Fortify Magicka (Skyrim) (2024)

For other uses, see Fortify Magicka.

The Fortify Magicka enchantment on an item increases the amount of Magicka the wearer has, and by proxy, it also increases the rate at which Magicka refills when depleted, as long as the piece of apparel is worn.

Ingredients[]

The following alchemy ingredients can be used Fortify Magicka:

Items[]

Enchanted apparel with this effect can be found, purchased or crafted at an arcane enchanter once the enchantment has been learned. The following items bear a Fortify Magicka effect:

• Adept Hood
• Apprentice Hood
• Expert Hood
• Mage Hood
• Mage's Circlet
• Novice Hood
• Savos Aren's Amulet

Items with the enchantment that cannot be disenchanted include:

• Amulet of Julianos
• Gauldur Amulet Fragment
• Helmet of the Old Gods
• Nahkriin
• Necromancer Amulet
• The Gauldur Amulet
• Miraak ^DR

Food[]

• Elsweyr Fondue
• Jazbay Crostata ^HF
• Lavender Dumpling ^HF

Effects[]

Magicka regenerates naturally at 3% of the Dragonborn's maximum magicka reserve per second. Fortify Magicka, for this reason, not only increases the maximum magicka reserve ("MMR"), but also the rate at which magicka regenerates.

Fortify Magicka Regen does not increase the MMR, but it does increase the rate of magicka regeneration.

In most cases where the Dragonborn makes a potion or enchants their gearthemself, the Fortify Magicka effect does not increase their MMR enough to increase the rate of magicka regeneration to the same degree that the Fortify Magicka Regen effect would. Fortify Magicka, then, provides the Dragonborn with more maximum magicka and slightly greater magicka regeneration, whereas Fortify Magicka Regen gives no extra maximum magicka but a larger increase than Fortify Magicka in magicka regen.

For example; someone with a MMR of 200 magicka points and no Fortify or Damage Magicka Regen effects placed on them, able to enchant a piece of apparel with a Fortify Magicka effect for 20 points, would then receive an additional 6/10ths of a magicka point per second. The same character might be able to enchant the piece of apparel with Fortify Magicka Regen for a 30% increase in magicka regeneration. 30% of 3 is 0.9, so their magicka regeneration rate would be increased to 3.9% of their MMR. 0.9% of 200 is 1.8, so they would regenerate an extra 1.8 points of magicka per second, far more than the increase from the Fortify Magicka enchantment. (These numbers are not exact.)

Usefulness[]

The increased MMR from fortify magicka allows dual-casting spells that could only be single-cast before, and the casting of spells that cost too much magicka to be cast before. Thus, at the start of a battle, the Dragonborn's catalog of usable spells, and thus, tactical options, are greater. They can also sustain non-stop spell usage for a longer period of time and train the skills for the schools of magic more quickly.

The increased magicka regeneration from fortify magicka regen allows the Dragonborn to resume casting spells after losing their magicka much more quickly. This increases their potential spell output more than a comparable fortify magicka effect and helps them recoup magicka lost because of hostile spells and attacks faster than a comparable fortify magicka effect would. Fortify magicka regen is a good way to level the Alchemy skill fast.

Character Synergy[]

If the Dragonborn lacks a large and diverse potion supply, does not receive significant spell cost decreases from their skill levels in the schools of magic or from perks or enchantments and has fewer spell options and spell uses at their disposal, Fortify magicka is very useful because it allows them spell options they otherwise would not have and gives them a little bit of extra magicka regeneration.

In the Effects section, it is stated that fortify magicka regen effects created by the Dragonborn generally increase their rate of magicka regeneration more than the fortify magicka effects they create.This difference is proportional to their MMR. This is because the extra maximum magicka from fortify magicka, which is additive, is significant to lower level characters in terms of mathematical proportion to their MMR, because their MMR is small. However, as they level up and their MMR increases, the extra maximum magicka becomes less significant. The increase in magicka regeneration from fortify magicka regen, by contrast, is multiplicative, which means that it is weak when the Dragonborn's MMR is small, but increases as their MMR becomes larger.

Fortify magic becomes less useful as the Dragonborn's level increases for other reasons as well. As their base MMR increases, they receive spell-cost reductions due to their skill level in a given school of magic and applicable perks, and they acquire gear with relevant enchantments, they become capable of casting more, and eventually all, of the spells for any given school, as well as dual-casting them. This renders obsolete the advantages of fortify magicka that were so useful before.

By contrast, fortify magicka regen becomes more useful as the Dragonborn's level increases. Once they are capable of using most or all spells, they no longer have the option of moving on to more powerful spells in order to increase their effectiveness in combat. The only option at this point is to increase their spell output, which is important because, as they level, enemies become stronger but the power of the spells remain the same. However, enchanted apparel can make fortifying magicka regeneration unnecessary.

In general, fortify magicka is most useful for low-level magic-users who use a majority or all of the schools of magic to approximately equal degrees, and fortify magicka regen is most useful for high-level magic-users who do the same. As a magic user levels up, they may wish to transition from fortify magicka effects to fortify magicka regen effects.

Appearances[]

• The Elder Scrolls III: Morrowind
• The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion
• The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim