Mastering Skyrim: Leveling Skills at Warp Speed

The question every Dragonborn asks: what skill levels the fastest in Skyrim? The answer, unequivocally, is Alteration. While other skills may offer early game bursts of speed, Alteration boasts a readily accessible, easily repeatable, and ultimately broken method that allows you to reach level 100 in a matter of minutes, especially when you take full advantage of in-game mechanics.

The Telekinesis Trick: Alteration Leveling on Steroids

The secret to Alteration’s rapid leveling lies in the Telekinesis spell. This seemingly simple spell allows you to manipulate objects at a distance, but when combined with Fortify Alteration enchantments and fast travel, it becomes an XP powerhouse.

Here’s the breakdown:

1. Acquire Telekinesis: You can find this spell tome randomly in loot, or purchase it from Tolfdir at the College of Winterhold. It’s a relatively inexpensive spell, making it accessible early in the game.

2. Enchant Fortify Alteration Gear: This is the crucial step. The more Fortify Alteration enchantments you have, the faster your Alteration skill will level and the less Magicka it will consume. Aim for 100% reduction or as close as possible. This can be achieved by acquiring items from vendors, or creating your own gear through the Enchanting skill.

3. Grasping the Object: Cast Telekinesis on any object.

4. Fast Travel Exploit: While holding the object with Telekinesis, open your map and fast travel to a distant location. As the game loads the new area, it calculates the duration of your Telekinesis spell as if you’d held it for the entire travel time. This equates to a massive amount of Alteration XP gained instantly.

5. Rinse and Repeat: Once you arrive at your destination, your Alteration skill should have skyrocketed. Make it “Legendary,” reset it back to 15, and do it again!

This method works because Skyrim’s skill leveling system is based on the magnitude and duration of spell effects. Fast traveling while Telekinesis is active drastically multiplies the spell duration, resulting in absurd amounts of XP. This allows for unbelievably quick leveling.

Why Alteration Reigns Supreme

While other skills can be leveled quickly with exploits, here’s why Alteration stands out:

• Accessibility: Telekinesis is available relatively early in the game.
• Repeatability: The fast travel exploit can be performed infinitely.
• Efficiency: No combat is required, making it safe and easy.
• Speed: Levels extremely fast, often going from 15 to 100 in one fast travel.

Considerations and Drawbacks

• Exploitative Nature: This method is undoubtedly an exploit. Some players may find it cheesy or immersion-breaking.
• Enchanting Requirement: To fully optimize the exploit, you’ll need access to Enchanting, which requires leveling that skill.
• Potential Glitches: As with any exploit, there’s a small chance of encountering unexpected glitches.
• Boredom: Repeatedly fast traveling can become monotonous.

The Ethical Question: Exploit or Not?

Ultimately, whether or not you choose to use the Telekinesis exploit is a matter of personal preference. Some players revel in optimizing their characters and maximizing their power, while others prefer a more immersive and challenging experience. There’s no right or wrong answer. Feel free to check out the Games Learning Society at GamesLearningSociety.org for discussions on game design and player experiences.

FAQs: Skyrim Skill Leveling Deep Dive

1. What skills are easy to level early in Skyrim?

Skills like Sneak, Smithing, and Alchemy are relatively easy to level early on. Sneak can be trained by sneaking near sleeping NPCs or in dungeons, while Smithing can be leveled by crafting iron daggers. Alchemy is fast because even mixing the most common ingredients will result in skill leveling.

2. Is Sneak really that easy to level to 100 quickly?

Yes, Sneak is notoriously easy to exploit. One method involves repeatedly sneaking near a Greybeard on High Hrothgar. Another popular choice is during the Helgen tutorial. As you move through the tutorial with Ralof or Hadvar you can crouch behind them, and as long as you are undetected the skill will increase extremely rapidly.

3. Are there any downsides to leveling quickly?

Yes, leveling only non-combat skills can result in a character with a high level but low combat effectiveness. Ensure you’re also leveling skills that contribute to your combat prowess.

4. What are the hardest skills to level in Skyrim?

Skills like Restoration, Illusion, and both Heavy and Light Armor can be time-consuming to level without specific strategies. Restoration can be challenging as its tied to actual combat usage and healing needs. Illusion can be more complex because it requires finding the right people to cast on.

5. How does difficulty affect skill leveling?

Difficulty affects the XP gained in combat skills. On lower difficulties, you deal more damage and receive less, meaning enemies die faster, and you gain XP slower. On higher difficulties, enemies are tougher, so you gain XP faster, but it might take more time to kill them. Adept difficulty is often considered a good balance for XP gain.

6. What is the “Legendary” skill system?

Once a skill reaches 100, you can make it “Legendary,” resetting it to 15 and refunding all perks spent in that skill tree. This allows you to continue leveling your character and gaining perk points beyond level 81 (and higher in unmodded).

7. How long does it take to max out every skill in Skyrim?

Maxing out all 18 skills to level 100 can take hundreds of hours, often exceeding 200 to 600 hours depending on your playstyle and the usage of exploits.

8. What are some tips for leveling Smithing quickly?

Crafting iron daggers is the classic method, but crafting jewelry (especially gold rings) can be more efficient if you have the materials. Always prioritize improving your gear at the grindstone and workbench as well.

9. How can I level Alchemy efficiently?

Experiment with different ingredient combinations. Using common ingredients like creep cluster, scaly pholiota, and hawk’s beak can create valuable and experience-rich potions. There are many online resources for optimizing ingredient combinations.

10. What is the best way to level Enchanting?

Enchanting items with petty soul gems is a cost-effective way to level Enchanting early on. Disenchanting items you don’t need will teach you valuable enchantments.

11. Does race affect skill leveling?

Yes, each race has starting skill bonuses that can give you a head start. For example, High Elves begin with a bonus to Illusion magic.

12. Can I get all perks in Skyrim?

Yes, you can acquire all 251 perks by leveling all skills to 100, making them Legendary, and repeating the process. This requires reaching level 252.

13. Is there a level cap in Skyrim?

Without mods, there isn’t a hard level cap due to the Legendary skill system. However, before the system was introduced the level cap was 81.

14. How can I level combat skills efficiently?

For skills like One-Handed or Two-Handed, attacking unkillable targets like Shadowmere (the Dark Brotherhood horse) or Hadvar/Ralof in the opening sequence is a great strategy. For Archery, you can target distant, non-hostile NPCs.

15. What skills are worth making Legendary first?

Skills you’ve heavily perked into but don’t use much anymore, such as Smithing or Enchanting after you’ve crafted your ideal gear, are good candidates. Combat skills can also be made Legendary to continue leveling your character.

Conclusion

While Skyrim offers a vast array of skills to master, Alteration, through the Telekinesis exploit, stands out as the uncontested champion of fast leveling. Whether you embrace this method or prefer a more traditional approach, understanding the mechanics behind skill leveling is crucial for optimizing your Dragonborn’s journey.