Skyrim has 18 skills, split evenly between Combat, Magic and Stealth. There are no classes: every skill rises simply by using it, every few skill increases raise your character level, and every level gives you one perk point to spend in a skill tree. This hub links every skill page on Tamriel Saga – each with the complete perk tree straight from the game files, a perk guide, fast leveling tips, trainers and skill books – plus the two beast-form trees from Dawnguard.
Combat skills
Weapons, armour and the forge. Combat skills make you hit harder, last longer and wear better gear. The Warrior Stone – one of the three Guardian Stones near Riverwood – makes all combat skills improve 20% faster.
Archery
Archery governs bows and crossbows in Skyrim: higher skill means harder-hitting arrows, and the perk tree adds zoom, slow time, staggers and paralysis.
Block
Block is the Combat skill for stopping blows with a shield or weapon – less damage, less stagger, and a path to bashes that floor dragons and draugr alike.
Heavy Armor
Heavy Armor makes iron, steel, Dwarven, Orcish, Ebony, Daedric and Dragonplate gear far more protective – and eventually weightless.
One-handed
The Combat skill for swords, war axes, maces and daggers – the most common weapon skill in Skyrim and a staple of sword-and-board and dual-wield builds.
Smithing
Smithing turns ore and hides into weapons and armor in Skyrim, and improves gear at grindstones and workbenches far beyond what any merchant sells.
Two-handed
The Combat skill for greatswords, battleaxes and warhammers – slow, heavy weapons that hit harder than anything else in a warrior's arsenal.
Magic skills
The five schools of magic plus Enchanting – spells for every situation and gear that does the work for you. The Mage Stone – one of the three Guardian Stones near Riverwood – makes all magic skills improve 20% faster.
Alteration
Alteration bends the physical world: magical armor, light, Waterbreathing, Telekinesis, Paralyze and some of the best defensive perks in Skyrim.
Conjuration
The Magic school of summoning atronachs, raising the dead, conjuring bound weapons and trapping souls – an army in a spell tome.
Destruction
The Magic skill of fire, frost and shock spells – the mage's main way of turning magicka into dead bandits.
Enchanting
Enchanting binds magic to weapons, armor and jewelry using soul gems, and lets you design gear no merchant will ever stock.
Illusion
Illusion is Skyrim's school of mind magic: calm, frighten or enrage enemies, turn invisible, or silence your own spells to fight without being heard.
Restoration
Restoration is the school of healing and protection: healing spells, wards, anti-undead magic and the life-saving Avoid Death perk.
Stealth skills
Sneaking, stealing, talking and brewing – the quiet route through Skyrim, and some of its most profitable skills. The Thief Stone – one of the three Guardian Stones near Riverwood – makes all stealth skills improve 20% faster.
Alchemy
Alchemy turns herbs, bugs and monster parts into potions and poisons, and doubles as one of Skyrim's best money-makers.
Light Armor
Light Armor is the Stealth skill for hide, leather, elven, glass and dragonscale gear – solid protection without sacrificing speed or stamina.
Lockpicking
The Stealth skill for opening locked doors and chests – fewer broken picks, more gold in chests and, eventually, lockpicks that never snap.
Pickpocket
Pickpocket lets you lift gold, keys and gear from people's pockets, or slip something nasty into them, without anyone noticing.
Sneak
Sneak is the Stealth skill for moving unseen and unheard – stay undetected, bypass traps and turn every surprise attack into a devastating sneak attack.
Speech
The Stealth skill of bartering and persuasion: better prices, selling anything to anyone, bribing guards and talking your way out of trouble.
Beast forms: Werewolf and Vampire Lord
The Dawnguard add-on gives Skyrim’s two beast forms their own perk trees. They do not use skill levels at all – perks are earned by feeding in beast form.
Werewolf Perk Tree
8 perks with 11 ranks, unlocked by feeding on corpses while transformed – from Bestial Strength to the Totem howls.
Vampire Lord Perk Tree
11 perks split between Blood Magic and Night Powers, earned with Drain Life and bite kills as a Vampire Lord.
Every skill trainer in Skyrim
Trainers sell skill increases for gold, up to their limit: Journeyman trainers teach up to level 50, Expert trainers up to 75 and Master trainers up to 90. You can train five times per character level. Levels from the game files.
| Skill | Journeyman (50) | Expert (75) | Master (90) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Archery | Faendal | Aela the Huntress | Niruin |
| Block | – | Njada Stonearm | Chief Larak |
| Heavy Armor | – | Gharol | Farkas, Kuvar (Dragonborn) |
| One-handed | Amren | Athis | Chief Burguk |
| Smithing | Ghorza gra-Bagol | Balimund | Eorlund Gray-Mane |
| Two-handed | – | Torbjorn Shatter-Shield | Vilkas, Wulf Wild-Blood (Dragonborn) |
| Alteration | – | Dravynea the Stoneweaver | Tolfdir |
| Conjuration | Runil | Phinis Gestor | Falion, Talvas Fathryon (Dragonborn) |
| Destruction | Wuunferth the Unliving | Sybille Stentor | Faralda |
| Enchanting | – | Sergius Turrianus | Hamal |
| Illusion | – | Atub | Drevis Neloren |
| Restoration | Aphia Velothi (Dragonborn) | Keeper Carcette, Colette Marence | Danica Pure-Spring |
| Alchemy | Lami | Arcadia, Milore Ienth (Dragonborn) | Babette |
| Light Armor | Scouts-Many-Marshes | Grelka | Nazir |
| Lockpicking | – | Ma’jhad, Ra’zhinda | Vex |
| Pickpocket | – | Silda the Unseen | Vipir the Fleet |
| Sneak | Khayla | Garvey | Delvin Mallory |
| Speech | Dro’marash, Revyn Sadri | Ogmund | Giraud Gemane |
How skills and perks work
- Use it to raise it: swinging a sword trains One-handed, casting Flames trains Destruction, crafting at a forge trains Smithing. The higher the skill, the more use it takes to raise it further.
- Level-ups and perks: every character level gives one perk point and lets you raise Health, Magicka or Stamina by 10.
- Perk requirements: each perk needs a minimum skill level and usually the perk before it in the tree. Each skill page lists the exact requirement for every rank.
- Faster learning: the Guardian Stones (+20% for their group), the Lover Stone (+15% to all skills), resting in a bed (Well Rested, or Lover’s Comfort with your spouse), and Fortify potions or enchantments for crafting skills.
- Skill books: each skill has five books that raise it by one level the first time you read them – listed on every skill page.
- Legendary skills: once a skill reaches 100 you can make it Legendary, which resets it to 15 and refunds its perks so you can keep levelling.