A little tip for our friends the power levelers who want to get as strong as possible very fast.

An easy way to get 100 in conjuration is to invoke a skamp as soon as you have enough magika for it. When you go in town, walk in the streets... just invoke !

Well guess everyone got this one.

But it virtually works with all colleges !
Just get a spell that gives YOU (on self) bonuses (fortify something, ease burden, night vision, ...) and cast it with your finger stuck on the cast button (you can leave it on, it just casts all the time until you don't have magika anymore).

What about Destruction Magik ? Well, as soon as you have access to the spell creation, create a damaging spell (fire if you are dark elf, take something you are resistant against) with minimum damage cast on self... and imolate yourself !

You'll get lvl 100 very quickly in all colleges (Restoration seems much slower than the others)

I know it is not Role Play at all but well... everyone has his own way to play...
(pd. I did do it ONLY for destruction even if it is tempting for the rest... it spoils the game somehow).

I'm a mage, so all my 7 main skills are the magic ones. I've noticed this approach too, and often walk around casting spells while I'm on my way to do other things, like detect life, light myself, invisibility etc. Quite quick to gain levels, only problem is that I'm reaching too high main level too fast I think. Only started playing a few days ago, and I'm level 20.

One good combo is to summon a creature to increase conjuration, then fire at the creature with some spells to gain destruction skill (they will not attack you). I feel this is a bit better than hurting yourself...

Also just create lots of potions - useful or not (sell them) - out of everything you find to quickly gain alchemy skill, and some money by selling them. My potions sell for about 40+ gold now, so 100 potions created in a few minutes is a safe and easy way to make money...

I did this with mysticism and alteration just to catch them up to my other major skills a little bit because they were lagging behind... got em from the mid thirties to early fourties.... not gonna sit there all day to get to level 100 or something

First, for Destruction, make a destroy armor spell with 1 second duration. Take of your armor, cast on self.... Or if you are practicing armorer as well, leave it on. If you calculate how much magicka you replenish you can easily make a spell that you can cast indefinately, just set a weight on your cast button and go eat or something. Works even for Xbox guys, who cant cheat/ console command raise skills. Get a rubber band.

Conjuration, if you attack a creature you summoned, they will attack you... but its still a good way to get soul gems filled.

HOWEVER!! While it may SEEM neat to be level 1 with 100 skill in destruction, mysticism, restore, and Alteration, how are you actually going to fight with magic?? You will only get +5 to int and will when you advance a level, then you will have access to ungodly powerful spells, but only have 1/100 of the magicka to cast them... So careful about maxing skills out... you need the ability bonuses too...

I have it down where I can take, from the creation screen at the new character, through tutorial (its fun, and the intro movie NEVER gets old) to mages guild apprentice in 4-5 hours... AND, have enough gold to buy a house, the storage set, the 200g Staff for one of the quests, join the thieves guild, and by a green hood from Ryndir's Staves that matches the Apprentice's hood. Its kind of neat.... The Layawin quest at level 1 is kind of interesting, especially for a mage type char... lots of casting... good times... love this game....

Cadaver

I said above that they wouldn't attack you, but last night I experienced that they indeed did. Had to attack them for a while before they did, though.

The reason they didn't attack me earlier was because I always summoned a weak character (Skeleton), which I killed with 2 shock bursts. The Flame Atronach I had to spend more time killing, and it started attacking me after 3 or 4 bursts of shock. Not only that, but as soon as it started attacking me, the people around me started attacking me as well.

So I guess I'll have to do this in unpopulated areas from now on...

Since the game levels with you I found it's far better to do this:

Do what you said, but don't major in any magic, and just contantly practice magic until it might as well be your major, but doesn't effect level progression.

Use spells only in time of fighting etcetera.

The reason is because if you use spells only during fights your character will start become really good at what works best to win a fight, so as he's levelling, he's only level skills that have practical spells for your fighitng style.

It'd suck to have gained several levels due to mysicism when mysticism is an incredibly useless skill in a fight.

Ive seen many people take this approach. Like the guy who made the thread says, everyone one plays their own way. I do this occasionaly for less combat orientated schools. That way it keeps a kind of balance. But I wouldnt reccomend a totally new player doing this, especially if your a mage.

I think that though your character may be a high level, creatures faught at that level take some out of game experience. Its no use fighting the toughest creautres on the game if all you have done for your character so far is sit in a guildhall repeating the casting of spells.