Magi’s main way to attack is with spells that do damage or Destruction Spells. These are split into three groups called “Branches,” which are Fire, Frost, and Lightning.
You can buy spell tomes from vendors around Skyrim or find them in chests.
Most of these destruction spells work best when used with other skills to do more damage or as part of a real plan.
Early on, you should know which spells are most important so you don’t waste gold.
Not only that, but it can be hard to keep your magicka up because it seems to grow much more slowly than other skills.
Your play style will affect your Dragonborn, and if you have the best spells for destroying enemies, you’ll be able to crush enemies in dungeons all over Tamriel.
18. Mara’s Wrath
Mara’s Wrath is one of the most powerful spells that players can get from the Bethesda Creation Club.
It does 16 Fire damage to melee enemies, makes undead run for 30 seconds, and lets the player swim freely in water that would normally hurt them.
It’s a Destruction spell at the Expert level that can turn the tide of a battle quickly, especially if the mage is surrounded by draugr or skeletons.
But the Arcane Accessories Creation Club kit costs 100 CC credits, so make sure you have enough and instal it before you start the game.
17. Choking Grasp
Choking Grasp is a strong Novice spell that can be upgraded to three even stronger forms at higher Destruction levels.
This spell drains health from a target at a rate of 8 health per second for three seconds. This means that 24 health are taken away from the target each time this spell is cast.
It costs only 39 Magicka to cast, which makes it a cheap way to heal.
Choking Grasp and its more powerful versions are part of the Arcane Accessories pack, which adds a lot more Destruction spells to Skyrim.
This spell lets people who aren’t vampires take health from their enemies by using a spell instead of a vampire power. It can be used right away.
16. Elemental Flare
Elemental Flare and its more powerful versions (Elemental Bolt, Elemental Burst, and Elemental Blast) are very cheap to cast and have devastating effects.
Elemental Flare does 15 Fire Damage and 15 Shock Damage at the same time for only 45 mana. This is almost four times as much damage as the Flames spell in a single bolt.
It also has an area of effect, so a mage can cast it over and over into a group of enemies and hit each one for nearly full damage, even if they aren’t hit directly.
Elemental Flare is one of the most powerful Destruction spells in Skyrim, but you can only get it and its more powerful versions with the Arcane Accessories pack, which comes with the Skyrim Anniversary Edition.
15. Flame Cloak
This wall of fire lasts for 60 seconds and does 8 points of fire damage per second to enemies in its range.
Since your Dragonborn is surrounded by a strong fire aura, this is best used by battle mages and melee fighters.
Damage is a bit low, but if an enemy is already on fire, they will take more damage from the fire, which can add up quickly.
This spell is a level 50 Adept skill, so it will take some time to learn, but it’s definitely worth it.
Talk to Faralda at the College of Winterhold to get the Flame Cloak.
14. Frost Cloak
This wall of frost lasts for 60 seconds and keeps hitting with strong icy magic, just like the Flame cloak.
It does 8 points of damage per second to all nearby enemies in the same way. This spell is pretty simple, but it works very well against monsters that attack with their hands.
Talk to Faralda at the College of Winterhold to get the Frost Cloak, or get it from a Court Wizard when your Destruction magic is level 50.
13. Whirlwind Cloak
This one spell is best for destruction mages and melee fighters because it doesn’t focus on one element.
This cloak spell does the same amount of damage and works the same way as the first two. However, it can send your enemies flying through the air and give you a lot of space.
When you cast this, your Dragonborn is surrounded by a whirlwind that blows away attackers. It’s a 60-second skill at the Adept level.
Once you have reached a high enough level to use it, you can buy it from Talvas Fathryon.
12. Ignite
When you use Ignite and Flame Cloak together, your destruction level can go up quickly.
This one melts enemies and shoots a fire bolt-filled projectile at your enemy.
It can also last for up to 15 seconds, giving you time to cast other spells that do more damage.
In general, this is thought to be the best combination for magic users who are still at lower levels and still moving around.
Wearing Ahzidal’s Ring of Arcana, which you can find in Kolbiorn Barrow, will give you this skill. A little hard to find, but worth the trouble.
11. Icy Spear
The damage that Icy Spear does to both Health and Stamina is pretty good.
This is probably one of the reasons why it’s such a popular spell in battle. So why is it only number 11?
Because it can be hard to hit enemies with this spell, especially if they are small or moving quickly.
Also, it’s an Expert-level skill, and it can be hard to get to level 75 in Destruction, though it’s not impossible.
Faralda at the College of Winterhold can help you get Icy Spear, or you can find it as a skill book in different chests.
10. Frost Rune
This Magic Rune sets up a trap on the ground that goes off when an enemy gets close to it. It’s kind of like a frozen landmine.
Unlike the Lightning and Ash runes, this one is highly recommended because it slows down enemies, which makes it perfect for a classic ambush.
The best time to use these kinds of magic runes is when an enemy is sleeping or buried behind a locked door. You just need to throw it as close as you can and watch the fun happen.
9. Chain Lightning
Area-of-effect (AoE) skills are best for quickly killing large groups of enemies.
Chain Lightning stuns enemies close by and bounces around the area to hit some enemies farther away as well.
This is helpful in dungeons with a lot of enemies, and it does a lot of damage to the magicka stats of the enemies, which makes it great for fighting groups of spellcasters.
Unlike the Icy Spear, this doesn’t need to be very accurate because even if it misses one enemy, it will bounce around the room like a super ball.
Also, this is an Adept-level skill that is easy to get, so it’s a good idea to get it even when you’re early in the game.
8. Fireball
Fireball has a huge range of more than 15 feet and does about 40 points of damage to whatever it hits.
Once you cast the spell, you’ll send a huge firestorm down on your enemies. Great for anything that can’t stand up to fire.
Even though this destruction spell is popular, you should be careful with it because it can also hurt your followers if you have any.
You need to be at least level 40 in Destruction to get Fireball, and you can buy the spell tome or get it randomly in Black Falls Barrow.
7. Flames
This spell has a short range, but it goes through enemies and goes a long way. You can hit multiple enemies at once, and when your enemies are already on fire, the damage goes up.
If you have the magicka, I’d add Flames to Fireball because that’s a great pair.
Even though this is a starting spell and does very little damage compared to other spells, it uses very little magicka, so you can keep casting it until the whole field is gone.
Also, using a lot of magic will help you get better at destroying things, which is great practise for a mage who is trying to level up.
6. Wall of Storms
The Wall of Storms is a spell that can hit from a good distance and do a lot of damage. Any enemy it runs over takes 50 shock damage per second.
It costs 145 magicka to cast, but it can clear the field of enemies very quickly. Wall of Storms is good because it doesn’t hurt the Dragonborn or their followers.
I would also say that this works best with Chain Lightning. When you use these spells with other skills and a high magic level, you’ll be shocked by how powerful they are.
When you reach Destruction level 70, our friend Faralda will give you an expert-level skill called “Wall of Storms.”
5. Wall of Frost
This spell is similar to the Wall of Storms in that it is cast on the ground to make a wall of ice.
This thing looks terrifying and does 50 points of damage every second.
Like other similar elemental spells, this one works best when used with another frost spell to increase the total damage done by the combo.
This isn’t something that will go away quickly. You just have to pay about 130 magicka per second for this wall to be there. enemies who want to get through it? I hope they enjoy ice.
Wall of Frost can be bought from Faralda, but you could also try opening chests and looking for random items.
It’s not the best spell for destroying things on the offensive, but it’s a good way to balance the way your magic works on the offensive and defensive sides.
4. Wall of Flames
I like these defensive spells a lot, which is the main reason why I have to use both fire and frost. Both are very helpful, but in different situations.
Even though, in the end, this elemental spell is pretty much the same: it creates a wall of flames that does 50 points of damage per second and uses up your magicka.
But if you like fire damage more than frost damage, you should also get this.
3. Blizzard
This is a very powerful frost spell that does a lot of damage. You might know the name from other RPGs like Final Fantasy, and it’s just as powerful (or even more powerful) in Skyrim.
The only bad thing about Blizzard is that it can also hurt the person casting it, so you should leave the area as soon as possible after casting it.
Blizzard is like a big ice storm that moves into the area and covers everything in its path. I mean, really, you should look at it.
This will hurt the stamina of every enemy and slow them down. But you need to be a Master level 100 Destruction to even get Blizzard.
2. Fire Storm
This storm of hellfire does 100 points of damage to enemies within a certain range of the big explosion.
You have to use both hands to cast this spell, and it takes a long time to do so. One of the bad things about Fire Storm is that it can leave you open to attack while you’re using it.
No matter how you look at it, the fact that this spell does 100 points of damage everywhere makes it clear that you should have it in your arsenal.
When you get to level 100 in Destruction, you can start working on the Fire Storm spell. To get this, you need to talk to Faralda.
When she tells you to start the Destruction Ritual Spell quest, you just do it. Fire Storm is here to help you.
1. Lightning Storm
This very powerful skill makes a constant stream of lightning strikes that do 75 points of damage to health and 50 points of damage to magicka per second.
If you use this spell, you’ll be able to kill powerful dragons in a matter of seconds. That’s why it’s number one.
You need both hands to cast it, just like Fire Storm, and you can only get it after you finish the Destruction Ritual Spell quest (but you have to buy it afterwards).
Also, attacks can stop you in the middle of a spell. Most of the time, though, a shout and charging the spell will do the trick.
This is probably one of the hardest spells to use correctly in a fight.
But it’s also one of the most powerful weapons, giving you a huge advantage against hordes of enemies in almost any part of Skyrim.
