Skyrim: Best Destruction Spells, Ranked

Highlights

• Destruction spells in Skyrim are powerful, with different elements offering unique effects like damage over time or lines of fireballs.
• Magic builds are versatile, especially for players who want to focus on destruction spells for combat and crowd control techniques.
• Players should experiment with different spells like Fire Storm and Ice Spear to inflict massive damage on enemies or control the battlefield with AoE effects.

Combat is pretty consistent in The Elder Scrolls 5: Skyrim. Different builds have their strengths and weaknesses, but pretty much everyone can agree that the most diverse and adaptable playstyle is a magic build. Each type of magic holds a special niche, with spells focused on healing, summoning, defense, or attack. The most consistent damage-dealing spells in the game are Skyrim‘s Destruction spells, which are rather tame early on before turning into something truly impressive that can sweep most enemies off their feet in no time at all.

While some mods add a plethora of new spells to the game, the base game has enough spells for any play style. Each element has its place, with fire dealing extra damage over time, frost draining stamina, and shock destroying enemy Magicka. However, contrary to popular belief, the most powerful Skyrim Destruction spells aren’t all higher mastery levels, and some of the most useful ones can be cast right out of the gate. Players who have played as stealth archers too many times in this game will certainly enjoy embarking down a path of pure and utter destruction as they use the best Destruction spells in Skyrim.

Updated on July 23, 2024, by Ritwik Mitra: Skyrim’s wealth of play styles makes it one of the best RPGs players can revisit over and over again to have a great time. The endless stream of content coupled with immense mod support ensures that every iteration of the player’s Dragonborn will feel unique. One of the best ways to spice up a person’s playthrough is to use the best destruction spells in Skyrim to incinerate, freeze, and shock enemies to death. This build can be hard to pursue in the early game, but players who make it a point to stick to their spells will become wielders of death and destruction in no time..

32 Fire Rune

A Fiery Trap That Players Can Set Up For Fun Results

• Requirements: Apprentice Destruction magic unlocked
• Cost: 234 Magicka
• Effect: A trap that hits for 50 Fire Damage when triggered by an enemy

It’s easy to see why some people would scoff at the thought of setting up magical traps to deal with their enemies when it’s just easier and more convenient to deal damage from the shadows. However, doing so would prevent players from making the most of Fire Rune, one of the best Destruction spells in Skyrim that players can use to turn the tide of battle against their opponents and punish those who are overzealous and try to charge the Dragonborn.

The 50 points of fire damage can be deadly for opponents out of their depth. However, one major reason why players don’t use this spell all that often is the ridculously high Magicka requirement, which can prove to be a major pain for low-level builds who don’t have too much of this resource to spare. Players who are forced to wait for ages before placing another Fire Rune would likely prefer to just use regular direct spells instead.

31 Firebolt

A Fire Missile That Burns The Target

• Requirements: Apprentice Destruction magic unlocked
• Cost: 41 Magicka
• Effect: Deals 25 Fire damage

Sometimes, the simplest spells are the ones that end up being the most effective. This is the case with Firebolt, a powerful Destruction magic in Skyrim that does a great job of burning enemies to a crisp. In the right hands, even something as simple as Firebolt can be an efficient way to demolish the Dragonborn’s opponents.

High-level enemies can take way too many shots from this spell to make it viable in such encounters, but players who are dealing with foes well below their pay grade will love what the Firebolt spell brings to the table. It can be unlocked early and can become a mainstay of the Dragonborn’s arsenal in no time.

30 Ice Spike

An Iconic Spell That Damages Both Health And Stamina

• Requirements: Apprentice Destruction magic unlocked
• Cost: 48 Magicka
• Effect: Deals 25 Frost Damage to Health and Stamina

To this day, there’s something hilarious about watching an enemy functioning like normal with a massive Ice Spike in their abdomen. The novelty of this spell coupled with its iconic imagery is why so many people continue to remember this spell fondly even now.

Sure, it may not be the most effective Frost damage dealer in the game, but it’s great at lower levels when players don’t have a lot of Magicka to spare. Impaling enemies with multiple ice spikes makes for a rather cool image that players won’t forget anytime soon.

29 Lightning Bolt

A Quick, Easy-To-Cast Spell That Shocks Enemies

• Requirements: Apprentice Destruction magic unlocked
• Cost: 51 Magicka
• Effect: Deals 25 Shock Damage to Health and half of that to Magicka

There’s something oddly satisfying about unleashing a torrent of lightning magic at a steady rate and watching an enemy’s health bar fall. While Lightning Bolt may not seem like the most effective spell the Dragonborn can use, players need only level up their Destruction a bit to witness the true power of this magical technique.

It shaves off an enemy’s health and Magicka at a steady rate, making it perfect to tackle any enemy that uses magic in battle. Until players unlock bigger and better spells, the Lightning Bolt will be a trusted and loyal servant, especially during the early game.

28 Elemental Bolt

Combines Fire And Shock Damage

• Requirements: Apprentice Destruction magic unlocked
• Cost: 62 Magicka
• Effect: Deal 20 Fire & Shock damage while also depleting the target’s Stamina

While some players may love to stick to one element when spamming spells in Skyrim, there are times when the Dragonborn will see great results by combining elements and overwhelming their opponents. This is where the Elemental Bolt spell comes into the picture and does a great job of showing the Dragonborn’s foes who’s boss.

Elemental Bolt combines both Fire and Shock damage for a deadly package that makes it one of the most underrated and best Destruction magic in Skyrim. Once players have the Magicka pool required to spam this spell, most enemies will be toast in no time.

27 Freeze

Stops Enemies In Their Tracks

• Requirements: Ahzidal’s Ring of Arcana equipped
• Cost: 30 Magicka
• Effect: Deals 20 Frost Damage to Health & Stamina and slows down the target for 15 seconds

No matter what video game players check out, there’s something oddly satisfying about freezing an enemy in their tracks if the playable character has access to Frost magic. In Skyrim, this can be enjoyed relatively soon if players manage to get their hands on Ahzidal’s Ring of Arcana.

It gives players access to both Ignite and Freeze, with the latter being perfect for slowing enemies down and potentially stopping them in their tracks. If the Dragonborn is lucky enough, they can potentially dispose of an enemy in a truly humiliating manner with this spell.

26 Elemental Flare

Extremely Broken And Incredibly Cheap

• Requirements: No rank requirements, Arcane Accessories Creation Club kit downloaded
• Cost: 45 Magicka
• Effect: Deals 15 Fire Damage, 15 Shock Damage, and 15 Damage to Stamina in an area of effect

Elemental Flare is extremely cheap to cast with devastatingly powerful effects. Elemental Flare deals 15 Fire Damage and 15 Shock Damage at the same time for only 45 mana – almost four times the amount of damage as the Flames spell in a single bolt.

It has an area of effect, too, meaning that a mage can cast this over and over again into a group of enemies and hit each for near-full damage, even if they aren’t hit directly. It’s one of the most powerful Skyrim Destruction spells, but Elemental Flare and its upgraded versions are only available with the Arcane Accessories pack, included with Skyrim Anniversary Edition.

25 Choking Grasp

Steal Health From Enemies

• Requirements: No rank requirements, Arcane Accessories Creation Club kit downloaded
• Cost: 39 Magicka
• Effect: Absorbs 8 Health per second for 3 seconds, for a total of 24 Health absorbed

Choking Grasp is a powerful Novice spell with three stronger versions at higher Destruction levels. This spell absorbs health from a target at a rate of 8 health per second over three seconds, which adds up to 24 health absorbed in total with each cast. It only costs 39 Magicka to cast, too, making it a cheap source of regeneration.

Choking Grasp and its higher-level versions are part of the Arcane Accessories pack, which vastly expands the number of Skyrim Destruction spells. This spell allows non-vampires to absorb health from their enemies with a spell rather than a vampiric power and is available right from the get-go.

24 Unbounded Flames, Freezing, And Storms

True Master-Level Power

• Requirements: Master Destruction unlocked, Arcane Accessories Creation Club kit downloaded
• Cost: Flames costs 118 Magicka per second, Freezing costs 89 Magicka per second, and Storms costs 69 Magicka per second
• Flames Effect: Casts a line of fireballs at the target dealing 50 Fire Damage per second and leaves foes burned
• Freezing Effect: 50 Frost Damage per second to nearby attackers, knocks down nearby enemies, too
• Storms Effect: Short-range 40 Shock Damage and 20 Magicka damage, can summon random Lightning to hit enemies, too

The three master-level Destruction spells included in the base version of Skyrim are a bit underwhelming. Fire Storm, Blizzard, and Lightning Storm are powerful, but the delayed cast time means they aren’t as effective as simply dual-casting a lower-tier spell. The Arcane Accessories pack rectifies this by adding three additional Master-level Destruction spells worthy of the rank.

Unbounded Flames, Unbounded Freezing, and Unbounded Storms are concentration-based spells that deal incredible amounts of damage to enemies despite the wind-up. Unbounded Freezing acts as an extremely strong Frost Cloak, dealing 50 damage per second to nearby enemies, while Unbounded Flames and Storms are cast in a stream of fireballs or lightning, respectively.

23 Hangman’s Noose

A Great Spell To Absorb A Target’s Health

• Requirements: Adept Destruction magic unlocked, Arcane Accessories Creation Club kit downloaded
• Cost: 143 Magicka
• Effect: Absorb 26 Health for 3 seconds

One of the best Destruction spells in Skyrim that players can use to turn the tide of battle in any conflict is one that damages enemies and helps the Dragonborn regain health at the same time. After all, mages tend to be rather fragile in combat, so any spell that helps the Dragonborn restore their vitality is a useful one. With such spells, both offensive and healing options can be combined for a superb strategy.

Hangman’s Noose is one of the many powerful spells players can acquire via the Creation Club. The benefits of this spell are quite palpable, with the amount of health absorbed being pretty massive. The fact that this effect lasts for three seconds is also something that needs to be highlighted.

22 Mara’s Wrath

Turn Undead And Set Them Ablaze

• Requirements: Expert Destruction magic unlocked, Arcane Accessories Creation Club kit downloaded
• Cost: 329 Magicka
• Effect: Deals Flame damage in melee range, turns undead, and grants immunity to freezing water

One of the most powerful spells given to players via the Bethesda Creation Club is Mara’s Wrath. It deals 16 Fire damage to melee opponents, forces the Undead to run for 30 seconds, and allows the player to swim care-free in normally damaging water.

It’s an Expert-level Destruction spell that can quickly change the tide of an overwhelming battle, especially if the mage is surrounded by draugr or skeletons. The Arcane Accessories Creation Club kit is priced at 100 CC credits, though, so players should be sure to stock up and install this pack before starting up the game.

21 Elemental Burst

A Powerful Multi-Elemental Projectile

• Requirements: Adept Destruction magic unlocked, Arcane Accessories Creation Club kit downloaded
• Cost: 96 Magicka
• Effect: Unleashes a projectile that deals 30 points of magic damage and 15 points of stamina damage; targets also receive a burning effect that deals 6 magic damage and 3 stamina damage for 2 seconds

Any spell that stacks multiple forms of elemental damage is something that needs to be pointed out and admired for how useful it can be. Such is the case with Elemental Burst, an excellent spell that players can access once they become Adept in the use of Destruction magic.

This spell is so powerful because it was added via one of the many packs players can download from the Arcane Accessories Creation Club pack. The projectile hits like a truck and has an even stronger variant players can use if they want to completely obliterate their opponents from a distance without expending too much effort.

20 Touch Of Death

Essentially Just Better Vampirism

• Requirements: Expert Destruction magic unlocked, Arcane Accessories Creation Club kit downloaded
• Cost: 316 Magicka
• Effect: Steals 40 health per second for 4 seconds (160 total health absorbed)

Similar to Mara’s Wrath, the Touch of Death spell is only accessible through the Arcane Accessories Creation Club pack, which costs 100 CC credits. Touch of Death is a close-to-mid-range spell that turns enemy health into personal healing.

It’s an expert-level spell, so players should be prepared to spend a lot of time developing the Destruction tree before picking it up. It’s the most powerful absorb-type Destruction spell in Skyrim, though, and well worth a try for any mage looking to enhance their survivability.

19 Ignite

Low Tier But Effective

• Requirements: Apprentice Destruction magic unlocked
• Cost: 30 Magicka
• Effect: Sets target on fire for 4 damage per second over 15 seconds (60 damage)

The over-time damage from fire is one of the most consistent forms of damage in Skyrim. For a low cost, the Ignite spell sends out a blast of flame to set targets on fire. With a one-time cost of 30 Magicka, this spell pays dividends as gamers can set enemies ablaze and then switch to other better spells for big damage while the fire does its work.

Overall, this spell isn’t the most powerful of the Skyrim Destruction spells, but it’s a useful tool for any enterprising practitioner. Players who switch around spells quickly and want their attacks to be diverse and enjoyable to use should keep Ignite handy.

18 Flames

A Mage’s First Taste Of Fire

• Requirements: None
• Cost: 14 Magicka per second (channeled)
• Effect: Sets target on fire, deals an additional 8 damage per second while casting

Flames is the first spell any Destruction mage has and should be using. With solid damage and the ability to set enemies on fire to deal increasing damage over time, this is the Destruction spell any early player should certainly be using. It’s very useful for crowds of enemies at higher levels as well, as the spell functions through concentration.

Holding down the cast with one hand creates a steady stream of flames to pour over unsuspecting melee enemies, whittling away their health and sending them to Sovngarde.

17 Fireball

A Massive Fiery Blast

• Requirements: Adept Destruction magic unlocked
• Cost: 133 Magicka
• Effect: An AoE fire explosion that deals extra damage to enemies already set on fire

The Fireball spell is pretty self-explanatory — it allows players to unleash a powerful AoE attack that hits like a truck and causes damage to multiple enemies if the user places it correctly. Dual casting this spell allows the Dragonborn to overcharge this attack to make it even more effective in battle.

The best part about this spell is that it deals extra damage to an enemy who is already set on fire, humiliating them even more. It’s a really fun spell that players can whip out in combat at a moment’s notice to take out a group of enemies in no time at all. With enough Magicka, players can burn their enemies to a crisp and look incredibly cool while doing so.

16 Elemental Blast

Toughest Variant Of This Unique Projectile Spell

• Requirements: Expert Destruction magic unlocked, Arcane Accessories Creation Club kit downloaded
• Cost: 144 Magicka
• Effect: Unleashes a projectile that deals 40 points of magic damage and 20 points of stamina damage; targets also receive a burning effect that deals 8 magic damage and 4 stamina damage for 2 seconds

The most powerful multi-elemental projectile spell players can obtain from the Arcane Accessories Creation Club content is Elemental Blast, which hits for both health and stamina damage. Not only is this a great way to take out opponents, but it also reduces the threat they pose by ensuring that they can’t unleash powerful attacks over and over.

The added benefit of this spell being ranged is that players don’t have to struggle too much to fight against certain enemies. They can simply pick their shots from a distance and turn most enemies into mincemeat in no time.

15 Chain Lightning

An Entertaining And Shocking Spell

• Requirements: Expert Destruction magic unlocked
• Cost: 145 Magicka
• Effect: AoE spell that deals 50 Shock damage to enemies standing in the Wall

Reaching the Adept level in the Destruction spell tree opens up a whole new avenue of possibilities when it comes to casting magic in the game. One of the very best spells in this regard that players can use to decimate their enemies is Chain Lightning.

This spell targets one enemy and depletes both their health and Magicka before moving on to the next target. It’s a simple yet fun Destruction spell to use, although players should be forewarned that it can target friendly targets as well.

14 Ice Storm

A Frosty AoE Attack

• Requirements: Adept Destruction magic unlocked
• Cost: 144 Magicka
• Effect: Conjures an icy whirlwind that does 40 points of damage to health and stamina

Ice Storm is a great spell that players can use to chill a group of enemies to their very core. It summons a whirlwind that causes 40 points of damage every second to both health and stamina.

Any enemy caught in the grasp of this attack will be sent to an early grave sooner rather than later. It helps that this move exhausts enemies as well, meaning that they can’t counterattack with any powerful physical attack of their own.

13 Lightning Cloak

Shocking Overzealous Enemies

• Requirements: Adept Destruction magic unlocked
• Cost: 370 Magicka
• Effect: Cloaks the Dragonborn in a protective layer of electricity

The three elements in Skyrim are all mostly identical with a few differences here and there. Fire attacks cause pure health damage, while the ice element leads to players losing both their health and stamina. Finally, any lightning attack deals damage to both health and magicka, making it perfect to use against opponents who love wielding a wealth of spells in battle.

The Lightning Cloak is a powerful spell that players can use to punish any enemy who gets too careless while attacking the Dragonborn. It depletes an attacker’s health and Magicka whenever they get too overzealous in battle.