Steadfast Ward

School	Restoration
Level	Apprentice
Magicka Cost	58 per second
Casting	Concentration
Delivery	Self
Effect	Increases armor rating by 60 points and negates up to 60 points of spell damage or effects.
Duration	-
Perk	Apprentice Restoration (1)
Spell Tome	Spell Tome: Steadfast Ward
Game/DLC	Skyrim

Steadfast Ward is the Apprentice ward spell in Restoration. While the caster holds it, a magic shield blocks up to 60 points of incoming spell damage and adds 60 points of armor. It sits between Lesser Ward and Greater Ward in strength.

Spell Tome

Steadfast Ward is learned by reading Spell Tome: Steadfast Ward. Calcelmo, Colette Marence, Falion, Farengar Secret-Fire, Madena, Nelacar, Sybille Stentor, Wuunferth the Unliving and Wylandriah sell the tome.

Location

One copy of the tome can be found in Labyrinthian.

How It Plays

Steadfast Ward is a concentration spell. While the caster holds it, a shield of magic absorbs incoming spells. It needs about a second to charge to full strength, and a strong spell can break it during that time. Dual casting brings it to full strength at once.

Each spell that hits the ward drains some of its strength. The ward recovers on its own while it is held. A spell that is too strong shatters the ward and staggers the caster, but the spell does no damage.

The ward blocks magic only. Arrows and melee blows pass through, though the extra armor rating softens them a little. It is the right tool against enemy mages, not against a bandit with an axe.

Compared with the Other Wards

Lesser Ward, the Novice spell, blocks up to 40 points. Greater Ward, the Adept spell, blocks up to 80 points. Steadfast Ward sits between them. As enemy mages grow stronger, their spells break weaker wards more easily, so a ward has to keep pace with them.

Wards cost a lot of magicka to hold for long. Steadfast Ward is cheaper than Greater Ward, which makes it the better choice against weaker mages in the middle of the game.

Uses

Wards block dragon shouts, dragon breath and the poison spit of frostbite spiders and chaurus. A mage with a ward up can face a dragon without being thrown about by its shouts. The ward regains strength between the many small hits of a breath attack.

Perks and Training

The Apprentice Restoration perk halves the cost of Steadfast Ward. Ward Absorb turns spells that hit the ward into magicka for the caster. With that perk, a ward can pay for itself against an enemy mage who keeps casting.

Wards raise Restoration when they block real damage. Blocking spells in short bursts during a fight trains the skill quickly in the early and middle game.

Cost and Value

Steadfast Ward costs 58 magicka for each second it is held at a skill of zero. Lesser Ward costs 34 and Greater Ward 86. Steadfast Ward strikes a good balance between strength and cost.

Ward Absorb restores a quarter of the magicka of each spell that strikes the ward. With that perk, a Steadfast Ward held against a dragon's breath on the hardest difficulty can block the whole attack and refund part of its cost.

Court wizards sell the tome along with Colette Marence, and it turns up in chests from the early levels. The stronger Greater Ward is sold only at the College.

Breaking Enemy Wards

Enemy mages raise Steadfast Ward when they face a spellcaster. A strong spell breaks a ward that has not finished charging. A burst of heavy damage, a weapon, or a shock spell that drains the mage's magicka all get past the defense.

The shield Spellbreaker gives a stronger version of the same protection. While a character blocks with it, it raises a ward that stops up to 50 points of spell damage without any magicka.

Gameplay Tips

The Ward Absorb perk turns spells that hit the ward into magicka for the caster.

Spell Categories

All Restoration Spells

Novice

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

Name	Image	Cost	Casting	Effect
Healing		12 per second	Concentration	Heals the caster 10 points per second.
Lesser Ward		34 per second	Concentration	Increases armor rating by 40 points and negates up to 40 points of spell damage or effects.

Apprentice

Apprentice spells need a little practice in the school.

Name	Cost	Casting	Effect
Fast Healing	73	Fire and Forget	Heals the caster 50 points.
Healing Hands	25 per second	Concentration	Heals the target 10 points per second, but not undead, atronachs or machines.
Steadfast Ward	58 per second	Concentration	Increases armor rating by 60 points and negates up to 60 points of spell damage or effects.
Turn Lesser Undead	84	Fire and Forget	Undead up to level 6 flee for 30 seconds.
Necromantic Healing	37 per second	Concentration	Heals the undead target 10 points per second, but not the living, atronachs or machines.
Sun Fire	24	Fire and Forget	Ball of sunlight that does 25 points of damage to undead.

Adept

Adept spells are the middle rank and hit noticeably harder.

Name	Cost	Casting	Effect
Close Wounds	126	Fire and Forget	Heals the caster 100 points.
Greater Ward	86 per second	Concentration	Increases armor rating by 80 points and negates up to 80 points of spell damage or effects.
Heal Other	80	Fire and Forget	Heals the target 75 points, but not undead, atronachs or machines.
Repel Lesser Undead	115	Fire and Forget	All affected undead up to level 8 flee for 30 seconds.
Turn Undead	168	Fire and Forget	Undead up to level 13 flee for 30 seconds.
Heal Undead	115	Fire and Forget	Heals the undead target 75 points, but not the living, atronachs or machines.
Stendarr's Aura	248	Fire and Forget	For 60 seconds, undead in melee range take 10 points sun damage per second.
Vampire's Bane	72	Fire and Forget	Sunlight explosion that does 40 points of damage in a 15 foot radius to undead.
Poison Rune	246	Fire and Forget	Targets that fail to resist take 3 points of poison damage per second for 30 seconds.

Expert

Expert spells are powerful and expensive to cast.

Name	Cost	Casting	Effect
Circle of Protection	171	Fire and Forget	Undead up to level 20 entering the circle will flee.
Grand Healing	254	Fire and Forget	Heals everyone close to the caster 200 points.
Repel Undead	353	Fire and Forget	All affected undead up to level 16 flee for 30 seconds.
Turn Greater Undead	267	Fire and Forget	Undead up to level 21 flee for 30 seconds.

Master

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

Name	Image	Cost	Casting	Effect
Bane of the Undead		988	Fire and Forget	Sets undead up to level 30 on fire and makes them flee for 30 seconds.
Guardian Circle		716	Fire and Forget	Undead up to level 35 entering the circle will flee. Caster heals 20 health per second inside it.