Summary
Like any good fantasy RPG,Skyrimoffers players a chance to master the arcane arts. Playing through the game with a pure mage build can be challenging, but highly rewarding for those who want to immerse themselves in this fantasy world. Any Dragonborn who plans to rely heavily on magic needs a strong grasp of each distinct magical school, and the advantages that they offer.
Every school of magic has the potential to be incredibly powerful. However, some have anarrow range of uses, while others have more diverse applications. Some require tedious work to raise to high levels, while others climb quickly. To help players decide which schools to focus their Magicka on, here’s a ranking of each mage skill inSkyrimfrom worst to best.
Updated July 12, 2025, by Demaris Oxman:After more than ten years,Skyrimstill has a dedicated player base. This fantasy world never loses its appeal, prompting players to return time and again to explore different paths and try out different builds. One way to change things up for a new playthrough is to exploreSkyrim’s schools of magic — even those that are considered less useful. Creative players can make even the less-than-stellar schools of magic work in their favor. With that in mind, this article now includes tips for leveling each skill, as well as information on trainers and skill books that can help players increase their magical prowess.
6Alteration
Most Alteration magic is highly situational. Detect Life and Detect Dead allow players to anticipate battles, but are high-level spells that cost a lot of Magicka. Paralysis helps buy time in a tough fight; however, it requires ahigh Alteration skilland it is much easier to inflict on enemies via poison. Similarly, Waterbreathing can occasionally come in handy, but the effect is more easily achieved through enchanted gear.
RELATED:Skyrim: Rare Magical Effects You Never Noticed (& Rare Spells You Never Cast)
The most useful skills in this school are protection spells like Oakflesh and Ebonyflesh. With the Mage Armor set of perks, magically inclined Dragonborns can use these spells to make themselves untouchable. However, the Magicka cost can put users at an offensive disadvantage going into battle, especially at lower levels. Alteration magic can have great defensive power, but it takes a lot of practice to use effectively.
Leveling Tips
Thebest spells in the Alteration schoolall require high levels to cast, so quick leveling is essential if players wish to use Alteration magic effectively. Some players might think that spamming protection spells is an easy way to level up this skill. Unfortunately, however, Oakflesh and its cousins only increase the user’s Alteration level when used in active combat. To level up Alteration outside of fights, the Adept-level spellTelekinesisis especially useful: use it to pick up items from a distance and move them around (though be careful not to hit any NPCs). Additionally, see the Restoration entry below for a trick to help level up Alteration and Restoration at the same time.
Skill Books
5Illusion
With spells like Calm, Fear, and Fury, Illusion magic can be very useful foravoiding direct confrontations. However, it takes a lot of work to raise this skill to an actually useful level. Master-level spells only work on enemies up to level 25, and no Illusion spells affect undead or daedra. The player can invest in perks to circumvent these issues, but this requires raising Illusion to expert levels.
For stealth-based mages, this school can provide interesting gameplay opportunities, especially when players considerthe game’s best Illusion spells. High-level Illusion wizards can use Illusion to cause mass panic and bloodthirsty rages, all while crouched invisibly behind a barrel. However, be ready to put in effort and think strategically — and to risk bounties for casting failed Fury spells.
Repeatedly casting Muffleis an almost broken way to level Illusion. Since it is not an aggressive spell, it can be cast in cities and around NPCs without attracting negative attention. At lower levels, a single cast will raise Illusion by 1; even by the time the Dragonborn reaches Adept levels, three or four casts will level up this skill
4Destruction
Sometimes, the best defense is a good offense. With fireballs and lightning bolts, destruction spells are how magic users fight their way through the unforgiving land of Skyrim. They can choose to specialize in a certain element (fire, frost, or shock), or train in all of them to account for enemy resistances. Thebest spells in the Destruction schoolcan strategically weaken and quickly defeat foes.
RELATED:Skyrim: Creepiest Areas In The Game
Though powerful, Destruction ranks here because its utility is relatively limited to mages. It takes constant use to level this skill to explosive levels. Players have to usetheir strongest spellscarefully, or risk running out of Magicka mid-fight — which is especially deadly during a ranged assault. However, Destruction is worth the effort. Nothing’s quite as satisfying as a well-placed fireball that reduces a hoard of enemies to cinders.
3Conjuration
Conjuration earns its place on this list by being possibly the most diverse school of magic inSkyrim. Players skilled in this school can summon atronachs, raise undead, trap souls, andcreate spectral weaponsout of thin air. The spells Banish and Command Daedra also fall under Conjuration, making hostile Daedric creatures a cinch to handle.
Summoned atronachs and undead provide offensive aid and can redirect enemies, helping turn the tide of difficult battles. Bound weapons, with the right perks, become wickedly powerful blades capable of trapping souls and banishing Daedra. Destruction tends to get all the glory when it comes to offensive magic; however,with the school’s top spells, Conjuration mages can do just as much damage to their foes.
Once again, Conjuration will only level up when its spells are used during combat; simply summoning dozens of atronachs outside enemy range will do nothing. If the Dragonborn wishes to level Conjuration quickly,repeatedly casting Soul Trap on dead foeswill increase the skill. Note that this will not fill soul gems; in order to do this, the target must be Soul Trapped before death.
2Restoration
Regardless of playstyle, everyone has dipped their toes in the pool of Restoration magic. Every player starts the game with Healing, the most basic spell in this school. And since Skyrim is a dangerous place, the Dragonborn has ample opportunity to practice. Once players build this skill through healing spells, they can gain access to powerful wards that block magical damage, as well as the ability to burn and terrorize undead creatures.
RELATED:The 13 Standing Stones Of Skyrim, Ranked
What’s more, withtheDawnguardadd-on, the Restoration school gains even more destructive potential. Spells like Sun Fire do flaming damage to undead, making them incredibly valuable for dungeon-diving quests. With thebest Restoration spellsin hand, there’s nothing the Dragonborn can’t do. For both defensive and offensive power, Restoration is worth raising to expert levels — and it’s not very hard to do so.
Restoration is one of the easiest magic schools to level: simplycast healing spells whenever the Dragonborn is low on health. If players are looking to raise their skill outside of battle, one popular gimmick is to use a healing spell in tandem with the Alteration spellEquilibrium,which converts health into magicka. Alternating between these spells will level both skills quickly. Just be careful not to overdo it with Equilibrium, as it is possible for the Dragonborn to use up all their health with this spell, resulting in death.
1Enchanting
Mages, rogues, and warriors alike can all benefit from powerfully enchanted gear. Though magic items can be found throughout the world, building the Enchanting skill allows players to create custom outfits, weapons, and accessories according to their own play style. Leveling is fairly simple:Keep soul gems on hand, and use them to enchant unneeded equipment.
Virtually any skill can be increased through armor enchantments. Not to mention, some ofthe game’s best armor enchantmentsgive players extra abilities like Muffle or Waterbreathing. When it comes to weapons, plenty of Destruction and Illusion-based magical effects can beapplied to blades and bows via the Arcane Enchanter.
Lastly, Enchanting is the only magical skill that helps the Dragonborn make some money. Players can sell their experimentally enchanted gear throughout the world for a huge profit, and keep the best pieces for themselves.
When Enchanting pieces in order to increase level (as opposed to Enchanting gear for the Dragonborn’s own use), take a moment to scroll through the list of known enchantments to see which offers the greatest increase to the chosen item’s value.The higher the value, the more the player’s Enchanting level will increase.The most valuable enchantments for weapons are Banish and Paralyze; for gear, try Waterbreathing and Fortify Sneak.
Trainers
For more information, check out these guides to the best armor enchantments and the best weapon enchantments inSkyrim.
