The magic school of Destruction in The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim grants the ability to use pure, offensive spells that require Magicka as a resource. This guide will help you with Destruction training, the locations of all the spells, and how to use them effectively.
Destruction Magic Elements
Destruction magic in Skyrim includes the elements of Fire, Frost, and Lightning. All three have their own advantages, and certain enemies are weak or resistant to a particular element.
Across all elemental families, however, the pattern/type of spells is the same. Each element has its own Spray, Missle, Rune, Area Missile, Cloak, Heavy Missile, Wall, and Storm ability.
Fire
Fire has the lowest Magicka cost of all three elements and deals damage exclusively to enemy health. It sets targets on fire which deal damage over time utilizing a tapering effect.
The main enemies that are weak to Fire damage have the words “Frost,” “Snow,” or “Ice” in their name.
Certain dungeons have pools of flammable liquid that allow you to ignite with fire magic.
Frost
Frost has an intermediate Magicka cost of all three elements and deals damage to enemy health and stamina, usually in an equal fashion. It slows the movement speed of targets by 50% for varying durations of time, usually a few seconds.
Unfortunately, most enemies in the game are resistant to Frost. However, this element school of magic provides effective crowd control when dealing with regular melee-based enemies.
Shock
Shock has the highest Magicka cost of all three elements and deals damage to enemy health and half of the damage from health to Magicka.
This magic school works well against enemy mages and necromancers with large Magicka pools. Furthermore, it deals impressive damage against dragons that cannot shout after their pool of Magicka is depleted.
Finally, Shock magic hits enemies instantly, unlike the other two pools.
Where to Learn Destruction Spells
You can purchase new Destruction spells directly from Faralda, a vendor at the College of Winterhold (the Mage Guild in Skyrim).
The spells are determined by your current Destruction level, so check back when reaching a new rank. For instance, the closer you are to achieving Expert (75), the more of a chance that Expert rank spells will be available.
In addition to purchasing Destruction spells, you can also learn them by acquiring Spell Tome books scattered throughout the world. Most often, you’ll find Spell Tomes inside caves and dungeons.
Leveling Destruction Magic
Your Destruction level increases as you acquire more experience based on the total damage you have done to all enemies throughout your journey in Skyrim, in addition to the rank of the spells you cast.
Leveling up your Destruction skill only reduces the Magicka cost of using various spells, which lets you rely on the school more or completely in combat.
Boosts to Destruction magic damage are only achievable from Skill Perks, potions, and your gear.
Higher-rank spells cost more Magicka and deal more damage. However, this ratio is still more efficient than continuously spamming lower rank Magicka spells to conserve Magicka.
Destruction Magic Perks
The main line of Destruction magic perks includes Novice, Apprentice, Adept, Expert, and Master Destruction, which all reduce the Magicka cost of spells in each of the ranks by 50%. These are required for leveling Destruction and must be unlocked linearly.
Novice Destruction (Level 1 Destruction)
You can cast Novice level Destruction spells for half of the regular Magicka.
Destruction Dual Casting (Level 20 Destruction)
Dual casting is when you equip two copies of the same Destruction spell in each hand (weapon/shield slot). This perk improves the damage output of dual casting to overcharge the spell into something more powerful.
Apprentice Destruction (Level 25 Destruction)
You can cast Apprentice level Destruction spells for half of the regular Magicka.
Augmented Flames (Level 30 Destruction)
Fire spells deal 25% increased damage.
Augmented Frost (Level 30 Destruction)
Frost spells deal 25% increased damage.
Augmented Shock (Level 30 Destruction)
Shock spells deal 25% increased damage.
Impact (Level 40 Destruction)
Allows the staggering of enemies when dual casting various Destruction spells.
Rune Master (Level 40 Destruction)
You can place runes up to five times the normal distance from where you are standing.
Adept Destruction (Level 50 Destruction)
You can cast Adept level Destruction spells for half of the regular Magicka.
Intense Flames (Level 50 Destruction)
Fire damage makes targets flee when their health drops below 20%.
Augmented Flames Rank 2 (Level 60 Destruction)
Fire spells deal 50% increased damage.
Augmented Frost Rank 2 (Level 60 Destruction)
Frost spells deal 50% increased damage.
Augmented Shock Rank 2 (Level 60 Destruction)
Shock spells deal 50% increased damage.
Deep Freeze (Level 60 Destruction)
Frost spells paralyze targets when their health drops below 20%.
Disintegrate (Level 70 Destruction)
Shock spells disintegrate targets when their health drops below 15%.
Expert Destruction (Level 75 Destruction)
You can cast Expert level Destruction spells for half of the regular Magicka.
Master Destruction (Level 100 Destruction)
You can cast Master level Destruction spells for half of the regular Magicka.
List of Fire Spells
| Spell Name | Skill Level | Magicka | Description |
| Flames | Novice | 14/sec | A gout of fire inflicting a base damage of 8 points of fire damage per second. Targets on fire take extra damage. One of the two basic spells. |
| Firebolt | Apprentice | 41 | A bolt of fire that inflicts 25 points of fire damage. Targets on fire take extra damage. |
| Fire Rune | Apprentice | 234 | Cast on a nearby surface, it explodes for 50 points of damage when enemies come near. Affected targets take extra damage. |
| Fireball | Adept | 133 | A fireball which explodes on impact for 40 points of damage in a 15-foot radius. Targets on fire take extra damage. If the character has learned Augmented Flames 2/2, the radius of the fire explosion is increased by 5 and damage increases to 60 points. Does harm Followers, but not Dragonborn. |
| Flame Cloak | Adept | 289 | For 60 seconds, opponents in melee range take 8 points of damage per second. Targets on fire take extra damage. Does not harm Followers. Does harm neutral NPCs like town guards. |
| Incinerate | Expert | 298 | A blast of fire that does 60 (90) points of fire damage. Targets on fire take extra damage. |
| Wall of Flames | Expert | 118/sec | Sprayed on the ground, it creates a wall of fire that does 50 points of fire damage per second. Does not harm Followers or Dragonborn. |
| Fire Storm | Master | 1426 | A 100-point fiery explosion centered on the caster. The closer a target is, the more damage they take. |
List of Frost Spells
| Spell Name | Skill Level | Magicka | Description |
| Frostbite | Novice | 16/sec | A blast of cold inflicting a base damage of 8 points of frost damage per second to Health and Stamina. |
| Ice Spike | Apprentice | 48 | A spike of ice that inflicts 25 points of ice damage to Health and Stamina. |
| Frost Rune | Apprentice | 293 | Cast on a nearby surface, it explodes for 50 points of damage to Health and Stamina when enemies come near. Movement speed is reduced for affected targets. |
| Ice Storm | Adept | 144 | A freezing whirlwind that does 40 points of damage per second to Health and Stamina. The whirlwind radius is increased if the character has Augmented Frost 2/2. Spell range is smaller if cast with Destruction Dual Casting. Does harm Followers, but not Dragonborn. |
| Frost Cloak | Adept | 316 | For 60 seconds, opponents in melee range take 8 points of damage per second to Health and Stamina. Does not harm Followers. Does harm neutral NPCs like town guards. |
| Icy Spear | Expert | 320 | A spear of ice that does 60 (90) points of frost damage to Health and Stamina. |
| Wall of Frost | Expert | 137/sec | Sprayed on the ground, it creates a wall of frost that does 50 points of frost damage per second. Does not harm Followers or Dragonborn. |
| Blizzard | Master | 656 | Creates a blizzard that surrounds the caster. Targets take 20 point of frost damage every second for 10 seconds, plus stamina damage. |
List of Shock Spells
| Spell Name | Skill Level | Magicka | Description |
| Sparks | Novice | 19/sec | Lightning which inflicts a base damage of 8 points of shock damage per second to Health and Magicka. |
| Lightning Bolt | Apprentice | 51 | A bolt of lightning that inflicts 25 points of shock damage to Health and half as much to Magicka. |
| Lightning Rune | Apprentice | 323 | Cast on a nearby surface, it explodes for 50 points of damage to Health and half as much to Magicka when enemies come near. |
| Chain Lightning | Adept | 156 | A lighting bolt inflicting 40 points of damage to Health and half as much to Magicka, then leaps to a new target. If the character has learned Augmented Shock 2/2, the lightning jumps on one additional target and does 60 damage. Caution! Friendly-fire is possible. |
| Lightning Cloak | Adept | 370 | For 60 seconds, nearby opponents take 8 points of damage per second to Health and half as much to Magicka. Does not harm Followers. Does harm neutral NPCs like town guards. |
| Thunderbolt | Expert | 343 | A thunderbolt that does 60 (90) points of shock damage to Health and half that to Magicka. |
| Wall of Storms | Expert | 145/sec | Sprayed on the ground it creates a wall of lightning that does 50 points of shock damage per second. Does not harm Followers or Dragonborn. |
| Lightning Storm | Master | 138/sec | Fires a continuous stream of lightning. Target takes 75 points of shock damage per second to Health, and half that to Magicka. |
The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim is an open-world fantasy RPG from Bethesda Softworks, which was originally released on November 11, 2011. If you’re new or coming back to the game, here’s why we recommend investing in the Anniversary edition.