Being a mage in Skyrim is hard. Most of the Nords hate them for absolutely no sound reason at all and their mage school is also situated in some uninhabitable frozen wasteland of a town. Moreover, their armor isn't that stylish compared to thieves and warriors. It's like they were made to be the game's hard mode class.

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Then again, dual-wielding spells is fun, and being able to shape reality to a certain extent sort of makes up for that. Of course, not just any mage will do. In order to survive Skyrim's harshness and general disdain for magic-users, mages have to be at the top of their game. Hence, picking and developing the best skills for a mage is almost mandatory.

10 Speech

Speech is a generally useful skill to have in Skyrim as it can help the players by letting players save more money or by avoiding combat. The latter is more important for mages since their health and defenses tend to be low.

Moreover, getting swamped or attacked from all sides as a mage is more disadvantageous. Being to talk your way out of combat or getting the most out of a negotiation or a persuasion check is an underrated survival tool in Skyrim.

9 Sneak

Speaking of survival skills, sneaking around might just be better than talking your way out of combat because some creatures in Skyrim prefer to be fluent in ripping your guts out instead of language. It makes sense too, considering your mage already probably wears light armor.

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Spells don't exactly have a sneak bonus when it comes to damage and even casting them can reveal your position (unless mods dictate otherwise) so you have to invest lightly in this tree. It's mostly useful if you want to save up some mana potions for that boss encounter.

8 Light Armor

As for the best garb for mages? It's rather debatable but since they excel on casting from a safe distance and avoiding enemy blows, then Light Armor is more optimal. It synergizes well with sneaking and won't slow down the wearer in fights.

Furthermore, most magical bonuses on items exist only in robes or mage gear, which tend to be light armor. If players invest in it considerably enough, they can even boost their mage's stamina well, making tactical retreats and kiting more viable.

7 Alchemy

It's a thief playstyle skill, yes, but Alchemy tends to be more useful for mages than other class archetypes. That's because they tend to be mana-hogs and also require some good augmentations when it comes to health and stamina.

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Being able to craft your own potions as a mage can save you from some bad headache-inducing moments and even provide some room for error. Potions are also more effective and potion-making gives a character more side activities other than dungeon diving or camp raiding.

6 Alteration

Alteration is a bit of an underrated magic discipline in Skyrim since its functions and spells are a bit situational. However, it's best used for controlling the battlefield and sometimes even providing defensive opportunities for players.

Besides, Alteration is necessary for those who are looking to make a profit through ore transmutation in Skyrim. It's also a useful tree to invest in if players find themselves getting constantly killed by other mages since Alteration perks can give magic resistance.

5 Enchanting

A mage is sometimes only as good as their gear allows. That gear includes staves, enchanted armor, and enchanted accessories. As it happens, making them yourself in order to get the results you want is essential for min-maxing your mage.

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When it comes to making your own magic gear in Skyrim, no other skill tree is better than Enchanting. If anything being skilled in Enchanting also gives players more access to Soul Gems in order to fuel their light-show addiction for weapons. If not, then enchanted armor is also a must-have for mages.

4 Restoration

Do you hate undead and also hate opening the inventory menu every five seconds to chug a health potion? Then be thankful to Bethesda for introducing the Restoration magical discipline in Skyrim. It's an easy alternative for anyone looking to make their mage tougher in combat without relying on clunky potions.

Don't worry as Restoration spells will not make Alchemy obsolete. Mages still need that for brewing buffs and mana potions. Now, since the undead population dominates most crypts and dungeons in Skyrim, Restoration spells are also the single most powerful countermeasures against them.

3 Conjuration

For mages who want a craftier playstyle than just chucking the most powerful firebombs at the enemy, the Conjuration skill tree offers a lovely alternative. It's one of the most flexible magical disciplines in the game and allows players to be a jack-of-all-trades damage dealer with just a few points of mana.

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Conjuration allows bound weapons and even familiars or undead minions. Sadly, the minions rely on Skyrim's chaotic and infantile A.I. so relying on them for an offense isn't too recommended. At best, they're decent meat shields or distractions for one minute.

2 Destruction

For pure no-nonsense mages who want something dead as quickly as possible, then the Destruction skill tree ought to be the most appealing. It's straightforward and gets results... flashy, burnt, and crisp results.

Destruction is always a good skill to have as a backup or even main discipline when all other shenanigans are too slow. It's also rather easy to find some spells for the Destruction discipline.

1 Illusion

Looking for something that can literally turn the tide of battles? Then the Illusion skill tree should be desirable. It's by far the most effective way of causing chaos in Skyrim. Mages can essentially alter reality with Illusions spells like Fury, Calm, or Fear (or their upgraded versions).

With this, mages can fight several opponents at once and still come out unscathed. Illusion spells are the most wizard-y thing mages can do in Skyrim. In fact, one might even be able to guess why mages are hated in Skyrim. If there was an equivalent for the Geneva Convention in Skyrim, Illusion spells would likely be at the top of the nope list.

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