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Im playing a pure mage and I gotta say I have insane mana problems

ATM I am level 17 with a bit over 300 mana
I have at least 150% increase mana regen

I tend to only use cheap spells such as firebolt and I still get drained insanely fast

I dont mind getting drained fast, but the regen is insanely slow as well in combat


Any other Mages experiencing similar?

I'm not a Mage but I train illusion and alteration for leveling purposes. When I train I have 125% magicka regen and yes I find in combat(even just with enemies nearby) that my regen is super slow

If you want to try out you could go for the apprentice birth sign, but then the incoming magic damage is doubled. There is no real workaround, the best is to carry always a good deal of potions around if you need to regain mana faster. But otherwise it is always a good idea to have an atronach or undaed that gives you time, then you just can watch your minion and throw spells in if needed.

And the problem with magicka gets not better, I am 27 with around 560 magicka, the expert spells are really expensive to cast and the damage/magicka ratio is horrible in my eyes. Lightning Bolt costs around 14-16 magicka deals 37 damage, Thunderbolt costs 85-88 deals 90 annoying.
The only solution maybe is enchant everything with reduced magicka cost for destruction spells, maybe with the double enchant perk a usefull solution everything magicka + reduced cost on destruction.

I only had mana problems the first couple levels, are you getting the "novice spells are half the magicka cost" perks?

What me helped a lot

Careful

Its a slight problem, but i do have 200% mp regen. But yea solution to this prob involves grand soul gems, and high enchanting, with 100% enchantments strength, stanima, mana, and health enchants stronger perk, x2 enchanments perk, with a strong x% stronger enchantments equip. Plus a good birthstone, also pick up restorations 2 levels of 25% mp regen, and alterations absorb x amount kf magic against you, also mana potions never hurt even at the ultimate mage stage.

One thing to keep in mind is that non-combat mana regen is a lot faster than in combat regen. Consequently, when you are faced w/ single individuals or small groups, you're better off blasting them w/ high cost / high damage spells (fireball) and closing combat quickly than trying to economize using cheap spells.

If you're fighting one single [strong] enemy try to space out dual cast firebolts/lightning bolts/ice spikes- If you just spam them you waste mana by wasting "stagger time" (I guess you can call it that) that could be used to regen mana in a fight.
And if you're doing this, don't charge a spell straight after you shoot one, because when you're holding a charged spell your magicka doesn't regenerate iirc.
I have 230% regen and using this stagger regen thing I can kill a dragon without running out of magicka.

If I'm fighting multiple enemies... I do the same thing and run around alot.

And level Restoration to get those magicka regenration perks. They're nice.

I believe in the alteration perk tree you can get up to 30% spell absorption. I run as a spelltank with heavy armor, alteration shields, heavy armor, and an enchanted shield. I really try to balance casting and other things. Between shield spells and conjuring atronachs I let the support magic do it's job. Relying solely on the damage magic is probably very expensive.
And I know there are food and potions that increase magicka regen.

When using the stagger effect (Impact perk), know that it only staggers an enemy who is completely mobile. Double casting at a staggered enemy does not keep it staggered. So wait for the enemy to start moving (not getting up, but fully moving) before casting a double blast again.

Farm vendors to level enchanting to 100 and enchant 4 items with 25% spell cost reduction and get free spells. Before you get to that point, playing a mage is completely about running around while your mana recharges. Check my post in the "dual cast" thread for more info.

Really? I'm level 16, if I use Morokei and the arch mages robes I rarely loose my mana.

The trick is to not use spells that use too much of your magicka. I have like 270 magicka, so I only use a spell above Fireball in extreme conditions.

I found the same problems trying to cast spells like firebolt and lightning bolt, which is why my solution was to use flames for almost every occasion. Yes, it has a limited range, but within that range, and fired in bursts, it's VERY mana efficient(with perks, of course), and does very good, steady damage.

You can also use staves to supplement your own mana reserves.

Master-level Destruction spells are amazing. The amount of damage you dish out is absurdly high. Lightning Storm does four or five times more damage per second than Thunderbolt but costs way less to cast, so just you wait until you get that.

Being a drug addicted elf (high elf) is a huge boon on being a mage btw. 50 extra mana is the same as a good enchant or five levels, and having infinite (for all purposes) mana one a day for a minute is intense.

Now get the Apprentice sign, too, and then get one shot by every mage you meet.