There are plenty of spells to choose from in The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim Anniversary Edition. Thanks to the Creation Club items being included, the selection of spells has expanded enormously, and there’s so much more to choose from. It’s given players the opportunity to try out new spells — wizards even have some better options to choose from.
There are so many ways to customize a character’s build in Skyrim, and one's magical specialties are a vital aspect of many builds. If players are looking for new spells for a mage, spellsword, or even just looking to supplement their melee combat, these spells are worth looking into.
9 Elemental Flare
This novice level spell deals both 15 points of ice and shock damage all at once. Thanks to the latter damage type, this will drain magicka. Finally, the spell will drain stamina as well. It’s a triple threat that players can access pretty early in the game. For those looking to build a mage, this spell is a must-have.
It is a little on the expensive side, especially for the beginning of the game, as it costs 45 magicka. However, if it successfully hits the enemy, this is a very powerful spell, especially if players level up their Destruction tree and augment it with various perks.
8 Choking Grasp
Another novice-level Destruction spell, Choking Grasp will drain 8 points of health from the target it hits and give that health back to the player. Since health potions might be a little expensive to buy or make at the beginning of the game, this spell can help. Players won’t have to use potions as much if they sap their enemy's HP.
At a cost of 39 magicka, it’s not terribly expensive, but it’s best to use this spell when health is near 50%. It’s not a burst heal, so it might not be the best when health is very low, unless the players can put some distance between themselves and the enemy.
7 Orum’s Aquatic Escape
This adept-level Alteration spell has three effects that makes it worth the expensive cost. It grants the player Invisibility for 15 seconds, along with Water Breathing and Night Eye. It's also much cheaper than the Invisibility spell itself, costing 165 magicka as opposed to 334 — and Orum's Aquatic Escape comes with extra goodies to boot. The Water Breathing and Night Eye might not be needed in most cases, but having them available never hurts.
This spell might last only half the time the Invisibility spell lasts, but it’s a great substitute, especially at mid-levels. 15 seconds is usually more than enough time in most situations.
6 Unbounded Freezing
This expert-level Destruction spell will do 50 points of health and stamina damage, and can knock down enemies within melee range. If players continue to channel the spell while enemies are knocked down, there’s a possibility they can freeze. When the player stops channeling it, the enemies frozen by it will thaw out.
One downside to this spell is that it doesn’t slow down enemies like most ice spells do. Despite this, it can be handy against bandits, Forsworn, and other enemies that tend to travel in groups.
5 Mara’s Wrath
A little similar to the Flame Cloak, this expert-level Destruction spell surrounds the caster in flames and does fire damage to enemies every second within melee range for 30 seconds. It will also send undead enemies fleeing from the Dragonborn while the spell is active. It’s a pretty expensive spell, costing 329 magicka, but if players are going into dungeons with undead, it can provide a little relief.
With Plague of the Dead adding zombies to the game, players can use this spell to help ward off zombies since they attack in groups. This can also be effective against some Draugr, but it might not send higher-leveled ones fleeing every time.
4 Paralysis Rune
This new adept-level Alteration rune spell costs less than the other rune spells. The Paralysis Rune will paralyze any nearby enemies for 8 seconds. If fighting against a tough group of enemies, the player could use this to paralyze them and use that time to put some distance between themselves and the enemy.
At the cost of 172 magicka, this spell is cheaper than the Fire Rune, Ice Rune, and Lightning Rune spells. Though it doesn’t do any damage, the paralysis effect provides players with more time to heal or keep attacking enemies.
3 Teleport Pet
With the Creation Club being included in the anniversary edition, there are plenty of pet followers the player can choose from. What’s even better is that the Dragonborn can now summon their pets to their location and send them to specific locations. When doing so, players can give their pets items to hold onto and send them away to keep those items safe.
For gamers playing with Survival Mode activated, finding this spell is a must have. There are a variety of pets to be found in Skyrim so players should pick them along the way during their journey. These novice-level Alteration spells are free to cast; however, doing so does not raise the Alteration skill.
2 Elemental Bolt
A stronger version of Elemental Flare, this apprentice-level Destruction spell does 20 points of fire damage, 20 points of shock damage, and does damage to stamina. Players should pick this spell up as soon as possible, because it’s pretty strong even later in the game. With all the perks that can increase its power, players won’t need to get or use the Elemental Burst or Elemental Blast spells.
At 62 magicka, it does cost more than other apprentice level spells like Firebolt, Lightning Bolt, and Ice Spike. However, it inflicts more status effects and is better than all of them overall.
1 Unbounded Flames
This expert-level Destruction spell costs 78 magicka and does 50 points of fire damage. It sends a stream of fireballs that can attack enemies up to 8 feet away. What makes this spell unique is the wall of fire that it leaves, which will do about 20 points of extra fire damage for 30 seconds to enemies who pass through it. Not only will this help damage enemies, but it should keep some at bay.
While the spell does a great amount of damage, it is a little expensive to use. However, this can be balanced out by choosing the right perks in the Destruction tree.
The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim – Anniversary Edition is available on PS5, PS4, Xbox Series X/S, Xbox One, and PC.