Skyrim Destruction perks
Fire, frost and shock spells that damage enemies. Destruction is a mage skill with 14 perks and 17 perk ranks.
- Perks
- 14 perks, 17 perk points to complete
- Skill type
- Mage (Magic)
- Race bonus
- Dark Elf +10; High Elf, Imperial, Redguard +5
- XP 15 → 100
- 528,804 skill XP
- Training 15 → 90
- 120,450 gold (75 sessions)
Destruction perk tree
| Perk | Rank | Skill | Requires | Effect |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Novice Destruction | — | 0 | — | Novice Destruction spells cost half as much magicka |
| Destruction Dual Casting | — | 20 | Novice Destruction | Dual casting overcharges Destruction spells |
| Apprentice Destruction | — | 25 | Novice Destruction | Apprentice Destruction spells cost half as much magicka |
| Augmented Flames | 1/2 | 30 | Novice Destruction | Fire spells do 25% more damage |
| 2/2 | 60 | Augmented Flames 1 | Fire spells do 50% more damage | |
| Augmented Frost | 1/2 | 30 | Novice Destruction | Frost spells do 25% more damage |
| 2/2 | 60 | Augmented Frost 1 | Frost spells do 50% more damage | |
| Augmented Shock | 1/2 | 30 | Novice Destruction | Shock spells do 25% more damage |
| 2/2 | 60 | Augmented Shock 1 | Shock spells do 50% more damage | |
| Impact | — | 40 | Destruction Dual Casting | Most dual-cast Destruction spells stagger targets |
| Rune Master | — | 40 | Apprentice Destruction | Place runes five times farther away |
| Adept Destruction | — | 50 | Apprentice Destruction | Adept Destruction spells cost half as much magicka |
| Intense Flames | — | 50 | Augmented Flames | Fire damage makes low-health enemies flee |
| Deep Freeze | — | 60 | Augmented Frost | Frost damage paralyzes low-health targets |
| Disintegrate | — | 70 | Augmented Shock | Shock damage disintegrates low-health targets |
| Expert Destruction | — | 75 | Adept Destruction | Expert Destruction spells cost half as much magicka |
| Master Destruction | — | 100 | Expert Destruction | Master Destruction spells cost half as much magicka |
When a perk lists two prerequisites, you need only one of them.
Planning your Destruction perks
Completing the whole Destruction tree costs 17 of the roughly 80 perk points you get by level 81, so most builds take only the perks they will really use. Start with the perks at the bottom of the tree, then follow the branch that suits your play style up to its top perk.
The highest perks in the tree need a skill of 90 or 100: Master Destruction (100).
How to level Destruction
Every time Destruction goes up, your character earns experience equal to the new skill level, so a high Destruction skill also helps you level up quickly. Raising it from 15 to 100 takes about 528,804 skill experience in total. Trainers can take it to 90 for about 120,450 gold, five sessions per character level. Use the skill XP calculator for exact numbers between any two levels.