Skyrim: The 10 Best Skills For Warriors, Ranked

Saving the world as the Dragonborn is a lot to ask for someone who just wants to do some side quests or become a werewolf and maul some guards to death. It turns out the quickest way to save the world is by brandishing an ax to crush any enemies.

In short, the Dragonborn wants to be a warrior. They're straightforward, loud, and most of the time have bad literacy so they resort to weapons instead of spellbooks. Ax good. Fireball weak. That's just how it is. In the spirit of making the best warrior ever in Skyrim, here's which skills are absolutely essential.

Updated August 13, 2021 by Mark Hospodar: There's something heroic about playing the pure warrior in Skyrim. Slaying dragons the old-fashioned way, without fancy spells, appeals to many fans. Nevertheless, although the Nords may grumble, warriors can still make use of magic. Players who enjoy being prepared for every eventuality will undoubtedly find these skills useful. In a game where being great at literally everything is possible, why not take advantage? However gamers decide to play, just know there's more to spell casting than making oneself invisible. The ability to expand one's horizons is always present, even for walking tanks.

10 Conjuration

Well, this is ironic, isn't it? Spells are usually to be avoided as a warrior, but blame Skyrim for allowing such a free-form class system. It turns out, pulling awesome Daedric weapons out of thin air is a nifty skill to have.

No other skill tree in Skyrim other than Conjuration allows for that. Players will mostly want to focus on Bound Weapons, and the better someone is at Conjuration, the bigger the sticks. It's great if players want a more flexible warrior and don't want to lock themselves into a single weapon choice.

The Best Conjuration Spells & Perks For Warriors

Any warrior looking to peruse some Conjuration tomes would do well to keep an eye out for these spellbooks:

Bound Sword (Novice)
Bound Battleaxe (Apprentice)
Bound Bow (Adept)

There are also quite a few useful perks that can further augment the effectiveness of these summoned weapons:

Mystic Binding (Conjuration 20) – Bound weapons do more damage
Soul Stealer (Conjuration 30) – Bound weapons cast soul trap on target
Oblivion Binding (Conjuration 50) – Bound weapons will banish summoned creatures and turn raised ones

9 Enchanting

Again from the Mage discipline is a skill that lets players augment their weapons and thus increase damage output. After all, only thing better than a huge battle ax is a huge battle ax that steals souls or sets enemies on fire. Now, if players aren't satisfied with the offerings of the Daedric Artifacts, then they can make their own magic weapons.

In addition to that, Enchanting also allows players to make some rings or amulets that grant warrior skill bonuses such as unarmed, One-handed, or Heavy Armor. It doesn't have to be maxed out either, just improve it enough to be able to augment the Dragonborn's ax-for-brains lifestyle.

The Best Enchantments & Perks For Warriors

A high Enchanting skill has the potential to be extraordinarily powerful for warriors. When combined with the Conjuration skill, namely the Soul Trap spell, the Dragonborn can start applying some very useful buffs to their weapons and armor. Some of the best options include:

Absorb Health/Stamina/Magicka
Fire/Frost/Shock Damage
Paralyze
Fortify Light/Heavy Armor
Fortify One-Handed/Two-Handed
Fortify Healing/Stamina Regeneration

Some helpful Enchanting perks that warriors may also find useful include:

Soul Siphon (Enchanting 40) – Death blows to creatures trap 5% of their souls, recharging the weapon.
Insightful Enchanter (Enchanting 50) – Skill enchantments on armor are 25% stronger
Corpus Enchanter (Enchanting 70) – Health, Magicka, and Stamina enchantments on armor are 25% stronger
Extra Effect (Enchanting 100) – Put two enchantments on the same item

8 Restoration

Yes, it's another Mage tree, skill but this is the last one. Restoration is highly useful and tactical, especially if players keep relying on clunky potions during the heat of battle. Popping out light from the player's off-hand and self-healing is a cooler way to do it.

The Restoration skill tree is best only for one thing when it comes to warriors: enhancing their healing spells. Luckily, perks like that are cheap and are given readily without the need for further investment so this won't bother a player's warrior progression too much.

The Best Restoration Spells & Perks For Warriors

Even the Nords, Tamriel's preeminent warrior race, admit that Restoration magic is incredibly advantageous. Utilizing these healing spells at the right moment can mean the difference between life and death:

Healing (Novice)
Fast Healing (Apprentice)
Close Wounds (Adept)
Stendarr's Aura (Adept)

As always, perks can make healing spells even more beneficial to the warrior. These are handy to have when the right situation presents itself:

Regeneration (Restoration 20) – Healing spells cure 50% more
Respite (Restoration 40) – Healing spells also restore Stamina
Avoid Death (Restoration 90) – Once a day, heals 250 points automatically when player Health falls below 10%

7 Archery

Fighting from afar is also an accepted way of being a warrior; wizard hands are too feeble to draw bowstrings anyway. Archery, for that matter, is also a decent skill to have for warriors.

After all, dragons are unfair, and sometimes wimp out of fights by staying in the air. Too bad there are no spears in Skyrim so players have to make do with bows and arrows. Don't worry, drawing a bow and keeping a steady hand still works out the arms.

The Best Archery Perks For Warriors

Why wait to get up-close-and-personal with an enemy when players can first soften them up from a few meters away? Depending on the range, an experienced warrior can pull off a few shots from their bow before enemies close the distance. Great perk choices include:

Overdraw (Archery 0, 20, 40, 60, 80) – Bows do 20% more damage with each successive rank (5 ranks in total).
Eagle Eye (Archery 30) – Pressing block while aiming will zoom in your view
Power Shot (Archery 50) – Enemies staggered 50% of the time except for the largest ones
Bullseye (Archery 100) – 15% chance of paralyzing the target for several seconds

A good strategy to employ on the battlefield is to use the Bullseye perk and/or a Paralyze poison with the bow. Enemies hit are rendered defenseless and become easy pickings for your hefty ax or longsword.

6 Smithing

Speaking of working out the arms, Smithing is by far the best way to do that without having to kill someone in Skyrim. It's also one of the best skills to have if a player wants the best weapons and armor in the game.

The only caveat is that leveling Smithing to the point where it is possible to craft some Dragonbone armor is a grind. But when it comes down to it, warriors are not thieves; stop stealing weapons and armor and forge them instead, like a true fighter.

Tips & Tricks For The Smithing Skill

Warriors should never neglect Smithing, no matter how drawn-out the process can feel. A good strategy to improve the skill legitimately is to take the Dwarven Smithing perk as soon as possible. Make use of a follower, drain both inventories except for the bare essentials, and raid a Dwarven ruin.

Collect as much Dwarven junk as possible, such as Solid Dwemer Metal. Better yet, employ the Dremora Butler, courtesy of the Secret Servant power. He will gladly share some of the load as well. Read the Black Book: Untold Legends to acquire this ability. Convert the scrap into ingots and get crafting!

When it comes to the perk tree, nearly every perk is essential, as each one allows players to craft better and better gear.

5 Block

As tough and astronomical as a Nordic warrior's biceps might be, they open up too much to blades. Skincare in Skyrim is expensive, so having a shield is a must for warriors looking to preserve their arms' complexion.

In fact, it's not just for defense. Players can also use shields to bash an enemy in the face. Bonus points if players find a mod that allows them to dual-wield shields, because the best offense is a good defense. Probably.

The Best Perks For The Block Skill

Much like Restoration, proper use of the Block skill can prevent untimely deaths. These perks are essential for warriors looking to employ a shield in their travels:

Shield Wall (Block 0, 20, 40, 60, 80) – Blocking is 20% more effective with each successive rank (5 ranks in total)
Deflect Arrows (Block 30) – Arrows that hit the shield do no damage
Quick Reflexes (Block 30) – Time slows when blocking a power attack
Power Bash (Block 30) – Allows players to perform the Power Bash maneuver
Disarming Bash (Block 70) – 50% chance to disarm an opponent while Power Bashing

The ability to disarm a powerful enemy can prove doubly useful, as can interrupting power attacks. Removing options from an adversary's toolkit gives the player the advantage every time. If serious about using a shield, taking all the available perks isn't a bad idea.

4 Light Armor

These four remaining skills are the most important for any warrior. Light Armor, for instance, is perfect for the barbarian-types who think their skin can pass for armor due to how many callouses they have.

Light Armor is also great for those looking to maximize their movements as it has the least penalties in the game, especially early on. In addition to that, the Light Armor tree has a perk that gives more damage to players so it's perfect for those willing to sacrifice their personal safety for some enemy scars.

The Essential Light Armor Perks For Warriors

Selecting an armor type is usually a choice a player sticks with throughout their playthrough. Staying protected means staying alive. As such, these perks help make wearing Light Armor just as viable as the heavy variant:

Agile Defender (Light Armor 0, 20, 40, 60, 80) – 20% increase to armor rating with each successive rank (5 ranks in total)
Custom Fit (Light Armor 30) – 25% armor bonus if wearing all Light Armor
Matching Set (Light Armor 70) – Additional 25% armor bonus if wearing a matching set of Light Armor

Of course, players interested in being fully protected may want to consider taking all the perks in this particular tree.

3 One-Handed

It's up to the players what they want to pair with their armor, but for fast attacks and fast results without much collateral damage (like accidentally bludgeoning Lydia with Volendrung during a Draugr fight), then One-Handed weapons are ideal.

They're quick and stylish, particularly once players have obtained the Power Attack perk. As for which One-Handed weapon to pick, Swords have a clear advantage since they attack the fastest, and can therefore produce more results if the weapon is enchanted.

The Essential One-Handed Perks For Warriors

When used in conjunction with the Shield skill, the One-Handed warrior can be a fearsome presence on the battlefield. Since it's likely one of the main offensive skills a player will bring to the battlefield, snagging these perks is a must:

Armsman (One-Handed 0, 20, 40, 60, 80) – One-Handed weapons do 20% more damage with each successive rank (5 ranks in total)
Fighting Stance (One-Handed 20) – Power attacks with One-Handed weapons cost 25% less Stamina
Hack & Slash/Bone Breaker/Bladesman (One-Handed 30, 60, 90) – These perks increase the effectiveness of the war ax, mace, and sword respectively, and feature three ranks each. Invest in whichever you prefer.
Savage Strike (One-Handed 50) – Standing power attacks inflict 25% bonus damage with a chance of decapitation

2 Two-Handed

The best pairing with Light Armor has to be Two-Handed weapons, which have the highest damage output among all the weapons per attack. Couple that with the Stamina bonus from Light Armor, and the Dragonborn will be swinging for days like John Henry.

As for which Two-Handed weapon class to commit to, that's up to the players as all of them do roughly the same damage. Greatswords, however, have the advantage of being faster, making evasions easier and missed attacks less taxing.

The Essential Two-Handed Perks For Warriors

Players who prefer Two-Handed weaponry can make use of some bone-shattering perks as well. Grab these at one's earliest convenience:

Barbarian (Two-Handed 0, 20, 40, 60, 80) – Two-Handed weapons do 20% more damage with each successive rank (5 ranks in total)
Champion's Stance (Two-Handed 20) – Power attacks with Two-Handed weapons cost 25% less Stamina
Limbsplitter/Deep Wounds/Skull Crusher (Two-Handed 30, 60, 90) – These perks increase the effectiveness of the battle ax, great sword, and warhammer respectively. Each has 3 ranks, which further increase power.
Devastating Blow (Two-Handed 50) – Standing power attacks inflict 25% bonus damage with a chance of decapitation

Both One-Handed and Two-Handed weapons fit hand-in-glove with the Smithing and Enchanting skills. Invest the time in crafting and enchanting your own weaponry. Doing so will result in some truly impressive hardware.

1 Heavy Armor

Then again, one can't go wrong by following up Two-Handed with Heavy Armor. It's by far the best way to look like a capable fighter in Skyrim. When it comes to being protected and taking on multiple opponents frequently, Heavy Armor is better than Light Armor.

In addition to that, Heavy Armor also gives an anti-stagger bonus so players can keep attacking even as enemies interrupt them. With that kind of stability, Heavy Armor also pairs well with One-Handed weapons. Plus they're the most stylish attire in Skyrim.

The Essential Light Armor Perks For Warriors

Similar to Light Armor, taking these perks for the Heavy Armor skill will make the player much more durable. The heaviest armors, Daedric, Stalhrim, and Dragonplate, can make the Dragonborn nearly indestructible. Essential perks include:

Juggernaut (Heavy Armor 0, 20, 40, 60, 80) – Increases armor rating for Heavy Armor by 20% with each successive rank (5 ranks in total)
Well Fitted (Heavy Armor 30) – 25% armor bonus if wearing all Heavy Armor
Tower of Strength (Heavy Armor 50) – 50% less stagger when wearing Heavy Armor
Matching Set (Heavy Armor 70) – Additional 25% armor bonus if wearing a matching set of Heavy Armor

NEXT: Skyrim: Best Wives For A Pure Rogue

Original Article

Spread the love

14 August 2021

0 222 9 minutes read