In Skyrim, anyone can become a pure mage. Nevertheless, there is still a difference between playing as a mage and being the best mage anyone can ever hope to be, from start to finish in The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim.
The Character
Choosing to play as a pure mage, one who wishes to ditch the armors and weapons for great arcane capabilities, could be as uncomplicated as selecting the right foundation; also known as race. The most effective races in Skyrim, both efficient and compatible for the arcane arts, are the High Elf, Dark Elf, Breton, and Nord. Each of these races has special abilities worth mentioning, especially the High Elves and the Breton.
Both the High Elves and Breton are perfect for magic-based builds due to their several skill bonuses and special abilities. High Elves get +10 Illusion, +5, Alteration, +5 Conjuration, +5 Destruction, +5 Enchanting, +5 Restoration in Skill Bonuses. They have the special abilities Highborn, which regenerates their Magicka faster for 60 seconds once a day and Fortify Magicka, which is a passive increase in their Magicka by 50 points. Bretons get +10 Conjuration, +5 Alchemy, +5 Alteration, +5 Illusion, +5 Restoration and +5 Speech in Skill Bonuses. They have the special abilities Dragonskin, which absorbs 50% Magicka from hostile spells for 60 seconds, and Magic Resistance, which grants them a 25% resistance to magic due to their Breton blood. Bretons can also make excellent warriors so switching it up during your Skyrim gameplay is no problem at all.
Helgen And Beyond
When a player starts a game as a mage, the best possible armor he can wear immediately is from the dead novice mage, next to the Spark Spell Tome, inside the cage, which the player can lock-pick open. The hood increases Magicka by 30 points while the robes increase Magicka regeneration by 50 percent. Player then goes beyond Helgen until they encounter a small bandit camp to loot and explore the wilderness for Enchanted Items and take as much as they can. The player would also want to head over to the Guardian Stones, and activate the mage stone which will grant the player a 20 percent boost in learning magic skills.
Enchanted Items
The enchanted items that the player collects or buys could be disenchanted, thus level-up Enchanting. The player should loot as many enchanted items as they can, and disenchant them, unless the item is valuable or something that the player can use. Items without enchantment can be sold for Gold in Skyrim.
Necessary Spells
When the player arrives at Whiterun and meets Farengar the Court Wizard, they can now buy spells from him with the Gold they earned in Skyrim. It's better to stick to the necessary spells instead of spending everything the player has for several tomes. Firebolt is a great choice for a basic starter spell.
Stat Allocation
As the player progress in level, Magicka should be the focus for about 80 percent of the time spent leveling up in Skyrim. Skill points shouldn't be thinned out across the skill trees, the player must focus on at least three. The best skill trees to focus on are Conjuration, Alteration, and Destruction, as they may open opportunities to level up efficiently without grinding. The player could cast Flesh spells to compensate the low defense rate that the mage has. Players may also summon Atronachs and then fight with Destruction spells during combat.
Mage Guild And Best Mage Armor
The player should finish the Mage Guild storyline early and get the best mage armor in Skyrim which is the Archmage Robes. It gives 15 percent reduction of Magicka cost for all spells, +50 Magicka, and +100 percent Magicka Regen.
