So here’s the deal: nothing in Skyrim feels quite like kicking back while a Flame Atronach does the heavy lifting. If you’ve ever wanted to play the clever wizard who never gets their hands dirty, a conjuration build is your ticket.
When I first got two summons fighting side by side, I just stood there grinning like a kid watching fireworks. This is where it gets WILD.
Look, I get it. You just started your playthrough and you’re wondering which spell to use, where to buy it, and how to avoid running out of magicka. Let’s sort all of that out.
Conjuration Build Overview: Your Summoner’s Blueprint
The Setup: You’re a summoner. Your minions fight, you stay alive, and your magicka bar stops being a problem once you have the right gear.
You can go ‘pure’ conjurer, where every point of damage comes from summons and bound weapons. You can also mix in staves, heavy armor, or even a bow. Conjuration plays well with almost everything.
- Playstyle: Summon, support, and stay back. Atronachs and bound weapons carry the fight while you stay safe.
- Core Skills: Conjuration first, then Enchanting, Sneak, and Alchemy to back it up. A little Restoration helps early on.
- Best Races: Breton gives you a Conjuration head start and natural magic resistance. Altmer give you a bigger magicka pool, which is handy at low levels.
- Standing Stone: Start with the Mage Stone to level magic skills faster. Once your spells are free to cast, the Atronach Stone gets very tempting.
- Armor: Heavy armor makes you a sturdy summoner. Robes are fine if you’d rather play a glass cannon behind your atronachs.
- Damage Dealers: Flame, Frost, and Storm Atronachs, bound weapons, and reanimated corpses.
Step-by-Step: Building Your Conjurer
Here’s the path I’d follow from level one. Take it one step at a time and you’ll go from a lonely familiar to a full-on army.
- Step 1: Create Your Character. Pick Breton or Altmer and grab the Mage Stone. When you level up, put most of your early points into Magicka so you can afford bigger summons.
- Step 2: Grab Your First Conjuration Spells. Every character starts with Flames and Healing, but Bretons also begin with Conjure Familiar. Bound Sword is a cheap Novice tome you can buy early from court wizards like Farengar. Use both: drop a familiar to distract enemies, then pull out the Bound Sword when something gets close, and both spells train Conjuration along the way.
- Step 3: Buy Flame Atronach. Swing by Farengar in Dragonsreach in Whiterun and check his stock. At low level this spell eats most of your magicka bar, so one summon per fight is normal. (Pro tip: carry a couple of magicka potions for tougher encounters.)
- Step 4: Level Conjuration Fast. Skill XP depends on how costly the spell is, so stronger summons train you faster. Find a safe spot, cast, let the summon expire or dismiss it, and repeat.
- Step 5: Pick Your Perks. Grab the tier perks (Novice through Master) to cut costs, then Summoner to place atronachs farther away. Twin Souls lets you keep two summons out at once, and Elemental Potency makes atronachs hit harder.
- Step 6: Enchant for Free Casting. With Enchanting at 100, enchant four items with Fortify Conjuration at 25% each. All Conjuration spells then cost 0 Magicka, so you can spam atronachs all day. (Pro tip: Fortify Enchanting potions help you reach those numbers.)
- Step 7: Add Stealth. Pair Sneak with the Illusion perk Quiet Casting, which some players call Silent Casting. Now you can summon from a hidden spot and watch enemies run into a Storm Atronach without ever seeing you.
- Step 8: Finish Your Loadout. Wear heavy armor if you want to survive a rush, and carry a staff for backup damage. If you’d rather stay pure, skip the weapons and let your summons do everything.
What You Get Out of This Build
Lore Deep Dive: Everything you conjure is pulled out of Oblivion. Atronachs are Daedra, and bound weapons are borrowed from the Daedric realms rather than forged on Nirn. The devs gave you a fantasy where you borrow power from other planes, and it feels great.
- Free Damage: Once your gear is enchanted, you never worry about magicka again. Spam as many summons as you need.
- Built-In Safety: Your atronachs soak up hits that would otherwise land on you. You stay back and stay alive.
- Endless Ammo: Bound Bow gives archers a never-ending supply of arrows. You can mix it with a stealth archer build.
- Huge Variety: Familiars, zombies, atronachs, and bound weapons all play differently, so your fights never get stale.
Pro Tips for Your Conjurer
- Use Dual Casting: The Conjuration Dual Casting perk makes your summons last longer. (Pro tip: use it on your best atronach before a boss fight.)
- Mix Your Summons: Flame Atronachs deal damage, Frost Atronachs tank, and Storm Atronachs pack a punch. Rotate them to match the enemy.
- Grab Soul Stealer: Bound weapons can trap souls, which keeps you stocked with filled soul gems for enchanting. That feeds your free-casting plan.
- Watch Your Positioning: Summoned allies can block tight hallways. Cast them in open ground so they can reach enemies.
- Summon From Range: Use the Summoner perks to drop atronachs right in the middle of a fight. They’ll draw aggro before enemies even notice you.
- Don’t Skip Alchemy: Fortify Enchanting potions and magicka potions make early game smoother. (Pro tip: brew a batch before you start enchanting.)
- Keep a Backup: Even pure conjurers should carry a weapon or a staff for the moments when your summons are on cooldown or defeated.
Why This Build Matters
Anyway, here’s the real reason I love conjuration. It rewards planning, from early familiars to a full set of Fortify Conjuration gear, and it turns Skyrim into a strategy game where you direct the action.
The Payoff: By the end, you’re an Oblivion-calling mastermind who barely lifts a finger. You hide in the shadows, drop a storm of atronachs, and watch the chaos.
Now it’s your turn. Are you going pure conjurer or mixing in a bow and heavy armor? Drop your build ideas in the comments and tell me which summon is your favorite.
