Skyrim Illusion perks
Spells that affect the mind: calm, fear, frenzy, invisibility and muffle. Illusion is a mage skill with 13 perks and 13 perk ranks.
- Perks
- 13 perks, 13 perk points to complete
- Skill type
- Mage (Magic)
- Race bonus
- High Elf +10; Breton, Dark Elf +5
- XP 15 → 100
- 528,804 skill XP
- Training 15 → 90
- 120,450 gold (75 sessions)
Illusion perk tree
| Perk | Rank | Skill | Requires | Effect |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Novice Illusion | — | 0 | — | Novice Illusion spells cost half as much magicka |
| Animage | — | 20 | Novice Illusion | Illusion spells work on higher-level animals |
| Illusion Dual Casting | — | 20 | Novice Illusion | Dual casting overcharges Illusion spells |
| Apprentice Illusion | — | 25 | Novice Illusion | Apprentice Illusion spells cost half as much magicka |
| Hypnotic Gaze | — | 30 | Novice Illusion | Calm spells work on higher-level opponents |
| Kindred Mage | — | 40 | Animage | Illusion spells work on higher-level people |
| Adept Illusion | — | 50 | Apprentice Illusion | Adept Illusion spells cost half as much magicka |
| Aspect of Terror | — | 50 | Hypnotic Gaze | Fear spells work on higher-level opponents |
| Quiet Casting | — | 50 | Kindred Mage | All spells you cast from any school are silent |
| Rage | — | 70 | Aspect of Terror | Frenzy spells work on higher-level opponents |
| Expert Illusion | — | 75 | Adept Illusion | Expert Illusion spells cost half as much magicka |
| Master of the Mind | — | 90 | Quiet Casting or Rage | Illusion spells work on undead, daedra and automatons |
| Master Illusion | — | 100 | Expert Illusion | Master Illusion spells cost half as much magicka |
When a perk lists two prerequisites, you need only one of them.
Planning your Illusion perks
Completing the whole Illusion tree costs 13 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 of the Mind (90), Master Illusion (100).
How to level Illusion
Every time Illusion goes up, your character earns experience equal to the new skill level, so a high Illusion 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.