Unleash Your Inner Dragonborn: Mastering the Art of Free Leveling in Skyrim
Getting free levels in Skyrim boils down to cleverly exploiting in-game mechanics and resources to boost your skills without directly spending experience points earned through traditional questing or combat. The most effective methods involve collecting skill books, utilizing trainer exploits, and employing specific skill leveling strategies that maximize experience gain per action. By strategically combining these approaches, you can significantly accelerate your character’s growth and dominate the realm of Tamriel.
Skill Books: A Scholar’s Path to Power
One of the most straightforward methods for obtaining free levels is by collecting the numerous skill books scattered throughout Skyrim. These books, of which there are five for each of the 18 skills (totaling 90), instantly grant you a +1 bonus to the corresponding skill upon reading them. If you’ve unlocked the “Scholar’s Insight” ability, obtained by completing the “Discerning Transmute” quest for Septimus Signus, this bonus doubles to +2 per book!
Where to Find Them?
Skill books are strategically placed throughout Skyrim, often found in dungeons, libraries, and the homes of knowledgeable characters. Websites and wikis dedicated to Skyrim offer comprehensive lists detailing the exact locations of each book. Taking the time to systematically collect these books early in your playthrough can provide a substantial boost to your core skills, allowing you to level up faster and more efficiently. Remember that you can only read each book once per playthrough.
Maximizing the Benefit
Planning your route and prioritizing the skill books relevant to your character build is crucial. For example, a mage might prioritize books on Destruction, Conjuration, and Alteration, while a warrior might focus on One-Handed, Two-Handed, and Heavy Armor.
Trainer Exploits: The Student Becomes the Master
Skyrim offers various trainers who can teach you specific skills in exchange for gold. However, a clever exploit allows you to effectively get free training. The trick is to train with a follower who also provides training services, such as Aela the Huntress (Archery), Farkas (Heavy Armor), or Vilkas (Two-Handed) from the Companions.
The Training Loop
- Hire the trainer as a follower.
- Train with them, increasing your chosen skill.
- Trade with them and take back the gold you spent on training.
You can repeat this process up to five times per level. This allows you to effectively convert gold into skill levels, and since you get the gold back, it becomes free! The only limitation is that you need to level up before you can train another five times.
Alternatives Trainer-Followers
While Aela, Farkas, and Vilkas are popular choices, other options exist depending on your skill preferences. Keep in mind that using this exploit requires joining the corresponding faction or completing the necessary quests to gain the trainer as a follower.
Leveling Through Skill Use: Strategic Skill Grinding
Certain skills are easier and faster to level than others. By focusing on these skills, you can level up your character quickly, gaining free levels along the way. Once you reach level 100 in the skill, you can make it “Legendary,” resetting it to level 15 and allowing you to continue leveling up your character.
Alteration: Master of the Elements (and Leveling)
Alteration is arguably the fastest skill to level in Skyrim. The “Telekinesis” spell is key to this method. Cast Telekinesis on an object, then fast travel a long distance. This will grant massive experience points for Alteration, often boosting you multiple levels in just a few seconds. Furthermore, the “Detect Life” spell when cast in a crowded location, can boost your Alteration levels quickly.
Illusion: The Art of Persuasion (and Easy Levels)
The “Muffle” spell from the school of Illusion is another excellent method for rapidly gaining levels. Simply cast Muffle repeatedly in a crowded area (such as a city) to quickly level up your Illusion skill. This requires minimal resources and can be done early in the game. Also, casting “Courage” on a non-hostile NPC over and over again is another method to quickly level up Illusion.
Sneak: Stealthy Leveling for the Assassin
Sneak is notoriously easy to level. Simply sneak behind a friendly, non-essential NPC (like Ralof in the beginning of the game) and repeatedly attack them. Because they are essential and friendly, they won’t die or become hostile, allowing you to level Sneak indefinitely.
Smithing: Forging a Path to Power
Smithing can be leveled quickly by crafting Iron Daggers early on, as they require minimal resources (Iron Ingots and Leather Strips). As you progress, switch to crafting more valuable items like Gold Rings, Dwarven Bows, or ultimately, Dragonplate Armor to maximize experience gain.
Restoration: Healing and Leveling in Tandem
While often cited as a slow skill to level, Restoration can be leveled passively by using “Equilibrium” in one hand to drain your health and then using a healing spell in the other hand to restore it. This creates a loop where you are constantly gaining experience in both Alteration (from Equilibrium) and Restoration.
Exploiting the “Oghma Infinium” Glitch
The Oghma Infinium is a Daedric artifact obtained from the quest “Discerning Transmute.” It allows you to choose one of three paths (Path of Might, Path of Shadow, or Path of Magic), granting a +5 bonus to a set of skills. However, an exploit allows you to use the book multiple times.
The Bookshelf Exploit
- Complete the “Discerning Transmute” quest and obtain the Oghma Infinium.
- Read the book, choosing your desired path.
- Store the book on a bookshelf or weapon rack in your home.
- Take the book off the bookshelf/weapon rack.
- Read the book again. You should be able to read it again, granting another +5 bonus to your chosen skills. Repeat this process as many times as you want.
This exploit allows you to increase your skills indefinitely, effectively granting you “free levels.” However, be aware that using exploits can sometimes lead to unintended consequences or game instability.
Mods: The Ultimate Leveling Hack
While not technically “free” in the sense of being built into the base game, mods can significantly accelerate your leveling. Numerous mods exist that increase experience gain, make skills easier to level, or even allow you to customize your leveling system entirely.
Popular Leveling Mods
- Experience: A popular mod that overhauls the leveling system, granting experience for discovering locations, completing quests, and other activities, rather than just skill usage.
- Skyrim Skill Uncapper: This mod allows you to increase skill levels beyond 100, removing the need to make skills Legendary.
- Training Dummies and Targets: Adds training dummies and targets to the game, allowing you to passively level combat skills.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
1. What is the maximum level in Skyrim?
Without making skills Legendary, the maximum level is 81. However, with the Legendary system, you can theoretically level up infinitely.
2. Can you get level 100 in every skill in Skyrim?
Yes, absolutely. With enough time and dedication (or strategic exploitation of game mechanics!), you can max out all 18 skills.
3. Which skill is the easiest to level up?
Generally, Alteration and Sneak are considered the easiest skills to level up quickly.
4. Which skill is the hardest to level up?
Opinions vary, but many players find Restoration, Heavy Armor, and Light Armor to be more challenging and time-consuming to level.
5. Do skill books respawn?
No, skill books do not respawn. Once you’ve read a skill book, it cannot be read again in the same playthrough (unless using console commands or mods).
6. Can followers train you beyond level 50?
Yes, some followers who are also trainers can train you up to level 75 or even 90 in their respective skills.
7. Does difficulty affect skill leveling speed?
No, the game difficulty setting does not affect the speed at which your skills level up.
8. Is it possible to reset skills in Skyrim?
Yes, once a skill reaches level 100, you can make it Legendary, resetting it to level 15.
9. What is the purpose of making a skill Legendary?
Making a skill Legendary allows you to continue leveling up your character beyond level 81, as well as earn more perk points.
10. Are there any drawbacks to making a skill Legendary?
Yes, resetting a skill to level 15 can make you weaker in combat until you level that skill back up.
11. Can I use console commands to level up skills?
Yes, on PC, you can use console commands like “player.advskill [skill name] [amount]” or “player.setav [skill name] [level]” to directly increase your skills. However, this is considered cheating and may diminish the enjoyment of the game.
12. Do standing stones affect skill leveling?
Yes, the Warrior Stone, Mage Stone, and Thief Stone each boost experience gain in combat, magic, and stealth skills, respectively.
13. What is the best way to level up Enchanting?
The most efficient way to level Enchanting is to enchant a large number of items with cheap enchantments, such as “Fortify Carry Weight” on Iron Daggers.
14. What are the best followers to help with leveling?
Followers with high skill levels in your desired skills can be valuable companions. Additionally, followers like Aela the Huntress, Farkas, and Vilkas, who are also trainers, can provide free training through the training exploit.
15. Are there any ethical considerations when using exploits or cheats?
Using exploits and cheats can be a matter of personal preference. Some players enjoy the challenge of leveling legitimately, while others prefer to optimize their experience. There’s no right or wrong approach, but it’s important to be aware of the potential impact on your enjoyment of the game and the experience of others if playing multiplayer. To learn more about the impacts that gaming has on the individual and on society, check out the resources at the Games Learning Society at GamesLearningSociety.org.
By mastering these techniques, you can unlock your full potential in Skyrim and become a truly legendary Dragonborn!