Lightning Bolt

School	Destruction
Level	Apprentice
Magicka Cost	51
Casting	Fire and Forget
Delivery	Aimed
Effect	A bolt of lightning that does 25 points of shock damage to Health and half that to Magicka.
Duration	-
Perk	Apprentice Destruction (1)
Spell Tome	Spell Tome: Lightning Bolt
Game/DLC	Skyrim

Lightning Bolt is the Apprentice shock spell in Destruction. It deals 25 points of shock damage to health and half that to magicka. The bolt strikes the instant it is cast, so it rarely misses a moving target in range. The magicka damage makes it a good pick against enemy mages.

Lightning Bolt becomes useful in the early game, once Destruction reaches the Apprentice rank. Most court wizards sell the tome, and so does Faralda at the College of Winterhold.

Spell Tome

Lightning Bolt is learned by reading Spell Tome: Lightning Bolt. Calcelmo, Enthir, Falion, Faralda, Farengar Secret-Fire, Madena, Sybille Stentor, Wuunferth the Unliving, Wylandriah and Talvas Fathryon sell the tome.

How It Plays

Lightning Bolt is a fire and forget spell. It needs a short charge, and then the bolt strikes at once. Unlike Sparks, it does not need to stay on the target. Unlike Firebolt and Ice Spike, it has no flight time, so the caster never has to lead a shot.

The bolt has a shorter reach than the fire and frost bolts. A target far away may be out of range. Within that range, Lightning Bolt is the most reliable of the three against fast enemies.

The magicka drain wears down enemy mages. A mage with no magicka cannot raise a ward or heal. Lightning Bolt is a strong choice for a fight against necromancers and other spellcasters.

Compared with Firebolt and Ice Spike

Firebolt costs the least and sets targets on fire. Ice Spike drains stamina and slows the target. Lightning Bolt costs the most of the three Apprentice bolts. Its strength is reliability, since very few enemies resist shock damage.

Storm Atronachs are one of the few exceptions. A conjured Storm Atronach also shrugs off a stray bolt better than other summons. Thunderbolt is the Expert shock bolt, and Chain Lightning is the Adept shock spell for groups.

Perks and Builds

The Apprentice Destruction perk halves the cost of Lightning Bolt. Augmented Shock raises its damage in two ranks. The Zahkriisos dragon priest mask from the Dragonborn DLC raises shock damage by 25%.

The Staff of Lightning Bolts casts the same bolt from its own charge. Lightning Bolt also appears in Morrowind and Oblivion.

Against Dragons

Lightning Bolt is a handy spell against a dragon in the air. The bolt flies in a straight line and lands the moment it is cast, so there is no drop or travel time to judge. The dragon still has to come within range first, since shock spells reach less far than fire and frost.

With the Impact perk, a dual cast bolt staggers the dragon and can break off a breath attack. Large foes such as dragons only stagger once the caster also has Augmented Shock or a Fortify Destruction potion.

Cost and Damage

Lightning Bolt has a base cost of 51 magicka for 25 points of damage. It is the most expensive of the three Apprentice bolts. Thunderbolt costs 343 magicka for 60 points, so the Apprentice bolt deals almost three times the damage for each point of magicka.

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

Followers Who Cast It

Marcurio, the hired mage at the Bee and Barb in Riften, favors shock spells and casts Lightning Bolt and Chain Lightning. Onmund, a student at the College of Winterhold, fights with the same two spells. Serana from the Dawnguard DLC adds Lightning Bolt to her spells in the middle levels and later swaps it for Chain Lightning.

Gameplay Tips

The Augmented Shock perk raises the damage by a quarter, and by half at the second rank.
With the Impact perk, a dual cast Lightning Bolt staggers the target.
The Disintegrate perk turns badly hurt enemies into a pile of ash.

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.