Skyrim’s Strongest Mage Followers

There are loads of followers to choose from in The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim, but mages are considered by many to be the best. Having a caster companion flinging a barrage of spells at enemies is a valuable asset in any fight, particularly if the player doesn’t enjoy playing as a mage themselves. There are many different schools of magic in The Elder Scrolls, and followers can be seen as highly valuable or not at all based on which school they specialize in.

As an example, Elder Scrolls companions who are good at Conjuration can summon Daedra from the planes of Oblivion such as elemental Atronachs, or they can resurrect fallen foes into undead thralls for a time to aid them in combat. Restoration companions, as the name suggests, are skilled at restoring magicka, health, and stamina to the player and any other allies, which can be a big help in tough fights where the player can’t spare a free hand for a healing spell. Destruction followers are extremely popular as well since they can use a variety of frost, flame, and shock spells to blast enemies as long as their magicka pool holds up.

Regardless of which school of magic a follower prefers, having a mage or sorcerer as a battle companion can turn the odds in an intense confrontation with a boss, be it a dragon, draugr or Daedra. Many times, mage companions are preferred over melee companions simply for their versatility or sheer damage output. However, if a mage follower runs out of Magicka, their usefulness plummets until the resource recovers.

Mage Companions From Skyrim’s College Of Winterhold

Naturally, there are bound to be many powerful sorcerors within Skyrim’s renowned College of Winterhold. Completing a few quests within this icy fortress allows the Dragonborn to earn the respect of some of their fellow students, after which they can recruit them as a companion on their journeys. There are three different mages that will pledge the player their services, and each of them is a master of their respective skillsets.

Brelyna is a Dunmer Mystic who is far more fond of books than conversation. She specializes in Alteration, Illusion, and Conjuration, while her Sneak skill is surprisingly honed as well. Brelyna can deal a significant amount of damage with spells as well as summon various Atronachs, although she doesn’t have a lot of health. She can also cast spells like Oakflesh and, like most mages, can see stealthed enemies that Skyrim‘s Dragonborn might not.

The most famous College of Winterhold follower in Skyrim is, of course, J’zargo, the arrogant Khajiit Sorcerer with an attitude. J’zargo might injure the Dragonborn’s ego with his sharp tongue, but he does far more damage to enemies using a range of Destruction spells. The Khajiit can quickly blast down the health of any foe, including dragons, as long as he has enough Magicka to spare, making him a very powerful companion to have.

Skyrim’s Best Mage Followers – Spellsword Mercenaries

The land of Skyrim and the Island of Solstheim, which is featured in The Elder Scrolls 5: Skyrim DLC, Dragonborn, are home to many skilled fighters who are willing to lend their aid for ample coin. There are two notable mercenaries who also happen to be Spellswords, meaning they are well-versed in both magic schools and various other weapons, whichever suits the situation. This versatility makes them valuable assets but, on the downside, mercenaries can be expensive to hire and they are not immortal like many other followers.

Belrand is a Nord Spellsword who can be found in the Winking Skeever Inn inside the city of Solitude in Skyrim. He excels in Destruction magic, but if he runs out of Magicka he can quickly swap to a bow and arrow to provide support from afar. Belrand is particularly useful when given two Destruction staves since his cast time is faster than any other follower who isn’t purely a mage.

Teldryn Sero is also well noted for his surprising usefulness in combat. He is a Dunmer Spellsword who can be located in the Retching Netch Inn within Raven Rock on Solstheim, which can be accessed by hiring a ship from Skyrim’s Stormcloak capital, Windhelm, located to the upper east of the map. Teldryn has high skill levels in Skyrim‘s Destruction and One-Handed trees, but he’s also fond of summoning Flame Atronachs and can heal himself when low on health. He automatically switches between having a fire spell in one hand and an elven sword in the other to dual-wielding Destruction spells for maximum damage. Interestingly, Tenldryn does not like to show his face and will only equip a better helmet if it fully conceals his head.

Some Of Skyrim’s Strongest Mage Followers Are Tied To Quests

Eola is a memorable companion in Skyrim, to say the least, considering she will only join the player if they swear themselves to her Daedra-worshipping cannibalistic cult. The Dragonborn first meets Eola in the Hall of the Dead in the Skyrim city of Markarth and, if they earn her good graces by consuming the bodies of other people, she will happily act as their companion. She is excellent in the Destruction, Conjuration and Alteration schools, favoring lightning spells and able to summon Daedra as well as reanimate dead bodies.

Illia is an Imperial Mage who specializes in ice magic. She can be found in Darklight Tower and is especially useful when faced with multiple enemies, as she will aggressively cast Ice Storm which can deal huge amounts of damage to adversaries that might overwhelm the player. It is also notable that completing her respective questline awards Illia with the Staff of Hag’s Wrath, which freely casts the Wall of Flames spell.

One of Skyrim‘s most beloved followers arrived with Skyrim‘s Dawnguard expansion. Serana, one of only a handful of pure-blooded vampires, is helped by the player in an elaborate questline to prevent her father, Harkon, from plunging the world into eternal darkness. Aside from being witty, complex, and quickly endearing to many, Serana also has a range of magical abilities up her sleeve. She is the only vampiric follower in the game and as such her Drain Life spell is unique. She routinely reanimates powerful corpses and can make use of the Ice Spike and Chain Lightning spells. Serana also happens to have the highest Sneak skill of any other follower, although she prefers to dive into combat head-first.

Although she wouldn’t necessarily consider herself a mage, Serana consistently proves herself to be the best all-around caster companion in terms of usefulness, versatility, damage, and interesting conversation. After that, J’zargo and Teldryn Sero can be considered the best unlockable caster followers in Skyrim. It all depends on the situations the player finds themselves in and which kind of companion suits their preferred playstyle. All in all, any of these sorcerers in The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim is a solid choice when one is considering who should accompany them on their most perilous travels.

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