Reanimate Corpse

School	Conjuration
Level	Apprentice
Magicka Cost	144
Casting	Fire and Forget
Delivery	Aimed
Effect	Reanimate a more powerful dead body to fight for you for 60 seconds.
Duration	60 seconds
Perk	Apprentice Conjuration (1)
Spell Tome	Spell Tome: Reanimate Corpse
Game/DLC	Skyrim

Reanimate Corpse is the Apprentice step up from Raise Zombie. It raises a stronger corpse, up to level 13, to fight for the caster for one minute. Dead animals such as bears and wolves can rise as well as people, as long as they are weak enough. Revenant is the next spell in the line.

Reanimate Corpse belongs to the early game, once Conjuration reaches the Apprentice rank. Most court wizards, Phinis Gestor at the College of Winterhold and Talvas Fathryon on Solstheim sell the tome.

Spell Tome

Reanimate Corpse is learned by reading Spell Tome: Reanimate Corpse. Calcelmo, Falion, Farengar Secret-Fire, Madena, Nelacar, Phinis Gestor, Sybille Stentor, Wuunferth the Unliving, Wylandriah and Talvas Fathryon sell the tome. The spell is also taught during Coming of Age.

Location

Warlord Gathrik carries a copy of the tome, so it can be looted from his body.

How It Plays

Reanimate Corpse is an aimed fire and forget spell. The caster points at a corpse in range, and the body rises to fight for one minute. It fights with the weapons and spells it had in life. A dead mage throws spells again, and a dead bear claws at its former allies.

The level limit of 13 covers many early game enemies. Raising the strongest fallen enemy in a fight often turns the battle. The raised corpse also distracts enemies from the caster.

A strong weapon placed on the corpse before the cast makes the zombie hit harder. The weapon can be taken back after the body turns to ash.

Choosing a Body

Every corpse raised with this spell turns to ash when it dies again or when the minute runs out. Raising a second corpse turns the first one to ash, unless the caster has Twin Souls. Ash cannot be raised again, so each body is good for one use.

Beheaded and dismembered corpses cannot rise. Bodies turned to ash by shock spells are also lost. An enemy killed while paralyzed may rise unable to move, so a different finishing blow keeps the body useful.

Perks and Builds

The Apprentice Conjuration perk halves the cost of the spell. Necromancy doubles the time the corpse stays on its feet. Summoner lets the caster raise a body from much farther away.

The Necromage perk in Restoration raises the level limit by a quarter for corpses that were undead in life, such as draugr and vampires. A raised corpse trains Conjuration while it fights.

Enemy necromancers raise the dead too. A body that an enemy is raising can be stolen while it is still rising. A stronger raise dead spell cast on it in that moment turns it into the caster's ally.

Cost and Value

Reanimate Corpse costs 144 magicka at a skill of zero. That is only a little more than Raise Zombie, while the level limit more than doubles. The spell is cheap and easy to find, since Farengar Secret-Fire in Dragonsreach sells it from the first visit to Whiterun.

The spell is not limited to people. Bandits, mages, bears and wolves can all rise, which makes it useful in almost any fight of the early game.

Followers and Similar Powers

Serana from the Dawnguard DLC casts Reanimate Corpse when the player character is between levels 20 and 37. She raises fallen enemies on her own, which adds a second ally to the fight without any effort from the player.

The Ritual Stone east of Whiterun gives a power that raises every corpse nearby once a day. It suits a battlefield full of bodies, while Reanimate Corpse can be cast again and again.

Gameplay Tips

The Dark Souls perk gives raised corpses 100 extra health.
Raising a second corpse turns the first one to ash, unless the Twin Souls perk allows two.

Spell Categories

All Conjuration Spells

Novice

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

Name	Cost	Casting	Effect
Bound Sword	93	Fire and Forget	Creates a magic sword for 120 seconds. Sheathe it to dispel.
Conjure Familiar	107	Fire and Forget	Summons a Familiar for 60 seconds wherever the caster is pointing.
Raise Zombie	103	Fire and Forget	Reanimate a weak dead body to fight for you for 60 seconds.
Bound Dagger	53	Fire and Forget	Creates a magic dagger for 120 seconds. Sheathe it to dispel.
Conjure Skeleton Minion	106	Fire and Forget	Summons a weak Skeleton warrior for 60 seconds.
Conjure Undying Ghost	All available magicka	Fire and Forget	Consumes all magicka and summons an Undying Ghost for 60 seconds. The ghost's attributes are equal to twice the amount of magicka consumed (up to 600).
Conjure Zombie	107	Fire and Forget	Summons a Zombie for 60 seconds wherever the caster is pointing.

Apprentice

Apprentice spells need a little practice in the school.

Name	Cost	Casting	Effect
Bound Battleaxe	169	Fire and Forget	Creates a magic battle axe for 120 seconds. Sheathe it to dispel.
Conjure Flame Atronach	150	Fire and Forget	Summons a Flame Atronach for 60 seconds wherever the caster is pointing.
Flaming Familiar	57	Fire and Forget	Summons a flaming familiar which will charge into battle and explode.
Reanimate Corpse	144	Fire and Forget	Reanimate a more powerful dead body to fight for you for 60 seconds.
Soul Trap	107	Fire and Forget	If target dies within 60 seconds, fills a soul gem.
Conjure Boneman	129	Fire and Forget	Summons a Boneman Archer from the Soul Cairn for 60 seconds wherever the caster is pointing.
Summon Arvak	136	Fire and Forget	Summons Arvak in the Soul Cairn or Tamriel wilderness to act as your steed.
Conjure Foul Zombie	75	Fire and Forget	Summons a Foul Zombie for 60 seconds wherever the caster is pointing.
Conjure Haunting Spirit	128	Fire and Forget	Summons a Haunting Spirit for 60 seconds. When killed, the spirit steals 10 points from the skills of its killer and transfers them to the caster for a short time.
Conjure Skeleton Marksman	132	Fire and Forget	Summons a Skeleton Marksman whose arrows weaken foes for 60 seconds.
Soul Split	96	Fire and Forget	Sacrifice a friendly conjured or reanimated minion to summon 2 Sundered Shades for 60 seconds.
Summon Daedric Horse	136	Fire and Forget	Summons a Daedric Horse to act as your steed.

Adept

Adept spells are the middle rank and hit noticeably harder.

Name	Cost	Casting	Effect
Banish Daedra	196	Fire and Forget	Weaker summoned daedra are sent back to Oblivion.
Bound Bow	207	Fire and Forget	Creates a magic bow and 100 magic arrows for 120 seconds. Sheathe it to dispel.
Conjure Frost Atronach	215	Fire and Forget	Summons a Frost Atronach for 60 seconds wherever the caster is pointing.
Revenant	183	Fire and Forget	Reanimate a powerful dead body to fight for you for 60 seconds.
Conjure Mistman	193	Fire and Forget	Summons a Mistman from the Soul Cairn for 60 seconds wherever the caster is pointing.
Conjure Ash Spawn	186	Fire and Forget	Summons an Ash Spawn for 60 seconds wherever the caster is pointing.
Conjure Seeker	157	Fire and Forget	Summons a Seeker for 60 seconds wherever the caster is pointing.
Banish Undead	176	Fire and Forget	Summoned or raised undead up to level 15 are sent back to the grave.
Conjure Dark Seducer Archer	75	Fire and Forget	Summons a Dark Seducer Archer for 60 seconds wherever the caster is pointing.
Conjure Dark Seducer Warrior	75	Fire and Forget	Summons a Dark Seducer Warrior for 60 seconds wherever the caster is pointing.
Conjure Golden Saint Archer	75	Fire and Forget	Summons a Golden Saint Archer for 60 seconds wherever the caster is pointing.
Conjure Golden Saint Warrior	75	Fire and Forget	Summons a Golden Saint Warrior for 60 seconds wherever the caster is pointing.
Conjure Putrid Zombie	107	Fire and Forget	Summons a Zombie for 60 seconds wherever the caster is pointing.
Conjure Skeleton Champion	192	Fire and Forget	Summons a Skeleton Champion that gains +10% attack damage for each nearby enemy (up to 5) for 60 seconds.
Conjure Tomb Guardian	192	Fire and Forget	Summons a Tomb Guardian for 60 seconds that conjures a Shade when it kills an enemy.
Necromancer's Ritual	123	Fire and Forget	Regain 30 health and magicka every time a friendly conjured or reanimated minion dies for 120 seconds.

Expert

Expert spells are powerful and expensive to cast.

Name	Cost	Casting	Effect
Command Daedra	243	Fire and Forget	Powerful summoned and raised creatures are put under your control.
Conjure Dremora Lord	358	Fire and Forget	Summons a Dremora Lord for 60 seconds.
Conjure Storm Atronach	322	Fire and Forget	Summons a Storm Atronach for 60 seconds wherever the caster is pointing.
Dread Zombie	302	Fire and Forget	Reanimate a very powerful dead body to fight for you for 60 seconds.
Expel Daedra	215	Fire and Forget	Powerful summoned daedra creatures are sent back to Oblivion.
Conjure Wrathman	301	Fire and Forget	Summons a Wrathman from the Soul Cairn for 60 seconds wherever the caster is pointing.
Conjure Ash Guardian	340	Fire and Forget	Creates an Ash Guardian that guards that location until destroyed. Consumes a Heart stone from your inventory, without which it will be hostile.
Conjure Ayleid Lich	358	Fire and Forget	Summons an Ayleid Lich for 60 seconds.
Conjure Cursed Spectre	258	Fire and Forget	Summons a Cursed Spectre for 60 seconds that drains health and magicka from enemies.
Conjure Malignant Zombie	161	Fire and Forget	Summons a Malignant Zombie for 60 seconds wherever the caster is pointing.
Conjure Skeleton Warlock	258	Fire and Forget	Summons a Skeleton Warlock that wields powerful shock magic for 60 seconds.
Pride of Hirstaang	287	Fire and Forget	Summons a Bear for 60 seconds wherever the caster is pointing. Resist 50% of frost damage for 60 seconds. Health regenerates 50% faster for 60 seconds.

Master

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

Name	Cost	Casting	Effect
Dead Thrall	1000	Fire and Forget	Reanimate a dead body permanently to fight for you. Only works on people.
Flame Thrall	900	Fire and Forget	Summons a Flame Atronach permanently.
Frost Thrall	1100	Fire and Forget	Summons a Frost Atronach permanently.
Storm Thrall	1200	Fire and Forget	Summons a Storm Atronach permanently.
Conjure Ancient Deathpriest	1004	Fire and Forget	Summons an Ancient Deathpriest that wields powerful magic and commands the undead for 60 seconds. When killed, the Deathpriest splits into 3 Tortured Shades.
Conjure Bone Colossus	1004	Fire and Forget	Summons a Bone Colossus for 60 seconds. While active, conjured skeletons regenerate health and you can summon 2 additional skeletons. Only 1 colossus can be summoned at a time.
Conjure Staada	75	Fire and Forget	Summons Staada for 60 seconds wherever the caster is pointing.