Destruction magic in Skyrim gets a bad rap. Unlike weapon damage, spell damage doesn't scale with your skill, and it can't be modified by multiple crafting skills. A fighter – one who doesn't mind getting his hands dirty crafting – can sharpen his sword at a grindstone, enchant it with frost magic, and gulp a potion to fortify his One Handed skill, but a Destruction mage doesn't have all those options.
But despite the complaints that one often encounters in forums (or perhaps because of them!) I have always enjoyed playing a Destruction mage in Skyrim. Not only is it viable, but it is a challenging and rewarding playstyle that has surprisingly few character builds devoted to it.
Enter the Evoker.
The Evoker is my take on a wizard driven by an obsession for control over raw elemental power. While the build is my own, I have drawn some inspiration from other players and theorycrafters. In this thread on the Bethesda forums (where I go by the name of JaberkatysHusband), a user named Abacus laid out a plan that matches much of what I will be advocating here – his post is a great read, and the rest of the thread has its interesting points as well. And in our very own Tips and Tricks group, James has shown the heights of insanity to which a Destruction mage can go in these two articles, which are not only incredibly informative but also a pleasure to read. James's posts gave me the impetus to start yet another playthrough as one of my favorite archetypes – the power-crazy Dunmer Destruction mage. You could think of this build as little more than a blueprint following the outlines given in the sources above.
Be warned: what follows is a long read. In brief, the Evoker:
-uses and abuses the Afterburn effect of fire spells and 'taper mechanics' first explored by James in the articles cited above
-pushes Blizzard to the extreme by careful application of weakness effects
-fuels his Destruction spells with alchemy and augments them further with perks, artifacts, and arcane lore
-laughs maniacally while standing over the smoking remains of his defeated foes!
The Build
Race: Dunmer. Altmer make powerful wizards, but I prefer Dunmer for a few reasons: the juicy +10 head start on Destruction, early access to a cloak spell, and always-on Fire Resistance, allowing us to free up slots for other enchantments.
Note that Bretons' Magic Resistance and Nords' Frost Resistance both interfere with the damage dealt by Blizzard, so you'll want to avoid those races in an unmodded game.
Stone: Mage early on, but around level 25 we'll switch to the Steed stone as primary (allowing the Evoker to carry plenty of alchemical ingredients and potions), and once Blizzard is acquired we'll begin storing the power of the Apprentice stone in the Aetherial Crown. We don't want to run around with the Apprentice's weakness always in effect, though, because:
Attributes: Nothing but Magicka. For the entire game, you are a 100-Health glass cannon, incredibly dangerous to foes but vulnerable if caught unprepared – the way mages are meant to be played!
Skills: Destruction, Alchemy, Restoration, Enchanting
Destruction is obvious: the Evoker will master this tree, taking all perks. With a large Magicka pool (made deeper in the early levels thanks to bought or found enchantments that fortify the skill), the Evoker can afford to lay waste to his foes with some careful investment and planning. And when his energies are low (which will be rare), he can fall back on Augmented staves and scrolls.
At higher levels, Alchemy fuels the incredible power of the Evoker's arsenal. The ideal skill for a wizard obsessed with squeezing every drop of potential out of the magic woven through Mundus, Alchemy will unlock the hidden reserves of elemental fury that lie dormant in the recesses of the Evoker's mind.
In the words of Gan Luseph, court mage of Bruma in Oblivion, “I'm not much of a healer. I can blow the meat off you, but I'm not much good at sticking it back on.” The Evoker dabbles in Restoration with wards and basic healing, but primarily to augment his destructive abilities: he researches the body's energies in order to learn how best to tear them apart! Along the way, he'll pick up enough knowledge to make better use of his novice healing spell and to increase the rate at which his Magicka regenerates – but the ultimate goal in this tree is the Necromage perk and the glorious havoc it allows him to wreak upon Skyrim's resident undead.
Enchanting is a support skill that develops late for the Evoker. Its main use is to drive his Alchemical insights even further; it also allows for the creation of situational and utility gear. I chose to avoid using Enchanting to bring spell costs down to zero. It's much more fun to play the Evoker as a mage who must manage his Magicka reserves with some care. Cost-reduction enchantments may be found fairly easily through your travels; a total cost reduction of around 50% is more than enough to get the most out of your spells. Just some base perks and Insightful Enchanter will be taken here.
Along the way, the Evoker will also work up sideline skills like Speech and Lockpicking. Conjuration will level as the Evoker begins to use Soul Trap to feed his enchanting. Other skills may level occasionally – such as Illusion, which the Evoker may use (in the form of Muffle) in order to get into position for a devastating Destruction volley. But no perks will be taken in these skills, and their use should be limited in the early going, when it is crucial to drive Destruction upward well ahead of any other skills.
Shouts: Ice Form, Become Ethereal, Aura Whisper, Cyclone
Ice Form is a life saver early on, but I stopped needing it after around level 25. Become Ethereal allows you to pull off some of those Master-level spells and scrolls before you get a follower. Aura Whisper is helpful in the early and middle levels to see what you're up against and prepare your most effective onslaught. And Cyclone is a great panic button once you acquire it in the higher levels.
Level 35 Perks
Destruction – all perks
Alchemy – Alchemist 5/5, Physician, Benefactor
Restoration – Novice Restoration, Recovery 2/2, Regeneration, Necromage
Enchanting – Enchanter 4/5, Insightful Enchanter
Gear
Aetherial Crown
Ahzidaal, Zahkriisos, Dukaan
The Gauldur Amulet
Expert Robes of Destruction
Circlet of Destruction (cost reduction)
Ring of Destruction (cost reduction)
Boots of Shocktread (shock resist)
Gloves of Focus (Fortify Magicka)
Important Quests (in rough order)
Main Quest (up to Delphine)
College of Winterhold (stop before Mzulft)
Shalidor's Insights (repeatable quest from Urag)
Lost to the Ages
Forbidden Legend
Dragonborn (and associated Solstheim quests)
Sinderion's Serendipity
Finish Main Quest and College questline
The Path
Playing as an Evoker is all about focus. With many character builds, you can afford to play naturally and take perks as they become available, without being too concerned about the order or rate of skill increases. But an Evoker follows the path of intense dedication to the destructive arts – to the exclusion of all else. For the first 20 levels or so, only Destruction perks will be taken.
Both roleplay and game mechanics considerations lie behind this approach. In terms of game mechanics, since spells don't scale it pays to get them as early as possible. Fireball feels a lot more powerful when you learn it at level 15 rather than level 30. And as far as roleplay is concerned, the Evoker is probably the in-game personification of a powergamer, driven to do anything to increase his power and make himself stronger faster. An obsessive bent to the gameplay fits the character perfectly!
Early in the game, the Evoker will make it his goal to learn all he can about Destruction magic, buying Destruction spells whenever available, building up a hoard of scrolls, staves, and potions, and developing his techniques against different enemies. Keep or buy magical items that fortify Destruction and Alchemy, disenchant items to learn their effects, and save potions that fortify Enchanting and Destruction.
Also during this time, the Evoker is collecting ingredients for use in Alchemy research. No potions should be brewed yet; for now, his Destruction spells alone will be sufficient. But he will build a stockpile of everything he finds in his travels and deposit them all in his house – I opted for Lakeview Manor, which is easy to access early and cheap to furnish. (The Alchemy Lab, Greenhouse, and Kitchen wings are good choices for utility and symmetry.)
These first 20 levels will see the Evoker get involved with the dragon threat and the College of Winterhold – but gradually. Shouts are almost required tools for a wizard, but it's possible to learn a good deal – and acquire many dragon souls – before even visiting High Hrothgar. (And we want to save some of the endgame Draugr-killing for when the Evoker has acquired Necromage!)
Similarly, the College offers the Evoker needed access to training, spells, and other benefits, but because it's so easy to rush through the short questline I found it best to avoid going to Mzulft until much later in the playthrough. By all means, explore Saarthal and try your wits against the renegade mages at Fellglow Keep. But pursuing the College questline through Mzulft means you'll lose access to training and services until you deal with Labyrinthian and essentially finish the entire quest. Leave it for later, when you've proven your ungodly power and can claim the title of Archmage without dispute.
At the College, Urag will be your best friend. His tips on recovering Shalidor's Insights should be pursued at every opportunity – of course the Evoker wants to learn the secrets of an ancient, ridiculously potent wizard! The reward for recovering the lost documents may include scrolls which reduce the cost and increase the magnitude of your Destruction spells. Consider this your 'main quest' until you get at least one cache of these scrolls – and then keep going.
Around level 25, you'll have a Destruction skill in the 90s and have taken every perk in the tree except Master Destruction. Go ahead and invest any leftover perks in your supporting skills: Restoration, Alchemy, and Enchanting.
You may also begin facing tougher enemies as you continue your adventures. It's time to leverage your potential as an Evoker. It's time to begin Alchemy training.
With the stockpile of ingredients you've been collecting for weeks, get to work at the Alchemy Lab. The goal here is to reach 100 Alchemy and take all the perks necessary to fuel your Destruction spells beyond their current limitations. Thanks to your obsessive collection program, this will take little more than an hour. With 100 Alchemy skill, 5/5 Alchemist, Physician, and Benefactor – and with the help of any found or bought Fortify Alchemy enchants – you can now put to bed the old saying that 'Destruction magic doesn't scale.' Ha! Tell that to my 300-damage Fireball!
Armed with a brace of potions, the Evoker can go back out into the field and confidently face any challenge while working up those last few levels of Destruction. 100 skill brings the final reward: the master-level spells Blizzard, Firestorm, and Lightning Storm, all of which will have a place in the Evoker's repertoire.
Whenever I max out a character's main skill in Skyrim, I'm torn. It's a great achievement to reach the pinnacle of your character's skill, but there's also a feeling that you're 'done'. What I realized with the Evoker, however, is that he's not done once he hits 100 in Destruction and Alchemy: there is still plenty of opportunity to grow his power.
From here on, though, the Evoker will turn his focus to acquiring potent artifacts, arcane knowledge, and wealth to augment his already considerable abilities. Artifacts of note will include the Dragon Priest masks of Solstheim and the Aetherial Crown. Arcane knowledge such as Sinderion's Serendipity and the secrets of Hermaeus Mora will complement his skills. And wealth is necessary to buy spells and train up Restoration, which is likely languishing in the 30s.
So it's a good time to journey to Solstheim, for several reasons. The Master-level spells can be challenging to pull off in battle, and a brute hireling is one of the best ways to keep foes off you while you wind them up. Of course, melee companions will suffer from your spell damage as well, unless you have Companion's Insight. Learn how to shape your spells to avoid damaging your followers, and you'll be able to count on those Master spells whenever you need them. No longer will you curse that big, stupid fighter of yours for running in the way of your Lightning Storm or getting caught in the vortex of your Blizzard! They'll still complain, of course (it's disconcerting to the uninitiated to be suddenly engulfed by a massive explosion), but let them do their job of taking hits – while you do your job of liquefying the opposition.
While you're daring tombs and ruins to bring back untold wealth and artifacts, keep working at Enchanting. Making enchanted items to sell is a great source of coin to offset the cost of training, spell tomes, and gear you may want to buy from vendors, and you'll soon be able to enchant a quartet of items to aid your alchemical endeavors.
The Evoker's Spellbook – tips and tactics
In the early days of your career, learn to approach potentially dangerous situations with caution. Sneaking isn't necessary – if you walk rather than run through dungeons, you'll be able to surprise enemies most of the time. Consider the following as you rise in skill as an Evoker:
Novice
As a novice Evoker, learn to love Flames – and cast it efficiently. Spraying Flames continuously at an enemy is often a waste of resources. Cast in short bursts, allowing your Magicka to regenerate a bit between each cast while your foe burns.
You should acquire Sparks from Helgen, but I've only used this spell rarely. Frostbite is a better secondary spell in the early going, due to its mild slow effect and low cost.
Apprentice
Many players overlook rune spells as too costly and inefficient. But used correctly – before combat begins – they are essentially a free source of damage ranging from 50 to 100 points (when dual-cast).
When approaching a room that may conceal foes, cast a rune ahead. It will alert any creatures, and while they search for the source of the noise you'll be regenerating your Magicka for a barrage of follow up spells.
Runes are also excellent for levelling Destruction. As you near 100 skill, casting runes throughout a dungeon run will get you to your goal faster than any other spell. Even late in the playthrough, a rune spell deserves a hotkey.
Apprentice spells also include the standard Firebolt, Ice Spike, and Lightning Bolt. Again, my preference was for fire and ice – the former for its efficiency and power, the latter for its speed and the slow effect which works amazingly on giants and dragons. These are your go-to Impact spells, but there's much more to paying an Evoker than spamming Impact. When facing multiple enemies, you'll need to approach with caution, set up runes, exploit terrain, and avoid burning through your Magicka reserves. Dualcasting and stunlocking is fairly inefficient, and should be saved for those nasty ambushes that will be sprung against you from time to time, or for when you need that bit of extra juice to shut down an enemy right now.
Adept
Adept level spells are where the Evoker begins to shine. The area of effect spells are the crowd pleasers here, but don't neglect cloaks: dualcast before battle to increase the range, they are yet another form of preparation in case foes get too close. A good strategy with cloaks is to cast a rune spell near your position, cast the cloak, then get the enemy's attention with a single-cast Firebolt once your Magicka has refilled. Of course, with your 100 Health, having enemies get within cloak range shouldn't be a goal – but think of the cloaks as insurance. After running through your runes and other magics, an enemy who gets close enough to take damage from the cloak may be weak enough that the special effect perks like Intense Flames or Deep Freeze kick in.
Whilrlwind Cloak is perfect for the fragile Evoker who needs to cast a spell or scroll without being interrupted. And the Adept-level Poison Rune spell, while technically in the Restoration school, is certainly fitting for the concept of a destructive mage (and poison spells were always considered Destruction magic in earlier games). An Evoker can have a great deal of fun with this rune at higher levels, once he can afford to put more perks into Restoration, especially when combined with Slow Time or paralysis effects.
Chain Lightning is the first shock spell I used regularly – a great option against ward-wielding enemy mages. Just aim the point of impact at the ground nearby. Ice Storm is devastating against melee types; I tend to have it hotkeyed when journeying through the milder climate of the Reach and the Rift, where ice-resistant foes are fewer.
But the crowning achievement of this tier of spells – the spell that will make you feel you've arrived as an Evoker – is without a doubt the iconic Fireball. Fireball will be your primary heavy artillery for much of the game, and when used in combination with Destruction-augmenting effects, it is capable of dealing upwards of 600 damage, as James has shown. Getting this spell at level 15 or so will allow the Evoker to absolutely destroy most opposition – and his deep well of Magicka will allow him to cast it regularly.
Expert
Expert spells are much more situational than those of the earlier tiers. The heavy hitters like Icy Spear and Incinerate are greedy for Magicka; even with your impressive pool, you won't be able to rely on these spells at will. Their best use is as an early 'sniper' shot, to take out foes in a hurry before battle really begins, or alternatively to shut down a charging enemy fast.
The wall spells require some forethought. They don't do tremendous damage – unless you can find a way to incapacitate a foe within the wall's damaging area. Staves or scrolls of paralysis, repeated application of Impact, or just good timing (summoning a wall underneath a foe engaged in melee with your companion, for example) will help these spells do their work. In practice, I found that a good wall staff (such as Hevnoraak's Staff) was a better candidate for a hotkey than self-cast wall spells most of the time.
Master
With a full complement of Master-level spells courtesy of Shalidor's writings, the Evoker is now able to unleash chaos upon the battlefield.
Lightning Storm has long been recognized as a great spell against dragons. It's also effective in any situation where you can strike foes from a distance, such as at the end of a long hallway. Simply find a safe place to charge it up, then aim and watch your targets vaporize.
Firestorm, as James has shown, is simply insane when paired with Alchemy and the Necromage perk – we're talking in the thousands of points of damage. Even against non-undead targets, this spell is a terrific equalizer. The trick is pulling it off without getting killed. A favorite tactic among many players is to use Become Ethereal to cast the spell safely. I've found that casting Muffle (easy to do even with no perks in Illusion thanks to your enormous Magicka reserves), gulping a Fortify Destruction potion, and then downing an Invisibility potion are good lead-ups: run into the crowd of foes and charge up Firestorm while your follower draws their attention. With good preparation and positioning, it's possible to one-shot Dwarven Steam Centurions and Dragon Priests – not to mention any underlings who may get caught in the blast!
The Evoker's use of Blizzard shows the twisted lengths to which his obsession for more damage will go. Blizzard's damage is reduced by your own frost and magic resistances – and increased by your weaknesses. By drinking potions that weaken him to magic and frost, and equipping the Aetherial Crown with its stored Apprentice stone which further weakens him to magic, the Evoker can transform Blizzard from a fairly lackluster DoT spell to a nightmare of destructive fury – especially potent on Solstheim, with its largely Dunmer population.
Blizzard can have the side effect of harming the caster, so I prefer to save Become Ethereal for after it has been cast. Get into position through invisibility or good timing, cast the empowered Blizzard, and Become Ethereal – then get out of there, while your foes are slowed and punished for 10 seconds of brutal cold. With a Blizzard doing upwards of 70 points of damage per second, Falx Carius and his legion of Ash Spawn go down before they know what hit them!
From Here...
With your spellbook filled and all the potions and artifacts you need, it's possible to continue the Evoker's journey. Develop your Enchanting further, working up the middle branch to Extra Effect. Augment your defenses with higher-tier wards and pick up some more tricks in the Restoration school (like Ward Absorb and Avoid Death), or learn Alteration magic to give your glass cannon a bit more durability (just avoid the Magic Resistance perks). Learning Conjuration and the summoning of atronachs is an excellent complement to your arsenal as well.
With a solid foundation of destructive potential and the power of the elements firmly under his command, the Evoker can expand his repertoire and develop into a mighty magic-wielder worthy of Shalidor.
Destruction magic in Skyrim gets a bad rap. Unlike weapon damage, spell damage doesn't scale with your skill, and it can't be modified by multiple crafting skills. A fighter – one who doesn't mind getting his hands dirty crafting – can sharpen his sword at a grindstone, enchant it with frost magic, and gulp a potion to fortify his One Handed skill, but a Destruction mage doesn't have all those options.
But despite the complaints that one often encounters in forums (or perhaps because of them!) I have always enjoyed playing a Destruction mage in Skyrim. Not only is it viable, but it is a challenging and rewarding playstyle that has surprisingly few character builds devoted to it.
Enter the Evoker.
The Evoker is my take on a wizard driven by an obsession for control over raw elemental power. While the build is my own, I have drawn some inspiration from other players and theorycrafters. In this thread on the Bethesda forums (where I go by the name of JaberkatysHusband), a user named Abacus laid out a plan that matches much of what I will be advocating here – his post is a great read, and the rest of the thread has its interesting points as well. And in our very own Tips and Tricks group, James has shown the heights of insanity to which a Destruction mage can go in these two articles, which are not only incredibly informative but also a pleasure to read. James's posts gave me the impetus to start yet another playthrough as one of my favorite archetypes – the power-crazy Dunmer Destruction mage. You could think of this build as little more than a blueprint following the outlines given in the sources above.
Be warned: what follows is a long read. In brief, the Evoker:
-uses and abuses the Afterburn effect of fire spells and 'taper mechanics' first explored by James in the articles cited above
-pushes Blizzard to the extreme by careful application of weakness effects
-fuels his Destruction spells with alchemy and augments them further with perks, artifacts, and arcane lore
-laughs maniacally while standing over the smoking remains of his defeated foes!
The Build
Race: Dunmer. Altmer make powerful wizards, but I prefer Dunmer for a few reasons: the juicy +10 head start on Destruction, early access to a cloak spell, and always-on Fire Resistance, allowing us to free up slots for other enchantments.
Note that Bretons' Magic Resistance and Nords' Frost Resistance both interfere with the damage dealt by Blizzard, so you'll want to avoid those races in an unmodded game.
Stone: Mage early on, but around level 25 we'll switch to the Steed stone as primary (allowing the Evoker to carry plenty of alchemical ingredients and potions), and once Blizzard is acquired we'll begin storing the power of the Apprentice stone in the Aetherial Crown. We don't want to run around with the Apprentice's weakness always in effect, though, because:
Attributes: Nothing but Magicka. For the entire game, you are a 100-Health glass cannon, incredibly dangerous to foes but vulnerable if caught unprepared – the way mages are meant to be played!
Skills: Destruction, Alchemy, Restoration, Enchanting
Destruction is obvious: the Evoker will master this tree, taking all perks. With a large Magicka pool (made deeper in the early levels thanks to bought or found enchantments that fortify the skill), the Evoker can afford to lay waste to his foes with some careful investment and planning. And when his energies are low (which will be rare), he can fall back on Augmented staves and scrolls.
At higher levels, Alchemy fuels the incredible power of the Evoker's arsenal. The ideal skill for a wizard obsessed with squeezing every drop of potential out of the magic woven through Mundus, Alchemy will unlock the hidden reserves of elemental fury that lie dormant in the recesses of the Evoker's mind.
In the words of Gan Luseph, court mage of Bruma in Oblivion, “I'm not much of a healer. I can blow the meat off you, but I'm not much good at sticking it back on.” The Evoker dabbles in Restoration with wards and basic healing, but primarily to augment his destructive abilities: he researches the body's energies in order to learn how best to tear them apart! Along the way, he'll pick up enough knowledge to make better use of his novice healing spell and to increase the rate at which his Magicka regenerates – but the ultimate goal in this tree is the Necromage perk and the glorious havoc it allows him to wreak upon Skyrim's resident undead.
Enchanting is a support skill that develops late for the Evoker. Its main use is to drive his Alchemical insights even further; it also allows for the creation of situational and utility gear. I chose to avoid using Enchanting to bring spell costs down to zero. It's much more fun to play the Evoker as a mage who must manage his Magicka reserves with some care. Cost-reduction enchantments may be found fairly easily through your travels; a total cost reduction of around 50% is more than enough to get the most out of your spells. Just some base perks and Insightful Enchanter will be taken here.
Along the way, the Evoker will also work up sideline skills like Speech and Lockpicking. Conjuration will level as the Evoker begins to use Soul Trap to feed his enchanting. Other skills may level occasionally – such as Illusion, which the Evoker may use (in the form of Muffle) in order to get into position for a devastating Destruction volley. But no perks will be taken in these skills, and their use should be limited in the early going, when it is crucial to drive Destruction upward well ahead of any other skills.
Shouts: Ice Form, Become Ethereal, Aura Whisper, Cyclone
Ice Form is a life saver early on, but I stopped needing it after around level 25. Become Ethereal allows you to pull off some of those Master-level spells and scrolls before you get a follower. Aura Whisper is helpful in the early and middle levels to see what you're up against and prepare your most effective onslaught. And Cyclone is a great panic button once you acquire it in the higher levels.
Level 35 Perks
Destruction – all perks
Alchemy – Alchemist 5/5, Physician, Benefactor
Restoration – Novice Restoration, Recovery 2/2, Regeneration, Necromage
Enchanting – Enchanter 4/5, Insightful Enchanter
Gear
Aetherial Crown
Ahzidaal, Zahkriisos, Dukaan
The Gauldur Amulet
Expert Robes of Destruction
Circlet of Destruction (cost reduction)
Ring of Destruction (cost reduction)
Boots of Shocktread (shock resist)
Gloves of Focus (Fortify Magicka)
Important Quests (in rough order)
Main Quest (up to Delphine)
College of Winterhold (stop before Mzulft)
Shalidor's Insights (repeatable quest from Urag)
Lost to the Ages
Forbidden Legend
Dragonborn (and associated Solstheim quests)
Sinderion's Serendipity
Finish Main Quest and College questline
The Path
Playing as an Evoker is all about focus. With many character builds, you can afford to play naturally and take perks as they become available, without being too concerned about the order or rate of skill increases. But an Evoker follows the path of intense dedication to the destructive arts – to the exclusion of all else. For the first 20 levels or so, only Destruction perks will be taken.
Both roleplay and game mechanics considerations lie behind this approach. In terms of game mechanics, since spells don't scale it pays to get them as early as possible. Fireball feels a lot more powerful when you learn it at level 15 rather than level 30. And as far as roleplay is concerned, the Evoker is probably the in-game personification of a powergamer, driven to do anything to increase his power and make himself stronger faster. An obsessive bent to the gameplay fits the character perfectly!
Early in the game, the Evoker will make it his goal to learn all he can about Destruction magic, buying Destruction spells whenever available, building up a hoard of scrolls, staves, and potions, and developing his techniques against different enemies. Keep or buy magical items that fortify Destruction and Alchemy, disenchant items to learn their effects, and save potions that fortify Enchanting and Destruction.
Also during this time, the Evoker is collecting ingredients for use in Alchemy research. No potions should be brewed yet; for now, his Destruction spells alone will be sufficient. But he will build a stockpile of everything he finds in his travels and deposit them all in his house – I opted for Lakeview Manor, which is easy to access early and cheap to furnish. (The Alchemy Lab, Greenhouse, and Kitchen wings are good choices for utility and symmetry.)
These first 20 levels will see the Evoker get involved with the dragon threat and the College of Winterhold – but gradually. Shouts are almost required tools for a wizard, but it's possible to learn a good deal – and acquire many dragon souls – before even visiting High Hrothgar. (And we want to save some of the endgame Draugr-killing for when the Evoker has acquired Necromage!)
Similarly, the College offers the Evoker needed access to training, spells, and other benefits, but because it's so easy to rush through the short questline I found it best to avoid going to Mzulft until much later in the playthrough. By all means, explore Saarthal and try your wits against the renegade mages at Fellglow Keep. But pursuing the College questline through Mzulft means you'll lose access to training and services until you deal with Labyrinthian and essentially finish the entire quest. Leave it for later, when you've proven your ungodly power and can claim the title of Archmage without dispute.
At the College, Urag will be your best friend. His tips on recovering Shalidor's Insights should be pursued at every opportunity – of course the Evoker wants to learn the secrets of an ancient, ridiculously potent wizard! The reward for recovering the lost documents may include scrolls which reduce the cost and increase the magnitude of your Destruction spells. Consider this your 'main quest' until you get at least one cache of these scrolls – and then keep going.
Around level 25, you'll have a Destruction skill in the 90s and have taken every perk in the tree except Master Destruction. Go ahead and invest any leftover perks in your supporting skills: Restoration, Alchemy, and Enchanting.
You may also begin facing tougher enemies as you continue your adventures. It's time to leverage your potential as an Evoker. It's time to begin Alchemy training.
With the stockpile of ingredients you've been collecting for weeks, get to work at the Alchemy Lab. The goal here is to reach 100 Alchemy and take all the perks necessary to fuel your Destruction spells beyond their current limitations. Thanks to your obsessive collection program, this will take little more than an hour. With 100 Alchemy skill, 5/5 Alchemist, Physician, and Benefactor – and with the help of any found or bought Fortify Alchemy enchants – you can now put to bed the old saying that 'Destruction magic doesn't scale.' Ha! Tell that to my 300-damage Fireball!
Armed with a brace of potions, the Evoker can go back out into the field and confidently face any challenge while working up those last few levels of Destruction. 100 skill brings the final reward: the master-level spells Blizzard, Firestorm, and Lightning Storm, all of which will have a place in the Evoker's repertoire.
Whenever I max out a character's main skill in Skyrim, I'm torn. It's a great achievement to reach the pinnacle of your character's skill, but there's also a feeling that you're 'done'. What I realized with the Evoker, however, is that he's not done once he hits 100 in Destruction and Alchemy: there is still plenty of opportunity to grow his power.
From here on, though, the Evoker will turn his focus to acquiring potent artifacts, arcane knowledge, and wealth to augment his already considerable abilities. Artifacts of note will include the Dragon Priest masks of Solstheim and the Aetherial Crown. Arcane knowledge such as Sinderion's Serendipity and the secrets of Hermaeus Mora will complement his skills. And wealth is necessary to buy spells and train up Restoration, which is likely languishing in the 30s.
So it's a good time to journey to Solstheim, for several reasons. The Master-level spells can be challenging to pull off in battle, and a brute hireling is one of the best ways to keep foes off you while you wind them up. Of course, melee companions will suffer from your spell damage as well, unless you have Companion's Insight. Learn how to shape your spells to avoid damaging your followers, and you'll be able to count on those Master spells whenever you need them. No longer will you curse that big, stupid fighter of yours for running in the way of your Lightning Storm or getting caught in the vortex of your Blizzard! They'll still complain, of course (it's disconcerting to the uninitiated to be suddenly engulfed by a massive explosion), but let them do their job of taking hits – while you do your job of liquefying the opposition.
While you're daring tombs and ruins to bring back untold wealth and artifacts, keep working at Enchanting. Making enchanted items to sell is a great source of coin to offset the cost of training, spell tomes, and gear you may want to buy from vendors, and you'll soon be able to enchant a quartet of items to aid your alchemical endeavors.
The Evoker's Spellbook – tips and tactics
In the early days of your career, learn to approach potentially dangerous situations with caution. Sneaking isn't necessary – if you walk rather than run through dungeons, you'll be able to surprise enemies most of the time. Consider the following as you rise in skill as an Evoker:
Novice
As a novice Evoker, learn to love Flames – and cast it efficiently. Spraying Flames continuously at an enemy is often a waste of resources. Cast in short bursts, allowing your Magicka to regenerate a bit between each cast while your foe burns.
You should acquire Sparks from Helgen, but I've only used this spell rarely. Frostbite is a better secondary spell in the early going, due to its mild slow effect and low cost.
Apprentice
Many players overlook rune spells as too costly and inefficient. But used correctly – before combat begins – they are essentially a free source of damage ranging from 50 to 100 points (when dual-cast).
When approaching a room that may conceal foes, cast a rune ahead. It will alert any creatures, and while they search for the source of the noise you'll be regenerating your Magicka for a barrage of follow up spells.
Runes are also excellent for levelling Destruction. As you near 100 skill, casting runes throughout a dungeon run will get you to your goal faster than any other spell. Even late in the playthrough, a rune spell deserves a hotkey.
Apprentice spells also include the standard Firebolt, Ice Spike, and Lightning Bolt. Again, my preference was for fire and ice – the former for its efficiency and power, the latter for its speed and the slow effect which works amazingly on giants and dragons. These are your go-to Impact spells, but there's much more to paying an Evoker than spamming Impact. When facing multiple enemies, you'll need to approach with caution, set up runes, exploit terrain, and avoid burning through your Magicka reserves. Dualcasting and stunlocking is fairly inefficient, and should be saved for those nasty ambushes that will be sprung against you from time to time, or for when you need that bit of extra juice to shut down an enemy right now.
Adept
Adept level spells are where the Evoker begins to shine. The area of effect spells are the crowd pleasers here, but don't neglect cloaks: dualcast before battle to increase the range, they are yet another form of preparation in case foes get too close. A good strategy with cloaks is to cast a rune spell near your position, cast the cloak, then get the enemy's attention with a single-cast Firebolt once your Magicka has refilled. Of course, with your 100 Health, having enemies get within cloak range shouldn't be a goal – but think of the cloaks as insurance. After running through your runes and other magics, an enemy who gets close enough to take damage from the cloak may be weak enough that the special effect perks like Intense Flames or Deep Freeze kick in.
Whilrlwind Cloak is perfect for the fragile Evoker who needs to cast a spell or scroll without being interrupted. And the Adept-level Poison Rune spell, while technically in the Restoration school, is certainly fitting for the concept of a destructive mage (and poison spells were always considered Destruction magic in earlier games). An Evoker can have a great deal of fun with this rune at higher levels, once he can afford to put more perks into Restoration, especially when combined with Slow Time or paralysis effects.
Chain Lightning is the first shock spell I used regularly – a great option against ward-wielding enemy mages. Just aim the point of impact at the ground nearby. Ice Storm is devastating against melee types; I tend to have it hotkeyed when journeying through the milder climate of the Reach and the Rift, where ice-resistant foes are fewer.
But the crowning achievement of this tier of spells – the spell that will make you feel you've arrived as an Evoker – is without a doubt the iconic Fireball. Fireball will be your primary heavy artillery for much of the game, and when used in combination with Destruction-augmenting effects, it is capable of dealing upwards of 600 damage, as James has shown. Getting this spell at level 15 or so will allow the Evoker to absolutely destroy most opposition – and his deep well of Magicka will allow him to cast it regularly.
Expert
Expert spells are much more situational than those of the earlier tiers. The heavy hitters like Icy Spear and Incinerate are greedy for Magicka; even with your impressive pool, you won't be able to rely on these spells at will. Their best use is as an early 'sniper' shot, to take out foes in a hurry before battle really begins, or alternatively to shut down a charging enemy fast.
The wall spells require some forethought. They don't do tremendous damage – unless you can find a way to incapacitate a foe within the wall's damaging area. Staves or scrolls of paralysis, repeated application of Impact, or just good timing (summoning a wall underneath a foe engaged in melee with your companion, for example) will help these spells do their work. In practice, I found that a good wall staff (such as Hevnoraak's Staff) was a better candidate for a hotkey than self-cast wall spells most of the time.
Master
With a full complement of Master-level spells courtesy of Shalidor's writings, the Evoker is now able to unleash chaos upon the battlefield.
Lightning Storm has long been recognized as a great spell against dragons. It's also effective in any situation where you can strike foes from a distance, such as at the end of a long hallway. Simply find a safe place to charge it up, then aim and watch your targets vaporize.
Firestorm, as James has shown, is simply insane when paired with Alchemy and the Necromage perk – we're talking in the thousands of points of damage. Even against non-undead targets, this spell is a terrific equalizer. The trick is pulling it off without getting killed. A favorite tactic among many players is to use Become Ethereal to cast the spell safely. I've found that casting Muffle (easy to do even with no perks in Illusion thanks to your enormous Magicka reserves), gulping a Fortify Destruction potion, and then downing an Invisibility potion are good lead-ups: run into the crowd of foes and charge up Firestorm while your follower draws their attention. With good preparation and positioning, it's possible to one-shot Dwarven Steam Centurions and Dragon Priests – not to mention any underlings who may get caught in the blast!
The Evoker's use of Blizzard shows the twisted lengths to which his obsession for more damage will go. Blizzard's damage is reduced by your own frost and magic resistances – and increased by your weaknesses. By drinking potions that weaken him to magic and frost, and equipping the Aetherial Crown with its stored Apprentice stone which further weakens him to magic, the Evoker can transform Blizzard from a fairly lackluster DoT spell to a nightmare of destructive fury – especially potent on Solstheim, with its largely Dunmer population.
Blizzard can have the side effect of harming the caster, so I prefer to save Become Ethereal for after it has been cast. Get into position through invisibility or good timing, cast the empowered Blizzard, and Become Ethereal – then get out of there, while your foes are slowed and punished for 10 seconds of brutal cold. With a Blizzard doing upwards of 70 points of damage per second, Falx Carius and his legion of Ash Spawn go down before they know what hit them!
From Here...
With your spellbook filled and all the potions and artifacts you need, it's possible to continue the Evoker's journey. Develop your Enchanting further, working up the middle branch to Extra Effect. Augment your defenses with higher-tier wards and pick up some more tricks in the Restoration school (like Ward Absorb and Avoid Death), or learn Alteration magic to give your glass cannon a bit more durability (just avoid the Magic Resistance perks). Learning Conjuration and the summoning of atronachs is an excellent complement to your arsenal as well.
With a solid foundation of destructive potential and the power of the elements firmly under his command, the Evoker can expand his repertoire and develop into a mighty magic-wielder worthy of Shalidor.
