Skyrim Archery perks
Fighting with bows and crossbows. Archery is a warrior skill with 9 perks and 16 perk ranks.
- Perks
- 9 perks, 16 perk points to complete
- Skill type
- Warrior (Combat)
- Race bonus
- Wood Elf +10; Khajiit, Redguard +5
- XP 15 → 100
- 528,804 skill XP
- Training 15 → 90
- 120,450 gold (75 sessions)
Archery perk tree
| Perk | Rank | Skill | Requires | Effect |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Overdraw | 1/5 | 0 | — | Bows deal 20% more damage |
| 2/5 | 20 | Overdraw 1 | Bows deal 40% more damage | |
| 3/5 | 40 | Overdraw 2 | Bows deal 60% more damage | |
| 4/5 | 60 | Overdraw 3 | Bows deal 80% more damage | |
| 5/5 | 80 | Overdraw 4 | Bows deal double damage | |
| Critical Shot | 1/3 | 30 | Overdraw | 10% chance of a critical hit with extra damage |
| 2/3 | 60 | Critical Shot 1 | 15% chance of a critical hit, +25% critical damage | |
| 3/3 | 90 | Critical Shot 2 | 20% chance of a critical hit, +50% critical damage | |
| Eagle Eye | — | 30 | Overdraw | Press Block while aiming to zoom in |
| Steady Hand | 1/2 | 40 | Eagle Eye | Zooming in slows time |
| 2/2 | 60 | Steady Hand 1 | Zooming in slows time even more | |
| Hunter's Discipline | — | 50 | Critical Shot | Recover twice as many arrows from dead bodies |
| Power Shot | — | 50 | Eagle Eye | Arrows stagger most targets 50% of the time |
| Ranger | — | 60 | Hunter's Discipline | Move faster with a drawn bow |
| Quick Shot | — | 70 | Power Shot | Draw bows 30% faster |
| Bullseye | — | 100 | Ranger or Quick Shot | 15% chance of paralyzing the target for a few seconds |
When a perk lists two prerequisites, you need only one of them.
Planning your Archery perks
Completing the whole Archery tree costs 16 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: Critical Shot (90), Bullseye (100).
How to level Archery
Every time Archery goes up, your character earns experience equal to the new skill level, so a high Archery 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.