So, you’re about to do your 500th playthrough of Skyrim, and are sitting at the character creation screen, deciding on which race to play and combat style to use. It’s so easy to go with the classics: you know, giant weapon, stealth archer, maybe elemental mage with an atronoch for good measure?
The thing about Skyrim is that there are so many tools that fly completely under the radar. When you’re so focused on one thing, it’s easy to disregard something that could immediately improve your playthrough.
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So if you’re trying another magic playthrough, or even want to weave some wizardry into your warrior build, try some of these lesser-used spells. You might find a new favorite!
10
Detect Life / Detect Undead
Halt! Who Goes There?
This is for all those Stealth Archers out there. I know you love Archery, but that doesn’t mean you can’t use a little bit of crafty magic, right? You are the Dragonborn, after all.
When you’re wandering through a dungeon or Dwemer ruin, weaving through those tight corridors and hallways, it’s pretty easy to stumble upon a room full of enemies and have them all charge at you at once.
Now, if you cast this spell before moving into a room, you can see enemies glowing red, even through walls and underwater. This’ll ensure you can get that beautiful 3x damage bonus, and clear a room without anyone noticing.
This spell is also great for training Alteration!
9
Sun Fire
Burn by the Light of the Divines!
This is one of those odd spells that not many people know about. Perhaps it’s because it’s part of the Dawnguard DLC, or perhaps, by the time most players gain access, they might think it’s a bit beneath them.
Sun Fire isn’t actually a Destruction Spell, but rather a Restoration spell that specifically deals damage to Undead monsters. Compared to something like Firebolt, you can use Sun Fire far more often without using as much Magicka, making it great for those long dungeons filled with Draugr and other pesky Undead.
In addition, after purchasing this spell from Sorine Jurard, you can increase its power by including the Necromage perk in the Restoration skill tree. If you want to be the ultimate Vampire Killer, this spell is a must!
8
Oakflesh
No Sword Nor Steel Shall Harm Ye!
The Flesh spells are always something I’ve glossed over. Honestly, I could say the same for most Alteration spells. That is, of course, until I tried a playthrough using more unconventional skills.
However, I specifically targeted Oakflesh, as this is a novice skill and can be used by any character. While you might usually only want to use this as a mage, as they generally wear less protective clothing, there’s very little reason not to cast this before entering into any battle. Yes, even if you’re playing a hulking brute.
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Having an extra layer of protection means you can be far more aggressive in battle, and not have to worry about falling back or munching through 100 wheels of cheese in the middle of combat. Cast this with Alteration Dual Casting, and you’ll get over 2 minutes of protection.
7
Lesser Ward
Magic is its Own Worst Enemy
This is quite similar to the previous spell, being a novice-level ability and able to be used by basically anyone.
How many times have you been sniped by a random Ice Spike coming out of nowhere? Or a pesky mage firing bolts of lightning at you from across the battlefield, as you try to run towards them. While that armor is great for physical protection, it can make you a sitting duck.
Lesser ward can be used in your offhand as a magical shield. It reduces the amount of magic damage you take, allowing you to cross that gap and attack with a sword or mace. As soon as you’re close, you can re-equip your shield, or take out an even bigger weapon and fight for real!
6
Invisibility
Must Have Been the Wind…
Another one for the stealth archers? Well actually, I think this is better suited for those who like to get up close and personal! Stealth isn’t just for long range; in fact, there are quite a few perks that benefit swords and daggers too!
If you don’t really want to use a lot of magic, just a spell or two, Invisibility is perfect for catching your foes unawares. Simply cast this, and for the next 30 seconds, you’ll be hidden from your enemies. They can still hear your footsteps. However, with a piece of equipment that can have the Muffle enchantment, you’ll be silent like death!
Become the ultimate assassin. They’ll never know what hit them.
5
Whirlwind Cloak
A Storm Swirls in Your Wake
This is another one of those spells that really doesn’t get much attention, due to being unlocked from the Dragonborn DLC and only being able to be purchased from a single NPC, Talvas Fathryon.
After completing the Wind and Sand quest, you can purchase this Spell Tome and unlock the spell. When used, Whirlwind Cloak will grant you an aura that periodically blasts foes away from you when they enter melee range. Think of it as an automatic Unrelenting Force!
While this spell isn’t going to do a massive amount of damage, it’s great for crowd control when you’re getting swarmed by too many enemies at once and need some space. Simply cast this before entering battle, and it’ll work its magic automatically.
4
Equilibrium
Balanced, As All Things Should Be
This is a problem I find myself running into pretty often while levelling a magic-focused character. I end up raising certain skills too fast, upgrading my spells, only to realize they cost way too much magicka and I can only fire off a shot or 2 before running out. Sitting behind a wall waiting for your magicka to regenerate is not fun.
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So here is a little-known spell that can give you some extra magicka… for a price! If you’re confident in your ability to tank hits, or even to avoid them, then perhaps health isn’t actually that important to you. Or maybe you’ve just invested too many level-ups into health. Now you can directly trade your health for more magicka, turning your blood into pure unbridled power.
You can also balance this with a low-cost healing spell in your other hand, so you can restore your health at the same time, so long as the magicka cost is lower.
3
Calm
Take a Deeeeep Breath!
Have you ever run into any enemy and just thought, you know what, not today? Or maybe you’re a bit of a pacifist, and want to reduce the tension without bloodshed. Well, Calm is the perfect tool for this.
Calm is an Illusion spell that stops NPCs from attacking you, reverting them to a more passive state. While at first glance you might think this spell only affects low-level NPCs, you can massively boost this level cap with a few methods.
First off, like many spells, you’ll want to unlock Dual Casting, which basically doubles the level of the spell, meaning you can cast this on higher-level targets. Next, you’ll want the following perks: Animage, Kindred Mage, Hypnotic Gaze and Master of the Mind.
Unlocking all of these will further boost the level of NPC you can cast this on, while unlocking the ability to cast Calm on more things, like animals, Undead and even Daedra. Once you combine all these perks, there are very few things that will be able to resist your will.
2
Freeze
A Cold Front Coming
Have you ever heard of this spell before? Maybe, but this was a pretty new one for me. There were a lot of spells introduced in the Dragonborn DLC that haven’t really been used much, either because players don’t have much experience with add-on content, or because they generally complete this content very late in the game, when they’re nearing their max power.
Freeze is one of two spells unlocked by equipping Ahzidal’s Ring of Arcana, found during the Unearthed quest. To be honest, this is pretty much a straight-up buffed version of Ice Spike, massively slowing down the target you’re facing. There’s no reason not to use this over Ice Spike, unless you desperately need that ring slot.
1
Ignite
Burn the Flesh! Strip the Bones!
But this is the one I really wanted to talk about! Freeze may be strong, but Ignite is the one that’s really going to melt your enemies. Just like Freeze, you’re going to need to equip the ring for this spell.
This might just look like your ordinary Firebolt, but it’s so much more, trust me. So how can we make this work?
Destruction Dual casting allows you to boost the power of the spell, with Augmented Flames giving it an extra boost! Now, you can also take Aspect of Terror, which is an Illusion Perk yet works with fire spells, due to them having some kind of fear mechanic in the damage calculation. Finally, add on Apprentice Destruction to halve the magicka cost.
When you combine all this, you end up doing a ridiculous amount of damage for very little investment. Fire off one of these beasts and you can sit back, relax and watch your foes writhe around in agony! How fun!
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Skyrim
10/10
Released
November 11, 2011
ESRB
M for Mature: Use of Alcohol, Blood and Gore, Intense Violence, Sexual Themes