Highlights
- Skyrim players recently debated about the best spells in the game.
- It seems the most beloved spell among Skyrim players is Clairvoyance, which offers great convenience by showing the best path to quest markers and reducing backtracking in dungeons and ruins.
- Another favorite spell is Summon Dremora Lord, highlighting the joy of conjuration gameplay and the satisfaction of unleashing a dremora army on enemies.
Wizardry in Skyrim may not be as memetic as the eternally-popular stealth archer, but fans have nonetheless sparked a fierce discussion on what the best spell in the Dragonborn's arcane arsenal could be. Though it allowed players to indulge in their Gandalf fantasies by holding a staff in one hand, and wielding a blade in the other, dedicated spellcasters (be it Destruction or Conjuration) remained on a tier above. Similarly, shouts in Skyrim added a new layer to combat, especially with examples such as Slow Time or Marked for Death, but spells ultimately remained the bread-and-butter for mage builds.
However, Skyrim also represented a clear departure from one of the most iconic features of past Elder Scrolls titles. Players could no longer design custom spells of their own, but instead had to rely on the limited pool of pre-built spells made available by the game. Though many fans lamented the removal of Oblivion's spell making, it did not take long for quality-of-life Skyrim mods to transform its magic system to suit each individual player.
Despite the limitations of unmodded Skyrim, the game still had a respectable amount of spells, and over the years, reliable favorites began to emerge. With Skyrim being over 11 years old, jamiedadawg's thread on the game's official subreddit resumed a debate filled with opinions that had over a decade to crystallize. Though the example from the thread is reserved to Skyrim mods, the comments largely stuck with the base game's list of spells.
While the Fireball, Lightning Rune, or even Sparks will remain a Skyrim classic, it is ultimately Clairvoyance that has earned a special spot in the heart of many Dragonborn. The brilliance of the spell lies in the simple convenience it offers: showing Skyrim players the best possible path to a quest marker. The usage of Clairvoyance can dramatically reduce backtracking in Skyrim's many dungeons and Dwemer ruins, and it's a spell that exists outside specialized builds. Warriors, archers, mages, rogues – any would benefit with a cast of Clairvoyance, and for that reason, it seems to have emerged as the debate's clear front-runner.
An honorable mention goes to the Summon Dremora Lord spell, which perfectly highlights the Conjuration gameplay of Skyrim. For certain players, there are few greater joys than being able to sic a dremora army on the denizens of a Nordic tomb, before collecting the piles of treasure left in its wake. Ultimately, while many Skyrim players are undoubtedly looking forward to the release of Starfield, spells will be the one component that they will no doubt miss from the upcoming Bethesda title.
The Elder Scrolls 5: Skyrim - Anniversary Edition is available now for PC, PS4, PS5, Switch, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.
