Skyrim Anniversary Edition: The 13 Best New Spells and Abilities (2024)

Skyrim Anniversary Edition introduces such a huge variety of changes to the game that it practically warrants being called an expansion rather than an upgrade. Among these new additions are several new spells that give Skyrim mages plenty of new tricks to try out.

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Some new spells, like Orum's Aquatic Escape, grant niche effects that won't do much in combat. Other Skyrim Anniversary Edition new spells, like Conjure Bone Colossus and Paralysis Rune, are incredibly powerful and sure to change the way a new player builds their Mage.

Updated January 13, 2022 by Erik Petrovich: Skyrim Anniversary Edition has been out for a few months now, giving players plenty of time to try out the vast number of new spells and Magickal abilities the upgraded version of Skyrim has to offer. New spells are added to each school of magic, but the school that seems to have received the most love is Conjuration. While Arcane Accessories and the Necromancer's Grimoire certainly add a lot of new summons and minions, other creations (like The Cause) include additional spells not included in these spell-oriented creations. The Summon Ayleid Lich spell, for example, is only acquirable during this late-game questline – but it's not the only useful Conjuration spell added to the game.

Pride of Hirstaang

Skyrim Anniversary Edition: The 13 Best New Spells and Abilities (1)
  • Cost: 287 Magicka
  • School: Conjuration
  • Level: Expert

The Conjuration spell Pride of Hirstaang is added with the Arcane Accessories creation alongside many other Skyrim Anniversary Edition new spells. An Expert-level spell, it lets players summon a hardy Bear for 60 seconds while also providing two additional buffs for the duration.

Pride of Hirstaang is named after the Hirstaang Forest in southern Solstheim (which can be visited in Morrowind's Bloodmoon DLC) and as such grants its user 50% Frost Resistance for 60 seconds. Add on a 50% faster Healing Rate for the duration, and Pride of Hirstaang becomes one of the most useful Battlemage spells in the game (at least at Expert level).

Necromancer's Ritual

Skyrim Anniversary Edition: The 13 Best New Spells and Abilities (2)
  • Cost: 123 Magicka
  • School: Conjuration
  • Level: Adept

The spell Necromancer's Ritual is added by the Necromantic Grimoire creation, which adds a huge number of new summons that go well beyond simple skeletons and zombies. This Adept Conjuration spell doesn't summon anything, though – for two minutes, when a minion or summon dies, the player regenerates 30 Health and Magicka.

While this doesn't seem like a lot, it lets players summon weaker minions to fight for them to more regularly trigger the resource recovery. It also procs with the spell Soul Split, which sacrifices a minion to create two weaker ones, thereby tripling the number of times the effect can occur on just one minion. Use this alongside the Dual Summon perk to increase the times it procs even more.

Conjure Ayleid Lich

  • Cost: 358 Magicka
  • School: Conjuration
  • Level: Expert

Conjure Ayleid Lich is one of the few new spells Skyrim gains from The Cause, which explores the events after the Oblivion Crisis. As such, the mod makes a lot of references to Oblivion, and the Ayleid Lich is one such callback. With this Expert-level Conjuration spell, players can summon an ancient Wild Elf sorcerer to fight by their side for 60 Seconds.

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Being able to control Daedra, summon its own Storm Atronach, use Greater Ward and Ebonyflesh, and an assortment of high-level Destruction spells makes the Ayleid Lich a powerful ally. While there isn't a Master-level Thrall version to keep the Lich around forever, it tends to survive for its entire summoned duration.

Conjure Bone Colossus

Skyrim Anniversary Edition: The 13 Best New Spells and Abilities (4)
  • Cost: 1104 Magicka
  • School: Conjuration
  • Level: Master

Conjure Bone Colossus is a spell first introduced in the Necromantic Grimoire creation. This creation boasts vast improvements to Necromancy (and Conjuring in general), and the Conjure Bone Colossus spell is a prime example of the newfound abilities available to powerful Necromancers

As the name suggests, Conjure Bone Colossus summons a gigantic skeletal amalgamation to fight by your side.The Necromantic Grimoire also adds the ability to summon a variety of Skeletal minions, but all pale in comparison to the mighty Bone Colossus bruiser.

Elemental Flare (And Its Higher-Level Versions)

Skyrim Anniversary Edition: The 13 Best New Spells and Abilities (5)
  • Cost: 45 Magicka
  • School: Destruction
  • Level: Novice

Elemental Flare is a Novice-level Destruction spell that deals two types of elemental damage that affect an enemy's Stamina and Magicka. Elemental Flare deals 15 points of Fire and Shock damage each for a total of 30 damage, with half that damage being dealt to Magicka and Stamina to enemies in its wide area of effect.

There are three other versions of this effect included in the Arcane Accessories pack, being Elemental Bolt, Elemental Burst and Elemental Blast. Elemental Bolt is an Apprentice spell, Elemental Burst is an Adept spell, and Elemental Blast is an Expert spell, each one dealing more damage than the previous tier. They are some of the most powerful Skyrim new spells thanks to their large area of effect and low mana cost.

Unbounded Flames/Freezing/Storms

Skyrim Anniversary Edition: The 13 Best New Spells and Abilities (6)
  • Cost: 118 Magicka (Flames), 89 Magicka (Freezing), 69 Magicka (Storms)
  • School: Destruction
  • Level: Master

Unbounded Flames, Unbounded Freezing, and Unbounded Storms are three powerful Expert-level Destruction spells with wildly different effects (though each one is incredibly powerful in its own right). These spells can only be bought once the player has hit Destruction 100 and completes the "Destruction Ritual Spell" quest to unlock higher-level spells.

Unbounded Flames creates a stream of fireballs that create a huge wall of fire that lingers and deals damage. Unbounded Freezing knocks down every enemy in melee range and deals huge damage to Health and Stamina, freezing enemies if maintained. Unbounded Storms deals huge Shock damage per second to melee attackers and randomly strikes all nearby NPCs with lightning bolts.

Conjure Golden Saint...

Skyrim Anniversary Edition: The 13 Best New Spells and Abilities (7)
  • Cost: 75 Magicka (both Warrior and Archer)
  • School: Conjuration
  • Level: Adept

The Golden Saints of Sheogorath's personal plane of Oblivion, the Shivering Isles, are iconic and stalwart guards of Mania. They are powerful spellcasters and, of course, golden in appearance - from their head to their toes and everything in between. The Summon Golden Saint spell is one of two new spells in Skyrim Anniversary Edition that calls back to this DLC.

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The Saints and Seducers creation brings another Sheogorath-centered questline to Skyrim, alongside a variety of new weapons, armor, spells, and other items. Golden Saints aren't the only guardians of the Shivering Isles, however.

...And Conjure Dark Seducer

Skyrim Anniversary Edition: The 13 Best New Spells and Abilities (8)
  • Cost: 75 Magicka (both Warrior and Archer)
  • School: Conjuration
  • Level: Adept

If golden warrior-spellcasters isn't exactly your "thing", consider learning the Conjure Dark Seducer spell instead. While Golden Saints guard Mania, Dark Seducers guard Dementia. The two groups are constantly fighting over Sheogorath's favor, though they serve similar purposes.

The differences between the Dark Seducer and the Golden Saint are mostly aesthetic, and though they are both able to attack with weapons and cast spells, Dark Seducers tend to favor melee combat while Golden Saints favor spellcasting.

Fenrik's Welcome

Skyrim Anniversary Edition: The 13 Best New Spells and Abilities (9)
  • Cost: 116 Magicka
  • School: Illusion
  • Level: Expert

Fenrik's Welcome is a spell included in the Arcane Accessories pack for Skyrim Anniversary Edition, and it's not a spell one finds themself using in combat. Its effect is to turn the caster invisible for five seconds and enable them to unlock any Expert-level lock or below.

It's the perfect spell to learn in a Stealth build, though its effect helps players who haven't improved their lockpicking abilities too. Fenrik's Welcome is an Expert-level Illusion spell, though, so thieves might want to level up their Magicka skills a fair bit before being able to use this.

Paralysis Rune

Skyrim Anniversary Edition: The 13 Best New Spells and Abilities (10)
  • Cost: 172 Magicka
  • School: Alteration
  • Level: Adept

Runes in Skyrim are not used as often as more direct spells, mostly because one can't be too sure of where their enemy's pathfinding AI will take them. The Paralysis Rune doesn't change pathfinding programming, but it serves as a much more useful Rune than just about any other in the game.

As the name suggests, the Paralysis Rune paralyzes enemies who walk on top of the spot where the caster placed it. As an Adept-level Alteration spell, Paralysis Rune immobilizes enemies for an entire eight seconds, plenty of time to get a few huge hits in.

Choking Grasp (And Its Higher-Level Versions)

Skyrim Anniversary Edition: The 13 Best New Spells and Abilities (11)
  • Cost: 39
  • School: Destruction
  • Level: Novice

Choking Grasp is a new Novice-level Destruction spell included with the Arcane Accessories creation that gives players the ability to absorb health. It's not too expensive a spell, either, at a meager base cost of 39 Magicka. It has three higher-level versions, each of which improves the health absorption rate.

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Strangulation is an Apprentice-level spell that deals and heals 16 damage, Hangman's Noose is an Adept spell that does 26 damage, and Touch of Death is an Expert spell that deals and heals a whopping 40 damage on impact. These new spells Skyrim has give non-vampire players direct Health Absorb effects to try out without getting bitten.

Summoning Skeletons

Skyrim Anniversary Edition: The 13 Best New Spells and Abilities (12)

In addition to granting players the ability to summon the Bone Colossus, the Necromantic Grimoire mod adds a variety of Conjuration spells revolving around summoning a skeletal army. Archer, Fighter, and Mage Skeletons can now be brought back from the dead, rather than just the one-hit-to-kill Skeleton summons.

The Necromantic Grimoire mod adds lots of other things that Necromancers can make great use of, like a new set of Necromancer Robes that improve on the base game's version. Improvements to Skeleton summons are always welcomed by Conjurer-types.

Orum's Aquatic Escape

Skyrim Anniversary Edition: The 13 Best New Spells and Abilities (13)
  • Cost: 165 Magicka
  • School: Illusion
  • Level: Adept

Orum's Aquatic Escape, like Fenrik's Welcome, is not a spell that deals damage – as the name suggests, it provides an escape. This Adept-level Illusion spell grants the player invisibility, water breathing, and improved night vision for a total of 15 seconds.

It's a great spell for getting past enemies in a dungeon without being heard, especially in dark areas. It's even better for getting away from an unwinnable combat situation, as its invisibility and water breathing effects give players plenty of ways to get away before the enemy can process what happened.

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Skyrim Anniversary Edition: The 13 Best New Spells and Abilities (2024)

FAQs

What is the most overpowered spell in Skyrim? ›

Fury has the potential to be one of the most broken spells in Skyrim if the player uses it right. It sends the target into a berserk state, causing them to attack anyone in the nearby vicinity.

How do you get the most powerful spells in Skyrim? ›

You can buy all Spells in Skyrim from the College of Winterhold, but the Master Spells must have quests completed to earn them! Once you reach Level 90 in each Magic Skill, you can talk to one of the Experts at the College of Winterhold to start a Quest for the Master Magic Spell from each college of Magic.

What is the most powerful thing you can conjure in Skyrim? ›

Finally, the two Master-level spells, Conjure Ancient Deathpriest and Conjure Ayleid Lich, are by far the best spells Conjuration has to offer. Both of these legendary beings wield powerful Destruction magic and can also raise the dead to fight for them.

How do I make my spells more powerful in Skyrim? ›

Effects that increase spell potency are rarer and for the most part only obtainable through potions. 'Dual casting', i.e. equipping and casting a spell with both hands, increases the Magicka cost of the spell but also produces a stronger effect (damage and/or duration, depending on the spell).

What is the strongest word of power in Skyrim? ›

  • The best shout in Skyrim is definitely Soul Tear.
  • This shout is only available with the Dawnguard DLC, and it's quite unique as to how you obtain it.
  • First, you must complete the quest Soul Cairn. There the dragon Durneviir will teach you the shout Summon Durneviir. ...
  • Why is it so good?
  • * It deals 300 damage to an enemy.
Sep 15, 2020

What is the strongest magic element in Skyrim? ›

Augmented Flames is a perk that grants extra damage while using fire magic and weapons with flame-based enchantments. Fire magic is the strongest type of destruction magic in Skyrim since it deals extra burning damage after you hit an enemy with a fire attack.

What is the most powerful restoration spell in Skyrim? ›

Close Wounds may be the most efficient healing spell in terms of Magicka cost, but Grand Healing is the most powerful by far. It heals the caster and every ally within 15 feet by 200 points - or 300 with the Regeneration perk.

Who sells the most powerful destruction spells in Skyrim? ›

Faralda is the Expert of Destruction magic in the College of Winterhold. She will sell you spells and train you in Destruction Magic all the way to Expert. When you reach Master level, you can start the Master Destruction Quest to earn Fire Storm. After that, you can buy Blizzard and Lightning Storm off her.

What is the hardest thing to fight in Skyrim? ›

2 Karstaag

These attacks also slow the player to prevent players from kiting the boss. He even spawns wraiths during the fight that draw a player's attention away from Karstaag. In terms of non-leveled encounters, Karstaag is by far the toughest encounter in the entire game.

How do you get powerful spells in Skyrim? ›

The mages college and the court wizards will sell the most powerful spells, but you need to be at a certain level with your skills in order for the books to even appear on the list of stuff to buy.

What is the god mode spell in Skyrim? ›

tgm - God mode: Full invincibility, infinite stamina and magicka. tim - Immortal mode: Similar to God mode, you can take damage but can't be killed. tcl - No-clip mode: Walk through walls, fly. showracemenu - Access the character creator to change appearance (this will reset your level and skill progress).

What is the strongest alteration spell in Skyrim? ›

Alteration spells come in handy in a variety of situations, so players interested in using this school should be aware of the best of them.
  • 8 Telekinesis. ...
  • 7 Detect Dead. ...
  • 6 Detect Life. ...
  • 5 Ebonyflesh. ...
  • 4 Paralysis Rune. ...
  • 3 Paralyze. ...
  • 2 Mass Paralysis. ...
  • 1 Dragonhide.
Apr 19, 2023

What magic does the most damage Skyrim? ›

The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim

The strongest you can have destruction is shock spells with the disintegration perk. it effectively removes 15% of every enemy's HP. But that's just on Vanilla Skyrim.

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