Altmer are without a doubt the undisputed masters of magic. While the Breton may be
powerful spellcasters, and resist magic quite well, it is the High Elves who can bend
the forces of magicka to their will. Masters of all types of magic, they can draw
from deep personal magicka reserves to use their art more often than most other
spellcasters could hope.
The High Elves have never been a personal favorite due to the fact that they’re
totally focused on spellcasting. In most Elder Scrolls games the spellcasting system
was a bit on the tedious side early on and then became grossly overpowered as you
created your own spells. It is far more balanced in Skyrim, and the ability to dual
wield magic grants you a lot of versatility. Walking around with a protection spell
in one hand and Flames coming from the other grants you both offensive and defensive
options at the same time almost like having a sword and shield.
One thing to note is that the High Elf actually starts out with an Illusion spell –
something few others get. Unfortunately, this is Frenzy which costs a whole lot of
mana and doesn’t seem to work very often. You need to find other spells to help this
one work, and even then, it is of limited use. So that third starting spell is
something of a dud. Focus on your Destruction magic for the opening and then swap
over to whatever grabs your interest after you get to the open world.
An Altmer will have access to:
Starting Skills
Alteration: 25, Conjuration: 20, Destruction: 20, Enchanting: 20 Illusion: 20,
Restoration: 20
Passive Abilities
Highborn – High Elves are born with 50 extra magicka.
Activated Ability:
Highborn – Regenerate magicka faster for 60 seconds.
Character Suggestions:
Unlike the Breton the High Elves are basically steamrolled into playing as pure
mages. Luckily, they excel at that in a way that will make even the Breton envious.
So, if you pick a High Elf that’s something you’re going to want to embrace and
just go nuts with. Decide on what sort of spellcaster you want to be and just start
dropping your perks into those skills.
It is heavily suggested that you place most of your emphasis on your Conjuration and
Destruction magicks. Conjuration is so versatile that any pure mage will really want
to have that on hand to help out while Destruction will be your offensive bread and
butter. Restoration and Illusion are good for helping you to stay alive but you will
want to focus on the first two – unless you have a very specific idea for your
character.