Destruction Skill
| Destruction | |
|---|---|
| Specialisation | Magic |
| Perks | 14 |
| Perk Points To Fill | 17 |
| Governing Stone | The Mage Stone |
| Elements | Fire, frost, shock |
Destruction is the damage-dealing school of magic in Skyrim. It works through three elements, and raising the skill reduces the magicka cost of its spells.
The Three Elements
Each element behaves differently, and the perks can strengthen one element or several.
- Fire costs the least magicka, damages health only, and sets targets burning for damage over time.
- Frost damages health and stamina, and slows the target.
- Shock damages health and magicka, and travels instantly.
Notes
Plenty of enemies resist a particular element, so a character relying on Destruction should learn spells from at least two and ideally perk into two. A fire-only mage meets a fire atronach and has nothing to do about it.
The elemental perks also strengthen matching weapon enchantments, so a Destruction mage carrying an enchanted blade gets more from it than the numbers on the weapon suggest.
Perks
The Destruction tree has fourteen perks. Each one needs a minimum Destruction level and the perk before it, and some have several ranks.
| Perk | Rank | Skill Level | Requires | Effect |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Novice Destruction | 0 | Cast Novice level Destruction spells for half magicka. | ||
| Apprentice Destruction | 25 | Novice Destruction | Cast Apprentice level Destruction spells for half magicka. | |
| Adept Destruction | 50 | Apprentice Destruction | Cast Adept level Destruction spells for half magicka. | |
| Expert Destruction | 75 | Adept Destruction | Cast Expert level Destruction spells for half magicka. | |
| Master Destruction | 100 | Expert Destruction | Cast Master level Destruction spells for half magicka. | |
| Rune Master | 40 | Apprentice Destruction | Can place runes five times farther away. | |
| Augmented Flames | 1 | 30 | Novice Destruction | Fire spells do 25% more damage. |
| Augmented Flames | 2 | 60 | Augmented Flames (Rank 1) | Fire spells do 50% more damage. |
| Intense Flames | 50 | Augmented Flames | Fire damage causes targets to flee if their health is low. | |
| Augmented Frost | 1 | 30 | Novice Destruction | Frost spells do 25% more damage. |
| Augmented Frost | 2 | 60 | Augmented Frost (Rank 1) | Frost spells do 50% more damage. |
| Deep Freeze | 60 | Augmented Frost | Frost damage paralyzes targets if their health is low. | |
| Augmented Shock | 1 | 30 | Novice Destruction | Shock spells do 25% more damage. |
| Augmented Shock | 2 | 60 | Augmented Shock (Rank 1) | Shock spells do 50% more damage. |
| Disintegrate | 70 | Augmented Shock | Shock damage disintegrates targets if their health is low. | |
| Destruction Dual Casting | 20 | Novice Destruction | Dual casting a Destruction spell overcharges the effects into an even more powerful version. | |
| Impact | 40 | Destruction Dual Casting | Most destruction spells will stagger an opponent when dual cast. |
Element Comparison
Perks can specialise in one or more.
| Element | Damages | Extra |
|---|---|---|
| Fire | Health | Burning over time, cheapest |
| Frost | Health and stamina | Slows the target |
| Shock | Health and magicka | Travels instantly |
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 | - |