Best Items For A Mage (& How To Get Them)

Magic users are among the most fun characters to play in any RPG. They’re always pretty feeble and vulnerable at the start of the game, but by the end, they’re the ones capable of unleashing the most spectacular, fantastical attacks. The Elder Scrolls 5: Skyrim is, of course, no exception.

Developing a powerful mage in Skyrim requires care and patience at the start of the adventure. A lack of armor and low health makes mages vulnerable even to mud crabs in the early game, but they’re a formidable character build later on. Part of the process of realizing the potential of a mage is finding, stealing, looting, earning, and crafting the right equipment. To that end, here are some items that mages should look out for.

Updated December 5, 2024, by Hamza Haq: Making a mage build in Skyrim doesn’t simply involve leveling up certain skill trees and investing perk points to gain power abilities. No, the major contributors to a mage’s strength in the land of the Nords are the powerful enchanted items they obtain along the way. While the most impactful end-game gear can be self-made via Enchanting, unique magic items carry incredibly broken enchantments that can sometimes not be replicated by the Dragonborn. The list has been updated with two additional items mages can obtain in their journey that massively aid the spellcasting playstyle.

20 Bond Of Matrimony

Love That Powers Your Spells

This is more of a niche piece of gear, but it can serve certain mages well in combat. For those specializing in Restoration magic in particular, the Bond of Matrimony earned by completing a wedding and getting married to an NPC of one’s choice gives Restoration spells a 10% Magicka discount.

To get married in Skyrim, players should head over to Riften and speak with Maramal at the Bee and Barb Inn. An amulet of Mara is also needed to marry someone, and most NPCs will ask the Dragonborn to complete a favor before agreeing to marry.

19 Savos Aren’s Amulet

Magicka Boosts Straight From the Arch-Mage

Savos Aren will gift his amulet to the player once they complete the quest Containment during the College of Winterhold questline. This amulet is fairly simple, but valuable due to what it gives: 50 points of additional Magicka to the wearer.

Obviously, players will need to first join the College to gain access to the related quests. However, most mages should be joining the College early on anyway to gain access to as many spell book vendors as possible.

18 Ring Of The Erudite

The Choice of Every Magicka-Hungry Mage

Found in the Dawnguard DLC, this ring is incredibly powerful. It grants 100 points of Magicka to the wearer, while also boosting Magicka’s regeneration rate. As such, it’s a must-have for any mage that wants to continuously spam spells in fights.

Unfortunately, to get this ring players need to pick Lord Harkon’s side in the main quest of the Dawnguard DLC. During the end of the quest Bloodline, make sure to choose to become a Vampire Lord to earn this ring. All great things require great sacrifices, after all.

17 Diadem Of The Savant

A Mage’s Crown for True Savants

This circlet gives players a 5% Magicka discount for any spells cast. It’s not mind-blowingly good, but still worth collecting. The Diadem can be found at exactly two locations in Skyrim: players should either head to Froki’s Shack, or enter Shalidor’s Maze.

The circlet is considered Light Armor by the game, so it’s perfect for mages who prefer to stay light on their feet and avoid most armor anyway.

16 Helmet Of The Old Gods & Armor Of The Olds Gods

Mid-Game Power for Aspiring Mages

Both of these pieces are Light Armor gear and can be acquired by finishing the quest No One Escapes Cidhna Mine. It can be started in Markarth. The helmet and the armor of the Old Gods are fantastic pieces of mid-game armor for any aspiring mages.

The Helmet of the Old Gods gives the wearer 30 points of Magicka, while the armor gives a 15% Magicka discount to all spells the player casts. Though this is nothing crazy, it can make a huge difference around mid-game.

15 Bloodthorn

For Mages Who Dabble In Souls

This unique dagger is enchanted with a Soul Trap spell. If an enemy dies within three seconds of being struck by Bloodthorn, their soul is absorbed into a Soul Gem carried by the wielder. It also looks pretty awesome when modded.

While Soul Gems aren’t necessarily important for all types of mage, for the all-around complete magic user, they are extremely useful both for enchanting items and for recharging staves. Find Bloodthorn on an altar on a balcony in Hag’s End, which is accessed via Deepwood Redoubt in the mountains directly north of Karthwasten and directly west of Dragon Bridge.

14 Potion Of Regenerate, Fortify & Restore Magicka

The Ultimate Potion for Spellcasters

The most commonly used potions among mages, regardless of their specialization, are those that restore that all-important Magicka, and this recipe restores Magicka in three separate ways at the same time.

Brew this potion using:

• Jazbay Grapes, commonly found on rocky terrain near hot springs.
• Briar Hearts, which can be pickpocketed or looted from Forsworn Briarhearts (common in The Reach, the western region of Skyrim around Markarth).
• Moon Sugar, which is rare, but can always be bought from Khajiit caravans. Look for them outside Dawnstar, Markarth, Riften, Solitude, Whiterun and Windhelm.

13 The Black Star

A Reusable Soul Gem for Infinite Enchanting

This Daedric artifact acts like a reusable Soul Gem, capable of absorbing both white souls and black souls. This makes it very useful for enchanters and staff users, especially when used in conjunction with Bloodthorn or the Mace Of Molag Bal.

The Black Star can only be acquired on the quest of the same name, which is started by visiting the Shrine Of Azura, high in the mountains directly south of Winterhold. At the end of the quest, give the Broken Azura’s Star to Nelacar in Winterhold’s Frozen Hearth Inn, and he will transform it into the Black Star before giving it back.

12 The Gauldur Amulet

Balanced Power for the Versatile Mage

While mages mainly care about the Magicka stat for their spellcasting, it’s not like Health and Stamina are entirely useless to them. In fact, some mages can go the spellblade route with a one-handed weapon in their main hand and a spell in their other. These types of mage builds need all their meters to go up, not just one.

The Gaulder Amulet increases Health, Magicka, and Stamina by 30 points, giving the Dragonborn a boost equivalent to nine level-ups with a single equipment slot. Best of all, it can be obtained relatively early. This requires gathering the three Gauldur Fragments from Saarthal, Folgunther, and Geirmund’s Hall and combining them in Reachwater Rock. The quest is quite long but can be undertaken easily by low to mid-level characters, making it one of the most powerful acquisitions in the early game.

A curious tidbit is that each individual Gauldur Amulet Fragment increases one stat by 30 individually. Mages who go clear Saarthal will obtain the fragment that increases Magicka by 30 upon completion. Since this build should be doing the College of Winterhold questline regardless, they won’t have to go out of the way.

11 Mage’s Circlet

The College’s Gift for True Dedication

This circlet simply grants the wearer additional Magicka, but the amount of Magicka is dependent on the level of the character when the circlet is first obtained. It’s awarded to the player for completing the “Good Intentions” quest, which is part of the main College Of Winterhold questline.

In order to get the maximum 70 Magicka bonus from the Mage’s Circlet, the player needs to be at least level 25 upon completing “Good Intentions”, so it’s best to hold off until at least level 24 before starting that quest.

10 Mace Of Molag Bal

Soul Trap and Spell Boosts in One Weapon

This might seem like too heavy a weapon for most mages, but it has excellent benefits for any magic user interested in using staves or enchanting items. Not only does it inflict heavy Stamina and Magicka damage, but it also casts Soul Trap.

It’s awarded to the player upon completion of “The House Of Horrors” quest, which begins and ends in the abandoned house in Markarth. The player must kill Logrolf to complete the quest and receive the mace.

9 Necromancer Amulet

A Conjurer’s Best Friend

The Necromancer Amulet is a game-changer for pure mage builds, especially those that use Conjuration as a main school. When equipped, the Necromancer Amulet increases Magicka by a flat +50, reduces the cost of all Conjuration spells by 25%, but reduces the regeneration rate of Health and Stamina by 75%.

For pure mage builds, Health regeneration can be completely ignored because it can easily be compensated by any and all healing spells. Stamina is a bit trickier. While mages don’t necessarily need quite a lot of it, it can be awkward to completely run out of it in the middle of a fight. Restoration mages can easily solve this problem by taking the Respite perk in the Restoration tree, which makes it so that healing spells restore both Stamina and Health. Otherwise, there are always potions and enchanted equipment to counteract the negatives.

The Necromancer Amulet is obtained as a Strange Amulet with no effects, but its true powers can be revealed by completing the Blood on the Ice quest in Windhelm.

8 Ahzidal’s Ring Of Arcana

Destruction Magic Reinvented

This unique ring grants the wearer the power to cast two awesome destruction spells, Ignite and Freeze, neither of which can be learned in any other way. Ignite and Freeze are similar to Firebolt and Ice Spike respectively, but cost less Magicka and are more powerful.

The ring is obtained inside Kolbjorn Barrow on Solstheim, during the quest “Unearthed.” Find Kolbjorn Barrow southeast of Raven Rock and speak to Ralis Sedarys to begin the quest. After the third investment (of 3,000 gold), and clearing the barrow of Draugr, continue along the passage and up the stairs to a large room. Light all of the floor tiles simultaneously (using Whirlwind Sprint or Slow Time) to open the gate and retrieve the ring.

7 Gloves, Boots & Necklace Of Peerless Destruction

Craft Your Way to Spellcasting Perfection

The fact is that, as a general rule, it’s more efficient to reduce the cost of casting spells than to increase the amount of Magicka the caster has. It’s even possible to equip four items of Peerless Destruction (or any other school of magic), effectively meaning that spells from that school never deplete Magicka.

Many players regard this as cheating – it certainly makes things boringly easy – but using three items to reduce casting cost by 25% each is generally regarded as fair game. Besides, there are no interesting unique gloves, boots, or necklaces for mages, so do-it-yourself enchantment is the best way to go.

6 Wabbajack

Courtesy of Sheogorath

Mages that want to cause a bit of chaos should definitely pursue the Wabbajack. This unique staff is a Daedric Artifact belonging to Sheogorath, the Daedric Prince of Madness. The Dragonborn will see just what type of Daedric Prince Sheogorath is when undergoing the Mind of Madness quest, as the player will come in contact with the diety in the mind of Pelagius. This quest is definitely a bit strange, with heavy Alice in Wonderland influences and a unique premise that sees the Dragonborn stripped of their items and forced to treat an ailing person’s suffering mind. At the end of it all, the player will be awarded the Wabbajack, a staff capable of creating chaos wherever it’s aimed.

The staff has 27 base damage and will inflict enemies with a random effect, sometimes even transforming them or buffing them. It’s a fun way to adventure through Skyrim and can make combat encounters a breeze or a nightmare depending on how lucky or unlucky a player is.

5 Sanguine Rose

Dremora Allies, One Summon Away

Players have a wide array of followers to choose from when adventuring across Skyrim but those that prefer to do things alone can still get some help from time to time when they need it. This is especially true for mages, who have a difficult time dealing with hordes of enemies thanks to their squishy nature and lack of armor. This can be remedied by summoning elementals or other types of creatures to draw aggro from enemies and keep mages safe.

The Sanguine Rose is a great weapon for the Mage that needs a bit of extra help now and again. The staff will summon a Dremora to fight for the player for approximately 60 seconds, giving them a leg up during encounters in which many enemies show up at one time. Players can snag the Sanguine Rose by undertaking A Night To Remember, a quest that will appear once players reach level 14. By checking into one of the many taverns in Skyrim, they will come across a man named Sam Guevenne, who will challenge them to a drinking contest and begin the questline.

4 Morokei

Magicka Regeneration At Its Peak

There are a lot of great armor pieces for Mages scattered throughout the world of Skyrim. Players that want to get the most out of a Magicka build will need to collect some magic-infused items to help buff their spells. The Morokei mask is perfect for increasing Magicka generation to allow mages to sling even more spells in a shorter period of time. To find it, players need to travel to Labyrinthian, which is accessed during a College of Winterhold quest called The Staff Of Magnus. Once players defeat the Dragon Priest named Morokei, they’ll receive the mask.

Morokei will allow players to regenerate their Magicka 100 percent faster.

3 Miraak’s Staff

Tentacles of Destruction

This staff is enchanted with the unique effect Mora’s Agony. This allows the player to conjure poisonous, impassable tentacles out of the ground, which is really useful for mages because it can be used to prevent enemies from getting close and striking the player. The poison they inflict is pretty handy too.

The staff is looted from the remains of Miraak after the player defeats him at the end of the Dragonborn questline. The only other way to get the Mora’s Agony power is by reading the Black Book at the end of the “Black Book: Hidden Twilight” quest.

2 Staff Of Magnus

Neutralize and Dominate

This staff drains Magicka from its target, which replenishes the magic power of the player wielding it, while also rendering magic-using enemies much less harmful. Once the target has been fully drained of Magicka (or if they don’t have any in the first place), the staff instead drains their Health at a notably faster rate than any vampiric powers.

The staff is obtained during the quest of the same name, which forms part of the main College Of Winterhold questline. The player must use it to destroy the Eye Of Magnus at the climax of the questline and can keep it after the quest is complete.

1 Archmage’s Robes

The Ultimate Symbol of Magical Mastery

Only the Arch-Mage of the College of Winterhold (the most powerful mage in Skyrim, at least officially) is allowed to wear these robes, which should be a fair indication of how good they are. They reduce the cost of all spells by 15% and give hefty bonuses to both Magicka and Magicka regeneration.

No other clothing in the game comes close to the power of the Archmage’s Robes. The only way to receive them is to get promoted to Arch-Mage, and the only way to do that is to complete the main College Of Winterhold questline.