In Skyrim, there is a wide range of magical spells and abilities for just about any playstyle or approach to the game. That said, the most commonly recognized form of magical Power and ability comes by way of the Destruction school of magic. While Conjuration magic can summon allies and Restoration can heal your wounds, there is nothing that says “Magic” like creating a powerful fireball and hurling it at your enemies.
In this guide, we will be going over how you can get some of the most powerful, Master-Level Destruction spells in Skyrim. We will also go over their Power and the amount of damage each does.
Note: You’ll need to be at level 100 in your Destruction magic to gain access to these spells, as it is not a simple location to discover or merchant to purchase from. This guide will not be on how to reach level 100 though that can be done through a dedicated playthrough of the game in Destruction magic reasonably quickly.
Begin The Ritual
After reaching level 100 in your Destruction magic skill, return to the College of Winterhold and speak to Faralda. Once you’re at level 100, you’ll have the option to ask her how to learn more with Destruction magic. She will then give you an incomplete tome known as the Power of the Elements, starting your quest, “Destruction Ritual Spell”.
This is where the challenge truly begins. Unlike other Ritual Magic Quests in the game, the Destruction Ritual Spell quest starts you with an incomplete tome that is written in a poem. What’s more, there are no quest markers to reference, meaning that you’ll have to deduce the locations mentioned in the poem and act accordingly.
Luckily that’s where this guide comes in. Keep reading to see how to solve this headscratcher of a dilemma. There are 3 locations in all, so let’s get started.
First Location
When you first get the Power of the Elements book, it will have an initial poem that will direct you to a northern location known as Windward Ruins. It is found just south of Dawnstar.
Upon reaching the location, you’ll find a small podium sitting in the center of the barrow. Place the book onto the podium and cast a Fire-based spell of any level at the book before picking it up again.
Upon rereading the book, you’ll be given your second location to find.
Second Location
This second location referenced is the North Skybound Watch, another small barrow. It is located southeast of Riverwood on the slopes of a mountain, so be aware of the more hilly and challenging terrain.
Upon reaching the location, you’ll again find a small podium to interact with and place the tome. Here, rather than fire, you’ll instead use a frost spell of any level before equipping it once again.
Similar to last time, when rereading the book, you’ll find a newly added passage that will lead you to a third and final location.
Final Location
This final passage references you to Four Skull Lookout, directly east of Markarth and southeast of Karthwastern. Unlike the earlier two, this location is inhabited by the Forsworn, meaning that you should prepare for enemy resistance when entering.
When you finally reach the area, you’ll find a third and final podium for the book. You’ll then use a shock spell of any level before yet collecting the now completed version of the tome.
Upon rereading it for the final time, you’ll instantly learn the Master-Destruction spell, Fire Storm.
Return to Faralda
After finally completing the Power of the Elements book, speak to Faralda again. There, you will now be able to purchase the additional frost and shock Master-Destruction spells. The frost spell is known as Blizzard, while the shock spell is Lighting Storm.
And with that, you will now have all 3 Master-level Destruction spells. Now that you’ve gotten them, we will see just how powerful each of these spells is.
Spell Overview
Firestorm
Starting with the one that started this whole endeavor, Firestorm is well worth the work in getting. Unlike the other Fire-based spells, it has an area of effect rather than needing to be targeted at an opponent.
When cast, the spell has three different damage levels based on the opponent’s proximity to you.
- Enemies within 100 Feet Radius: 100 points of damage
- Enemies within 60 Feet Radius: 75 points of damage
- Enemies within 20 Feet Radius: 50 points of damage
This spell shines because, depending on their location, an opponent may suffer from all three sets of damage. For example, enemies within the 20 feet radius will be subject to all three rings of damage, or 225 points. >
Blizzard
The next spell, Blizzard, while not as powerful as Fire Storm, functions mostly the same way with the added effect of slowing each of your opponents through frost damage.
When cast, it creates an area of effect spell that inflicts 20 points of damage per second to each enemy for 10 seconds. The spell has a range of 40 feet and will do upwards of 200 points of damage to an enemy over time, so long as they stay in the spell’s area of effect.
Lighting Storm
Finally, Lightning Storm does not follow the area of effect nature as the first two spells, instead of acting as a directed attack on a singular opponent. That said, it can be argued that if you have taken some precautions to your Magicka consumption, this spell is arguably the most powerful of the 3.
When directed at an enemy, the spell fires a beam of lightning that causes 75 points of damage to an opponent per second so long as they are being hit with the attack.
The downside to this spell is that it is incredibly Magicka-hungry, costing 138 Magicka per second to use. However, if you have outfitted yourself with items enchanted with the Fortify Destruction enchantment, you can significantly reduce the amount of spell consumption required.
Conclusion
And there you have it, folks. You now know where to find the 3 most potent Destruction spells in the game. What’s more, with perks, potions, and enchantments, these spells can be significantly improved upon, turning you indeed into a god of magical Destruction in the world of Nirn.
