Skyrim’s skill system is visually beautiful to look at, full of many useful skill trees and perks. There are a thousand and one ways to build your character, either casting a wide net and trying everything or focusing on just a few perks to max them out. While it is fun to play a bit of everything, your character will slowly fall behind in strength over time.
With Legendary skills, it’s possible to get well beyond the original max of 80 perks. That being said, your perk acquisition does start to slow down, and knowing which to get early can quickly perfect your character. Here are the best perks you need to incorporate into your build.
10 Impact
Mage builds leave you with less armor, focusing on enchanted robes to regenerate magika or increase spell’s effects. Having a heavy-hitting enemy run straight at you will leave you with few magic-based options, and without good weapons skills, you’ll be at a disadvantage.
With the Impact ability, while dual casting Destruction magic, it will have the chance of stunning enemies. This will help buy you a few more seconds to prepare your next spell or finish off your enemy before they reach you.
9 Deadly Aim![Skyrim Archer In 3rd Person in Immersive Movement mod by Zanadaniel]()
The stealth archer build is popular for a reason, and this ability is the cornerstone of it. This perk gives a bonus 3X damage to bow shots performed while hidden. Add in the possibility of a headshot, and you may be able to instantly kill most enemies you shoot at.
Depending on your distance and Sneak skill, you may not be discovered after the first kill and may be able to pick off a few enemies before you’re even noticed. This skill is perfect to center a build around or be the opening shot of an encounter.
8 Stealth![Skyrim Player Sneaking]()
Stealth is the initial perk in the Sneak skill tree. It makes you 20% harder to detect, with a 5% boost for each subsequent rank. No matter what build you’re going for, being able to sneak from time to time is always a nice added bonus.
What sets this skill apart is that it can be upgraded right away and offers the most bonus at 20% for the first level. Even if you’re not focusing on a Sneak build, this perk makes you much more difficult to detect with minimal points being used.
7 Dual Flurry![Skyrim Character Dual Wielding]()
One-handed weapons have perks that boost their damage, but they will always trail behind two-handed weapons in damage. The main advantage to one-handed weapons is having your off-hand open and deciding how to utilize it best. While magic or shields seem like a good choice, so is a second one-handed weapon.
Having the Dual Flurry perks boosts your attack speed by 20%, then 35% while dual wielding. Added on top of the bonus perks to one-handed damage, this can lead to incredible glass cannon builds. Dual wielding also allows for you to use two enchanted weapons to increase your capabilities on top of the faster attacks and high damage.
6 Steady Hand![Skyrim Archer Zooming In]()
Shooting bows in Skyrim can be incredibly rewarding when you hit the perfect headshot and instantly kill your target. Missing, on the other hand, can result in a group of uninjured enemies running straight to you. With Steady Hand, you’re able to slow down time and zoom in on your target to perfectly line up the shot.
The first shot with a bow is the most important, as it decides if you’ll be shooting more or preparing for melee combat. If you’re attempting to stay hidden, landing each shot is even more important to not be detected, and Steady Hand will help you line up any shot.
5 Unbreakable![Skyrim Lockpick Breaking]()
While the Skeleton Key is an unbreakable lockpick, it must eventually be lost in order to complete the Thieves Guild story. This skill turns any lockpick into an unbreakable lockpick just like the skeleton key, and once you have it, it can never be lost again.
Getting this perk doesn’t require completing specific quests and can be obtained eventually by simply playing the game and picking locks. This perk is a better long-term solution to lock picking than the Skeleton key, and once obtained, keeping the Skeleton key is useless.
Enchanting is a skill often overlooked in Skyrim. It can be difficult to understand and therefore difficult to level up and utilize properly. That being said, enchanted weapons can do more damage or have magical effects that make the weapon unique.
Extra Effect allows you to place a second enchantment on an item, which is something not normally found in the wild. This allows you to mix and match the enchantments you put on a weapon, further customizing it to perfectly fit your play style and do tons of damage.
3 Regeneration![Skyrim Dual Casting Healing Spell]()
Healing abilities are simple and are incredibly helpful even at a low level. Any build can use the base magika it has to heal themselves in or out of combat. This Perk decreases the required Magika of a healing spell by 50%. This is a perfect perk for someone who just uses healing spells in their off-hand out of convenience.
Having less magika is no longer a hindrance, and you’re able to heal a lot more. If you play a more magic-heavy build, this only helps further your magika usage and allows you to easily heal and still be equipped to use damage spells to end the fight.
2 Assassin’s Blade![Skyrim Assassin Armor Dual Wielding]()
Sneak attack damage should always be utilized, even at a small amount. It’s a good boost to start off combat. Coming from the Sneak skill, Assassin’s Blade gives your sneak attack hits a bonus of 15% damage. This bonus stacks with the Blade of Woe or shrouded gloves for a 30% bonus to stealth attacks.
This perk allows you to instantly kill most enemies you sneak close to. If an enemy does survive, they will be sufficiently wounded to make it a quick cleanup afterward. No matter your build, this is a worthwhile perk as starting off combat with such a powerful attack is not easily possible.
1 Twin Souls![Skyrim Player Flanked By Two Daedra]()
Conjuration magic is perfect for someone who doesn’t like to be targeted by enemies. Being able to have an extra Atronach with your companion makes enemies have more distractions before getting to you. With this perk, you’re able to summon two entities at the same time.
With this being a max-level perk, you’ll also have access to the max-level spells. These thralls stay summoned until they are defeated, which is already difficult for just one. Add in a companion, and you now have a full four-man team for any fight in this game.
