Skyrim Alteration perks
Spells that change the world: armor spells, paralysis, detection and light. Alteration is a mage skill with 10 perks and 14 perk ranks.
- Perks
- 10 perks, 14 perk points to complete
- Skill type
- Mage (Magic)
- Race bonus
- High Elf, Argonian, Breton, Dark Elf, Redguard +5
- XP 15 → 100
- 528,804 skill XP
- Training 15 → 90
- 120,450 gold (75 sessions)
Alteration perk tree
| Perk | Rank | Skill | Requires | Effect |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Novice Alteration | — | 0 | — | Novice Alteration spells cost half as much magicka |
| Alteration Dual Casting | — | 20 | Novice Alteration | Dual casting overcharges Alteration spells |
| Apprentice Alteration | — | 25 | Novice Alteration | Apprentice Alteration spells cost half as much magicka |
| Mage Armor | 1/3 | 30 | Apprentice Alteration | Armor spells are twice as strong when not wearing armor |
| 2/3 | 50 | Mage Armor 1 | Armor spells are 2.5x as strong when not wearing armor | |
| 3/3 | 70 | Mage Armor 2 | Armor spells are 3x as strong when not wearing armor | |
| Magic Resistance | 1/3 | 30 | Apprentice Alteration | Block 10% of a spell's effects |
| 2/3 | 50 | Magic Resistance 1 | Block 20% of a spell's effects | |
| 3/3 | 70 | Magic Resistance 2 | Block 30% of a spell's effects | |
| Adept Alteration | — | 50 | Apprentice Alteration | Adept Alteration spells cost half as much magicka |
| Stability | — | 70 | Adept Alteration | Alteration spells last 50% longer |
| Expert Alteration | — | 75 | Adept Alteration | Expert Alteration spells cost half as much magicka |
| Atronach | — | 100 | Expert Alteration | Absorb 30% of the magicka of spells that hit you |
| Master Alteration | — | 100 | Expert Alteration | Master Alteration spells cost half as much magicka |
When a perk lists two prerequisites, you need only one of them.
Planning your Alteration perks
Completing the whole Alteration tree costs 14 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: Atronach (100), Master Alteration (100).
How to level Alteration
Every time Alteration goes up, your character earns experience equal to the new skill level, so a high Alteration 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.