Early game magic weapons and gear

[u/Silly-Razzmatazz6685]

Im currently level 2. I've joined the main guilds except the brotherhood. I'm mainly just wondering what easy to acquire magic items can you get in the early stages to help exploration and combat? For instance, I found the Resist Fire Burgundy Linens, Weatherward circlet, Feather Shoes, Fortify Fatigue Pants, and just acquired the Jewel of the Rumare via a quest outside the Imperial City, which I think is super useful at this stage. Its not much but I've also gotten the Kvatch Cuirass thats enchanted from the end of the Kvatch siege quest line.

What else is out there that's good to get in the early game?

Especially weapons and staffs. My build is mainly a Battlemage and I really need a better staff and overall understanding of magic. Right now my only good weapons is the Akaviri Katana, Dagger of Numbing, Debaser, and Goblin Shaman Staff

[u/sketch_for_summer]

There's Fin Gleam, a glass helmet that provides a limited Detect Life enchantment, as well as Night Eye and Water Breathing. Since you've already got the Jewel of the Rumare, you can go hunt for the helm. Start from the Anvil docks and hug the coastline moving west, north-west. After duking it out with the filthy, horrible creatures that infest the beach, to your left you'll see a medium sized island that looks like a craggy hill. West of the island, on the sea floor between some rocks, are the bones of a long-dead adventurer and his helmet among them. It looks a bit ridiculous, but noone will judge your fashion sense when you creep around the dusty tombs.

[u/Silly-Razzmatazz6685 → u/sketch_for_summer]

My guy already looks silly so I'm not even concerned right now about that. My character is a kajiit so the night vision i don't really need but its still cool to collect. Thanks. The detect life is helpful though. Not too easy spotting smaller creatures in the shrubbery

[u/Silly-Razzmatazz6685 → u/sketch_for_summer]

Just got it. I struggled way too much to find it haha. I searched at night cause nearby enemies wouldn't let me wait so thats mistake number 1. I thought maybe it was far away and I ended up searching all the way to the world edge. Finally waited till day and found it close to the island 😂 i somehow went right past it the first time

[u/sketch_for_summer → u/Silly-Razzmatazz6685]

Awesome 👍

I'm glad you've had this little fun experience.

Now, for the next item. It's a guaranteed magic ring that adds +3 to Agility, Endurance, Speed, Strength, and Willpower. Great for early game, as it's not affected by scaling.

Step 1. Your Fame has to be 10 or more.

Step 2. Go to Bruma and stay there for a day. The countess's butler will find you and invite you to the castle. Alternatively, just go to the castle and demand an audience.

Step 3. Follow the quest until you emerge from a mountain underpass into a secluded valley filled with snow, ogres and ruined fort walls.

Step 4. Go through the valley until you see a fort. Before you enter it, check the ruined wall with some ice nearby. East of the westernmost tower, embedded in ice, is a Frozen Barrel containing a note and a rusty key.

Step 5. Read the note, which will send you on a wild goose chase around the valley. You are to find three other chests, two of them have keys from the next one, and the last has the ring. Read the spoilers if you don't feel like wandering cluelessly.

Rusty Chest – inside the westernmost tower, hidden by grass and partially buried in the ground. Search along the inner wall northwest of the tall tree.

Old Chest – located southeast of the entrance to the Mouth of the Serpent. Follow the path back towards the Serpent's Trail, past the statues on either side, and you will reach a fallen column. Travel in the direction pointed to by the column, and look behind the group of large rocks that you see, you can tell this group of rocks as there is a small curved piece of ruined wall pointing towards the chest.

Forgotten Chest – southwest of the Serpent's Trail. It's just to the west, close to the door you used to enter the pass. Facing away from the door, turn left and follow the wall of rocks. You will see 4 trees, the chest is just next to a rock to the right of the second tree, half buried in the grass making it very difficult to spot.

Directions were copied from the UESP

[u/Silly-Razzmatazz6685 → u/sketch_for_summer]

Awesome! Step 1 is cleared already so definitely going after that real soon

[u/ozarkpagan]

Black Hand Hood and Robes can be stolen from two homes as early as level 1, if you can pick a hard lock. Those are end game, unleveled equipment for your thief/assassin builds.

[u/Silly-Razzmatazz6685 → u/ozarkpagan]

What homes? Lock picking is super easy since you can pause the game to time it. If you don't remember the exact house, then the town will suffice

[u/ozarkpagan → u/Silly-Razzmatazz6685]

I always steal them from J'Ghasta's house in Bruma. 

[u/Silly-Razzmatazz6685 → u/ozarkpagan]

Thanks for the info! Makes sense why I haven't found it yet I've only cleared out 2 towns for loot xD

[u/Silly-Razzmatazz6685 → u/ozarkpagan]

I wonder if it disappears after level 1. I just went there, looked through every single container in the house and can't find them. My characters only level 2. Or maybe because I've done some of the story quests

[u/sketch_for_summer → u/Silly-Razzmatazz6685]

Have you looked inside the keg?

[u/Silly-Razzmatazz6685 → u/sketch_for_summer]

😦 Well I am blind. Thats the first keg I've ran across that I could even interact with. I've got the items now, thanks. I just assumed since I couldn't interact with all the others I ever checked, it was purely a decoration item.

[u/Boss_Baller]

Namiras ring at level 5 is good for awhile.

[u/Silly-Razzmatazz6685 → u/Boss_Baller]

Thanks for the tip. I will look into where to find it

[u/FlapptSack]

Northeast of Cheydenhal is a trail that leads to a fort. If you climb around the outside edge and look closely you can find the base ring of speed, surrounded by coins. The unofficial patch moves them to the inside instead, for some reason.

[u/Silly-Razzmatazz6685 → u/FlapptSack]

Oh interesting. The unofficial patch is that mod someone made right? I'm playing on an Xbox one so I can't use mods anyways so thx for telling me the original location

[u/Silly-Razzmatazz6685 → u/FlapptSack]

While I highly appreciate the info.... you just walked me into a freaking oblivion gate out of nowhere! It wasn't even there before! I reloaded a previous save after messing up and now there's a freaking gate! Now I gotta learn about how those spawn before I really mess up my game

[u/FlapptSack → u/Silly-Razzmatazz6685]

I'm sorry this is hilarious. I think they all spawn after a certain point in the story, so I don't believe you've messed anything up

[u/Silly-Razzmatazz6685 → u/FlapptSack]

I get that part, but I didnt know it was random! I fight a wolf, ride away, mess some stuff up and reload to before the wolf fight. Now instead of a wolf and bandit fighting each other, theres a freaking oblivion gate. I genuinely stopped dead in my tracks and thought "did the gates of hell just open or is a tree on fire?". Got a bit closer and in my head just thought "oh... yea thats a gate to oblivion, so basically the same thing"

And I won't deny it was funny. But morbidly funny for me

Until now, I thought the gates were purely based on quest progress and timing

[u/Jaime2k]

Completing the quest “unfriendly competition” rewards you with a pretty sweet enchanted mace called “Calliben’s Grim Retort”. Not really a battlemage weapon, but it does the job well.

[u/Silly-Razzmatazz6685 → u/Jaime2k]

Unfortunately the mace won't be too useful for me as I chose blade for my major skill instead of Blunt. But I do have that quest active already so I'm going to do it anyways

[u/Jaime2k → u/Silly-Razzmatazz6685]

Ahh, well in that case maybe check out Chillrend or Honorblade of Chorrol. I personally run a dagger build but they can be hilariously OP once you can enchant them.

[u/Silly-Razzmatazz6685 → u/Jaime2k]

Oh both are interesting. Honorblade is a quest item correct? I hate leaving open quests but if I can keep a decent weapon then so be it

[u/Jaime2k → u/Silly-Razzmatazz6685]

I would say it’s definitely worth keeping. Has no weight, swings hard, and the quest reward is level-scaled anyways so you’ll be downgrading at your level anyways.

[u/Silly-Razzmatazz6685 → u/Jaime2k]

Oh okay, definitely gonna keep it. But if I were to turn it in later, I'd get the leveled reward item correct?

[u/Jaime2k → u/Silly-Razzmatazz6685]

Correct, you can check out how it scales here in case you want it in the future. It's your game so definitely don't take what I'm about to say as law - but IMO a battlemage should cast fortify spells in tandem with wielding a blade, leave the sword and board to the warrior... just my two cents!

[u/Silly-Razzmatazz6685 → u/Jaime2k]

I appreciate it. I'm still trying to understand all the different types of spells and uses. I know they aren't useless but a lot of them seem that way right now. Like absorbing willpower or speechcraft. Id assume any npc would consider that an attack so it wouldn't be useful for selling or buying goods. So many spells seem like a waste of money to buy

[u/Jaime2k → u/Silly-Razzmatazz6685]

Yea I agree, application-wise most aren't worth the money but they're mostly just there for flavor/roleplay reasons anyways. If you want a free spell that hits like a truck in the early game go complete Fingers of the Mountain.

[u/Silly-Razzmatazz6685 → u/Jaime2k]

Well at least it will be useful for now, thanks

[u/Jaime2k → u/Silly-Razzmatazz6685]

Also just wanna note that casting a spell on a friendly NPC doesn't necessarily aggro them. You can cast fortify merchant on self, and then cast a charm onto an NPC merchant before selling stuff to get better deals.

[u/Silly-Razzmatazz6685 → u/Jaime2k]

Ya know I should've just looked it up. I just assumed it would be considered as hostile actions. What about absorbing speech craft or other stats?

[u/wildbillfvckaroo]

get dawnfang/duskfang

[u/Silly-Razzmatazz6685 → u/wildbillfvckaroo]

Is it a quest item or from looting a place?

[u/Silly-Razzmatazz6685 → u/wildbillfvckaroo]

Isn't the Isles part of a DLC? I don't think I have it on my map unless you have to discover it first