Icy Spear

School	Destruction
Level	Expert
Magicka Cost	320
Casting	Fire and Forget
Delivery	Aimed
Effect	A spear of ice that does 60 points of frost damage to Health and Stamina.
Duration	-
Perk	Expert Destruction (1)
Spell Tome	Spell Tome: Icy Spear
Game/DLC	Skyrim

Icy Spear is the Expert version of Ice Spike. It throws a spear of ice for 60 points of frost damage to health and stamina, and slows the target. It costs far more magicka than Ice Spike, but it hits more than twice as hard.

Icy Spear belongs to the late game, once Destruction reaches the Expert rank. Only a few mages sell the tome, among them Faralda at the College of Winterhold and Enthir.

Spell Tome

Icy Spear is learned by reading Spell Tome: Icy Spear. Enthir, Faralda and Talvas Fathryon sell the tome.

How It Plays

Icy Spear is a fire and forget spell. It needs a short charge, then a large spear of ice spins toward the target with a swirl of frost behind it. Like Ice Spike, it takes a moment to fly, so a moving target needs to be led.

The spear drains as much stamina as it does health. It also slows the target for a few seconds. A warrior hit by Icy Spear reaches the caster later and with too little stamina for a power attack. The spell is a strong answer to heavy melee enemies such as draugr deathlords or bandit chiefs.

Compared with Incinerate and Thunderbolt

Each element has its own Expert bolt with the same base damage. Incinerate costs the least and sets the target on fire. Thunderbolt strikes at once and drains magicka, but it costs the most. Icy Spear sits in the middle on cost, and it is the only one that drains stamina and slows.

Frost is the weakest element against the most common foes. Nords and vampires resist frost, and Frost Atronachs ignore it. A mage who relies on Icy Spear should carry a fire or shock spell as a backup.

Perks and Builds

The Expert Destruction perk halves the cost of Icy Spear. Both ranks of Augmented Frost raise its damage, and Deep Freeze paralyzes enemies whose health falls low.

Dual casting with the Impact perk staggers the target. Dragons and other large foes only stagger once the caster also has Augmented Frost or a Fortify Destruction potion. With both, a dual cast Icy Spear staggers almost anything.

The Dukaan dragon priest mask from the Dragonborn DLC raises frost damage by 25%. The Staff of Icy Spear casts the same spear from its own charge.

Cost and Damage

Icy Spear has a base cost of 320 magicka. Ice Spike costs 48 magicka for 25 points of damage. That makes the Apprentice spike far cheaper for each point of damage. The spear is worth its price when one heavy hit matters more than a long fight.

A higher Destruction skill only lowers the cost of each cast. Extra damage comes from the Augmented Frost perk, potions and enchanted gear. Dual casting packs 2.2 times the power into one spear for 2.8 times the magicka.

Icy Spear lands quietly next to the other Expert bolts. Incinerate and Thunderbolt both end with a peal of thunder and a shake of the screen. Icy Spear only spins through the air with a trail of frost behind it.

Best Targets

The stamina damage makes Icy Spear a strong answer to heavy melee fighters. Bandit chiefs and Falmer warmongers rely on stamina for power attacks and shield bashes. A target with an empty stamina bar loses both, and the slow keeps it away from the caster a little longer.

Draugr are a poor match. They resist half of all frost damage, and most of the stronger ones fight with frost themselves. Fire or shock does far more against them in Nordic tombs.

Faralda and Enthir sell the tome once Destruction reaches 65. At higher character levels it also turns up in boss chests and on enemy mages.

Gameplay Tips

The Augmented Frost perk raises the damage to 75, and to 90 at the second rank.
With the Impact perk, a dual cast Icy Spear staggers the target.

Notes

A spear that hits an enemy stays stuck in the body until the caster leaves the area. That makes the corpse easy to find for looting.

Spell Categories

All Destruction Spells

Novice

Novice spells are the first a mage learns and cost the least magicka.

Name	Cost	Casting	Effect
Flames	14 per second	Concentration	A gout of fire that does 8 points per second. Targets on fire take extra damage.
Frostbite	16 per second	Concentration	A blast of cold that does 8 points of damage per second to Health and Stamina.
Sparks	19 per second	Concentration	Lightning that does 8 points of shock damage to Health and Magicka per second.
Choking Grasp	39	Fire and Forget	Absorb 8 points of health per second from target, for 3 seconds.
Elemental Flare	45	Fire and Forget	An elemental explosion for 15 points of fire damage, 15 points of shock damage, and half as much damage to stamina.

Apprentice

Apprentice spells need a little practice in the school.

Name	Cost	Casting	Effect
Fire Rune	234	Fire and Forget	Cast on a nearby surface, it explodes for 50 points of fire damage when enemies come near.
Firebolt	41	Fire and Forget	A blast of fire that does 25 points of damage. Targets on fire take extra damage.
Frost Rune	293	Fire and Forget	Cast on a nearby surface, it explodes for 50 points of frost damage when enemies come near.
Ice Spike	48	Fire and Forget	A spike of ice that does 25 points of frost damage to Health and Stamina.
Lightning Bolt	51	Fire and Forget	A bolt of lightning that does 25 points of shock damage to Health and half that to Magicka.
Lightning Rune	323	Fire and Forget	Cast on a nearby surface, it explodes for 50 points of shock damage when enemies come near.
Elemental Bolt	62	Fire and Forget	An elemental explosion for 20 points of fire damage, 20 points of shock damage, and half as much damage to stamina.
Strangulation	84	Fire and Forget	Absorb 16 points of health per second from target, for 3 seconds.

Adept

Adept spells are the middle rank and hit noticeably harder.

Name	Cost	Casting	Effect
Chain Lightning	156	Fire and Forget	Lightning bolt that does 40 points of shock damage to Health and half to Magicka, then leaps to a new target.
Fireball	133	Fire and Forget	A fiery explosion for 40 points of damage in a 15 foot radius. Targets on fire take extra damage.
Flame Cloak	289	Fire and Forget	For 60 seconds, opponents in melee range take 8 points fire damage per second. Targets on fire take extra damage.
Frost Cloak	316	Fire and Forget	For 60 seconds, opponents in melee range take 8 points frost damage and Stamina damage per second.
Ice Storm	144	Fire and Forget	A freezing whirlwind that does 40 points of frost damage per second to Health and Stamina.
Lightning Cloak	370	Fire and Forget	For 60 seconds nearby opponents take 8 points of shock damage and half magicka damage.
Whirlwind Cloak	338	Fire and Forget	For 60 seconds, opponents in melee range have a chance of being flung away.
Elemental Burst	96	Fire and Forget	An elemental explosion for 30 points of fire damage, 30 points of shock damage, and half as much damage to stamina.
Hangman's Noose	143	Fire and Forget	Absorb 26 points of health per second from target, for 3 seconds.

Expert

Expert spells are powerful and expensive to cast.

Name	Cost	Casting	Effect
Icy Spear	320	Fire and Forget	A spear of ice that does 60 points of frost damage to Health and Stamina.
Incinerate	298	Fire and Forget	A blast of fire that does 60 points of damage. Targets on fire take extra damage.
Thunderbolt	343	Fire and Forget	A Thunderbolt that does 60 points of shock damage to Health and half that to Magicka.
Wall of Flames	118 per second	Concentration	Sprayed on the ground, it creates a wall of fire that does 50 points of fire damage per second.
Wall of Frost	137 per second	Concentration	Sprayed on the ground, it creates a wall of frost that does 50 points of frost damage per second.
Wall of Storms	145 per second	Concentration	Sprayed on the ground, it creates a wall of lightning that does 50 points of shock damage per second.
Elemental Blast	144	Fire and Forget	An elemental explosion for 40 points of fire damage, 40 points of shock damage, and half as much damage to stamina.
Mara's Wrath	329	Fire and Forget	For 30 seconds, opponents in melee range take 16 points fire damage per second. Undead up to level 26 flee for 30 seconds. Swim unharmed in freezing cold water.
Touch of Death	316	Fire and Forget	Absorb 40 points of health per second from target, for 4 seconds.
Unbounded Flames	78 per second	Concentration	Casts a stream of long-distance fireballs in an arc. Impact creates a wall of fire that does 50 points of fire damage per second.
Unbounded Freezing	69 per second	Concentration	A freezing wind envelops the caster, knocking down nearby enemies and freezing them for 50 points of damage per second to Health and Stamina.
Unbounded Storms	69 per second	Concentration	Targets in melee range take 40 shock damage per second to Health, and half that to Magicka. Random lightning strikes deal an additional 30 damage.

Master

Master spells are the strongest in the school and need the most skill.

Name	Cost	Casting	Effect
Blizzard	1106	Fire and Forget	Targets take 20 points of frost damage for 10 seconds, plus Stamina damage.
Fire Storm	1426	Fire and Forget	A 100 point fiery explosion centered on the caster. Does more damage to closer targets.
Lightning Storm	138 per second	Concentration	Target takes 75 points of shock damage per second to Health, and half that to Magicka.