Conjuration + melee hybrid without summoned buddies stealing kills?

[RiftenWanderer]

I'm on my third playthrough and want to try mixing conjuration with a sword-and-board build, but every time I summon anything it just... hogs all the combat and I feel like I'm watching instead of playing. Is there a way to use conjuration perks and spells that actually complements melee instead of replacing it? Or am I better off just ditching summons entirely and going for the utility stuff like soul trap?

 

[TamrielTactician]

You're actually onto something — summoned creatures DO tend to hog kills, and it feels way less satisfying when you're just standing back watching. But nah, don't ditch conjuration entirely. There's a middle ground that works really well.

The key is the Conjuration perks that don't rely on summoning dudes. Soul Trap is exactly what you mentioned, and it's genuinely strong with melee because you can trap souls while you're actively fighting. Pair that with a sword-and-board setup and you're constantly feeding grand soul gems while you're doing your own damage. The perk that lets you trap souls on hit (instead of needing to wait for death) makes this way better.

For actual summoning, there's a perk that boosts your summons' health and makes them tougher - so instead of them dying instantly and you needing to keep recasting, they tank hits while you wail on enemies. That feels more like they're your companion than your replacement. Summon them, let them grab aggro, then you move in with your sword. It's a different rhythm than pure melee but you're still actively playing.

Honestly though, if you really want to feel like you're doing the work, the Atronach summons (especially on Master or Legendary difficulty) are less obnoxious about kill-stealing than Dremora Lords. They hit hard but they're not smart enough to rush every kill.

What difficulty are you playing on? That changes how much the summon actually matters.

 

[WhiterunModder]

That's solid advice. I'd add that if you're on PC, there are mods that let you tune summon behavior without nuking the whole mechanic - stuff like making them less aggressive about chasing kills, or straight-up reducing their damage so they're more of a tank and less of a carry. Ordinator (the perk overhaul) also reworks some of the Conjuration tree to make non-summoning perks way more appealing if you want to lean into that instead.

But honestly, the soul trap angle is underrated. You're not just passively watching - you're actively managing soul gems, planning which enemies to trap, deciding if you need a grand soul or if a common one will do. Pair that with something like the Atronach stone and you've got actual resource management happening while you're swinging a sword. It feels less like "I have a pet" and more like "I'm running a whole system."

One thing though - if you're on console (Switch/Xbox), you're stuck with vanilla behavior, so the summon-as-tank approach is probably your best bet. Just accept they're going to steal some kills and lean into it as part of the fantasy rather than fighting it.

What's your current gear looking like? That might matter more than you think for making the melee part feel impactful when you're also conjuring stuff.