Skyrim Block perks
Blocking with a shield or weapon, and shield bashing. Block is a warrior skill with 9 perks and 13 perk ranks.
- Perks
- 9 perks, 13 perk points to complete
- Skill type
- Warrior (Combat)
- Race bonus
- Imperial, Nord, Orc, Redguard +5
- XP 15 → 100
- 528,804 skill XP
- Training 15 → 90
- 120,450 gold (75 sessions)
Block perk tree
| Perk | Rank | Skill | Requires | Effect |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Shield Wall | 1/5 | 0 | — | Blocking is 10% more effective |
| 2/5 | 20 | Shield Wall 1 | Blocking is 20% more effective | |
| 3/5 | 40 | Shield Wall 2 | Blocking is 30% more effective | |
| 4/5 | 60 | Shield Wall 3 | Blocking is 40% more effective | |
| 5/5 | 80 | Shield Wall 4 | Blocking is 50% more effective | |
| Deflect Arrows | — | 30 | Shield Wall | Arrows that hit your shield do no damage |
| Power Bash | — | 30 | Shield Wall | Lets you perform power bashes |
| Quick Reflexes | — | 30 | Shield Wall | Time slows when blocking during an enemy power attack |
| Deadly Bash | — | 50 | Power Bash | Bashing deals five times more damage |
| Elemental Protection | — | 50 | Deflect Arrows | Blocking with a shield reduces fire, frost and shock damage by 50% |
| Block Runner | — | 70 | Elemental Protection | Move faster with a shield raised |
| Disarming Bash | — | 70 | Deadly Bash | Power bashes have a chance to disarm |
| Shield Charge | — | 100 | Block Runner or Disarming Bash | Sprinting with a shield raised knocks down most targets |
When a perk lists two prerequisites, you need only one of them.
Planning your Block perks
Completing the whole Block tree costs 13 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: Shield Charge (100).
How to level Block
Every time Block goes up, your character earns experience equal to the new skill level, so a high Block 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.