Here are the 10 best Destruction spells you can use in Skyrim. RELATED: 10 Great Todd Howard Games That Aren't Skyrim, Ranked Updated on June 3rd, 2020 by Anastasia Maillot: Although magic has been considered one of the weakest skills to develop in Skyrim, there are a few schools that are worth getting into, if not for a pure mage than at least. The base cost for spells is the amount of magicka that would be necessary to cast the spell at 0 skill without any perks. The magicka cost at 100 skill is 41% less than the base cost; the cost can also be reduced via enchanted apparel and by unlocking various perks. This page of The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim guide includes all the important information about casting spells. In addition, we have prepared a complete list of spells of the school of Illusion, Alteration, and Conjuration. The action of each spell is described in detail in the table. Illusion school; Alteration school; Conjuration school. The Best Fire Spells In Skyrim. The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim is full of spells that the player can use if they want to create a mage build or if they use the schools of magic as secondary skills. Although every type of Destruction magic has its advantages, Fire damage deals more damage than Lightning and Frost damage since it can burn an enemy.
The School of Destruction focuses on the mastery of fire, frost and shock, and is used to cast spells like Fireball, Ice Spike, and Lightning Bolt. It is one of the eighteen skills that are going to be available in Skyrim. The Destruction skill can be raised by the use of spells by the in-game character, these spells will identify themselves as Destruction spells. They focus on causing damage with fire, frost, and lightning.
Spells can be purchased from the court mages in most castles. These spells can also be augmented with potions to Fortify Destruction.
Spells[edit | edit source]
Novice[edit | edit source]
- Flames - Fire damage per second in a short range stream, extra damage to targets already on fire
- Frostbite - Ice damage per second in a short range stream, also damages stamina
- Sparks - Lightning damage per second in a short range stream, also damages magicka
- Arniel's Convection - Burns the target 1 point per second
- Vampiric Drain - Absorb 6 – 17 points of health per second from the target [1]
Apprentice[edit | edit source]
- Firebolt - Fire missile that damages one target on hit, extra damage to targets already on fire
- Freeze - A spike of ice that does 20 points of frost damage to Health and Stamina and slows the target for 15 seconds [2]
- Ice Spike - Ice missile that damages one target on hit, also damages stamina
- Ignite - A blast of flame that sets targets of fire, doing 4 damage per second for 15 seconds [2]
- Lightning Bolt - Lightning damage on target within range, also damages magicka
Adept[edit | edit source]
- Fireball - Fire missile that explodes on hit, dealing fire damage in a small radius near the impact
- Flame Cloak - Flame surrounds caster and melee range enemies take small flame damage over time
- Ice Storm - Ice damage in an area of effect that moves forward slowly, also damages stamina
- Frost Cloak - Frost surrounds caster and melee range enemies take small frost and stamina damage over time
- Chain Lightning - Lightning damage that hits a target and bounces to any nearby target
- Lightning Cloak - Lightning surrounds caster and melee range enemies take shock and half magicka damage
- Whirlwind Cloak - For 60 seconds, opponents in melee range have a chance of being flung away [2]
Expert[edit | edit source]
- Incinerate - Fire missile that damages one target for moderately high damage. Extra damage if target is on fire. Long range.
- Wall of Flames - Gout of flames that burns on the floor for a while, doing moderate damage over time.
- Icy Spear - Large ice missile that causes moderately high frost and stamina damage. Long range.
- Wall of Frost - Spray ice on the floor and it stays for a while, causing moderate frost and stamina damage over time.
- Thunderbolt - Large bolt of lightning that does moderately high damage. Does not chain. Moderately long range.
- Wall of Storms - Lightning that sticks to the ground and does moderate shock damage. In game description does not say if it does magicka damage.
Master[edit | edit source]
- Fire Storm - A large-radius explosion centered on caster. Deals high fire damage. Damage is greater to closer targets.
- Lightning Storm - After charging you fire a constant beam of lightning (must be aimed). Deals high lightning damage. If target is killed, it disintegrates them (also disintegrates dragon but you can still get their soul). Note: Will disintegrate the target even if you don't have the disintegrate perk.
- Blizzard - Conjures a large, swirling cloud of ice that damages everything. (warning: in some cases it will even hurt the caster.)
Perks[edit | edit source]
| Perks | Requirements | Description (Ranks) |
|---|---|---|
| Novice Destruction | None | Cast Novice level Destruction spells for half magicka. |
| Destruction Dual Casting | Destruction 20, Novice Destruction | Dual casting a Destruction spell overcharges the effects into an even more powerful version. |
| Apprentice Destruction | Destruction 25, Novice Destruction | Cast Apprentice level Destruction spells for half magicka. |
| Augmented Flames | Destruction 30, Novice Destruction | Fire spells do 25% more damage. |
| Destruction 60 | Fire spells do 50% more damage. Increases blast radius of Fireball. | |
| Augmented Frost | Destruction 30, Novice Destruction | Frost spells do 25% more damage. |
| Destruction 60 | Frost spells do 50% more damage. Increases radius of Ice Storm. | |
| Augmented Shock | Destruction 30, Novice Destruction | Shock spells do 25% more damage. |
| Destruction 60 | Shock spells do 50% more damage. Chain Lightning jumps one additional target. | |
| Impact | Destruction 40, Destruction Dual Casting | Dual Casting will stagger foes (note doesn't work with novice level spells) |
| Rune Master | Destruction 40, Apprentice Destruction | Place runes 5 times farther away |
| Adept Destruction | Destruction 50, Apprentice Destruction | Cast Adept level Destruction spells for half magicka. |
| Intense Flames | Destruction 50, Augmented Flames | Fire damage causes targets to flee if their health is under 10%. |
| Deep Freeze | Destruction 60, Augmented Frost | Frost damage chance to paralyze targets if health low |
| Disintegrate | Destruction 70, Augmented Shock | Shock damage chance to disintegrates targets if health low |
| Expert Destruction | Destruction 75, Adept Destruction | Cast Expert level Destruction spells for half magicka. |
| Master Destruction | Destruction 100, Expert Destruction | Cast Master level Destruction spells for half magicka. |
Trainers[edit | edit source]
- Wuunferth the Unliving in Windhelm
- Sybille Stentor in Solitude
- Faralda in the College of Winterhold
Skillbooks[edit | edit source]
Apparel[edit | edit source]
| Minor Destruction | Destruction | Major Destruction | Eminent Destruction | Exteme Destruction | Peerless Destruction |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| |||||
| + Regenerate Magicka | |||||
Notes[edit | edit source]
- ↑Cannot be purchased, acquired upon becoming a vampire
- ↑ 2.02.12.2Only with Dragonborn DLC
- ↑The variation of the Glass Armor of Eminent Destruction is misspelled, i.e. missing the space between 'Armor' and 'of'.
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In the world of Skyrim, merely buying weapons and armor isn’t enough. If you want to have the strongest weapons and the best armor, you’ll need to use some additional magic to make you invincible. That’s what the Enchanting skill is for – to help you create custom, individualized gear to give you an edge in battle and make you invincible against opponents. But when it comes to enchantments, there’s so many options when trying to figure out how to enhance your armor and weapons. How can you decide what spells are worth it and what’s not?
Luckily, we’ve got you covered. We at Nerds & Scoundrels have compiled a list of ten of the best Armor & Weapon Enchantments in the game. Check out this list of the top ten Enchantments in Skyrim!
Our Top 10 Skyrim Enchantments
Below are the top ten armor & weapon enchantments in Skyrim:
10. Fortify Health
Fortify Health comes from the Restoration school to increase (or fortify) your health points. Cast this spell on your armor to give you an extra health boost during battle. Note that the enchantment’s effects are on a time limit, and as soon as the effect expires or wears out, the additional HP points will be lost. The only exception to this rule is if the resulting number after the decrease would be zero or negative; in that case, only enough points to leave the player with 1 HP would disappear. Rally spells will also include an accompanying Fortify Health effect when cast.
9. Muffle
The Muffle enchantment comes from the Illusion school and, as the name would imply, helps to literally muffle your sound and help you move quietly. Incredibly useful for stealth-based attacks, this enchantment can be cast on your armor, though it also affects your own footsteps while you move. Note that while Muffle can diminish the sounds of your movements, it does not entirely silence them. However, Muffle effects can stack, so there is certainly a way to get completely (or as close to) silence as possible if you have additional effects. When combined with a spell that makes you invisible, you have the potential to become completely undetectable to enemies.
8. Fiery Soul Trap
Although Fiery Soul Trap is a rare enchant that’s notably difficult to find on weapons in shops, you’ll definitely want to keep your eyes peeled for this. It deals double damage, sending damaging flames an enemy’s way while simultaneously casting a soul trap that can help you fill a soul gem. It’s an enhanced version of the more commonly procured Soul Trap effect, though the additional fire damage makes it special. The spell is affected by both Conjuration and Destruction perks in addition to Enchanting, so the number of charges you can get will depend on your levels of all three skills.
7. Fortify Destruction
Most Powerful Spell In Skyrim
If you’re looking for a frugal way to cast some Destruction spells, Fortify Destruction is the way to go. This armor enchantment will decrease the cost of Destruction spells and the use cost of Destruction-based enchantments, helping you save up during an important battle. While it doesn’t increase the power of your Destruction spell, it can affect the soul consumption of enchantment weapons. Of the 18 weapon enchantments, 10 of them will benefit from Fortify Destruction.
6. Absorb Magicka
Low on magicka and need to stock up quickly? Absorb Magicka can help you out! Use the spell to transfer magicka appoints from your opponent right back to you. Sure, you could cast Damage Magica to your opponent and then Restore Magicka back to you, but this just saves you the time and effort. Similarly to Spell Absorbtion, it’s a bit of a passive spell. But it still can help you out in the end if you need a quick and easy magicka boost.
5. Paralyze
If you ever need a breather during a fight, use Paralyze to give yourself a break. The enchantment will temporarily cause your opponent to freeze, giving you a second to regroup and prepare for another attack. While your opponent is frozen, they’ll be completely unable to move or fight back until the effect wears off. And though the effect cannot directly kill an enemy, if timed correctly (e.g. the enchantment is cast while your enemy is on the edge of a cliff and the paralysis causes them to fall off), there is potential for death. Additionally, there is no Cure Paralysis effect in the game, meaning your enemies will have no choice but to wait it out if paralyzed.
4. Resist Magic
Resist Magic will help defend you against any magic spells in battle as it increases your magic resistance diminishing the damaging effects of a spell cast your way. The spell itself is capped at 85%, meaning there’s no way to resist a magic attack completely using solely Resist Magic, though with additional effects you may be able to become completely immune. It’s recommended to pair this enchantment with Spell Absorption, as it has the potential to completely negate a magic attack.
3. Absorb Health
Want to just drain your enemy’s HP points? Simply use Absorb Health! Yes, the spell itself sounds simple, but sometimes after a long and arduous battle, a quick and easy spell is the way to go. The effect will transfer health points from your opponent to you; a similar tactic would be to use Damage Health on your opponent and Restore Health on yourself.
2. Chaos Damage
Want to instantly cause some chaos? You’ve come to the right enchantment. The Chaos Damage enchantment has a 50% chance of dealing fire, frost, and shock damage simultaneously to your opponent, which has the potential to diminish your opponent’s health, stamina, and magicka values. Even if the spell doesn’t cast all three kinds of damages to your opponent, the majority of the time one-to-two effects will be cast out to your enemy. The enchantment has eight possible outcomes on its own; but when using two one-handed weapons that have been enchanted with Chaos Damage, the number of outcomes jumps up to 64.
1. Fortify Smithing
Don’t sleep on Fortify Smithing! The enchantment affects the improvement of weapons and armor when they’re on grindstones and workbenches (so only when you’re adding additional improvements and not creating them). While the effect itself may not seem like anything special, when used effectively and efficiently with other enchantments like the others on this list, you have the potential to create some pretty invincible weapons.
Nerds and Scoundrels
Skyrim Master Destruction Spell
And that concludes our Skyrim enchantment spells Top 10. Did we leave anything out? If so, don’t forget to let us know in the comments! And don’t forget to check out our Top 10 Best Skyrim Restoration Spells Guide.