Magic users are among the most fun characters to playin 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: Skyrimis, of course, no exception.
Developing a powerful mage inSkyrimrequires 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 June 27, 2025, 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.
20Bond 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 marriedto an NPCof one’s choice givesRestoration spells a 10% Magicka discount.
To get married inSkyrim, players should head over to Riften and speak with Maramalat 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.
19Savos Aren’s Amulet
Magicka Boosts Straight From the Arch-Mage
Savos Aren will gift his amulet to the player once theycomplete the quest Containment during the College of Winterhold questline. This amulet is fairly simple, but valuable due to what it gives:50 pointsof additional Magickato 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.
18Ring Of The Erudite
The Choice of Every Magicka-Hungry Mage
Found in theDawnguardDLC, 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 pickLord Harkon’sside in the main quest of theDawnguardDLC. During the end of the quest Bloodline,ensure to choose to become a Vampire Lord to earn this ring. All great things require great sacrifices, after all.
17Diadem 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 inSkyrim: players should eitherhead 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.
16Helmet 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 byfinishing the quest No One Escapes Cidhna Mine. It can be startedin 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.
15Bloodthorn
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, theirsoul is absorbed into a Soul Gem carried by the wielder. It alsolooks 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 Bloodthornon 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.
14Potion 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.
13The Black Star
A Reusable Soul Gem for Infinite Enchanting
This Daedric artifactacts 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 byvisiting 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.
12The 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 Amuletincreases 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 thateach individual Gauldur Amulet Fragment increases one stat by 30individually. 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.
11Mage’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 forcompleting the “Good Intentions” quest, which is part of themain College Of Winterhold questline.
In order to get the maximum 70 Magicka bonus from the Mage’s Circlet, the player needs to be at leastlevel 25upon completing “Good Intentions”, so it’s best to hold off until at least level 24 before starting that quest.
