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I currently have a level 14 mage character in Skyrim, but I am unable to defeat other magic-using enemies when they use Sparks even when I am dual-casting Lightning Bolt at them!

My magicka is completely drained by their attack and they finish me off while I am waiting for it to recharge. My character's maximum magicka is 240. Would trying to get magic resistance or absorption be a viable option? I'm also only using robes at the moment, so I could switch to light or heavy armor if that would help.

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Magika regenerating items help a lot with running out of juice mid-battle. Take on a few of the mage's guild quests to stock up (you can equip a robe, necklace and circlet / mask all at once).

Additionally, spend perks on destruction magic, which will decrease the amount of magika you burn. And don't forget to keep a couple of restore magika potions in your pocket for when you end up in a tight spot.

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    Im pretty sure everyone keeps all the potions they ever find in case they end up in a tight spot.
    – user37332
    Commented Oct 14, 2014 at 19:44
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    Yep, you're right @user1337, I usually end up with dozens of potions "just in case". Worth mentioning though.
    – andypaxo
    Commented Oct 14, 2014 at 19:57
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Although Regenerate Magicka is undoubtfully helpfull, if you are going to go fully into destruction magic, then it would be better to choose lower destruction spells cost.

Furthermore, if enchanting level is high enough, it may be possible to craft a full suite of Fortify destruction apparel that will void magicka requirements of any destruction spell. That can spoil immersion however.

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Upgrading destruction magic perks will definitely help, but to use magic effectively I have found only two viable options:

  1. Enchant many (if not all) of your armour parts with Regenerate Magicka.
  2. Use a backup weapon, in this case I would suggest a bow (or crossbow if you have the Dawnguard DLC). This is my preferred route as I frequently play as a Mage/Rouge type. Obviously this won't be an option if you want to be pure Mage for RPG purposes.
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I'm surprised the other answers haven't mentioned what's probably the most powerful Destruction perk for a glass-cannon-type destruction magic user: Impact. The Stagger it causes is in effect a stun, which prevents the enemy from doing anything for several seconds. Against a single opponent, it's pretty easy to keep them stun-locked* (against multiple opponents it's also possible but gets more and more difficult), that way you'll prevent them from casting those oh-so-annoying mana drain spells on you.

At lower levels, while you don't have all the lower-spells-costs enchants or access to the frost minion yet, another thing you can do is have a follower to tank for you. They can soak up pretty big chunks of damage while you blast away and drink potions.

*Warning: can get pretty boring at higher levels, either stop doing this or try pulling more enemies when it starts getting too easy

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  • thanks. Impact does sound useful and i'm slowly approaching higher levels(at 18 now). And it's true I didn't use followers at all since I was afraid they would use potential chance for gaining exp. Wouldn't they? By getting in the way and not letting you kill anyone?
    – user1278255
    Commented Oct 30, 2014 at 12:03
  • The amount of skillups that a follower takes away from you is negligible in general, doubly so for a mage that doesn't gain armor skillups from being hit. Also remember that Skyrim is not a leveling race: enemies scale as you level up; you won't have to fight ancient dragons at level 10.
    – blgt
    Commented Oct 30, 2014 at 12:22

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