Alteration Skill
| Alteration | |
|---|---|
| Specialisation | Magic |
| Perks | 10 |
| Perk Points To Fill | 14 |
| Governing Stone | The Mage Stone |
| Notable Perk | Atronach |
Alteration is one of the five schools of magic in Skyrim. It manipulates the physical world rather than attacking with it, and raising the skill reduces the magicka cost of its spells.
Effects
Alteration is defensive and utilitarian rather than offensive. Four things matter.
- Flesh spells give magical armour. The Mage Armor perk multiplies them by 2, 2.5 or 3 depending on rank, but only while wearing no armour.
- Magic Resistance gives up to a passive thirty per cent through perks, which is one of the strongest defensive bonuses in the game.
- Atronach grants spell absorption, one of only three sources in the game.
- Utility spells: Waterbreathing, Magelight, Telekinesis, Paralysis and Detect Life.
Notes
The magic resistance and Atronach perks help any build, not just casters, which is why Alteration turns up in heavy-armour character plans as often as in mage ones. The flesh spells are the exception, since they conflict with wearing armour at all.
Perks
The Alteration tree has ten perks. Each one needs a minimum Alteration level and the perk before it, and some have several ranks.
| Perk | Rank | Skill Level | Requires | Effect |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Novice Alteration | 0 | Cast Novice level Alteration spells for half magicka. | ||
| Alteration Dual Casting | 20 | Novice Alteration | Dual casting an Alteration spell overcharges the effects into an even more powerful version. | |
| Apprentice Alteration | 25 | Novice Alteration | Cast Apprentice level Alteration spells for half magicka. | |
| Magic Resistance | 1 | 30 | Apprentice Alteration | Blocks 10% of a spell's effects. |
| Magic Resistance | 2 | 50 | Magic Resistance (Rank 1) | Blocks 20% of a spell's effects. |
| Magic Resistance | 3 | 70 | Magic Resistance (Rank 2) | Blocks 30% of a spell's effects. |
| Adept Alteration | 50 | Apprentice Alteration | Cast Adept level Alteration spells for half magicka. | |
| Expert Alteration | 75 | Adept Alteration | Cast Expert level Alteration spells for half magicka. | |
| Atronach | 100 | Expert Alteration | Absorb 30% of the magicka of any spells that hit you. | |
| Master Alteration | 100 | Expert Alteration | Cast Master level Alteration spells for half magicka. | |
| Stability | 70 | Adept Alteration | Alteration spells have 50% greater duration. | |
| Mage Armor | 1 | 30 | Apprentice Alteration | Protection spells like Stoneflesh are twice as strong if not wearing armor. |
| Mage Armor | 2 | 50 | Mage Armor (Rank 1) | Protection spells like Stoneflesh are 2.5 times as strong if not wearing armor. |
| Mage Armor | 3 | 70 | Mage Armor (Rank 2) | Protection spells like Stoneflesh are three times as strong if not wearing armor. |
Main Effects
Alteration deals no direct damage.
| Effect | What it gives |
|---|---|
| Flesh spells | Armour rating while unarmoured |
| Magic Resistance | Up to 30% passive |
| Spell Absorption | Via the Atronach perk |
| Paralysis | Locks a target in place |
| Waterbreathing, Telekinesis | Utility |
Progression
The eighteen skills split three ways. Full list on Skills.
| Specialisation | Stone | This skill |
|---|---|---|
| Magic | The Mage Stone | Yes |
| Combat | The Warrior Stone | - |
| Stealth | The Thief Stone | - |