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Every player’s character in Skyrim is defined by their perks when they level up. Each of the 18 skills in the game can be leveled up to 100 and have a tree of associated perks that grant the player new abilities or increase their stats in meaningful ways. The perks that are taken differentiate a ranged-focused thief from a plate mail-clad knight with both hands gripping the hilt of a greatsword.
Players can also mix and match the skills and associated perks in any combination, allowing them to create their builds that navigate the perils of the province however they seem fit. With how significant the perks in Skyrim are, new players will want to ensure they know how they work before heading out on their adventure.
Key Info Up Front
Every skill you have in Skyrim is leveled up simply by using it as you play. Once you level up enough skills, your character will level up, and you will get a perk point to spend on any of the perks that you meet the prerequisites for.
There are a total of perks available is 251, and you can earn all of them in a single playthrough if you don’t mind using exploits or dozens of hours of grinding to level up.
Perks Overview
Every perk in Skyrim is divided into 18 different skills: Alteration, Archery, Alchemy, Block, Conjuration, Destruction, Enchanting, Heavy Armor, Illusion, Light Armor, Lockpicking, One-handed, Pickpocketing, Restoration, Smithing, Sneak, Speech, and Two-handed. Players can mix and match skills in any way and take perks from all or none of them throughout their playthrough.
Players can also switch between which skills they want to focus on freely at any time. You can always switch up your equipment or start brewing potions for a bit. Most builds, however, will just focus on a handful as leveling up and unlocking perks for more than that ends up taking a lot more time to do effectively.
Unlocking Perks
Whenever you level up in Skyrim, you can increase either your Health, Magicka, or Stamina as well as get one perk point. You can then spend that perk point to unlock any perk available.
Perks are made unavailable once you have their associated skill up to a certain level and have unlocked any previous perks that lead up to it on the tree. The number of possible perks in a tree varies considerably between all of them, although every single tree has a capstone perk only available when the skill is maxed out at 100.
Once skills reach 100, they can also be converted to a Legendary Skill. This resets the skill back to 15 regardless of any racial bonuses the player has that may affect it.
This allows you to continue using the skill to level up and return all of the skill points previously allotted to the tree back to you to be spent in other trees. Skills can also be made Legendary multiple times, making doing so one of the preferred ways to entirely unlock every perk in the game.
Perks Breakdown
For new or old players looking to build a character ahead of playing, it is vital to look at all the options available. You can always change your playstyle or approach as you progress through the game, but there are definite advantages to knowing what you want to do right away.
These include optimizing which skills you level up immediately and knowing what you want to level up between Health, Magicka, and Stamina as you go.
This can be very important as if you start not interested in using spells and invest heavily into health for a bulkier build and eventually discover you love destruction magic, you’ll be wishing you had spent some more points bumping up your Magicka.
Alteration
Alteration is a school of magic that revolves around manipulating the world and physical laws around the caster. These include spells that paralyze targets, increase the caster’s armor rating, light up the environment, or sense life forces through walls. It works particularly well to boost the defense of builds using light armor or as a secondary school in magic builds.
Perk Name | Skill Level | Prerequisites | Description |
Novice Alteration | – | – | Makes Novice Alteration spells cost half Magicka |
Alteration Dual Casting | 20 | Novice Alteration | It makes dual casted Alteration spells more powerful |
Apprentice Alteration | 25 | Makes Apprentice Alteration spells cost half Magicka | |
Magic Resistance (3) | 30,50,70 | Apprentice Alteration | Blocks 10% of spell effects per level up to 30% |
Mage Armor (3) | It makes protection spells stronger from twice as strong to three times as strong. | ||
Adept Alteration | 50 | Makes Adept Alteration spells cost half Magicka | |
Stability | 70 | Adept Alteration | It makes your Alteration spells last 50% longer |
Expert Alteration | 75 | It makes your Expert Alteration spells cost half Magicka | |
Master Alteration | 100 | Expert Alteration | It makes your Master Alteration spells cost half Magicka |
Atronach | It makes you absorb 30% of Magicka from enemy spells cast on you |
Archery
Archery is a combat skill that features heavily on specific character builds. It determines how effective a character is when using a bow or crossbow and features many perks that make those attacks more lethal or add some extra utility for players to take advantage of.
Perk Name | Skill Level | Prerequisites | Description |
Overdraw (5) | 15,20,40,60,80 | – | Increases your damage with bows by 20% for each rank up to 100%. |
Critical Shot (3) | 30,60,90 | Overdraw | Increases the chance of getting critical hits up to 20% and increases the additional damage from critical hits up to 50% |
Eagle Eye | 30 | Overdraw | Allows you to zoom in while aiming by holding the block button |
Steady Hand (2) | 40,60 | Eagle Eye | It causes time to slow down when zoomed in with a bow by 25% for each rank |
Hunter’s Discipline | 50 | Critical Shot | Allows you to recover twice as many arrows from dead bodies |
Power Shot | Eagle Eye | It makes your shots stagger most enemies 50% of the time | |
Ranger | 60 | Hunter’s Discipline | Allows you to move faster with your bow drawn |
Quick Shot | 70 | Power Shot | Allows you to draw your bow 30% faster |
Bullseye | 100 | Ranger or Quick Shot | It gives you a 15% chance of paralyzing enemies with every shot |
Alchemy
Alchemy is a crafting skill that allows you to take reagents gathered from across the province and distill them into potions with different effects. To do so, you have to learn what effects each ingredient can bestow upon a potion and match it with other ingredients with similar properties.
This allows you to mix ingredients to create potions that have multiple effects, such as increasing your light armor skill to take minor damage and heal you or increase your damage with bows. It also allows you to mix poisons that can be applied to your weapons to deal extra damage, drain an enemy’s Magicka, or even paralyze them.
Perk Name | Skill Level | Prerequisites | Description |
Alchemist (5) | 15,20,40,60,80 | – | It makes your potions and poisons 20% stronger for each rank |
Physician | 20 | Alchemist | It makes your potions 25% more powerful if they restore Health, Magicka, or Stamina |
Benefactor | 30 | Physician | It makes your beneficial potions do 25% more |
Poisoner | It makes your poisons 25% more effective | ||
Experimenter (3) | 50,70,90 | Benefactor | Allows you to reveal an additional effect when eating an ingredient for each level |
Concentrated Poison | 60 | Poisoner | It makes poisons applied to your weapons last for double the hits |
Green Thumb | 70 | Concentrated Poison | Allows you to gather two ingredients from plants harvested |
Snakeblood | 80 | Experimenter or Concentrated Poison | It gives you 50% resistance to all poisons |
Purity | 100 | Snakeblood | Removes all positive effects from created poisons and all adverse effects from potions |
Block
Block is another combat skill and one that can be crucial to mitigating damage for melee fighters. It allows the player to block incoming melee and ranged attacks with any shield, two-handed weapon, a torch, or a one-handed weapon and a free hand. It also helps keep you from staggering when hit with enemy attacks, which can be crucial when fighting groups.
Perk Name | Skill Level | Prerequisites | Description |
Shield Wall | 15,20,40,60,80 | – | It makes blocking more effective for each rank, up to 40% |
Deflect Arrows | 30 | Shield Wall | It completely negates the damage from arrows that hit your shield |
Power Bash | Allows you to bash enemies with your shield to stagger them | ||
Quick Reflexes | It makes time slow down if you are blocking as an enemy performs a power attack | ||
Elemental Protection | 50 | Deflect Arrows | Makes blocking reduce the damage from elemental attacks by 50% |
Deadly Bash | Power Bash | It makes your shield bash deal five times as much damage | |
Block Runner | 70 | Elemental Protection | Allows you to move faster while blocking |
Disarming Bash | Deadly Bash | It gives your bash a 50% chance to disarm the target | |
Shield Charge | 100 | Disarming Bash or Block Runner | Allows you to knock down targets by sprinting while blocking |
Conjuration
Conjuration is a magic school focused on summoning different creatures to fight alongside you. You can summon creatures from the realms of Oblivion like scamps and atronachs or undead warriors.
The school also features spells that allow you to summon gear for yourself, allowing you to head into battle fully equipped without bogging down your inventory with various weapons and pieces of armor.
Perk Name | Skill Level | Prerequisites | Description |
Novice Conjuration | – | – | Makes Novice Conjuration spells cost half Magicka |
Conjuration Dual Casting | 20 | Novice Conjuration | Allows you to make Conjuration spells last longer by casting them with both hands |
Mystic Binding | Makes weapons summoned by Conjuration deal more damage | ||
Apprentice Conjuration | 25 | Makes Apprentice Conjuration spells cost half Magicka | |
Soul Stealer | 30 | Mystic Binding | It makes your bound weapons cast Soul Trap on targets |
Summoner (2) | 30,70 | Novice Conjuration | Allows you to summon creatures from twice to three times as far away |
Necromancy | 40 | Novice Conjuration | It makes your summoned undead stay longer |
Atromancy | Summoner | It makes your summoned Atronachs stay longer | |
Adept Conjuration | 50 | Apprentice Conjuration | It makes your Adept Conjuration spells cost half Magicka |
Oblivion Binding | Soul Stealer | It makes your bound weapons banish summoned creatures and turned raised undead | |
Dark Souls | 70 | Necromancy | It gives your summoned undead 100 additional points of health |
Expert Conjuration | 75 | Adept Conjuration | It makes your Expert Conjuration spells cost half Magicka |
Elemental Potency | 80 | Atromancy | It makes your summoned Atronachs 50% more powerful |
Master Conjuration | 100 | Expert Conjuration | It makes your Master Conjuration spells cost half Magicka |
Twin Souls | 100 | Dark Souls or Elemental Potency | Allows you to have two summoned creatures active at once |
Destruction
The Destruction school is vital for magic characters that want to deal damage. It focuses on spells that deal with either Fire, Frost, or Shock damage. Fire spells have the lowest Magicka cost of the three but only damage the target’s health while dealing some damage over time.
Frost spells have Magicka costs in the middle while dealing damage to the target’s Health and Stamina and slowing them down to half speed. Shock spells cost the most but damage both Health and Magicka, making it an indispensable tool while facing other casters.
Perk Name | Skill Level | Prerequisites | Description |
Novice Destruction | – | – | It makes your Novice Destruction spells cost half Magicka |
Destruction Dual Casting | 20 | Novice Destruction | It makes casting a Destruction spell with both hands evolve it into a more powerful version |
Apprentice Destruction | 25 | It makes your Apprentice Destruction spells cost half Magicka | |
Augmented Flames (2) | 30,60 | It makes your fire spells deal 25% additional damage for each rank | |
Augmented Frost (2) | It makes your frost spells deal 25% additional damage for each rank | ||
Augmented Shock (2) | It makes your shock spells deal 25% additional damage for each rank | ||
Rune Master | 40 | Apprentice Destruction | Allows you to place runes five times further |
Impact | Destruction Dual Casting | It makes most dual cast Destruction spells stagger targets | |
Adept Destruction | 50 | Apprentice Destruction | It makes your Adept Destruction spells cost half Magicka |
Intense Flames | Augmented Flames | Fire damage will cause your targets to flee when they are under 20% health | |
Deep Freeze | 60 | Augmented Frost | Frost damage will paralyze your enemies when they are under 20% health |
Disintegrate | 70 | Augmented Shock | Shock damage will disintegrate your enemies when they are under 15% health |
Expert Destruction | 75 | Adept Destruction | It makes your Expert Destruction spells cost half Magicka |
Master Destruction | 100 | Expert Destruction | It makes your Master Destruction spells cost half Magicka |
Enchanting
Enchanting is a crafting skill that can be useful for all builds and upgrade your equipment. To do so, you must first disenchant weapons and armor with the effects you want, such as boosting certain skills or increasing your damage.
Then, you have to have a filled Soul Gem that can either be purchased or harvested by having an empty Soul Gem in your inventory when you kill an enemy affected by the Soul Trap spell. Then, you need a compatible piece of equipment to place the enchantment on, and you’re set to go.
Perk Name | Skill Level | Prerequisites | Description |
Enchanter (5) | 15,20,40,60,80 | – | Increases the strength of your enchantments by 20% for each rank up to 100% |
Soul Squeezer | 20 | Enchanter | It makes Soul Gems provide extra Magicka when used to recharge magic weapons |
Fire Enchanter | 30 | Enchanter | It makes your fire enchantments 25% stronger |
Frost Enchanter | 40 | Fire Enchanter | It makes your frost enchantments 25% stronger |
Soul Siphon | Soul Squeezer | Killing creatures with a magic weapon returns 5% of their soul to the weapon’s charge. | |
Storm Enchanter | 50 | Frost Enchanter | It makes your shock enchantments 25% stronger |
Insightful Enchanter | Enchanter | It makes your skill enchantments 25% stronger | |
Corpus Enchanter | 70 | Insightful Enchanter | It makes your Health, Magicka, and Stamina enchantments 25% stronger |
Extra Effect | 100 | Corpus Enchanter or Storm enchanter | Allows you to put two enchantments on an item |
Heavy Armor
Heavy Armor focuses on keeping you on your feet for as long as possible. To level it up, players have to have heavy armor equipped when they take damage, meaning that this tree is primarily for melee fighters who don’t mind going a bit slower if it means that they don’t have to worry about every hit they take sending them to an early grave.
Perk Name | Skill Level | Prerequisites | Description |
Juggernaut (5) | 15,20,40,60,80 | – | Increases your armor rating for heavy armor by 20% for each rank |
Fists of Steel | 30 | Juggernaut | It makes your unarmed attacks deal your armor rating in extra damage |
Well Fitted | It gives you a 25% armor bonus if you are wearing heavy armor in all four slots | ||
Cushioned | 50 | Fists of Steel | Halves fall damage taken when waring heavy armor in all four slots |
Tower of Strength | Well Fitted | Decreases the stagger you take from enemy hits by 50% when wearing only heavy armor | |
Conditioning | 70 | Cushioned | Your heavy armor doesn’t weight anything and will not slow you down |
Matching Set | Tower of Strength | Grants you 25% additional armor while wearing a matching set of heavy armor | |
Reflect Blows | 100 | Matching Set | It gives you a 10% chance to reflect melee damage to enemy while wearing heavy armor in every slot |
Illusion
Illusion is one of the harder of Skyrim’s magic schools. It focuses on controlling enemies with effects like pacify, fear and frenzy while also helping the caster sneak with effects like muffle and invisibility. This makes the school highly situational, so it is better suited as a secondary school rather than the main focus.
Perk Name | Skill Level | Prerequisites | Description |
Novice Illusion | – | – | Makes Novice Illusion spells cost half Magicka |
Animage | 20 | Novice Illusion | It makes your Illusion spells work on creatures eight levels higher than usual |
Illusion Dual Casting | Casting an Illusion spell with both hands upgrades it to a more powerful version | ||
Apprentice Illusion | 25 | Makes Apprentice Illusion spells cost half Magicka | |
Hypnotic Gaze | 30 | It makes calm spells work on higher-level enemies | |
Kindred Mage | 40 | Animage | It makes Illusion spells work on creatures ten levels higher than usual |
Adept Illusion | 50 | Apprentice Illusion | Makes Adept Illusion spells cost half Magicka |
Quiet Casting | Kindred Mage | It makes all spells you cast silent to others, regardless of school | |
Aspect of Terror | Hypnotic Gaze | It makes fear spells work on enemies ten levels higher than usual | |
Rage | 70 | Aspect of Terror | It makes rage spells work on enemies 12 levels higher than usual |
Expert Illusion | 75 | Adept Illusion | Makes Expert Illusion spells cost half Magicka |
Master of the Mind | 90 | Quest Casting or Rage | Allows your Illusion spells to work on undead, automatons, and daedra |
Master Illusion | 100 | Exper Illusion | It makes Master Illusion spells cost half Magicka |
Light Armor
Light Armor works just like Heavy Armor but favors builds that focus on magic, speed, or ranged attacks with weapons such as bows. The speed that it allows players also makes light armor good for melee builds that use faster weapons like swords and daggers or that dual wield.
Perk Name | Skill Level | Prerequisites | Description |
Agile Defender (5) | 15,20,40,60,80 | – | Increases the armor rating for light armor by 20% for each rank up to 100% |
Custom Fit | 30 | Agile Defender | It gives you a 25% armor bonus if wearing light armor in all four slots |
Unhindered | 50 | Custom Fit | It makes light armor have no weight and does not slow you down |
Wind Walker | 60 | Unhindered | It makes your Stamina regenerate 50% faster while wearing light armor in every slot |
Matching Set | 70 | Custom Fit | It gives you 25% armor bonus if wearing a matching set of light armor |
Deft Movement | 100 | Wind Walker or Matching Set | It gives you a 10% chance of avoiding all damage from melee attacks while you have light armor in all four slots |
Lockpicking
Regardless of your build, you’re going to have to lockpick a lot during your playthrough. Skyrim has a mini-game that is unique to the series, so if you have trouble with it, this skill is very good to invest in.
Perk Name | Skill Level | Prerequisites | Description |
Novice Locks | – | – | It makes picking Novice locks easier. |
Apprentice Locks | 25 | Novice Locks | It makes picking Apprentice locks easier |
Quick Hands | 40 | Apprentice Locks | Allows you to pick locks without them being noticed |
Adept Locks | 50 | Apprentice Locks | It makes picking Adept locks easier |
Wax Key | Quick Hands | It gives you a copy of a picked lock’s key as long as it has one | |
Golden Touch | 60 | Adept Locks | Increases the amount of gold you find |
Treasure Hunter | 70 | Golden Touch | Increases your chance to find unique treasure by 50% |
Expert Locks | 75 | Adept Locks | It makes picking Expert locks easier |
Locksmith | 80 | Expert Locks | It makes the lockpick start close to the opening position when starting to lockpick |
Master Locks | 100 | It makes Master locks easier | |
Unbreakable | Locksmith | It makes your lockpicks never break |
One-Handed
One-handed is the skill that dictates any weapon wielded in one hand other than staves. These include daggers, maces, swords, and war axes. As the skill levels up, the base damage you deal with weapons of that class gradually increases. At the same time, its perks unlock additional damage and a variety of unique abilities to use in combat.
Perk Name | Skill Level | Prerequisites | Description |
Armsman (5) | 15,20,40,60,80 | – | Increases the damage you deal with one-handed weapons by 20% for each rank up to 100% |
Fighting Stance | 20 | Armsman | It makes one-handed power attacks cost 25% less Stamina |
Bladesman (3) | 30,60,90 | Increases the chance of swords doing critical damage as well as how much critical damage they deal | |
Bone Breaker (3) | It makes maces ignore 25% of armor for each rank up to 75% | ||
Hack and Slash (3) | It makes war axes cause extra bleeding damage for each rank | ||
Dual Flurry (2) | 30,50 | It makes your dual-wielding attacks 20% and 25% faster | |
Critical Charge | 50 | Fighting Stance | Allows you to make a power attack while sprinting that deals double critical damage |
Savage Strike | It makes standing power attacks deal 25% extra damage as well as having a chance to decapitate enemies | ||
Dual Savagery | 70 | Dual Flurry | It makes dual-wielding power attacks do 50% more damage |
Paralyzing Strike | 100 | Critical Charge or Savage Strike | It makes your backwards power attack have a 25% chance of paralyzing the target |
Pickpocket
Pickpocketing is a valuable stealth skill that allows you to take items straight from other characters, hopefully without them noticing. This can enable you to make easy money or even circumvent some quest objectives by stealing keys.
Perk Name | Skill Level | Prerequisites | Description |
Light Fingers (5) | 15,20,40,60,80 | – | It gives you a 20% bonus for trying to pickpocket items |
Night Thief | 30 | Light Fingers | It gives you 25% an extra chance when pickpocketing a sleeping target |
Cutpurse | 40 | Night Thief | You have a 50% higher chance of pickpocketing gold |
Poisoned | Allows you to place poison in the pockets of enemies to damage them | ||
Extra Pockets | 50 | Increases your carrying capacity by 100 | |
Keymaster | 60 | Cutpurse | It makes pickpocketing keys almost always successful |
Misdirection | 70 | Allows you to pickpocket weapons the target has equipped | |
Perfect Touch | 100 | Misdirection | Will enable you to pickpocket any supplied item |
Restoration
Restoration is one of the most universally valuable schools of magic. Not only because it allows you to heal yourself, which is always helpful, but because players start with a Novice Restoration spell regardless of what kind of character they aim to build.
Perk Name | Skill Level | Prerequisites | Description |
Novice Restoration | – | – | Makes Novice Restoration spells cost half Magicka |
Regeneration | 20 | Novice Restoration | It makes healing spells heal 50% more |
Restoration Dual Casting | It makes casting a Restoration spell with both hands upgrade it to a more powerful version | ||
Apprentice Restoration | 25 | Makes Apprentice Restoration spells cost half Magicka | |
Recovery (2) | 30,60 | Makes Magicka regenerate 25% faster for each rank | |
Respite | 40 | It makes your healing spells also restore Stamina | |
Adept Restoration | 50 | Apprentice Restoration | Makes Adept Restoration spells cost half Magicka |
Ward Absorb | 60 | Novice Restoration | It makes your wards recharge your Magicka when blocking spells |
Necromage | 70 | Regeneration | It makes all your spells more effective against undead |
Expert Restoration | 75 | Adept Restoration | Makes Expert Restoration spells cost half Magicka |
Avoid Death | 90 | Recovery | Allows you to heal 250 points once per day when you fall below 10% health |
Master Restoration | 100 | Expert Restoration | Makes Master Restoration spells cost half Magicka |
Smithing
The final crafting skill, smithing, allows players to make their armor and weapons and improve them to bolster their stats beyond what is ordinarily possible.
Perk Name | Skill Level | Prerequisites | Description |
Steel Smithing | – | – | Allows you to create steel equipment and improve it twice as much |
Dwarven Smithing | 30 | Steel Smithing | Allows you to create dwarven equipment and improve it twice as much |
Elven Smithing | Allows you to create elven equipment and improve them it | ||
Orcish Smithing | 50 | Dwarven Smithing | Allows you to create orcish equipment and improve it twice as much |
Advanced Armors | Elven Smithing | Allows you to create scaled and plate armor and improve it twice as much | |
Arcane Blacksmith | 60 | Steel Smithing | Will enable you to enhance magical weapons and armor |
Glass Smithing | 70 | Advanced Armors | Allows you to create glass equipment and improve it twice as much |
Ebony Smithing | 80 | Orcish Smithing | Allows you to create ebony equipment and improve it twice as much |
Daedric Smithing | 90 | Ebony Smithing | Allows you to create daedric equipment and improve it twice as much |
Dragon Armor | 100 | Daedric Smithing or Glass Smithing | Allows you to create dragonbone equipment and improve it twice as much |
Sneak
Sneak allows players to sneak past enemies more effectively while also increasing the damage they deal with powerful sneak attacks. It is a highly specialized skill, so players who want to use it will generally wish to construct their entire build around it.
Perk Name | Skill Level | Prerequisites | Description |
Stealth (5) | 15,20,40,60,809 | – | It makes you harder to detect while sneaking from 20% to 40% |
Backstab | 30 | Stealth | It makes your sneak attacks with one-handed weapons deal six times damage |
Muffled Movement | It causes your worn armor to make half as much noise while sneaking | ||
Deadly Aim | 40 | Backstab | It makes your sneak attacks with bows deal three times damage |
Light Foot | Muffled Movement | It causes you no longer trigger pressure plate traps | |
Assassin’s Blade | 50 | Deadly Aim | It makes your sneak attacks with daggers deal fifteen times damage |
Silent Roll | Light Foot | Allows you to sprint while sneaking to do a silent forward roll | |
Silence | 70 | Silent Roll | It makes it, so walking and running will not affect your detection |
Shadow Warrior | 100 | Silence | Allows you to crouch during combat to make distant opponents lose sight of you and have to search |
Speech
Speech is a skill that all players will inevitably raise by selling and buying with merchants throughout the game. Investing in perks in the tree is unnecessary for any build but can be extremely useful to make getting gold and crafting supplies easier.
Perk Name | Skill Level | Prerequisites | Description |
Haggling (5) | 15,20,40,60,80 | – | It makes buying and selling prices better from 10% up to 30% |
Allure | 30 | Haggling | It gives you 10% better prices with the opposite sex |
Bribery | Allows you to bribe guards, so they ignore your crimes | ||
Merchant | 50 | Allure | Allows you to sell any item to any merchant |
Persuasion | Bribery | It makes persuasion attempts 30% easier | |
Investor | 70 | Merchant | Allows you to invest 500 gold in a shop to increase their funds permanently |
Intimidation | Persuasion | Makes intimidation attempts twice as likely to succeed | |
Fence | 90 | Investor | Allows you to sell stolen goods to any merchant you’ve invested in |
Master Trader | 100 | Fence | Every merchant in the world gains 1000 gold in their funds |
Two-Handed
The final skill is Two-handed, which focuses on improving your abilities with weapons like battleaxes, greatswords, and warhammers. This includes increasing your base damage and granting you unique abilities to use in combat.
Perk Name | Skill Level | Prerequisites | Description |
Barbarian (5) | 15,20,40,60,80 | – | Increases the damage you deal with two-handed weapons by 20% for each rank up to 100% |
Champion’s Stance | 20 | Barbarian | Makes two-handed power attacks cost 25% less Stamina |
Deep Wounds (3) | 30,60,90 | Increases the chances of greatswords dealing critical damage from 10% to 20% | |
Limbsplitter | It makes battle axes deal extra bleeding damage per rank | ||
Skullcrusher | It makes warhammer attacks ignore 25% of armor per rank | ||
Great Critical Charge | 50 | Champion’s Stance | Allows you to make a two-handed power attack while sprinting to deal double critical damage |
Devastating Blow | Two-handed power attacks while standing do 25% bonus damage and have a chance to decapitate the target | ||
Sweep | 70 | Great Critical Charge or Devastating Blow | It makes your two-handed sideways power attacks hit all targets in front of you |
Warmaster | 100 | Sweep | It gives your backward power attack a 25% chance to paralyze the target |
FAQs
Question: What is the Best Perk in Skyrim?
Answer: While the best perk largely depends on your build, the Extra Effect Enchanting perk is extremely powerful as it can make any piece of equipment on the same level of a unique artifact
Question: How Many Perks Can One Character Have?
Answer: There is no limit to what perks or how many perks one character can have, so getting all 251 bonuses in one playthrough is possible.
Question: How Many Skills Should I Focus on in Skyrim?
Answer: You can use as many skills as you want, but at the start of a playthrough, especially for new players, you should choose just three of four to focus on.
Skyrim Perks Guide: Conclusion
The variability players have while making characters in Skyrim is one of its most substantial aspects. It allows you to experience the game in entirely different ways, and the various perks have many different ways to make your Dragonborn a force that even dragons will think twice about facing.