Best Mage Gear in The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim

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Penned by Ariana Honavar-Hiro

Ariana loves playing immersive video games like Cyberpunk 2077, the Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim, and any Assassin's Creed game. She hopes to share her love for games through her writing!

Reviewed by Ashley Johnson

Playing as a mage can be one of the most fun and rewarding character builds in Skyrim. Having the right gear to add buffs and improve your abilities can help you create the strongest magic user in the north. In this guide, we’ll cover the best mage gear in Skyrim, walking you through the stats and where to find it. You’ll be casting spells with the best of them in no time!

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10 Best Mage Gear Pieces in Skyrim

Before we dive in, it’s important to note that are other items that can help you improve your build that can be found on your journey through Skyrim. Every build is unique!

For this list, we’ve focused on items with useful or otherwise interesting effects to help your mage build. You can pick and choose according to your preferred playstyle, but we’re aiming for the best mage gear in Skyrim overall.

1. The Diadem of Savant

The Diadem of Savant is a useful piece of gear that allows you to cast every spell for 5% less Magicka. This can be really helpful in the early game, when you don’t have a lot of Magicka to spare.

The Diadem of Savant is also the only circlet you can use that also grants you Light Armor. Wearing it in combat levels up your Light Armor skill tree. This makes it a great item to get early on in your playthrough.

One of the best things about this piece of gear is that it is easy to locate. You can travel east of Riften to Froki’s Shack, where the circlet can be found on a wooden chopping block near the entrance. 

2. Aetherial Crown 

The Aetherial Crown is a circlet that’s highly effective for a mage build in Skyrim. With it, you’re able to achieve 100% spell absorption. You can also use the Apprentice Stone to turn the Aetherial Crown into an artifact with +100% Magicka Regen.

With this, you’re able to use the 100% Magicka Regen without having to worry about the cost of 100% magic resistance. With 100% spell absorption, the 100% magic resistance is now immaterial. This makes the Aetherial Crown one of the most useful items for a mage to have in their inventory.

You’ll have to complete the quest “Lost to the Ages” to create the Aetherial Crown. You have to be Level 14 or higher to begin the quest, though. You can either read the book The Aetherium Wars or travel directly to Arkngthamz (south of Markarth) to begin it. The Aetherial Crown has to be crafted at the Aetherium Forge once the quest is complete, using the materials found in the same area. 

3. Morokei Mask 

A Dragon Priest mask is an item that can be collected after defeating the various Dragon Priests across Skyrim. During the Merethic Era, Dragon Priests worshipped and served their Dragon Masters. In return, they were granted masks that allowed them to possess magical abilities.

After defeating the Dragon Priest Morokei, you are able to collect his mask. It allows your Magicka to regenerate 100% faster. This perk is one of the most useful items to have as a mage, because you will be able to cast more spells if your Magicka Regen rate is faster. The mask also provides some armor protection and can even be upgraded by smithing.

To get the mask, you will have to do the quest “The Staff of Magnus,” which is part of the College of Winterhold questline. You will travel to Labyrinthian to defeat Morokei and claim your reward. 

4. The Gauldur Amulet 

The Gauldur Amulet grants you 30 points of extra Magicka, Stamina, and Health. It’s one of the best items in the early game even if you’re not a mage, especially when you’re still working on strengthening three main attributes.

You will have to complete the quest “Forbidden Legend” to get the Gauldur Amulet. There are multiple ways to start this quest, such as reading the book Lost Legends, which can be found in a few places around Skyrim. You can also defeat Jyrik Gauldurson in Saarthal, a Nordic ruin south of Winterhold, and then read the Writ of Sealing. Your map will now be marked with the location of the book — once you read it, the quest will begin. 

5. Sanguine Rose 

The Sanguine Rose is a Daedric artifact that acts as a staff, summoning a Dremora to help fight for you. A Dremora is a human version of a Daedra, and they’ll use a two-handed weapon in combat. This is useful if you’re a mage, as the Dremora will handle melee damage while you use magic to fight your enemies at range.

The Sanguine Rose is a rare weapon. It can be obtained by completing the quest “A Night to Remember,” which can be started once you reach Level 14. To begin this quest, you can search for a man named Sam Guevene at any of the taverns in the nine holds of Skyrim. Once you speak to him and complete the quest, you will receive the Sanguine Rose as a reward. 

6. The Black Star 

The Black Star is a reusable soul gem that can be filled again once consumed. This item is one of the best mage gear pieces in the game, especially for those that play as enchanters and staff users. You can enchant and recharge items again and again using black souls, which come from humanoid enemies like Men, Argonians, and Khajiit.

To locate The Black Star, you must travel to the Shrine of Azura, which is south of Winterhold. Upon reaching the shrine, you can begin the quest “The Black Star,” where you will receive the soul gem Azura’s Star as a reward.

If you choose to bring the gem to Nelacar at The Frozen Hearth in Winterhold, he will ask you to perform a task and he will repair the gem. When Nelacar returns the gem, it will be the Black Star and can be used to trap souls.  

7. Miraak’s Robes

Miraak’s Robes and gear are some of the best items in the game to have as a mage because of how much spell absorption you can achieve wearing it. Miraak’s robes grant you 15% spell absorption, but you can increase this to a total of 25% by adding on the gloves and the boots.

With this gear, it’s possible to reach 100% spell absorption by combining them with the Atronach Alteration perk and the Atronach Stone. Additionally, equipping Miraak’s Mask adds up to +70 Magicka to your total.

Miraak’s Robes also have the possibility to spawn a “tentacle explosion” upon taking damage. This attack is similar to a melee-style attack, and can do some significant damage to nearby enemies. Once you defeat Miraak at the end of the quest “At the Summit of Apocrypha,” you will be able to loot his robes, boots, gloves, mask, and weapons. 

8. Mage’s Circlet 

The Mage’s Circlet is one of my personal favorite items in the game because it grants you 70 extra points of Magicka and pairs well with other mage items. This includes the Archmage’s Robes and Savos Aren’s Amulet — altogether, it grants you a significant amount of extra Magicka (170 points) as well as 100% Magicka Regen. With the Archmage’s Robes, spells also cost 15% less, making this combination even stronger.

The Mage’s Circlet pairs beautifully with these other items, making it one of the best items to have in your inventory for a mage build in Skyrim. To get the Mage’s Circlet, you will have to complete the quest “Good Intentions,” one of the earlier quests in the College of Winterhold questline. 

9. Savos Aren’s Amulet 

Savos Aren’s Amulet is an amulet that grants you 50 additional points of Magicka. With this extra Magicka,  you are able to cast more spells and run out of Magicka slower than before.

Savos Aren’s Amulet can be quite powerful when paired with other enchanted items that boost Magicka and Magicka Regen. This amulet is a great item for mages, and is one of the best pieces of gear, especially early on.

To get Savos Aren’s Amulet, you can complete the quest “Containment,” which is part of the College of Winterhold questline.   

10. The Archmage’s Robes

The Archmage’s Robes are a rare set of robes that grant you 50 extra points of Magicka, 100% Magicka Regen, and reduce the cost of Magicka for casting spells by 15%.

The Archmage’s Robes also pair really well with the Morokei Mask and Savos Aren’s Amulet. This set of robes is one of the best pieces of gear a mage in Skyrim can own because of the helpful attributes it has.

To acquire the Archmage’s Robes, you will have to complete the College of Winterhold questline. The robes will be rewarded once all the main quests have been completed. By completing the entire College of Winterhold questline, you will also receive other items useful to mages.

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Thank you for reading about some of the best mage gear in Skyrim — we hope you found some useful gear! If you enjoyed this list, follow High Ground Gaming for more game guides, news, and more! .

Happy gaming!

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