the strongest characters in Skyrim. The Helmet gives players +70 Magicka, Gloves increase spell absorption by 5%, Chest armor increases spell absorption by 15%, and Boots increase spell absorption by 5%.
This set of armor can be obtained in The Summit of Apocrypha quest after defeating Miraak.
Wabbajack
One of the iconic items in The Elder Scrolls series, the Wabbajack is a staff with an unpredictable effect. The projectiles fired from this staff have random capabilities. From becoming fireballs to thunderbolts to one-shot kills. This staff is a fun experience in Skyrim and it does not disappoint.
Complete the quest of The Mind of Madness to claim this staff.
Archmage’s Robe
The Archmage’s Robe is worthy only for the strongest of mages in Skyrim. This robe reduces the cost of all spells by 15% and increases Magicka by +50 while also granting a 100% increase in Magicka regeneration.
To obtain this special robe, players must complete the College of Winterhold questline.
